Night Terrace is like Hitchhikers Guide in Australia – a geeky delight you shouldn’t miss
While driving through the red centre of Australia recently the GiS family, listened to Night Terrace season 1 on high rotation. It was a joy.
Night Terrace is a radio-show-like podcast that’s most easily compared to the original Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It’s funny and whimsical and all science-fiction; really it’s a geek’s delight. In summary:
Scientist Anastasia Black had retired from her job saving the world, preferring the adventure of a good book and a pot of tea. Then her house unexpectedly began travelling randomly through time and space, taking with it hapless university student Eddie Jones. From the far future on other worlds to the distant past of Earth, Anastasia and Eddie have faced deadly monsters, evil corporations and a sinister disco, before finally discovering the origins of the house’s strange power.
But with no way to direct the house back home, there are even stranger adventures awaiting the tenants of “Night Terrace”: impossible spaceships, unlikely quests, ghosts of the past and the most terrible peril of all: a new housemate…
All this with Australian accents too. There was always a danger that this would all come off as silly or a faint copy, but the Night Terrace team has avoided both those fates. Good writing and excellent voice-acting makes the series work very nicely and the underlying premise gives the writers the opportunity to make each episode remarkably varied. The success of season 1 means that the Night Terrace team has a great base to build on and the ability to attract some interesting guest stars. So I’m guessing season 2 will be even better.
Night Terrace has just run a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund season 2.
It’s not due out until November, though, so that’s plenty of time to get hold of and listen to season 1. As a taste, the entire first episode is available free here.