During the 1990s, I created a version of the Gospel of St John which I performed at various venues in the UK, and this was recorded as a CD in 2000. As a reading of the entire Gospel would take over three hours, I adapted the text to make a comfortable performance time - 1 hour 47 minutes, with an interval break (after Track 10 in the digital recording) - while maintaining the continuity of the story. A selection of musical extracts act as a counterpoint to the words.

I chose to read St John because I think it is the most poetic of of all the Gospels, containing many familiar passages and stories, and with several fine dramatic moments. I chose the Jerusalem Bible text, partly because it was being widely used, but also because its contemporary tone and intelligibility make it especially suitable for a dramatic reading.