"Tales from Malory Towers" is an audio (podcast) version of the British-Canadian television series "Malory Towers" (seen in the U. S. on BYU-TV). To understand and enjoy the podcast, it is important to know what the TV series is about: Malory Towers, located in Cornwall, England, is a prestigious girl's boarding school where the incidents that befall a group of students, assigned to the North Tower dormitory, are depicted. The main students for the podcast are Darrell Rivers (played by Ella Bright), a doctor's daughter whose temper often gets her into trouble; Gwendolyn Mary Lacey (Danya Griver), the spoiled, rich daughter of a financier; Mary-Lou Linnett (Imogen Lamb), a shy, sensitive girl who lacks courage; Irene Edwards (Natasha Raphael), a talented musician (piano); Beth Bradford (Jean McDonald), a smart girl who is often the one who keeps the peace between her classmates when a situation arises; and Sally Hope (Sienna Arif-Knights), Darrell's best friend, who with Darrell, are always there for each other no matter what happens. There are eleven podcast episodes, each with a different running time (between 10 and 14 minutes that can be heard on the BBC Sounds website. Each episode is presented like a series from the Golden Age of Radio and narrated by either Darrell or Gwen ("It's Gwendolyn Mary Lacey," as she insists, "not Gwen"). Credits are given at the end of each story. Each episode is written especially for the podcast and not based on any TV episodes. The production is first rate and the sound quality excellent but also an issue. Although the girls speak with a mild British accent and are easily understandable on TV, those accents become a bit harder to understand in the audio version (perhaps because the visual aspect of seeing the girls is missing). For anyone who has become a fan of the TV series in the U. S. and chooses to listen to the podcast episodes, this will most likely not become a problem; it just means concentrating on the dialogue and not becoming distracted by what visuals may surround the podcast. If you are looking for different adventures encountered by "The Malory Towers Girls" (as they are called) then "Tales from Malory Towers" will fill the bill; like 1930 and 1940s Old Time Radio, let your imagination become the picture. A worthwhile addition to the "Malory Towers" TV series and book series.
