Thursday, April 8, 2021

Blake's 7 News - Travis and Bayban the Butcher Return!

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 are set to expand more than ever before, as some familiar faces take centre stage in a range of full-cast audio adventures from Big Finish Productions. 

Three brand-new box sets and three tie-in audio novels are due to be released over 2021 and 2022, featuring beloved cast members reprising their original television roles, including Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell, Stephen Greif, Brian Croucher and... Colin Baker. 




Producer David Richardson said: “I’ve had this in my mind for nine years. When we first started making Blake’s 7 at Big Finish, I had vague plans to do a series of box sets that centred on characters originally created for the series by Chris Boucher. At the time, it never came to pass… but now, here we are! 

The Clone Masters explores that enigmatic race which was introduced in the brilliant Season B episode, Weapon. We have Jenna and Cally on a mission together. We have the return of Travis, in which he comes face to face with… another Travis. (Fear not, it’s not down to time travel and it all makes sense within the series story world). And we have Hinton, a psychostrategist who… ah, but that’s for later. 

“It’s taken nine years, but it’s been worth the wait!”

Script editor Peter Anghelides added: “It's such a treat to delve into previously unexplored parts of Blake’s 7. What are the unrevealed secrets and motivations of the Clone Masters, who on TV we met briefly before later hearing of their untimely demise? What further influence across the galaxy do the Terra Nostra have, when we know that they are involved in whatever is dirty, degrading, and cruel on every civilised world? 

“And how did Bayban become the Butcher that the Liberator crew encountered in his startling original appearance… and how could he possibly have survived that?

 “Our new full-cast audios offer nine thrilling and stylistically different adventures, featuring aspects based on those tantalising first experiences in the TV show. It’s brilliant to hear the original cast members facing these brand-new challenges. And the novels broaden that even more in three exciting, wide-ranging journeys in the Blake’s 7 universe.”

Each new box set is paired with a related tie-in audiobook, as follows: 

Due for release in September 2021, The Clone Masters revisits original script editor Chris Boucher’s enigmatic race from the second television season’s episode Weapon. This box set is released alongside The Rule of Death, a full-length audiobook written by Trevor Baxendale. 

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – The Clone Masters is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD box set (at £19.99) or digital download (at £16.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

Blake’s 7 – The Rule of Death is now available to pre-order as a digital download (at £9.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – The Clone Masters & The Rule of Death are now available to pre-order as a bundle on collector's edition CD (at £28) or digital download (at £25) at www.bigfinish.com.

Then in December 2021, Colin Baker returns as the eponymous career criminal Bayban the Butcher, first seen in 1980’s City at the Edge of the World. Accompanying this release is Bayban Ascending, a full-length audiobook written by Nigel Fairs. 

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Bayban the Butcher is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD box set (at £19.99) or digital download (at £16.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

Blake’s 7 – Bayban Ascending is now available to pre-order as a digital download (at £9.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Bayban the Butcher & Bayban Ascending are now available to pre-order as a bundle on collector's edition CD (at £28) or digital download (at £25) at www.bigfinish.com.

And there’s more – in January 2022, three new full-cast audio dramas dive deep into the murky underworld of the Terra Nostra, the dangerous organisation first encountered in the TV story, Shadow. The tie-in audiobook, entitled Zero Point, is written by Scott Harrison. 

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – The Terra Nostra is now available to pre-order as a collector's edition CD box set (at £19.99) or digital download (at £16.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

Blake’s 7 – Zero Point is now available to pre-order as a digital download (at £9.99) at www.bigfinish.com.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – The Terra Nostra & Zero Point is now available to pre-order as a bundle on collector's edition CD (at £28) or digital download (at £25) at www.bigfinish.com.

Big Finish listeners can save more by pre-ordering all three box sets – The Clone Masters, Bayban the Butcher & The Terra Nostra – for £80 on collector’s edition CD and £70 on download, exclusively from the Big Finish website.


52. GARY RUSSELL Part 2 - Being the B.O.S.S. at Big Finish

We continue our discussion with founding Big Finish producer and director Gary Russell on the early years of Big Finish, talking about projects such as the Gallifrey and Sarah Jane Smith series, as well as the creation of Evelyn Smythe, played by the lovely and sorely missed Maggie Stables. 

Part 3 coming soon. 

Next time on The Sirens of Audio... Annette Badland discusses her career, and her work with Big Finish, 16 years after her debut TV appearance in the Doctor Who universe in 2005's Aliens of London.  (I know we said 21 years during the show, that was Philip's fault for not doing his maths properly and Dwayne's fault for believing everything that comes out of Philip's mouth.)



Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.

Thursday, April 1, 2021

51. ROBERT VALENTINE on Doctor Who: The End of the Beginning and Master! starring Eric Roberts

It's the end... of the monthly range at Big Finish and our special guest is writer of the final story in the range, Rob Valentine. The finale is called "The End of the Beginning" and features the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Doctors. 

Rob gives us some insight into writing for multiple Doctors, the inspiration for some of his settings, and how the pandemic affected the story. 

Master! starring Eric Roberts as the Doctor's arch nemesis is also released this month from Big Finish, and Rob speaks about his episode in the set entitled "Faustian". 




Recommendations

Philip recommends Survivors (Big Finish Productions)

Dwayne recommends Space 1999 Volume One (Big Finish Productions) & Red Moon by Robert Valentine (Wireless Theatre Company)



Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.

Thursday, March 25, 2021

Episode 50 - The Big Finish Introduction Agency

To celebrate 50 episodes of The Sirens of Audio, Philip and Dwayne help introduce new fans to the worlds of Big Finish by sharing their stories for new listeners to Doctor Who in the audio medium for Doctors 1-8 and 10. 



Philip recommends Flight Through Entirety (podcast)

Dwayne recommends Rumours by Fleetwood Mac (music)


Dwayne's background art is by Millie McKenzie @CowBearCreates



Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Episode 49 - MILES RICHARDSON - The Many Lives of Irving Braxiatel

We have a fascinating conversation with the multi-talented MILES RICHARDSON, best known by Doctor Who fans as Irving Braxiatel, first mentioned the the 1979 tv story, City of Death, and immortalized by Miles on audio in the Bernice Summerfield and Gallifrey ranges for Big Finish.



Thanks so much for speaking with us Miles. 


Trailers from the following audio stories were used in this episode:

The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Extinction Event

Doctor Who: Bloodtide

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Hamlet

Gallifrey: Time War Volume 4


Recommendations

Philip recommends Hamlet (Big Finish Productions)

Dwayne recommends Doctor Who: The Peterloo Massacre (5th Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan)

Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Episode 48 - GARY RUSSELL Part 1 - The Early Years

Join us as we chat with the man who spearheaded the campaign to bring back new and original Doctor Who on audio back in the 1990's. 

Gary Russell is a lifelong fan of Doctor Who, and has been involved in almost every avenue of Doctor Who media, from the TV series, to books, to DWM editor and of course, the audio adventures. 

In part 1 of our extensive conversation, we speak with Gary about his early days as a fan, his involvement in fandom itself, the launch of the audio adventures of Bernice Summerfield and his writing up to the birth of Doctor Who on audio in 1999. 


Dwayne's recommendation - Nerdology UK with Dwayne in conversation with Jim Baker (Henry Parker) from The Tripods.  



Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Episode 47 - "We've Got Randomoids" #1 - Short Trips: Prime Winner / Dalek Empire III: The Demons


Welcome to the inaugural "We've Got Randomoids", where we use the Randomoid Selectortron to choose two random Big Finish releases to review. This could be anything from Doctor Who to Torchwood, Blake's 7 to Space 1999. The Randomoid Selectortron will decide...


This time we review the following releases:

Doctor Who - Short Trips 6.2 - Prime Winner

Dalek Empire III - Chapter 4 - The Demons 


Check out the Randomoid Selectortron for yourself. 


Recommendations

Philip recommends All of Time and Space (podcast)

Dwayne recommends Diddly Dum (podcast)


Thanks to Hayden Gribble from the Diddly Dum podcast for arranging Uncle Terrance to join us. 

Philip Edney on Twitter

Dwayne Bunney on Twitter

The Sirens of Audio on YouTube

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.