Fitzrovia Radio Hour: radio-drama revival troupe

Fitzrovia Radio Hour is a radio-drama performance troupe in the UK who do over-the-top, steampunky stories that pay homage to the golden age of British radio plays. I saw them perform live at one of the White Mischief steampunk nights at the Scala near King's Cross, and they were superb -- full costume, great period-appropriate foley gadgets, and wonderful performances. They've got a podcast, too!

Your favourite gang from Radioland present three thrilling tales of imperial endeavour on frontiers near, far and final!

'Leinigen and the Monkey Men of Vijayanagar' An urgent telegram leads our hero to the jungles of British India and the lost city of Vijayanagar, which has been overrun by monkeys. Local legend has it that deep in the city's ruins, something sinister lurks...

'Survival of the Fittest' The leading financiers and businessmen of 1912 gather for a weekend of hunting at the Dartmoor estate of Colonel Charlie De Wynn. But it soon becomes apparent that their prey will not be pheasants or foxes...

'The Madman in the Moon' In the futuristic world of 1996, the good ship Jeremy Bentham is bravely pushing forward Britain's understanding of space science! But does the presence of a madman on Moon Station 1 mean the whole earth is in jeopardy?

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Fitzrovia Radio Hour (Thanks, Toby!)

[#1 posted by ndollak, June 16, 2009 3:59 AM]

"Leinigen"... Wasn't that the name of the hero in an old, old (well, maybe 1930s) short story that's been published as "The Ant Invasion" and "Leinigen Versus the Ants"? (I was very young when I read it, and I thought his name was pronounced "Leningen," so up until now I was pretty sure that's how it was spelled.

In that story, which certainly sounds like it could have been a radio play, the resourceful hero is beseiged by a swarm of meter-long giant ants. He ultimately defeats them by luring them into an area he's flooded with gasoline, then tossing a lighted match... Total cliche these days, but that story may have been the first to do it. The 1950s B-movie "Them!" is based on the same story.

[#2 posted by Roy Trumbull, June 16, 2009 10:27 AM]

In the San Francisco Bay Area there is a group of active and retired broadcasters known as Broadcast Legends. At several of their luncheons each year OTR shows are recreated. One member was an original cast member of the Lone Ranger. He broke in doing lines like, "Gee masked man, if it hadn't been for you and Tonto we'd have been..." Another wrote scripts for many OTR programs. At a recent meeting a table loaded with kitchen utensils and other objects was tipped over to recreate the sound of Fibber McGee opening his famous hall closet.