11th Hour Creature Feature of the Month - Dead London

OCTOBER

A delicious chill has crept into the air, the leaves on the trees are performing their brilliant displays before falling to the ground in aromatic clumps. The pumpkins have taken their places alongside ghosts and witches up and down the streets and breathless shiver of anticipation lurks deep down in our cores. 

Around here October is the most hallowed month of the year. While we eagerly await the arrival of Halloween we are busy little 11th Hour Audio Challenge imps. There are stories to write, lines to be recorded, dialog to be edited, sound-effects to be layered and a delightful horde of participating fiends to torture.

All of this celebratory torment brings us to World Audio Drama Day on Oct 30th. October 30th is a significant day for the fans and creators of Audio Drama because of it’s connection to The War of the Worlds. On October 30th, 1938, the Mercury Theater on the Air, Orson Welles and John Houseman, broadcast Howard Koch’s adaptation of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds”. In recognition of that media-altering event we have brought a very special adaptation of War of the Worlds to the Creature Feature this month.

In 2013 Matthew Boudreau organized the 75th Anniversary War of the Worlds Radio Contest. The judges received ten entries from four different countries and the winner was The Wireless Theatre Company with their submission Dead London.

Dead London is an original audio drama based on H.G. Wells’s classic tale of Martian invasion. DEAD LONDON sees humanity defeated by a superior military force from another world. It was recorded on location at Horsell Common, Surrey, and featuring Brian Blessed as the Voice of the Martians.

Dr. Georgina Welles… JOSEPHINE ARDEN

Dr. Tom Kane/Survivor 2… TOM SLATTER

PC Toland… JACK BOWMAN

Dr. Jeff Quinlan/Survivor 1… MATT BLAIR

Captain Glover/Dan… MATTHEW HEBDEN

Newsreader… MARIELE RUNACRE-TEMPLE

Martian Voices… BRIAN BLESSED

Written by… JACK BOWMAN and ROBERT VALENTINE

Directed by… GEORGE MADDOCKS

Recording and Post-Production… MALCOLM THORP

Produced by… MARIELE RUNACRE-TEMPLE, JACK BOWMAN and ROBERT VALENTINE