Dr Who Short Trips or - 'John Banks plays Romana, Nyssa & Peri shock!'

A lovely summer's day, August 15th 2012; a recording studio somewhere deep in the heart of the Kent countryside and four scripts: Dr Who Short Trips - Subscriber Bonus Releases.

As far as I'm aware, no details or credits have ever been revealed about these recordings, there's no artwork, no CD - just unadorned, downloadable audio files. There appears to be some speculation on the Big Finish web Forum at the moment as to who performed these stories; so, with the permission of Paul Spragg, finally, the truth can be told!

The four stories recorded that day were:

Only Connect by Andy Lane, featuring The Fourth Doctor

Tweaker by Dan Abnett, featuring The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa

Methuselah by George Mann, featuring The Fifth Doctor and Peri

Breadcrumbs by James Moran, featuring The Fourth Doctor and Romana

That was the original order of recording, however, we weren't quite sure that we could fit all four stories into a single recording day and so Methuselah, being the longest, was left until last. Recording these stories was quite a challenge; previously I'd only recorded one solo audio book, The Madness Within for The Black Library/Big Finish, written by Steve Lyons and directed by Lisa Bowerman and the idea of playing two Doctors and three Companions, as well as all the other characters and the narrator, was a bit daunting. 

Only Connect and Breadcrumbs were released to Big Finish subscribers in December 2012. I uploaded short extracts to Soundcloud and to this web site; scroll down and you can listen to them. 

Here's what I wrote when these first two stories were released:

'In total, four Short Trips adventures were recorded, featuring two 'Doctors' and a variety of their respective 'Companions'. We recorded all four stories in a day, which was great fun and quite a challenge as we didn't have time to record the character voices and narration separately - I just started at the beginning and with the unflagging support of director Ken Bentley - ploughed on through to the end!

When I was asked to record these stories, I felt incredibly flattered to have been given such a responsibility and to have been trusted not to screw the whole thing up! Having just recently had the opportunity to listen to 'Only Connect' & 'Breadcrumbs', I am relieved that the mistakes and errors of judgement I've made aren't too glaringly obvious and I hope the listener will enjoy the content of the stories, rather than find themselves being distracted by my shortcomings.'

I had no idea what plans Big Finish had for the release of these recordings and it's come as a very pleasant surprise that Tweaker and Methuselah are also now available - rather than having been binned or consigned to a dusty shelf somewhere at BF Towers! Having now listened to all four stories, immodest as it might sound, I do feel quite proud of the work we did on them - I say 'we' not in a grand sense, but because the process of recording such stories is a collective team effort and great credit should go to the writers, producer David Richardson and director Ken Bentley, who provided invaluable support and encouragement.

If you are able to listen to these stories, I very much hope you enjoy them.

“Subscribers get more at Big Finish!”

The Avengers

I'd intended to post this update much earlier in the day, but a power cut took care of that. We're still reeling a bit from the recent bad weather here in Surrey and there's still quite a bit of local flooding, the River Wey having broken its banks before Christmas.

So, with electricity once more surging through the computer, I can make a start. The working year is well under way and I'm currently recording a Talking Book for the RNIB. We've been in the studio for two days this week, today is a break and we'll finish tomorrow, one day ahead of our allotted recording schedule. I'm thoroughly enjoying the book, The Rescue Man by Anthony Quinn and the challenge of playing the numerous, mainly Liverpudlian, characters. I've also decided to 'narrate' in a soft Liverpudlian accent, which has proven to be quite liberating and good fun. Next week, I'm very much looking forward to starting work on a trilogy of audio books with Ladbroke Audio, but more of that at a later date.

This month sees the much anticipated release of a new Big Finish series The Avengers. I am in the series, although you'll probably need a forensic sense of hearing to discern exactly what I'm doing! I wish I could elaborate on that bald statement, but of course I can't, at least, not at the moment.

Here are some details from Big Finish:

The Avengers company features:

Anthony Howell as Dr. David Keel, Julian Wadham as John Steed & Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson

&

Colin Baker, Camilla Power, Tim Bentinck, Adrian Lukis, Phil Mulryne, Blake Ritson,  

Anjella Mackintosh, Kieran Bew, George Rainsford, Alan Cox, Beth Chalmers, Sophie Aldred, Sam Clemens, Francesca Hunt, Nigel Carrington, Nicholas Briggs, Terry Molloy, John Banks.

The stories are:

                                 

                                         Hot Snow by Ray Rigby                                                                                 

          Brought To Book by Brian Clemens          

Square Root of Evil by Richard Harris

 One for the Mortuary by Brian Clemens

Adapted by John Dorney

Sound Design and Music by	Toby Hrycek-Robinson

	Directed by Ken Bentley

These original 'written for television' stories have been adapted for audio production by the ever brilliant John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley - and it's thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm of producer David Richardson that the series has come to fruition via Big Finish. As a child of the sixties, I adored The Avengers on television, particularly the era of Steed and Mrs Peel. But how fascinating it is to go back to the very beginning of the series, even before Cathy Gale, to stories that I wasn't even aware of.  To have had the opportunity of taking part was genuinely a professional dream come true and I can't wait to listen to the stories in this 4 CD Box Set.

* * * * *

Some 'hot off the press' news I came across yesterday, is this from BBC Media:

'The finalists for the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2014 have been announced with nominees including

 Doctor Who: Dark Eyes: The Great War, for Best Online or Non-Broadcast Drama.'

The series Dark Eyes was written and directed by Nick Briggs for Big Finish and stars Paul McGann and Ruth Bradley - and I'm delighted to have been in it too! Fingers crossed that Nick's production will be given the award!

* * * * *

And finally for this posting; should you wish to read a 'behind the scenes' feature on Dr Who: The Heroes of Sontar, there's an interesting article in this month's issue of Vortex magazine.

Kenny Smith, who wrote the article, asked me to contribute some of my recollections of the production, which I was very happy to do.  

Vortex is free to download via Big Finish Productions

  

PS: I've always found the 'most popular posts' section of the site to be quite fascinating. For some time, Stargate SG-1 has been in pole position, but for the last several days, it's been The Horus Heresy: Grey Angel and by a considerable margin - interesting - so, many thanks to all the Warhammer fans for checking in!

All for now - more soon!

...and a Happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one...

Happy New Year and welcome!

Out with the old and in with the new - or 'on' with the new! And without wasting a moment in retrospection, this month has some very interesting audio releases from Big Finish. Of the ones I've had something to do with, the first adventure of January 2014 comes in the guise of Dr Who: The King of Sontar, starring Tom Baker & Louise Jameson. There's another highly anticipated release this month - (what?) - but more of that later.

As I'm not sure in which order these recordings will become available, I've decided to mention them in the order they were recorded. First in that case, and by quite a margin, is The King of Sontar, which we recorded in July 2012 - eons ago!

Here are some details:

Dowcra base. The third Elite Sontaran Assassination Squad closes in on its target. A dozen trained killers, but even they will be unable to bring down the invincible Strang…

Manipulated by the Time Lords, the TARDIS also arrives on Dowcra. And the Doctor is set to encounter the greatest Sontaran ever cloned...

Tom Baker The Doctor      Louise Jameson Leela  

Dan Starkey Strang    David Collings Rosato    John Banks Vilhol
Jenny Funnell  Reaver   David Seddon Irving

Written by: John Dorney
Directed by: Nicholas Briggs 

* * * * *

A short 'n' sweet start then to the new year; there's much more to come in the days, weeks and months ahead and whatever is fit to publish will appear here - so do come back soon for further updates!

So this is Christmas...

...and the pages of my Equity diary are rapidly coming to an end. From a professional point of view, I've had a varied and enjoyable time in 2013 and several highlights come to mind. Having spent five months or so at the Royal National Theatre, ending in March, I then thoroughly enjoyed working with director Benji Sperring of Tarquin Productions at The Tabard Theatre, performing two Maeterlinck plays, The Blind and The Intruder.

In some ways, I could easily regard 2013 as 'the year of the audio book'. Before Big Finish gave me the opportunity a couple of years ago to work on a series of Dr Who Short Trips and the Warhammer story The Madness Within, I'd never recorded a solo audio book. Quite unexpectedly, during 2013, I've somehow found myself being asked to record what has turned out to be seventeen of them, for a variety of companies and organisations. The 'learning curve' has been quite a challenge but certainly one I've enjoyed and the experience of it, I hope, has fed back into full cast audio work. Sitting in a recording studio, alone and performing an unabridged and undramatised text for seven or eight hours at a stretch certainly makes one appreciate dialogue, the input of others and the sound of different voices!

Some of this year's recording highlights for me include The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes, scheduled for release this month, The Avengers, which I'm very much looking forward to listening to next month and, of course, Survivors, which is to be released in June. I am genuinely thrilled to be a part of all of these series, although perhaps for obvious reasons, I feel a particularly close involvement with Survivors. It's always good to do a bit of comedy and in February, I had a fab time playing Mervyn Stone in The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman Cometh, written by Nev Fountain. I also enjoyed doing a 'voice over' for the movie Shadow Industry, directed by Henry Vought, which is being entered into the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival (6 - 16 February) - so, exciting times ahead!

I thought February's Big Finish Day 3 was a great success, although I was sorry to have to leave early and hurry back to the NT for the Saturday matinee. Janet Fielding's Project Motormouth was also great fun and raised lots of money - and of course, the three days of the Dr Who 50th Celebration in November were amazing; it's always a pleasure to meet so many Big Finish fans.

And so, as this year comes to an end, what's next? More BBC Radio? That would be good. Bit of telly wouldn't go amiss either - back to the NT - who knows? In terms of future Big Finish stories, details are of course a closely guarded secret, but I can say there are quite a few things in the pipeline that I have had something to do with and I'll talk more about them as they become available throughout the year. I've also got some preparation to do over the holidays for a new audio book which starts recording in early January and I'm very much looking forward to Big Finish Day 4 on 18th January - not long to wait now!

In the meantime, many thanks for 'stopping by' the web site this year, your support is very much appreciated 

- enjoy the festivities and have a very happy 2014! 

The Escape

And so, hot on the heels of Politics, I recorded another Adam Thirlwell novel The Escape, which is released today as an unabridged audio book from Audible.co.uk

Here are some details:

 

 Publisher's Summary

The more I knew of Haffner, writes Adam Thirlwell in The Escape, the more real he became, this was true. And, simultaneously, Haffner disappeared.

In a forgotten spa town snug in the Alps, at the end of the 20th century, Haffner is seeking a cure, more women, and a villa that belonged to his late wife. But really he is trying to escape: from his family, his lovers, his history, his entire Haffnerian condition.

For Haffner is 78. Haffner, in other words, is too old to be grown up.

What the Critics Say

"A witty, irreverent and elegiac new novel... Haffner is a Quixote of our time" 

(New York Times Book Review)
"A novel where the humour is melancholic, the melancholy mischievous and the talent startling"

 (Milan Kundera)
"In The Escape, you can practically see Bellow's Augie March, Roth's Mickey Sabbath and Martin Amis's John Self applauding, ghost-like, from the margins... The novel fizzes with intelligence, verbal skill and humour"
(Simon Baker, Observer)
"Beautifully written, poignant and clever... Thirlwell has a genuinely unique insight into humankind" 

(The Times)
"The Escape is one of the best British novels I've read this year for one reason; Thirlwell's prose. At once effervescent and elegant, his narrative voice lifts the novel's lecherous comedy beyond the sublunary lovers' antics into a more rarefied sphere" (Sarah Churchwell, Guardian)

* * * * *

As with Politics, if you would like to listen to a short extract from the audio book, please go to the Audible web page.

Politics

Released today from Audible.co.uk is Politics by Adam Thirlwell, which I recorded a few weeks ago as
an unabridged version of the original novel. If you go to the relevant web page on the Audible site, there's a sample to listen to; however, I must 'warn' you, that the excerpt chosen to represent the book is not for the faint hearted and pulls no punches in terms of its very explicit and graphic nature.

I found the book a very interesting challenge to record: I enjoyed the telling of the story and hope I've conveyed the essence of the narrative effectively - I'll have to buy a copy to see how it all went! If you do give it a try, I think you'll find it a worthwhile and a very 'stimulating' listen.
                                                                                        

Publisher's Summary

The sharp, funny, entirely original and explosive debut novel by Adam Thirlwell - twice named one of the Best Young British Novelists by Granta magazine.

In case you had not noticed, writes Adam Thirlwell in his first novel, Politics,, in this book I am not interested in anything so small as the history of the USSR. I am not writing anything so limited.

In this epic miniature, therefore, Politics tells the story of three kids in their twenties falling in love with each other in London. And, simultaneously, it tells other, smaller stories: of Stalin on the phone, Mao in the bathroom, Osip Mandelstam in another bathroom, Adolf Hitler on all fours, and Milan Kundera in an argument. Politics, is not (quite) about politics.

Adam Thirlwell was born in 1978. He is the author of Politics, The Escape, Miss Herbert and Kapow. He was named as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003 and again in 2013. He lives in London.

What the Critics Say 

"Extremely accomplished...very sophisticated" (A S Byatt, Guardian)
"One of the funniest, most stylish and utterly original debuts in years" (The Times)
"This is a clever book. Fantastically clever...funny and strangely insightful... A genuinely original book" 

(Daily Mail)
"Dazzling...clever, funny and original" (India Knight, Observer)
"Allusive, barbed, cocky, flamboyant, reckless, obscene and very funny" (Time Out)

Trial of The Valeyard

Released this month, Trial of The Valeyard, in which I play the 13th Doctor/Hermit, complete with its official cover art created by Simon Holub:

Here's what Big Finish have to say about this pivotal story:

There is some evil in all of us – even the Doctor. Transported aboard the Time Lords' orbiting courtroom, the Doctor once again encounters the Valeyard, an amalgamation of the darker sides of his nature. This time, however, the Doctor isn't in the dock. This time, the Valeyard is the defendant, accused of a crime so terrible that the presiding Inquisitor is forbidden to reveal it even to the court, nor even to his counsel for the defence… the Doctor.

If the Valeyard is found guilty, he'll be executed. Execute the Valeyard, and the secret of his origins dies with him. A secret that the Doctor is desperate to know… and which the Time Lords will stop at nothing to protect.

Colin Baker The Doctor   Michael Jayston The Valeyard   Lynda Bellingham The Inquisitor

John Banks 13th Doctor/Hermit

Written by: Alan Barnes and Mike Maddox

Directed by: Barnaby Edwards 

Who's on trial...

Another month - and this one is December - almost the end of the year! And what a busy, varied and interesting year it's been; theatre, audio drama, radio and audio books - who'd have thought it!

The most recent highlight for me has been the Dr Who 50th Celebration event; the level of excitement it generated slightly overshadowed other professional activities and it feels odd this week to be getting back to 'normal' - if such a state exists!

So this week's 'normal' consists of recording the final chapters of a RNIB Talking Book, Author, Author by David Lodge and the recording of two audio dramas with Big Finish. I'm very much looking forward to all of that; final preparations today and the fun starts tomorrow.

But what else is happening this month? Well who knows what might turn up.What I can say, is that this month sees the release of a Sherlock Holmes box-set from Big Finish and here are the details:

 The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Four decades. Four cases. One solution.

From the plains of Afghanistan to the alleyways of Victorian London, from the dark heart of the English countryside to the ruin of Europe after the Great War, join Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson in a quartet of astonishing new investigations which span their lifelong friendship – and beyond…

Nicholas Briggs Sherlock Holmes   Richard Earl Dr Watson   John Banks Inspector Lestrade  

Derek Carlyle Wherry   Blake Ritson Christopher Thrale    
Michael Cochrane Winchester Bartley-Gower   Amy Ewbank Eliza Hinderclay/Judy
Eve Karpf  The Gracious Adelina/Mrs Chaunt Maclise/Mrs Hope    Ken Bones Jim Hinderclay 
 Caroline Keiff Tess Dorno   Tracey Childs Mrs Edgar Curbishley  

Marek Oravec Griesser   Andrew Fettes Tlitzlmann Blench

 Written by: Jonathan Barnes
Directed by: Ken Bentley 

I've always enjoyed listening to BF's Sherlock Holmes adventures; Nick and Richard capture the essence of the characters so vividly and the stories are such faithful evocations of the original Conan Doyle style. We recorded the four CDs that make up this box-set back in March, so when I come to listen to them, sometime in the next few weeks, they should sound very fresh - can't wait!

	* * * * *
	There's another very interesting release this month, which is currently only available as a Big Finish subscriber bonus. In December 2014, the story will become available to all:    Trial of The Valeyard

BF have released the above image upon which, presumably, the cover art will be based; we shall see! For the keen listener, there might also be a surprise or two which BF haven't so far mentioned. If you are a subscriber, I hope you enjoy the story when it becomes available later this month.

* * * * *

And now, back to preparation for tomorrow's audio book, but before I go, I just want to mention a production of Ionesco's The Bald Prima Donna, which opens on Thursday 5th December at The Old Red Lion in Islington. This alternative Christmas show from Tarquin Productions, is directed by the team responsible for The Blind and The Intruder, Benji Sperring and Rachel Illingworth. I'm really looking forward to seeing this show, which promises to be highly original and hugely entertaining!

 

More news as it happens!

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

 A Dr Who Special by Peter Davison

If you're a Dr Who fan and haven't already seen this fab little film, set aside half an hour, sit back and enjoy:

Peter has also made some other very funny short films, which should be available via You Tube.

We Remember: In Flanders' Fields

A few days ago, I was approached quite unexpectedly by Canadian animator Todd McIntosh. I had never previously had any contact with Todd but he'd found a recording I'd made with Sound Designer John Silke of In Flanders' Fields, the poem written in 1915 by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae MD (1872-1918) of the Canadian Army. 

Todd asked if he might use my version of the poem in an animation he was working on. I readily agreed and the finished film appears below. I hope you'll agree that he's created a magnificent piece of work and a very fitting tribute.

 

 

In Flanders' fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high,

If ye break faith with us who die

  We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

     In Flanders' Fields

Time to say 'thank you'...

Having spent a wonderful, exciting and joyful weekend at the Dr Who 50th Celebration, I really want to thank all those involved for making it such a fun and inclusive time. Our twice daily presentations were very well attended by knowledgeable and enthusiastic Whovians of all ages and we had some incredible 'guest actors' on-stage to help us out - thanks to all!

When not on-stage, I spent much of my time with the hard working Big Finish team, including Paul Spragg, Howard Carter, John Dorney, Matt Fitton, Ken Bentley, David Richardson and CEO Jason Haigh-Ellery, who were incredibly busy, meeting fans and introducing people to the amazing world of Big Finish audio drama. Over the three day period of the event, Dr Who and BF stars including Sarah Sutton, Louise Jemeson, Lalla Ward, Janet Fielding, Karen Gledhill, Lisa Bowerman, Lisa Greenwood, Beth Chalmers, writer Marc Platt and David Warner chatted to fans and gave free autographs, happily signing the CD covers of work they had been involved with and sometimes even work they hadn't; I was asked to sign several items which I hadn't contributed to at all!

Thanks indeed to fellow actors Beth Chalmers and Barnaby Edwards, with whom I performed our 'Day in the Studio with Big Finish' presentation along with Nick Briggs - the fantastic Nick Briggs, who is not only Executive Producer, but also writer, director, actor and in his spare time 'Voice of The Daleks' for the television series. Thanks for inviting me Nick, I loved every minute!

Here are some images from the weekend:

 

 Beth, me, Lisa G, Marc, Jason, Howard, David & Ken - photo by Lisa B

  * * * * * *

...and a final 'thank you' to The Cult Den for their very generous review, from which this is an extract: 

"The original Holmes hardback can be a handful to read. For those without a basic knowledge of espionage, dates and times, and life as a Russian in the Cold War, it can be tedious and take an age to get through. However when converted to audiobook it comes alive. Spokenworld Audio's team have done a great job, and the narration by John Banks brings the factual to life, with large parts sounding like a Le Carre novel.

9 hours is a commitment to anything you may not have tried before, but this is seriously good. For the conspiracy nut it feeds fuel to an already large fire, for the history buff it has more dates, times, and names than a phonebook, and for people like me that are mixture of the two? It's perfect."

                                                                                                                                    10/10

                         Read by John Banks

                          Edited by Tanja Glittenberg

                           Produced by Neil Gardner

                                                                                                                           

 Listen to an extract from the audio book by scrolling down to the sound clips section of this site.

* * * * * *

We did all go to the ExCel screening of The Day of The Doctor, but now I'm going to treat myself to watching Mark Gatiss' An Adventure in Space and Time.

* * * * *

But before I do that, I really want to say...

Many congratulations to my friend John Silke, who has just won a BaftaKids for his contribution to Kinect Sesame Street in the Children's Multiplatform category. 
                                                                                                                        

 More news just as soon as it happens!

Dr Who at ExCel

More of a 'tweet' than a post; just to say that I'll soon be heading off to the ExCel to begin preparations with Big Finish for this weekend's 50th Celebration of Dr Who.

I'm thrilled and excited to be part of such a landmark event - if you're going to be there at any time over the weekend, do come along to the Big Finish area and say 'hi' - and look out for the Big Finish Dr Who Live Presentation, which we'll be performing twice each day.

The Time of The Doctor

Don't worry, The Time of The Doctor isn't a story, it's just a post title I made up; but this week really is the time of the Doctor as we approach the 50th anniversary next weekend. I've been looking on the BBC Official Celebration web pages and the sheer enormity of the event is beginning to sink in - such a range of things to do and such a plethora of attending contributors to the series from its inception to the present day - which is exactly as it should be.

My excitement is growing by the day, especially now that I have more of an idea of what I'll be doing at the Celebration. Beth Chalmers, Barnaby Edwards, Nick Briggs (Big Finish Executive Producer & Voice of The Daleks) and me, will be presenting a twenty minute excerpt from a Dr Who story, twice each day over the three day period (according to the published on-line schedule). If you're planning an itinerary for next weekend, I hope you'll include a trip to see our merry crew at Big Finish.

BBC Official 50th Celebration

Last week was very busy with the recording of an audio book, Author, Author. although we're cracking on apace with it and might well complete the job with a day in hand. Next week, before shipping off to the Excel on Thursday evening, I'll be in a different studio for a couple of days to finish work on a different audio book, The Escape. It's quite an odd thing, to sit in a small recording suite, alone and reading aloud, trying to communicate and articulate a story populated by a wide variety of characters for seven or eight hours a day. The concentration level is such however, that the time seems to zip by - as has this posting!

So, enjoy the upcoming Dr Who celebrations and if you're at the ExCel next weekend, do come to the Big Finish area and say 'hello'.

* * * * *

   Night of The Doctor 

I've worked with Paul McGann on seven audio adventures and have enormous respect for his acting abilities. I love the work he's done as The Doctor with Big Finish and perhaps one day, he'll play the character on television. If this short episode is anything to go by, I think he'd be excellent.

BBC Dr Who 50th Anniversary 1963 - 2013

Well, what a busy couple of weeks it's been - it always feels good to be busy. As mentioned previously, I'm currently in the process of recording a couple of audio books; The Escape by Adam Thirlwell for Red Apple creative and Author, Author by David Lodge for RNIB. There are several recording sessions scheduled over the next few weeks to complete each of the books and we should be finished by early December.

Last week, I was also back in the studio to record further episodes of Survivors for Big Finish and had a great time with the fabulous BF crew, David, Ken and Toby, who always create such a great working environment. Writers Andrew Smith and John Dorney also came along to make sure their carefully crafted scripts weren't mangled too badly by the acting company, and on Thursday, Matt Fitton put in an appearance. Matt wrote the first episode of the Survivors series and it was great to catch up with him again.

What also made recording such a treat was the opportunity to work with such a fabulous bunch of actors, including Louise Jameson, Adrian Lukis, Phil Mulryne, Camilla Power and for the first time, stars from the original Survivors television series, Lucy Fleming, playing Jenny Richards and Ian McCulloch as Greg Preston.




I've already posted some of Anthony Lamb's fantastic artwork for the series and this image, recently released by BF, probably represents something close to the actual CD cover:

So for now, Survivors is 'done' and off to post-production to be prepared for release in June of next year.

* * * * *

At the end of the last posting, I mentioned the possibility of some exciting news to come in this posting. Now that wasn't merely a cheap ploy to boost interest in the site; I was just waiting for a final confirmation before saying anything.

So here it is; as every true Dr Who fan knows, November 23rd 1963 is the date 50 years ago, when the first episode of the first series of the four part story, An Unearthly Child, was broadcast. To mark the occasion, on November 23rd this year, The Day of the Doctor will be broadcast in cinemas and on television in 2D & 3D, not only here in the UK, but also in several other countries around the world.

I'm sure there'll be lots more going on to celebrate the world's longest running sci-fi series, but I'm beyond thrilled to say that I've been asked to attend the official BBC 50th Anniversary Celebration event, which takes place in London at the ExCel on 22nd, 23rd and 24th November. Together with colleagues from Big Finish, I'll be 'performing' something live, on-stage during the course of each day, details of which, I'll post nearer the time.

This from the BBC:

Relive 50 years of adventures in space and time with the ultimate celebration of Doctor Who. The greatest show in the Universe comes to London’s ExCeL for three days from the 22nd November!

With just over two weeks to go (and counting!) the excitement is building to the event that will bring you unrivalled access to all things Doctor Who.

With behind-the-scenes demonstrations and workshops, stunts, explosions, monsters, props & costumes, official merchandise and memorabilia – it really is the most exciting celebration a Time Lord and his companion could have. Even if you’ve got 13 lives, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Doctor Who fans young and old.

BBC Official Dr Who 50th Celebration  

I'm feeling very honoured and slightly overwhelmed and very excited to have been asked to the event as I'm sure you can imagine. As well as all the Doctors and their Companions, there will be lots of other actors from the series, amazing entertainments and a sell out audience of 15,000 Dr Who fans - maybe see you there!

More news as soon as it's available!

Survivors: update

I couldn't resist posting this incredible image by Anthony Lamb, which will be used as cover artwork by Big Finish for the first series of Survivors, scheduled for release in June 2014.

This update from Big Finish on November 6th:

 

The lead cast members of Terry Nation’s Survivors are returning to play their roles on audio, for a run of new episodes from Big Finish Productions. The series originally ran for three seasons on BBC1 between 1975-77 and told the story of a small group of people who survive a plague that wipes out most of the world’s population.

 

Lucy Fleming plays Jenny Richards, Ian McCulloch is Greg Preston, while Carolyn Seymour is Abby Grant, the leader of a community starting a new life in rural England.

“We’re thrilled to have Lucy, Ian and Carolyn on board,” says producer David Richardson. “Our initial episodes will introduce a new set of characters that will encounter Jenny and Greg as they search for supplies. 

Abby Grant will make cameo appearances, before taking on a major role in later stories.”

Survivors – Volume 1 will be released in June 2014; the box set will comprise four hour-long full cast audio dramas – Revelation by Matt Fitton, Exodus by Jonathan Morris, Judges by Andrew Smith and Esther by John Dorney.

The leading cast also includes: 

 John Banks, Louise Jameson, Sinead Keenan, Caroline Langrishe, Adrian Lukis, Chase Masterson, 

Terry Molloy, Phil Mulryne and Camilla Power.

 * * * * *

Some more exciting news to come very soon in the next posting!