I think from an internal Black Library viewpoint, Realmslayer represents a ramping up of their committment to the audio element of the business, which seems to be increasingly of interest to an ever growing audience. Good news indeed!
Over the decade or so of my audio adventures as an actor, I've been privileged to work with some remarkable people and it's always an interesting experience to find oneself working alongside someone who, perhaps, has been known and often admired throughout one's life. That's certainly the case for me with Realmslayer and it's lead actor, Brian Blessed.
Brian comes from the same part of the country as I do, between Doncaster and Sheffield and hearing his voice in Z Cars, in which he famously played policeman 'Fancy' Smith, was the first time I remember hearing my native accent on television; I was probably around five or six when the series featuring Fancy was being broadcast and such a seemingly trivial thing, actually had a huge impact on me. Fifty odd years later and there we were, having lunch together and talking about exactly that. Brian is a tremendous raconteur and all it took to launch our conversation was for me to say, quite gently, perhaps tentatively: "Z -Victor One to BD" - the character's police call sign - and he was off!
I was of course, delighted to be asked, (having submitted my audition samples!) by Matt Renshaw to join the cast of Realmslayer and play the part of Snorri Nosebiter, and old pal of Gotrek Gurnisson, Brian's character. It was fun; it was great fun - and despite having recieved an advance copy of the magnificently produced box set, my deferred gratification approach to these things means that I can now, finally, actually listen to it all!
Here are some details and an interesting, (I hope!) 'making of' and interview video:
Realmslayer: A Gotrek Gurnisson Series
A Gotrek Gurnisson audio drama boxed set
The Slayer returns. Spat out of the Realm of Chaos after an eternity of battle, Gotrek Gurnisson finds himself in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Mortal Realms. With no axe, no oaths and no Felix, he sets out to find his place in this new universe…
Gotrek Gurnisson was the greatest monster slayer of the age, who met his
doom at the End Times. The heroic duardin stepped forth into the Realm
of Chaos to fight the daemons gnawing at the world's ending and satisfy
his death oath, leaving behind his companion Felix Jaeger.Now Gotrek has returned, having outlived the old gods and the Old World. Spat from the ruinous depths with his redemption unfulfilled, he emerges into the Mortal Realms, a strange new world where gods walk the earth and dark forces are ascendant. Nothing is as he remembers. His oaths are dust, and the lands are torn asunder by Chaos.
Yet when Gotrek learns of human champions being elevated to immortality for Sigmar’s fight against this darkness, the so-called 'Stormcast Eternals', he knows why fate has brought him into this new age.
To find Felix. For only then can he find the peace in death he seeks. But is there more to Gotrek's apotheosis than even he can fathom? Has he truly been chosen by Grimnir and for what purpose?
Running time 4 hours and 15 minutes
5 hours and 28 minutes in total
Performed by:
Performed by:
Brian Blessed as Gotrek Gurnisson, John Banks, Steve
Conlin, Vanessa Donovan, Matthew Hunt, Jonathan Keeble, Toby Longworth,
Connie M'Gadzah, Penelope Rawlins, David Seddon, Joe Shire & Andrew
Wincott
Written By David Guymer and Produced by Matt Renshaw
©2018 Games Workshop Limited (P)2018 Games Workshop Limited
Before wrapping up this post, a quick online search has come up with a couple of images and some biographical details of my character, Snorri Nosebiter; this is my 'favourite' rendering of him:
...yes, those are nails he's driven into his head; tough guy huh?
* * * * *
The very busy phase of my very busy summer and autumn recording shedule, does at least now have a welcome pause coming up. By the end of this coming week, I need to finish recording my current audio book, start recording another and complete it by Friday. So another Sunday of homework to prepare for another intensive week in the studio and then almost a whole week of prep before the next book, scheduled to record mid November - phew! Which means of course...
...all for now, more just as soon as it happens!
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