'AUGMENTAL' film teaser with Erica Nockalls is 'wonderful stuff' ..!!

Sean Connolly with Erica Nockalls, violinist, vocalist and songwriter from The Wonder Stuff, on the set of the 'proof-of-concept' teaser trailer for the feature film 'Augmental' ...

'AUGMENTAL' is the first feature being produced from the recently formed BFilm Micro, a Micro-Budget Digital Film Studio and Talent Development Hub based in Birmingham ...

#Augmental is directed by double BAFTA and RTS Award winner MICHAEL BAIG-CLIFFORD ... The story itself is still rather hush-hush but if the teaser is anything to go by, then we have quite a journey ahead of us all!! I can't divulge my particular role in the film quite yet but rest assured there will be more news to come ... Fantastic to work with the multi-talented ERICA NOCKALLS ... Exciting times!!

Erica Nockalls, Sean Connolly and 'Augmental' director Michael Baig-Clifford on set ...

Sean joins Glorious Ninth Sontaran Battle Fleet in new Big Finish audio adventure - 'SONTAR-HA!'

Great news! 'DOCTOR WHO: CLASSIC DOCTORS, NEW MONSTERS VOLUME 1' from BIG FINISH is COMING VERY SOON ... in fact THIS MONTH ...

The trailer has just been released for this FOUR ADVENTURE BOX SET featuring Classic Doctors; Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Colin Baker (6th Doctor), Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor) and Paul McGann (8th Doctor) meeting New Era Monsters such as The Weeping Angels, The Judoon, The Sycorax and The Sontarans ...

I play a rather fiery (is there any other kind!), ambitious SONTARAN called ENSIGN STIPE in the FOURTH ADVENTURE of the Box-Set called 'Doctor Who: Classic Doctors - New Monsters - The Sontaran Ordeal'.

Director BARNABY EDWARDS has assembled an impressive cast to support PAUL McGANN'S 8th DOCTOR with 'THE YOUNG ONE'S' star CHRISTOPHER RYAN playing Sontaran GENERAL STENK, 'BLAKES 7's JOSETTE SIMON as SARANA TEEL and television's 'GO TO' 'DOCTOR WHO' Sontaran, DAN STARKEY as JASK ...

Click here to go to my previous post about 'The Sontaran Ordeal' ...

It has been written by 'THE FIRST SONTARANS' writer ANDREW SMITH, who remarkably, as a 19 year old also wrote the TOM BAKER (4th Doctor) 4-part television story 'FULL CIRCLE' back in 1980.

'FULL CIRCLE' featured LALLA WARD as ROMANA (above) and the very first appearance of MATTHEW WATERHOUSE as ADRIC (above) as well as THE MARSHMEN (below) ... 

So clearly 'The Sontaran Ordeal' has a very good pedigree with Andrew on writing duties. I can't wait to hear the outcome when it's released in a matter of weeks. "SONTAR-HA!"

Beyond the Mud! - "Cracked Glastonbury" music doc from 2004 ...

It seemed appropriate during Glastonbury weekend 2016 to share this fantastic film made by award-winning filmmaker MARK PRESSDEE and JAMES EASTOPE ...

You might recognise the ever so slightly Alan 'Fluff' Freeman style VOICE OVER ... "NOT 'ALF!"!!

Made back in 2004, it tells the story of Brummie band CRACKED ACTORS as they head to the Glastonbury Festival for the first time ... There's the usual stories of traffic cues, tent building and the now obligatory mud. There is also the fantastic soundtrack which really showcases the bands brilliant Ska/Reggae fusion brand of music.

It's a fantastic film, so glad to have been a part of it, well done to Mark and James! 

Off to the seaside as BBC Radio Drama 'SKEGGY' gets a welcome repeat ...

Chris Thompson's touching radio play 'Skeggy' is repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra

A radio play I recorded over fifteen years ago is receiving a very welcome repeat on BBC Radio 4 Extra ... 'SKEGGY' written by CHRIS THOMPSON and directed by PETER LESLIE WILD, tells the story of three couples having very different reasons for heading to the Lincolnshire seaside resort of Skegness. To listen to the 45 minute play on the BBC's Radio iPlayer CLICK HERE until July 22nd ...

The cast list for 'SKEGGY' is as follows:

Norman Bird is Charlie

Joyce Gibbs is Sheila

Sean Connolly is Dave

Susan Brooke is Marie

Laura Chambers is Lauren

Alison Carney is Jane

Tom Knight is Martin

Veda Warwick is Mrs Adams

Peter Leslie Wild assembled a really lovely cast for 'SKEGGY'. The extra special treat for me (apart from working with good friends) was the chance to work with the late British TV and Film legend NORMAN BIRD ...

You'd be hard pressed to name a popular television programme that he didn't appear in ... An extraordinary amount of film credits too over a career spanning over FOUR DECADES. The pictures above represent a small number of his screen appearances (from left to right) Bird in Cash on Demand (1961) with Peter Cushing, Eddie the Farmhand in the British classic 'Whistle Down the Wind' (1961), voicing Bilbo Baggins in the animated version of 'The Lord Of The Rings' (1978) and perhaps most famously he played farmer Mr Braithwaite in the classic television series 'Worzel Gummidge' (1979-81). But many will also remember his appearance as Mr. Arrad in the classic 'Waldorf Salad' episode of 'Fawlty Towers' ... 

Norman Bird was born on October 30th 1924 and sadly died on April 22th 2005 ... A quote from The Guardian obituary described him as "The man in the cardigan." and provided, as the Encyclopaedia of British Film put it, "a wonderful gallery of under-achievers". 

It was privilege and an honour to spend a few days in his company!!

Next generation of Voice Actors learn the tricks of the trade ...

Birmingham voice artist Sean Connolly with Year 12 Acting students from the Birmingham Ormiston Academy (BOA) ...

Over the last week I have had the privilege of working with the very talented Year 12 Acting Pathway students at BOA (Birmingham Ormiston Academy). I was invited to deliver a workshop/masterclass on 'Acting to Microphone' as part of their BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts Acting.

We got through a fair bit of theory but the focus was really on the 'doing' .. They all had the opportunity to work with scripts from two very different areas/styles of audio drama, firstly a scene featuring the Horrobin family from BBC Radio 4's 'The Archers' and a scene from the Audio Adventures of Doctor Who from Big Finish ... I was particularly impressed with the level of performances from the students.

BOA students performing to the microphone during the 'Acting to Microphone' workshop ...

It's been a terrific week working with these energetic, committed young performers exploring the joys and challenges of voice acting.

Going for Gold - Spiteful Puppet at the New York Radio Awards 2016 ...

I'm delighted to announce that SPITEFUL PUPPET have been nominated THREE TIMES in the NEW YORK FESTIVALS RADIO & AUDIO AWARDS which celebrate the world of radio programming on a global scale. Nominated programmes come from as far a field as Afghanistan to Australia and South Korea to the United Kingdom.

This year they have been nominated TWICE in the same category BEST AUDIO BOOK for the last two audio adventures of  the 'HOOD' series as well as picking up a nomination for BEST SPECIAL DRAMA for 'MAGNA CARTA: LEGACY', a one-off dramatisation recounting the origins of the Magna Carta which last year saw the 800th Anniversary of it's signing. 

I am very proud to be have in all three audio dramas with wonderful casts across them all ... The nomination for 'MAGNA CARTA:LEGACY' will be particularly poignant for us all with the recent sad loss of 'BLAKE'S 7' star GARETH THOMAS who voiced the lead role of Elias of Dereham in the drama. If 'MAGNA CARTA:LEGACY' was to win, it would be surely a fitting tribute to a fine actor in one of his last roles ... You can listen to it here for free ...

BBC AUDIO DRAMA AWARD Winners - SPITEFUL PUPPET came away with TWO BRONZE MEDALS last time at the 2015 Awards. I'm sure this time they'll be going for gold!!

Sean goes undercover at 'Gadget Show Live 2016' ...

Sean Connolly and The Gadget Show presenter Ortis Deley at this years Gadget Show Live at Birmingham's NEC ...

The secret is out! I can now reveal my undercover role at this years GADGET SHOW LIVE at Birmingham's NEC ...

Over 11 LIVE SHOWS seen by over 30,000 PEOPLE I took on the role of a pretend audience member for a magical 'Versus Challenge' with presenters JASON BRADBURY and ORTIS DELEY and last years BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT runner up, magician JAMIE RAVEN ... Other celebrities involved with the live show included Scottish singer-songwriter and musician NINA NESBIT who sang her new single 'Chewing Gum' ...

Sean Connolly with singer songwriter Nina Nesbitt and magician Jamie Raven part of the Gadget Show Live 2016 ...

If you're a regular viewer of THE GADGET SHOW then you'll know that a staple part of the show is the 'Versus Challenge', when the presenters pitch themselves against a 'professional' and try and beat then at their own game using tech to win the day ...

For the live show, presenters Jason and Ortis took on the not inconsiderable magical talents of BGT's JAMIE RAVEN ...

As part of the current series, all 11 shows were recorded and then compiled into a special programme which went out last Friday 6th May 2016 at 7pm. The episode features behind the scenes footage including the low-down on my part in the live show. To see exactly what my involvement was you can head on over to the Channel 5 television catch up service Demand 5 or on-line at My5 https://www.my5.tv/the-gadget-show/season-23/episode-11 The whole episode is great fun (as is the long running series itself), but if you are at all interested in seeing what I got up to then you should fast forward to 34 MINUTES onwards ...  

What a great fun week I had, The Gadget Show presenters Jason Bradbury, Ortis Deley, Amy Williams and John Bentley, in fact everyone at NORTH ONE TELEVISION really made me feel part of the team.

Actor Sean Connolly with The Gadget Show Live presenters Jason Bradbury, Ortis Deley, Amy Williams and John Bentley ...