Fancy name? Space opera? Nostalgia factor? Check! You're good to go, Colonel Dare

I like it when things just pop the hell out of nowhere on Big Finish. When there's a team working hard on a new range's first batch of audience grabbing stories and their existence is kept under lock and key so that when the opportune moment comes, the world can be told and the hype could begin. This is what the reveal of this set felt like to me. I of course later realised that this had been revealed on another site a few months before hand, but as I had only 'heard' of the proper production company behind this, the first I heard was on the 12th of September this year, when Big Finish said they'd be distributing it. And then I learnt what it actually was that was being released.... and I was intrigued, to say the least....

DAN DARE: THE AUDIO ADVENTURES
VOLUME 1 REVIEW

By Jack Ryan

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Being both a fan of cult 60s TV and Big Finish audios, classic sci-fi is a nice little novelty that I nowadays absolutely adore (well, perhaps with a bit of help from Tim Curry and Richard O' Brien). And in the 50's and 60's, the best way to experience it, in the eyes of many, was the glorious pages of the comic book. And ask a fan, who's their favourite? The answer you'll more than likely receive is Dan Dare, space test pilot extraordinaire and defender of Earth. Beginning in the pages of the legendary Eagle, Dan has crossed into other forms of medium including cartoons, books and even a film reported in the works. But it's most successful medium outside of the comics? Radio! Thanks to Radio Luxembourg, children of the 50s and 60s could turn on the wireless every evening for another 15 expedition into the world of Dan Dare and the Mekon of Venus. So you can guess why B7 Media though a new version would be a neat idea...

In the far flung but not to distant future, the Interplanet Space Fleet have obtained new technology to allow them to cross the stars. To offer their thanks, the Eagle Corporation have sent a small party to meet with the race of Venusians responsible for giving Earth this technology. Under the administration of Sir Hubert Guest, the team of Colonel Dan Dare, batman Albert Digby and professor Jocelyn Peabody take he new spaceship SS Anastasia on a voyage to Venus. But once they arrive there, they discover a dictatorship under the rule of the tyrannical Mekon. From a missing crew on Mars, to a stranded ally on Mercury and the assisted revolution of Venus, it's up to Dan and his crew to stop the Solar System from falling into chaos, or worse.... the mitts of the Mekon...

So yeah, being a bit of a newbie to Colonel Dare's adventures, it took a while to take the stereotypes of Flash Gordon and Buck Rodgers out of my mind and look at this as it's own thing. And once I did... oooohh did I enjoy this. Being very classic sci-fi, this is able to tread the fine line of being a mix of a dated and yet timeless quality. You can tell that it's a product that comes from the fifties, but it isn't from the fifties A classic story of the dashing hero against the megalomaniacal despots but they take it seriously rather than go for every last cliche in the book. The three stories presented here, Voyage To Venus by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle, The Red Moon Mystery by James Swallow, and Marooned On Mercury by Doctor Who writer Marc Platt, each showcase a well crafted plot with a decent helping of character development and sci-fi action goodness. Produced and directed to a tee by Andrew Mark Sewell, these stories showcase a pure, undiluted love for the original material as well as a dedication to updating it whilst keeping it grounded in what made it unique.

As I have said many times before, a cast is the thing that can make or break a story's transition into another medium. Not only do the cast of characters you have need to be relatable and enjoyable to interact with, but the people behind those characters have a mammoth task in bringing the characters to life. Thankfully, the cast not only knock it out of the park in this one, they knock it straight out of the solar system. Taking on the mantle of the titular space hero is recent British acting legend Ed Stoppard who brilliantly makes Dan heroic and admittedly, slightly egotistical, but we see the other side, the caring side who strives for a peaceful solution and tries to clear the name of his scapegoated father, and Stoppard nails every last aspect perfectly. Joining him is radio acting legend, Ford Prefect himself Geoffery McGivern as Albert Digby and although you might be doing a double take when you first hear him, the familiar Northern tones of McGivern become present and give Digby not only his comedic sharp wit and cynicism and his dedication to the safety of his people. Heida Reed rounds out our three regulars as Professor Peabody and is a brilliant mix of academically brilliant scientist and absolute kick-ass heroine to complement the trio. And along side Big Finish legend Michael Cochrane as Sir Hubert and Raad Rawi as the villainous Mekon, the guest cast is littered with new and familiar faces, such as Bijan Daneshmand, David O'Mahony. Hugh Fraser, Alistair Lock, Kelly Burke. Dianne Weller, Ryan Sewell and of course, the great Nicholas Ruddy Briggs. Every last member of the cast is just a pure delight to hear and as always Mr Ruddy Briggs is as unsettling in his role as the character should be.

Speaking of Alistair Lock, he does the sound design for this and it is a bloody brilliant job. From the simple steps of feet to the roaring engines of spaceships, Lock's work in this set showcase a brilliant attempt to recreation of the past whilst making it sound like the future. As well as Lock's exquisite sound design, we are graced with the music of Imran Ahmad who not only creates a stunning score that sounds of a perfect mix of classic and modern sci-fi, but the BLOODY THEME TUNE IS NOW MY NEW FAVOURITE THING EVER!!!! There's a reason that the bonus disc is a collection of Ahmad's music; it's just brilliant.

Like I said before, I like it when Big Finish drop something into our laps straight out of nowhere. And when this plopped into my view, I decided to see what it was like and I don't regret my purchase. A perfect mix of classic and modern sci-fi with a stellar cast and astounding sound and music, B7 Media have excelled themselves with this and Big Finish should be proud to be associated with a release of this calibre. All I can say now is, BRING ON APRIL!!!

VERDICT: 5/5 Dan Dare's diligent debut is a delectable dole of delight. Ooh I've turned into Mr Jago. ;D