I have long been a fan of his work, his contributions to the world of Doctor Who, the creation of Iris Wildthyme (played by the force of nature that is katy Manning.in a series of stories from Big Finish.). His work, while always remaining thoroughly modern, always comes cloaked in an eccentric Englishness that is part poignancy part whimsy, and always charming. Feeling at times as though the mercurial compere of the BBC show The Good Old Days had turned his hand to writing. A colourful figure standing at the end of the pier always waving, never drowning.
Brenda, the Bride, is an intriguing and very sympathetic character surrounded by a pretend family of almost equally odd characters. Good friends and enemies who cluster in this harbour town, staring out at the hostile enviroment of The North Sea. A harsh enviroment to be sure but by turns beautiful if unpredicatable and dangerous. Whitby is such a perfect location for the stories Paul Magrs seems to relish sharing. In my minds eye I see the location for the BBC's lavish 1977 adaption of Dracula. The one with Louis Jordan as The Count. Which included my favourite on screen potrayal of Abraham Van Helsing with Frank Finlay in the lead role. Yes, even topping the almost perfect Peter Cushing and his Hammer interpretation of "professor Helsing"
Almost a century has passed in Whitby since the original publication of Dracula when the BBC cameras started rolling on their production of Bram Stoker's novel. Yet it looks relatively unchanged. In fact more change have probably occurred in that town since the broadcast of the Beebs version of Dracula than had changed in the decades since the book first saw print.
Paul Magrs has assembled a very entertaining witches brew of characters, almost on a par with the bonkers assemblage of characters he surrounds Tom baker with in his very entertaining Bakers end productions. Brenda and her chums are very engaging group whose experiences as perrenial outsiders enrich and entertain.
Always the Bride, as he previously said.
