A Break from Other Topics

[moon_custafer]

Came across these reaction videos for the Classic Doctor Who story “The Visitation,” which has one of the best one-off historical-era companions, 17th-century ham-actor-turned-ham-highwayman Richard Mace (Michael Robbins).

This led me to look into the production of the episode, and it turns out screenwriter Eric Saward refitted the character from one he’d invented in the mid-1970s for a series of radio plays, which are listenable on Youtube. 

So far I’ve only listened to the first show, "The Assassin," and the mystery-plot isn’t the most intricate, but the atmosphere’s good fun. The radio version of Richard Mace is voiced by Geoffrey Matthews, and he’s a Victorian actor leading a double life as East End beggar and information-broker, while also consuming alarming amounts of brandy. Anyway this leads to him, and his long-suffering dresser, Roundtree (Leonard Fenton), occasionally helping Scotland Yard solve bizarre mysteries. The recording was clearly audio-taped by someone off a radio broadcast – they also seem to have taped over a production of The Mikado, so you get a little unrelated bit of Gilbert-and-Sullivan dialogue after the credits.

Comments

[sovay]

The radio version of Richard Mace is voiced by Geoffrey Matthews, and he’s a Victorian actor leading a double life as East End beggar and information-broker, while also consuming alarming amounts of brandy. Anyway this leads to him, and his long-suffering dresser, Roundtree (Leonard Fenton), occasionally helping Scotland Yard solve bizarre mysteries.

That sounds delightful.

[moon_custafer]

Saward’s starting point *definitely* seems to have been “the title character from the Sherlock Holmes adventure ‘The Man with the Twisted Lip’ should have got his own spinoff series; and also what if he were eccentric, pompous, and boozy, but also really competent?”

[thisbluespirit]

Eric Saward refitted the character from one he’d invented in the mid-1970s for a series of radio plays,

I've known that pretty much forever (blame a misspent youth reading Doctor Who magazine!) but even with my recent bout of radio listening, it had never occurred to me to go looking for the radio series in question. Although, tbf, I do have very mixed reactions to some of Saward's DW work. I'm glad to hear they're good!

[kore]

The recording was clearly audio-taped by someone off a radio broadcast – they also seem to have taped over a production of The Mikado, so you get a little unrelated bit of Gilbert-and-Sullivan dialogue after the credits.

I really miss those little bits of analog life.

[moon_custafer]

I used to tape stuff off the radio, and re-used cassettes so often they ended up being weird sound collages of stuff I liked and stuff I hadn't liked quite as much.

[moon_custafer]

Just reread some of your recent posts and realized I probabaly found the Classic Who reaction video via you, so thanks for that.

[thisbluespirit]

Aw, my pleasure! I'm glad you're enjoying her reactions, too.