The Thirty-Nine Steps uses John Buchan’s original text as its framework to bring the story to life, mixing on-screen text with multimedia fragments, such as images, audio and video. It also has an array of intuitive interactive elements (Story Mechanics), that are used to give the player control over the story, so no player experience will ever be exactly the same.

The product is also being built using the Unity 3D engine, which is allowing the creation of over 200 ultra-high definition locations with real-time visual FX. On their journey, players will be infused with the story world, where they can explore key locations and examine objects, they will also collect items and gain awards according to their progress and play style. The development is supported by Creative Scotland.

Written by John Buchan and originally published in 1915, the novel The Thirty-Nine Steps is one of Britain’s first spy thrillers and is termed a classic of literature. It gained worldwide fame in 1935 when the book was adapted by visionary film-maker Alfred Hitchcock.

In The Thirty-Nine Steps, Richard Hannay acts as protagonist and narrator. One day, Franklin P. Scudder turns up at Hannay’s London flat, desperately looking for a hideout. Scudder reveals to Hannay that he actually is a spy and discovered a political plot involving Britain, Germany, and Greece, for the outbreak of a war.

A few days later, Hannay finds Scudder murdered in his flat – and now has to flee from the police as well as Scudder’s pursuers. Hannay eventually decides to continue Scudder’s work, decipher his legacy and try to alert the politicians. There are just three weeks left, in which Hannay needs to escape his foes, survive and find someone who is listening to him and his apparently ridiculous story…

A wealth of well-known Scottish TV celebrities and theatre actors Nick Underwood (“Hollyoaks”, “Emmerdale”), Greg Hemphill (“Still Game”), Callum Cutherbertson (“Gary: Tank Commander”), Robin Laing and Benny Young (“Garrow’s Law”), and Ian Hanmore (“Dr Who”, “Game of Thrones” Season 2), are taking voice-acting lead roles in Digital Adaptations’ and Lace Mamba Global’s interactive remake of John Buchan’s classic thriller The Thirty Nine Steps.

Using the original book text as its framework and mixing in a stylish multimedia experience, with images, audio, video and interactive elements, the book will come alive to the audience. The opportunities to explore the world of the book will be second to none providing both entertainment and education for the participants. 

Directed by theatre director Guy Hollands, the talent is pushed to new heights for the interactive project. The performance is being recorded in Glasgow’s state of the art audio house, The Digital Design Studio, in its Ambisonic sound studio with engineer Paul Wilson.

Nick Underwood, well-known from “Coronation Street”, “Hollyoaks” and “Emmerdale”, as well as radio and theatre appearances, will be starring as protagonist Richard Hannay. Greg Hemphill, known from the sitcom “Still Game”, appears in a cameo role, lending his voice to The Old Shepherd. Ian Hanmore, who starred in “Dr Who” and played Pyatt Pree in Season 2 of the HBO series “Game of Thrones”, acts as Whittaker in The Thirty Nine Steps. Robin Laing, who worked with Tom Hanks in the HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers”, playing Edward ‘Babe’ Heffron, and acted as Renton in the UK tour of the theatre adaption of “Trainspotting”, lends his voice to Sir Harry. He also acted together with Benny young in BBC’s drama “Garrow’s Law”.

Other voice actors include: Donald Pirie, Richard Addisson, Mark McDonnell, Beth Marshall and Billy Mack.