Oh Vienna !

A few days ago, I posted an update about next month's Dr Who story, The Shadow Heart, in which Chase Masterson plays a character by the name of Vienna Salvatori - and in which I play a variety of diverse and (hopefully) interesting characters. As previously mentioned, there will be much more on that release in November.

However, in the meantime, Big Finish have just announced that Chase and Vienna are to have a story line of their own, which I must say, I find incredibly exciting and very good news indeed. Here's the gist of this morning's breaking news...

' Big Finish is delighted to announce that Chase Masterson, best known to science fiction fans for her role as Leeta in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, will be getting her own audio series as the impossibly glamorous bounty hunter Vienna Salvatori.'

Vienna makes her first appearance in the upcoming Doctor Who full cast audiobook The Shadow Heart, which stars Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

Titled simply Vienna, the new series launches with a pilot episode in February 2013 called The Memory Box, in which Vienna is on the run from the law, standing accused of murdering a rich industrialist – a crime she may or may not have committed. But is anything quite what it seems?

Chase Masterson says: "The Memory Box is a great romp. As with The Shadow Heart, writer Jonathan Morris takes us on a ride packed with twists and turns and farce - it's big fun.

“And Vienna is one of my favourite characters ever: the endearingly incorrigible killer we loved to hate in The Shadow Heart - completely unapologetic, even charming about her day job as a mercenary assassin. Plus, she usually manages to land on the side of justice. Vienna's quite a turn-on - I think you'll like her as much as I do."

So there we have it - more on this and other stories just as soon as they happen!

October update: Counter Measures

As autumn turns darker and even wetter, why would anyone feel the need to actually go out, especially when its much better to stay in and listen to this pod-cast recorded by Alex Fitch?

Counter Measures:
 
In the second of a pair of pod-casts about Doctor Who audio spin-offs, Alex Fitch talks to actor John Banks, producer David Richardson and director Ken Bentley about Counter Measures, a new Nigel Kneale influenced audio drama that continues the story of the supporting cast from Doctor Who: Remembrance of the Daleks.

Here's a link and some information relating to what's in store: Counter Measures Interview

PS: Apologies for 're-posting' this update. For reasons unknown, the last three October postings haven't shown up properly on internet searches. Indeed, the entire site listing vanished for a while, so I've re-posted to give search engines a chance to re-index the updates; fingers crossed that it'll work! 

Thrill of The Chase: Masterson Meets Doctor Who

Just how big is the universe I wonder - and how many others are actually out there? A quick internet search or an email to Professor Brian Cox would probably be a good place to start in answering such a question. All I know at the moment is that the Doctor Who universe recently collided with the Star Trek universe....  and the results will be available on CD & download next month!

In the meantime, Chase Masterson, Leeta in Star Trek: Deep Space 9, has written a fascinating article for the Star Trek web site about the two series and her forthcoming role as Vienna Salvatori in Dr Who: The Shadow Heart.


Here's the link: Chase Masterson Meets Doctor Who

Much more on this in November!

The Horus Heresy: Burden of Duty

Here's an update from The Black Library, which has come as a bit of a surprise. I last mentioned the trilogy of Horus Heresy stories in August and suggested then that the release schedule was a bit of a mystery. My guess now is that the information I had then about the CD version of this story was accurate and that it will be released in April 2013, although I hadn't realised that this mp3 version would be available for download now...

Having listened to the extract, my contribution seems to consist of possibly yelling a bit at the beginning (?), with the majority of the clip featuring Ramon (basso) and Toby (basso profundo). The artwork also seems to be the same as the image used for Grey Angel, although it's possible that neither will be used as the actual CD cover.

Anyway, here's a synopsis, a link to the clip and some artwork to look at: 


As the renegade forces of the Warmaster storm across the galaxy, a very different kind of war rages in the shadows of the Imperium – the Knights Errant, chosen of Malcador himself, move quietly in the dark places where others cannot. Battle-captain Nathaniel Garro makes his way to the Imperial Fists’ mighty starfort Phalanx, seeking out another kindred soul for his elite band of warriors.

The Black Library - Burden of Duty (mp3)

 
Performed by John Banks, Toby Longworth and Ramon Tikaram. 

Written by James Swallow & Directed by Ken Bentley

Online reviews & comments:

Garro

Rated 5 out of 5 by Mark-Anthony

Bought it and listened to it, I liked the 'twist' at the end, well done :) Toby Longworth does an excellent job when it comes to narrating, John Banks seems to have an affinity when it comes to voicing Librarians whilst Ramon Tikaram's voice was superb for Rogal Dorn. James Swallow has created an unforgettable character in Nathaniel Garro and together with John French's Grey Angel, Burden of Duty makes for a great listen.

The Acheron Pulse

It's tempting at the beginning of a new month, especially a new month which has a much anticipated Big Finish release - well, much anticipated by me at least - to think that things are 'back to normal'. Last month of course, there wasn't a BF release to talk about. But what constitutes 'normal'? For a freelance actor like me, there isn't really a 'normal', as anything could happen at any time or, as was the case in September, nothing could happen at any time. That's not strictly true of course, but after a very busy year so far, last month was a bit of a damp squib - damp indeed!

September therefore became a time to concentrate on putting out feelers and making applications in the hope that, at some point, more work would materialise as a result. I've always found work to be utterly addictive and there's never enough; however busy I am, I'm never busy enough, there's always more I could be doing and more I want to do.

Speaking of which, in last month's posting, I mentioned that my friend Rachel Illingworth was busy directing a new play, Boards, for this year's Off Cut Festival at The Riverside Studios and assisting on Women Laughing, which opens this week at The Old Red Lion in Islington.














In addition to those two productions (and holding down a regular job!) Rachel has also started work on another production at The ORL which starts rehearsals next week - a busy time indeed!
Details on this e-flyer > > >


I saw Boards last week and thought Rachel had done a fantastic job of directing her three young actors and getting the most out of an interesting and quirky script. I'm now very much looking forward to seeing the next two productions in her 'autumn season'.

And so, October is upon us and what's new?  

Doctor Who: The Acheron Pulse is what's new and here are the details: 

The planet Cawdor. Deep in the heart of the Drashani Empire.

The Doctor lands thirty years after the Succession of Blood brought Empress Cheni to the throne. For most of her reign there has been peace and prosperity. The Empire flourished. But five years ago, the War came. And nothing was ever the same again. Now the Drashani are at war with the mysterious alien race known as the Wrath, led by the Warlord Tenebris.  As more and more planets fall to their advance events are rushing to a head.

What exactly does Tenebris want? What is the secret of the Wrath's weapon, the terrifying Acheron Pulse? As the Doctor races to save an Empire, he may not like the answers he finds.

Colin Baker The Doctor                                     James Wilby Tenebris 

Joseph Kloska Dukhin           Jane Slavin Teesha  Chris Porter Vincol            John Banks Boritz  

Chook Sibtain Athrid             Carol Noakes Olerik
Kirsty Besterman 

Written By: Rick Briggs      Directed By: Ken Bentley

Nick Briggs        Colin Baker         James Wilby

Jason Haigh-Ellery    Jane Slavin    John Banks    Chris Porter

Once again, I had a hugely enjoyable time working on this production and I'm really looking forward to listening to it, not least because Moat Studios recording engineer supreme, Mr. Toby Hrycek-Robinson, has created the sound design and composed the music - a first in my experience and I can't wait to hear it.

I also thoroughly enjoyed working with such a distinguished company of actors. Headed by the brilliant Colin Baker, the cast also includes James Wilby, well known from numerous high profile film & television appearances and Jane Slavin, who, as well as being fantastically good at her job, was also wickedly funny throughout our time together.  Joseph Kloska was great fun to work with and is a vastly experienced voice actor; I was delighted to work with Chris and Chook again and equally delighted to work, for the first time, with Kirsty Besterman.

 

                 Colin                   James                   ... and Carol

It was a particular pleasure to work with Carol Noakes again - after a gap of twenty-five years! In 1987, we toured together in a stage production of  Much Ado About Nothing and became good pals. But the nature of the business meant that, after a while, we lost touch with each other and so it was just great to catch up with Carol and work with her again after so long. 

                                                                                                Having now mentioned just about everybody involved in the production, it would be unfair not to also congratulate Rick Briggs for such a fine script and to thank 'semi-mythical directing legend' Ken Bentley, who always creates such a wonderfully conducive working environment. What fun!

All for now - more news as it happens!

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!