Brighton, West Sussex; 1936

 ‘’Ere, listen, listen, I've got one for you. There once was this bloke, you see. Good-looking sort of chap. Lovely, brightly coloured coat. No rubbish. Quality gear. Never bought a drink neither... or so they say. But his name wasn't Miller. Oh no, there'll never be another Cheeky Chappie, lady, there'll never be another. They broke the mould when they made me you know.

 ‘No, this bloke called himself The Doctor. Doctor who you ask? And may well you. Don't know me self. No one ever knew. Funny that. He was a real strange one. Odd things happened when he arrived.

 ‘Mind you, them were dark days. No one was laughing. And these were my people. My public. It was like playing first house at the Glasgow Empire. Just like the entire town was cursed it was. Cursed by something not of this world...’

 It’s been just over a year since Medicinal Purposes, my first effort for Big Finish, emerged... and I’m very glad to see how well young Daft Jamie has done for himself since. As for my second stab, I’ve been allowed total self-indulgence and this time the jokes were at the forefront of my mind. Brighton has always been one of my favourite places since happy childhood holiday memories of the Theatre Royal, the pebbles, the piers and, of course, The Leisure Hive. Indeed, since this script was commissioned, Brighton has been the site of an exhibition about a certain science fiction television series. Brighton was also the hometown of the cheeky chappie himself, Max Miller.

 I’m delighted to be blessed once again with an impeccable cast, who seemed to have an absolute ball in the studio - including an unexpected cameo from a Doctor Who legend! In terms of guest stars, it was a dream come true when Roy Hudd signed up to play his own comic hero, Max Miller. Investing the role with a lifetime’s experience and knowledge of music hall, Roy is Max. It’s an astonishing performance and marks an enjoyable reunion between Roy and his Hiss and Boo colleague, Maggie Stables. Battling the good Doctor, Evelyn and the Pure Gold of Music Hall is an actor synonymous with the best in screen terror. Doug Bradley’s Pinhead from the Hellraiser films remains one of the great icons of horror cinema. Having attended the recording, it was an honour to see the cast bring my words to life and if, as director Gary Russell commented, the whole piece begins to sound something like Carry On Brighton at times, then so be it. It’s not a million miles from my intention!