The brilliant that is Dan Freeman has done it again. Before I tell you what he’s done again, maybe it will be a good idea to refresh your memory regarding what he has already done.
Dan Freeman is the writer/director/producer of The Minister of Chance. If you are still unfamiliar with this superb audiodrama, then I invite you to read my review of Episodes 1 and 2 here, listen to my interviews with Lauren Crace and Sylvester McCoy here, and listen to my interview with Dan here. Among other things, he is also the brains behind the BBC Doctor Who audiodrama Death Comes To Time, which starred Stephen Fry as The Minister.
Dan has a weird and wonderful brain. I think it is very safe to say that I love his brain. The things that come spilling out of it are all kinds of weird, wonderful, intelligent, quirky, witty, sarcastic, funny, insightful, brilliant, splendid and many other words, but I think you get the idea. One of the latest things to come out of his cranium and grey matter is Ectoplasm.
Written with Nick Romero, Episode 1: The Curse of The Mummy’s Curse stars the voices of Nick Romero, Dan Freeman, Peter Donaldson (BBC Radio 4) and Sophie Aldred (Ace in Doctor Who, among other credits).
If you are already familiar with The Minister of Chance, then you will be happy to find that Ectoplasm still has the same overall quality. However, there are some wonderful differences. Whereas The Minister of Chance is very serious and thought-provoking in many aspects, Ectoplasm is a brilliantly written fun romp, filled with satire and a lot of spoofs. I have to admit, it wasn’t what I was expecting, given Dan’s previous body of work. However, it was a wonderful surprise to be introduced to this aspect of Dan’s creativity.
The description for this audiodrama reads:
Are you Cursed? Haunted? Are you an unrealistically attractive young lady who only seeks the help of fictional detectives? Then pray allow us to recommend the services of the Empire’s greatest OCCULTIST and INVESTIGATOR of STRANGE GOINGS-ON and ETHEREAL SHENANIGANS: the estimable LORD ZIMBABWE. Please make suitable representations to his Major Domo, Mr Theremin, at Bluebell End, England.
If that doesn’t tell you that you’re in for a rip-roaring good time, let me give you a wee bit more information.
Filled with more geeky references than I could ever personally ask for, The Curse of The Mummy’s Curse had me laughing within the first minute and kept me gigglesnortguffawing until the very end. It also contains a few other elements that I personally adore: Sexual innuendo, the odd profanity and humour that some may find offensive, such as priest and nun jokes. The geeky references sent me over the top. Aside from having a butler named Theremin–thanks to Dan, I now want a butler named Theremin who has the voice of Peter Donaldson–there are references to Sherlock Holmes, Indiana Jones, Schrödinger’s cat and so much more. Listing all the wonderful homages to geek culture would take quite a long time.
It is very easy to get spoof and satire wrong. In my opinion, most of it is just plain wrong–see: Not Another Teen Movie, Meet The Spartans or any other movie like that as examples of spoofs that are many words that may offend readers if I use them. Dan knows how to write an intelligent, yet extremely funny, spoof and satire. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact he is from the UK and things that Canadians find hilarious are hugely influenced by the UK. Mostly, Dan has a very good sense of comedy and comedic timing, coupled with wonderful production and writing style.
I highly recommend that you go listen to Episode 1: The Curse of The Mummy’s Curse, NOW. While you are there, why don’t you make a small donation, so that Dan can produce more of this hilarious series.
One small note, you will need QuickTime installed in order to listen. Trust me when I say, you will not be sorry that you took the time to install it, if you don’t already have it installed.
I cannot wait to hear the next thing to come vomiting out of Dan’s brain!
I want to make it clear that there is some not suitable for work language in Ectoplasm and it is intended for older teens and adults. I had no issues with allowing my 12-year-old and near 16-year-old listening to this audiodrama. That being said, I know families and cultures have different levels of what is appropriate for what age. Therefor, I recommend listening to it first before allowing your teens to do so.
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