Moving Pictures

Holy Wood Hill just outside Ankh-Morpork is emanating a strange attraction, pulling people from the city to participate in something that looks exactly like the early days of the film industry — except that the alchemists making pictures with light have no idea what they have accidentally opened a door to. Moving Pictures is the tenth Discworld novel and the first to take on a non-European cultural target, using Hollywood's mythology-making apparatus as the vehicle for exploring what happens when narrative gets loose and starts reshaping reality.

This BBC Radio production featuring Jason Isaacs, Peter Serafinowicz, and Bill Nighy brings the ensemble of Pratchett's comedy world to life with the particular energy of the full-cast format. The Hollywood satire translates well to radio, and the ensemble nature of the story — with its multiple film-industry archetypes — gives the cast room to develop distinct characters. At just under 10 hours, Moving Pictures is mid-period Pratchett performing with full confidence.