July 2012

And it's July - the beginning of a new month already and quite a bit to look forward to in terms of audio-drama releases.

The 'big news' for July is the first box set issue of an entirely new four part series, Counter Measures.

Here's what Big Finish have to say about it: 

After the mysterious events at Coal Hill School, the British government has created the Counter-Measures group, a specialist team that investigates strange phenomena and dangerous technology. Their first missions will involve a haunted warehouse, a ground-breaking artificial intelligence, a mysterious new town and a threat to the future of the country...

Four full cast audio dramas plus behind the scenes documentary:

Threshold by Paul Finch

A missing scientist and ghostly phenomena bring Gilmore and Allison to a factory in Bermondsey, and the discovery of a science that should not exist. As Rachel Jensen returns to help them, a new future for Counter-Measures is set in motion...


 





Artificial Intelligence by Matt Fitton
Investigating a suicide at the Sen-Gen Facility, the group discovers a new weapon in the Cold War – and Gilmore meets an old flame. Meanwhile Rachel discovers that she can’t trust anyone, not even the sound of her own voice...


The Pelage Project by Ian Potter
A case of industrial pollution leads the group to the new industrial town Pelage, and a dangerous meeting with its leader Ken Temple. And deep within the plant it appears that an alien invasion is already underway...
 






State of Emergency by Justin Richards
There are creatures from another dimension on the streets, and traitors in the halls of Westminster. When the government is in jeopardy, Rachel, Allison and Gilmore take on a faction staging a very un-British coup...

Directed By: Ken Bentley 

In some capacity or other, I worked on all four episodes and enjoyed the experience immensely. As a 'child of the 60's' and a great fan of TV shows such as The Avengers, The Prisoner, Doomwatch etc, this series was right up my street and as usual, I'm really looking forward to listening to it.

l-r: John Banks, Pamela Salem, Helen Goldwyn, Karen Gledhill, Hugh Ross, Stephen Greif & Ken Bentley

"John Banks is lovely, he's a chameleon."   Karen Gledhill   Vortex Magazine

l-r: The Team: Pamela Salem, Hugh Ross, Simon Williams & Karen Gledhill

'Counter-Measures is a triumph for all concerned' - Doctor Who Magazine. 

Speaking of which, my copy of May's Stargate SG-1 arrived a few days ago, so I'm listening to that quite a bit at the moment and eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Oseidon Adventure, (which seems to have elicited a generally positive response), and the second of last month's releases, The Butcher of Brisbane.

________________________________________________________________

My other audio-drama release this month is The First Sontarans and again, here's what it's all about:

1872. After finding a strange signalling device on the moon, the Doctor and Peri travel to the depths of the English countryside to track down the source of its transmissions. But they're not the first aliens to arrive on the scene.

Old enemies of the Doctor are drawing their battle lines in the forest and the local humans will be lucky to escape the conflagration unscathed.

For hidden within this village is a deadly secret - a secret that could destroy the entire Sontaran race... and reveal the terrible mystery of their creation.

Colin Baker  The Doctor Nicola Bryant  Peri Dan Starkey  Jaka Anthony Howell  Jacob 

Lizzie Roper  Jane Ross  John Banks  The Gentleman - Commander Lork - Rutan 

Cameron Stewart  Major Thessinger

l-r: Ken Bentley, Dan Starkey, John Banks, Anthony Howell, Cameron Stewart, Andrew Smith, 

Nicola Bryant and Colin Baker.

Written By: Andrew Smith
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Reviews & comments:

'...and there’s ubiquitous Big Finisher John Banks; I was saying to John earlier, in the persona of the Gentleman he scares me! Again, it’s on the page and you think, ‘That’s not bad’, but when John takes it…
I think the opening scene is really scary, it really sets it up very, very well. You think, ‘This guy’s nasty, nasty, nasty and off his trolley’ and you wouldn’t want to be in the same room as him.'

Andrew Smith - writer

 

'To say that this is a fun and engaging story would be an understatement. It’s not only one of the finest releases from Big Finish this year but possibly in their whole catalogue.'

                                                                                      Meredith Burdett - Kasterborous Online Magazine

More news as soon as it happens...

June 2012

June! ...'ah, June, like the mountains I'm blue, like the pine, I am lonesome for you...'

Moving on; only the second day of the month and already it's busy, busy, busy - which is just how I like it. When it comes to work, more is definitely more! Since mid-April, I've been fortunate and delighted to have worked on four Dr Who stories, 'read-in' on two other audio-dramas, completed the recording of three audio-books and yesterday, started work on the first of four more stories, which will take up most of the rest of the month. There's an old saying in Yorkshire which goes along the lines of 'Yer that well in, you'll soon be out!' - but to counter that, there's another well known saying which reassuringly states 'while the sun shines, hay can be made', which isn't specific to Yorkshire, or probably anywhere else for that matter. You get my drift...

What fantastic fun it's been to be busy and working on great stories with fabulous people. I know, I know, it all sounds very 'luvvie' and 'marvellous', but when the opportunity of being involved in such challenging and rewarding work comes along, it seems crazy not to enjoy it all while it lasts.

And so, with such thoughts firmly in mind and without further ado: it's time for... this month's releases!

The Oseidon Adventure

The first time the fearsome Kraals attempted to take over the Earth, with the help of their android agents, things didn't go quite according to plan – thanks to the time-travelling alien Doctor and his allies at UNIT.

This time, Marshal Grinmal and his belligerent cohorts are ready for them. This time, they'll make no mistakes. This time, Chief Scientist Tyngworg has not just one plan, but a back-up plan, and a back-up back-up plan worked out...

With the Doctor a prisoner on the Kraals' radiation-blasted home planet of Oseidon, only his companion Leela can save the day – alongside a most unlikely ally.

Tom Baker (The Doctor)

Louise Jameson (Leela)

Geoffrey Beevers (The Master)

Michael Cochrane (Colonel Spindleton)

Dan Starkey (Marshal Grimnal/Captain Clarke)

 John Banks (Tyngworg/Warner/UNIT R/T Operator)

Written By: Alan Barnes
Directed By: Ken Bentley

&

The Butcher of Brisbane

Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.

The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.

With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'…

Peter Davison (The Doctor)

Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka)

Mark Strickson (Vislor Turlough)

Sarah Sutton (Nyssa)

Angus Wright (Magnus Greel)

Rupert Frazer (Dr Sa Yy Findecker)

Felicity Duncan (Ingrid Bjarnsdottir)

Daniel Weyman (Ragan Crezzen)

Daisy Ashford (Sasha Dialfa)

 John Banks (Eugene Duplessis/Chops)

Written By: Marc Platt
Directed By: Ken Bentley

This from Big Finish in January:

'Magnus Greel – aka the murderous Chinese god Weng-Chiang – is returning to Doctor Who this year in a new audio adventure from Big Finish. Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton are back as the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa in The Butcher of Brisbane, facing this old enemy in a story set before Robert Holmes’s 1977 tale The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The script is written by Marc Platt, whose previous work includes the TV story Ghost Light and a large number of Big Finish audios.

"Marc Platt has extrapolated a whole 51st century world from a few enticing phrases in The Talons of Weng-Chiang,” says audio script editor Alan Barnes. “So if you ever wanted to know more about the advance of the Filipino Army on Reykjavik, Findecker's discovery of the double nexus particle or the murderous origins of the Peking Homunculus, you can't afford to miss The Butcher of Brisbane... which, as the title suggests, begins with Tegan's arrival in the ruins of her home town." '

As usual, I'm very much looking forward to listening to these stories now they've completed their lengthy journey through post-production and in fact, I'm still looking forward to listening to last month's releases which haven't yet arrived!

Also, very much looking forward to a huge party on Monday - hope the weather holds up...

I'll round off this month's diary by simply thanking you for visiting the site; at least some of the 15,000 +  hits must be intentional!  

Thank You!

More of everything just as soon as it happens!

May 2012

And so, it's May and I hardly know where to start on this month's posting. As the Big Finish headline has it, 'The Gate' is indeed reopening with the release of the first trilogy of Stargate SG-1 audio-dramas. If you've seen previous updates from September 2011 and January 2012, you might be aware that my overall involvement in recording this series spanned something like seven months, during which, at some point, I played all the characters, with the exception of 'Thor', who appears in the second trilogy. Consequently, I feel like I've made quite an investment in the project and the months of wondering about how it all might turn out are nearly over. To say that I'm keenly looking forward to listening to the finished recording would be quite an understatement - I can't wait!

 Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Part 1:

Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) Claudia Black (Vala Mal Doran)  
Cliff Simon (Ba’al)
John Schwab (Major Hunter)
Andrew Collins (Keto),
Stephen Hogan (Olssen)
Susan Franklyn (Rix)
Alex Mallinson (Airman/Robot/Jaffa)  Paul Hyu (Lt Colonel Yin)
Andrew Whipp (Zoder)
Regina Reagan (Wellan)
Anna Tolputt (La’rath)
John Banks (Korek)

A shooting in the heart of Stargate Command is only the beginning for Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran.

Suddenly it’s friend against friend, none of their allies can be relied upon and they’re the universe’s only hope to foil the latest scheme concocted by the last System Lord, Ba’al.Will Daniel, Vala and a few of Vala’s less than savoury friends be enough to stop a conspiracy that reaches deep into the heart of Stargate Command and threatens to destroy everything they’ve spent years building?

Written By: James Swallow, Sally Malcolm, Steve Lyons

Directed By: Lisa Bowerman and Jason Haigh-Ellery

This photo was taken during our first recording session and features L-R:

James Swallow, Paul Spragg,
John Schwab, Andrew Whipp,    
Regina Reagan, Anna Tolputt                     
& John Banks.

And if that's not exciting enough, there's another release this month that I've been very much looking forward to listening to, Trail of The White Worm:

Tom Baker (The Doctor),   
Louise Jameson (Leela),   
Geoffrey Beevers (The Master), Michael Cochrane (Colonel Spindleton),   
Rachael Stirling (Demesne Furze) 
John Banks (Carswell/Mercenary)
Becci Gemmell (Julie)
Mark Field (John)

Written By: Alan Barnes
Directed By: Ken Bentley 




The legend dates back to Roman times, at least: a great White Worm, as wide as a man, slithers out of the rocks of the Dark Peak Gap to take animals, sometimes even children, for its food.

When the Doctor and Leela arrive in the wilds of Derbyshire, only to get caught up in the hunt for a missing girl, they soon discover that the legend of the Worm is very much alive – even now, in 1979.

Worse still, it seems that the Doctor isn't the only renegade Time Lord on the trail of this deadly and mysterious Worm…

Big Finish's brand spanking new website, created by the deeply talented Richard Dinnick, is now up and running and I would urge you to have a look round the new site. It's very 'user friendly' and there are many new features and much more information about the whole of BF's output. Particularly interesting for me is the new edition of Vortex Magazine, which is available to view or download directly from the website. It has some great features and articles, lots of information on Stargate and has Nicola Bryant looking forward to the latest series of Doctor Who Lost Stories; there'll be more on my involvement in that series here in July.

April was a very busy month for me and May is shaping up to be equally active and I'd love to be able to ramble on about what's happening. Some recent posts mention work projects without providing details of who or what was involved, which is quite frustrating. However, for reasons I'm sure you will appreciate, Big Finish are keen to have full control as to what specific information is released and when and I'm equally keen to respect their commercial integrity. Therefore, I'll try to keep future postings centred around what has actually been announced by them.

By the way, did I mention that Stargate SG-1 is now available?

April 2012

Oh to be in England, now that April's there... or April In Paris, April Fool or April Showers - whatever associations April has, I must say that 2012's incarnation has been pretty good fun so far and there's much to look forward to before the month's end.

This week, I've been thoroughly enjoying myself recording a new Doctor Who story. However, it might be quite some time before the story is released and unfortunately, until Big Finish publish details and dates, I'm unable to say much more at the moment. What I can say, is that once again I felt greatly privileged to find myself working with such a distinguished cast and look forward to the time when all can be revealed!

April is another month without a BF release for me to specifically talk about, although next month, there should be some interesting updates and artwork to look at with the release of the first box-set trilogy of  Stargate SG-1 and my first Fourth Doctor story, Trail of The White Worm starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, both of which I'm really looking forward to hearing.

In the meantime, here's a poster for the forthcoming Series 3 of Doctor Who: The Lost Stories:

The series begins in May with the release of  The Guardians of Prophecy and my first of the series,  

The First Sontarans, is scheduled for release in July.

...and another poster revealing details of a new Doctor Who mini-series starring Peter Davison, 

Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson, the first of which is released this month. I'm in the third part of the trilogy, The Butcher of Brisbane scheduled for release in June.

To round off this posting, I must just mention that during this week's recording, I was asked to voice introductions for two forthcoming Doctor Who stories, which will be used on the Big Finish web site. How amazing! I couldn't quite believe that I'd been afforded such a rare privilege - I won't say which stories they are; maybe you'll guess if or when you listen to the trailers.

Quick update 25th April:  Apparently one of the intros mentioned above had already been recorded, which meant that only one of mine was needed after all. So close! At least the 'chosen one' is now up on the Big Finish web site - but which one???

Just finished recording another audio-drama, full details of which will be revealed in a few months time. The story required quite a big company of actors and I had enormous fun working with friends old and new, something I'm looking forward to saying more about nearer the time of release. 

Another busy month and there'll be much more to talk about in May. 

A bientot!

PS: My original web site at actor-johnbanks.com will be taken down on April 30th. Sad to see it go in some ways, but it means that I can concentrate on maintaining this site, which has always been technically an easier task. Many thanks to all those who visited and supported the site over the last few years.

March 2012

March already and this month's posting is a bit of an oddity insofar as there's quite a bit going on, which you might well be interested in, but which unfortunately, I can't really talk about in detail - how frustrating!

What I can say, is that in recent weeks, I've been 'reading-in' on a series of Doctor Who stories and I'm scheduled to do more later this month. From a production point of view, there are all sorts of logistical reasons for doing this and for me, it's great practice, great fun and an interesting challenge to play multiple roles without the pressure of having to give a definitive performance.You may remember that I also did quite a bit of reading-in on Stargate SG-1, although that was slightly different in that I also had characters of my own to play.

Released in January, Sherlock Holmes: The Tangled Skein has attracted some very positive reviews; this is taken from Mass Movement magazine and appears on the BF website:

'From Baker Street to Devon (and Baskerville Hall), The Tangled Skein hurtles along at an unholy pace, twisting and turning its way to the final battle between Dracula and Holmes. Nicholas Briggs and Richard Earl are as reliable as ever as Holmes and Watson and leap into the story with gusto and bravado, which in turn helps to ensure that the rest of the ensemble (especially John Banks and Giles Watling) turn their performances up a couple of notches, delivering one of the best Holmes tales that I’ve been privileged to experience, leaving me with a rabid desire to track down and buy the novel (by David Stuart Davies) on which the play is based. Peter Cushing was right. It would be an incredible film… '

ScripTease  

The Electric Theatre, Guildford 

LynchPin Productions Theatre Company present an evening of play readings in the intimate setting of our Cafe Bar. It is their hope to expand the concept of Readers' Theatre, 'teasing' out scripts and exposing audiences to plays they might not otherwise have the chance to experience. ScripTease also offers playwrights the opportunity to test new work with actors in front of a live audience.

Post Modern - A new play by Gareth Strachan:

Brecht, Pinter, Beckett, Chekov, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Behn. Seven dead playwrights stuck in Purgatory as blue collar postal workers for 'crimes against theatre'.

Thanks to all who turned up to last night's reading of Post Modern; a large and enthusiastic audience helped to make the evening great fun and a great success. This was my first time performing at such an event at The Electric Theatre and indeed, working with LynchPin and I have to say that I very much enjoyed playing 'Samuel Beckett', something I never expected to be able to say and which will probably never happen again!

Last week, I also took part in a private play-reading at The Duke of York's Theatre: Code of Conduct by Kathryn Duffy and John Berry. A fascinating 'work in progress' which I hope goes on to be developed into a full production.

To bring the month to a suitably theatrical finale, I'm off to see a stage version of the hugely popular '90's sit-com Birds of a Feather  tonight, with my very good friends        Gary Lawson and Jenny Lecoat, who wrote many of the scripts for the television series. Gary has in fact also written this stage version of the show and so I'm looking forward to a very festive evening's entertainment.

And just to further my credentials as a bit of a culture vulture, tomorrow evening I'm going to Circus Space in London to see a performance of circus skills given by graduate students, which should be fantastic.

More Doctor Who next month and more updates anon...

February 2012

Graceless: Series II

Ciara Janson (Abby),  
Laura Doddington (Zara),         
Fraser James (Marek),  
Susan Brown,  
Michael Cochrane,  
Derek Griffiths,  
Joanna van Gyseghem,  
Daisy Ashford,  
John Banks,
Joseph Kloska

Abby and her sister Zara are not real people. They were created by pan-dimensional beings to help save space and time.

They’ve been blessed with special powers. They can see into people’s heads, even influence their thoughts. And, so long as they’re together, they can go anywhere or when.


But the universe is dangerous, unpredictable. Abby and Zara have made mistakes – and many thousands have died. They know they’ve done wrong, that they have made enemies, who scour all of history to find them.

So they keeping moving on, trying to make amends, trying to help people. And not to do any more harm…

Part One: The Line

“The moment we stop, the moment we let the past catch up with us… We're done for.”

Marek has brought Abby and Zara home to the city where he grew up. They’re wary at first – they’re meant to keep a low profile. But Marek assures them that everyone he knows here is dead.

There’s a Rune Festival approaching, an excuse for a wild party – and it’s like there’s something in the air. Abby and Zara are soon swept up in the crowd, but Marek hasn’t told them the whole truth.

Why has he brought them here? What can they do to help? And why is everyone so terrified of Manchu Golding?

Part Two: The Flood  

“There goes the neighbourhood.”

The rain hasn’t stopped in three days and the floodwaters are rising. A small group of townspeople are determined to stop their town from being dragged into the sea.

Abby and Zara are keen to help – anything to keep themselves busy after what they’ve both just been through. Maybe, finally, they’ve found somewhere they might settle down…

But there’s something causing the food. And it can’t let anything stand in its way.

Part Three: The Dark                                                      

“When you’re together, you two can do anything.”

Wherever Abby and Zara have ended up this time, their powers no longer work.

It’s dark and cold and there are no stars. Frequent sand storms threaten to cut the girls to pieces. But they are not alone…

On a planet at the end of the universe, someone they never thought they would see again has been patiently waiting.

 ______________________

And so, after a brief delay, Graceless II is scheduled for release this month. I have to confess that I knew very little about this 'spin off' series before recording began. Nevertheless, working with another fantastic BF cast and crew was a great pleasure as always.

The two lead characters, played by Ciara and Laura, are both quite feisty and combative, which gave the whole thing an interestingly 'adult' quality. Recording took place several months ago and I'm really looking forward to listening to these stories, especially as they feature characters and conventions new to me.
                                                                                   

 


L-R in the photo are: Fraser James, Laura Doddington, Ciara Janson, Derek Griffiths & John Banks.

Graceless was written by Simon Guerrier, directed by Lisa Bowerman and produced by Mark Wright.

Stargate SG-1 Series 3: Parts 1 & 2

Hot off the press is news that the long awaited third series of Stargate SG-1 is now available for pre-order from Big Finish:

'Out in two box sets, each release contains three full-cast adventures starring Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson and Claudia Black as Vala Mal Doran, set in the heart of the tenth season with the Ori threat at its peak.

The first box set features the pair taking on the last of the System Lords, Ba'al, played once more by Cliff Simon, while the second box set is an Asgard-centric one and features the return of Thor (once more played by Michael Shanks) and the Asgard as you've never seen them before...

Each box set contains three discs with one story on each, but they combine to form two larger arcs. Join us for the biggest Stargate adventure yet, with drama, action, comedy, romance - and one particularly appalling pun!'

Part 1 is scheduled for release in May, followed by Part 2 in August and I'm very much looking forward to listening to these stories, which I have to say were an absolute treat to work on. Great thanks to Michael Shanks, director Lisa Bowerman, producer Paul Spragg and the ever brilliant Toby Robinson, recording engineer at Moat Studios, for helping to make the overall seven month recording period such an enjoyable time.

Because of the various commitments and availability of some of the stars of SG-1, not to mention the added complication of recording in London, Los Angeles and Vancouver, at some point in the recording process, I think I must have 'read-in' for every part, with the possible exception of 'Thor' which was played, as in the TV series, by Michael Shanks*. However, I'm sure you'll be profoundly relieved to know that the final recordings will have a full compliment of hugely talented actors, each playing their respective roles to audio-dramatic perfection! 

I'll post full details of who is playing whom, specific story titles and synopses nearer the time of release.

                                                                                                                            

Roll on May - can't wait!

    * see Sept 2011 posting below

January 2012

The start of a new year with quite a bit to mention and so, without further ado, here we go....

For many Big Finish Doctor Who fans, 2012 will be a time of keen anticipation as well as, hopefully, lots of fun and enjoyment. The new Fourth Doctor stories, starring Tom Baker, accompanied by original companions and pitted against a formidable array of adversaries, will be released from January onwards. 

As mentioned in the August 2011 posting, I was privileged indeed to work with Tom and Louise Jameson on two audio dramas, Trail of The White Worm and The Oseidon Adventure, which also sees the return of The Kraals. For full details of which Fourth Doctor stories are being released and when, I would urge you to go to the Big Finish web site - here's the link: Big Finish - where all will be revealed and explained. In the meantime, here's a poster to further whet the appetite:

and here's a preview from BF:




This month also has the release of my final Sherlock Holmes story, The Tangled Skein, which was another hugely enjoyable adventure with Nick, Richard and the rest of the company.

The Tangled Skein

Nicholas Briggs (Sherlock Holmes),  
Richard Earl (Dr Watson),
Barnaby Edwards (Mr Jack Stapleton),  
Beth Chalmers (Mrs Hudson/Delia Lydgate/Mary Gardner/The Phantom Lady/Catherine Hunter Landlady),  
John Banks (Professor Abraham Van Helsing Inspector Lestrade/Policeman/Meinster
Silas Gardner),
Giles Watling (Count Dracula/Matthew Boulton
Dr Collins)

A threat to Holmes’s life, murders on Hampstead Heath and a deadly phantom lady lead Holmes and Watson into the most dangerous investigation they have ever undertaken… An encounter which brings them face to face with evil itself, embodied in Count Dracula, the Lord of the Undead.

23rd May 2011...

...trying to look vaguely 'serious' for the camera during recording of The Tangled Skein...

...but the true nature of a day with Big Finish can't be contained for long!

L-R in the photos are: Beth Chalmers, John Banks, Barnaby Edwards, Giles Watling 

and in the foreground, Richard Earl and Nick Briggs.

__________________________________________________

More as it happens, but in the meantime, a very Happy New Year to all!

...and finally: if you'd like a signed copy of The Children of Seth, which was released last month, there are a limited number available from tenthplanetevents.co.uk

December 2011

Looking back to this time last year, I'm reminded of the deep and still falling snow, coping with transport chaos and struggling to get to the studios to record a sequence of  Doctor Who stories starring Peter Davison. Working together over a relatively extended period of weeks, we developed a 'Band of Brothers' spirit and found sanctuary in the cosy confines of Moat Studios and the legendary hospitality provided by Toby Robinson. The pub round the corner also became a welcome re-fuelling station before setting off for home, although Peter had no such respite as he had to get to The Savoy Theatre for his evening performance of Legally Blonde. Despite most of us eventually succumbing to 'the company cold'  I think we all had a great time - I certainly did!

Three of the stories that I'm involved with from that period are currently available and this month sees the release of The Children of Seth.

In the February 2011 posting, I quoted producer David Richardson who said:

“We knew we had to get the very best for this one,” says David, “because it’s such a wonderful script. And it was beautiful to listen to in studio – I think we have discovered something very special indeed…”

Peter Davison (The Doctor), 

Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), 

Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), 

Honor Blackman (Anahita),  

Adrian Lukis (Byzan),  

David Warner (Siris),  

Vernon Dobtcheff (Shamur),  

Matt Addis (Albis),  

Emerald O’Hanrahan (Mira),  

John Banks (Radulf Varidi)

During one of Nyssa’s experiments, the TARDIS’s temporal scanner picks up a message: ‘Idra’. Just one word, but enough to draw the Doctor to the Archipelago of Sirius.

There, the Autarch is about to announce a new crusade. A mighty war against Seth, Prince of the Dark...


But who is Seth? What is the secret of Queen Anahita, Mistress of the Poisons? And what terror awaits on Level 14?

   

Online reviews & comments:

'It's a great story, with phenomenal performances and production values up to the very high standard the Lost Stories have set.'
                                                                                                                   Eiphel    The Time Scales

And finally, for the time being at least , a recording that I'm really looking forward to hearing: 

The Hound of The Baskervilles

Nicholas Briggs (Sherlock Holmes),
Richard Earl (Dr Watson),  
Samuel Clemens (Sir Henry Baskerville),  
John Banks (Dr Mortimer/Mr John Barrymore/Selden/Postmaster/Lestrade),  
Barnaby Edwards (Mr Jack Stapleton),  
Charlie Norfolk (Miss Beryl Stapleton/Mrs Eliza Barrymore/Laura Lyons)

Young Dr Mortimer ventures from Devonshire to Baker Street, with news of the death of his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville. Can it really be that the grisly legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles might have something to do with the case? Holmes will have none of it, but even he must accept that dark forces are at work. Darks forces that it seems Dr Watson must face alone…

 

Online reviews & comments:

'This Big Finish adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles is a masterpiece...'

'The cast for this story is as good as it gets.'
                                                                                                                      Stevo       The Time Scales
 
I must say how delighted I am to have been asked to take part in this series and to have been given such a fabulous range of characters to play. There's a pod-cast to accompany the stories, a link to which is here:

Sherlock Holmes Pod-Cast

I think we all felt quite a sense of responsibility in playing these characters and recording these stories. Sherlock Holmes seems to have been in the public consciousness for such a long time and even those who aren't dedicated fans have an idea as to how the characters should appear and how they should be played.

I can only hope that the passion and care that went into the creation of this series is communicated via the recordings.

So far, I've listened to the first CD in the collection which has The Final Problem and The Empty House. I enjoyed both audio-dramas enormously and hope the high standard of story telling is maintained in  

The Hound of The Baskervilles.

I can't wait to hear it!

And just to round off this ever lengthening post (!), a 'behind the scenes' look at Moat Studios during the recording sessions for these Sherlock Holmes audio-dramas.

The particular story being recorded here is The Tangled Skein, full details of which will appear in next month's posting to coincide with its commercial release. In the meantime, enjoy a quick studio tour in the company of Sherlock Holmes himself, Mr Nicholas Briggs!

November 2011

 In an earlier version of this month's posting, I mentioned that the 'rumblings' for November couldn't be expanded on at that time and, unfortunately, that's still the case. So, instead, perhaps an opportunity to mention something from last month.

Where to start? 1978 I think it was, Stratford-upon-Avon, Royal Shakespeare Company, The Other Place. Peter McEnery was playing the title role in David Edgar's play: The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs. I was a second year student at Birmingham University, studying Drama & Theatre Arts and David Edgar was Playwright in Residence at the department, although, I lay no claim to having known him at all. The RSC was in a 'golden' period of work and I saw much of what they were doing; indeed, there were strong links between the University and the Company, consequently, the only real 'ambition' I've ever had as an actor, in terms of what I'd like to do professionally, is to be a member of the RSC. Haven't managed it yet!

Anyway..... before seeing it, I had no idea what the play was about or who Albie Sachs was; for all I knew, he could have been a fictional character.

The script of the play carries this synopsis:

Albie Sachs, a young white South African lawyer, was arrested in Cape Town in October 1963. He was held in solitary confinement under the infamous 90-Day Law, which allowed the police to hold suspects for an indefinite period. Jail Diary is the story of his bid to hold out against his interrogators, who wished to break him down and obtain information about his friends and clients in the South African resistance.

It doesn't happen often, but when you see such a play, it confirms just how powerful and potentially life changing the theatre can be. As a student, my understanding of what theatre could do 'shifted' during that performance and caused me to think of things differently from that point onwards, both in theatrical and political terms.

Fast forward to spring 1980, final exams looming and I had the opportunity to do what ever I wanted for my final practical assessment. Having seen the play a couple of times, the choice for me was obvious. I selected three monologues and performed them as a one-man piece lasting for the allotted time of 15 minutes. It went well in performance and I have very vivid memories of the effect it had both on my lecturers who were 'marking' me and the largely student audience who came to it much as I had originally done.

Fast forward even further to October 2011; one of my dearest friends from University, Jenny Lecoat, who is a hugely successful writer, invited me to attend a public interview and talk given by none other than Albie Sachs. Jenny had seen my finals performance and knew of my interest. For the event, his interlocutor was our mutual friend, Simon Fanshawe and as a consequence of Simon's long standing friendship with Albie (which |I knew nothing of), we were able to meet and talk to the great man. It is said that you should never meet your heroes as they are likely to be a disappointment. I certainly was not disappointed when I met Albie Sachs. He spoke with such authority and compassion and honesty; he was also funny and friendly and even signed my battered copy of the play and was intrigued and amused that I'd actually played him and spent time trying to 'get inside his head' in order to do so.

In 1988, the South African Secret Police had tried to assassinate Albie by planting a bomb in his car - he lost part of his right arm and the sight of an eye in the explosion and when he talked about meeting the man who had planted the bomb, who had subsequently sought him out to ask for his forgiveness, most of us were moved to tears. He also spoke incredibly movingly of his time in detention and described the lasting image he has of being beaten and looking down to see a ring of shoes around him, the shoes of the men who were torturing him.

As the evening drew to a close and I thanked him again for signing my play script, he embraced me and wished me well.

Quite a night.

To find out more about this remarkable man, click this link:

Albie Sachs: Wikipedia

 _______________________________________________________________

Changing the mood somewhat, here's some artwork which relates to the current Lost Stories releases, beginning, for me, with last month's The Elite and continuing with next month's The Children of Seth:

Just in case anyone would like a signed copy of The Elite, a very limited number are available via tenthplanetevents