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Scaredy
Cat
(Will Shindler) |
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 An
Eighth
Doctor story titled "Scaredy Cat", by Will
Shindler, is the release for October 2005. This is Will
Shindler's second Doctor Who audio play for Big
Finish Productions, following his 2003's "The
Twilight Kingdom". This story has been directed
by Nigel Fairs - his first Doctor Who audio play
for Big Finish Productions - and was recorded on the 27th
and 28th April 2005.
Joining Paul McGann, as the Eighth Doctor, are
companions; India Fisher, as Charley
Pollard, and Conrad Westmaas, as C’rizz.
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| Eighth Doctor |
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"Scaredy
Cat" guest stars Arthur Bostrom who played policeman,
Officer Crabtree, in the BBC comedy Allo, Allo
(1985-1992). Also starring are: Michael Chance, Spencer
Mclaren, Rosalind Blessed, Ellis Pike and Linda Bartram.
Linda Bartram, Michael Chance and Ellis Pike all appeared
in "BBV's The Faction Paradox Protocols".
When
C'rizz, enthuses about visiting a planet as unsullied
as the Garden of Eden, The Doctor chooses Endarra - the
twin planet of war-torn Caludaar. Endarra is supposed
to be off limits, when the people of the planet Caludaar
pledged never to set foot on their sister planet, so as
to preserve its sanctity. So when the TARDIS
detects signs of humanoid activity on the planet's surface
The Doctor has to investigate.
While
exploring this primitive planet The Doctor and his companions
set off an intruder alarm, are captured and so find themselves
amongst an advanced civilization that has set up a base
amongst the primitive civilization so that their scientists
can get on with illegal experiments.
But
what secrets does the planet hold and how can it seem
to experience pain? What secret research work is Professor
Arken engaged in? Who or what is concealed in the mission’s
restricted area? And how can a childish taunt be connected
to "the souls of the vengeful" from long ago?
There are laws even The Doctor won't break. And while
C'rizz learns that some tragedies can't be averted, Charley
finds herself defiant and angry in the face of injustice
and must decide who the enemy actually is. For death walks
on Endarra, and this time she won't be denied.
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| India
Fisher |
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A trip back in time four million years to the planet's
history, where The Doctor and C'rizz argue over the callousness
of letting the people suffer because it is part of the
timeline, results in having to deal with the consequences
of not interfering with time despite C'rizz’s attempts
so as to stop a colony being wiped out by a plague.
Does
Arken really know what he's doing? And then there is a
mysterious stranger called Flood who seems to be more
than he at first seems.
It seems that this young planet has a "morphogenic
field" and so an elemental sentience which embodies
in the form of a little girl named Galayana – who
it turns out was the last person to be living on the planet
after everyone else was killed by a callous alien race
who had set off a biological weapon in an experiment.
And
then there is an ancient Time Lord law forbidding Time Lords to go to such places for The Doctor to deal with
– as if he didn’t have enough to contend with
stopping Arken and Flood, protecting Galayana and preventing
the death of the native population and maintaining the
natural evolution of Endarra.
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Notes:
- Featuring the Eighth
Doctor,
Charley Pollard and C'rizz.
- Serial Number: 8X
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 75 minutes
- Episode Lengths: 1 = 17'44", 2 = 17'03",
3 = 17'15", 4 = 21'59"
- Total Story Length: 74'01"
- This story takes place after "Doctor
Who: The Movie" and follows directly on from "Terror
Firma".
- Cover Illustration: Lee Binding
- Recorded: 27th and 28th April 2005
- Recording Location: The Moat Studios
- Released: October 2005
- ISBN: 1-84435-160-2
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On the Back Cover:
‘Yaranaa’
It means literally,
'the soul of the vengeful' - those whose lives have
been cut short early and died with empty hearts".
Millennia ago,
the people of the planet Caludaar pledged never to set
foot on their sister planet Endarra.
But what secrets
does the planet hold? There are laws even The Doctor
won't break.
And while C'rizz
learns that some tragedies can't be averted, Charley
must decide who the enemy actually is.
For death walks
on Endarra, and this time she won't be denied… |
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On the Inside Cover:
I
HAVE A SMALL CONFESSION TO MAKE - many years ago I wrote
my university dissertation about a drama called The
Monocled Mutineer (yes, I was one of those appalling
media students). It aired in Britain in the mid 1980s,
was written by one of this country’s finest writers,
Alan Bleasdale, and starred a certain Paul McGann in
the lead role. Two of Liverpool’s finest, combining
to make one of British television’s finest. If
you ever have the chance to watch it, go ahead and treat
yourself. The opportunity to write for the Eighth Doctor,
then, has been a particular treat.
And,
of course, this is the second time I’ve had that
pleasure. To my own surprise, half the fun of writing
my first audio drama for Big Finish, The Twilight
Kingdom, was in creating a mystery - asking questions
of the audience, and then hopefully second guessing
them with the answers. No surprise, then, that I made
that my starting point for Scaredy Cat...
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Will Shindler,
May 2005 |
Will Shindler
was the script editor for BBC drama series Doctors
and Born and Bred before taking up a similar
post on Thames TV’s The Bill. He’s
now a freelance scriptwriter and this is his second Doctor
Who audio script for Big Finish. The first, The
Twilight Kingdom, was released in March 2004. |
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Production Notes:
Although not originally pitched as specifically an Eighth
Doctor story, the basic storyline of Scaredy Cat
remained intact all the way through the pre-production
process. Once it was decided to place it within the Eighth
Doctor/Divergent Universe arc, some of the more human
names changed - Kinley became Niah, Fentiman became Arken
- but then everything was rearranged once more when the
Divergent Universe storyline came to a close. As alien
planets are alien planets regardless of the universe they
inhabit, however, the script actually remained pretty
much true to what had been planned. Having
directed the majority of the Eighth Doctor’s audio
adventures over the last five years, producer Gary Russell
offered Nigel Fairs, who had successfully produced Big
Finish’s ranges of The Tomorrow People
and Sapphire & Steel, the chance to cut
his Doctor Who teeth on Scaredy Cat.
Armed with a largely Sussex-based cast, Nigel ventured
into the studio, ready to shape the destinies of the
planets Endarra and Caludaar. |
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Who's Who?
The Eighth Doctor
First television appearance: Doctor Who
First Big Finish audio appearance: “Storm
Warning”
The
Eighth Doctor’s life has gone through an extraordinary
series of events recently. Forced to flee into an alternate
universe whilst infected with the Zagreas virus, he recently
learned that he had been cared almost as soon as he did
so. Therefore, along with his friends Charley and C’rizz,
he returned to the ‘real’ universe - the one
he terms home. However, as soon as they emerged from the
ship’s control room they found themselves face-to-face
with Davros. Defeating his old adversary, The Doctor is
now free to explore once more...
Charley Pollard
First Big Finish audio appearance: "Storm
Warning".
Charley
was rescued by The Doctor from aboard the ill-fated
R101
airship in 1930. With scant regard for her own safety,
and thus against The Doctor’s wishes, she went
with her best friend into the Divergent Universe, knowing
that
she might never see Earth - or anyone she has known and
loved - ever again. However, after resisting a number
of temptations to abandon The Doctor and C’rizz,
she stuck by them and has been rewarded by returning
to
her own universe. Whether that proves to be a wise or
safer course of action remains to be seen...
C'rizz
First Big Finish audio appearance: "The
Creed of the Kromon".
A
Eutermesan, C’rizz’s natural curiosity made
him join The Doctor and Charley and, although an outwardly
peaceful man, the truth has slowly been emerging that
his past might not have been as pure and innocent as Charley
and The Doctor currently believe. Genetically engineered
to absorb the colours, emotions and even ideals of those
around him, he now fights to stop himself getting lost
amongst the myriad personalities that co-exist within
his mind. Personalities that may, at times, be stronger
and less pleasant than his own. Personalities that his
travelling companions remain ignorant about... |
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Full Cast List:
| The Doctor |
Paul McGann |
| Charley Pollard |
India Fisher |
| C'rizz |
Conrad Westmaas |
| Galayana |
Linda Bartram |
| Niah |
Rosalind Blessed |
| Arken |
Arthur Bostrom |
| Flood |
Michael Chance |
| Bronik |
Spencer Mclaren |
| Eldrin |
Ellis Pike |
The Production Team:
| Writer |
Will Shindler |
| Director |
Nigel Fairs |
| Sound/Music |
Gareth Jenkins and
Andy Hardwick |
| Theme Music |
David Darlington |
| Producers |
Gary Russell and
Jason Haigh-Ellery |
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