Off Cut Festival 2012

My friend and colleague Rachel Illingworth, is currently directing the first production of Boards for this year's Off Cut Festival at Riverside Studios.

Further details are available on the festival web-site, a link to which is here: 

The Off Cut Festival 2012

I've worked with Rachel a number of times, she directed me in David Mamet's Mr. Happiness at The New End Theatre for example, and I'm delighted that her work is being acknowledged and her career developing in such a positive way. In addition to Off Cut, Rachel is also busy working as Assistant Director on a new production of Women Laughing at The Old Red Lion.

Again, details are available on the ORL web-site: Women Laughing

It's not so bad if they're just ill - that's natural, but when there's the mental thing as well, it's sort of unpleasant, isn't it?

Michael Wall's black comedy takes us from the garden of a house in suburban London to the grounds of a mental asylum, where two couples fight for their lives amidst the inner-city frustrations and aspirations of the 1980s.

I'm really looking forward to seeing both productions and wish all those involved the best of theatrical luck.

Coming soon...

September then; the year is speeding by and the last several weeks have been both busy and varied, which is always a treat and I'm looking forward to being able to post details of what I've been working on once the release dates are revealed. Until then, I'm sworn to secrecy...

So what's your take on the idea of 'deferred gratification'? Under certain circumstances, there is an odd kind of pleasure to be had in knowing that something good lies in the near future and keen anticipation can then be savoured - for example, I'm still looking forward to receiving my copy of  Black And White from last month! Alternatively, if the gratification keeps on getting deferred, the pleasure of it all can quickly fade, only to be replaced with annoyance and frustration.

September, in some ways, might be thought of as a deferment too far, especially if you're a Stargate fan and, like me, have been eagerly looking forward to the release of Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Part Two. Already put back once, it's scheduled release this month has now been delayed until November. However, having been involved in recording the series over several months, I can well imagine how much work there has been in post-production and sometimes these things do take a huge amount of time to ensure they are as good as they possibly can be before becoming commercially available. So we'll all just have to be patient.

From a personal and highly trivial point of view, the postponement has broken my potential run of consecutive Big Finish and Warhammer audio releases from May 2012 to April 2013  - boo!
A further consequence of the Stargate delay is that November has now become a truly massive month for Big Finish audio releases which includes the four CD box-set of Dr Who: Dark Eyes, a three CD box-set of  Stargate SG-1 Series 3 Part Two and a regular 'main range' two CD issue of Dr Who: The Shadow Heart.

So, lots to look forward to in the coming months, including the October release of  Dr Who: The Acheron Pulse and November's The Shadow Heart. I'll post further details and artwork when they become available; in the meantime, this month's posting will have to be a whetting of the appetite for future releases - deferred gratification indeed!

Hopefully, there'll be more as the month progresses - do keep checking in for updates!

Black And White

Well, this is news to me too!

Revealed by Big Finish on 10th August, the full cast list and the real cover for this month's audio release, Black And White. Here's what they have to say:

"We've kept it a secret for long enough; here's the real cover for Doctor Who: Black and White, which reveals the answer to a question posed in Protect and Survive!

As some of you may have guessed by now, we've been a little bit sneaky recently about our current 

Doctor Who main range Sylvester McCoy trilogy - and here's the cover to prove it! Yes, the one displayed on the website and elsewhere hasn't been the finished article, because it gives away the fact that Lysandra Aristedes (last heard in Project: Destiny) and Sally Morgan (of House of Blue Fire fame) are back!

 And in case you think that's everything out in the open, keep listening...  "

The TARDIS arrives in the land of the Danes, where a young warrior seeks to rid the kingdom of Hrothgar from a cruel and terrifying demon. The brave young warrior is Beowulf; the monster is Grendel... or so his name will one day be written. But what's written down in black and white is sometimes very far from the truth – as the Doctor knows, and his companions are about to discover.

Sylvester McCoy The Doctor Sophie Aldred Ace Philip Olivier Hex   

Maggie O'Neill Lysandra Aristedes Amy Pemberton Sally Morgan  

Stuart Milligan Garundel Michael Rouse Young Beowulf Richard Bremmer Old Beowulf  

John Banks Weohstan James Hayward Wiglaf

I'm intrigued by all the subterfuge and wondering what might be in the pipeline, yet to be revealed.

More news just as soon as it breaks... ! 

...original details posted below.

The Horus Heresy: Grey Angel

 Listen to an extract: The Black Library - Grey Angel (MP3)

On a distant world of the Imperium, an agent of Rogal Dorn finds himself the prisoner of a Legion whose loyalties may be divided. Shackled and bound, the former Luna Wolf must fight a battle of wits with his captor, lest the course of the Horus Heresy take an unexpected turn. Will his very presence drive his erstwhile allies into the arms of the Warmaster or will maintaining the status quo prevent another Legion from turning traitor? And just who is the mysterious Space Marine aiding him from the shadows?

A Horus Heresy audio drama written by John French. 

Performed by John Banks, Toby Longworth and Ramon Tikaram.

 _____________________________________________________________

The above extract is from the first of three Warhammer audio-dramas in the series The Horus Heresy, which I recorded recently along with Toby Longworth and Ramon Tikaram, directed by Ken Bentley. The release schedule might not be strictly accurate, but as I understand it, the first story, Grey Angel is available now as an MP3 download. In late November - early December, the second story Garro: Sword of Truth is released on CD and in April 2013, the final story Garro: Burden of Duty, together with Grey Angel are also released on CD. Details may change as the situation becomes clearer and I'll update as soon as possible as I'm already aware of the very high levels of anticipation for these stories.

Online reviews & comments:

Excellent!
Rated 5 out of 5 by Mark-Anthony

'Listened to it yesterday, the voice action and the sound effects, plus the music were perfectly synchronised. John Banks was perfect for Luther and it was nice to see Toby Longworth back as Loken. The story was great as well, the appearance of the mysterious character at the end and what he had lost made for a bitter-sweet and ambivalent ending.'

There's much more to come on these stories and some great artwork... can't wait!

The Dark Planet

I'm breaking my own rules here by mentioning an audio-drama not scheduled for release until September 2013. But I'm blaming Alex Mallinson for having come up with such stunning cover art and Big Finish for whetting everyone's appetite!

And so...

The Lost Stories, Big Finish’s audio productions of stories that were devised for television but never made, will return in 2013 for a fourth and final season.

“It’s been a hugely satisfying – and sometimes Herculean! – job
reviving these previously lost adventures,” says producer David Richardson, “but we feel that with these last four stories that the line will have run its course. These new tales are for the first three Doctors and, like the hugely popular Farewell Great Macedon, they’ll be told with a mix of enhanced narration and dialogue.

“The first three stories all have a theme – they are all adapted from original paperwork submitted by Brian Hayles, who wrote The Ice Warriors, The Seeds of Death, The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon.”

The series kicks off in September 2013 with The Dark Planet, which is six episodes long and has been adapted by Matt Fitton. The story is performed by William Russell and Maureen O’Brien with guest stars John Banks and Charlie Norfolk, and is set on a world where light and dark are at war.

“It was an extraordinary experience to record this,” says David. “The script feels so authentic to the era that Maureen was convinced she’d actually filmed it back in the Sixties. She took quite some convincing that it hadn’t actually already been made!”

In the original series, William Russell played 'Ian Chesterton' and not only does he reprise that role here, he also gives a pretty good vocal portrayal of the first Doctor, William Hartnell. I'm old enough to remember Doctor Who from the very beginning and it was therefore a particular pleasure to have spent several days in the studio working with William on this adventure. A true legend to any Doctor Who fan and truly a gentleman, I feel proud to have been a part of this project and to have had the great honour of working with William Russell.

There'll be more news and further updates on this story in thirteen months time!

So, July has come and gone - and what a month it was.

On the plus side, I had a fabulous time working on another Dr Who story with a great company, all of whom seemed to be having as good a time as I was. At the moment, I can't go into detail as to what the story involves, who the cast are or when it might be scheduled for release, although I'm thinking almost certainly not until some time next year. BF are already announcing titles for 2013, so when it happens, it'll come as a surprise to all of us. I was also offered a really exciting new project to work on, but more of that later.

On the negative side, as I've already mentioned on this site, was the very sad news that Mary Tamm had passed away. We worked together only a few months ago and I had no idea at all that she was ill; I can only admire her professionalism all the more.

There was a great flurry of interest, reflected in a huge boost in page hits, after it was announced that Graceless Series I & II were to be broadcast on Radio 4 Extra, so thanks for that and if you did listen to the stories, I hope you enjoyed them. I also hope there'll be more BF drama to come on radio. Apparently, the world's attention, when not listening to Big Finish audios, is focussed on some sporting activity currently taking place, although if I mention the event by name, I might well find myself facing a law suit!

...here we go then: Black And White, the August CD: unfortunately, the second trilogy of Stargate SG-1 stories, also scheduled for release this month, has been delayed for a little while and should hopefully now be available in September. I'm still waiting to receive copies of Counter Measures and The First Sontarans from July, although the first episode is now posted on this site and I'm naturally looking forward to listening to the rest of it!

And so, without further ado - Let The Games Begin!

Black And White

The TARDIS arrives in the land of the Danes, where a young warrior seeks to rid the kingdom of Hrothgar from a cruel and terrifying demon. The brave young warrior is Beowulf; the monster is Grendel... or so his name will one day be written. But what's written down in black and white is sometimes very far from the truth – as the Doctor knows, and his companions are about to discover.

Sylvester McCoy The Doctor Sophie Aldred Ace Philip Olivier Hex Stuart Milligan Garundel  
Michael Rouse Young Beowulf Richard Bremmer Old Beowulf  

John Banks Weohstan James Hayward Wiglaf

Written by Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley 

Black And White is the second of three stories featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor:

...and finally for this month - the work I mentioned above has in fact already started. I've had the scripts for a couple of weeks, as there's quite a bit of preparation to be getting on with before we go into the studio later in the month. Once again, I can't go into detail at the moment as to what the work specifically involves, but I can tell you that I'm thrilled and indeed honoured to have been offered such an opportunity - I can only hope that I make a decent job of it. We'll see...

More news as it happens.... !

Mary Tamm

Announced yesterday, 26th July, was the very sad news that Mary Tamm has passed away. I had the great pleasure of working with Mary earlier in the year and news of her death has come as a great shock.

We got along together very well indeed and Mary was always very kind to me. We shared northern roots and her Yorkshire pride was quite evident; sometimes during recording, we'd both slip into heavy Yorkshire accents and make each other laugh.

When working with Mary, I always felt that I needed to be 'on my toes'; I wanted to be as good as I possibly could be simply because she was so good and set such a high standard.

I didn't know Mary well, but I'll certainly remember her with great affection and admiration.                                        

Radio On...

 Series I & II of Graceless are to be broadcast next week on:

A series of linked sci-fi tales by Simon Guerrier about two young but powerful girls cast adrift in a hostile universe. Can they put a troubled past behind them and make a go of their lives? Starring Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington.

Monday to Friday at 6pm and Midnight

Series I is scheduled for broadcast at 6pm and midnight GMT
on 23rd, 24th & 25th July.

This first series was recorded some time ago, before I started working with Big Finish and I had no involvement in it.



I am however involved in two of the three episodes of the second series, The Line and The Flood.

These two episodes are scheduled for broadcast on 26th, 27th July at 6pm and midnight GMT and on 28th at midnight. If that sounds confusing, here's a link to the BBC Radio 4 Extra web site: BBC Radio 4 Extra

As the broadcasts are digital, they should be available globally on-line. If you get a chance to listen, I hope you enjoy the stories.

  

Further details are available in the February posting.

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.