The Mad Death – interview and review in Starburst

Richard Heffer - The Mad Death - Starburst #449

RICHARD HEFFER (JIMMY Garland, Survivors) is interviewed in the current print edition of Starburst magazine, discussing his leading role in the three-part 1983 rabies mini-series The Mad Death.

Coinciding with the release of The Mad Death on DVD for the first time, Heffer recalls the making of the series, the topicality of its dramatic themes, the chilling and memorable opening titles, and his evident delight in taking on the role of no-nonsense government vet Michael Hilliard.

The DVD release is also reviewed in the online edition of Starburst magazine. The review concludes that the series:

remains gripping, thought-provoking, unsettling and disturbing; an overdue release from the TV archives from an era when the BBC made more shows that deserved those kinds of adjectives.

Rich Cross. 2018. ‘Interview – Richard Heffer: The Mad Death’. Starburst, No 449, p.92.

Rich Cross. 2018. ‘Review: The Mad Death (1983)’. Starburst, 3 May. https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/mad-death-1983.

UPDATE 16 JUNE 2018: My review of The Mad Death appears in the print edition of Starburst magazine No 450.

Rich Cross. 2018. ‘Review: The Mad Death (1983)’. Starburst. No 450, p.85.

The Mad Death - DVD review - Starburst No 450

Big Finish reschedule next two series of Survivors audios

BIG FINISH HAVE revised the schedule for the next two releases in their series of acclaimed original Survivors audio dramas.

The eighth series of the full-cast dramas set in the world of Terry Nation’s 1975-77 series had been scheduled for release in June, with the ninth series (the last currently confirmed) following in November. This timetable has changed.

Series eight is now to be released in November 2018, with series nine following in June 2019. Series producer David Richardson is keen to reassure fans that the change is simply down to the practicalities of ensuring the availability of all the actors and the behind-the-scenes team.

“The change was purely down to production logistics,” Richardson confirms. “We needed all of our ducks in a row to be able to record.” He pledges that fans’ patience will be rewarded. “I promise it’ll be worth the wait,” he says. “There’s some seismic stuff coming!”

Series eight and series nine are both available for pre-order (in both CD and digital download formats) on the Big Finish site. The previous seven series (and the audiobook version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel) are all available for purchase.

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Carolyn Seymour at Folkestone Film TV & Comic Con

CAROLYN SEYMOUR (ABBY Grant) appears at the sixth annual Folkestone Film TV & Comic Con (FFTCC) this weekend.

Seymour will be signing autographs (for a £15.00 fee) and chatting with fans during the event at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone, Kent on both Saturday 12 May and Sunday 13 May 2018.

In unrelated news, Getty Images have increased the number of archival (and more recent) photos of Seymour available from the photo agency. The images are free to embed (as below), with fees applying to include them in online and print publications.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images