Ashley's Worlds
| Running time | 3-5 minutes per episode |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Languages | English |
| Starring | see below |
| Writers | Belinda Todd |
| Producers | Andrew Dubber and Belinda Todd |
| Narrated by | Craig Parker |
| Air dates | 1 January 1996 to late 1990s |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 100 |
| Website | http://ashleysworlds.bandcamp.com |
Ashley's Worlds was a mid-1990s radio comedy series in 100 episodes that was broadcast on 26 radio stations and described by its creators Andrew Dubber and Belinda Todd as a "cartoon for radio".[1]
Plot
[edit]Domestic cat Ashley is transported, or "magiced", into the kingdom of Catatonia, a world completely run by anthropomorphic cats, where he is mistaken for a spy and is thrown into the dungeon of the royal castle. He escapes with the uncouth scrapper Bishop and together with their self-proclaimed hostage Tobias they seek an audience with the princess hoping to resolve Ashley's predicament.
Cast
[edit]- Craig Parker as Ashley, a spoiled cat used to a nice patch of sunshine to sleep in and a house full of humans to pander to his every need. Prior to the transportation his most unpleasant experience involved an unscheduled trip to the vet and a cold thermometer and his most dangerous escapade was a slow flick of the tail coupled with a rather faster closing of the fridge door.
- Carl Bland as Bishop, a fierce looking criminal cat eager to whip out his card which reads "Bishop the bloodthirsty: specializing in assassinations, intimidations and small wars. No job too messy." Ashley's unusual behavior first has Bishop suspect Ashley is "a crazy".
- David Weatherley as Tobias, a plump and ageing aristocat of the noble Pussinbootle family
- Belinda Todd as Tabitha, the visually impaired and self-centered princess and ruler of Catatonia whose missing father, the king, was obsessed with discovering the ruins of the lost city Cataract, built by the magically adept ancients.
- Merv Smith as The Strange Old Cat
Ilona Rodgers, Beryl Te Wiata and Emmeline Hawthorne made guest appearances.
Production
[edit]On average, each 3–5 minutes episode took around 16 hours to make.[2]
In January 2005, Dubber announced on his blog "The Wireless" that he had registered Ashley's Worlds under a Creative Commons Licence and seeded a torrent with the series.[3]
My theory is that the more people have copies of this stuff, the less likely it is to disappear forever. Digital archiving is about dissemination and propagating, not hoarding and hiding.
— Andrew Dubber, 2011.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ Andrew Dubber. "Sorry about all that rain". Andrew Dubber's blog, 19 February 2004. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ a b Andrew Dubber. "Ashley’s Worlds revisited", Andrew Dubber's blog, 5 March 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Andrew Dubber. "Ashley's Worlds torrent", Andrew Dubber's blog, 8 January 2005. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
External links
[edit]- Ashley's Worlds at bandcamp.com (hosting episodes 1-14)
- "Ashley’s Worlds for Christmas", episodes 1-50 on Andrew Dubber's blog (Retrieved 27 December 2011)
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