Big Finish's historical murder-mystery Cicero, starring Samuel Barnett (star of Netflix's Dirk Gently series), written by David Llewellyn and directed by Scott Handcock was released in February, and has received a warm welcome for this pioneering title, the like of which no one's ever quite encountered before at Big Finish:

Starburst observed in their review, "Samuel Barnett is compelling in the lead role, and has his own emerging gravitas in the major court speech. He is meant to be young and forging a reputation, and this is the person presented in the story. Scott Handcock’s direction is as precise as ever, and the whole piece is a delight".

Comments Scott: "It would be very easy to think that Big Finish listeners are only interested in science-fiction and fantasy, but the response to Cicero has proved that isn’t the case! At its core, Cicero is a simple historical drama. It’s a story that’s survived two thousand years. It’s about crime and our perceptions, and the pursuit of justice against all odds. It resonates with audiences, and feels strangely as relevant now as it ever has."

He continues: "Lovelier still is that Big Finish have asked for us to continue the story of Cicero, and I’m currently locking David Llewellyn away in a Cardiff cupboard so we can develop the next five stories. Whilst the trial of Sextus Roscius put Cicero on the map, his career continued to be long and varied, and I can’t wait to explore his life in greater detail. The entire team is really looking forward to it!"

Mass Movement's review singled out, "...The attention, and devotion, to historical accuracy, character development and interaction is second only to the deliciously dark scheme that lies at the core of a tale that’s brought into brilliant being by a top notch cast led by Cicero himself, Samuel Barnett."

The Dirk Gently star spoke of returning to Big Finish for more historical adventures: “I’m absolutely thrilled that we get to revisit Cicero and further explore the stories and myths that surround him. He’s such a complex man and we only scratched the surface of who he is in ‘Though Scoundrels Are Discovered…’ The biggest fun with the stories we are telling lies in weaving history and drama together, both illuminating something about the other. I'm so excited to get stuck into Cicero and Quintus’s next case!”

Cicero can be bought on Download for just £5.00 - for the curious amongst you, a free 12 minutes excerpt can be found here: Cicero - Excerpt. Use the Big Finish free app for Android or Apple devices to listen wherever you are!

Watch this space for more news on Marcus Tullius Cicero...