Local councillor Matt Turmaine spent a day as a future Prime Minister of Britain, celebrating the victory of Britain’s Interplanet Space Fleet over the evil Mekon in a new Dan Dare audio adventure.
Dan Dare was the pioneering space “pilot of the future” in fondly remembered comic The Eagle, battling the evil Mekon and his efforts to dominate the Earth.
The space hero’s adventures have been resurrected as a series of original new audio adventures featuring Ed Stoppard (Home Fires), Geoff McGivern (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and Heida Reed (Poldark), bringing the classic stories bang up to date, for release later this year.
In the episode Operation Saturn, the action begins with the Prime Minister speaking to a huge celebratory crowd in Trafalgar Square, following Earth’s victory over the Mekon menace. Councillor Turmaine was asked to play the role of the PM.
Producer and Director of the audio adventures, Andrew Mark Sewell, said: “We needed a Prime Minister to address the crowds with conviction. I know Matt can deliver a speech and let’s face it, politicians all love the sound of their own voice, so I thought it might be fun to ask him to play our future PM.”
“We’re all really excited about bringing Dan Dare adventures back and I think fans of the original comic and new audiences will love it. They’re a roller coaster ride of fun, humour and action; with some good satirical commentary as well.”
Matt Turmaine, who is a councillor in Holywell Ward in West Watford, said: “This is clearly a great opportunity to explore a future political career path and I’m delighted to have been able to play the role. In fact, Dan Dare characters have featured in politics in the past. Back in the 1980s, Private Eye cast Labour leader Neil Kinnock in the title role with Margaret Thatcher cast as the Mekon.”
“I just hope that we don’t need to take part in an interplanetary war in order to demonstrate that I’ve got what it takes!” he concluded.
The new Dan Dare audio adventures will be released in Autumn 2016 on CD and available for download through all the usual outlets including iTunes and other well-known digital platforms.
