Matt Smith has lent his voice to a new audiobook – a re-released version of George Orwell’s novel 1984.
The House of the Dragon star voices Winston Smith in the upcoming audiobook, which is a re-release of the classic novel by cyber-security company Avast to highlight how online surveillance today is reminiscent of Orwell’s Big Brother society.
“Twenty Twenty-One demonstrates the similarities between our modern connected lives and many of the hyper-surveillance themes Orwell predicted over 70 years ago,” the company writes.
The audiobook is set for release on Spotify and Apple Podcasts from today and features the Doctor Who star reading Winston Smith’s diary entries, which were first published back in 1949.
“Nineteen Eighty-Four is a literary classic and Winston is a fascinating character, so to be able to bring the story into the modern day is an honour,” Smith said in a statement.
“Great literature maintains a universality over the course of time – particularly true in the case of this novel, which still feels extremely pertinent today,” he added. “I’ve got involved in this project as I feel having digital freedom online is so important in today’s society.
“In a world where we may feel required to share more of ourselves than ever before, it’s something we should endeavour to be really diligent about.”
The literary classic follows Smith, a government employee who is tasked with rewriting historical records whilst living under a totalitarian regime led by the mysterious Big Brother.
When he begins a secret love affair with colleague Julia, he begins to question Big Brother’s authority and tries to fight back.
Twenty Twenty-One will be available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts from Wednesday 1st December. Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Fantasy hub for more news.