Prof

I went into *Prof* expecting another sanitized tribute to Alan Turing, but what I got was a necessary unflinching look at the man behind the myth. Chris Courtenay’s narration saved this audiobook from ever feeling like a lecture. His timing is excellent—when Turing’s work on Enigma is discussed, Courtenay’s tone sharpens with the urgency of a race against time, but when the narrative pivots to Turing’s personal struggles, his voice drops to a hush that makes the betrayals feel intimate, almost invasive. That contrast made the listening experience feel less like education and more like eavesdropping on history itself. My one critique? Dermot Turing leans too hard into the “family pride” angle in the early chapters, which risks softening the more unsettling aspects of his uncle’s life. The balance only rights itself halfway through when the biography confronts the state’s persecution. Also, the audiobook’s production occasionally clips Courtenay’s voice when he’s giving a particularly emphatic reading—it’s a minor flaw, but one that jars in moments that demand full immersion. Still, these are quibbles. *Prof* works as both a corrective to decades of oversimplified hero-worship and a reminder that genius, no matter how towering, is still human. Courtenay’s performance ensures it’s never dry, never dull.