Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3 Explains His Enthusiasm for Injecting a “British Nightmare” Touch into Fallout: London’s Sassy Transport

Fallout: London, a sprawling mod for Fallout 4, recently found itself in a curious spotlight. It has been vying for attention alongside the likes of Stalker 2 in the quirky world of radiation-themed favorites, though their launches were plagued by some rather frustrating bugs. One of the more intriguing aspects of this mod is the lineup of cameos it features.

Noteworthy among these is Neil Newbon, a voice actor celebrated for his work in Baldur’s Gate 3. He’s joined by individuals whose fame is rooted in British culture, such as former Speaker of the UK House of Commons, John Bercow. In a refreshing twist, Newbon recently shared why he decided to lend his talents to the mod, shedding some light on the backstory originally touched upon when we spoke with Team FOLON’s project lead over the summer.

In a conversation with GINX TV for their ‘The Games That Made Me’ series, Newbon revealed, “When Astarion and Baldur’s Gate 3 were gaining traction, I was already aware of Fallout London. I reached out to them maybe a year or two ago, expressing my excitement and willingness to contribute. I’m a Fallout fan, and since it’s a mod, there were no financial constraints for me. I was more than happy to help out, but unfortunately, my message slipped through the cracks for about a year and a half.”

Explaining why he was happy to contribute his voice without charge, Newbon remarked, “There’s a misconception that once actors start gaining recognition, indie developers assume they can’t afford us. That’s simply not true. Just because an actor wins an award doesn’t mean they’re out of reach. Many of us still see ourselves as jobbing actors, ultimately driven by our devotion to the craft.”

Newbon’s collaboration with Team FOLON, particularly in bringing his character Barry the Boat to life, was notably hands-on. Barry is a robot lodged within a boat, ferrying players across the Thames, and creating the character was a joint endeavor between Newbon and the mod developers.

Drawing inspiration from the classic British sitcom On the Buses—ask your parents or grandparents if you weren’t around back then—Newbon infused his performance with a touch of nostalgia. He candidly noted, “One character, Inspector Cyril, known for being a bit of a stickler with a tiny Hitler-like mustache, served as my muse. I thought it would blend wonderfully with Barry the Boat since he’s basically a bus.”

He added, “Imagining Barry as a typical British character, always seeing the world as a chore, was just hilarious. I didn’t get a say in the lipstick, but we certainly improvised quite a bit.”

Honestly, I’m a little envious that I didn’t coin something as brilliant as “very British, you know, everything’s a nightmare” when describing my own experiences reviewing Fallout: London. Thankfully, a few patches have since smoothed out those initial hiccups.

Catch Neil Newbon’s episode of ‘The Games That Made Me’ throughout December on GINX TV, accessible in the UK on Freeview channel 282, Sky Glass channel 419, or via the Ginx.tv website.