Recording Brian Blessed as the Fearsome Beastie was an experience that I’m going to remember for a very long time. Not only was Brian incredibly professional and a hugely talented actor, he was also charming, generous with his time and a whole lot of fun. The recording session lasted about 45 minutes, but he was with us for about 4 hours, regaling us with stories of his many adventures up Everest and around the world, and his hopes of making a documentary about the Redgrave Theatre in Farnham (where the recording took place).

Co-Directors Katie Steed and and Jon Hunt with Producer Aaron Wood (and Brian Blessed of course)

To become the Beastie was a very difficult task, because the part is more about noises and sounds than dialogue. We had to ask Brian to sit in a booth and growl, gasp, howl and burp his way through the part, which he did with great gusto. He gave us everything that we asked for and a whole lot more. Now all we have to do is sift through the many many hilarious out-takes to find the perfect version of each noise and lay them down against the ever-evolving storyboard.

Luckily, we have the very talented Sound Mixer Joe Sudlow assisting us with this, because I wouldn’t be able to get through more than a few seconds without cracking up at Brian Blessed’s performance. What a guy.

Sound Designer Joe Sudlow wondering if it’s possible for Brian’s enthusiastic bellows to break his microphones