Dark Season to get new adaptation at Big Finish as Russell T Davies hints at sequel
The sci-fi teen drama, which starred a young Kate Winslet, originally aired on BBC One 30 years ago.
Three decades on from original transmission, Russell T Davies' classic science-fiction series Dark Season is being revisited by audio drama producers Big Finish.
Airing in six parts on BBC One in late 1991, Dark Season was the first TV drama created and written by Davies and chronicled the adventures of three teenagers who are caught in a conspiracy of brainwashing, kidnaps and a threat to the whole human race, spearheaded by the sinister Mr Eldritch.
The trio of heroes were played by Victoria Lambert as the 13-year-old Marcie, Ben Chandler as Tom and Kate Winslet, in her first major professional acting role, as Reet.
Now, Lambert is returning to Dark Season to narrate a new audiobook adaptation of the series, which is set for release in November 2021.
"When I first got the message, I thought it was someone taking the mick," said Lambert. "But it’s surreal, slightly, because when you’re sitting here and you’re reading the lines, there almost – in a compartment of my head – is the programme. I can see each scene. It’s always in the back of your mind."
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But the excitement doesn't stop there, with Russell T Davies hinting that a sequel to Dark Season will follow this new adaptation.
"When I wrote my first TV script, 30 years ago, I never dreamt I’d be revisiting it all these years later," said the award-winning writer. "To be reunited with its star, Victoria Lambert, has been an absolute joy. We both agreed that in 1991, this was my trial run for Doctor Who!
“And it’s not just about revisiting the past. With Scott Handcock and Big Finish at the helm, I hope a new and terrifying Dark Season might be about to fall…"
Producer Scott Handcock added: "Dark Season’s one of those series that burned itself into the imaginations of a generation of children back in the early '90s. It’s full of massive ideas and brilliant characters, not to mention an astonishing cast, and we were thrilled to track down the one-and-only Marcie Hatter – Victoria Lambert!
"We had such a fun time reliving Russell’s novelisation of that original TV series as a brand-new audiobook, and it’s a perfect introduction to the world… before Big Finish embarks on a few new dark seasons of its own."
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Dark Season is now available to pre-order as a limited edition five-CD box set at £22.99 (limited to 1,000 copies) or as a digital download from the Big Finish website at £19.99.
