#BF27June

...sssshhhhhhhhhhh!

future indicative...

...insofar as there's some lovely stuff coming up in the recording studio over the next few weeks, with both Big Finish and Games Workshop and I'm very much looking forward to getting stuck into a bunch of scripts in preparation.

Survivors 2 is now available and I'm happy to say that the general reaction has, so far, been very positive. There have been a number of highly enthusiastic tweets on the subject and some very good formal reviews have appeared on-line. Big Finish have also released details of the forthcoming Series 3, which I've included below. This time the wait between box sets will be much shorter, with a proposed release date of November 2015 - a mere five and a bit months away!

I'm hoping that I'll soon be able to reveal further details of the Games Workshop stories already recorded; I've seen some of the artwork and I have to say, I think it's quite stunning. Artwork for Warhammer stories is always fascinating and full of story telling detail; can't wait to see what the final CD covers will look like.

And so, another brief update; more to come as always, but in the meantime, here are some details of Survivors Series 3:

Branching out from the harrowing events of the recently released second series, Series 3 focuses on a new group of Survivors, living in the ruins of London during the events of the original TV series. Returning from the first box set is Maddie Price (Chase Masterson), still looking for a way back to the USA. Her desperate search will lead her to cross paths with some old friends – and some new enemies.

 

1: Cabin Fever by Jonathan Morris
Introducing: Andrew French as Dalton Roberts, Paul Thornley as John 'Vinnie' Vincent After weeks of searching for her son across a devastated Britain, Abby Grant and her allies head into London in pursuit of new leads. One of the party is quarantined, holed up with a fever. They remember the very first days of the Death, and the actions of a man called John Vincent…

2: Contact by Simon Clark
Introducing: James Joyce as Jonathon A lonely voice on the radio calls out across the ether. Maddie Price is a long way from home, but not yet ready to give up hope.

3: Rescue by Andrew Smith  
When his friends' lives hang in the balance hundreds of feet above London, Jimmy Garland leads a daring rescue mission into the capital.

4: Leaving by Matt Fitton
Down on the coast, plans are being made to reach out across the world. It could mean a new beginning for some, and the long-awaited chance to return home for others.

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

Survivors Series 2: released today

So finally, the time has come. After months of anticipation and a teasing countdown over the past week, the second series of Survivors is available from today. I'm not going to say much more until I've actually heard the stories myself; in the meantime, here are the details from Big Finish:

As first announced last week, we're proud to release the second of our award-nominated Survivors series to the world on CD and Download. Stars of the original BBC TV series Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch and Carolyn Seymour join Louise Jameson, Bernard Holley, John Banks and many others for four new stories:

1: Dark Rain by Ken Bentley
Months after the plague, storms batter the country. As Abby resumes the search for her son, Jackie and Daniel fight for their lives.

2: Mother’s Courage by Louise Jameson
The search for Peter leads to Aberystwyth, and a community of women who have cut themselves off from the outside world. But what appears to be a safe haven could be nothing of the sort…

3: The Hunted by Ken Bentley
Greg, Daniel and Russell need the help of survivalist Irvin Warner, who is hiding out in the Brecon Beacons. But predators are roaming in the barren countryside too…

4: Savages by Matt Fitton
Wounded, split apart and fighting for their lives, the survivors discover that survival isn’t everything…

Lucy Fleming  Jenny Richards   Ian McCulloch  Greg Preston   Carolyn Seymour  Abby Grant 

Louise Jameson  Jackie Burchall   John Banks  Daniel Connor   Bernard Holley  George Ridley 

Tim Treloar  Russell Baines   Chris Finney  Hargreaves/Jenkins  Fiona Sheehan  Molly 

Rachel Atkins  Charlotte   Jane Slavin  Jane  Tim Bentinck  Irvin Warner  

Allison McKenzie  Patricia Gallagher

Written by Ken Bentley, Louise Jameson, Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley 

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor Matt Fitton
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

As well as releasing Survivors 2, we're also making the first episode of Survivors - Series 1 available for free to all. Survivors - Revelation by Matt Fitton was nominated for the 2015 BBC Drama Awards, and was the first story in the original Big Finish Survivors series released in 2014.


I am very proud of the first Survivors series and keenly looking forward to giving this series a listen, perhaps in the hope of feeling proud of a piece of work once again...

... all work and lots of plays!

Once again, a bit of a 'mea culpa', as the postings here have been a bit thin on the ground lately. My only excuse is that the last couple of weeks have been very busy in the studio with three audio adventures recorded last week, a theatre audition this morning and four further audio dramas to record before the weekend.

Also true to form is that all of this work is currently on the classified list and I'm not allowed to go into any detail - unfortunately. All will eventually be revealed, but frustratingly, not quite yet. What I can say, is that excitement is building (from me at least!) for the imminent release of Survivors Series 2; it goes to some very dark places and I'm interested to see how the four story arc will be received by the audience, who seemed to like the first series very much.

There's lots of preparation to do over the next day or so before recording starts again on Wednesday with Big Finish, followed by a couple of days at The Games Workshop to record more Warhammer stories. So, another quick wrap up I'm afraid and back to the script for me.

I'm delighted to say that I'll be at Big Finish Day 7 in September and if you're planning to attend, maybe we'll get to say 'hello'. Further details of the event will be posted nearer the time, but for now, here's a link to the tenth planet web page:

 Big Finish Day 7

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

Doctor Who: Damaged Goods & The Well-Mannered War

Good evening. I mentioned these releases only a few postings ago and details appear below. My Standard and Limited Edition copies arrived at the weekend and I'm listing keenly to both stories at the moment and enjoying them thoroughly. Big Finish have published a fascinating trailer for Damaged Goods and The Well-Mannered War, I'm guessing created by Tom Saunders, and here it is:

And now, as it's almost 8 o'clock, I'm going to quickly wrap up here so that I can watch some classic Emma Peel era Avengers action on TV! Adieu for now...

The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 1

Well, it's St. George's Day here in merry England and it's also Shakespeare's 451st birthday - huzzah! I wonder if there's anyone in the world called 'George Shakespeare' who was born on this day...?

Before you become convinced that this welcome, yet uncharacteristically sunny weather has fried my brain, time to move on to the actual purpose of this little gem of an update.

Big Finish have announced the September release of the Third Doctor (originally performed on television by Jon Pertwee) 'double bill' of Prisoners of The Lake by Justin Richards and The Havoc of Empires by Andy Lane. Third Doctor adventures are a new direction for Big Finish and Tim Treloar has stepped up to the plate to portray the character in an evocation of Jon Pertwee's original style.

There's much more to come on this box set nearer the time of release; in the meantime, here's some cover artwork from Tom Webster and details of the story I was involved in, Prisoners of The Lake.

Captain Mike Yates is investigating the disappearance of artefacts from an archaeological site deep below Dunstanton Lake. It’s hardly a job for UNIT. But when the team discover a mysterious ancient structure buried deep underwater, all that changes.

When chief archaeologist Freda Mattingly ventures inside, she soon realises that her skills do not begin to equip her to deal with what she finds. As an ancient menace begins to stir the Doctor, Jo Grant and Mike Yates must dive down to the lake bed and discover the secrets hidden there. Secrets that could mean the end of all life on Earth…

 Tim Treloar Narrator/The Doctor   Katy Manning Jo Grant   Richard Franklin Mike Yates

  Carolyn Seymour Freda Mattingly  

Robbie Stevens Johnny Repford/Director Pennard/Statue/The Prosecutor

 John Banks Chief Dastron/Lieutenant Macintyre/UNIT Operative/Archaeologist

Written by Justin Richards

 Directed by Nicholas Briggs

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

Doctor Who: The Well Mannered War

As if time weren't zipping by quickly enough! Big Finish have released The Well Mannered War and Damaged Goods individually and as a double edition - a whole month early! I was under the impression that The Well Mannered War was scheduled for a May release, but hey - what do I know? Moving on from the obvious answer to my own rhetorical question, here are some details to go along with Tom Webster's brilliant cover artwork:

The edges of space, the far distant future, an era even the Time Lords are not supposed to visit.

Laid claim to by disputing factions of humans and Chelonians, the planet Barclow has become the catalyst for an unusual war. In two hundred years of hostilities not a shot has been fired, and the opposing combatants are the best of friends.

But when the Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive, they discover the peace is not going to last. Something dangerous is happening behind the scenes. An election looms. Bodies are piling up. Tensions are growing. Someone, somewhere is trying to make this well-mannered war very angry indeed.

Only the time-travellers can save the day. But that might be their biggest mistake.

Tom Baker The Doctor  Lalla Ward Romana  John Leeson K9  Tim McInnerny Admiral Dolne  

Jon Glover Jafrid Michael Troughton Menlove Stokes Gunnar Cauthery Viddeas Jane Slavin Cadinot 
 Russell Bentley Seskwa   Hamish Clark Fritchoff   John Banks Harmock   Elizabeth Rider Galatea  
Jessica Claire Liris/Newsreader  David Troughton The Black Guardian

Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Ken Bentley 

There's also a 'standard' version of Damaged Goods as detailed below, but if you fancy owning a rather beautiful Limited Special Edition containing both stories, there's this version, which I think, looks amazing...

The year is 1987 and there’s a deadly new narcotic on the streets of London. As part of their investigations the Doctor and his companions Chris and Roz move into the Quadrant, a rundown housing estate. An ancient alien menace has been unleashed, a menace somehow linked to a local gang leader known as The Capper, a charmed young boy called Gabriel and his mother Winnie, the enigmatic Frei Foundation, and Eva Jericho, a woman driven to the brink of madness.

As London descends into an apocalyptic nightmare, the Doctor must uncover the truth about the residents of the Quadrant and a desperate bargain made one dark Christmas Eve.

Sylvester McCoy The Doctor    Travis Oliver Chris Cwej    Yasmin Bannerman Roz Forrester  

Michelle Collins Winnie Tyler   Denise Black Eva Jericho   Georgie Fuller Bev Tyler  

Tayler Marshall Gabriel Tyler   Richard Hope Harry Harvey   Daniel Brocklebank David Daniels 

Peter Barrett The Capper   Robert Duncan Mr Thomas   Damian Lynch Scott Delaney

Written by Russell T Davies, adapted by Jonathan Morris
Directed by Ken Bentley

* * * * *

As a minor, but perhaps interesting footnote; in the mid '80's - early '90's, I spent about eight years working at The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, performing in numerous productions. Because I was there for so long, I had time to develop broader interests other than just appearing in plays. Under the leadership of  inspirational Youth Theatre and Main House Director, Sheila Mander, I  became involved in the activities of the senior Youth Theatre Group and assisted Sheila in directing a production of Howard Brenton's Epsom Downs.

It was a fabulous project to work on and I loved my time with the very talented young people Sheila had cast. The standard of performance was incredibly high and I promised the actors that I would rehearse and direct them as I would a professional company. Some of the members of that company did indeed go on to become professionally involved in the industry: Martin Julier appeared in the film version of The Madness of King George, Tom Kerridge is now a well known TV Chef, Cait Davis is currently appearing in Roald Dahl's The Twits at The Royal Court (we briefly toured together in another Everyman production), Kate Mander is a musical performer and Yasmin Bannerman, as I'm sure you know, has appeared in Doctor Who and Torchwood on television. Yasmin has of course also recorded a number of BF stories, including Damaged Goods. Small world; I wonder if she remembers Epsom Downs?

Back in the BF studio next week - can't wait :-)

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

Warhammer

It's often the case, and probably something I've previously mentioned, that a period of blogging inactivity usually corresponds to a period of busyness elsewhere. The last few weeks have been a case in point and indeed, a busy time has been had in various recording studios. What usually happens now is that I say what fun it's all been and then apologise for not being able to go into specific detail...

Well, it's been a fun time in the studio and that's about all I'm allowed to say for the time being... sorry.

What I can say, in this all too brief update, is that I've had a great time at The Games Workshop HQ this week, recording some very exciting Warhammer audio drama. I'd love to say more about this, but alas, it's all ultra top secret at the moment. When the time comes however, there'll be lots more posted here and I'm really looking forward to telling you all about it.

To round off then; Simon Guerrier's audio drama series Graceless II is currently being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra if you fancy tuning in and here's a link to the BBC web page: Graceless Series 2

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

Survivors Series Two: coming June 2015

The distant rumblings of this latest instalment of the Survivors audio-drama series from Big Finish are starting to be heard, ahead of its much anticipated release in June.

There is something very special about Survivors, I knew it before we even started recording series one. The writing is of a very high order indeed and the scripts for this second series maintain that standard - and some!

More details will follow as the release date approaches; in the meantime, here is the official trailer:

 In its review of Survivors Series One, Starburst magazine said this:

"Compelling, arresting, devastating, invigorating, heartening and more than a little frightening, Survivors: Series One is probably about as good as the audio medium gets. More than recommended; required listening."

Audio samples... simples?

It's been a while since I edited together a collection of audio samples and I thought it about time to update the audio section of my Spotlight page, just in case anyone in the industry might take an interest and immediately offer some work. Well, that's how it's supposed to happen!

Anyway, after much delving and rummaging through my audio archives, I've put together this latest series of untreated character voices from audio drama and from audio book narration. It's quite tricky to find sections of audio drama that don't have someone else's voice chipping in. That is the nature of audio drama of course, the interaction of characters, but it does reduce the options for this particular purpose. I now have hundreds of hours of recorded material to choose from, but finding a passage that has just my voice and makes some kind of internal sense is more difficult than one might imagine. Not much from the latest Sherlock Holmes stories, not much from Survivors, or indeed from The Avengers or Counter Measures; even a long narrative from Ragnus Lang in Andrew Smith's brilliant Blake's 7 story, Retribution, is constantly interrupted -  outrageous I know!

The actual Spotlight upload is limited to 5 minutes and in all probability, no casting professional is going to spend anything like that amount of time checking out a voice reel; maybe 30 seconds tops. However, because that time constraint doesn't apply to this web site, I've left in a couple of odd clips which don't now feature in the original and, for clarification, they have been asterisked *. The reason I ditched them was to have room to include a bit of Daniel Connor from Survivors. It's not the best clip I know, but as I've just mentioned, extracting anything like a reasonable length speech is very difficult and as I am very proud of the work everyone did on Survivors, it just had to be included somehow. By the way, Survivors Series 2 is out in June and I'm really looking froward to hearing it - Daniel and his companions' journey into their 'Heart of Darkness' gets very much darker in series 2...

So, below is a slightly longer collection of clips than that which was published on Spotlight and if you decide to give them a listen, as always, I hope you will find something to enjoy and perhaps also whet your appetite for wanting to hear more.

The tracks in order are:

1) Mervyn Stone from The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman cometh audio-drama

2) Hermit from Doctor Who: Trial of The Valeyard audio-drama*

3) Black Venus audio-book

4) Allat from Doctor Who: The Sleeping City audio-drama

5) Lucius Correl from Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles: Jenna's Story audio-drama*

6) Gabriel's Angel audio-book

7) Jimmy, Mervyn & Mervyn as Phyllis from The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman Cometh audio-drama

8) How to be Both audio-book

9) Baron Pteratrark from Doctor Who: The Widow's Assassin audio-drama

10) Half Life from Thirteen audio-book anthology

11) Mona, Sarah & Douglas from Traveller's Duty audio-book

12) Mr Mac And Me audio-book

13) Roger from Roger Munroe Remembers comedy sketch*

14) Daniel Connor from Survivors Series 1 Episode 1: Revelation audio-drama

 

There are details and synopses for all these samples in postings throughout the site, including full cast lists and writing credits, both for audio-drama and audio-books.

I'm back in the recording studio very soon, so... more news just as soon as it happens!

Dark Eyes 4

After much anticipation, the fourth and final series of Doctor Who: Dark Eyes is released today from Big Finish Productions. Dark Eyes is an epic sixteen episode story arc that I've been privileged to have taken part in and have a close association with in a number of ways; the first episode of the first series won a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2014 and perhaps unsurprisingly therefore, I feel quite proud of the whole thing.

Here are details from this final series along with a fantastic video trailer: 

4.1 A Life in the Day by John Dorney

The Doctor and Liv return to post-World War One London, where the Doctor meets Kitty Donaldson (Beth Chalmers), and Liv strikes a friendship with her brother Martin (Barnaby Kay). But what mysterious force is hunting them?

4.2 The Monster of Montmartre by Matt Fitton

The Doctor and Liv’s investigations bring them to Paris, where a monster stalks the streets.

4.3 Master of the Daleks by John Dorney

The Master and the Dalek Time Controller have forged an alliance. History hangs in the balance, and this time the Doctor can’t help…

4.4 Eye of Darkness by Matt Fitton

It’s the endgame. Truths will be revealed, and a hero will make the ultimate sacrifice.

Paul McGann, Nicola Walker, Alex Macqueen,  Barnaby Kay, Rachael Stirling, Sorcha Cusack, Dan Starkey, Susannah Harker, David Sibley, Beth Chalmers, Charlie Norfolk,  

Derek Hutchinson, Alex Wyndham, Blake Ritson, Camilla Power, John Dorney, Nicholas Briggs.

Written by John Dorney and Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley  

2015 Audio Publishers Awards - The Audies

Good afternoon! A very brief update to mention that the first volume of The Avengers Lost Episodes has been nominated for an Audie - hurrah! The nominated story is the first of the box set collection, Hot Snow, although, as with the BBC Audio Drama Awards, the entire series is actually nominated rather than just an individual episode - not sure why that distinction is made. Anyhow, it's a great honour to have been nominated and all digits are now crossed until the results are announced in May.





John Dorney adapted the original television scripts for audio, Ken Bentley directed and the series producer is David Richardson.

I've written extensively in previous postings about The Avengers series, which I love and am very proud of, so I'll limit myself now to simply congratulating all of those involved at Big Finish as well as fellow cast members - bravo!

The Audies, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), is the premier awards program in the United States recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.

Tom Talks

Just in case you haven't caught up with this brief interview yet, I thought it might be of interest:

and the winner is...

...well, sadly, not Survivors this time. Yesterday, Messrs Richardson, Bentley, Fitton and me went along to the 2015 BBC Audio Drama Awards ceremony and despite coming second or third in our category (we had made it to a short list of three), had a very festive time, attempting as we did, to at least recoup the value of the BBC License Fee in Prosecco and cheesy straws - not an easy task, but one we warmed to as the evening progressed. MC for the evening was Lenny Henry, who really did a fabulous job and was genuinely warm and witty.

Congratulations to all finalists and winners; I am of course especially proud of the whole team who created and worked on Survivors, it certainly ranks as one of the very best things I've done in any medium. My particular thanks to David Richardson, for not only inviting me to last night's event via the BBC, but also for having conceived the idea of Survivors as audio drama and for having created the character Daniel Connor for me to play - an honour and a privilege indeed!

Just to round off this brief posting, February 1st was also the publication date for my latest audio book, available from W.F. Howes Ltd: Mr. Mac And Me by Esther Freud. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will probably have to buy myself a copy of the audio recording!





 It is 1914, and Thomas Maggs lives with his parents on the Suffolk coast. Life is quiet - shaped by the seasons. Then one day a mysterious Scotsman arrives, looking for all the world like Sherlock Holmes. Mac is what the locals call him as they whisper. But Mac isn’t a detective, he’s the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and together with his red haired artist wife, they soon become a source of fascination and wonder to Thomas.

 Mr Mac & Me

8 CDs - run time: 8 hours 15 minutes

I'm currently preparing a fascinating biographical audio book for RNIB and also back in studio to record more Big Finish adventures over the next few weeks.

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

Romance and The English...

...and do the two things ever go together? Well, as far as this month's Big Finish releases are concerned, they certainly do and in multiple formats! The two stories, The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death, featuring Fourth Doctor Tom Baker and Romana II Lalla Ward, are available either as separate editions, or in a very smart looking box set collection. Here's some artwork by Tom Webster and a synopsis of each story:

 

The Romance of Crime

The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Romana and K9 to the Rock of Judgement; a court, prison and place of execution built into a rocket-powered asteroid. When involved in an investigation by the system's finest lawman, they find they must seek answers to some disturbing questions.

Tom Baker The Doctor Lalla Ward Romana John Leeson K9 Graham Seed Pyerpoint Miranda Raison Margo/Xais Phil Mulryne Shom, Hogan, Ogron 6 Marcus Garvey Frank Spiggot Michael Troughton Stokes James Joyce Zy, Ogron 5, Barman Joshua Silver Charlie Nisbett John Dorney Eddie Nisbett/Ogrons Jane Slavin Blakemore, Bailiff, Librarian




 

 The English Way of Death

The Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive in 1930s London to return some overdue library books. They plan to take a rest after their recent adventures, but Romana detects a distress signal from the future and the Doctor is attacked by a suffocating green mist.

Tom Baker The Doctor Lalla Ward Romana John Leeson K9 Terrence Hardiman Stackhouse Derek Carlyle Orlick Richard Braine Percy Closed Abigail McKern Felicia Annabel Mullion Julia Mark Bonnar Porteus Tim Bentinck Colonel Radlett Andrew Bone Woodrow Jane Slavin Harriet





This is a five-disc limited Special Edition in deluxe premium packaging, which includes a behind the scenes interview disc, a cover exclusive to this release, and a stunning array of professional photos of the cast:

I mentioned in the previous posting that I'd had some involvement in these recordings, although I wondered at the time, whether or not I'd be credited. It now seems that I'm not actually credited with playing any specific role/s in either story, although my photo appears on the inner sleeve artwork. As far as I remember, I possibly added to the general Ogron melee and filled a few of the continuity gaps. It's a little confusing I agree, but there are quite a number of stories I'm uncredited with, although my photo doesn't usually find it's way on to the sleeve art in such instances.

I found myself signing a number of those CD sleeves at Big Finish Day 6 last weekend, which, I must say was thoroughly enjoyable once again and which seemed to fly by. It was a pleasure to meet and chat to so many Big Finish fans, both at the signing area and at the Sherlock Holmes panel. I had the impression that it was the busiest BF Day so far and the pace didn't seem to slacken at all until final close of play. So thanks indeed to all who came, I hope you had as much fun as I did and I hope we'll meet up again at a future BF Day.

Earlier in the week just gone, I was in studio working on a new Doctor Who adventure and having a fabulous time with the company; the morning's work started a little late as the stories and anecdotes were in full flow, as indeed were the tears rolling down my face - quite an effective 'warm up' really.

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