November 2014

My apologies for the recent lack of updates, but what a busy time it's been.

Apart from being busy in the studio recording another audio book, the main reason for not updating for such a long time is that like many BF customers, I've been waiting for the release of October's Sixth Doctor story, The Widow's Assassin. I think a download version of the recording was released on 31st, just scraping into the dying embers of October. Anyway, I can now 'safely' mention it here:

Once, long ago, in a land of monsters and corridors, a fair maiden was captured, and placed in a deep sleep. She was used to being captured, and she had a hero who rescued her on just such occasions. But this time the hero never came.

And the fair maiden slept on.

Eventually, a King rescued the maiden, and made her his bride, which many wise old women might tell you is just another way of capturing fair maidens.

And still the fair maiden slept on.

Then, the hero had another stab at rescuing the maiden from her prison, but he was too late. And, more importantly, he had forgotten the rules of fairy tales.

He didn’t slay the dragon.

 

Colin Baker The Doctor     Nicola Bryant Peri   

         Tim Chipping Constable Wolsey - Mandrake            

   John Banks
            Baron Pteratrark - Guard Two - Prince Most-Deepest-All-Yellow               
Andrew Dickens Reverand Flitamus - Guard One  

Fiona Sheehan Princess Dirani      

Glynn Sweet Harcross The Ever-Patient - Pheen-Tu - Flunkey

 Written by Nev Fountain
                                   Directed by Ken Bentley                                   

A Nev Fountain story is always a treat to work on, even if it's completely mind bending at times. As Dr Who aficionados will be aware, Peri has a huge history which needs some degree of resolution; perhaps this tale will satisfy some who have been waiting many years for such a resolution - or just open a whole new can of worms instead. I'm sure the BF Forum will be awash with informed debate! Wherever the story takes us, I can assure you that fun was had during the recording and once again, I'm keenly looking forward to hearing the finished production: by the way, that's a feathery faced me on the cover - nice...                     

And now it's November!

So, what's new and what's happening in November? Quite a lot actually! I'm in studio every day this week to finish recording an unabridged audio book of Alwyn W. Turner's chronicle of the 1990's, A Classless Society and there are a number of other pipeline projects throughout the rest of the month - more details to follow.

In terms of this month's audio releases, there's quite a variety to come. I've no idea when or in what order things will be released, so I'll start by mentioning this month's Blake's 7 release:

Gareth Thomas Blake  Paul Darrow Avon  Michael Keating Vila  Jacqueline Pearce Servalan  

Stephen Greif Travis John Banks Ragnus Lang

Velandra by Steve Lyons
Blake is having bad dreams: a swamp, wolves, a woman called Velandra… and Travis. Could this be a memory that was erased by the Federation?

Retribution by Andrew Smith
A distress call leads Avon and Vila to an old tracking station on the moon of Lorean. It was sent by Ragnus Lang, formerly Vila’s partner-in-crime. And now Lang needs Blake’s help.

Ministry of Peace by Una McCormack
The Liberator crew are on the planet Speranza to assist its new interim government.  But is the planet a beacon of hope in the fight against the Federation – or is Speranza’s history about to take a darker path?

Written by Steve Lyons, Andrew Smith, Una McCormack
Directed by Lisa Bowerman, Ken Bentley

 My second Pathfinder Legends story is next on the list of releases:

 

Ezren, Merisiel, Harsk and Valeros discover that Karzoug, an ancient wizard from the long-dead empire of Thassilon, has returned to life.

 From his city fortress of Xin-Shalast high in the mountains, he has been using the giants to harvest souls to reclaim his lost power. 

The secret to defeating him before he can reclaim his realm and enslave the region lies hidden in a deadly dungeon called Runeforge. 

Kerry Skinner Merisiel Stewart Alexander Valeros Trevor Littledale Ezren Ian Brooker Harsk  Yuriri Naka Ameiko Kaijitsu Toby Longworth Belor Hemlock / Giant Voice  John Banks The Scribbler Annette Badland The Voice Nicholas Rowe Karzoug Mark Donovan and Harry Myers The Guards

 Written by Mark Wright
Directed by John Ainsworth

And finally, for the moment at least, I played a variety of 'under the radar' characters in Dr Who: Dark Eyes Series 3 - a project I particularly wanted to be a part of and which the boys at Big Finish were kind enough to allow me to take part in:

"Molly O'Sullivan? Hello you."

In his quest for universal domination, the Master plans to exploit the terrifying Infinite Warriors of the mysterious Eminence. The Doctor's friend, Molly, is key to that plan's execution, and now, aided by corrupted genius Sally Armstrong, the Master is close to success.

Paranoid and perplexed after his recent experience, the Doctor skirts the fringes of the fifty-year conflict between humanity and the Infinite Armies. Wary of changing the course of history, he fears that to fight the Eminence would be to do the Daleks' bidding.

But when Time Lord CIA agent Narvin provides the impetus for the Doctor to act, Liv Chenka joins him in a desperate race to save their friend and stop the Master.

As the Doctor goes head to head with his oldest and deadliest rival, this war is about to get very personal indeed...

 

                                                                                                            

 

 

Paul McGann The Doctor Nicola Walker Liv Chenka Ruth Bradley Molly O'Sullivan Alex Macqueen The Master Natalie Burt Dr Sally Armstrong David Sibley The Eminence Sean Carlsen Narvin

1: The Death of Hope
Georgie Fuller Hope Gardner Geoffrey Breton Leo Gardner

2: The Reviled
Sacha Dhawan Jaldam Sarah Mowat Gajeeda Laura Riseborough Sharma

3: Masterplan
David Sibley Professor Markus Schriver John Banks Captain/Lieutenant

4: Rule of the Eminence
Jonathan Forbes Walter Vincent Beth Chalmers Casey Carraway Georgia Moffett Engineer Tallow

Written by Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley

Also, on the 19th October, I was delighted to have been invited to help celebrate Big Finish's 15th Birthday; here's a photo from the party:

Anthony Howell - me - Rachel Illingworth

It was a very festive evening and fantastic to meet up with so many friends and colleagues; thanks to Jason Haigh-Ellery and to all at Big Finish - here's to the next fifteen years!

As a coincidental 'PS' to this posting, recorded in July 2010:
 Lucie Miller was broadcast last week on BBC Radio 4 Extra and To The Death is being broadcast as I started to write.

A quick check reveals that having played a 'pivotal' role in Lucie Miller, ie Seb Andrews, in To The Death, I appear to be playing Crewman. Can't wait to discover what Crewman does, although I suspect - not much!

...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!

The Doctor's Tale

Released today from Big Finish Productions  -  Dr Who: The Doctor's Tale

 

England, 1400. Winter. Blood in the snow. Henry IV has usurped the throne, and deposed King Richard II languishes in Pomfret Castle.

Meanwhile the Doctor and his companions preside over New Year revels at Sonning Palace.
But Sonning is a prison, treachery is in the air and murderous Archbishop Thomas Arundel will stop at nothing to crush the rebellion.

As the Doctor and Barbara take the road to Canterbury, Vicki finds a royal friend and Ian is dragged into a dark web of conspiracy at whose heart sits that teller of tales, Geoffrey Chaucer.

William Russell Ian Chesterton/The Doctor     Maureen O’Brien Vicki/Barbara Wright/Narrator  

Gareth Armstrong Geoffrey Chaucer     Joseph Kloska Sir Thomas de Wensley  

Alice Haig Isabella     John Banks Thomas Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury

Written by Marc Platt

Directed by Ken Bentley

Here's a link to Paul Simpson's review in Sci-Fi Bulletin: Dr Who: The Doctor's Tale

...more news just as soon as it happens!

back to the future...

The end of quite an amazing week in the studio; feeling a bit 'done in' now to be honest, but what a great time. There's a limited amount I can say at the moment, as I'm sure you'll appreciate. However, it's no secret that I've been recording Series II of Survivors and as I've mentioned previously, it's an absolute treat to work on such brilliant scripts. Not only that of course; it's also a treat and quite a thrill to work with some of the original cast from the 1975 television series.

As with many other Big Finish stories, I'm regularly amazed to be sharing a studio and chatting in the green room and actually working with people I could never have imagined even meeting when I first saw them on television. This week's Survivors has been a full on example of that with people such as the fabulous Louise Jameson and from the tv show, Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming and Carolyn Seymour, whom I met for the first time at BF Day 5 - where, I think it's safe to say, we got on extremely cordially!

It's a bit of a wait till Survivors is released next June and there's much technical, creative and 'musical' work to be done on creating the audio landscape between now and then, but if it sounds as good as I remember from this week's recording, then fingers crossed that we'll all be in for quite a treat!

....all for now, more just as soon as it happens!

Survivors Series II

Big Finish have revealed that the second series of Survivors is soon to be recorded - and when I say soon, I mean we start recording Episode 1 in the morning!

I first read the Series II scripts several weeks ago and as previously mentioned, I think the stories are remarkably good and take each of the central characters on journeys through fascinating and uncharted emotional territory; each to their own 'Heart of Darkness'.

For the moment at least, I can say no more about the specific nature of the unfolding events in Series II. What I will say, is that I'm very much looking forward to the challenge of telling these stories and can't wait to to start work - only a few hours to go!

October-fest...

The artwork above, which features on the first of my Big Finish releases this month, is by Tom Webster - which I hope you'll agree, is fantastic. The cover art was released quite a while ago on the BF web site and I've really been looking forward to posting it here - and now it has pride of place as the opener to this update, which I have to say, feels like its been a long time coming.

I didn't manage to post much in September, but as is often the way, that doesn't mean not much was happening, I just didn't have time to update properly and now it looks as though October is set to be an even busier month, I shall just have to try harder to keep the updates flowing...

Now, it has been the case that on occasion, I haven't been credited with an appearance in a Big Finish production, at least on the web site and this month's first release is an example of just such secrecy. Here are the details of The Doctor's Tale, to which I have added my name!

 

England, 1400. Winter. Blood in the snow. Henry IV has usurped the throne, and deposed King Richard II languishes in Pomfret Castle.

Meanwhile the Doctor and his companions preside over New Year revels at Sonning Palace.
But Sonning is a prison, treachery is in the air and murderous Archbishop Thomas Arundel will stop at nothing to crush the rebellion.

As the Doctor and Barbara take the road to Canterbury, Vicki finds a royal friend and Ian is dragged into a dark web of conspiracy at whose heart sits that teller of tales, Geoffrey Chaucer.

William Russell, Maureen O’Brien, Gareth Armstrong, Joseph Kloska, Alice Haig, John Banks

Written by Marc Platt

Directed by Ken Bentley

I'm sure there'll be further updates to come on this, not least in terms of 'who plays what, or whom?', but until then, I'll just say how good a story I thought this was when we were recording it back in February 2013, (how brilliant is Marc Platt???) and having forgotten much of the detail, I'm now really looking forward to giving it a thorough listen.

 * * * * *

My 'listening list' is getting ever longer. I'm aware that many Big Finish fans have trouble in just keeping up with the numerous monthly releases and now I'm finding myself in a similar position. At the moment, I'm listening to Andrew Smith's story, Domain of The Voord and enjoying it immensely. I also thought I'd better catch up on Pathfinder Legends as my first story, Rise of The Runelords: Fortress of  The Stone Giants was released last month and before listening to it, I need to put it into context by listening to the three preceding episodes. At some point too, I must re-re-listen to the first series of Survivors (nice little 'segue' coming up...) because in a few weeks time, we're all back in studio to record Series II.

Unusually for Big Finish, some advance details of Survivors Series II have been allowed to filter out of BF Towers. Producer David Richardson confirmed that Series II is about to be recorded and Series III is currently being written. David even commented briefly on the direction the stories were taking at the BF Day 5 Survivors discussion panel. I've now read the stories in the new series and must say that in my opinion, they are quite remarkable and I can't wait to start working on them.Survivors Series II is currently scheduled for release in June 2015.

Below are more images from the Survivors panel at Big Finish Day 5 taken by Marcus Pointer*, to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for allowing me to use them here:

l-r above: Matt, Neil, Andrew, me, Terry, Chase, Carolyn, Ken

 *Marcus Pointer has a Facebook page which you might be interested in: MP-eventphotography

 
* * * * * 

Next week, I'm back in studio with the Hokus Bloke himself, Mr Neil Gardner, to record an audio book for Audible.co.uk - which could be both tricky and interesting in equal measure; we shall see. But more of that at a later date. There's more BF for me in studio next week too, but no details of that recording can be revealed at all - for the time being anyway! 

So there we are, the first posting of October, but as promised, there's much more in the pipeline. It's just like waiting ages for a bus to show up and then two arriving together; as I mentioned above, there's not one release this month, but.... you've guessed!  

The Doctor's Tale is surprisingly, my first Dr Who release since Moonflesh back in April and yet this month also sees the release of The Widow's Assassin, written by Nev Fountain featuring the Sixth Doctor played by Colin Baker, along with companion Peri Brown, otherwise known as Nicola Bryant! 

...but more of that - and everything else - coming very soon!

* * * * *

A final thought for today's update: here's something you might be interested in to 'kick start' the month:

New from Big Finish...

...much more news to come in October!

Big Finish Day 5

Huge thanks to all who made Big Finish Day 5 such a thoroughly enjoyable day and a great success. There was a fabulous atmosphere and everyone seemed to be having a good time; some people had gone to great lengths with a variety of Doctor Who themed costumes and there was even a remote control version of K-9. It was lovely to meet so many dedicated BF fans, to have a chat and sign CD Covers, books, posters and prints.




Survivors Series 1 seems to have been very well received and our Q&A panel was lively and fun. A particular delight for me was meeting Carolyn Seymour, who played Abby Grant in the original television series. Despite appearing in the first Survivors audio recording, Carolyn and I had never actually been in the studio at the same time; yesterday we were sitting next to each other for most of the day and chatted away like old pals. The scripts for the second series of Survivors have now arrived and I can only say that they are amazing and I can't wait to meet up with the rest of the company to start working on them.

A final 'thank you' once again to all who worked so hard to make yesterday such a great success, to the guys at BF for inviting me, to Betty from Prague for making the journey, to Derek and the 10th planet events team and to the young lady who gave me a 3D version of the Survivors cover art -fab!

A post panel photo of some of the Survivors team:

l-r: Neil Gardner - Johnny Morris - JB - David Richardson -  Terry Molloy -  Chase Masterson - 

Carolyn Seymour - Ken Bentley - Matt Fitton

Tickets are already on sale for Big Finish Day 6, maybe see you there?

Doctor Who: Nevermore

Just a very quick update as it seems BBC Radio 4 Extra are to broadcast Nevermore on Sunday 14th at 6pm and midnight. If you haven't heard the story, do give it a try, it was certainly good fun to record.

Here are some details:

A bizarre manifestation in the Control Room forces the TARDIS onto the Plutonian shores of the irradiated world Nevermore, whose sole inhabitant is the war criminal Morella Wendigo – a prisoner of this devastated planet. But the Doctor and his new companion aren’t Morella’s only visitors. Senior Prosecutor Uglosi fears the arrival of an assassin, after the blood of his prize prisoner. An assassin with claws…

There’s no escape from Nevermore, whose raven-like robot jailers serve to demonstrate Uglosi’s macabre obsession with the works of the 19th century horror writer Edgar Allan Poe. An obsession that might yet lead to the premature burial of everyone on the planet’s surface – wreathed in the mist they call the Red Death!

Paul McGann The Doctor Niky Wardley Tamsin Drew Fenella Woolgar Morella Wendigo  
Michael J Shannon Senior Prosecutor Uglosi Emilia Fox Berenice Eric Loren Pilot John Banks Ravens

Written by: Alan Barnes

Directed by: Nicholas Briggs

September 2014

I can't think why, but for some reason, it feels as though the first update of the month, ie, this one, is the first regular blogging I've done for a while; all this theatre nonsense getting in the way probably. Anyway, first to mention this month is the release of a Pathfinder Legends story entitled:  

Rise of The Runelords: Fortress of The Stone Giants.

I must confess that I didn't know very much at all about Pathfinder Legends until quite recently and now I've discovered a whole new world of possibility and adventure. Here's a very brief 'infomercial' from Big Finish:

In the sleepy coastal town of Sandpoint, evil is brewing. An attack by crazed goblins reveals the shadows of a forgotten past returning to threaten the town - and perhaps all of Varisia.

My story is the fourth in this continuing arc and in it, I'm playing a Stone Giant. There are more stories to come over the next several months and I'm keen to listen to them all. So far, I've only heard the first instalment, Burnt Offerings, which I enjoyed very much. I really need to set aside some time to listen properly to the others in the series before Episode 4 becomes available...

Here's a brief synopsis of the story and some magnificent cover art:

A sudden assault on the town of Sandpoint by stone giants and a dragon brings the looming threat home. Ezren, Merisiel, Harsk and Valeros learn that attack was just a scouting party, that the stone giants are massing for war. The only way to disrupt their advance is to strike at the Jorgenfist, the fortress of Warlord Mokmurian, the sinister giant responsible for gathering his people for war.

Written by Cavan Scott 

&

Directed by John Ainsworth

Next to feature on my list of updates is Big Finish Day 5, which I'm very much looking forward to:

If you've been to one of the previous Big Finish Day Conventions, I hope you'll agree with me that they are very well organised and enormously enjoyable. I'm fortunate to have been invited as a guest to Day 5 and I look forward to meeting lots of very enthusiastic Big Finish fans. Legendary Doctor Who the Fourth, in the guise of Tom Baker, will be appearing at the convention and perhaps as a consequence of such a major star taking part, I understand that tickets for the event are completely sold out and have been for some time.

 For further information, here's another link to the Tenth Planet website: BF Day 5

* * * * *

Having spent the last several months working in the theatre, it was quite a gear change to go back into the studio to record a couple of corporate film voice overs last week and a new Big Finish adventure this week. In a strange way, it felt like 'coming home' despite the fact that I've been appearing on stage for well over thirty years and should feel much more comfortable there - all quite pleasantly surprising!

* * * * *

And so, to end this posting, I just want to mention that my friend Rachel Illingworth is currently Assistant Producer on the World Premier of Joe Orton's 1959 play Fred & Madge. I'm happy to give what little publicity I can to the production via this web site; I think it's a hugely worthwhile and ambitious project to undertake. As a company, they want to make sure the actors and crew are paid at least UK Minimum Wage, which again I think is highly laudable. I include myself as one of the many actors who have worked on plays and films in the past for no pay at all, effectively subsidising our own jobs and in my opinion, paying a salary to the company is to be applauded and supported. 

Rough Haired Pointer and Adam Spreadbury-Maher present: 

 The World Premier of Joe Orton's Fred & Madge

Webber: Do you want to ruin society and civilization with your laughter?
Madge: Yes, oh yes!

Fred & Madge (1959) is the first play by a young playwright named John Orton. Until now this full length play has been unseen. Now for the first time it will be professionally staged at The Hope Theatre, a stone’s throw from Orton’s former bedsit flat on Noel Road where he lived, wrote and was murdered. That author became Joe Orton, one of the most pivotal playwrights of the 20th century.

Fred and Madge are a normal married couple. Or so we think until a director and an audience member interrupt, fast-forwarding, editing and reworking this play within a play. Delightfully ambitious, the play includes the destruction of the Royal Festival Hall, professional insulters who indulge in ‘protest laughter’ to purify civilization, a dystopian England overgrown with marigolds. It is full of typically Ortonesque biting satire, astute social insight and liberal amounts of absurdism and wit. Fred’s job is to push boulders up a hill; Madge’s is to sieve water.  The play offers a fascinating glimpse of the young Orton developing into the playwright he was to become.

Joe Orton came from a working-class family in Leicester. He won a scholarship to RADA where he met his lover and lifelong companion Kenneth Halliwell with whom he lived until 1967 when Halliwell murdered him and then killed himself. His work includes Entertaining Mr Sloane, Loot and What The Butler Saw. In 1978 John Lahr’s biography of Orton was published, along with Up Against It his screenplay for The Beatles, which was made into a musical in the late 80s. In the last decade the early novels (Between Us Girls, Lord Cucumber and The Boy Hairdresser) written by Orton / Orton and Halliwell were published.

In October 2014 his very first play will be performed for the very first time at The Hope Theatre 47 years after his death.

If you would like to support this production via Kickstarter, please follow this link;

  Joe Orton's Fred & Madge at The Hope Theatre 

...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!

...events dear boy, events...

The Shadow Proclamation Convention, Middlesbrough 

 

Reluctant as I am to fan the flames of controversy surrounding yesterday afternoon's last minute cancellation of the Doctor Who Convention due to be held in Middlesbrough this weekend, it would nevertheless be remiss of me not to mention it at all. I know there are numerous disappointed fans who now find themselves significantly out of pocket, having paid not only for tickets to the event, but also potentially for travel and accommodation and who might well be wondering why the event was so abruptly terminated.

Regular visitors to this site will know that I usually mention forthcoming appearances, particularly at conventions, some time in advance of the actual event. In this instance, I never did, simply because the likelihood of actually attending had been looking increasingly uncertain. For the past several weeks, promises and assurances had been made by the organiser, all of which came to nought.

Without going into great detail, it became increasingly apparent yesterday that the assurances and guarantees required before travelling to Middlesbrough would not be met and regrettably, there seemed little alternative other than to withdraw from attending the convention. I believe other invited guests were having the same experience and came to the same conclusion.

I can only offer my apologies to those who, like me, were looking forward to what could have been a fun event.

 And now, I'm going to draw a line under the whole sorry saga; here it is...

_________________________________________________________________________________

On to other matters; I'm back in the studio over the next couple of months, working on some fabulous stories for Big Finish and I'm really looking forward to the releases throughout the next several months, in fact, all the way to Christmas and into the New Year! Something else I'm looking forward to in a few hours from now - can you guess?

...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!

There and back again...

'Home, home again. I like to be here when I can. When I come home cold and tired, it's good to warm my bones beside the fire.' *

Well, no need really to warm any bones at the moment, but it is good to be home again after my tour of duty in Nottingham with The Classic Thriller Season. A little r&r required over the next few days, after which, I have a couple of diary dates for upcoming events and recordings. As soon as things are confirmed, I'll post details here.

In the meantime, I've been listening to the latest collection of Avengers stories and enjoying them very much. I've mentioned how much I love The Avengers in several previous postings and so won't repeat myself now; I just find it so amazing to be involved in such an iconic series - yet another 'pinch myself' moment courtesy of Big Finish.

BF have been announcing forthcoming series box sets, some of which I'm taking part in. In order of release, with further details to appear nearer the time, Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles Volume 10 is scheduled for November. I'm playing Ragnus Lang in Andrew Smith's story Retribution and very much looking forward to listening to it. In December, there's a treat in store for fans of Sherlock Holmes when Jonathan Barnes' fabulous stories are brought to life in The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes. In my opinion, the scripts for this box set are simply stunning and beautifully and authentically written. Once again, I'm privileged to be playing Inspector Lestrade, who has quite a significant role in this arc of stories. Below is a fascinating 'making of' movie, which I hope you enjoy watching. I'm really very excited about this release - can't wait!

Sherlock Holmes had many secrets. This is the greatest of them.

Our knowledge of the life and career of Mr Sherlock Holmes is necessarily partial and inexact. Riddled with lacunae and ambiguities, its parameters are defined chiefly by what his friend and colleague, Dr John Watson, saw fit to record. One era in particular – those enigmatic years in which, believed dead at the Reichenbach Falls, the Great Detective roved the world incognito – has been shrouded in obscurity and doubt, the particulars of that time too terrible and too strange to be set down in full.

At least, that is, until now…

* * * * *

Tempting as it is to reveal more, for the time being I'll have to remain reasonably tight lipped about other releases in the pipeline - what do you mean, you don't like 'deferred gratification'? Me neither, but you'll thank me later for not spilling all the beans at once... hopefully!

...and finally; at the risk of falling into the '# ego' category of actors (or anyone else for that matter!) and as it's such a completely unique and unexpected occurrence, I couldn't let the moment pass without revealing this beautiful object, which had come all the way from America and was waiting for me in its presentation box when I arrived home in the wee small hours of Sunday morning:

With great thanks to Denise Daniels at the APA in New York and to Mia Jerva and Sylvia Uhl at The Crystal Cave in Chicago.

...more, just as soon as it happens!

* Pink Floyd: Dark Side of The Moon: Breathe Reprise

Theatre Royal, Nottingham

The end of our first week here in Nottingham and later today, the final two performances of The Ghost Train. This morning we had a run onstage of next week's play, The Shadow of The Ghost and so we have a few hours before the matinee at 5. Just wondering whether to leave the comfort of my dressing room to wander around the city for a while; the weather isn't too great (looks like rain) and a bit of a rest seems like a good idea. But I can't stay in the theatre all day; some fresh air and window shopping might wake me up a little.

There are some interesting events, releases and recordings coming up in the next few weeks, but more on those in a while; all for now!

Ketchup...

Time is quickly running out before I have to be in Nottingham to re-rehearse the two plays I'm doing there in the Thriller Season, so I thought a bit of a 'catch up' posting before I depart might be a good idea on this sultry, potentially stormy, night.

So, I'll be doing The Ghost Train and The Shadow of The Ghost up in Nottingham, after which, I'm looking forward to a bit of 'time out' to recover, before the brief candle of summer gutters and fades. In August, I'm off to a weekend long sci-fi convention and will give details here nearer the time; indeed, Big Finish Day 5 comes along in September and I'm very much looking forward to both events. 

Earlier this week I was back in the studio with Big Finish and once again, enjoying myself thoroughly. What's really lovely is being with actors who might not have worked with Big Finish before, or perhaps not for some time, and observing how they 'melt' into the activities of the day, any anxieties they might have been harbouring, forgotten and just relaxing and having a fab time. Quite a testament to the Big Finish 'crew'. Of course, and for the usual reasons, I can say no more about what I've been doing in the studio, or what I'll be doing next week before heading north for a few weeks; never mind, all will be revealed at a later date.

For the time being then, I've got four scripts to be preparing, two theatre and two audio and all the logistics of living away from home to consider and arrange this weekend before rehearsals start again on Wednesday. All very busy, but of course, that's how I like it. If anything of particular interest occurs, I'll do my best to post 'on the fly' as it were, otherwise, it might just be more tweeting!

I've now listened to Survivors a few times through and I'm keenly awaiting delivery of the new Avengers box set; if you intend to listen to either series, I sincerely hope you enjoy them.

...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!

The Avengers: Series II

 ...bit of a boring post title in some ways, but definitely not a boring post - I hope! So where to start this month? For the past several weeks, I've been too busy to post anything and have been restricted to the occasional tweet instead. Why so busy? Well, I've been doing a season of weekly rep, rehearsing initially in Nottingham and then transferring to the Theatre Royal in Windsor. My three plays are now done, although the company have two further plays to perform.

I had roles in The Ghost Train, The Shadow of The Ghost and Fatal Encounter. The first two plays had me playing small/medium roles, but in Fatal Encounter, I played the lead, 'Howard Mansfield', around whom the story unfolds. That means I'm on stage in all but one short scene for a two hour play. That's ok and not unprecedented; the tricky part of Fatal Encounter was that during the designated 'rehearsal' week, which actually amounted to two and a half days, I also had eight performances of The Shadow of The Ghost. Consequently, I had quite a stressful time simply trying to learn the almost 700 lines the character speaks.

I won't elaborate on the 'actor's nightmare' scenario of appearing in an unfamiliar play, suffice it to say that after a weekend of line cramming, virtually no sleep and with the fantastic support of my fellow players, we all got through it, tired but in one piece. Amazingly, the show went very well and the audiences we had in Windsor seemed to love it. I'm mightily relieved that all that effort paid off in the end, although I'm not anxious to repeat such a contracted rehearsal process; the phrase 'bitten off more than I could chew' frequently came to mind and if Bach's Rescue Remedy could have been taken intravenously, I would have done it without hesitation!

Moving on; I'm very excited (yes I am!) that the second series of The Avengers is out this month from Big Finish. The Avengers is one of my all time favourite television shows; I think I saw it at the perfect time and age for it to have had a huge impact and I'm now toying with the idea of buying the 50th Anniversary DVD collection - 39 DVD's in total! Needless to say, I was thrilled to have taken part in the first Big Finish audio series and equally delighted to have roles in this latest release. As I remember, I'm doing something in all four episodes although my principal role is in The Radioactive Man. Now, if you look on the Big Finish web site, as I often do, you may notice that I'm not included in the cast list. Rather than suspecting some kind of fiendish plot to erase me from history, I can only put it down to 'an oversight' - never mind eh? So, here are the details to which I've inserted myself where appropriate...

Steed and Dr Keel return to action in these four recreations of classic lost episodes.

1: Ashes of Roses
Written by Peter Ling and Sheilah Ward, adapted by John Dorney
Carol goes undercover at a hairdressing salon, which appears to be at the centre of an arson ring.
Guest cast: Terry Molloy, Rachel Atkins

2: Please Don’t Feed the Animals
Written by Dennis Spoooner, adapted by John Dorney
Steed takes on blackmailers who are extorting secrets from government officials.
Guest cast: Martin Hutson, Richard Hope, Alisdair Simpson

3: The Radioactive Man
Written by Fred Edge, adapted by John Dorney
Someone is at loose in London, unwittingly carrying a radioactive isotope.
Guest cast: John Banks, Phil Mulryne, Beth Chalmers, Richard Franklin

4: Dance With Death
Written by Peter Ling and Sheilah Ward, adapted by John Dorney
Dr Keel is framed for murder, and Steed investigates a dance school.
Guest cast: Gemma Whelan, Dan Starkey, Jacqueline King

  Adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Ken Bentley 

Anthony Howell (Dr Keel), Julian Wadham (John Steed), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Carol Wilson),  

Terry Molloy, Rachel Atkins, Martin Hutson, Richard Hope, Alisdair Simpson, Phil Mulryne, Beth Chalmers, John Banks, Richard Franklin, Gemma Whelan, Dan Starkey, Jacqueline King

* * * * *

I'm delighted that the first series of Survivors has been so well received and that a further two series have been commissioned; whether or not I'll be involved as Daniel Connor remains to be seen. Before going up to Nottingham for the Thriller Season part two, I'm back in the studio with Big Finish for some ongoing work and a new series, which I'm very much looking forward to. As ever, details must remain secret for the time being but all will be revealed as soon as possible.

...all for now, more soon!

Classic Thriller Season

Our Classic Thriller Season continues at The Theatre Royal, Windsor this week with a production of The Shadow of The Ghost