May 2011

A quick 'hello' at the beginning of a very busy month ahead - must just mention taking part in REDfest 2011 

I'm currently rehearsing the role of Eugene Phelts - a sinister assassin for a mysterious 'government' department. The play is Frequently Asked Questions written by Louise Singleton and directed by Rachel Illingworth; all details available via the link above.

There's much more to mention as the month progresses and I'll add to this post as soon as I can.

a bientot!

9th May: After a short, sharp and very hot run at The Old Red Lion, FAQ ended on Saturday night.
Thanks to all who packed out the tiny theatre and endured oven like conditions inside. Once we'd come to terms with a tricky new script, I very much enjoyed the process of working under the expert guidance of director Rachel Illingworth and was equally delighted to perform the play with Alice Havillyn and David Cullinane, who both did a magnificent job and made the whole event great fun to do.

So, big thanks to our little company, Rachel, David & Alice and to everyone at  
REDfest 2011.

Playing Peter Jennings in Emmerdale  

For the rest of this week, I'll be working on and preparing for three new Sherlock Holmes audio dramas, which we start recording next week; The Empty House, The Tangled Skein and The Hound of The Baskervilles.

I really am excited about working on these stories, for a number of reasons; great scripts, great company, great directors and great characters to play - who could ask for more!

Further details to follow...

23rd May     ...another festive day with BF,  recording 

Sherlock Holmes: The Tangled Skein.

L-R in the photo are: Beth Chalmers, John Banks, Barnaby Edwards, Giles Watling 

and in the foreground, Richard Earl and Nick Briggs.

Released this month from Big Finish:

Kiss Of Death was recorded in December and, as ever, was great fun to do - how boring it must be to keep reading how 'fab' everything is on BF productions - but it's true!  

We recorded a number of stories in quite a short period of time (end of November to the end of December) and the intensity of the work, coupled with our struggles to deal with the extreme weather, engendered quite a 'band of brothers' spirit - and then we all came down with the 'company cold'!

Kiss Of Death is released this month and here's the fantastic cover artwork by Anthony Lamb.

Peter Davison (The Doctor),
Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka),  
Mark Strickson (Vislor Turlough),
 Sarah Sutton (Nyssa),  
Lucy Adams (Deela),
Michael Maloney (Rennol),  
Lizzie Roper (Hoss),
John Banks (Kanch/The Morass)


'The TARDIS travellers take a break on the beach world of Vektris. Hot sun, cold drinks and all the time in the worlds. What could possibly go wrong?

A kidnapping, a spaceship heist and a desperate chase to a distant galaxy later, Turlough finds himself in a strange winter palace… along with a face from his past. The Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa, meanwhile, fight to escape its frozen catacombs, guarded over by a vast and deadly alien Morass.

But what connects Turlough to the ancient treasure hidden somewhere in the palace? And how far will he go to acquire it?'

Also released this month:

Crime of The Century:

Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), 
 Beth Chalmers (Raine Creevy),  
Ricky Groves (Markus Creevy), 
 Derek Carlyle (Nikitin/Parvez),  
John Albasiny (Colonel Felnikov/Party Guest/Waiter), 

John Banks (Metatraxi/Walnuf/Gunman),  

Chris Porter (Sayf Udeen/Valentin)

 

The year is 1989. In London, safe cracker Raine Creevy breaks into a house – and finds more than the family jewels.

In the Middle East, the kingdom of Sayf Udeen is being terrorised by Soviet invaders and alien monsters.

And on the Scottish border, a highly guarded facility contains an advanced alien weapon.

These are all part of the Doctor's masterplan. But masterplans can go awry…

After a successful and enjoyable time at April's Act III Convention, Big Finish, in collaboration with tenthplanetevents, are to stage their first 'in house' convention - details in the June posting.


But first, a shot of Beth Chalmers and me signing CD covers at Act III.