Podcast Review | Victoriocity
Victoriocity is back!
After an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign, the detective comedy audio drama Victoriocity has just returned for a second season.
For those of you who haven’t been following the adventures of Detective Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwhistle, a brief recap: Victoriocity is set in London, in 1887. But this is a very different, steampunk-inspired world. Not London, exactly, but Even Greater London, a city that has grown to encompass huge swathes of the island sometimes referred to as Britain. Everything is powered by The Tower, a massive power-generating edifice at the centre of the city, guarded by the feared Yeoman Warders. Queen Victoria is a cyborg, Isambard Brunel commands an indefatigable army of engineers and, well, things are never quite as they seem.
Season One follows the adventures of the cynical, dry-witted Detective Fleet as he tries to solve the murder of the famed scientist who designed The Tower. In attempting to do so, he slowly uncovers a conspiracy of disturbing proportions. Working alongside Fleet, much to his initial annoyance, is Clara Entwhistle, an astute and unfailingly persistent rookie journalist new to Even Greater London. Together, they must unravel a mystery that that involves secret societies, powerful public figures, and perhaps the future of Even Greater London itself.
A Rich and Inventive Sound World
The show is written by Chris and Jen Sugden in a style that exhibits a clear love of the Victorian era they have reimagined, as well as a real talent for world-building. It’s in equal parts brilliantly entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, and enormously inventive. Directed by Nathan Peter Grassi, and starring Tom Crowley (Fleet) and Layla Katib (Entwhistle) among a huge cast of over two dozen actors, the voice acting is superlative. To top it off, producer Dominic Hargreaves delivers a rich sound world to complement the acting and storytelling.
Victoriocity Season One is just six episodes long so you can quickly catch up before delving into Season Two. What are you waiting for?
Looking for more audio drama? Check out Headstuff’s Prospect 57
