The History Channel: Bedlam

Broadcast from Thursday 18th March 2010

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Doctor Who: City of Spires

CAST: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Georgia Moffett (Alice), Richard Earl (Victor), James Albrecht (Major Heyward), Russell Floyd (Sergeant Rilke), Sam Graham (Guthrie), Charlie Ross (Rob), John Banks (Red Cap & The Overlord)

SYNOPSIS:
Arriving in a hail of musket fire, the Doctor unexpectedly finds himself in the highlands of Scotland, where the ruthless Black Donald and his band of rebels are fighting the Redcoats. But the highland warriors no longer fight for the Jacobite cause and the English officers answer only to the mysterious Overlord. What has happened to Scotland and why are its moors littered with advanced, oil-pumping technology?

Reunited with his faithful companion Jamie McCrimmon, the Doctor must venture into the sinister City of Spires to find the answers. But standing in his way is the deadly Red Cap…

Scheduled for release in April.

The Song of Megaptera

CAST:

Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), John Benfield (Captain Greeg), Neville Watchurst (Stennar/Manus), John Banks (The Caller/Ship's Computer), Susan Brown (Chief Engineer/Chanel), Toby Longworth (Stafel/1st Security Guard), Alex Lowe (Axel/2nd Security Guard)

SYNOPSIS:
Deep space in the distant future, and Captain Greeg and his crew are hunting mile-long Space Whales on a vast harvesting ship. By pure accident, they also capture the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Peri must use all their wits to survive. But what is the creature running loose in the ship's bowels? And can the Doctor save Megaptera before its song is extinguished forever?

Scheduled for release in May

Online reviews & comments:

The Caller:

'There is a nice sub-plot with a fungal techno shaman which adds tension through the story and the shaman is a pretty interesting character with one of the best alien voices in a while.'

Computer:

'John Banks has a great time as the computer who's personality gets switched multiple times; settling on a psychopathic game player who rattles forth l33t speak. Yes it's silly but it raised several smiles and the injokes for gamers sit unobtrusively in the background.' 

The Coming of The Long Distance Duck

I noticed that this episode of Allo, Allo was on BBC 1 yesterday and I think it's possibly the first one I worked on at the Elstree studios, where Nouvion town square and Cafe Rene had a permanent home. Below is a 'screen-cap' from the original episode.

The Start

Lost Theatre Company have recently moved into their new permanent building in Wandsworth, after 25 years as an itinerant organisation. To celebrate the fact and to launch the theatre, they held a 'Five Minute Play Festival' for new writers in December; our contribution was a play called The Start and here are a couple of images of Robert Heard and me from the dress rehearsal. Directed by Rachel Illingworth for our Small Coin Theatre Company.

Jago and Litefoot

The first season of Jago and Litefoot has now been recorded, and the box set of four stories is due for release in June 2010. It is currently available at a special discounted pre-order price of £30. Click on the Big Finish link for further details.

I was in two of the stories, The Bloodless Soldier and The Similarity Engine and had great fun working with such a fabulous company, including Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter and a wonderful director, Lisa Bowerman, who made the whole event a joy. I also took part in the first of the Christmas podcasts from BF which might still be available via their web site if you are interested.

The Jago and Litefoot series follows directly on from the Companion Chronicle The Mahogany Murderers, and comprises four stories:





The Bloodless Soldier by Justin Richards
Directed by Lisa Bowerman
Guest cast: John Banks, Alex Lowe and Robin Bowerman
In which a group of soldiers return from duty overseas and bring a terrible evil with them...

The Bellova Devil by Alan Barnes
Directed by Lisa Bowerman
Guest cast: Stephen Thorne, Peter Silverleaf and Duncan Wisbey
In which Jago and Litefoot investigate a dead man who appears to have died before.

The Spirit Trap by Jonathan Morris
Directed by John Ainsworth
Guest cast: Janet Henfrey and Lex Shrapnel
In which Jago and Litefoot visit a psychic.

The Similarity Engine by Andy Lane
Directed by Lisa Bowerman
Guest cast: Matt Steer
In which an old enemy reveals his masterplan.

The box set includes a bonus fifth disc with an extensive 'Making of' documentary. There are interviews with all the cast and the production team, behind the scenes clips, plus exclusive extracts from the Writer's Notes read by Lisa Bowerman.

Holmes and The Ripper

Coming soon from Big Finish  Productions:

 

 CAST:

Nicholas Briggs (Sherlock Holmes), Richard Earl (Dr John H. Watson), India Fisher (Katherine Mead), Netley (Lex Shrapnel), Eddie (Samuel Clemens), Sir William Gull (Matt Addis), Assistant Commissioner Anderson (Ian Brooker), Mrs Hudson (Beth Chalmers), Lord Salisbury (David Peart), Saunders (John Banks)

SYNOPSIS:

The grisly serial killings of prostitutes and vulnerable women in Victorian Whitechapel, dubbed by the popular press as the work of ‘Jack the Ripper’ are the talk of London, and from deep within the smog-ridden slums, yet another piercing shriek is heard.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr John H. Watson are drawn into one of the darkest plots ever to shake the foundations of England. There are freemasons, conspiracies and plots at the highest level of the establishment.

But for Holmes, there is a uniquely personal element to this new and terrifying case…

This full-cast audio drama is brought to life with eerily engrossing sound design and a brand new, cinematic music score.

Holmes and The Ripper is scheduled for release in March 2010 

  

Herne The Hunter

Amongst his many other talents, Alex Mallinson is the genius responsible for much of Big Finish's cover art. Chatting to him the other day, between recording sessions for Holmes and The Ripper, he showed me how he'd designed and constructed the image of Herne The Hunter, a character I play in Leviathan, a terrifying mechanoid with a skull like face and antlers. Absolutely fascinating to see what goes into the creation of such an image and, having demonstrated some of the techniques involved, Alex very kindly allowed me to show this final version of Herne:

Having done a little on-line research, I've discovered that there's quite a lot of material relating to the legend of Herne. This from Wikipedia:

Herne is said to have been a huntsman in the employ of King Richard II (reigned 1377-1399) in and around Windsor Forest. He saved the King's life when he was attacked by a cornered white hart, but was mortally wounded himself in the process. A local wizard brought him back to health using his magical powers, which entailed tying the dead animal's antlers on Herne's head. In return, however, Herne had to give up his hunting skills. The other king's huntsmen framed him as a thief. As a result he lost the favour of the king. He was found the next day, hanging dead from a lone oak tree. That same oak tree is in the Home Park at Windsor Castle.

The earliest written account of Herne comes from Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor in 1597:

Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,

Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,

Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;

And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,

And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain

In a most hideous and dreadful manner.

You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know

The superstitious idle-headed eld

Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,

This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.

— William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor

This records several aspects of Herne's ghost which is said to have haunted Windsor Forest (covering all of East Berkshire and parts of south Buckinghamshire, north-east Hampshire and north-west Surrey) and specifically the Great Park ever since his death. Further details have entered local folklore from reported sightings, such as those in the 1920s. He appears antlered, sometimes beneath the tree on which he was hanged, known as "Herne's Oak", but more often riding his horse, accompanied by other wild huntsmen and the captured souls of those he has encountered on his journey. He is thus a phantom of ill omen, particularly for the country and, specifically, the Royal Family. He has a phosphorescent glow and is accompanied by demon hounds, a horned owl and other creatures of the forest.

All very interesting; meanwhile, back at the plot, here's another example of Alex's work for Big Finish:


Dalek Empire from Detonation Films on Vimeo.

...you gotta have friends

October, and there's been a flurry of autumnal activity.

Firstly and most importantly, I must express a great debt of gratitude to Nicola Bryant, with whom I toured in Don't Look Now, for recommending me to the producers at Big Finish. Thanks to Nicola's generous help, I was invited to submit a 'voice-reel' which happily resulted in the offer of work on Paper Cuts, which was released on 30th September.

Nicola starred as 'Peri', companion to the sixth Doctor Who, played by Colin Baker in the television series. They are currently reprising their roles in The Lost Stories series and I have been fortunate to work with them on two of those episodes.

I'm also very excited about the prospect of working with Nick Briggs on Big Finish's new Sherlock Holmes series. The story is Holmes and the Ripper written by Brian Clemens and Nick is playing Holmes as well as directing.

Brian's previous writing (and producing) credits include: The Avengers, The Persuaders!, Adam Adamant Lives!,The Baron,The Professionals and Danger Man - to mention just a few - amazing!

All for now, more news from Big Finish Productions.... coming soon! 

Doctor Who: Leviathan

CAST:
Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Howard Gossington (Gurth), John Banks (Herne the Hunter), Beth Chalmers (Althya), Jamie Parker (Wulfric), Derek Carlyle (Siward)
 

SYNOPSIS:

No one lives to old age in the village. When their Time is come, they are taken and never seen again. That is The Way. And, should anyone try to break with the established order of things, then the fury of Herne the Hunter is unleashed...

When the TARDIS materializes near a castle in this mediaeval society, the Doctor and Peri befriend Gurth, a terrified youth who is attempting to flee his fate. And Herne is closing in...

Why does the local baron impose the culling? What is the secret of Zeron? And who are the Sentinels of the New Dawn?

The answers lie within a cave...

Leviathan is scheduled for release in January 2010

Online Reviews & comments:

Herne:

' John Banks is able to really let rip with an uninhibitedly guttural performance, augmented and distorted by Simon Robinson’s unsettling sound design. I’ve got a horrible feeling that a few childhood demons might be invading my sleep tonight…'

'Every single member of the cast does an astonishing job of setting their respective roles apart from each other'  

 

Doctor Who: Paper Cuts

 

CAST:
Colin Baker (The Doctor), India Fisher (Charley Pollard), Anthony Glennon (Prince/The Red Emperor in His Youth), Sara Crowe (Tombkeeper - Queen Mother), Paul Thornley (Gomori/Steward), John Banks (Soldier), Nicholas Briggs (Prefect/The Deathless Red Emperor), The Cast (Sazou/Deathless Emperors)

SYNOPSIS:

The Empire is lost.The Deathless Emperors are dead. The future may never happen.
An urgent summons returns the noble Doctor to a planet he saved from disaster long ago. But Draconia, so elegant and so savage, is in worse turmoil than ever.

Who will be next Emperor? The highest Prince? The lowest peasant? The soldier with no name? Or the Doctor himself – his life at their command? Who controls the army of deadly origami warriors? And is the truth about Charley painted on paper walls in the Emperor’s tomb?

History is taking revenge on the Doctor.

Paper Cuts is due for release September 2009 available on CD or download from Big Finish Productions.

Bedlam - The History of Bethlem Hospital

It's been All Quiet on the West End Front for a while, but happily, I've recently been working on a very interesting drama-documentary project, on the history of Bethlem Hospital in London, directed for The History Channel by Joe Matthews. The transmission dates for the programme will be sometime in early 2010 apparently, in the meantime however, there is a trailer which can be seen via the Internet Links section.



I played Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, who was at the time, Home Secretary. Above is a portrait of the Earl. Despite the nature of the piece, it was great fun to do and I enjoyed working with everyone involved. We filmed the parliamentary sections at Suttons Hospital, Charterhouse.

I understand that there'll be an opportunity for us all to get together and see the final edit of the programme in a few months time, which I'm looking forward to very much.

Mr. Happiness

So, here we are, already well into the new year and the extended run of Don't Look Now has come to an end. The very exciting current news is that in collaboration with Rachel Illingworth, our fledgling Small Coin Theatre Company has been selected to take part in the 25th Anniversary One Act Play Festival at The New End Theatre, Hampstead. Our production is Mr.Happiness, one of David Mamet's earlier short plays, darkly funny and beautifully constructed. I'm slightly terrified, as ever, of screwing it up and at the same time, relishing the prospect of trying to do justice to the piece and very much looking forward to working with Rachel, whose work to date includes productions at The King's Head Islington, where she directed scenes from Sam Sheperd's True West and Southwark Playhouse where she co-directed Suburbia by Eric Bogosian. Rachel graduated from Goldsmith's in 2008.

All we have to do now is do it.......!

.......29th May ...and now it's all over! It was an enjoyable and worthwhile project; Rachel did an excellent job with the direction and the show went well I think. Here's a review and a rehearsal photo:


Mr Happiness

This early and unfamiliar play by David Mamet is a character study of a 1930s radio counsellor, dispensing suave advice to his devoted listeners. Mr. Happiness sits at his desk as though enthroned there, addressing his mike with practised courtesy, quietly pompous, a little god. His answers to the letters spread in front of him are never actually wrong but the assumptions are unremittingly conventional and John Banks brings out the wry comedy of this – comedy quite unappreciated by the character – with a clever range of gesture and vocal tone.

Jeremy Kingston

Do Look Now!

From The Times

January 17, 2009

Top Five Theatre:

4 DON'T LOOK NOW
Rula Lenska stars in an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's chiller, formerly a fine film, about menace and horror in Venice. Theatre Royal, New Road, Brighton (www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyal 0870 0606650), from Mon, until Jan 24
Benedict Nightingale
...recommended from last year's run!

Encore!

So, on we go with the next leg of the Don't Look Now tour from 15th January to 7th March; Shirley Anne Field takes over from Rula Lenska.