Anyone who has heard Peter Cushing speak, with his almost absurdly perfect, quiet London accent, complete with delicately trilled 'r's and other effortless marks of the upper crust, knows how ideal he would be as a radio actor, album narrator or even poetry reader.

Here then, are the few examples wherein he has embraced the audio-only media. Related credits, in movies and television, where he is called upon to narrate off-screen, are not found here, but are dealt with in the appropriate film and television sections. Audio-only interviews are likewise not included.

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THE PRICE OF FEAR: The Man Who Hated Scenes (ca. 1974)
Hosted by (you guessed it, didn't you) Vincent Price.

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Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (ca. 1974)
An LP featuring Cushing recreating his role in the film of the same name (see filmography) as well as narrating. Enhanced with music and sound effects from the motion picture soundtrack. (A further recording telling the story of Frankenstein was apparently completed but unreleased. See the near misses section.)

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Tender Dracula (ca. 1974)
Hammer House of Horror Magazine cites this recording, presumably something like the above LP, and also presumably based on the film of the same name (see filmography again).

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(various – titles unknown) (beginning pre-1977)
"For many years Peter has recorded talking books for the blind and has reverted any fees for his services back to the foundation." – Deborah Del Vecchio and Tom Johnson

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Aliens in the Mind (beginning January 1977)
A 6-part BBC Radio series starring Cushing and Vincent Price.

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Human Conflict (December 29, 1990)
Starring Cushing. A radio drama in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
"...Brilliantly told by Mr. Cushing and his co-stars...He really is one of the truly great theatre artists of Britain." – Melody Foreman

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No White Peaks (November 11, 1991)
A spoken-word dance single, of all things, read by Cushing. Described and marketed as a "rap" record, Cushing of course did not actually deliver his performance in anything remotely resembling the rap musical style (the thought of the 78 year-old, frail, English gentleman pulling that off convincingly is a bit hard to visualize); he understood at the time of the recording that this was to have been a simple dramatic reading of a poem about the Gulf War, with melancholoy musical accompaniment to be added in the background. It wasn't until later that the record company got the idea to produce the record in a contemporary style with a dance mix instead.
"...When they told me it was rap music, I thought it was something that was wrapped up like a parcel. Then they told me to watch 'Top of the Pops' to find out what I had let myself into....I must admit that it's not really my scene, but I can see what young people like in it....I was worried that the marriage of an anti-war poem with the frivolity of a dance record would lose the overall message but I think it's worked out quite well." – Peter Cushing

Peter Cushing – The Gentle Man of Horror and His 91 Films (1992) by Deborah Del Vecchio and Tom Johnson

Hammer's House of Horror [Magazine], No. 19 (April 1978)

Sherlock Holmes on the Screen (1977) by Robert W. Pohle Jr. and Douglas C. Hart

Hammer, House of Horror – Behind the Screams (1996) by Howard Maxford

The Sound of Vincent Price / Radio & Audio Books "The only website devoted to the velvety voice of Vincent Price." (with a little mention of Peter Cushing)

Original text copyright 1998 by Michael Hoaglin.

Questions or comments? Email me at: mhoaglin@earthlink.net

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