I've been listening to this freebie from Audible recently called
Reading Between The Lines: From Page to Production
Featuring amongst others Derek Jackobi, Rula Lenska, Lorelei King and Lynn Truss
It seems to be a seminar given by the BBC audio people at some literary festival. Made me consider audiobooks from a number of new angles particularly the issue of audiobook "stars"
I can think of several readers whose skill cannot be parallelled. Nigel Davenport for Gerald Durrell, Jonathan Cecil for Wodehouse, Christian Rodska for Waugh, Stephen Briggs for Pratchett... none of these are what you would call recognised faces but the recordings I have heard of them are without par. Contrast these with some recordings I have of better known actors and you have to conclude that audio skill is not related to visual charisma (I think particularly here of Jeremy Irons reading Brideshead Revisited though it is entirely possible that uncerceasing depression was built into that book to begin with)
Of course there are no hard and fast rules... however irritating you might find Simon Callow he can sure read an audiobook and Martin Jarvis is prolific wherever you look/listen.
Anyhow... audiobook reading skill is a funny old thing.
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