Category: Cast news

Ian McCulloch at Abertoir 2014 horror film festival

Ian McCulloch’s (Greg Preston) participation in the recent Abertoir 2014 horror film festival is documented in some of the video, photo and Twitter commentary from The Ghostface Girls.

Ian McCulloch in the Q&A for 'Contamination' at the Abertoir horror film festival
Luigi Cozzi and Ian McCulloch in the Contamination Q&A session at Abertoir 2014


 


 

The Ghostface Girls produced daily video diaries from the festival. The screening of Contamination, and the question and answer session which followed, is discussed at 2ms 50s. One of the Ghostface Girls comments: “The Q&A was fantastic. It’s like one of those things that you only get from festivals; to get these people who’ve probably not seen each other for a long, long time, to suddenly sit down and talk about what they did, like, thirty years ago.”

‘An Evening with Ian McCulloch’ is discussed, and briefly illustrated at 2ms in, in this video log from the event.

Denis Lill helps centre for adults with learning difficulties celebrate anniversary

The Western Gazette – Sherborne (8 November) reports on a recent visit by Survivors star Denis Lill (Charles Vaughan) to a local centre for adults with learning difficulties celebrating its fourth birthday.

Only Fools and Horses star visits Sherborne

ACTOR Denis Lill best known for his role in Only Fools and Horses recently visited Sherborne.

Mr Lill starred in the classic British sitcom as Rodney Trotter’s father-in-law. He was in the town to help The Green Shed celebrate its fourth birthday.

The Green Shed, based in Castle Gardens, provides work for adults with learning difficulties. They are employed to produce kindling, plant troughs and other items using recycled materials.

Mr Lill spent the morning regaling people with anecdotes from his six decade film and television career.

Coordinator of the Green Shed, Barry Watts, said: “We were delighted to have Denis along to celebrate our anniversary with us and we are very grateful to him for spending time talking to our service users.

Denis Lill visits Sherborne - Western Gazette (Sherborne)
“A lot of laughs were had and it was fascinating to hear his anecdotes about filming Only Fools and Horses, The Royal and the 1975 television series Survivors.”

The Green Shed was opened in October 2010 after the Whitehouse Resource Centre in Sherborne closed. It is operated by Dorset County Council and was part-funded by Chalk and Cheese.

Western Gazette Sherborne. “Only Fools and Horses star visits Sherborne”, Western Gazette Sherborne, 8 November 2014. http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Fools-Horses-star-visits-Sherborne/story-24440634-detail/story.html

Ian McCulloch to join Dimensions 2014 convention Big Finish roster

Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) will join the panel of Big Finish guests at the upcoming Dimensions 2014 convention, being held at the Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle on 24-26 October 2014.

Other Big Finish guests involved with the Survivors audio dramas include: Ken Bentley (director, writer), David Richardson (producer), Jason Haigh-Ellery (executive producer) and Matt Fitton (writer, script editor). Also appearing at the convention over the course of the weekend, as part of the Doctor Who guest line-up, are Louise Jameson (‘Jackie Burchall’, writer) and Terry Molloy (‘John Redgrave’).

Ian McCulloch - Greg Preston - Survivors - S1 studio day - 2003

Big Finish release trailer for Survivors audio book

Big Finish have released a first trailer for the unabridged audio-book of Terry Nation’s 1976 Survivors novel, voiced by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant).
 

 
The CD and download versions of the Survivors audio-book, which will be released in December 2014, can be pre-ordered from the Big Finish web shop.

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

Big Finish complete recording on second series of Survivors audio adventures

Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards)
Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston) and Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards) in the Big Finish studios, October 2014

Recording of the second series of Big Finish’s Survivors audio adventures has completed this week, and all four episodes are now being scheduled for editing, mixing, music and all post-production tasks ahead of the June 2015 release.

I had the great privilege of attending one of the week’s recording sessions, and was able to interview the cast in between the recording of different scenes and listen in (from the engineer and director’s booth), as sequences from the first episode of the new series were rehearsed and different takes recorded.

Material from these new interviews will be published next year on our dedicated Big Finish Survivors site and in the new edition of The End of the World? book that we’re currently beavering away on.

Ian McCulloch to appear at Abertoir horror film festival

Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston, Survivors) is appearing at the Welsh international horror film festival Abertoir (@AbertoirFest) being held at Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Ceredigion, 11-16 November 2014.

On Saturday 15 November McCulloch will join director Luigi Cozzi for a screening of their 1980 Italian cult sci-fi horror Contamination (one of three Italian horror movies McCulloch starred in shortly after finishing work on Survivors).

On Sunday 16 November, special event An Evening with Ian McCulloch will see the actor and musician in conversation and performance:

Acclaimed actor Ian McCulloch will be taking to the stage for a light-hearted evening looking back at his elaborate career in film and television. Best known for his leading role as Greg Preston in the 70s BBC TV series Survivors, we of course love him for his iconic appearances in three Italian horror movies: Zombie Flesh Eaters, Zombie Holocaust and Contamination. His horror work also includes Hammer House of Horror and The Ghoul, and other work includes Where Eagles Dare, Cromwell, The Professionals and Doctor Who.

We’re delighted to have lured him here to Aberystwyth where he will also be joining us for a Q&A after a screening of his film Contamination on 15th November.

A wealth of entertaining anecdotes takes us through his acting career that Ian promises will be accompanied by video clips, stories and the imminent threat of his guitar!

Ian McCulloch - Contamination - film poster
Ian McCulloch – Contamination – film poster

The Abertoir festival boasts an extensive programme of screenings, including UK premieres, special events and competitions, showcasing horror films of all different types and genres.

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

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/

Brian Blessed – Who Do You Think You Are?

The force of nature that is Brian Blessed (whose memorable turn as Brod in series three Survivors episode Law of the Jungle is one of the guest-starring highlights of the final series) is the focus of the latest episode of the BBC personal family history show Who Do You Think You Are? (14 August 2014)

Interviewed for the Radio Times, Blessed revealed: “I didn’t want to find some boring king or duke or baron; I was hoping to find normal people 
with all their turmoil and suffering and joy. And by God, we have done! It’s more Dickensian than Dickens. Even the camera crew was weeping. They’re saying it’s the best they’ve ever filmed.”

Who Do You Think You Are? Series 11: 2. Brian Blessed is available (in the UK) on the BBC iPlayer until 23 October 2014.

Brian Blessed - Brod, original Survivors
Brian Blessed – Brod, original Survivors

Peter Duncan appears on BBC One’s Tumble

Peter Duncan (who appeared in the closing episodes of series two of Survivors as Dave) has joined the cast of BBC One’s gymnastics competition show Tumble.

Media retrospectives on Duncan’s varied career (including one in the Daily Mirror) rarely mention his time on Survivors, but there’s an interview on the Survivors: A World Away site that fills in that gap!

Peter Duncan - Survivors