The Nelson Identity pt 2 Online NOW!

[SiHart]

Brendan Jones and Simon Hart star in part 2 of
The Nelson Identity
By Jon Masters

With a whisper in the wrong ear, The Doctor has created disarray in the timelines. Can he set it history back on its correct course, will Tom ever forgive him and is everyone he meets exactly what they seem to be?

Click Save to listen to Part 2 of The Nelson Identity

[Jon Masters]

Bloody marvellous

More (though probably less erudite) things to say after further listenings.

[Rob McCow]

Ar-haaarrr! Brilliant stuff me hearties and not at all piratical so I don't know why I'm doing that particular stuff.

Anyway this was another great episode from Jon, with some spiffing performances. The best part for me was the Nelson dilemma - whether they should kill him to put history back on track. It's a lovely use of a sci-fi concept and made for a thoughtful problem for the Doctor.

I have to say, Ashley was fabulous as Nelson. It was superbly acted. It's a big old role and having to do Tom-as-Nelson as well must have made it all the more challenging. So I'm very impressed!

Brendan and Simon are getting quite settled in as the Doctor and Tom, with a nice mix of bickering and affection. Kind of like the Doctor and Peri, only if Peri wasn't such a wet blanket but was instead a strong-willed and assertive historian.

The accents were fine, I thought. Except for the Irish one. That was a bit weird. But the Russian was perfectly acceptable, from both Brendan and Si Hunt. I liked Si's poor, confused Russian Officer!

Plaudits also to Richard, who brought the character of DeVascon to life. And oooo! That ending! What could it all mean?!

Damn fine stuff all round.

[Nyder]

Yes well done everyone - thoroughly enjoyed it! Some of the Doctor's lines made me laugh out loud! I thought the story was well-paced. I'm getting to like Tom. But I went off him a bit when he started harbouring some murderous thoughts! Well done to Ashley for tackling such a meaty role!

I think I'd like to retire to Trinidad after listening to this episode :-)

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Wonderful stuff. Lovely to be reminded how much fun was had recording my scenes for this.

Before I get stuck on critiquing my own performance I'd just like to say how superbly everyone else did. Also I the sound effects and music were absolutely spot on for this episode. Once again I hope Si realises how much his efforts in this regard are appreciated.

[SiHart]

I'm getting to like Tom. But I went off him a bit when he started harbouring some murderous thoughts!

That was the idea. Tom's new to this time travelling malarkey and I think he's on something of a learning curve for the first few stories and he has to learn that the what seems like the easy way out isn't always the best thing.

I really enjoyed this episode too. Great production once again from Si and some ace performances. Kudos especially to Ashley as Nelson, who did the very difficult job of making the older and younger versions of the character sound very different from each other and also pulled off the Tom-as-Nelson acting very well too. I was very impressed. Richard was great as De Vascon too. Nice and mysterious that character and the changing accents were super!

[Dirk Gently]

Before I start I need to listen to this when NOT trying to go to sleep.

1 & only criticism, I thought the ending was a little rushed & confusing, but that may have been my sleep filled head & not the story.

I thought the whole thing was really well put together, the production seems to be well on a par with a lot of what we've got from B.F, well done Si.

Tom's actions were completely understandable if morally objectionable, but excellently played by Si. Brendan's Doctor to a tour de force. Having been present at some of the recording it really is great to hear it in context within the play. Richard was marvelous as De Vascon, a sinister character with a suitable mysterious & sinister end to the play.
Ashley's Nelson was excellent & I really got swept up in the whole story & completely forgot I knew the actors & just heard them as characters.

Kudos to all concerned, excellent work all round.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I believe there was an issue with this episode over running quite significantly and I think Si had to work quite hard to get it down to the standard 30 minutes.
I hope the resolution of the paradox of Nelson's survival was clear enough to new listeners or anyone who hadn't remembered it from recording as that may have been a little confusing but in general I think this play was an easier listen than Invaders from Oxford.
Also I was very pleased with how the final scene came across as it was the part I was most concerned about for reasons which will be obvious to those who've heard it.

[SiHart]

I believe there was an issue with this episode over running quite significantly and I think Si had to work quite hard to get it down to the standard 30 minutes.

Oh yes, this weeks episode clocked in at well over 40 minutes on the first cut, so Si did a great job of editing it down and still keeping the gist of the story.

in general I think this play was an easier listen than Invaders from Oxford.

Interesting! In many ways I thoyght this was the more complex of the two stories, what with all the time changing escapades and all. Maybe though, the writing of The Nelson Identity was a little more straightforward than Invaders From Oxford was?

Also I was very pleased with how the final scene came across as it was the part I was most concerned about for reasons which will be obvious to those who've heard it.

It worked very I thought. Dropping the accent was a wonderful Oh My! moment.

[Si Hunt]

I must be getting slightly better at editing. I don't think we lost any major lines or scenes at all.

Si.

[SiHart]

It was very skillfully done

[Jon Masters]

I must be getting slightly better at editing. I don't think we lost any major lines or scenes at all.

Si.

You do yourself a disservice , Si - slightly better ? Damn excellent if you ask me !

OK, after the headless chicken excitement that I get when I hear people acting out my story (MY STORY !!) I just can't praise people enough for another stunning piece of audiowork. Si has indeed tweaked and twisted just the odd line or phrase, to the extent that I couldn't spot the cuts without having the script open at the same time. So I'm afraid any confusion over the conclusion is all my fault - no helpful exposition was lost on the cutting room floor. And I'm convinced that he must have a library of audio effects to rival the Beebs by now - hope all those TARDIS action-loving fans were suitable satisfied !

It was great fun hearing Brendon and Si going at it like I had planned, but hats off to Ashley for making Nelson, in all his identities *, such a great character and getting across all my feeble stage directions. Loved everyone else going for it on the accents again, and glad that the last scene came across as mysteriously as was planned (watch this space as it were).

Many thanks for all the kind words about the script - as always, it was a great pleasure to be part of PS audios and hope I'll be lucky enough to be asked again.

And I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season, if only because I get to inflict some of my acting on you !!

* see what I did there ?

[brandynigma]

I'm gratified people have enjoyed this story too!

I want to thank Jon for giving me lots of lovely lines in this one. "MAKE SOME TEA!" is now going to be my stand-by response to crises.

If anything, I thought Si's production work for this episode exceeded the terrific soundscapes for the first episode. My accent is not half as bad as I remember, and Si's guard riffs well on those scenes.

I remember being spellbound by Ash and Tim's readings at the time, and continued to be so throughout this episode. Richard's acting debut for us is brilliant, and there was a shade of brilliant bluster from Phil as Beatty, giving way to a very quiet performance later.

Something I didn't twig at the time of recording, but comes across brilliantly in the final recording, is Beatty and Pasco's complicity in the Doctor's plan. I think the speech at the end explains everything perfectly (though I like to think they picked up Emma and Horatia on the way to Trinidad).

Finally, there's Simon giving Tom a sense of being a very new time traveler, asserting himself well even if he's not necessarily right. What could possibly come of that, I wonder?

[Si Hunt]

Thanks all.

Yes, I have a huge library of sound effects by now. I keep everything I make, buy or construct each time so there are quite a few. You never know when the Krotons or the Mark 7 Security Droids might come back, so all their phrases and motor movements are filed away.

I'm now imagining Jon, his script open, listening and checking for words I've cut out!

Si.

[SiHart]

When we were planning the season, one of the things that came up quite quickly was that we wanted the Dcotor to be on the backfoot a lot of the time. We wanted to emphasize the fact that this universe wasn't the same as the one he knows, and therefore a lot of the knowledge he has accumulated won't be of as much use to him as before.

From that premise came the idea of doing what I called "The Aztecs in reverse"- the Doctor causing a problem with the known history of Tom's world, by trying to make it the same as the history he knows. With Tom being an historian, this would also help to strengthen Tom's position, as he's the one who would know what to do to put it right and see where the change was made.

Originally entitled, The Doctor's Waterloo, we imagined a comedy story, with lots of cross dressing, Napoleon impersonators and bad accents. What Jon did was amazing from that little brief in the season writer's guide. He took the bare bones of the idea and made it work in ways we hadn't foreseen. By moving the premise to Nelson rather Napoleon, we get a different story, one that's more serious, but explores the themes we wanted. The consequences of the Doctor's actions are explored more fully than we expcted, and thus what would have been a comedy romp became The Nelson Identity you've all heard.

It's been great fun collaborating with Jon on this story. We suspect it won't be too long before we're working on his one of his scripts again.

[brandynigma]

To add my tuppence to what Si has said above- another conceptual title was 'The Curious Case of the Imperial Impersonator'. The Doctor was going to have to dress as Napeleon, and Tom as Josephine.

What Jon came up with instead, I think everyone would agree, is a big improvement on the jokey dressing up idea. Incidentally, a story later in the season started similarly with a joke from Si Hart, and has become...

Well. That would be telling.

[SiHart]

My jokes may not always be funny, but they are inspirational!

[brandynigma]

Tom dressed up as Josephine Bonaparte with an eerily similar voice to Vera Jundrey was, I seem to recall, the original idea.

And I hadn't even been drinking.

[SiHart]

I thought you were the one dragging up?

[brandynigma]

No- Doctor short, therefore Doctor Napoleon.

[SiHart]

Oh of course! Well in my defence it was a long time ago now!

[Junkyard]

Another great adventure from Planet Skaro, although you might let us get used to the new universe before you go monkeying about with the time line! This alternate history business can be a little confusing (I had to google Addington) as the Napoleonic era isn't my forte. However, I digress.
Brendan and Si are turning into a real partnership and Brendan has found his catch phrase (Make Some Tea!!). I look forward to the next adventure. 8/10

[SiHart]

Thanks for your kind comments! Glad you're enjoying the adventures so much

[Paul Monk]

Hopefully I'll have more time to elaborate later but just wanted to say to I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Superb stuff and brilliant acting throughout.

And Richard was quite creepy I thought. More villains for him in the future.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Glad you enjoyed it Paul. I had great fun doing it although kudos must go to Si for editing it all together so well.

As for playing more villains in future you'll have to wait and see