''The Scarifyers'' is an audio adventure and comic book series produced by Bafflegab Productions (formerly Cosmic Hobo Productions) and based on stories written by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris. Set in 1936 and 1937, it originally followed the exploits of DI Lionheart and ghost-story writer Professor Edward Dunning, as played by

Nicholas Courtney William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was best known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. ...

and

Terry Molloy Terry Molloy (born 4 January 1947) is an English actor. He is best known for his work on radio and television, especially his portrayal of Mike Tucker (The Archers), Mike Tucker in ''The Archers'' and Davros in three ''Doctor Who'' serials in ...

. Each adventure is a self-contained story and is released on CD and direct download. The first two stories, "The Nazad Conspiracy" and "The Devil of Denge Marsh", were broadcast on

BBC7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

in 2007. A third story, "For King and Country", guest-starring

Gabriel Woolf Gabriel Woolf (born 2 October 1932) is a British film, radio and television actor. Career Among Woolf's leading parts was his performance as the Apostle John in a frequently repeated BBC adaptation of ''The Man Born to Be King'' where he also int ...

, was released in early 2008 and broadcast in 2009. The fourth story "The Curse of the Black Comet", guest-starring

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...

, was released in 2009 and broadcast in 2010. The fifth story, "The Secret Weapon of Doom", guest-starring

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

and

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor and presenter. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielb ...

, was released in 2010 and broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

in early 2012. In 2011, after the death of actor Nicholas Courtney, it was announced that David Warner would be joining the series. His first Scarifyers story, "The Magic Circle", centred on the disappearance of Lionheart, and introduced new lead character Harry Crow, Lionheart's former police colleague. It was released in November 2011 and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2012. The seventh Scarifyers story, "The Horror of Loch Ness", was released in June 2012 and features the final performance of

Philip Madoc Philip Madoc (born Philip Arvon Jones; 5 July 1934 – 5 March 2012) was a Welsh actor. He performed many stage, television, radio and film roles, and was recognised for having a "rich, sonorous voice" and often playing villains and office ...

. An eighth adventure, "The Thirteen Hallows" featuring ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British-American science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect i ...

''s

Gareth David-Lloyd Gareth David Lloyd (born 28 March 1981), known professionally as Gareth David-Lloyd, is a Welsh actor, writer and singer, best known for their role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction series ''Torchwood.'' Early life They were born i ...

was released in December 2012. A ninth adventure, "The King of Winter", was released in October 2014, and guest-starred Guy Henry. The tenth story, "The Gnomes of Death" was released on 30 June 2017. There is also a series of three short comic ''Scarifyers for Christmas'' stories: "Mr Crowley's Christmas", "The Yule Lads" and "The Curse of the Cult of Thoth", broadcast on Radio 4 Extra in 2010. During the Covid 19 lockdown they released a free story on 19 April 2020, ''The Scarifyers'': "Cold Call". Each play has featured cover artwork by

Garen Ewing Garen Ewing (born 1969, England) is an illustrator, designer and most notably a comic creator, being the writer and illustrator of '' The Adventures of Julius Chancer - The Rainbow Orchid''. As an aside, Ewing is a part-time researcher and writ ...

. The comic was written by Simon Barnard, and illustrated by 2000AD artist Simon Gurr.

Audio plays

References

External links

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Bafflegab - Production Company Behind ''The Scarifyers''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scarifyers, The BBC Radio 4 Extra programmes 2007 radio programme debuts BBC Radio 7 (rebranded) programmes