Which Return of the King recording should you buy?
The last volume of The Lord of the Rings, sold the same three ways as the first two: two complete readings and the BBC radio dramatisation.
Disclosure: links on this page to Audible and Amazon are affiliate links — if you sign up or buy through one, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. More about this
J.R.R. Tolkien · 3 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Finish with the reader you started with. Andy Serkis and Rob Inglis both read all three volumes and both recordings of this one are complete, so there is no wrong answer except changing voice for the ending. The listing called The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, with Ian Holm, Bill Nighy and Michael Hordern among the cast, is the BBC radio dramatisation — which its description says, and its cast list suggests, but its title does not.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Serkis Our pick | 21 hrs 52 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo; its description calls it unabridged. Released 2021, and the same reader as the Serkis Fellowship and Two Towers. |
| Rob Inglis | 17 hrs 12 mins | Unabridged | The long-standing reading, and complete: Audible's listing data marks it unabridged. The same reader as the Inglis Fellowship and Two Towers. |
| Ian Holm, Bill Nighy, Michael Hordern, John Le Mesurier and a full cast | 3 hrs 10 mins | BBC full-cast dramatisation | The BBC radio dramatisation, in Audible's own description. Listed as The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and a cast rather than a reading. |
