Big Finish reveals cover art for upcoming Survivors audio-book

Big Finish have released the cover artwork for the upcoming audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel. With its ‘shattered glass’ design, the cover art evokes comparison with the original UK paperback and hardback editions of the book – which featured a smashed photo frame containing a portrait of Abby Grant.

Unabridged and voiced by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Survivors – audiobook of novel will be released in a six-disc CD set and in a digital download version in December 2014. Both versions of the Survivors audiobook are available for pre-order on the Big Finish site.

Survivors  - Terry Nation - Big Finish - audiobook
Survivors – Terry Nation – Big Finish – audiobook

A deadly virus spreads across the world as quickly as the passenger jets that encircle it. Within weeks, most of the global population is dead.

The human race is thrown back into the dark ages. The few left alive must rely on the most basic skills to survive one day to the next.

Abby Grant ventures out into a strange new England, her husband dead, the fate of her son unknown. Jenny Richards flees London. Engineer Greg Preston arrives from abroad. Desperate lone travellers come together, their instinct to form a community, even if that means rebuilding civilisation from scratch. But not all who are left have such high ideals…

And while she has the chance of a new beginning, Abby cannot settle until she knows the truth. Has her son survived?

Written by: Terry Nation | Number of Discs: 6 | Duration: 360ms approx | ISBN: 978-1-78178-451-8

Louise Jameson discusses her work on Big Finish’s Survivors dramas

A new interview with Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall), in which she discusses her highly praised work on the first series of Big Finish’s Survivors audio adventures has been added to the Big Finish Survivors mini-site of Survivors: A World Away.

Says Louise of signing up to take part in the series:

I said ‘yes’ before I’d seen a word. I don’t normally do that, but I trust Big Finish so much. David Richardson has become a really good mate. And as you say, the series was so highly acclaimed too. I didn’t see how it could fail, really. I think they’ve done a fantastic job with the soundscape. They say that the best pictures are on the radio, and I think that they’ve achieved that with Survivors.

Louise Jameson - Jackie Burchall - Big Finish - Survivors - audio dramas

Louise Jameson shares photo of her Survivors script for Big Finish series two

Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall, Big Finish Survivors) has Tweeted a photo of the front coverage of Mothers’ Courage – her script for the second episode of the second series of Survivors audio dramas. Jameson is the first of the new Survivors audio drama cast to write a script for the Big Finish series.

 
Louise Jameson - Mothers' Courage - Survivors - Big Finish  - 2.2

Big Finish confirm release of Survivors novel audio-book

Audio-drama specialists Big Finish have confirmed their intention to release an audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel, to be read by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant). Survivors: Audiobook of Novel will be released as a 6-disc CD set and as a digital download. Both formats are available for pre-order, and will be released in December 2014.

Carolyn Seymour – star of BBC’s popular Survivors series – was in the UK last weekend for Big Finish Day 5 – and it’s been announced what else she was working on while here…

Big Finish are pleased to announce a release of the Survivors novel, written by series creator Terry Nation in 1976. Out in December it will be read by Carolyn Seymour – Abby Grant in the 1975 series, a role she reprised in a special appearance in Big Finish’s first Survivors release in June:

A deadly virus spreads across the world as quickly as the passenger jets that encircle it. Within weeks, most of the global population is dead.

The human race is thrown back into the dark ages. The few left alive must rely on the most basic skills to survive one day to the next.

Abby Grant ventures out into a strange new England, her husband dead, the fate of her son unknown. Jenny Richards flees London. Engineer Greg Preston arrives from abroad. Desperate lone travellers come together, their instinct to form a community, even if that means rebuilding civilisation from scratch. But not all who are left have such high ideals…

And while she has the chance of a new beginning, Abby cannot settle until she knows the truth. Has her son survived?

Survivors: Audiobook of Novel is available as a Download or 6-disc CD set, at a special pre-order price held until the end of December.

Survivors  - audio book of Terry Nation's  novel

Survivors audio-drama panel at Big Finish Day 5

Big Finish have posted a set of photos on Facebook from the Big Finish Day 5 convention (13 September) – including shots from the Survivors panel, which several attendees have been retweeted:

Survivors cast and crew - Big Finish Day 5


 
Carolyn Seymour - Big Finish Day 5


 
Terry Molloy and Chase Masterson - Big Finish Day 5
https://twitter.com/ChrisDalek/status/511200831027572736/

Kasterborous: “Big Finish to release Nation Survivors novel as audio-book”

In its report on the Big Finish Day 5 Convention the Kasterborous web site reports that Big Finish will be releasing an audio-book version of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel (in addition to the already-announced three series of original Survivors audio-dramas, the first series of which was released in the summer).

In its list of ‘things we learned’ from the Big Finish Day 5, the Kasterborous site suggests:

Big Finish will be releasing an audio book of Terry Nation’s Survivors novel.

Big Finish confirmed the news on 16 September 2014.

Big Finish’s The Night of the Triffids audio – additional behind-the-scenes insights

Audio drama company Big Finish have announced that the upcoming release of Simon Clark’s Day of the Triffids sequel The Night of the Triffids (adapted by the author from his own novel) will be made available with an extensive behind-the-scenes feature:

There’s already been considerable interest in the Big Finish audiobook of Simon Clark’s Night of the Triffids, the sequel to the the John Wyndham classic. Recording on the full cast production completed some months back, along with extensive cast interviews for a making-of feature. The cast (including Doctor Who‘s Nicola Bryant, Robin Hood‘s Sam Troughton) were more than happy to discuss their work in this action-packed sci-fi adventure.

Rather than add a normal ‘making-of’ feature to the existing two-disc release, we’ve decided to add a third disc’s worth of download content free to all purchases via the Big Finish website only. An hour of cast and crew behind-the-scenes interviews, this extra content will only be available to those who purchase (or have already purchased) the title from Big Finish direct

Preview a brief extract from the new new making-of feature:
 

 
The Night of the Triffids is due for release later this month and is still available for pre-order (on CD or through digital download) from the Big Finish store.
 
Big Finish - The Night of the Triffids

Survivors scriptwriter Shaw pens new drama on his meeting with Dora Russell

Don Shaw - A Meeting with Dora

A Meeting with Dora, a new radio play by Survivors scriptwriter Don Shaw (Greater Love, Mad Dog), explores (in fictionalised form) Shaw’s meeting with Dora Russell a redoubtable campaigner for “women’s rights, progressive education, sexual reform and birth control”.

Shaw visited Dora Russell’s Cornish home in 1979 while researching a film, commissioned from him by the BBC, intended to focus on the complex and ultimately failed relationship between Dora and her husband, the celebrated philosopher Bertrand Russell. The film never entered production, but this new radio drama revisits that memorable encounter.

Eleanor Bron stars as Dora Russell, with David Schofield taking on the role of Don Shaw. Shaw has a supporting role in A Meeting with Dora, appearing as John Russell, the troubled son of Dora and Bertrand.

Shaw explained to the Derby Telegraph  (9 August), “I took the idea to BBC Radio 4 where Jeremy Howe, head of drama, was captured with my account of my meeting with Dora.”

“While interviewing her, she became suddenly interested in my childhood. I had been the son of a coalminer-turned-postman. This contrasted sharply with Bertrand Russell’s childhood, he being brought up as an aristocrat living in a mansion in Richmond Park, Surrey. The play is set against the stormy background of a gale force eight and ends dramatically with an attempted suicide.”

“I’m really pleased with it and, thankfully, so are the BBC who commissioned it.”

The Radio Times’  preview of the play suggests that the play is: “a psychological drama about love, loss and the value of key emotional memories. […] A quiet, but powerfully nuanced piece of writing and acting.”

Don Shaw and Eleanor Bron were both interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour  (22 August) about their work on the drama.

A Meeting with Dora will premier on BBC Radio 4 at 14:15 (in the Afternoon Drama slot) on 28 August 2014, and will then be available on the iPlayer.

Says Shaw: “It is very strange starring in a radio play that you have written and starred in yet the role of yourself is being played by someone else. […] Knowing it will be played to up to a million listeners is hugely exciting.”

A Meeting with Dora is produced and directed by Pauline Harris.

Big Finish Survivors scriptwriter Andrew Smith interviewed in Daily Record

An interview with Big Finish Survivors scriptwriter Andrew Smith is published today (24 July 2014) in the Scottish Daily Record.

Survivors of the fittest for writer Andrew

Rutherglen man’s tale in post-apocalyptic world

Imagine a world where the majority of the population has been wiped out by a virus, and how you’d survive that apocalypse.

Former Stonelaw High School pupil Andrew Smith has done just that, after writing a new hard-hitting audio play, which has just been released.

Having written for Doctor Who and Not The Nine O’Clock News on TV, Andy gave up on his writing career for many years, as he moved to London to join the police.

In recent years, he has returned to his former craft, writing Doctor Who and Blake’s 7 adventures on audio, for Big Finish, a London-based company that makes original stories based on hit TV shows.

Andy’s most recent work has been on Survivors, which is based on the 70s show of the same name, created by Terry Nation, who also created the Daleks and Blake’s 7.

Survivors ran from 1975-77, and featured the survivors of Earth after most of the world’s population is wiped out by a mysterious pandemic, accidentally unleashed by a Chinese scientist.

Andy, who formerly lived on Eskdale Drive, said: “I was a fan of the original series, so when the producer David Richardson got in touch and said they were looking to do a new series and asked if I’d be interested in doing one, I’d have bitten off his hand to be involved.

“I remember the first series on TV particularly well, so I knew the characters of Greg and Jenny, but it was very different to write from Doctor Who, in part because its drama is grittier, with more mature themes.

“Survivors does get categorised as science fiction, but it’s all about how real people would react in a realistic way, when there’s less than one per cent of the population left.

“It’s harsher and, basically, it’s more adult as well, to the point where there’s a caveat on the packaging saying that it’s got adult material and not suitable for younger listeners, as there’s people with traumatic backgrounds and experiences, across the four discs.”

Andy worked with his producer and script editor Matt Fitton, as well as the other writers on the box set, to create a dramatic series where you never know what will happen next – and who is going to live or die.

Andy continued: “David and Matt came up with a plan for the series, so I knew what elements of our story arc I had to include in my episode. My play was to reintroduce Greg and Jenny, and late on we added some scenes with Carolyn Seymour, who played Abby Grant, as they hadn’t been able to track her down at first, before she got in touch when she heard Big Finish were doing the series, so were able to include her to include her in a couple of scenes.”

Script editor Matt Fitton said: “Andrew’s Survivors story – Judges – effortlessly recaptures the voices of the original TV series characters Greg and Jenny – plus a cameo from Carolyn Seymour as Abby – while immediately hurling them into a new and dangerous situation.

“An Andrew Smith script typically delivers dynamic action, with some interesting moral issues at its centre. In the case of Judges, with its pivotal policeman character in our post-apocalyptic society, it’s a story Andrew has a unique perspective on as a writer.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with him, and I hope we get the chance to collaborate again in the future.”

With Scots actor Ian McCulloch as original series character Greg, and Lucy Fleming as Jenny, as well as a tremendous cast of other experienced actors, Andy found it a difficult but rewarding ask to ensure all of the leads were given sufficiently good material to work with.

He said: “There are so many lead characters in it, you’ve got to find the right balance for everyone. With, for example, a Doctor Who story, you have to make sure you give the Doctor and the companion meaty things to do, and with Judges, it was a case of making sure there were enough storylines going on for our regular actors, John Banks, Louise Jameson and Adrian Lukis, as well as Ian McCulloch and Lucy Fleming.

“I hope I pulled it off, and managed to create a good ensemble piece, and I was delighted with the calibre of actors we had. You can pick any of them out, and say what a great job they did. They’re all fantastic.”

Andy was able to apply some of his day job experience into his play.

He explained: “Phil Mulryne really impresses as the policeman, Phil Bailey. Deciding he was a policeman was one of the first things I knew I would do – it wasn’t in the plan but it seemed the right thing to do, have a policeman who’s gathered together some people and is being the one who says follow me. I really related to that.

“Something I was proud of in the play was a scene where they discussed theft, which is something I’ve had in real life, where you ask someone to describe theft – and most people would say it’s taking something that doesn’t belong to you without permission.

“But what it you borrow something without permission and then return it – is that theft? What if someone shoots a duck flying overhead and it lands in your garden – is that theft? What if you want an extra bottle of milk and you take one and pay for it, but it would mean the milkman then doesn’t have enough milk to finish his round – is that theft?

“It’s a very difficult one to define.”

Survivors has won tremendous critical acclaim from reviewers, delighting the production team.

Andy added: “It does make you think, this series, and that’s one of the secrets of Survivors – it makes you think what skills have you got, would you be able to use them to survive? Put yourself in that situation, and think about the knowledge you have.

“When writing my plan, I thought a policeman would have a good range of skills in the community.

“But then you wonder, what if you are older and weak, or ill – what part would you play in the new communities?

“Hopefully, it will make the listener think, and I believe that’s why it’s been such a huge success with the people who’ve heard the whole series.”

Survivors is available on download and on CD, from http://www.bigfinish.com.

Kenny Smith. 2014. ‘Survivors of the fittest for writer Andrew’, Daily Record, 24 July. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/survivors-fittest-writer-andrew-3901401.

Big Finish new Survivors feature in Vortex 65

The new edition of Big Finish’s free-to-download Vortex magazine (No 65) includes a fully-illustrated four-page feature on the new Survivors audio adventures.

The feature includes quotes from cast and crew, and confirms the release of the series one box-set as gaining “universal praise and outstanding critical success in reviews”.

Big Finish - Vortex 65 - Survivors feature
 
Big Finish - Vortex 65 - Survivors feature