Big Finish Day 6

Just a quick reminder, as if one were necessary (!), that Big Finish Day 6 takes place this Saturday 17th.

 Maybe see you there?

January 2015

Well, at least I got the date right! Welcome to the first posting of the year; it seems an age since I signed off in December and much has happened in the interim. I was fortunate indeed to have spent Christmas and New Year in New York with friends old and new (too many 'news'!?). I love the city and would happily go there pretty much whenever the opportunity presented itself; I find it a paradoxically 'relaxing' place to be, although I'm now feeling a bit shattered and still have end of year accounts to wade through...

Moving on. Despite a lack of updates, work is well under way this month and in fact I lost a couple of jobs because I was in NY (poor me). I'll have to keep this posting succinct as there's much to do this weekend, so allow me to mention a couple of January Big Finish releases, which I had some involvement with and for which I might not be credited - it'll be interesting to find out, so I'll say no more until the CD copy is in my hand! 

First up is my final role to date in the Pathfinder Legends series:

Having steeped their weapons in the ancient magic of Thassilon, Ezren, Merisiel, Harsk and Valeros prepare to confront the newly risen Runelord Karzoug at the seat of his power. To do so, they must travel high into the mountains, to the fabled city of Xin-Shalast, where they are confronted by enormous giants and dragons before they can finally confront the mad wizard of greed in his mountaintop palace. Yet can defeating Runelord Karzoug stop the rise of the Runelords? Or are there more terrors yet to come?

Stewart Alexander Valeros Trevor Littledale Ezren Ian Brooker Harsk Kerry Skinner Merisiel  

Yuriri Naka Ameiko Kaijitsu David Dobson Silas Vekker / Bjormundal John Banks Karivek Vekker
 Nicholas Rowe Karzoug Mark Donovan, Harry Myers, and Steven Wickham The Ghosts

 Written by: Cavan Scott
Directed by: John Ainsworth 

Love the artwork on this series and looking forward to giving it a listen when it arrives. Below is the BF trailer video for a couple of Tom Baker Doctor Who stories, which again, I'm really looking forward to hearing.

And I'm afraid that's all for this posting, although there's much more to come as the month progresses!

Doctor Who: Trial of The Valeyard

And finally for this year and almost exactly a year since it was first released as a subscriber bonus download, the CD version of Trial of The Valeyard has now been released from Big Finish Productions.

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 The Hermit

 

Written by Alan Barnes and Mike Maddox
Directed by Barnaby Edwards 

* * * * *

And just to round off this late December posting, I would like to thank you for dropping by to visit my weblog this year and I very much hope you'll come back again in 2015, when there'll hopefully be some more interesting stuff to look at! 

In the meantime, may I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year!

The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

Yo-ho-ho! Christmas has come early for me this year; indeed, after months of anticipation (mine at least!), the latest Holmes adventure is now available, The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes.

 Sherlock Holmes had many secrets. This is the greatest of them.

Our knowledge of the life and career of Mr Sherlock Holmes is necessarily partial and inexact. Riddled with lacunae and ambiguities, its parameters are defined chiefly by what his friend and colleague, Dr John Watson, saw fit to record. 

One era in particular – those enigmatic years in which, believed dead at the Reichenbach Falls, the Great Detective roved the world incognito – has been shrouded in obscurity and doubt, the particulars of that time too terrible and too strange to be set down in full.

At least, that is, until now…

Part One: Poppyland

It is October, 1921. Dr John Watson, now almost seventy, has accustomed himself to a life of retirement. He is surprised, then, to encounter his old friend, Mr Sherlock Holmes, rising out of the early evening mist like a wraith. There are things they have to discuss, he says, matters from the distant past. It is important, he says, that Watson hears at last a full account of what happened to Holmes during his years away from England when, believed by the world to be dead following his battle with Professor Moriarty, he travelled incognito overseas…

Part Two: At the Gates of Shambhala

1892. At the heart of Tibet, a world away from London, where a grieving Dr Watson is battling demons of his own, stands an ancient monastery, abandoned for generations but now the source of rumours of the most peculiar and terrible kind. For strangers have lately invaded this place and pressed it into service for their dark schemes. Those who dwell nearby have come to live in fear and sorrow. What good fortune, then, that a certain noted Norwegian explorer should happen to have found himself in the vicinity…

Part Three: The Man in the Moonlight

Mr Sherlock Holmes is the kind of man whom it is practically impossible to imagine ever having been a child, so fixed and set is his nature. Yet even he was once an infant, his childhood as fraught with peril as his adult life. That time, long past, still haunts him – one element most of all, the figure of a stranger, standing without and gazing upwards, his thin, pale face haloed by moonlight.

  Part Four: The Tragedy of Pargetter Square

Here is where it ends: with a murderer in Pargetter Square, with the detective and a tyrant come face to face in Baker Street, with desperate ambition and wickedness incarnate, with an assassin’s bullet and with old friends working, unknowingly, as one.

Yet what is an ending if not a beginning by a different name?

 Nicholas Briggs Sherlock Holmes - Sherrinford Holme  Richard Earl Dr Watson  

John Banks Inspector Lestrade - Colonel Sebastian Moran Tim Bentinck Mycroft Holmes  

Gemma Whelan Mary Watson Jemma Churchill Helena Eidelmann  

Terrence Hardiman Dr Esau Thorne Nicholas Chambers The Reverend Samuel Griffiths 

Joannah Tincey Miss Jessica Hendrick Dai Tabuchi Dorje  

David Killick Lord Colney, The Earl of Pettigree

Written by Jonathan Barnes
Directed by Ken Bentley  

December 21st update: an extract from today's SFcrowsnest review:

" John Banks is multi-tasking, both as the superb Lestrade and also the villainous and no doubt moustache twirling Sebastian Moran. They sound completely different and I bow to his talent."

" This is rapidly turning into appointment audio with this release eagerly awaited by fans and hopefully new listeners. If you haven’t jumped yet then you really should."

Sue Davies

The full review can be read by following this link: SFcrowsnest: The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

December 18th update: an extract from today's Sci-Fi Bulletin review:

" Director Ken Bentley has assembled a very strong cast alongside Briggs and Earl – who both excel in this, displaying passionate sides to their characters that shake the speakers. John Banks as Lestrade and Tim Bentinck’s Mycroft are great foils for Earl, while Gemma Whelan gives us a very feisty Mary Watson; Jemma Churchill, Terrence Hardiman, Nicholas Chambers, Joannah Tincey, Dai Tabuchi and David Killick all play to the melodramatic nature of the story without ever letting it go over the top (I’m deliberately not talking further about their characters so as not to spoil the many twists!). 

There’s a cinematic scope to the story, and Jamie Robertson’s sound design ensures that even with the quick cutting that the script requires, we’re never unsure where we are (unless that’s the point!).

You’ll have to listen to this to understand how and why it qualifies as Sci-Fi Bulletin territory – but I can’t wait for the sequel which promises to be more terrifying than a certain spectral hound… "

Verdict: Another triumph for Briggs, Earl and the team. 10/10

Paul Simpson

The full review can be read by following this link:  Sci-Fi Bulletin: The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes

Let's do the time warp again...

And so, December; almost the end of another year - hard to believe I know. But there are still a few surprises before 2014 shuffles off its immortal coil. Where to start?

Perhaps I should start by mentioning the Big Finish releases from last month that I'm still working my way through and in the case of Sins of The Saviours, the fifth story in the Pathfinder Legends series, Rise of The Runelords, still waiting to receive. I think it fair to say that Nev Fountain's Sixth Doctor adventure, The Widow's Assassin has divided critical opinion and for a number of reasons; those who have heard it appear to either love it or hate it. From a personal point of view, having now listened to the story several times, I think I like it very much.

One of the reasons for listening to the recordings I've been involved with, apart from a general interest in the story, is to assimilate the merits or otherwise of my own performance. I see it as a significant part of my job to understand how whatever medium I happen to be working in actually functions from a technical, as well as an 'artistic' perspective. I'd like to think that experience contributes to greater understanding and the subsequent ability to do a better job.With that in mind, I have to say that I'm quietly pleased with The Widow's Assassin. Of the characters I played, I'm particularly 'relieved' with how Baron Pteratrark has turned out. This is Nev's description of the character, cut and pasted from the script: "BARON PTERATRARK: Feathered aristocrat. Mid-East European accent."

So that was the starting point; the rest of the 'characterisation' was up to me, with of course, the approval of Nev and director Ken Bentley. What 'pleased' me about the final performance was that I thought the character worked in the context of the style of the story and technically, what I could hear on listening to the finished production was very close to what I was trying to achieve in the studio. I apologise if any of this sounds egotistical, I simply mean that in this particular instance, there was technically very little compromise between aspiration and achievement. Hope that makes sense and doesn't sound too self-aggrandising!


The fact that Guard 1 and Guard 2 turned out to be Welsh (!), was entirely down to Andrew Dickens, who mentioned the idea to me very enthusiastically when we met in the green room on the first morning of recording. Nev and Ken were happy to go along with the suggestion, as indeed was I and I think Andrew's idea worked very well. I also enjoyed the Blakes's 7 story, Retribution, written by that very clever fellow, Andrew Smith. Some commentators have generously suggested that the character I played, Ragnus Lang, might be featured in future Blake's 7 adventures; I do hope so, he was great fun to play and I'd love the opportunity to have further outings with him. As I mentioned above, Sins of The Saviours hasn't arrived yet, so I can't comment on it and much as I'm looking forward to listening to Dark Eyes 3, I haven't yet had time to get round to it - the last few months have been very busy!


So what's been going on? Well, lots of time spent in various recording studios, including a number of Big Finish adventures, none of which I can talk about at the moment of course and also quite a bit of time spent recording a couple of audio books. The first book was recorded for the RNIB Talking Books Service and was an unabridged version of Alwyn W. Turner's chronicle of the 1990's, A Classless Society. Last week, I had great fun recording Esther Freud's novel Mr Mac and Me for W.F. Howes Ltd at SNK Studios. Here are some details:

It is 1914, and Thomas Maggs, the son of the local publican, lives with his parents and sister in a village on the Suffolk coast. He is the youngest child, and the only son surviving. Life is quiet - shaped by the seasons, fishing and farming, the summer visitors, and the girls who come down from the Highlands every year to gut and pack the herring.


Then one day a mysterious Scotsman arrives. To Thomas he looks for all the world like a detective, in his black cape and hat of felted wool, and the way he puffs on his pipe as if he's Sherlock Holmes. Mac is what the locals call him when they whisper about him in the inn. And whisper they do, for he sets off on his walks at unlikely hours, and stops to examine the humblest flowers. He is seen on the beach, staring out across the waves as if he's searching for clues. But Mac isn't a detective, he's the architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and together with his red-haired artist wife, they soon become a source of fascination and wonder to Thomas.



Yet just as Thomas and Mac's friendship begins to blossom, war with Germany is declared. The summer guests flee and are replaced by regiments of soldiers on their way to Belgium, and as the brutality of war weighs increasingly heavily on this coastal community, they become more suspicious of Mac and his curious behaviour.


In this tender and compelling story of an unlikely friendship, Esther Freud paints a vivid portrait of a home front community during the First World War, and of a man who was one of the most brilliant and misunderstood artists of his generation. It is her most beautiful and masterful work.

Esther came to the studio on Wednesday to say hello and to see how recording was coming along. It was lovely to meet her, although I was naturally concerned that she might not approve of how I was performing her book. Esther and producer Paul Kent went off to listen to samples of the book we'd already recorded and about an hour later, both emerged to the green room and much to my relief, Esther said how much she had enjoyed the story so far and made number of helpful and generous comments which gave Paul and me quite a boost. Unlike Big Finish, publishing companies don't usually provide contributor copies of recordings and, as I enjoyed this story so much, I'll just have to wait until it's released and buy a copy. Then I can start the process of analysing the disparity between aspiration and achievement all over again! 

All that has gone, but what is to come?

Well ok, this month's audio releases from Big Finish, in which I have some involvement, include: Doctor Who: Trial of The Valeyard and the epic new Holmes box-set, The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes.

A subscriber bonus download edition of Valeyard was released about this time last year and now the CD version is about to become available. We recorded the story back in May 2013 and I hope its release now will serve as a fitting tribute to the talent of Lynda Bellingham, who, as most people I'm sure will know, sadly passed away in October.

Valeyard was the only time I had the pleasure of working with Lynda and she was so full of enthusiasm and energy. Lynda faced her illness with incredible courage and dignity and I remember our time together very fondly.

Lynda Bellingham

* * * * *

Last month, I posted a trailer for The Judgement of Sherlock Holmes and here is another opportunity to see Big Finish's 'making of' feature:

I'll post further details of the series at a later date, but in the meantime, it probably goes without saying, that I'm very much looking forward to listening to both forthcoming releases!

As well as having a busy time with Big Finish and the audio-book recordings, I've also been doing the voice over for a corporate documentary film which is unfortunately all a bit secret, so, apart from mentioning that I'm still in the process of recording it, there's absolutely nothing else I can say about it!



What I can happily and fully mention, to round of this fairly epic posting, is that my good friends over at Tarquin Productions, Artistic Director Benji Sperring and for this event, Producer Rachel Illingworth, are about to launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their World Premier on-stage of the musical Shock Treament, written by Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien.

"Not a sequel, not a prequel, but an equal to  

The Rocky Horror Picture Show".

The production will take place next April at The King's Head Theatre in Islington.

SHOCK TREATMENT – The World Stage Premiere of the Equal-Sequel to Richard O’Brien’s world-
famous THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW.

Brad and Janet, the perfect young everyday couple from cult classic THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW are back, but this time they’re not fighting transsexual aliens in a world of B-Movies. We join them as they are sucked into the world of TV Media, where bleach-white teeth and immaculate make-up are the warpaint, the studio audience are the crowds baying for blood, and people will stop at literally nothing to get the ratings through the roof.

Come and join us in Denton’s most break-neck TV studio and watch as two innocent lovebirds are torn apart by the talons of TV executive Farley Flavors, whose new television show Faith Factory will guarantee that at least one person is going to receive the shock of their life. As Doctors-and-Nurses fever takes hold of the studio, will Brad and Janet be able to escape, or will they forever be trapped behind the controlling powers of the exploitative – yet oddly charismatic – brother and sister pairing of TV Doctors Cosmo and Nation McKinley? Make sure that you tune in at the Kings Head Theatre during April to find out…


With music by Richard Hartley and lyrics by Richard O’Brien, SHOCK TREATMENT brings together the creative power of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW and presents a stunning score full of songs that make you want to get up and join in with the action – and in some cases, this might be exactly what happens! Add to that Jim Sharman’s original book, now adapted for the stage by Tom Crowley, and the laughs – and shocks – come thick and fast.

After the sleeper 1981 cult movie, SHOCK TREATMENT is brought to the stage for the very first time by director Benji Sperring and Tarquin Productions, whose recent work includes the world premiere of Ivor Novello’s final musical VALLEY OF SONG (“Ideal” – Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph) and the centenary production of THE IMMORTAL HOUR (“brave and intriguing…tantalising” – Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph).

So, bring your lab coat and stethoscope, check your blood pressure, and prepare to play doctors and nurses as SHOCK TREATMENT takes over the airwaves - and your life!

Yesterday, Benji, Rachel and me got together with our great pal John Silke, to record the Kickstarter  campaign film, which was indeed a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon as I tried to give my best 'Charles Gray'. Once John has edited the film, we can do a little more work on the sound design and hopefully get the Kickstarter campaign off to a flying start! Here's a photo, which Rachel took yesterday, of Benji, cameraman John and me - taking it easy in a comfy chair!

Casting of the show has yet to be finalised, but I should mention that tickets are selling very fast and several performances might already be sold out - do get in touch with the box office at The King's Head to avoid disappointment! Click on this link:

Shock Treatment at The King's Head Theatre 

 

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

...and finally

...in the last hour of November 2014, a couple of late updates. I recorded an audio book a few months ago which became available via publisher W.F. Howes Ltd on 1st November and here are the details:

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014

How to be both is a novel all about art's versatility. There's a renaissance artist of the 1460s. There's the child of a child of the 1960s. Two tales of love and injustice twist into a singular yarn where time gets timeless, structural gets playful, knowing gets mysterious, fictional gets real - and all life's givens get given a second chance.

And secondly, as previously mentioned, the final Big Finish release for me this month is the fifth story in the Pathfinder Legends series, Rise of The Runelords: Sins of The Saviors, in which I play a slightly demented character known as The Scribbler:

Ezren, Merisiel, Harsk and Valeros discover that Karzoug, an ancient wizard from the long-dead empire of Thassilon, has returned to life. 

From his city fortress of Xin-Shalast high in the mountains, he has been using the giants to harvest souls to reclaim his lost power. 

The secret to defeating him before he can reclaim his realm and enslave the region lies hidden in a deadly dungeon called Runeforge.

Kerry Skinner Merisiel    Stewart Alexander Valeros 

Trevor Littledale Ezren   Ian Brooker Harsk    

Yuriri Naka Ameiko Kaijitsu  

Toby Longworth Belor Hemlock - Giant Voice  

John Banks The Scribbler  Annette Badland The Voice  

Nicholas Rowe Karzoug  

Mark Donovan & Harry Myers The Guards

 Written by Mark Wright & Directed by John Ainsworth 

...all for now, more to come next month!

here we go two, three, four...

And so, a few newsy updates as I have a bit of a 'day off' from recording. It's not really a day off at all as there is much to prepare for further Big Finish adventures this week and next and I must also practice a Suffolk accent, from which I have to slip effortlessly (and hopefully convincingly!) into Glaswegian, for a forthcoming audio-book.

Meanwhile, I'm delighted to say that Dark Eyes 3 has now been released and initial reaction seems to be very positive. I know a lot of fans have been keenly anticipating this third series, amongst whom I include myself; so shall I download or wait for the box set to arrive?

Good news too with regard to Survivors. The first episode from Series One, Revelation, written by Matt Fitton, has been nominated for a 2015 BBC Audio Drama Award.

My congratulations to all involved, including fellow cast members Caroline Langrishe, Chase Masterson, Terry Molloy, Adrian Lukis, Camilla Power, Louise Jameson, Sinead Keenan, San Shella, Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch, Carolyn Seymour, Phil Mulryne, John Dorney, Lisa Bowerman - director Ken Bentley and producer David Richardson.

  Fingers crossed!

And just in case appetites need whetting for Survivors Series Two, cover art for the new box set, by Tom Webster, was revealed yesterday:

It begins with just a few people falling ill. Another flu virus that spreads around the globe. And then the reports begin that people are dying…

When most of the world's population is wiped out, a handful of survivors are left to pick up the pieces.
Cities become graveyards. Technology becomes largely obsolete. Mankind must start again…

1: Dark Rain by Ken Bentley
Introducing: Tim Treloar as Russell, Bernard Holley as Ridley
Months after the plague, storms batter the country. As Abby resumes the search for her son, Jackie and Daniel fight for their lives.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rachel Atkins Charlotte   Jane Slavin Jane   Tim Bentinck Irvin Warner 

Allison McKenzie Patricia Gallagher

 Directed By: Ken Bentley 

Survivors Series Two is scheduled for release in June 2015

...all for now, more soon!

Coming soon...

...from Big Finish Productions:

Sherlock Holmes had many secrets. This is the greatest of them.

Our knowledge of the life and career of Mr Sherlock Holmes is necessarily partial and inexact. Riddled with lacunae and ambiguities, its parameters are defined chiefly by what his friend and colleague, Dr John Watson, saw fit to record. One era in particular – those enigmatic years in which, believed dead at the Reichenbach Falls, the Great Detective roved the world incognito – has been shrouded in obscurity and doubt, the particulars of that time too terrible and too strange to be set down in full.

 

At least, that is, until now…

Doctor Who: Dark Eyes 3

In his quest for universal domination, the Master plans to exploit the terrifying Infinite Warriors of the mysterious Eminence. The Doctor's friend, Molly, is key to that plan's execution, and now, aided by corrupted genius Sally Armstrong, the Master is close to success.

 

Paranoid and perplexed after his recent experience, the Doctor skirts the fringes of the fifty-year conflict between humanity and the Infinite Armies. Wary of changing the course of history, he fears that to fight the Eminence would be to do the Daleks' bidding. But when Time Lord CIA agent Narvin provides the impetus for the Doctor to act, Liv Chenka joins him in a desperate race to save their friend and stop the Master.

 

As the Doctor goes head to head with his oldest and deadliest rival, this war is about to get very personal indeed...

Remembrance Sunday 2014

Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles Volume 10

Released today from Big Finish Productions:

Retribution by Andrew Smith

A distress call leads Avon and Vila to an old tracking station on the moon of Lorean. It was sent by Ragnus Lang, formerly Vila’s partner-in-crime. And now Lang needs Blake’s help.

 Paul Darrow  Avon    Michael Keating  Vila     John Banks  Ragnus Lang. 

 Directed by Ken Bentley

November 2014

My apologies for the recent lack of updates, but what a busy time it's been.

Apart from being busy in the studio recording another audio book, the main reason for not updating for such a long time is that like many BF customers, I've been waiting for the release of October's Sixth Doctor story, The Widow's Assassin. I think a download version of the recording was released on 31st, just scraping into the dying embers of October. Anyway, I can now 'safely' mention it here:

Once, long ago, in a land of monsters and corridors, a fair maiden was captured, and placed in a deep sleep. She was used to being captured, and she had a hero who rescued her on just such occasions. But this time the hero never came.

And the fair maiden slept on.

Eventually, a King rescued the maiden, and made her his bride, which many wise old women might tell you is just another way of capturing fair maidens.

And still the fair maiden slept on.

Then, the hero had another stab at rescuing the maiden from her prison, but he was too late. And, more importantly, he had forgotten the rules of fairy tales.

He didn’t slay the dragon.

 

Colin Baker The Doctor     Nicola Bryant Peri   

         Tim Chipping Constable Wolsey - Mandrake            

   John Banks
            Baron Pteratrark - Guard Two - Prince Most-Deepest-All-Yellow               
Andrew Dickens Reverand Flitamus - Guard One  

Fiona Sheehan Princess Dirani      

Glynn Sweet Harcross The Ever-Patient - Pheen-Tu - Flunkey

 Written by Nev Fountain
                                   Directed by Ken Bentley                                   

A Nev Fountain story is always a treat to work on, even if it's completely mind bending at times. As Dr Who aficionados will be aware, Peri has a huge history which needs some degree of resolution; perhaps this tale will satisfy some who have been waiting many years for such a resolution - or just open a whole new can of worms instead. I'm sure the BF Forum will be awash with informed debate! Wherever the story takes us, I can assure you that fun was had during the recording and once again, I'm keenly looking forward to hearing the finished production: by the way, that's a feathery faced me on the cover - nice...                     

And now it's November!

So, what's new and what's happening in November? Quite a lot actually! I'm in studio every day this week to finish recording an unabridged audio book of Alwyn W. Turner's chronicle of the 1990's, A Classless Society and there are a number of other pipeline projects throughout the rest of the month - more details to follow.

In terms of this month's audio releases, there's quite a variety to come. I've no idea when or in what order things will be released, so I'll start by mentioning this month's Blake's 7 release:

Gareth Thomas Blake  Paul Darrow Avon  Michael Keating Vila  Jacqueline Pearce Servalan  

Stephen Greif Travis John Banks Ragnus Lang

Velandra by Steve Lyons
Blake is having bad dreams: a swamp, wolves, a woman called Velandra… and Travis. Could this be a memory that was erased by the Federation?

Retribution by Andrew Smith
A distress call leads Avon and Vila to an old tracking station on the moon of Lorean. It was sent by Ragnus Lang, formerly Vila’s partner-in-crime. And now Lang needs Blake’s help.

Ministry of Peace by Una McCormack
The Liberator crew are on the planet Speranza to assist its new interim government.  But is the planet a beacon of hope in the fight against the Federation – or is Speranza’s history about to take a darker path?

Written by Steve Lyons, Andrew Smith, Una McCormack
Directed by Lisa Bowerman, Ken Bentley

 My second Pathfinder Legends story is next on the list of releases:

 

Ezren, Merisiel, Harsk and Valeros discover that Karzoug, an ancient wizard from the long-dead empire of Thassilon, has returned to life.

 From his city fortress of Xin-Shalast high in the mountains, he has been using the giants to harvest souls to reclaim his lost power. 

The secret to defeating him before he can reclaim his realm and enslave the region lies hidden in a deadly dungeon called Runeforge. 

Kerry Skinner Merisiel Stewart Alexander Valeros Trevor Littledale Ezren Ian Brooker Harsk  Yuriri Naka Ameiko Kaijitsu Toby Longworth Belor Hemlock / Giant Voice  John Banks The Scribbler Annette Badland The Voice Nicholas Rowe Karzoug Mark Donovan and Harry Myers The Guards

 Written by Mark Wright
Directed by John Ainsworth

And finally, for the moment at least, I played a variety of 'under the radar' characters in Dr Who: Dark Eyes Series 3 - a project I particularly wanted to be a part of and which the boys at Big Finish were kind enough to allow me to take part in:

"Molly O'Sullivan? Hello you."

In his quest for universal domination, the Master plans to exploit the terrifying Infinite Warriors of the mysterious Eminence. The Doctor's friend, Molly, is key to that plan's execution, and now, aided by corrupted genius Sally Armstrong, the Master is close to success.

Paranoid and perplexed after his recent experience, the Doctor skirts the fringes of the fifty-year conflict between humanity and the Infinite Armies. Wary of changing the course of history, he fears that to fight the Eminence would be to do the Daleks' bidding.

But when Time Lord CIA agent Narvin provides the impetus for the Doctor to act, Liv Chenka joins him in a desperate race to save their friend and stop the Master.

As the Doctor goes head to head with his oldest and deadliest rival, this war is about to get very personal indeed...

 

                                                                                                            

 

 

Paul McGann The Doctor Nicola Walker Liv Chenka Ruth Bradley Molly O'Sullivan Alex Macqueen The Master Natalie Burt Dr Sally Armstrong David Sibley The Eminence Sean Carlsen Narvin

1: The Death of Hope
Georgie Fuller Hope Gardner Geoffrey Breton Leo Gardner

2: The Reviled
Sacha Dhawan Jaldam Sarah Mowat Gajeeda Laura Riseborough Sharma

3: Masterplan
David Sibley Professor Markus Schriver John Banks Captain/Lieutenant

4: Rule of the Eminence
Jonathan Forbes Walter Vincent Beth Chalmers Casey Carraway Georgia Moffett Engineer Tallow

Written by Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley

Also, on the 19th October, I was delighted to have been invited to help celebrate Big Finish's 15th Birthday; here's a photo from the party:

Anthony Howell - me - Rachel Illingworth

It was a very festive evening and fantastic to meet up with so many friends and colleagues; thanks to Jason Haigh-Ellery and to all at Big Finish - here's to the next fifteen years!

As a coincidental 'PS' to this posting, recorded in July 2010:
 Lucie Miller was broadcast last week on BBC Radio 4 Extra and To The Death is being broadcast as I started to write.

A quick check reveals that having played a 'pivotal' role in Lucie Miller, ie Seb Andrews, in To The Death, I appear to be playing Crewman. Can't wait to discover what Crewman does, although I suspect - not much!

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

The Doctor's Tale

Released today from Big Finish Productions  -  Dr Who: The Doctor's Tale

 

England, 1400. Winter. Blood in the snow. Henry IV has usurped the throne, and deposed King Richard II languishes in Pomfret Castle.

Meanwhile the Doctor and his companions preside over New Year revels at Sonning Palace.
But Sonning is a prison, treachery is in the air and murderous Archbishop Thomas Arundel will stop at nothing to crush the rebellion.

As the Doctor and Barbara take the road to Canterbury, Vicki finds a royal friend and Ian is dragged into a dark web of conspiracy at whose heart sits that teller of tales, Geoffrey Chaucer.

William Russell Ian Chesterton/The Doctor     Maureen O’Brien Vicki/Barbara Wright/Narrator  

Gareth Armstrong Geoffrey Chaucer     Joseph Kloska Sir Thomas de Wensley  

Alice Haig Isabella     John Banks Thomas Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury

Written by Marc Platt

Directed by Ken Bentley

Here's a link to Paul Simpson's review in Sci-Fi Bulletin: Dr Who: The Doctor's Tale

...more news just as soon as it happens!

back to the future...

The end of quite an amazing week in the studio; feeling a bit 'done in' now to be honest, but what a great time. There's a limited amount I can say at the moment, as I'm sure you'll appreciate. However, it's no secret that I've been recording Series II of Survivors and as I've mentioned previously, it's an absolute treat to work on such brilliant scripts. Not only that of course; it's also a treat and quite a thrill to work with some of the original cast from the 1975 television series.

As with many other Big Finish stories, I'm regularly amazed to be sharing a studio and chatting in the green room and actually working with people I could never have imagined even meeting when I first saw them on television. This week's Survivors has been a full on example of that with people such as the fabulous Louise Jameson and from the tv show, Ian McCulloch, Lucy Fleming and Carolyn Seymour, whom I met for the first time at BF Day 5 - where, I think it's safe to say, we got on extremely cordially!

It's a bit of a wait till Survivors is released next June and there's much technical, creative and 'musical' work to be done on creating the audio landscape between now and then, but if it sounds as good as I remember from this week's recording, then fingers crossed that we'll all be in for quite a treat!

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