On CD for the first time, this fantastic full-cast radio adventure comes from esteemed producer Dirk Maggs, director of "Superman: Doomsday and Beyond" and the recent radio episodes of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

Batman has been crippled by his fiercest foe ever, Bane: a villain of superhuman strength, cunning and evil. With Bruce Wayne confined to a wheelchair, who will protect the innocent from the dangerous inmates of Arkham Asylum, whom Bane has released?

This stunning audio production was first aired on BBC Radio 1. The cliffhanging, all-action adventure can now be heard uninterrupted - with dazzling sound effects, specially composed orchestral music and all. You've 'never' heard a comic sound like this!

Comment by Dirk Maggs

When it was first suggested we should make action dramas in daily three minute episodes I was pretty scared but willing to give it a try. There was a lot of gloomy predictions of failure but once we got into our stride it seemed to work pretty well, and it was a format which could be slotted in between the chart records on BBC Radio 1. Also the first real effort to get to grips with Dolby Surround was `Batman Knightfall" which we made for BBC Radio 1 in 1994.

The idea was to create an atmospheric mood which would be quite scary. Paul Deeley did some amazing sound mixing but some of the effects mixing and panning aren't as focussed as we would do it now on Dolby 5.1.

To be honest, everything I have done I would improve if I could go back and do it again ... we are all the same, perfectionists who - but for deadlines - might never finish a job!

A quick word for Bob Sessions who played our Batman. What a great presence he has, what a wonderful voice. And he Was Batman in a uniquely urbane way. My ambition was to do Frank Miller's `The Dark Knight Returns with him ... sadly it was not to be - dear Bob died before it could happen. Thank you Bob.