Amber Benson

New animation and treasure hunt start soon.

Magical siblings William and Tamara Swift return to Cult this autumn in the second animated instalment of Ghosts of Albion - Embers.

They’ll be battling zombies, necromancers and demon monkeys in a global quest to find a mystical artefact.

As a bonus, fans will be invited to take part in a national treasure hunt to win the artefact. We’re not going to tell you what it is yet, but it’s rather cool, and very shiny.

A kind of Da Vinci code with demons, the treasure hunt has been developed in association with Britain’s foremost enigmatologist, Chris Maslanka. Visitors to the site will be asked to solve a series of puzzles that will lead them around the country to find the answers.

Embers is again co-written by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden, with actors Jasmine Hyde, Rory Kinnear, Anthony Daniels, Emma Samms, Paterson Joseph and Roy Skelton all reprising their roles.

"As usual, working with the BBC has been a wonderful pleasure," says Amber. "Chris and I were delighted that we could bring our internet fans the next instalment of the Ghosts saga. Embers will be even better than our last effort."

"Amber and I have been itching to get round to the next Ghosts of Albion," adds Chris. "There’s an upcoming roleplaying game and a new series of original novels, but it’s a thrill to have joined forces with the BBC and our wonderful cast to bring Embers to life."

Embers will feature innovative animation from Flash specialist Nick Hilditch and post-production by audio drama specialists Big Finish.

"Being invited to direct the second Ghosts of Albion adventure was very exciting but also a little daunting," says producer/director John Ainsworth. "Amber had done a really good job directing the first story, and the actors had clearly enjoyed themselves immensely, so I felt I had a lot to live up to.

"Happily I was able to meet with Amber in Los Angeles to discuss the project and I think we both felt more comfortable about my taking the helm as a result. We got some great performances on the day and I feel that the finished production, with some excellent sound design, music and animation, is a worthy successor to the original adventure."

Embers begins on 1 November 2004. While you’re waiting for it, follow the link to check out previous Ghosts of Albion adventures.