The Mystery Machine Podcast

[Linden]

A friend put me on to this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06spb ... /downloads

Two modernised adaptations of HP Lovecraft tales presented as the work of a two-person internet radio station/podcast specialising in the weird and occult. It's professionally made and performed with proper actors like Alun Armstrong, Nicola Walker and Louise Jameson of Dr Who fame.

What's really interesting from our point of view is that both stories depart quite radically from the original text and veer off into exploring various bits of esoteric occult and conspiracy lore. The Whisperer in Darkness in particular chucks in everything but the kitchen sink - The Rendlesham Forest incident, shadowy government branches of government working against each other, cold war number stations, Nazi Black Sun type mumbo jumbo the, East Angian witches persecuted by Matthew Hopkins. It actually gets a bit overwhelming a times. The other criticism is they tend to end on an anti-climax, possibly as a means to set up the next series. Am quite looking to the forthcoming The Shadow Over Innsmouth though...

[ReHerakhte]

Looks very interesting. As mentioned in the past I'm not big on podcasts but this is more to my tastes (plus I'm going to pass it along to a friend of mine who is a big Cthulhu fan).

[ReHerakhte]

I have to say, after beginning the first episode of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, I was sufficiently intrigued by the "admin" intro that I attempted to look up Mystery Machine and Red Hook Stories on the web.
Mystery Machine certainly lives up to the first part of its name because it's a mystery to me where their website is. Does anyone know a web address for them that isn't a podcast site? They talk about contributing to their crowdfunder yet give no link for the crowdfunding site

Or have I been sucked in by the "radio play" style and Mystery Machine, Red Hook Stories et al, don't actually exist except in the story world?

[Linden]

Or have I been sucked in by the "radio play" style and Mystery Machine, Red Hook Stories et al, don't actually exist except in the story world?

I tended to skip past them thinking they were advertising, but I believe they're actually part of the story. There is a development in one of the later episodes which partially addresses it.

The genuine production company's website is here:

http://www.sweettalkproductions.co.uk/i

[ReHerakhte]

Ah ha! So yes, i was sucked in by radio play style.
I thought that they were genuine adverts too. After making my post, I continued listening to the first episode and it slowly dawned on me that I was mistaken.
Which is a damned shame in some ways because I really wanted to listen to the other mystery show they talked about.

Regardless of that, the whole production is pretty good and I ended up listening to the next two episodes and only stopped when I decided that at 12:33 in the morning, I really should go to bed! Normally that wouldn't have bothered me for a Saturday, I'd just sleep in on the Sunday, but it's Mother's Day today and I'm "expected" to go to lunch with the family
Which is also a damned shame because all i really want to do is listen to more episodes!

[Linden]

I found them quite addictive as well. Good for long car journeys.

Who knows, maybe they'll do a Red Hook prequel after The Shadow Over Innsmouth?

[ReHerakhte]

Must agree to the series being addictive, I binged on them over the last few days because I wanted to hear the next part, then the next part, then the next...
A well done series that was well told and enjoyable and also a bit of a jog to the memory with some of the events and people they referenced (like Jack Parsons - thanks go to Fortean Times for informing me about that unusual character!)
I'd be happy just to get the Innsmouth story but if they do a Red Hook story I'd definitely be listening to that as well.

So all in all, thanks for making mention of the show Linden - been the best 2-3 hours late at night I've spent for months

[Linden]

So all in all, thanks for making mention of the show Linden - been the best 2-3 hours late at night I've spent for months

You're welcome mate, as I mentioned a friend put me on to them - I'm just spreading the word.

Will probably listen to them all again at some point in the not too distant future. Next time I'm on a long drive somewhere.