Callan was a hard-hitting spy drama that followed its hero, played by Edward Woodward, in his missions for “The Section”, a covert government department that dealt with enemies of the state using the most ruthless methods. It ran on ITV for four series between 1967 and 1972 and spawned both a movie and an 80s TV special.
Callan, a natural dead-shot, had a tumultuous past – both military and criminal – and frequently defied his superiors with a great line in sarcasm and a tendency to feel guilty for his victims. A relationship with Lonely, a petty thief who was frequently lured into his exploits, brought some light comic relief to a show that may have been unrelentingly gloomy otherwise.
Ben Miles takes the lead in the new rendition, with Frank Skinner playing Lonely. Section boss Hunter and his secretary Liz are played by Nicholas Briggs and Jane Slavin, respectively.
Big Finish has assembled an exceptional cast: Ben Miles as the abrasive Callan, who is tough but not without sympathy, and Frank Skinner as the down on his luck, Loney absolutely shine in this. The duo has a great connection and natural chemistry, which oozes out of the production. Skinner may be the least experienced actor in the audio, but he holds his own with the rest of the cast. I found myself missing him when he wasn’t around.
Liz, played by Jane Slavin, provides some much-needed warmth as well as a gleam of hope for Callan. Nicholas Briggs impresses as the unyielding boss, Hunter.
I wasn’t aware of the TV series before this, but I still found this a compelling drama. Like with their Survivors range, Big Finish has crafted an audioplay that will appeal to fans of the original, whilst also not alienating newcomers.
Jackie Tyler has everything she’s ever wanted: a loving husband and two children. But a terrible, far-reaching plan is underway, and only Jackie and a single friend stand in the way of it.
But the Doctor isn’t the man he was…
The Siege of Big Ben is a highly anticipated release. Ever since we left the Tylers and the meta-crisis tenth Doctor at the end of series 4, (10 years ago!) fans have wondered what happened next. Thankfully, Big Finish has given us some answers with this release.
This can’t have been an easy thing to write. Not only did Joe Lidster have to tell a gripping story that lives up to the fans expectations. He had to re-introduce us to the parallel Earth, or “Pete’s world”.
A base under siege scenario is a stablemate for Doctor Who. But Lidster manages to beautifully subvert what could be a repetitive format and turn it into a glorious character piece.
The script draws parallels between The Doctor being more human, and the human, being more like The Doctor we know and love. Having Jackie be the most Doctor-like character in the story adds an interesting dynamic.
The script is sharp, the direction is smooth and David Roocroft’s sound design is inspired. All in all, The Siege of Big Ben is a story about love, loss and the difficulties that come with moving on. You feel all of these things whilst listening. Camille Coduri oozes charm and instantly reminds you, why we all love Jackie Tyler.
This world is waiting for further exploration and I hope, this leads to some full-cast adventures.
Sgt Andy Davidson wakes up in the 1950s. He’s chained to a bed, his clothes are missing and the building’s on fire. Norton Folgate needs his help. The streets of Soho are swarming with gangsters, rumours and betrayals. Somewhere out there is a mysterious alien artefact, and Andy and Norton have to get to it first. Because tonight they’re going to save Torchwood.
I’ve been looking forward to another adventure with Andy and Norton, since last year’s Ghost Mission. There’s just something about this pairing that works so well. Norton Folgate, played brilliantly by Samuel Barnett, is a welcome addition to the Torchwood range. His witty and flamboyant personality is the perfect foil for Andy’s more serious demeanor.
Goodbye Piccadilly is absolutely gripping, from start to finish, the script is sensational.
The direction is smooth, the sound design is flawless. Tom Price gives another fantastic performance as Andy Davidson, capturing the character’s determination and vulnerability. His chemistry with Samuel Barnett is electric, and their banter is a joy to listen to.
What’s great about this audio, is that all of the London events-bar the alien invasion and the time travel, are real. James Goss took his research for this story extremely seriously, he looked at books such as ‘hidden London’ for inspiration and it shows. The life drawing class, the police raids and, gay men being hosed down are all things that actually happened in the 1950’s.
Big Finish has once again proved that Torchwood Big Finish, is Torchwood at its best. Goodbye Piccadilly is a must-listen for any Torchwood fan. Just remember, Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.
In which Martyn and Gerrod bring you an interview with Sylvester McCoy and, Jim “Winnie The Pooh” Cummings.
Sylvester McCoyis a Scottish actor, best known for playing theseventh incarnationofthe Doctorin the long-running science-fiction television series Doctor Whofrom 1987 to 1989—the final Doctor of the original run—and briefly returning in atelevision film in 1996.
Jim Cummings is an American voice actor and singer, who has appeared in almost 400 roles. He is known for voicing the title character from Darkwing Duck, Dr. Robotnik from Sonic the Hedgehog, Pete, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Bonkers D. Bobcat and the Tasmanian Devil. He has performed in numerous Disney and DreamWorks animations including Aladdin, The Lion King, Balto, Antz, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, and The Princess and the Frog. He has also provided voice-over work for video games, such as Icewind Dale, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft: Legion, and Splatterhouse other voice characters voiced as Biker Mice from Mars, Iron Man, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Incredible Hulk, Batman: The Animated Series and Fantastic Four. He has been the voice of Pooh since 1988.
On paper, an all-female instalment in the Ocean’s series, featuring a great cast-lead by Sandra Bullock sounds like everything you need for a great time. In practise however, Ocean’s Eight never really hits the mark.
There’re a lot of parallels in this film to Ocean’s Eleven. The movie starts at the parole hearing of Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock). Once released, she reunites with her old partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett, Thor: Ragnarok) to pull off a $150 million diamond heist at the Met Gala.
They assemble a heist team; fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter, Big Fish), jeweller Amita (Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project), hacker Nine-Ball (Rihanna, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina, Dude) and Tammy (Sarah Paulson, The Post).
The idea behind this film, seems to be to just chuck a bunch of famous names together and see what sticks. The script really doesn’t have anything to say, the camera work is basic and, the characterisations are one-dimensional and this talented cast just go through the motions, with very little to work with.
They really hammer home the George Clooney/Danny Ocean references. I get that they need to establish that this is in the same universe as the previous films, but it’s done incredibly sloppily.
There is clearly a lot of potential here and the cast are clearly having a great time, but they deserve a movie worthy of their talents, Ocean’s Eight isn’t it. Perhaps they can convince Steven Soderbergh to return for Ocean’s Nine…
Rather shamefully, I knew nothing about Charles Ignatius Sancho prior to this play.
Sancho was born into slavery, but went on to become a classical actor, a composer, an anti-slavery campaigner, property owner, and the first black British person to vote in a general election.
Paterson Joseph begins his one-man play, in a bold and unusual way. He comes out as himself and explains the driving force that made him write the play. He explains that after seeing his contemporaries get cast in costume dramas, he was keen to join them. However, he was constantly told he couldn’t, as there were no black Britons before the Windrush generation.
Image credit-Robert Day
It’s impossible to not be drawn in by Paterson Joseph’s charm, wit and energy. He’s an extremely characteristic man. His entrance is fantastic and a great way to launch a solo show. There is no fourth wall in this production, Sancho will lock eyes with audience members, pull them up on stage, ask why they’re laughing. The play defies theatre traditions, much like Sancho’s life defies our perception of black history in Britain.
The 70 minutes fly-by, the script is sharp, witty and political. The set and sound design are both exceptional. The backdrops are wooden and help hint and Sancho’s origin. The sounds help truly immerse the audience into the period.
Joseph fully embodies Sancho. He’s clever, witty, a raconteur and ever so slightly camp.
Image credit-Robert Day
Sancho: An act of remembrance is masterfully acted, beautifully written and reminder about the power of theatre. I left the with a greater knowledge than when I entered. Sancho’s life should be a TV series.
I hope this kick starts a re-evaluation of our history.
Sancho – An Act of Remembrance is at Wilton’s Music Hall until June 17th. For more information, click here.
She’s got planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures, to defeat… and an awful lot of running to do!
It’s difficult to believe the character of Jenny debuted in Doctor Who 10 years ago. Since then fans have wondered whatever happened to The Doctor’s daughter?
The character was rife for further exploration and it’s amazing the BBC never thought to bring her back.
Thankfully, we have Big Finish. They’ve taken the character and given her a range of her own.
The scripts are sharp, funny and perfectly honed. A lot of work and love has clearly gone into this box set. The stories are kinetic and full of real-world allegories; which in lesser hands could’ve come across as clunky.
Georgia Tennant and Sean Biggerstaff have instant chemistry as Jenny and Noah. A personal highlight is they allow Jenny to be fun. She makes jokes, which work well and relieves tension in scenes. The mystery surrounding Noah is intriguing and you finish the audios with even more questions about him.
Big Finish has done it again. The Doctor’s daughter is fantastic, a breath of fresh air. The theme music is epic. familiar but different. It perfectly encapsulates the Doctor’s nature in Jenny. The stories and the cast are engaging. The sound design is flawless.
Jenny-The Doctor’s daughter is firing on all cylinders. A perfect synergy between cast and crew. I’m practically begging for series 2.
Written By: Matt Fitton, John Dorney, Christian Brassington, Adrian Poynton
Directed By: Barnaby Edwards
Cast
Georgia Tennant (Jenny), Sean Biggerstaff (Noah), Siân Phillips (COLT-5000), Stuart Milligan (Garundel), Sarah Woodward (Vesh Taralesh), Clare Corbett (Lukaku), Arabella Weir (Angie Glazebrook), Silas Carson (Ood Leader), Rosalyn Landor (Vanessa Elledge), Olivia Darnley (Emily Cole), John Dorney (John Macguire), Pik-Sen Lim (Old Woman), Arina II (Shoon-Wei), Sara Houghton (Alitta), Paul Courtenay Hyu (Po), Adèle Anderson (Dreyda), Anthony Calf (Cal). Other parts played by members of the cast.
Producer: David Richardson
Associate Producer: Georgia Tennant
Script Editor: John Dorney, Matt Fitton
Executive Producers: Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
As part of the Royal Albert Hall’s Films in Concert, two showings of Star Trek were shown over the weekend. Saturday showed 2009’s Star Trek. Sunday showed Star Trek:Beyond.
Both screenings were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and conducted by Ernst van Tiel.
We attended the Saturday event.
Image credit-Penny Smallshire
I’ve attended concerts like this at The Royal Albert Hall, many times. But some how each time feels like the first.
For those who are unfamiliar with these concerts, the films are played on a suspended screen, above the musicians. The dialogue is intact, with the Orchestra performing the soundtrack and sound effects live.
Not only are these amazing musicians a sight to behold on stage, but the evening provided a phenomenal audio experience that no Blu-Ray can possibly live up to.
My personal highlight of the evening was the Orchestras performance of the Star Trek theme, over Leonard Nimoy’s “space the final frontier” speech. They received a seven minute standing ovation for this.
What I took away from this event, is just how beautiful and timeless Gene Roddenberry’s vision is. This is an experience I will cherish for a life time.
I highly recommend attending one of these screenings. Click here to find out information about the next one.
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