Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion on Bringing “Very British, Everything’s a Nightmare” Vibe to Fallout: London’s Sassiest Transport Mode

Fallout: London, a colossal mod for Fallout 4, recently found itself up against some stiff competition in the realm of captivating, radiation-themed projects beloved by fans but initially plagued by daunting launch glitches, thanks to Stalker 2. However, one aspect that set Fallout: London apart was its intriguing cameos.

One of the standout names involved was Neil Newbon, known for his voice work in Baldur’s Gate 3, joined by figures more iconic in British culture than in gaming, like former UK House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow. Recently, Newbon shared his perspective on why he joined the mod, shedding light on the backstory we partially unraveled during our summer chat with Team FOLON’s project lead.

Speaking with GINX TV for their series ‘The Games That Made Me,’ Newbon explained, “Astarion and Baldur’s Gate 3 had just taken off wonderfully. I’d been aware of Fallout London for quite some time. In fact, I reached out about a year, maybe two, before all this, simply because it sounded amazing. I’ve always been a Fallout fan, and since it’s a free mod, there was no issue for me. I offered my services, but they missed my message for nearly a year and a half.”

Exploring his willingness to volunteer for this project, Newbon elaborated, “There’s this misconception that once actors find success, indie developers or smaller studios assume they can’t afford us, which is nonsensical. Winning an award doesn’t equate to being financially out of reach because, in essence, we’re all working actors. It’s just a pleasant reminder that we pursue this line of work for the love of the craft.”

He further reinforced Team FOLON’s statements about “Barry the Boat,” a character he voiced — a robot lodged within a boat capable of ferrying players across the Thames. This character was a collaborative creation between Newbon and the mod team.

He found his muse in characters from the classic British sitcom On the Buses (if you weren’t around in the early 60s/70s, ask your parents or grandparents for context), which, as he humorously noted, “might be seen as problematic these days.”

Newbon elaborated, “There’s this character, Inspector Cyril, who had a little Hitler-esque mustache and was quite the stickler,” he recalled, “I thought his quirks would be amusing for Barry The Boat because, essentially, Barry is just another kind of bus.”

The character turned out to be quite a dour, gloomy soul, with a very British outlook where everything feels like a catastrophe. “I didn’t have much say on the lipstick, but we did improvise a lot during the process.”

I have to admit, there’s a touch of regret that I didn’t conjure up such a witty phrase as “very British, you know, everything’s a nightmare” when reviewing my own experience of Fallout: London — those pesky launch bugs were eventually patched out.

Neil Newbon’s episode of ‘The Games That Made Me’ will air on GINX TV throughout December. Viewers in the UK can catch it on Freeview channel 282 and Sky Glass channel 419, or stream it via the Ginx.tv website.