BBC Radio, Monday July 27

Lots of good stuff:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio7/programmes/schedules/2009/07/27

Rules of Asylum
Episode 1
6 days left to listen
1/3. James Follett's first radio play reveals dissension and danger in a repressive state.

The Voice of God
Fields of Thunder
1/5. Earthquakes rock Australia. Seismologist Sam investigates and uncovers a nightmare.

I'm actually puzzled to see Bovey's Voice of God being aired... I thought they were doing Cold Blood!

I've interviewed Bovey here:

http://thethunderchild.com/RadioDrama/BBC7/SimonBovey/SimonBovey.html

Science Fiction on BBC Digital Radio 7

I've been very remiss of late in sharing the science fiction that's on offer every week at BBC Radio 7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/. You can listen to any show at any time, any day of the week. Each day's shows is available to listen to for 7 days.

So, what's on this week?

You can still listen to an ep from Tuesday for the next 20 hours or so..

TUESDAY

Atomic Tales
I've Got Your Number: Krank has created a brilliant think piece where all of mankind has a unique number. But what if your number was copied? Episode 3 of 6.

The Day of the Triffids
A visitor to Shirning threatens Bill's family and their future together. Episode 17 of 17.

Old Harry's Game (fantasy)
When the Professor and Thomas discover Satan's never been to sleep, they try to give him forty winks. First heard in May 2001. Episode 5 of 6.

WEDNESDAY

Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. The windmill is smashed, and Squealer swears it's Snowball's fault. Episode 3 of 5.

Atomic Tales
Land of Plenty: Futuristic tale set on Mars, where human food is stored in specially sealed Mag-cans. What if the can-openers malfunctioned? Episode 4 of 6.

Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller by American author CL Moore. A space bounty hunter lives to regret rescuing a young woman from attack. Episode 1 of 3.

THURSDAY

Married
Robin Lightfoot is grumpy yet happily single, then he wakes up to discover he's in a parallel universe, with a wife and kids. Episode 1 of 6.

Atomic Tales
Unstoppable!: The tension continues in the sci-fi serial as a space train hurtles towards Earth. Episode 5 of 6.

Shambleau
A sci-fi thriller set on Mars by American author CL Moore. Northwest Smith discovers the secret power of the alien woman he rescued. Episode 2 of 3.

FRIDAY

Animal Farm
Bill Nighy reads George Orwell's famous cautionary fable. Boxer becomes gravely ill, and the animals discover betrayal. Episode 5 of 5.

Atomic Tales
Night of the Cicadas: The cicada is a friendly chirruping insect, but what if it grew to a vast size and hungered for human flesh? Episode 6 of 6.

Shambleau
CL Moore's space thriller on Mars continues. Is Northwest's number up as he falls under the spell of the snake-haired alien? Episode 3 of 3.

SATURDAY

Heroes: The Official Radio Show
Jon Holmes and Xanthe Fuller analyse the action from the TV series. Send in your theories. Episode 8 of 11.

SUNDAY

Alpha
Tale about a computer so all-knowing that it seems to have an independent life of its own. Chilling award-winning drama.

Doctor Who: Commentaries
The Doctor Who cast and crew discuss the latest episode, Midnight.

and upcoming on MONDAY

The Voice of God
Fields of Thunder: A series of quakes rocks Australia. When Sam Rideout investigates, she stumbles into a nightmare of biblical proportions. Episode 1 of 5. (The popular serial written by the equally popular Simon Bovey.)

Methuselah's Children
Paul Birchard reads Robert A Heinlein's sci-fi novel about a group of families who can live for several hundred years. Episode 1 of 6.

Slipstream pt 2

Simon Bovey's "Slipstream" pt 2 "rockets" along (I hope that's a pun...mebbe "slips along" would be better?), after the slow-starting episode 1 where everyone had to be introduced and the "set-up" explained.

It's the Tuesday episode, but really, anyone in the States can now listen to eps 1, 2, 3 and 4 - just type in the next day in the URL line and it'll show it to you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/tuesday/

I tried to listen to H.G. Wells' A Dream of Armageddon (1901), pt 1, yesterday, read by Robert Bathurst, but it was a bit too grim for my taste. However, I've recorded both it and pt 2 and will listen to it when I'm in a better mood, and review it in due course.

After Tuesday's Part 2 of "A Dream of Armageddon", there's about a 3- minute interview with Simon Bovey and producer Mark Beebe, about "Slipstream", so you can fast forward to the end of it to listen to that!

Also on Tuesday

The Adventures of Tintin
The Prisoners of the Sun: Professor Calculus is in grave danger. Who better than Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy to lead a rescue? Episode 2 of 6.

A Dream of Armageddon
War is declared and the hero of HG Wells' anti-war story escapes with his wife in an attempt to shield her from the horrors. Episode 2 of 2.

Simon Bovey's Slipstream

Simon Bovey's new 5-part radio serial, a WWII science fiction adventure, has begun on BBC Radio 7.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7/listenagain/monday/

I have just listened to the first episode...and... it's okay. A bit formulaic to start with.

It's nearing the end of the War, the Allies are assured of a win, then one night a British bombing raid suddenly loses over a hundred planes - destroyed by a single, silver, shimmering saucer-shaped aircraft. The British decide that they want to find this technology before the Americans and Russians do, and send a team of men - and one woman - into the heart of Germany to make off with the craft.

The head man in charge, Barton, is an unsympathetic character, the half-German/half-English pilot they bring along with them to fly the craft out is sympathetic, and the female scientist whom they bring along - for no real reason established, in my mind, except that there's going to be some kind of love interest perhaps... - is also sympathetic.

Although the personal relationships seem to be formulaic, knowing Bovey's work, the action itself is going to veer into the unexpected...

Here's the cast:
Major Barton: Tim McMullan
Jurgen (the pilot): Rory Kinnear
Kate Richie: Joanna Tincey
Teazle: Sam Pantalon
Dundas: Ben Crowe
Brigadier Erskine: Peter Marinko
Other parts played by: Simon Bovey, Alex Lanney-Peckin, Simon Treves, Lloyd Thomas
Directed by Mark Beebe


Slipstream
Into the Wolf's Lair: It's 1945. The Allies are certain to win the war. Then a strange aircraft is spotted. And nothing will ever be the same again.
Episode 1 of 5.

The Eagle's Nest: Barton and his team head deep behind German lines, to track down a terrifying new weapon. But things aren't going as planned. Episode 2 of 5.

The Tomorrow World: Barton and the team have found what they've been looking for. But no-one has ever seen anything like it before. Episode 3 of 5.

This Island Earth: With the Slipstream disabled and the Americans approaching, things can't get much worse for Barton and his team. Or can they? Episode 4 of 5.

Fight for the Future: Jurgen and Kate are desperate to get the Slipstream away before all is lost. But there are surprises in store for everyone. Episode 5 of 5.

Also on Monday
The Adventures of Tintin
The Seven Crystal Balls: When an expedition returns from Peru and all the participants fall mysteriously ill, there's only one person to call.
Episode 1 of 6.

A Dream of Armageddon
HG Wells creates a disturbing vision of the future with a powerful anti-war message. Episode 1 of 2.

Simon Bovey's new SF thriller at BBC Radio 7

Simon Bovey is the scriptwriter for previous SF thrillers Cold Blood (Antarctic setting) and The Voice of God (Australia setting), (that'd be radio drama - the best kind!) and I interviewed him for the Thunder Child at Simon Bovey.

Now he's got a new radio series about to be broadcasts at BBC 7 from March 24-28, 2008: Slipstream


1945, the Allies’ victory is a forgone conclusion and everyone is fighting for a piece of the spoils. And then the UFOs are sighted.

On BBC7 - available on DAB or Freeview, Satellite or online.
Form Monday 24th March to Friday 28th.
6pm and repeated at Midnight.

Starring Rory Kinnear and Tim McMullan
Directed by Marc Beeby


Description of Cold Blood:
Cold Blood by Simon Bovey is a five-part sci-fi techno thriller. It was first broadcast on BBC7 in January 2005.

It is 2015 and an Antarctic research station is settling down for another winter - but this will be a winter like no other.

Episode 1 -- Freezerville
Nathaniel Taft is cast into the front line at the Antarctic base in Ellsworth. To survive the horror he must kill a friend.

Episode 2 -- Cold Heart
Taft confronts Bowers and puts him under house arrest, and they discover that their radio equipment has been sabotaged.

Episode 3 -- The Changing Man
Deb makes a frightening discovery in Bowers' journals.

Episode 4 -- Sanctuary No More
Revenge and madness stalk the corridors of Ellsworth base. Taft directs everyone to the garage to defend themselves against Bowers, and orders them to shoot him on sight.

Episode 5 - The Antarctican
The final battle -- and a strange new beginning. Anaya and Taft fight for their lives as Bowers stalks them across the Antarctic, can they stop him?

Description of The Voice of God
Fields Of Thunder --
A series of quakes rocks Australia. When Sam Rideout investigates, she stumbles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.

Silent Roar --
The enigmatic Colonel Walker persuades Sam and Joshua to help him in his deadly project.

Dreamtime Is Over --
Hoping to stop the quakes Sam and Joshua design a new cradle for the weapon. But their chances of success are being undermined.

Blowback --
Southern Australia has been devastated by an earthquake, and now Sam and Joshua have discovered that there is a spy on the base.

Can You Hear That? --
Walker plans to fire the Voice at Pine Gap, risking a global catastrophe. And Sam, Joshua and Nick are locked in the brig.