Episode 34 - Jago & Litefoot Writer PAUL MORRIS on Writing For Big Finish, Cancel Culture and Other Galactic Funk

In this episode we are joined by Big Finish author and fellow Who Podcaster, Paul Morris. 

Paul has written for many Big Finish ranges including Doctor Who, Jago & Litefoot, The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, The Scarifyers, Tales From New Earth, The Avengers & The Paternoster Gang to name a few. 

Before we get to his writing, we discuss the controversial contents of The Talons of Weng-Chiang and the broader topic of cancel culture. 

During our chat, we played the trailers for the following audio adventures (please click of the titles to check out more detail about them):

The Diary of River Song Volume 6 (which includes Paul's Talons of Weng-Chiang prequel, The Talents of Greel)

The Scarifyers 2: The Devil of Denge Marsh

Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: Council of War 

Doctor Who: Tales From New Earth (which includes Paul's story, The Skies of New Earth)

Jago & Litefoot Series 13 (which includes Paul's story, The Stuff of Nightmares)

Jago & Litefoot Forever

The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 02: Steed & Mrs Peel (which includes The Antagoniser by by Paul Morris and SImon Barnard)

The Paternoster Gang: Heritage Volume 4 (which includes Paul's episode entitled Merry Christmas, Mr Jago)

Doctor Who: Aquitaine #BringBackHargreaves 

Recommendations

Paul recommends Guided By Voices (Music)

Philip recommends The War Master: Hearts of Darkness

Dwayne recommends Kaleidoscope Ears with Guest Programmer Nicholas Pegg - Author Of "The Complete David Bowie" - David Bowie Obscurities (Radio Special)

Paul Morris on Twitter 

Paul currently appears on the Doctor Who: Missing Episodes and Something Who podcasts. 

Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

Theme music by Husky by the Geek.

Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com

Website: sirensofaudio.com

Twitter: @AudioSirens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/sirensofaudio/

Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended.

Episode 33 - Scary Stories and Super Creepies (Night Thoughts & The Red Lady)

 

We discuss two of Big Finish's scariest stories according to our opinion and the popular vote.

They are:

Night Thoughts &

The Red Lady

Philip recommends Something Who (podcast)

Dwayne recommends The Album Years (podcast)

Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

Theme music by Husky by the Geek.

Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com

Website: sirensofaudio.com

Twitter: @AudioSirens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/sirensofaudio/

Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended.

Episode 32 - JANE SLAVIN on Tom Baker, Writing, Saying Yes to Everything and Making Accidental Friends

Tom Baker and Jane Slavin 

recording for Big Finish

Our guest this time is the multi-talented Jane Slavin, actor, writer, and oft wardrobe-dweller. 

Jane has starred in tv shows such as Coronation Street and The Bill, and has worked in audio with Doctors Jon Pertwee, the Bakers Tom and Colin, Peter Davision and David Tennant. 

On top of her acting Jane has written some incredible plays for Big Finish, particularly in their Big Finish Originals range and Survivors. 

We discuss it all. 

Thanks so much Jane! 

Dwayne recommends Fair Warning by Van Halen (album) Here is a link to the opening track, Mean Street.

Philip recommends Callan Series 1 & 2 (Big Finish) and Survivors Series 8 (Big Finish).

Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

Theme music by Husky by the Geek.

Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com

Website: sirensofaudio.com

Twitter: @AudioSirens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/sirensofaudio/

Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended.

REVIEW | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - The Modern Prometheus adapted by Jonathan Barnes (Big Finish Classics)

Recently I picked up the actual novel by Mary Shelley and devoured it in a day. This is a novel that screamed for an audio adaptation. 

What I did notice from the book was the ambiguity in relation to the making of the monster. That and other detail I assumed would be in the book, but wasn't, finally explained to me why I had seen so many seemingly conflicting narratives in film and TV versions of the book. 

So how does this audio adaptation stack up?

The Big Finish Classics range made no bones about their desire to adapt stories as close to the original works as possible. This has not always been easy, as their version of H.G. Wells Things To Come demonstrated, though that too is a marvelous adaptation.  

As I was reading the novel, I noticed that I had never in film or TV seen any reference to the travel Victor makes to England, Scotland and Ireland. I was very happy that the audio version includes this section of the novel. 

But how close actually is it? While the novel is a deeply human book, examining the deep tragedy of one man's mistake and his journey into regret and possible redemption, Big Finish have changed the character of Victor Frankenstein into someone quite unlikeable. This however, takes nothing away from the brilliant performance of Arthur Darvill as Victor. 

The relationship between Victor, Elizabeth and Justine has been completely changed for this version and I can't say that I personally like it. While the novel induces a level of sympathy towards Victor in the reader, the audio version casts him as a repulsive and arrogant character whom I kept finding myself wanting to slap. His treatment of both Elizabeth and Justine is deplorable and not in line with the novel at all. 

I don't have an issue with this change in character, but I'm unsure about Big Finish's claim that the story is very close to the novel. It isn't that close. 

Nicholas Briggs' portrayal as the creature is incredibly good. He's up there with Robert de Nero as my favourite version of the creature. However, does the image on the cover of this set really convey the horror expressed by characters within the play? Once again, the novel is ambiguous as to what the creature looks like, but in all honesty, the image on the cover is not as terrifying as I think it could be. 

The scenes between the creature and De Lacey, played brilliantly by Geoffrey Beavers are beautiful. Until, that is, some more characters are given some downright detestable motives that tack in the complete opposite direction to the novel. To say I was shocked by the "cottagers" scenes would be an understatement. 

And speaking of Geoffrey Beavers, his main role as Alphonse Frankenstein is an example of perfect casting. His voice drips like honey into the ears and his final scenes are incredibly beautiful but immensely tragic. 

While the parts of the story set in Scotland and Ireland are there, they don't have the same feel as the novel to me. 

One of the most horrific parts of the story for me is the murder of Clerval in Ireland. Man! That was intense! But, this is a horror story after all.  

So for me, this version doesn't appear to be as faithful to the novel as it claims, but it's still a mighty fine production and a worthy addition to the Frankenstein stable of adaptations. 

Buy Frankenstein directly from the Big Finish website. 

Dwayne Bunney

Episode 31 - JOHN DORNEY - Actor, Writer, Script Editor Part 2

Part 2 of our interview with John Dorney  contains tips for budding writers, as well as behind the scenes insights of the process behind the creation of various Big Finish box sets and their story arcs.

Previews from the following boxset played during this episode were:

Doctor Who: Stranded 1

The Robots 3

Doctor Who: Doom Coalition 3

John recommends Rule of Three (podcast)

Dwayne recommends Patrick Troughton - The Biography by Michael Troughton (audiobook)

Philip recommends Every Musical Ever (podcast)

Theme music by Husky by the Geek.

Email: sirensofaudio@gmail.com

Website: sirensofaudio.com

Twitter: @AudioSirens

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/sirensofaudio/

Clips and music are copyright BBC and Big Finish. No infringement is intended.

REVIEW | Torchwood: The Three Monkeys by James Goss

Big Finish have tried larger scale Torchwood audio drama, but it's here in the smaller cast plays that it seems to shine. Characters get their moment much more than they ever would if the whole Torchwood team and a large guest cast were featured.

That's part of what makes this month's Torchwood: The Three Monkeys, so special. 

Tom Price and Burn Gorman seem to be having a ball reprising their roles. Lockdown and remote recording has in no way dampened their enthusiasm for the job.

But despite the humour and good rapport between the characters, we still have the dark tragedy of Owen's "living death". We also learn of a massive tragedy within Andy's family.

Writer James Goss handles the human story, the comedy of the "No Activity" style car setting and the ensuing action very well as is common with his writing.

Combined with Lee Binding's very creepy cover art and Scott Handcock's reliable direction, The Three Monkeys is a thoroughly enjoyable addition to the Torchwood monthly range.

Buy Torchwood: The Three Monkeys directly from the Big Finish website.

Dwayne Bunney

REVIEW | Doctor Who: Daughter of the Gods by David K. Barnes

With so much output from Big Finish to keep up with, it may be easy to overlook some of the little gems that exist.

Take for instance, Daughter of the Gods by David K. Barnes, a first and second Doctor story featuring Jamie and Zoe, as well as Steven Taylor, and revolving around a companion with only a single tv episode plus a clip as a visual reference, Katarina.  

Most of us will know the story of Katarina's demise in The Daleks' Masterplan and credit must go to the "ideas man" of Big Finish, David Richardson, for the basis of this beautiful yet heartbreaking story. 

Creating a multi-Doctor story for an era that we didn't know much about the Doctor could be difficult, but Barnes has done a sensitive job in telling this tale, not only to keep within existing continuity, but he makes the sci-fi and timey-whimey concepts within it easy to understand. 

One of the most popular of the early adventures is "The Dalek Invasion of Winter" also penned by the same author. Barnes has a good handle on the era and it's little wonder he was asked to write this one. 

Each episode of Daughter of the Gods keeps you wondering what will happen next, with a new revelation to be uncovered and explored after each cliffhanger. 

Peter Purves and Fraser Hines are superb as always in their dual roles of both companion and Doctor, taking the listener right back to that era with ease. 

The casting of Ajjaz Awad as Katarina is a masterstroke. Together she and Purves create a relationship between Doctor and companion that would have been a pleasure to see back in the 60's, showing just how warm the first Doctor could truly be. 

This is not just for fans of the audios. I would recommend anyone who is a fan of the 60's era of Doctor Who take a listen to this. 

You will not be disappointed. 

Purchase Doctor Who: Daughter of the Gods directly from the Big Finish website on CD or download. 

Dwayne Bunney