AudioGO Ltd was a primarily digital audio publisher who purchased BBC Audiobooks in July 2010, thereby inheriting all Doctor Who, Torchwood and SJA audio material previously released under the BBC's own audio labels.
They were thus the publishers of the Tom Baker audio range that began with Hornets' Nest, readings of Target Books novelisations, TV soundtracks of missing episodes, some original audio dramas (based upon Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures), and Doctor Who audio archive material (like the series of Doctor Who at the BBC releases) and documentaries.
After the takeover, they retained the brand identity "BBC Audio" as an imprint.
History
Previously, the branding BBC Radio Collection was used for release of radio dramas based upon the series: Exploration Earth, Slipback, The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts of N-Space. Also released under the banner — although technically incorrectly as they were never intended for radio — were edited TV soundtracks taken initially from episodes that had been deleted by the BBC but for which audio tracks survived (i.e. The Macra Terror and The Evil of the Daleks). The BBC Radio Collection also reissued the audio adaptation of Genesis of the Daleks. Beginning in 2004 the "BBC Radio Collection" branding was dropped, and releases for more recent stories have occurred, even those available on DVD, the most recent to date being an audio version of the 1984 story Warriors of the Deep.
Significant recent releases have included 2008's audio story Pest Control, which launched a series of original Doctor Who stories that has continued into 2010 and featuring the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, and the audio story Hornets' Nest, a five part 2009 release that saw the return of Tom Baker to the role of the Fourth Doctor.
Administration and closing
AudioGO entered administration after significant cashflow issues were discovered in October 2013. The company has suspended operations and has effectively ceased trading, affecting many of the expected 50th anniversary releases.[1]
In January 2014, the front page of AudioGO's website was replaced by a notice that trading from the website had ceased. Customers were advised to download their purchased libraries from the site before it became entirely unavailable on 1 February 2014.
Since November 2014, BBC Physical Audio have released Doctor Who audiobooks.
Future availability of AudioGO material
Rights to AudioGO's BBC-licenced content (including Doctor Who) for the UK and the rest of the world excluding North America, Australia and New Zealand, were transferred to Random House in December 2013. [2]
AudioGO's US titles were acquired by independent audiobook publisher Blackstone Audio, a company which had previously been acquired by AudioGO in January 2013 but sold back to its former owners in October of that year when AudioGo entered administration. Blackstone will distribute the titles through its arms BlackstoneLibrary.com (for libraries) and Downpour.com (for consumers.) [3]
Rights to 5000 of AudioGO's non-BBC titles were sold to Amazon-owned audiobook vendor Audible.[4]
The Destiny of the Doctor series can be acquired through Big Finish Productions' website, either individually or as a box set collecting all the stories.
External links
- Official website "web.archive.org/web/20120310144447/http" has not been listed as valid URI scheme. (archive)
Footnotes
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