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The Eternal Summer
(Jonathan Morris)
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 Continuing
the three stories in the 'Stockbridge Trilogy' is
the second release, "The Eternal Summer",
which shifts the trilogy into the present day in
which things are not quite right... It has been described
as a weird, Sapphire and Steely sort of affair featuring
mad UFO spotter Maxwell Edison.
Released
in November 2009 "The Eternal Summer", is
another Fifth
Doctor and Nyssa story. It is written
by Jonathan Morris, directed by Barnaby Edwards and
was recorded on the 11th and 12th June 2009.
As revealed
by Director Barnaby Edwards, ‘The Doctor
and Nyssa have been to present day Stockbridge before,
but this is a new Stockbridge, where things are going
slightly wrong’.
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| Fifth Doctor |
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For
starters The Doctor and Nyssa do not arrive in the TARDIS but find themselves in the village where everyone claims
to know them already. In fact it seems they have been
living in the village for as long as they can remember
and the locals think that The Doctor is the village doctor,
and that Nyssa is the village postmistress!
‘It’s
not quite Stockbridge as they know it’, Barnaby
Edwards has stated. ‘There are these mysterious
figures called the Lord and Lady of the Village, who
The Doctor and Nyssa don’t remember from their
past visits, Everyone’s frightened of them. It’s
very like Sapphire & Steel. And one of the most conic
characters from the Doctor Who Magazine Stories appears...’
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Nyssa
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This would
be Maxwell Edison - a UFO-spotter from a 1982 comic strip
called "Stars Fell on Stockbridge" by Steve
Parkhouse’. He has been a good friend of The Doctor
for many years, and who most recently appeared earlier
in 2009 alongside the Tenth
Doctor and Majenta Pryce
in the Doctor Who Magazine strip "The Stockbridge
Child".
Maxwell
Edison isn’t the only character from the Doctor
Who Magazine comic strips to make the transition to audio
in "The Eternal Summer", Susan Brown - who
appears in all three Stockbridge stories - gives a voice
to a less familiar face - Mrs Withers who runs the guest
house where The Doctor is staying. Previously Mrs Withers
appeared on just one page in the Doctor Who Magazine
strip "The
Stockbridge Horror".
Familiar
Stockbridge buildings pop up in "The Eternal Summer" as
well. ‘It has all the known places’,
Writer Jonathan Morris has revealed. ‘The Redfern
Inn, St Justinian’s Church, the village green where
they play cricket, Wells Wood - pretty much everywhere
is mentioned. Even the store where The Doctor used to
buy his jelly babies is in there somewhere!’
Guest stars for this story include: Mark Williams (The
Fast Show, and as Arthur Weasley in the Harry
Potter
films) who plays UFO hunter Maxwell Edison and Pam Ferris
(Rosemary and Thyme and Little Dorrit) as Lizzie Corrigan.
Also starring are: Roger Hammond, Nick Brimble, Abigail
Hollick, Barnaby Edwards (as the Vicar) and Nicholas
Briggs (as Geoff).
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Companion
Chronicles
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This
release also includes the ninth part of "The
Three Companions" - the 12-part Companion Chronicles
mini-series which are a bonus feature on the monthly Doctor
Who plays since April 2009. Each of the 10-minute
episodes has been written by Marc Platt and has been
directed by Lisa Bowerman.
This
special story brings together Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
(aka The
Brigadier) (played by Nicholas Courtney) and Polly (played
by Anneke Wills), who discover that their past travels
with The Doctor share a common link... Meanwhile, Thomas
Brewster (played by John Pickard) is watching from
a distance, and he is now the owner of a stolen TARDIS...
Also
starring in this episode is Russell Floyd.
Episode
Nine: "Many Meetings": In a cafe, three strangers
meet: Polly, The Brigadier and Thomas Brewster. They
share one thing in common - they have all travelled
in time and space with the Doctor. But now the Doctor
isn’t here, and the world is in terrible danger...
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| Big Finish Magazine
- Vortex: Issue 9 (November 2009) |
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| Vortex: Issue 9 |
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Issue
9 of 'Vortex - The Big Finish Magazine' was also sent out to subscribers with this release.
In
this issue...
1.
Editorial -
Nicholas Briggs
2. Sneak Previews and Whispers - Doctor Who: "Survival
of the Fittest", Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: "The
Suffering" and Sherlock Holmes: "Holmes and the Ripper".
3. Out & About -
Big Finish at Regenerations
4.
Feature - The Eighties Revival
5.
Feature - Producing the Goods
6.
Forthcoming Releases -
November 2009 - August 2010
7.
Feature - The Company of Friends
8.
Feature - Nick of Time
9.
Feature - Robert Shearman
10.
Feature - Holmes Alone
11.
Q&A - Alex Mallinson
12. Letters
13.
Feature - He’s Dredd,
Jim!
14. Q&A - Mark
Strickson
15.
Team
Twitter
| Published By: |
Big Finish Productions Ltd |
| Managing Editor: |
Jason Haigh-Ellery |
| Editors: |
Nicholas Briggs and David Richardson |
| Assistant Editor: |
Paul Spragg |
| Design and Layout: |
Alex Mallinson |
| Published: |
November 2009 |
| Page Count: |
40 |
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Notes:
- Featuring the Fifth
Doctor, Nyssa
- Serial Number: 6C/O
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 120 minutes
- Main Story Episode Lengths: 1 = 26'33",
2 = 24'12", 3 = 27'53", 4 = 28'40"
- Main Story Total Length: 107'18"
- Extra Story Episode Length: 9 = 8'14"
- Also features 24 minutes of trailers
and special behind-the-scenes interviews with the
cast
and producers.
- This story takes place between the television
adventures "Time-Flight" and "Arc
of Infinity" and follows on from "Castle
of Fear".
- Cover Illustration: Simon Holub
- Recorded: 11th and 12th June 2009
- Recording Location: Moat Studios
- Released: November 2009
- ISBN: 978-1-84435-431-3
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On the Back Cover:
It's
been a long, hot summer in Stockbridge. Longer than
the villagers can remember. Summer's lease is never-ending – and
all thanks to the Lord and Lady of the Manor!
One man
alone knows that something's wrong: Maxwell Edison,
Stockbridge's unofficial ambassador to the Universe.
Or 'flying saucer nut', as the locals have it. He'll
need help proving it: from the local postmistress Miss
Nyssa, perhaps; or the village Doctor, the fellow that's
been living at the Green Dragon Inn these last 30 years.
They'd
better hope that autumn never comes to Stockbridge.
When autumn comes, the world is doomed...
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On the Inside Cover:
Writer’s Notes: Jonathan Morris
When
I was asked whether I’d like to write a story
with the Fifth Doctor, in the village of Stockbridge,
featuring Maxwell Edison, I couldn’t really
say no. I’d be annoyed if anyone else did
it. The Doctor, Stockbridge and Maxwell, you see,
have a history, dating all the way back to the
early eighties, the Doctor Who Monthly comic strip,
and the story Stars Fell on Stockbridge.
You
don’t need to have read that story. Although
The Eternal Summer features the same Maxwell, he’s
also a brand new Maxwell on audio, brought to life
brilliantly by Mark Williams. Perfect casting.
And
as for Stockbridge, I’ve always thought there
was something a little bit sinister about the idealised
view of the English country village. Maybe it’s
because I grew up in one, but there’s something
claustrophobic, something terrifying, about the
notion of being stuck in a place where time stands
still...
Director’s Notes: Barnaby Edwards
Doctor
Who stories, like the man himself, come in many
different shapes and sizes, from outlandish space
operas to present-day police procedurals. For our
Stockbridge trilogy we wanted to try out three
distinct but complimentary story types from this
Gallifreyan gallimaufry: the historical romp, the
contemporary mystery and the futuristic thriller.
The
Eternal Summer is the second of these - and a marked contrast to its
predecessor. The tone here is halfway between Sapphire and Steel and The
Prisoner, but
coloured by Jonny Morris’s love of time paradoxes. And what a script
it is! The scene where the Doctor makes that phone call is, I think, the
single finest piece of writing it has ever been my pleasure to direct:
fiendishly clever and yet such a simple idea.
The cast was a dream to work with too. I demand more adventures starring
Mark Williams as Maxwell Edison!
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Who's Who?
The Fifth Doctor
First television appearance: "Castrovalva"
First chronological Big Finish audio appearance: "The
Land of the Dead"
The
Fifth Doctor’s seriousness, not to mention his caustic wit and occasional
ruthlessness, were belied by his youthful, fresh-faced good looks. He didn’t
choose most of his companions, and frequently seemed to be trying to make the
best of their presence - but was nonetheless protective of his charges. On several
occasions he demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice himself for others.
Nyssa
First television appearance: "The
Keeper of Traken"
First chronological Big Finish audio appearance: "The
Land of the Dead".
Nyssa
first met the Fourth Doctor when he battled the Master on her home planet of
Traken. Later, the Watcher rescued her before Traken was destroyed by an entropy
field, and took her to rejoin the Doctor. Scientist Nyssa was intelligent and
logical, but also extremely kind-hearted. She was very empathic - perhaps due
to possessing a degree of psychic ability. |
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Full Cast List:
| The Eternal Summer |
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| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Maxwell Edison |
Mark Williams |
| Lizzie Corrigan |
Pam Ferris |
| Harold Withers |
Roger Hammond |
| Alice Withers |
Susan Brown |
| Dudley Jackson |
Nick Brimble |
| Jane Potter |
Abigail Hollick |
| Dave |
Nick Brimble |
| Vicar |
Barnaby Edwards |
| Geoff |
Nicholas Briggs |
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| Companion Chronicles
- Episode Nine: "Many Meetings" |
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| Polly Wright |
Anneke Wills |
| Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart |
Nicholas Courtney |
| Thomas Brewster |
John Pickard |
| Gerry Lenz |
Russell Floyd |
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The Production Team:
| The Eternal Summer |
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| Writer |
Jonathan Morris |
| Director |
Barnaby Edwards |
| Sound/Music |
Howard Carter |
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| Companion Chronicles
- Episode Nine: "Many Meetings" |
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| Writer |
Marc Platt |
| Director |
Lisa Bowerman |
| Sound/Music |
Richard Fox and Lauren Yason |
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| Both Stories: |
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| Theme Music |
David Darlington |
| Script Editor |
Alan Barnes |
| Producer |
David Richardson |
| Executive Producers |
Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery |
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