The Avengers: Series II

 ...bit of a boring post title in some ways, but definitely not a boring post - I hope! So where to start this month? For the past several weeks, I've been too busy to post anything and have been restricted to the occasional tweet instead. Why so busy? Well, I've been doing a season of weekly rep, rehearsing initially in Nottingham and then transferring to the Theatre Royal in Windsor. My three plays are now done, although the company have two further plays to perform.

I had roles in The Ghost Train, The Shadow of The Ghost and Fatal Encounter. The first two plays had me playing small/medium roles, but in Fatal Encounter, I played the lead, 'Howard Mansfield', around whom the story unfolds. That means I'm on stage in all but one short scene for a two hour play. That's ok and not unprecedented; the tricky part of Fatal Encounter was that during the designated 'rehearsal' week, which actually amounted to two and a half days, I also had eight performances of The Shadow of The Ghost. Consequently, I had quite a stressful time simply trying to learn the almost 700 lines the character speaks.

I won't elaborate on the 'actor's nightmare' scenario of appearing in an unfamiliar play, suffice it to say that after a weekend of line cramming, virtually no sleep and with the fantastic support of my fellow players, we all got through it, tired but in one piece. Amazingly, the show went very well and the audiences we had in Windsor seemed to love it. I'm mightily relieved that all that effort paid off in the end, although I'm not anxious to repeat such a contracted rehearsal process; the phrase 'bitten off more than I could chew' frequently came to mind and if Bach's Rescue Remedy could have been taken intravenously, I would have done it without hesitation!

Moving on; I'm very excited (yes I am!) that the second series of The Avengers is out this month from Big Finish. The Avengers is one of my all time favourite television shows; I think I saw it at the perfect time and age for it to have had a huge impact and I'm now toying with the idea of buying the 50th Anniversary DVD collection - 39 DVD's in total! Needless to say, I was thrilled to have taken part in the first Big Finish audio series and equally delighted to have roles in this latest release. As I remember, I'm doing something in all four episodes although my principal role is in The Radioactive Man. Now, if you look on the Big Finish web site, as I often do, you may notice that I'm not included in the cast list. Rather than suspecting some kind of fiendish plot to erase me from history, I can only put it down to 'an oversight' - never mind eh? So, here are the details to which I've inserted myself where appropriate...

Steed and Dr Keel return to action in these four recreations of classic lost episodes.

1: Ashes of Roses
Written by Peter Ling and Sheilah Ward, adapted by John Dorney
Carol goes undercover at a hairdressing salon, which appears to be at the centre of an arson ring.
Guest cast: Terry Molloy, Rachel Atkins

2: Please Don’t Feed the Animals
Written by Dennis Spoooner, adapted by John Dorney
Steed takes on blackmailers who are extorting secrets from government officials.
Guest cast: Martin Hutson, Richard Hope, Alisdair Simpson

3: The Radioactive Man
Written by Fred Edge, adapted by John Dorney
Someone is at loose in London, unwittingly carrying a radioactive isotope.
Guest cast: John Banks, Phil Mulryne, Beth Chalmers, Richard Franklin

4: Dance With Death
Written by Peter Ling and Sheilah Ward, adapted by John Dorney
Dr Keel is framed for murder, and Steed investigates a dance school.
Guest cast: Gemma Whelan, Dan Starkey, Jacqueline King

  Adapted by John Dorney
Directed by Ken Bentley 

Anthony Howell (Dr Keel), Julian Wadham (John Steed), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Carol Wilson),  

Terry Molloy, Rachel Atkins, Martin Hutson, Richard Hope, Alisdair Simpson, Phil Mulryne, Beth Chalmers, John Banks, Richard Franklin, Gemma Whelan, Dan Starkey, Jacqueline King

* * * * *

I'm delighted that the first series of Survivors has been so well received and that a further two series have been commissioned; whether or not I'll be involved as Daniel Connor remains to be seen. Before going up to Nottingham for the Thriller Season part two, I'm back in the studio with Big Finish for some ongoing work and a new series, which I'm very much looking forward to. As ever, details must remain secret for the time being but all will be revealed as soon as possible.

...all for now, more soon!