Bless This Mainframe - Now Available for Download!

[Rob McCow]

"But we are normal!"

Dan from the Tech Team has found the perfect girl. Helen is smart, good-looking and is happy to share a pint of Loddingtons Mild with Dan. There's only one tiny bug in Dan's relationship coding - Helen has asked to meet his parents. The trouble is, Dan's parents are not exactly what you'd call normal. Dan's parents are exactly what you'd call Robots!

Hydraulic hijinks ensue as Clive and Susan put on their best servos and try not to delete their son's chances. But after this evening's cybernetic shenanigans, even two pints of Loddingtons Mild may not be enough to wipe the memory!

Following hot on the heels of Unknown Variables (as in a year and a half later) comes BLESS THIS MAINFRAME! This is the latest from PS Audios and is a half-hour comedy audio.

This was recorded on the evening of our last recording session, to make full use of the vocal talents available. Despite coming at the end of a long day, we got some superb performances from the cast that really brought this story to life.

It stars Si Hunt as Dan, brought up from birth by a pair of screwloose robots; Ali Pearce as Susan, his loving mother who only wants the best for her son; Brendan Jones as Clive, Dan's father who is great with rambling stories, but less good with emotions; and Susan Alexander as Helen, Dan's girlfriend who doesn't find life so easy in this bizarre household!

This story is available for download now! Click the link below to be taken to the official web page put together by Ashley Culley:

DOWNLOAD SITE

Or alternatively:

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe01.mp3

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe02.mp3

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe03.mp3

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Sounds interesting ... actually it sounds like the kind of thing which should have been put out by ITV just after Metal Mickey in the 80s ...

[Si Hunt]

I've not heard any of this since we taped it, so I'm certainly looking forward to it. I hope I sound okay!

Si.

[Philipnet]

I remember the call for willing volunteers at the audio recording around Si's. I wondered them what on earth it could be for? Now, I'll be able to find out!

[SiHart]

The cast certainly laughed a lot while they made it. I remember hearign that through the ceiling!


Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The cast certainly laughed a lot while they made it.

Out and out comedy is such an unforgiving medium though, and hard to do well.

[Rob McCow]

Out and out comedy is such an unforgiving medium though, and hard to do well.

Oh Sh**! Now he tells me!

[Si Hunt]

Luckily, I was the straight man and the funny guy, Brandon, was effortlessly very good. You'll all see!

Si.

[brandynigma]

Oh, Si, you mustn't! I'm a married woman, y'know.

And your f-f-f-f-f-f-father.

Did I ever tell you about the time I recorded Bless this Mainframe?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Oh Sh**! Now he tells me!

I take comedy very seriously!

I imagine this will end with "You have been watching" or in this case "listening".

[SiHart]

Available now! Hope you enjoy it!

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...frameindex.php

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Oh - well I was quite happy to use some of my mobile internet allowance to download this to my phone (like I did the excellent readings during the Advent Calander). However these are in zip format which I don't think my phone handles!

[Lissa]

Why is the MP3 in a zip file? That would certainly scupper an iPhone, much as it pains me to admit to any flaws, weaknesses or omissions in the beloved platform. It can't be to shrink the file as the compression is 1% if that. Little things like this make it that tiny bit harder to listen to the downloads and may mean some people download them and never get round to listening to them.

[Rob McCow]

I think this is what they call 'Valuable Feedback'.

[SiHart]

Unzip! Unzip!

Si xx

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Cool - please don't take it in a negative way! I'm glad to find out I'm not the only person who occasionally downloads PS stuff to my mobile phone though.

I don't have an iPhone ... but behold Lissa at my Nokia phone as it multitasks!

Don't worry Rob - it's not a competition, and I don't knock points off for this ...

[Si Hunt]

Is there going to be a high quality version of the cover available on the site?

Si.

[Rob McCow]

Alternative Downloads:

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe01.mp3

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe02.mp3

http://www.planetskaro.org.uk/creati...ainframe03.mp3

These are slightly reduced quality versions, but much quicker to download!



We'll have to sort out a link to this from the page!

[Philipnet]

Oh - well I was quite happy to use some of my mobile internet allowance to download this to my phone (like I did the excellent readings during the Advent Calander). However these are in zip format which I don't think my phone handles!

Mike,

You sound really grumpy!


I've downloaded it and listened to episode 1. 2 and 3 will follow later

"And swapped I.P. addresses" !

[WhiteCrowNZ]

"Let's listen to Operation Wolf???"

As I've said comedy is so subjective, which meant some of the jokes weren't really my thing. However it also means the bits I found funniest here (ZX Spectrum and the Object Orientated pun), few people are likely to get. Or if they do, they should keep quiet about it because it will blow their cover amongst the "norms"/non-geeks.

Interesting and a brave attempt at something a bit different. It kind of reminded me a bit of what they tried to do in Garth Merenghis Dark Place, make a modern production which felt in a retro time like it belonged to another time.

It felt like some forgotten 80s sitcom, the bastard crossbreed of Mixed Blessings, Metal Mickey, The Computer Program and Sorry! BTW I say that in a good way.

But to be honest I thought Si Hunt's character as a bit of an ungrateful s**t at the end.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

You sound really grumpy!

I'm always grumpy - it's a midlife thing!

[Rob McCow]

It's no good blaming Si for that!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

It's no good blaming Si for that!

I'm blaming the character, not the man! It kind of reminded me in an annoying way of one of my wife's cousins who actually managed to pressurise her own mum to leave her mum's house, so she'd have somewhere to live with her husband (oh I kid you not). Just very, very selfish.

This, you must understand from the guy who moved to the other end of the world to his parents ...

[Andrew Curnow]

I've followed the instructions at the top of the page, as far as point 2!! I won't get chance to listen to it tonight though, so I shall have to leave points 3&4 until tomorrow.

That didn't really add anything to this thread did it...

[Alex]

Hmmm...Have to say I didn't quite 'get' it...

First off, I did think there were some funny lines in it - the ZX Spectrum music, the gropey arm, the Mother's obsession with Helen not being completely human - but as a whole for me it didn't quite work.

I suppose the thing is that I found Helen to be completely dislikable throughout (not the performance I should stress, just the character) and her instant dislike of Dan's parents akin to racism. I don't know if that was the intention or not, but prior to that we'd been introduced to his Mum as quirky but very very caring, so it was confusing as to why Helen disliked them so much.

The dinner party scene worked to a certain extent, with some funny lines - but again, the parents only came across as a bit eccentric, and in no way harmful - so why it should lead to Helen wanting Dan to never have anything to do with them again seemed odd. But it was his decision to basically kill them which made me really confused by the whole thing, having outlined the nature / nurture argument at the beginning of the play, to then go against it just didn't work for me personally.

If I'm reading it all wrong, and it was meant to be a black comedy, then I should probably give it another listen in that light, but from the way it was structured and performed, until the final moments, it didn't feel like that at all...

Edit: I just wanted to stress that I did like it in parts - and it was funny in places too - and I hope this isn't taken personally, and just as (hopefully) constructive criticism...