Five Get Into Trouble is the second CD in the set, Five Fall Into Adventure being the first. I had a half-moment of hesitation before putting Trouble on, as I like to read/listen in order but I’ve been promising Trouble for weeks and that won out.

The first minute of this recording takes us through the first three chapters of the book at double quick speed. We rush through the Five persuading George’s parents to let them go off on a cycling holiday – they have a glorious first day – they cycle off to a lake for a dip – they camp – and then wake up the next morning before we slow down and get some actual acting.

Presumably that’s the point – to get to the Five meeting Richard without wasting any time. It’s a shame though, as we don’t get to enjoy any of the relaxed fun holiday they have at first.

Anyway, Richard Kent arrives with his declaration that they are in fact tresspassing (something Julian comments on in the book the day before). Richard has an odd accent. It may be the same actor who voiced Jock in Five Go Off to Camp, as there’s a hint of Scottishness about it still. He gets to do a variety of acting throughout the audio as he goes from cocky and bold to frightened and tearful. It’s perhaps over done at times but given that we can’t see his fear then the sound has to do twice as much.

Timmy unfortunately has reverted back to his old, terrible sounding self. If you haven’t heard these recordings it’s hard to describe what he sounds like. Mostly like a person trying to sound like a dog, and not doing very well at it.

This story has a smaller cast to it, I think, than some others. There are no shop keepers or bus conductors or the like popping up for a line or two. (We don’t even get Aunt Fanny or Uncle Quentin!) We do hear from Aggie, Hunchy, Perton and Rookie at Owl’s Dene though, as well as the owls themselves. Then there’s the policemen at the end, and Mrs Kent too. However, in the book it’s Mr Kent that speaks (and rather less kindly than his wife does on the audio!)

Hunchy really loses the ability to speak when Julian puts him in his place, and produces a lot of strange noises (stranger even than Mr Penruthlan without his teeth).

Aggie says something I picked up on about how there’s no phone, no electricity or running water at Owl’s Dene;Just secrets and comings and goings and threats. That’s very much like what Robbie Coltrane says in Five Go Mad in Dorset; Strange comings and goings in this village. Secrets and signs and threats (as the ice cream woman) and then No telephone. No eelecticity. No gas. No water laid on. Just secrets, and signs and THREATS as the gypsy.

In the book I can’t see Aggie saying anything like this. Julian however says This is a bad house – a house full of secrets, of queer comings and goings. 

Strange how both versions play up those phrasings. It doesn’t make sense though for Aggie to mention the water and electricity as it’s plain Owl’s Dene has both. At the very least there is electricity to open the gates and water (possibly pumped) into the sinks.

At any rate it sticks mostly close to the story; with some scenes skipped or shortened to allow it to fit into a one hour CD as is always the case. The book itself is somewhere in the middle of the series favourite wise for me, so listening to the audio was fine. I still recommend them to anyone.