Coming very soon...

...and of course, there's this:

...appetite whet, or dry?

...although the opposite of whet, isn't actually dry  - as we all know.

In any case, Big Finish have released information about a new four episode box set, which is scheduled for release in 2016, not all that far away in time.

 And here it is; a little appetite whetter:

" Doctor Who: The Churchill Years is a box set of four stories starring Ian McNeice as the legendary war-time Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Ian first took on the role in the Eleventh Doctor story Victory of the Daleks, and the new set details his further adventures with the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. Each story is narrated from Churchill's viewpoint and is ably supported by a full guest cast of actors."

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

Survivors: Series Three

Branching out from the harrowing events of the recently released second series, Series 3 focuses on a new group of Survivors, living in the ruins of London during the events of the original TV series. 

Returning from the first box set is Maddie Price (Chase Masterson), still looking for a way back to the USA.

 Her desperate search will lead her to cross paths with some old friends – and some new enemies.

 

Scheduled for release November 2015

...so what's happening?

Good question. I've just been looking over the last posting, which only seems like a couple of days ago, but is in fact, a couple of weeks ago. That's really been the story of 2015; the time has zipped by and we're already more than half way through the year. The dominant event of July has been the recording of Adam Thirlwell's novel, Lurid&Cute. I was a little nervous before recording began, for a couple of reasons; primarily because L&C is the first audio book I've done this year and I wondered if I was going to be a bit rusty when recording began. Also, as I mentioned in the previous posting, the text is quite 'quirky' in construction and sentences don't always go in the direction you think they might. Punctuation is also used in unconventional ways, again setting potential traps for the narrator. These technical obstacles aren't always apparent when reading silently to ones self but become acutely apparent when reading aloud. Odd syntax and the use of non English words focussed my attention too and I noted that one particular sentence was 92 lines long! L&C is the third Adam Thirlwell novel I've recorded, the others being Politics and The Escape, and I've enjoyed working on all of them; I think if somehow you can hit the appropriate 'tone' and let the narrative roll along, it all seems to work pretty well - in my head at least!

So what else? Well, Big Finish have released Doctor Who: The Fate of Krelos, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. The second part of the adventure, Return To Krelos, is released next month. Full details appear on the Big Finish web site, but here's the cover artwork and a general synopsis of each story:


There are dark skies on Krelos… and something gigantic is descending.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Leela set off for some fishing in the mountain pools of Krelos. K9 has interfaced with the TARDIS and has reactivated the architectural configuration from the days of the Doctor’s second incarnation. In passing, the Doctor notes it could do with a good clean. And there’s a familiar piece of material snagged on the console.
Far up the mountain, an aged explorer is in trouble. Will the Doctor and Leela be able to save him and his planet?

And what is it that K9 has discovered in the TARDIS?


The Doctor reveals to Leela that they’re heading for the planet Telos. And K9 has new masters...

On Telos, in the past, the Second Doctor and Jamie are exploring the ‘tomb of the Cybermen’.

Meanwhile, the Cyber-Controller and Cyber-Planner consolidate their plans. Spare parts from Krelos are being used to construct a mighty Cyber army. The Doctor must be captured.

Out of control, the TARDIS tumbles down a chasm and the Doctor and Leela find themselves caught up in full-scale planetary invasion.

Written and directed by Nick Briggs, the cast includes:

Tom Baker The Doctor    Louise Jameson Leela    John Leeson K9    Frazer Hines Jamie  

Michael Cochrane Geralk   Bernard Holley Peter Haydon   Veronica Roberts Relly 

Nicholas Briggs The Cybermen

I've just added Krelos to my phone and look forward to giving it a listen. I worked on both stories, although I'm fairly sure I won't be officially credited. There's nothing unusual in that, although it does make keeping track of what I've done a bit trickier that it might otherwise be! 

Before the month ends, I'm looking forward to being back in the studio to record further Big Finish stories, details of which will no doubt appear here, when I'm allowed to reveal them. 

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

Summertime and the livin' is... busy!

Indeed, very busy. And that's my only excuse for once again being a bit of a slacker when it comes to updating the site. There's been a lot going on this month (Big Finish, Games Workshop) and much of what's coming up needs time to fully prepare. I'm starting work on an audio book next week, which I'm really looking forward to; Lurid & Cute by Adam Thirlwell. It will be the third book of Adam Thirlwell's I've recorded and the second with producer Chris Sharp. I'm currently reading through and making notes and will hopefully be ready when recording starts on Monday - should be fun.

Yesterday, I was in the studio to record some Doctor Who with the Big Finish gang and although silence must prevail on the whole enterprise, I can tell you that the cast and script were excellent and an enjoyable day was had by all of us. As usual, I'll be much more forthcoming about this story nearer the time of release, although I suspect that might be quite some time hence.

There's more Big Finish before the end of the month, some intriguing corporate voice over stuff to do and I have to prepare and submit a recorded vocal audition, for which I'll have to brush up my classical Persian pronunciation! If it all works out, we should hopefully start to record the project fairly soon.

And finally for now; arriving home last night, I found that this quite handsome APA Finalist Medallion had arrived from the USA - it looks fab! Many thanks to the APA!

Tempting to wear it at the next recording; whaddya think - good idea? No? Oh, ok...

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

 

Hello sweetie...

An epic four-hour adventure that takes River Song across space and time, seeking out the secret rulers of the universe. 

More details to follow soon!

#BF27June

...sssshhhhhhhhhhh!

future indicative...

...insofar as there's some lovely stuff coming up in the recording studio over the next few weeks, with both Big Finish and Games Workshop and I'm very much looking forward to getting stuck into a bunch of scripts in preparation.

Survivors 2 is now available and I'm happy to say that the general reaction has, so far, been very positive. There have been a number of highly enthusiastic tweets on the subject and some very good formal reviews have appeared on-line. Big Finish have also released details of the forthcoming Series 3, which I've included below. This time the wait between box sets will be much shorter, with a proposed release date of November 2015 - a mere five and a bit months away!

I'm hoping that I'll soon be able to reveal further details of the Games Workshop stories already recorded; I've seen some of the artwork and I have to say, I think it's quite stunning. Artwork for Warhammer stories is always fascinating and full of story telling detail; can't wait to see what the final CD covers will look like.

And so, another brief update; more to come as always, but in the meantime, here are some details of Survivors Series 3:

Branching out from the harrowing events of the recently released second series, Series 3 focuses on a new group of Survivors, living in the ruins of London during the events of the original TV series. Returning from the first box set is Maddie Price (Chase Masterson), still looking for a way back to the USA. Her desperate search will lead her to cross paths with some old friends – and some new enemies.

 

1: Cabin Fever by Jonathan Morris
Introducing: Andrew French as Dalton Roberts, Paul Thornley as John 'Vinnie' Vincent After weeks of searching for her son across a devastated Britain, Abby Grant and her allies head into London in pursuit of new leads. One of the party is quarantined, holed up with a fever. They remember the very first days of the Death, and the actions of a man called John Vincent…

2: Contact by Simon Clark
Introducing: James Joyce as Jonathon A lonely voice on the radio calls out across the ether. Maddie Price is a long way from home, but not yet ready to give up hope.

3: Rescue by Andrew Smith  
When his friends' lives hang in the balance hundreds of feet above London, Jimmy Garland leads a daring rescue mission into the capital.

4: Leaving by Matt Fitton
Down on the coast, plans are being made to reach out across the world. It could mean a new beginning for some, and the long-awaited chance to return home for others.

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

Survivors Series 2: released today

So finally, the time has come. After months of anticipation and a teasing countdown over the past week, the second series of Survivors is available from today. I'm not going to say much more until I've actually heard the stories myself; in the meantime, here are the details from Big Finish:

As first announced last week, we're proud to release the second of our award-nominated Survivors series to the world on CD and Download. Stars of the original BBC TV series Lucy Fleming, Ian McCulloch and Carolyn Seymour join Louise Jameson, Bernard Holley, John Banks and many others for four new stories:

1: Dark Rain by Ken Bentley
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
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
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

Written by Ken Bentley, Louise Jameson, Matt Fitton
Directed by Ken Bentley 

Producer David Richardson
Script Editor Matt Fitton
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

As well as releasing Survivors 2, we're also making the first episode of Survivors - Series 1 available for free to all. Survivors - Revelation by Matt Fitton was nominated for the 2015 BBC Drama Awards, and was the first story in the original Big Finish Survivors series released in 2014.


I am very proud of the first Survivors series and keenly looking forward to giving this series a listen, perhaps in the hope of feeling proud of a piece of work once again...

... all work and lots of plays!

Once again, a bit of a 'mea culpa', as the postings here have been a bit thin on the ground lately. My only excuse is that the last couple of weeks have been very busy in the studio with three audio adventures recorded last week, a theatre audition this morning and four further audio dramas to record before the weekend.

Also true to form is that all of this work is currently on the classified list and I'm not allowed to go into any detail - unfortunately. All will eventually be revealed, but frustratingly, not quite yet. What I can say, is that excitement is building (from me at least!) for the imminent release of Survivors Series 2; it goes to some very dark places and I'm interested to see how the four story arc will be received by the audience, who seemed to like the first series very much.

There's lots of preparation to do over the next day or so before recording starts again on Wednesday with Big Finish, followed by a couple of days at The Games Workshop to record more Warhammer stories. So, another quick wrap up I'm afraid and back to the script for me.

I'm delighted to say that I'll be at Big Finish Day 7 in September and if you're planning to attend, maybe we'll get to say 'hello'. Further details of the event will be posted nearer the time, but for now, here's a link to the tenth planet web page:

 Big Finish Day 7

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

Doctor Who: Damaged Goods & The Well-Mannered War

Good evening. I mentioned these releases only a few postings ago and details appear below. My Standard and Limited Edition copies arrived at the weekend and I'm listing keenly to both stories at the moment and enjoying them thoroughly. Big Finish have published a fascinating trailer for Damaged Goods and The Well-Mannered War, I'm guessing created by Tom Saunders, and here it is:

And now, as it's almost 8 o'clock, I'm going to quickly wrap up here so that I can watch some classic Emma Peel era Avengers action on TV! Adieu for now...

The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 1

Well, it's St. George's Day here in merry England and it's also Shakespeare's 451st birthday - huzzah! I wonder if there's anyone in the world called 'George Shakespeare' who was born on this day...?

Before you become convinced that this welcome, yet uncharacteristically sunny weather has fried my brain, time to move on to the actual purpose of this little gem of an update.

Big Finish have announced the September release of the Third Doctor (originally performed on television by Jon Pertwee) 'double bill' of Prisoners of The Lake by Justin Richards and The Havoc of Empires by Andy Lane. Third Doctor adventures are a new direction for Big Finish and Tim Treloar has stepped up to the plate to portray the character in an evocation of Jon Pertwee's original style.

There's much more to come on this box set nearer the time of release; in the meantime, here's some cover artwork from Tom Webster and details of the story I was involved in, Prisoners of The Lake.

Captain Mike Yates is investigating the disappearance of artefacts from an archaeological site deep below Dunstanton Lake. It’s hardly a job for UNIT. But when the team discover a mysterious ancient structure buried deep underwater, all that changes.

When chief archaeologist Freda Mattingly ventures inside, she soon realises that her skills do not begin to equip her to deal with what she finds. As an ancient menace begins to stir the Doctor, Jo Grant and Mike Yates must dive down to the lake bed and discover the secrets hidden there. Secrets that could mean the end of all life on Earth…

 Tim Treloar Narrator/The Doctor   Katy Manning Jo Grant   Richard Franklin Mike Yates

  Carolyn Seymour Freda Mattingly  

Robbie Stevens Johnny Repford/Director Pennard/Statue/The Prosecutor

 John Banks Chief Dastron/Lieutenant Macintyre/UNIT Operative/Archaeologist

Written by Justin Richards

 Directed by Nicholas Briggs

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

Doctor Who: The Well Mannered War

As if time weren't zipping by quickly enough! Big Finish have released The Well Mannered War and Damaged Goods individually and as a double edition - a whole month early! I was under the impression that The Well Mannered War was scheduled for a May release, but hey - what do I know? Moving on from the obvious answer to my own rhetorical question, here are some details to go along with Tom Webster's brilliant cover artwork:

The edges of space, the far distant future, an era even the Time Lords are not supposed to visit.

Laid claim to by disputing factions of humans and Chelonians, the planet Barclow has become the catalyst for an unusual war. In two hundred years of hostilities not a shot has been fired, and the opposing combatants are the best of friends.

But when the Doctor, Romana and K9 arrive, they discover the peace is not going to last. Something dangerous is happening behind the scenes. An election looms. Bodies are piling up. Tensions are growing. Someone, somewhere is trying to make this well-mannered war very angry indeed.

Only the time-travellers can save the day. But that might be their biggest mistake.

Tom Baker The Doctor  Lalla Ward Romana  John Leeson K9  Tim McInnerny Admiral Dolne  

Jon Glover Jafrid Michael Troughton Menlove Stokes Gunnar Cauthery Viddeas Jane Slavin Cadinot 
 Russell Bentley Seskwa   Hamish Clark Fritchoff   John Banks Harmock   Elizabeth Rider Galatea  
Jessica Claire Liris/Newsreader  David Troughton The Black Guardian

Written by Gareth Roberts, adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Ken Bentley 

There's also a 'standard' version of Damaged Goods as detailed below, but if you fancy owning a rather beautiful Limited Special Edition containing both stories, there's this version, which I think, looks amazing...

The year is 1987 and there’s a deadly new narcotic on the streets of London. As part of their investigations the Doctor and his companions Chris and Roz move into the Quadrant, a rundown housing estate. An ancient alien menace has been unleashed, a menace somehow linked to a local gang leader known as The Capper, a charmed young boy called Gabriel and his mother Winnie, the enigmatic Frei Foundation, and Eva Jericho, a woman driven to the brink of madness.

As London descends into an apocalyptic nightmare, the Doctor must uncover the truth about the residents of the Quadrant and a desperate bargain made one dark Christmas Eve.

Sylvester McCoy The Doctor    Travis Oliver Chris Cwej    Yasmin Bannerman Roz Forrester  

Michelle Collins Winnie Tyler   Denise Black Eva Jericho   Georgie Fuller Bev Tyler  

Tayler Marshall Gabriel Tyler   Richard Hope Harry Harvey   Daniel Brocklebank David Daniels 

Peter Barrett The Capper   Robert Duncan Mr Thomas   Damian Lynch Scott Delaney

Written by Russell T Davies, adapted by Jonathan Morris
Directed by Ken Bentley

* * * * *

As a minor, but perhaps interesting footnote; in the mid '80's - early '90's, I spent about eight years working at The Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, performing in numerous productions. Because I was there for so long, I had time to develop broader interests other than just appearing in plays. Under the leadership of  inspirational Youth Theatre and Main House Director, Sheila Mander, I  became involved in the activities of the senior Youth Theatre Group and assisted Sheila in directing a production of Howard Brenton's Epsom Downs.

It was a fabulous project to work on and I loved my time with the very talented young people Sheila had cast. The standard of performance was incredibly high and I promised the actors that I would rehearse and direct them as I would a professional company. Some of the members of that company did indeed go on to become professionally involved in the industry: Martin Julier appeared in the film version of The Madness of King George, Tom Kerridge is now a well known TV Chef, Cait Davis is currently appearing in Roald Dahl's The Twits at The Royal Court (we briefly toured together in another Everyman production), Kate Mander is a musical performer and Yasmin Bannerman, as I'm sure you know, has appeared in Doctor Who and Torchwood on television. Yasmin has of course also recorded a number of BF stories, including Damaged Goods. Small world; I wonder if she remembers Epsom Downs?

Back in the BF studio next week - can't wait :-)

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

Warhammer

It's often the case, and probably something I've previously mentioned, that a period of blogging inactivity usually corresponds to a period of busyness elsewhere. The last few weeks have been a case in point and indeed, a busy time has been had in various recording studios. What usually happens now is that I say what fun it's all been and then apologise for not being able to go into specific detail...

Well, it's been a fun time in the studio and that's about all I'm allowed to say for the time being... sorry.

What I can say, in this all too brief update, is that I've had a great time at The Games Workshop HQ this week, recording some very exciting Warhammer audio drama. I'd love to say more about this, but alas, it's all ultra top secret at the moment. When the time comes however, there'll be lots more posted here and I'm really looking forward to telling you all about it.

To round off then; Simon Guerrier's audio drama series Graceless II is currently being broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra if you fancy tuning in and here's a link to the BBC web page: Graceless Series 2

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