Other People Say Stuff About Menston Green

Yes - for once you won't have to listen to me blather on! Menston Green - the SF radio comedy I wrote and produced starring former Doctor Who Colin Baker - is slowly taking over the net thanks to our first ever review, along with a 'making of' feature from sound aficionado Tim. (For the next phase of web domination, I will of course launch a Menston Green fragrance. Endorsed by Su Pollard.)

But as I was saying - Mr. Nick Blackshaw gave us a very favourable write-up on the website of renowned SF magazine Starburst, known to many 'Whovians' as the home of the infamous Sawardgate, (see what happens when you put that into Google...!) Indeed - a very kind 8/10, as Blackshaw writes:

"This is a delightful treat for radio comedy fans, sci-fi fanatics and those with a fascination for television. What it benefits from in its writing is very witty observations. Alex Skerratt... creates a world that feels very real to the listener; IBC1 is used to lampoon (with the help of noted mimic Wink Taylor) the familiar major TV channel to such an extent that you may find it hard to distinguish which one is the real channel. It offers laugh out loud moments, as well as affectionate nods for every avid TV fan to listen out for."
(See the full review here.)

At the same time, another sympathiser to the Cause, Mr. Timothy McHugh, (Menston Green's sound supervisor), also put pen to blog, giving readers a unique insight into the fascinating behind-the-scenes process, which often involved tea, bourbon biscuits and... Tequila? As Tim puts it:

The sound team, from left to right: Matt Peel, Tim McHugh
and Ashely Goodall. (Photo by Oliver Chapman.)

"Working with a dedicated audio production without a video was a much needed change, and gave us a tremendous amount of freedom in the design process. Usually we are designing sounds to complement the reality of a video sequence or game, but with this project, we could take full control over the illusion, sculpting the reality through sound alone. Sitting down with Alex we came up with some comical sounds that enhanced his fantastically written script and made us all laugh out loud."
(See Tim's full story here, at the Visionary Sound website.)

I can vouch for that; we laughed a lot, (inbetween the tears of despair...!) Never before have I had such fun selecting the explosions that would bring the Menston Greenoperative to its knees, (although my psychiatrist has since advised that I return to Play-Doh...)

So thank you Nick and Tim for your kind words and feedback. I'm a great believer that "no publicity is bad publicity," and your comments and criticisms are essential for me to continue doing what I do. And hopefully, with each project that I unleash, I'll improve! Thanks both.