Review of Steve, The First by Matt Watts

SFFaudio Review

Steve, The First, CBCSFFaudio EssentialSteve, The First
By Matt Watts; Performed by a Full Cast
2 CDs – 2 hours – [AUDIO DRAMA]
Publisher: CBC Radio
Published: 2007
Themes: / Science Fiction / Comedy / Post Apocalypse /

It was a thousand years ago. The Earth: in ruins, a nuclear wasteland. Humanity had written its final chapter. It took only a matter of minutes to destroy what took centuries to build. Greed, materialism… an overall sense of things being off… they would all spell society’s downfall. What few survivors remained were in a state of complete mental chaos. But all was not lost. One man, one hero, one legend, would bring civilization to the uncivilized.

This man… was Steve.

Steve, the First begins with the miraculous birth of Steve, the savior of all mankind, from a pile of rocks. Steve is not impressed with the post-apocalyptic world he sees, nor is he happy with the exploding dogs. The first people he meets are two kids who spend their time collecting dead people, and the hilarious conversation they have sets the tone for the rest of this dark comic radio drama, which was originally broadcast on CBC Radio One in 2005.

Matt Watts, who is Canadian, not that there’s anything wrong with that, wrote the series and also stars as the uninspired Steve. I’ve written about Matt Watts before, but this drama and the one that follows (aptly titled Steve, the Second) were written and broadcast before Canadia: 2056 seasons 1 and 2. That series and this one share some of the same actors, which is a great thing because this crew is wonderful.

The Colleen (Holly Lewis) is perfectly neurotic. My first clue? Her parents. Tim the Melty (Don McKellar) is positively unforgettable – a post apocalyptic Yes Man. And then there’s Steve’s nemesis, Phil Green (Mark McKinney) who still, despite the lack of a good number of people, yearns for political power.

I urge you to give this a listen – you’ll nestle it in your mind somewhere between Red Dwarf and Galaxy Quest in your pantheon of science fiction comedy. Funny, FUNNY, stuff!

Posted by Scott D. Danielson

Scott D.

Reviews Editor, SFFaudio

3 thoughts to “Review of Steve, The First by Matt Watts”

  1. It is an awesome series.

    Steve, The First and Steve, The Second are the humorous radio drama equivalent of the FALLOUT video game series. Which means we need a Steve, The Third right?

  2. Anyone know where i can find a copy of this on CD or MP3, looked everywhere (and i do mean EVERYWHERE) and cannot find a trace of it, from everything ive read about it and really wanna hear it (and steve the second as well)

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