The Minister of Chance Podcast, July 2012
After a lengthy hiatus, episode three of this superior science fiction
drama has finally appeared. The Minster (Julian Wadham) and his sidekick Kitty (Lauren Crace) have arrived in the strange
territory of Paludin Fields in search of the elusive Sage of the Waves. Meanwhile Professor Cantha (Jenny Agutter) sees
what happens when the Sezians try to eradicate science.
It would be unfair to disclose too much of the plot (listeners should download all
three episodes to catch up with what has happened), but suffice to say that Dan Freeman's screenplay uses the time-travel
narrative to explore the place of science in western cultures; whether it is a force for good or evil, or whether it needs
to be restrained or encouraged. He offers us no particular answers; it very much depends on who is making use of the
scientific knowledge and for what purpose. The same also applies to books; do they represent a force for good or are
they potentially dangerous, encouraging readers to know things they shouldn't really know about?
If we aside the production's thematic aspects for a moment, The Minister of Chance
is a distinctly superior radio drama. Occasional quotations from familiar classic pieces (e.g. Dvorak's New World Symphony)
set the tone for certain scenes, while the soundscape is truly breathtaking in its scope, combining music, effects and echoes
to create a genuinely unsettling world. All credit to Chris Mock for the mixing and recording.
If you haven't yet hooked into The Minister of Chance, please do so; and
then help to contribute to the making of the fourth episode. Dramas of this quality need to be kept going through any
possible means.
