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Plague of the Daleks
(Mark Morris)
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 The
final release of 2009, and also the last of the three
consecutive releases for the Fifth
Doctor and Nyssa,
was to be a story, written by Mark Morris, called "The
Ancients" and then "Village of the Damned".
The release for this month, from Mark Morris, is
now called "Plague of the Daleks" and has
been described as a full-blooded horror-ish sort
of thing, with sinister ravens and zombie cricketers!
"Plague
of the Daleks" is directed by Barnaby Edwards
and was recorded on the 1st and 2nd July 2009.
The Daleks are back! Except, no-one seems willing to admit to
their return...
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"Plague
of the Daleks" is in fact Big Finish Productions’ third
Doctor Who story released in 2009 to feature
The Doctor’s
deadliest of foes - That’s one for each of the
monthly Doctors! Considering this is the most stories
they have appeared in during any one year, either on
television or on audio, some have questioned if that’s
overdoing it? ‘Not in my book’ Executive
Producer and voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs
has stated. ‘I
think we’ve neglected the Daleks a bit, and I wanted
each of these Doctors to encounter them in this Dalek-lite
year for the TV series. They’re the archetypal
Doctor Who monster. The Daleks are the ultimate and when
you want the stakes as high as possible for the Doctor,
you need the Daleks. Every other Doctor Who monster
is, in some way, a copy of the Daleks. Anything that
wants
to conquer and kill is really just a Dalek, in story
terms. So, if you want to do that in a story it’s
best to use the Daleks’.
It
has been revealed that the Daleks were a late addition
to this story. Writer Mark Morris has revealed ‘Whilst
I was absolutely thrilled and honoured to be entrusted
with them, I did feel the weight and responsibility of
nearly 50 years of Dalek history weighing heavily upon
me at times. Despite what Nick says, they’re tough
to write for’.
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Nyssa
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‘Rather
than doing something wildly different or innovative with
the Daleks, what I really wanted to do was to capture
that almost awe-inspiring sense of threat that they have’,
Mark Morris has also revealed. ‘I wanted to
bring out the fact that they are psychotic and evil and
merciless
and cannot be reasoned with. In my story, the Daleks
we meet are in extremis. They’re like rats backed
into a corner. And we air know how dangerous cornered
rats can be, don’t we?’
Having already
baffled the Sixth
and Seventh Doctors this year; it’s
the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa’s turn to confront the
Daleks as their trilogy of adventures in Stockbridge
comes to its conclusion. This story is set in the future,
where Stockbridge has become a sort of tourist venue.
But then things start to go wrong - people become infected
with a plague and start turning into zombies... ‘It’s
more of an out-and-out horror story, I guess’,
Mark Morris has suggested ‘There are hints
of The
Birds and Village of the Damned in there;
there are various homages to zombie and werewolf movies’.
After directing
the first two stories in this trilogy, for the Fifth
Doctor and Nyssa, Director Barnaby Edwards has revealed
that this the third story is a big, non-stop, all-out
action adventure. ‘Running away from zombies,
things collapsing, things exploding, weather accelerating;
breakdowns
of environmental systems. It’s great, as a director,
to direct three entirely different pieces’.
Guest
stars in this story include: Keith Barron (The Chase,
and the Doctor Who story "Enlightenment"),
as Isaac Barclay, and Liza Tarbuck (Linda Green and the
Doctor Who animated story "The
Infinite Quest")
as Lysette Barclay. Also starring are: Richenda Carey,
Barry McCarthy, Richard Cordery, Susan Brown, Nicholas
Briggs and David Dobson.
Subscribers whose subscription includes this release
also received the single CD story, "An
Earthly Child" which
stars Paul McGann, as the Eighth Doctor, meeting up again
with his grand-daughter, Susan, played by Carole Ann
Ford. This CD is exclusive to subscribers and will not
be available to purchase separately.
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Companion
Chronicles
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This
release also includes the tenth 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
Ten: "Brewster's Story": As Polly and the
Brigadier become acquainted with Thomas Brewster, chaos
erupts. UNIT troops are on the streets of London and
the Hunter is on the prowl…
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| Big Finish Magazine
- Vortex: Issue 10 (December 2009) |
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| Vortex: Issue 10 |
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Issue10
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 - "Rebecca’s
World", Doctor Who - The Eighth Doctor Adventures: "Situation
Vacant" and Doctor Who - The Companion Chronicles: "Solitaire".
3. In
The Studio -
Point of Entry
4.
Feature - Mark McDonnell -
Cyberman 2
5.
Feature - Barnaby Edwards
- Cyberman 2
6.
Q&A - Susan Brown
7.
Q&A - Keith Barron
8.
Forthcoming Releases -
December 2009 - September 2010
9.
Feature - Iris You a Merry Christmas
10. Letters
11.
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: |
December 2009 |
| Page Count: |
20 |
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Notes:
- Featuring the Fifth
Doctor, Nyssa
- Serial Number: 6C/P
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 120 minutes
- Main Story Episode Lengths: 1 = 25'40",
2 = 27'01", 3 = 23'23", 4 = 31'41"
- Main Story Total Length: 107'45"
- Extra Story Episode Length: 10 = 10'06"
- Also features 23 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 "The
Eternal Summer".
- Cover Illustration: Simon Holub
- Recorded: 1st and 2nd July 2009
- Recording Location: Moat Studios
- Released: December 2009
- ISBN: 978-1-84435-432-0
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On the Back Cover:
Stockbridge
used to be such a lovely place. The loveliest village
in all England, according to the guide books. But
hardly anyone visits Stockbridge now: a few tourists,
a couple of Trust guides, the odd beady-eyed crow.
But something
is coming to Stockbridge. Something which turns village
cricketers into ravening zombies – a plague such
as the Earth has never seen, falling through history
from a time when humanity's greatest enemy was a race
known as the Daleks.
The Doctor
and Nyssa visit Stockbridge for the final time, to
confront the terrible secret buried at its heart. The
storm clouds are gathering…
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On the Inside Cover:
Writer’s Notes: Mark Morris
College.
Autumn 1981. I was eighteen and suddenly cast adrift,
separated from family and friends, hurled into
a new and – yes – alien environment.
For
those first few weeks, whilst I blundered about,
forging new and in some cases life-long friendships,
I turned to the things in which I found comfort.
Books. Music. DWM.
‘Peter
Davidson is the Doctor!’ proclaimed the cover
of issue 81. He wasn’t but inside the magazine
the newly-minted Fifth Doctor, in the shape of
Peter Davison, was embarking on his greatest comic
strip adventure ever. For almost the entirety of
that first year of college, The Tides of Time kept
me enthralled. In a sense my independent life began
in Stockbridge. I adored it then, and I adore it
now – its rustic charm, its bucolic tranquillity,
its propensity for attracting hostile aliens intent
on world domination.
If someone
had told me 28 years ago that I would one day write
a Doctor Who story for Peter Davison set in Stockbridge,
I would never have believed it.
Yet here we are. And I haven’t even mentioned
the Daleks…
Director’s Notes: Barnaby Edwards
I
feel I ought to declare a personal interest in
this matter: I love Daleks.
They’re
just so relentless and single-minded. I was thrilled, therefore, when I
heard that Skaro’s finest were turning up in the finale to the Stockbridge
trilogy. And not just Daleks, but zombies too!
Plague
of the Daleks has a wonderfully apocalyptic feel to it, as befits a story
which sees us bidding farewell to our beloved Stockbridge.
The
stakes are high in this valedictory tale and Mark Morris’s action-packed
script positively drips with portent, foreboding and doom.
I had huge fun with the casting on this one, too, selecting the classiest
of actors to pit against the ravening hordes of the undead. So join us
on one final trip to Stockbridge: the storm clouds are gathering and it
looks like we’re in for quite a show...
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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:
| Plague of the Daleks |
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| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| Isaac Barclay |
Keith Barron |
| Lysette Barclay |
Liza Tarbuck |
| Alexis Linfoot |
Richenda Carey |
| Vincent Linfoot |
Barry McCarthy |
| Professor Rinxo Jabery |
Richard Cordery |
| Mrs Withers |
Susan Brown |
| Daleks |
Nicholas Briggs |
| Dobson |
David Dobson |
| Mrs Sowerby/Computer/Conditioned
Human |
Susan Brown |
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Cricketer/Conditioned
Human |
David Dobson |
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| Companion Chronicles
- Episode Ten: "Brewster's Story" |
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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:
| Plague of the Daleks |
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| Writer |
Mark Morris |
| Director |
Barnaby Edwards |
| Sound/Music |
Steve Foxon |
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| Companion Chronicles
- Episode Ten: "Brewster's Story" |
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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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