BBC Radio 4 Extra: Graceless

A very quick update just to say that Series I of Simon Guerrier's brilliantly original Graceless stories is being repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra starting today at 6pm. Series II, which I'm involved in, begins on Thursday and each episode is repeated at other times in the broadcast schedule.

Ciara Janson as Abby   Laura Doddington as Zara   Fraser James as 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…

Written by Simon Guerrier
Directed by Lisa Bowerman 

Berlin, The Sleeping City and the Art of the Fan

And so, while I'm still catching up on recent Big Finish releases, which include the first series of The Avengers, The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes box set, Dr Who: The King of Sontar and the two subscriber specials, Dr Who Short Trips: Methuselah and Tweaker, there's more to look forward to this month with the release of Dr Who: The Sleeping City, which was recorded in December 2012.

As it was such a while ago, I've forgotten almost everything about the story and I'm therefore really looking forward to catching up with it again. However, I do remember what a pleasure it was to be working with William Russell again, especially as there were only two of us in the story and we could really work together quite intensively.

Here are some details from Big Finish: 

After travelling with the Doctor through time and space, Ian Chesterton is back in his own time. But the mystery of how he and Barbara Wright disappeared in the year 1963 has alerted the authorities – and both are suspected of being enemy agents in the Cold War.

Ian protests his innocence. He has a story to tell about travelling through time and space.

And one adventure in particular – a visit to the city of Hisk…

William Russell Ian Chesterton     John Banks Gerrard

Written by Ian Potter
Directed by Lisa Bowerman 

23rd February:-  

The Sleeping City - Red Rocket Rising review link

 

  * * * * *

As I mentioned last month and have referred to above, the final two Dr Who Short Trips adventures, Methuselah and Tweaker, are now available to Big Finish subscribers. None of these 'freebie' editions come packaged or with the usual BF artwork because they are only available as downloads. However, that seems to have inspired a couple of BF fans to create their own - and what a fine job they've done! Taken from the BF Forum, here are the 'covers' for each of the four Short Trips stories; the first two are by 'bulldogjones' and the second two by 'Silver'. Interesting that Lalla Ward is depicted on the cover of Breadcrumbs; when I was recording the story, I'd imagined myself 'playing' Mary Tamm as the original Romana.

* * * * *

Just to round off this update, I wanted to briefly mention the film I did a voice over for back in November. Hopefully at some point, I'll get to see it; I'm intrigued by the 'teaser trailer' for it which is posted here. The film has been entered for this year's Berlin International Film Festival, so fingers crossed that it makes a good impression and the hard work of Director Henry Vought and Producer Marie Favre at Deadfox Films Ltd is suitably rewarded - hals und beinbruch!

BBC Audio Drama Awards 2014

and the winner is... 

 Dr Who: Dark Eyes - The Great War

written and directed by Nick Briggs for Big Finish Productions!

       


                David, Jason & Nick
           

I was thrilled to discover that this episode of Dark Eyes had been nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award as I've mentioned in previous postings and I'm now beyond thrilled that The Great War has actually won in the category 'Best Online or Non-Broadcast Drama'. Congratulations to Producer David Richardson, Executive Producer Jason Haigh-Ellery and of course to writer & director, Nick Briggs - bravo!

The Dark Eyes company includes:

Paul McGann   Ruth Bradley   Peter Egan   Toby Jones   Tim Treloar   Laura Molyneaux  

 Natalie Burt    Ian Cullen    Jonathan Forbes    Alex Mallinson    Beth Chalmers    John Banks     Nicholas Briggs

	Music & Sound Design Andy Hardwick    Cover Artwork Alex Mallinson

 

 

 What the judges said:

WINNER: DOCTOR WHO – DARK EYES: THE GREAT WAR

People’s history, fantasy and high drama. The winning entry was outstanding in every respect: a complex, gripping narrative made visible through three-dimensional characters in believable relationships, some fine acting, and a superbly orchestrated soundscape which never overdoes the atmospherics or signposting of changes in time and place. Above all, it manages its historical and fantastical elements seamlessly and, for a brief period, time is suspended for the listener.

The judges were Viv Gardner and Sofie Mason

Welcome to Nekropolis...

And so, after a hugely enjoyable Big Finish Day 4, meeting lots of very enthusiastic BF fans, including intrepid travellers from Germany, Holland and even Russia, it's back to work in the recording studio.

BFD4 - The Audio Acting Panel: 

Simon Fisher-Becker, Steven Wickham, Lisa Bowerman, Tom Chadbon, John Banks, Tracey Childs

* * * * *

I'm just about to start recording the second of three audio books for Ladbroke Audio, which will become available via Audible.co.uk relatively soon I should imagine. The trilogy is written by Tim Waggoner and includes Nekropolis, Dead Streets and Dark War featuring ex-cop turned Private Eye Matt Richter, who also happens to be a Zombie!

At the moment, between preparations for the audio books, I'm currently catching up on a fair amount of Big Finish recent releases, including The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes, The Avengers Volume 1 and Dr Who: The King of Sontar, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, which we recorded in July 2012.

So, a brief update and off to the studio now; must get myself into zombie mode...

Big Finish Day 4

A quick reminder - as if one were needed! - that the fourth of Big Finish's very own conventions takes place this weekend, on the 18th in fact. Guests invited to attend include Paul McGann, along with Julian Wadham and Anthony Howell from the new series of Avengers stories and the Counter Measures cast, Simon Williams, Karen Gledhill, Pamela Salem and Hugh Ross - funnily enough, I'll be there too, signing and appearing on a Q&A 'panel'.

 

Thanks to Elvina Esanova, who recorded and recently posted this clip of our 'Day In The Life at Big Finish' sketch which we performed at the BBC Official 50th Celebration weekend back in November. Elvina is such a dedicated Dr Who fan, that she travelled all the way from Moscow to attend!

From left to right in the clip: Nick Briggs, Barnaby Edwards, Beth Chalmers and me.

If previous BF Days are anything to go by, Saturday's get together should be an entertaining and fun day out 

- maybe see you there!

Dr Who Short Trips or - 'John Banks plays Romana, Nyssa & Peri shock!'

A lovely summer's day, August 15th 2012; a recording studio somewhere deep in the heart of the Kent countryside and four scripts: Dr Who Short Trips - Subscriber Bonus Releases.

As far as I'm aware, no details or credits have ever been revealed about these recordings, there's no artwork, no CD - just unadorned, downloadable audio files. There appears to be some speculation on the Big Finish web Forum at the moment as to who performed these stories; so, with the permission of Paul Spragg, finally, the truth can be told!

The four stories recorded that day were:

Only Connect by Andy Lane, featuring The Fourth Doctor

Tweaker by Dan Abnett, featuring The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa

Methuselah by George Mann, featuring The Fifth Doctor and Peri

Breadcrumbs by James Moran, featuring The Fourth Doctor and Romana

That was the original order of recording, however, we weren't quite sure that we could fit all four stories into a single recording day and so Methuselah, being the longest, was left until last. Recording these stories was quite a challenge; previously I'd only recorded one solo audio book, The Madness Within for The Black Library/Big Finish, written by Steve Lyons and directed by Lisa Bowerman and the idea of playing two Doctors and three Companions, as well as all the other characters and the narrator, was a bit daunting. 

Only Connect and Breadcrumbs were released to Big Finish subscribers in December 2012. I uploaded short extracts to Soundcloud and to this web site; scroll down and you can listen to them. 

Here's what I wrote when these first two stories were released:

'In total, four Short Trips adventures were recorded, featuring two 'Doctors' and a variety of their respective 'Companions'. We recorded all four stories in a day, which was great fun and quite a challenge as we didn't have time to record the character voices and narration separately - I just started at the beginning and with the unflagging support of director Ken Bentley - ploughed on through to the end!

When I was asked to record these stories, I felt incredibly flattered to have been given such a responsibility and to have been trusted not to screw the whole thing up! Having just recently had the opportunity to listen to 'Only Connect' & 'Breadcrumbs', I am relieved that the mistakes and errors of judgement I've made aren't too glaringly obvious and I hope the listener will enjoy the content of the stories, rather than find themselves being distracted by my shortcomings.'

I had no idea what plans Big Finish had for the release of these recordings and it's come as a very pleasant surprise that Tweaker and Methuselah are also now available - rather than having been binned or consigned to a dusty shelf somewhere at BF Towers! Having now listened to all four stories, immodest as it might sound, I do feel quite proud of the work we did on them - I say 'we' not in a grand sense, but because the process of recording such stories is a collective team effort and great credit should go to the writers, producer David Richardson and director Ken Bentley, who provided invaluable support and encouragement.

If you are able to listen to these stories, I very much hope you enjoy them.

“Subscribers get more at Big Finish!”

The Avengers

I'd intended to post this update much earlier in the day, but a power cut took care of that. We're still reeling a bit from the recent bad weather here in Surrey and there's still quite a bit of local flooding, the River Wey having broken its banks before Christmas.

So, with electricity once more surging through the computer, I can make a start. The working year is well under way and I'm currently recording a Talking Book for the RNIB. We've been in the studio for two days this week, today is a break and we'll finish tomorrow, one day ahead of our allotted recording schedule. I'm thoroughly enjoying the book, The Rescue Man by Anthony Quinn and the challenge of playing the numerous, mainly Liverpudlian, characters. I've also decided to 'narrate' in a soft Liverpudlian accent, which has proven to be quite liberating and good fun. Next week, I'm very much looking forward to starting work on a trilogy of audio books with Ladbroke Audio, but more of that at a later date.

This month sees the much anticipated release of a new Big Finish series The Avengers. I am in the series, although you'll probably need a forensic sense of hearing to discern exactly what I'm doing! I wish I could elaborate on that bald statement, but of course I can't, at least, not at the moment.

Here are some details from Big Finish:

The Avengers company features:

Anthony Howell as Dr. David Keel, Julian Wadham as John Steed & Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson

&

Colin Baker, Camilla Power, Tim Bentinck, Adrian Lukis, Phil Mulryne, Blake Ritson,  

Anjella Mackintosh, Kieran Bew, George Rainsford, Alan Cox, Beth Chalmers, Sophie Aldred, Sam Clemens, Francesca Hunt, Nigel Carrington, Nicholas Briggs, Terry Molloy, John Banks.

The stories are:

                                 

                                         Hot Snow by Ray Rigby                                                                                 

          Brought To Book by Brian Clemens          

Square Root of Evil by Richard Harris

 One for the Mortuary by Brian Clemens

Adapted by John Dorney

Sound Design and Music by	Toby Hrycek-Robinson

	Directed by Ken Bentley

These original 'written for television' stories have been adapted for audio production by the ever brilliant John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley - and it's thanks to the efforts and enthusiasm of producer David Richardson that the series has come to fruition via Big Finish. As a child of the sixties, I adored The Avengers on television, particularly the era of Steed and Mrs Peel. But how fascinating it is to go back to the very beginning of the series, even before Cathy Gale, to stories that I wasn't even aware of.  To have had the opportunity of taking part was genuinely a professional dream come true and I can't wait to listen to the stories in this 4 CD Box Set.

* * * * *

Some 'hot off the press' news I came across yesterday, is this from BBC Media:

'The finalists for the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2014 have been announced with nominees including

 Doctor Who: Dark Eyes: The Great War, for Best Online or Non-Broadcast Drama.'

The series Dark Eyes was written and directed by Nick Briggs for Big Finish and stars Paul McGann and Ruth Bradley - and I'm delighted to have been in it too! Fingers crossed that Nick's production will be given the award!

* * * * *

And finally for this posting; should you wish to read a 'behind the scenes' feature on Dr Who: The Heroes of Sontar, there's an interesting article in this month's issue of Vortex magazine.

Kenny Smith, who wrote the article, asked me to contribute some of my recollections of the production, which I was very happy to do.  

Vortex is free to download via Big Finish Productions

  

PS: I've always found the 'most popular posts' section of the site to be quite fascinating. For some time, Stargate SG-1 has been in pole position, but for the last several days, it's been The Horus Heresy: Grey Angel and by a considerable margin - interesting - so, many thanks to all the Warhammer fans for checking in!

All for now - more soon!

...and a Happy New Year, let's hope it's a good one...

Happy New Year and welcome!

Out with the old and in with the new - or 'on' with the new! And without wasting a moment in retrospection, this month has some very interesting audio releases from Big Finish. Of the ones I've had something to do with, the first adventure of January 2014 comes in the guise of Dr Who: The King of Sontar, starring Tom Baker & Louise Jameson. There's another highly anticipated release this month - (what?) - but more of that later.

As I'm not sure in which order these recordings will become available, I've decided to mention them in the order they were recorded. First in that case, and by quite a margin, is The King of Sontar, which we recorded in July 2012 - eons ago!

Here are some details:

Dowcra base. The third Elite Sontaran Assassination Squad closes in on its target. A dozen trained killers, but even they will be unable to bring down the invincible Strang…

Manipulated by the Time Lords, the TARDIS also arrives on Dowcra. And the Doctor is set to encounter the greatest Sontaran ever cloned...

Tom Baker The Doctor      Louise Jameson Leela  

Dan Starkey Strang    David Collings Rosato    John Banks Vilhol
Jenny Funnell  Reaver   David Seddon Irving

Written by: John Dorney
Directed by: Nicholas Briggs 

* * * * *

A short 'n' sweet start then to the new year; there's much more to come in the days, weeks and months ahead and whatever is fit to publish will appear here - so do come back soon for further updates!

So this is Christmas...

...and the pages of my Equity diary are rapidly coming to an end. From a professional point of view, I've had a varied and enjoyable time in 2013 and several highlights come to mind. Having spent five months or so at the Royal National Theatre, ending in March, I then thoroughly enjoyed working with director Benji Sperring of Tarquin Productions at The Tabard Theatre, performing two Maeterlinck plays, The Blind and The Intruder.

In some ways, I could easily regard 2013 as 'the year of the audio book'. Before Big Finish gave me the opportunity a couple of years ago to work on a series of Dr Who Short Trips and the Warhammer story The Madness Within, I'd never recorded a solo audio book. Quite unexpectedly, during 2013, I've somehow found myself being asked to record what has turned out to be seventeen of them, for a variety of companies and organisations. The 'learning curve' has been quite a challenge but certainly one I've enjoyed and the experience of it, I hope, has fed back into full cast audio work. Sitting in a recording studio, alone and performing an unabridged and undramatised text for seven or eight hours at a stretch certainly makes one appreciate dialogue, the input of others and the sound of different voices!

Some of this year's recording highlights for me include The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes, scheduled for release this month, The Avengers, which I'm very much looking forward to listening to next month and, of course, Survivors, which is to be released in June. I am genuinely thrilled to be a part of all of these series, although perhaps for obvious reasons, I feel a particularly close involvement with Survivors. It's always good to do a bit of comedy and in February, I had a fab time playing Mervyn Stone in The Mervyn Stone Mysteries: The Axeman Cometh, written by Nev Fountain. I also enjoyed doing a 'voice over' for the movie Shadow Industry, directed by Henry Vought, which is being entered into the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival (6 - 16 February) - so, exciting times ahead!

I thought February's Big Finish Day 3 was a great success, although I was sorry to have to leave early and hurry back to the NT for the Saturday matinee. Janet Fielding's Project Motormouth was also great fun and raised lots of money - and of course, the three days of the Dr Who 50th Celebration in November were amazing; it's always a pleasure to meet so many Big Finish fans.

And so, as this year comes to an end, what's next? More BBC Radio? That would be good. Bit of telly wouldn't go amiss either - back to the NT - who knows? In terms of future Big Finish stories, details are of course a closely guarded secret, but I can say there are quite a few things in the pipeline that I have had something to do with and I'll talk more about them as they become available throughout the year. I've also got some preparation to do over the holidays for a new audio book which starts recording in early January and I'm very much looking forward to Big Finish Day 4 on 18th January - not long to wait now!

In the meantime, many thanks for 'stopping by' the web site this year, your support is very much appreciated 

- enjoy the festivities and have a very happy 2014! 

The Escape

And so, hot on the heels of Politics, I recorded another Adam Thirlwell novel The Escape, which is released today as an unabridged audio book from Audible.co.uk

Here are some details:

 

 Publisher's Summary

The more I knew of Haffner, writes Adam Thirlwell in The Escape, the more real he became, this was true. And, simultaneously, Haffner disappeared.

In a forgotten spa town snug in the Alps, at the end of the 20th century, Haffner is seeking a cure, more women, and a villa that belonged to his late wife. But really he is trying to escape: from his family, his lovers, his history, his entire Haffnerian condition.

For Haffner is 78. Haffner, in other words, is too old to be grown up.

What the Critics Say

"A witty, irreverent and elegiac new novel... Haffner is a Quixote of our time" 

(New York Times Book Review)
"A novel where the humour is melancholic, the melancholy mischievous and the talent startling"

 (Milan Kundera)
"In The Escape, you can practically see Bellow's Augie March, Roth's Mickey Sabbath and Martin Amis's John Self applauding, ghost-like, from the margins... The novel fizzes with intelligence, verbal skill and humour"
(Simon Baker, Observer)
"Beautifully written, poignant and clever... Thirlwell has a genuinely unique insight into humankind" 

(The Times)
"The Escape is one of the best British novels I've read this year for one reason; Thirlwell's prose. At once effervescent and elegant, his narrative voice lifts the novel's lecherous comedy beyond the sublunary lovers' antics into a more rarefied sphere" (Sarah Churchwell, Guardian)

* * * * *

As with Politics, if you would like to listen to a short extract from the audio book, please go to the Audible web page.

Politics

Released today from Audible.co.uk is Politics by Adam Thirlwell, which I recorded a few weeks ago as
an unabridged version of the original novel. If you go to the relevant web page on the Audible site, there's a sample to listen to; however, I must 'warn' you, that the excerpt chosen to represent the book is not for the faint hearted and pulls no punches in terms of its very explicit and graphic nature.

I found the book a very interesting challenge to record: I enjoyed the telling of the story and hope I've conveyed the essence of the narrative effectively - I'll have to buy a copy to see how it all went! If you do give it a try, I think you'll find it a worthwhile and a very 'stimulating' listen.
                                                                                        

Publisher's Summary

The sharp, funny, entirely original and explosive debut novel by Adam Thirlwell - twice named one of the Best Young British Novelists by Granta magazine.

In case you had not noticed, writes Adam Thirlwell in his first novel, Politics,, in this book I am not interested in anything so small as the history of the USSR. I am not writing anything so limited.

In this epic miniature, therefore, Politics tells the story of three kids in their twenties falling in love with each other in London. And, simultaneously, it tells other, smaller stories: of Stalin on the phone, Mao in the bathroom, Osip Mandelstam in another bathroom, Adolf Hitler on all fours, and Milan Kundera in an argument. Politics, is not (quite) about politics.

Adam Thirlwell was born in 1978. He is the author of Politics, The Escape, Miss Herbert and Kapow. He was named as one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003 and again in 2013. He lives in London.

What the Critics Say 

"Extremely accomplished...very sophisticated" (A S Byatt, Guardian)
"One of the funniest, most stylish and utterly original debuts in years" (The Times)
"This is a clever book. Fantastically clever...funny and strangely insightful... A genuinely original book" 

(Daily Mail)
"Dazzling...clever, funny and original" (India Knight, Observer)
"Allusive, barbed, cocky, flamboyant, reckless, obscene and very funny" (Time Out)

Trial of The Valeyard

Released this month, Trial of The Valeyard, in which I play the 13th Doctor/Hermit, complete with its official cover art created by Simon Holub:

Here's what Big Finish have to say about this pivotal story:

There is some evil in all of us – even the Doctor. Transported aboard the Time Lords' orbiting courtroom, the Doctor once again encounters the Valeyard, an amalgamation of the darker sides of his nature. This time, however, the Doctor isn't in the dock. This time, the Valeyard is the defendant, accused of a crime so terrible that the presiding Inquisitor is forbidden to reveal it even to the court, nor even to his counsel for the defence… the Doctor.

If the Valeyard is found guilty, he'll be executed. Execute the Valeyard, and the secret of his origins dies with him. A secret that the Doctor is desperate to know… and which the Time Lords will stop at nothing to protect.

Colin Baker The Doctor   Michael Jayston The Valeyard   Lynda Bellingham The Inquisitor

John Banks 13th Doctor/Hermit

Written by: Alan Barnes and Mike Maddox

Directed by: Barnaby Edwards 

Who's on trial...

Another month - and this one is December - almost the end of the year! And what a busy, varied and interesting year it's been; theatre, audio drama, radio and audio books - who'd have thought it!

The most recent highlight for me has been the Dr Who 50th Celebration event; the level of excitement it generated slightly overshadowed other professional activities and it feels odd this week to be getting back to 'normal' - if such a state exists!

So this week's 'normal' consists of recording the final chapters of a RNIB Talking Book, Author, Author by David Lodge and the recording of two audio dramas with Big Finish. I'm very much looking forward to all of that; final preparations today and the fun starts tomorrow.

But what else is happening this month? Well who knows what might turn up.What I can say, is that this month sees the release of a Sherlock Holmes box-set from Big Finish and here are the details:

 The Ordeals of Sherlock Holmes

Four decades. Four cases. One solution.

From the plains of Afghanistan to the alleyways of Victorian London, from the dark heart of the English countryside to the ruin of Europe after the Great War, join Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson in a quartet of astonishing new investigations which span their lifelong friendship – and beyond…

Nicholas Briggs Sherlock Holmes   Richard Earl Dr Watson   John Banks Inspector Lestrade  

Derek Carlyle Wherry   Blake Ritson Christopher Thrale    
Michael Cochrane Winchester Bartley-Gower   Amy Ewbank Eliza Hinderclay/Judy
Eve Karpf  The Gracious Adelina/Mrs Chaunt Maclise/Mrs Hope    Ken Bones Jim Hinderclay 
 Caroline Keiff Tess Dorno   Tracey Childs Mrs Edgar Curbishley  

Marek Oravec Griesser   Andrew Fettes Tlitzlmann Blench

 Written by: Jonathan Barnes
Directed by: Ken Bentley 

I've always enjoyed listening to BF's Sherlock Holmes adventures; Nick and Richard capture the essence of the characters so vividly and the stories are such faithful evocations of the original Conan Doyle style. We recorded the four CDs that make up this box-set back in March, so when I come to listen to them, sometime in the next few weeks, they should sound very fresh - can't wait!

	* * * * *
	There's another very interesting release this month, which is currently only available as a Big Finish subscriber bonus. In December 2014, the story will become available to all:    Trial of The Valeyard

BF have released the above image upon which, presumably, the cover art will be based; we shall see! For the keen listener, there might also be a surprise or two which BF haven't so far mentioned. If you are a subscriber, I hope you enjoy the story when it becomes available later this month.

* * * * *

And now, back to preparation for tomorrow's audio book, but before I go, I just want to mention a production of Ionesco's The Bald Prima Donna, which opens on Thursday 5th December at The Old Red Lion in Islington. This alternative Christmas show from Tarquin Productions, is directed by the team responsible for The Blind and The Intruder, Benji Sperring and Rachel Illingworth. I'm really looking forward to seeing this show, which promises to be highly original and hugely entertaining!

 

More news as it happens!

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot

 A Dr Who Special by Peter Davison

If you're a Dr Who fan and haven't already seen this fab little film, set aside half an hour, sit back and enjoy:

Peter has also made some other very funny short films, which should be available via You Tube.

We Remember: In Flanders' Fields

A few days ago, I was approached quite unexpectedly by Canadian animator Todd McIntosh. I had never previously had any contact with Todd but he'd found a recording I'd made with Sound Designer John Silke of In Flanders' Fields, the poem written in 1915 by Lieutenant Colonel John McRae MD (1872-1918) of the Canadian Army. 

Todd asked if he might use my version of the poem in an animation he was working on. I readily agreed and the finished film appears below. I hope you'll agree that he's created a magnificent piece of work and a very fitting tribute.

 

 

In Flanders' fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders' fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high,

If ye break faith with us who die

  We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

     In Flanders' Fields