Which Unseen Academicals recording should you buy?
Two of the three editions here are within eleven minutes of each other in length — and one is an abridged reading while the other is a full-cast dramatisation. Nothing on the page tells you that.
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Terry Pratchett · 3 Audible UK recordings compared
Short answer
Colin Morgan for the actual book: the complete reading in the table, at 15 hrs 9 mins, where both alternatives are far shorter. The David Jason version is a dramatisation and worth hearing on its own terms; the Tony Robinson is simply a shorter reading. Do not pick between those two on running time — they are not the same kind of thing.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Morgan, with Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz Our pick | 15 hrs 9 mins | Unabridged | The complete novel. |
| David Jason, Jon Culshaw, Mathew Horne, Josie Lawrence, Jaime Winstone | 4 hrs 32 mins | Full-cast dramatisation | An adaptation with a cast — not a shortened reading, despite sitting eleven minutes below the abridgement. |
| Tony Robinson | 4 hrs 43 mins | Abridged | A straight reading of a cut-down text. |
The recording we recommend is also on Audiobooks.com — the same Colin Morgan reading, listed at 15 hrs 9 mins when we checked on 11 September 2026. Their one-credit plan is listed at £7.99 a month before applicable taxes, and its credits expire after three months — the two models compared. We earn a commission on that link.
