BBV, Cyberon and Me

By Nigel Peever - an actor's perspective on narrating a BBV novelisation
 

It’s great to be back! When I think back to the first time I worked with Bill Baggs, all I can think is that it’s been a Long, looong time! Long before BBV! You see there was a group of very talented fans who produced audio Dr Who adventures, they called themselves “Audio Visuals” and this was way back in the last century, a distant age known to time travellers as the 1980’s. It proved to be a valuable training ground for everyone and led to some tremendous success stories. I worked on several of those Dr Who plays, of which the most relevant to Cyberon is The Sword of Orion (the original production) featuring a race of silver giants that some might say inspired the Cyberons. Well, who am I to comment?

Since then I’ve popped up every few years as a wicked old fairground showman called Jethro in the BBV Zygon audio play The Barnacled Baby by Anthony Keetch and then a hero called Wight and various Rutans (taking a short break from that interminable war with the Sontarans) in In 2 minds by Iain Hepburn, and then an innocent young priest in The Quality of Mercy by David A McIntee, who endeavours to help save a shipwrecked alien from his cruel religious superior.

I was delighted to play both the second Doctor and Rassilon in the animated opening sequence of Do you have a license to save this planet, As Patrick Troughton is my favourite Doctor Who!! and then officer McCutcheon and the Zygon monster in the live action DVD release concisely titled Zygon. How do you get cast as a Zygon I hear you ask? The answer is, have your own Zygon costume! It retired to a sci fi museum in Hereford, I hope he’s still around. Probably living off rice pudding made with the lactic secretions of a Skarasen because, well… I’ve still got his teeth.

But although it’s not a title role (or even a credited role for that matter) I’m very proud of having been in the very first episodes of Red Dwarf as a member of the original crew, where a very young me encouraged Rimmer with a thumbs up before he failed his exam in spectacular fashion and then later blew us all up in a shower of Fuller’s earth and polystyrene.

So here I am recording my first solo project for BBV, after several years of producing audiobooks for audible. It’s all god fun! You see this old body is wearing a bit thin (thin? Ha! Who am I kidding?!!!) so I’m getting a bit too old to do all that shouting in the evening! and the wonderful thing about it is not only do you get all the best lines, you get ALL the lines! and the stage directions too.

I like to create audiobooks with music and effects, and I hope you enjoy them too. I think it works better, especially for science fiction and fantasy titles because there really are so many opportunities to enhance a straight vocal performance. To create the soundscapes that breathe life into the scenes. It’s like doing them with costumes and scenery.

Cyberon is the exciting tale of the last of the Cyberons, who crashes to Earth and tries to create a new race. The Future is bright, the future is …silver.


COMING SOON:
BBV CYBERON: the novel, by James Hornby narrated by Nigel Peever.

Already available at bbvproductions.co.uk:

DVD / DOWNLOAD
CYBERON

AUDIO/NOVEL:
CYBERGEDDON
CYBERHUNT