In the last posting, I mentioned a few projects in oblique and sketchy form. I'm delighted to confirm that the 'hugely challenging and exciting project' I mentioned has indeed worked out and we have just finished recording the first of a seven book 'fantasy' genre saga. For those like me with limited patience and keen curiosity, it can be irksome not to know everything immediately and this month particularly, there are quite a number of really fascinating projects I'd like to talk about right now - but alas, no, it can't be done; not yet at least. It's almost always the case that until the publicity machinery of each particular company gears up to promote the 'new product', those of us involved in its creation are bound to secrecy - sometimes officially, by being required to sign 'non-disclosure' clauses in contracts.
What I can talk about this fine December day, is the release of the following audio drama and audio book productions. First to mention is the box set collection of stories from Big Finish, featuring Sir John Hurt as The War Doctor. Here are some details:
Taking place before the apocalyptic events portrayed in the 2013 Doctor Who TV special The Day of the Doctor, this new four-disc box set finds the War Doctor recruited for the war effort by the scheming Cardinal Ollistra (Jacqueline Pearce). A desperate mission will send the Time Lord deep behind enemy lines – where the Daleks await!
Written and directed by Big Finish Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs, Doctor Who – The War Doctor 1: Only the Monstrous contains the following three stories, along with a bonus documentary disc.
The Innocent
As the Daleks mass their time fleet for a final assault on Gallifrey, something ancient is waiting for them at Omega One. And a sacrifice must be made.
Arch-manipulator and Time Lord strategist, Cardinal Ollistra receives shock news of the Doctor’s death.
Meanwhile, on the planet Keska, a parochial war has returned to plague a peaceful civilisation after decades of tranquillity. But how can such a war have any connection with the great Time War which, at any one moment in the whole of eternity, could threaten to tear the universe apart?
If only the Doctor were still alive.
The Thousand Worlds
With the high-ranking Time Lord Seratrix behind enemy lines, the War Doctor finds himself assigned to a rescue mission. But any room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by an area of space known as the Null Zone.
Times have changed on Keska, and a countdown to destruction is beginning.
But who are the Taalyens and what is their part in the great and terrifying Dalek plan?
The Heart of the Battle
Trapped in a citadel swarming with Daleks, the Time Lord rescue force must find a way to overcome insurmountable odds. With the Daleks apparently planning to rule the Null Zone, perhaps their thirst for universal conquest and victory has been quenched…
The War Doctor doesn’t believe so — but how can he prove it without destroying any chance of peace?
As the countdown to the destruction of Keska proceeds, a deadly choice must be made... A choice that will define this Doctor, and perhaps forever cast him in the role of ‘monster’.
John Hurt Jacqueline Pearce Lucy Briggs-Owen Carolyn Seymour
Beth Chalmers Alex Wyndham Kieran Hodgson Barnaby Edwards Mark
McDonnell
John Banks & Nicholas Briggs
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The next release this month comes from Games Workshop and is the third instalment of the quest of The Stormcast Eternals in which I play Lord Relictor Ramus:
Mannfred von Carstein leads his Stormcast allies into the deathly city
of Helstone... What does he seek, and why does Lord-Celestant Tarsus
feel a connection to the forsaken place?
The quest to find the Nine Gates that lead to the underworlds of Shyish
and an audience with Nagash continues... Tarsus of the Hallowed Knights
leads his Stormcast Eternals into the unearthly city of Helstone. Their
enigmatic guide, Mannfred von Carstein, assures them that what they need
to find his necromantic master lies within its halls, but there is more
than darkness lurking in the ruins. Chaos has already taken root and a
reckoning against the servants of the Plague God awaits.
Performed by:
Gareth Armstrong John Banks Jonathan Keeble Toby Longworth Luis Soto & Ramon Tikaram
Written by Josh Reynolds and Produced by Matthew Renshaw
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And finally; released this month from Fantom Films, is the audio-book version of Karen Louise Hollis's biography of Anthony Ainley:
Although known to an audience of millions
the world over for his portrayal of The Doctor's arch nemesis The Master
in Doctor Who during the 1980's, Anthony Ainley had a prolific
career which encompassed starring roles in Spyders Web and
It's Dark Outside, as well as appearances in renowned dramas such as
The Pallisers, Elizabeth R, Nicholas Nickleby, Upstairs, Downstairs,
and cult films including Blood On Satan's Claw and The Land
That Time Forgot.
But the dramas in Anthony's real life were far more fascinating than any of the many parts he played on screen. Born the illegitimate son of actor Henry Ainley, and taken into care at the Actors' Orphanage at the age of four, the hidden story behind one of Doctor Who's most enigmatic characters is brought to life by author Karen Louise Hollis.
Using exhaustive interviews with friends and colleagues from every aspect of Anthony's life, including his best friend from school, fellow children from the Actors' Orphanage, cricketing friends, colleagues, and those who remained close to him until his death in 2004, this book aims to uncover the real Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master.
But the dramas in Anthony's real life were far more fascinating than any of the many parts he played on screen. Born the illegitimate son of actor Henry Ainley, and taken into care at the Actors' Orphanage at the age of four, the hidden story behind one of Doctor Who's most enigmatic characters is brought to life by author Karen Louise Hollis.
Using exhaustive interviews with friends and colleagues from every aspect of Anthony's life, including his best friend from school, fellow children from the Actors' Orphanage, cricketing friends, colleagues, and those who remained close to him until his death in 2004, this book aims to uncover the real Anthony Ainley - The Man Behind The Master.
* * * * *
...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!