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A lifelong speech radio addict and lover of radio drama and comedy, if I'm honest, I'd assumed when changing career all those years ago that I'd work more in radio than elsewhere. It's not as easy as that, of course, but it's never too late to help an old man's dream come true...
And the landscape has changed amazingly since then. While I have enjoyed a number of radio credits (see A few notables below), by far more numerous opportunities have come from the world of comedy and drama podcasting; productions boasting at least comparable audio values to those of 'the wireless'.
For my full Spotlight cv, click the link on this page (to the right of the IMDb button)
You'll also find my current acting voicereel there... or you can listen to it here
A few notables
A 900 year old vampiric university professor and a nice human doctor in Silver Sun Books' audio drama Jack Valentine Vampire Detective directed by Jen Sugden (co-creator of Victoriocity). This is due to be released this year and I'll add a link when it's available. I think it's going to be great
Ken Thompson in BBC Radio 4Extra's play The Plumpton Village Kazoo Orchestra directed by Alison Vernon-Smith and Alfie White
Mycroft Holmes, retired but still assisting his brother's cognitive processes in Afoot Games' animated computer game The Beekeeper's Picnic, directed by Ella Watts
2 featured characters in Ramon Fear's Terror Tapes (Merton in The Charlatan, School Principal in Five Lashes of The Cane) plus miscellaneous voices across multiple episodes, all directed by Alexandra Morris
Multi-episode dramas on Audible, Dodge & Twist (Mr. Babcock and others) directed by David Darlington and Around The World In 80 Days (Mr. Oysterpuff and others) directed by Kate Jones
Reverend Kilburn, Titus Byrne and others in Seasons 2 and 3 of Victoriocity, directed by Nathan Peter Grassi
Throm The Barbarian in Fantasy Fighting Audio Dramas' Deathtrap Dungeon: The Last Champion and Creature of Havoc: The Monster of Dree, both directed by Richard Fox. Can you blame me for liking audio work when it means I can play this guy?
Sir Charles Holmes in BBC Radio 4's The Art of Keynes and a 1960's radio newsreader in Radio 2's Sounds of 20th Century Christmas, both directed by Trevor Dann
Pete in The Wireless Theatre Company's A Funny Old Business, and a different Pete in their Gino Ginelli trilogy of plays, directed variously by Mariele Runacre-Temple, Ben Clegg & Stephen Hill and George Maddox
While I'll always prefer working in sound studios, technology has also enabled 'remote' contribution to full cast recordings; in common with every 12 year old, I have a perfectly acceptable home set-up (a broadcast mic and a broadband pc, in essence - replacing a room full of kit, wires and dreams of ever affording a specialist phone line), with proven capability to deliver clean recordings acceptable to broadcasters. Periodically, this Production Wing (of my little flat) has also been used to produce voice tracks for radio ads, open learning packages and other corporate and training projects.
Long before turning to acting, that was my self-employed business; writing, producing and directing as well as occasionally voicing work for organisations from the WH Smith Group Management Development Centre to National Police Training (the predecessor of today's UK College of Policing) as well as commercial, legal, financial and pharmaceutical specialists - who all really love a bit of jargon made human!
To maintain confidentiality for recent clients, and because the two I've named no longer exist in the form I knew them, I'll just say that for Smiths, I produced a quarterly business-focussed audio magazine primarily aimed at board level and senior management across their worldwide operations, while National Police Training covered everything you'd expect: legislation, procedure, social issues training, management development, public information. It also included high level sensitive commissions I won't specify, as the most useful thing I can tell you about that work is that I kept being trusted with it.
More recent work has included writing and presenting nine linked podcasts about Global Purchasing and Supply for postgraduate students at Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh Business School, designed as pre-lecture resources for a cohort largely without English as a first language – so pace and clarity mattered every bit as much as content - "We're delighted with the podcasts. Overseas students appreciate the ability to replay each one ahead of the lectures, and particularly your reassuring delivery and clear and measured enunciation" (Professor Nigel Caldwell).
Importantly, this background means that today I can approach a script with a level of understanding deeper than how to say the words; attuned to the likely needs and concerns of the commissioning client
My current corporate & commercial voicereel is available at Spotlight – just click the link to the right of the IMDb button... or you can listen to it here
I am self-represented for voiceover work, so please get in touch through the Contact Form if you'd like to discuss working together