Tea in the Sahara
Kev: Critic & Podcaster
This week podcast fans we drift into a tonal handbrake turn with an EXCLUSIVE review from Brett Neichen & John Scott Dryden’s latest podcast The Sisters. Cheers, again gents for sending me early episodes for me to compile this review.
Inspired by true events in Hexham, England during the 50s/60s – The Sisters – is a horror first for Brett & John – wider known for their awesome sci-fi thriller storytelling including seismic hits like The Cipher & most recently TAGGED.
The Sisters premise starts in Philadelphia following Mütter Museum curator Franki Bradshaw (Mae Whitman), who struggles to hold her life together – including staying on the wagon post-divorce. Franki receives a mysterious postal package in the form of bones fused together – the medical term for the female skeletal remains is FOP (fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva), a super rare musculoskeletal condition. Oh, and also a 1960s reel-to-reel tape of occult rituals that sounded like something from The Exorcist!
Circling back to the Mütter, and Irl this museum is a genuine place you can visit as a treasure trove of medical oddities – which helped provide Brett with inspiration for this latest audio drama.
The narrative splits storytelling arcs between the UK & US – from past to present tense respectively – as the listener gains backstory flashbacks. The UK-based Pollard family’s blissful life is rocked to the core by a tragic accident that kills both their twin girls. It is this tragedy that underpins The Sister’s ongoing plotline.
In true Brett/John writing style the action races down multiple rabbit holes simultaneously dissecting themes of The Gospel of Thomas, satanic possessions, and a charming Charleton called Mark Whitney (David Morrissey).
From the five episodes I was given to review I legit know there will be more lab rat maze twists & turns played out within this dark audio drama. And don’t think the popular culture Stranger Things references flew under my nuance radar Mr Neichen – nice Easter egg touches as always!
So is The Sisters going to be this year’s Halloween horror podcast?
In short, my POV Brett & John have taken what is a very sobering subject and sympathetically engineered it into yet another podcast hit. A horror hit worthy of inclusion within their creative catalog of audio dramas – as I write this review The Sisters currently sits at number two in the US (fiction drama) Apple podcast charts no less.
Download The Sisters – score 4.5/5
For podcast submissions – tinthesahara@gmail.com
Cast & Crew
Mae Whitman, Helen Baxendale, David Morrissey, Miles Heizer, Lee Ingleby, Jennifer Armour, David Holt, Orla McDonagh, Lacey Findlow, Clare Corbett, Peter Hamilton Dyer, Sophia Del Pizzo, and Akie Kotabe.
All other parts played by:
Annabelle Dowler, Nathan Osgood, Eric Meyers, Walles Hamonde, Nathan Osgood, Lola Wayne, Grant Burgin, and Chris Anderson
Created by Brett Neichin
Written by Brett Neichin, John Scott Dryden & Mac Rogers
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Written by Brett Neichin, John Scott Dryden & Mac Rogers
Script Editor: Mike Walker
Original Music by Seymour Milton & Sacha Puttnam
Sound Design: Adam Woodhams
Sound Editor: Andreina Gomez Casanova
Sound Engineers: Paul Clark, Tony Diaz, Matt Jacobson, Juan Martin del Campo
US Recording Supervisor: Andy Welker
Production Assistant: Jacob Dabb
Producer and Casting for Goldhawk Productions: Emma Hearn
Director and Executive Producer for Goldhawk Productions: John Scott Dryden
For Realm, the Producers are: John Brooks, Fred Greenhalgh, & Nicole Otto and
the Executive Producers are: Molly Barton, Marci Wiseman, and Julian Yap.
THE SISTERS is a Realm Original produced by Goldhawk in Association with Lights Out.
Tea in the sahara 