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Renaissance of the Daleks
(Stephen Hawking) |
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 March
2007 sees the welcome return of the Daleks in "Renaissance
of the Daleks" – a Fifth
Doctor story written
by Stephen Hawking (from a story by Christopher H Bidmead)
and directed by John Ainsworth. It was recorded on 16th
and 17th January 2007.
The
Daleks previous release was in August 2005’s Eighth
Doctor story "Terror Firma", written by Joseph
Lidster, and which saw the Eighth Doctor and his two
companions return from the Divergents' Universe.
This
is Christopher H Bidmead’s first Doctor Who audio
for Big Finish Productions. You may recognise his name
as he was script editor for the Doctor Who television
series in the 1980's and he also wrote the stories "Logopolis", "Castrovalva" and "Frontios" followed
by the Target novelisation’s for these stories.
"Renaissance
of the Daleks" stars Peter Davison as The Doctor
and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa. William Hope (of Aliens fame)
guest stars. Also starring are: Stewart Alexander, Jon
Weinberg, Nicholas Deal, Richie Campbell, Regina Reagan
and, providing the voice of the Daleks, Nicholas Briggs.
This
release is the first to feature Big Finish's all new
look covers for the main series of CD Releases, though
the style has already been used for the Companion Chronicles
and the BBC7 Eighth Doctor Stories.
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| This is the place where all Time Tacks
meet. To come here once is to come here always. You have
always been here, Doctor, and you and I know one another
very well by now. An Island of Time, carved out of the
Dimensional Nullity.
You are an outsider, meddling in the shape of the
Time Tracks
The Daleks have always been here.
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| Fifth Doctor |
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A seemingly
random landing in London and a trip to the Savoy Hotel
yield unexpected results for The Doctor. While in a
lift in the Savoy Hotel The Doctor meets American General
Tillington, the head of Global Warning, but after having
tea and scones in the tearoom The Doctor collapses
and then wakes up to find himself relocated to a larger
hanger where General Tillington shows The Doctor a
time related holographic display – which shows
The Daleks in 2158. General Tillington knows about
the Dalek invasion of Earth – which should have
already happened – but the only evidence of the
Daleks is the holographic display and the mystery of
a large number of toy Daleks. General Tillington is
convinced that The Doctor has all the answers – hence
his capture. But The Doctor has his own questions to
find answers too.
Meanwhile,
The Doctor's companion Nyssa is in Rhodes during the
time of the Crusades where her position proves to be
distinctly precarious. The Doctor has left her with
a communication device but despite leaving regular
reports for The Doctor there is no response from him.
While following a trace of some time distortion Nyssa
meets Mulberry and then finds herself falling from
a balcony. But instead of hitting the ground they travel
to the middle of an 1860’s battlefield of the
American Civil War.
The
Doctor is rescued by Wilton, General Tillington’s
nephew, and is able to get back to the TARDIS. But
it seems The Doctor’s rescue comes at a price
as Wilton wants a trip in The Doctor’s time machine.
It is then that The Doctor becomes aware of Nyssa’s
attempts to contact him and also the predicament she
is in.
After
a very timely rescue The Doctor and Nyssa are reunited
but there troubles are only just starting. Earth is
meant to be in the middle of a Dalek invasion – so
why has it not happened and how does General Tillington
know about the invasion – even though it has
not happened? And why is the TARDIS behaving even more
erratically in the locations it lands – like
in the middle of the Vietnam War? Why are there toy
Daleks and, when a few of them are brought into the
TARDIS, what havoc will they cause when they start
to move around firing at those in the TARDIS? What
will happen when they manage to link themselves to
the TARDIS console?
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Nyssa
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The
Doctor and Nyssa realise that even ‘toy’ Daleks
pack a powerful punch and are not as easy to defeat
as they first seem. But where have they come from and
what is there plan? The Doctor and Nyssa have to travel
through time and space to discover what the Dalek's
latest plans of conquest are...
It seems
The Doctor's deadliest foes have woven a tangled web
indeed. And in order to defeat them, he must cross
the forbidden barriers of time and walk into the very
centre of their latest, most outlandish scheme of conquest.
How
is The Doctor going to bring time back into synch – so
that the Dalek invasion actually takes place? Will
he be able to convince those around him that this is
the best plan even though it will ultimately mean the
death of thousands?
The
Doctor and Nyssa find themselves battling with the
Daleks in Rhodes, America, Vietnam and they still have
to deal with the ruthless General Tillington and to
escape from the ‘Pantemporal Ambience’ – a
place where all Time Tacks meet and where The Doctor
has always been as have the Daleks… |
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Notes:
- Featuring the Fifth
Doctor and Nyssa.
- This story includes the Daleks.
- Serial Number: 6CI
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 100 minutes
- Episode Lengths: 1 = 25'49", 2 = 25'01",
3 = 24'40", 4 = 26'34"
- Total Story Length: 102'04"
- Also features 45 minutes
of trailers and special behind-the-scenes interviews
with the cast and producers.
- This story takes place between "Time-Flight" and "Arc
of Infinity".
- Cover Illustration: Alex Mallinson
- Recorded: 16th and 17th January 2007
- Recording Location: Moat Studios
- Released: March 2007
- ISBN: 978-1-84435-214-2
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On the Back Cover:
A random landing in London
and a trip to the Savoy Hotel yield unexpected results
for The Doctor. Tea, scones, an American general
who knows far too much, and the threat of a Dalek
invasion of Earth.
Meanwhile, The Doctor's companion Nyssa is in Rhodes during the
time of the Crusades, where her position proves to
be distinctly precarious.
It seems The Doctor's deadliest
foes have woven a tangled web indeed. And in order
to defeat them, he must cross the forbidden barriers
of time and walk into the very centre of their latest,
most outlandish scheme of conquest.
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On the Inside Cover:
Writer:
Christopher H. Bidmead
is a RADA-trained actor who turned his writing for
television.
He
is best known in the Doctor Who world as
script-editor no the series for Tom Baker's last
season, memorably
writing the fourth Doctor’s dramatic finale,
Logopolis. He was also instrumental in naming
one of The Doctor’s companions, creating the
name ‘Adric’ from
on anagram of P A M Dirac (an eminent physicist who
predicted the existence of antimatter). Chris went
on to write a further two scripts for Doctor Who:
Castrovalva, introducing Fifth
Doctor Peter
Davison, and Frontios, also featuring the
Fifth Doctor. He also wrote the novelisations for
all three of his
stories.
Since
leaving Doctor Who, he has continued to flourish
as a freelance journalist, specializing in computers
and contributing pieces to New Scientist and Wired
magazines.
Although
enjoying his collaboration with the Big Finish team
on Renaissance of the Daleks, Chris felt that changes
made dating the script editing process meant that
he could not lay claim to being its sole writer,
He has, however, very kindly given permission for
his ‘from a story by’ credit.
Quotes:
William Hope:
‘He
feels like somebody out of Doctor Strangelove, that’s
where I got my cue from! We had quite a lot of interrogation
and political stuff to do, which is always good, because
Doctor Who’s always got a political element to
it, which is fascinating.
‘It’s
a kind of cross between having permission to be
larger than life, but at the same time being real
and playing one might also say “melodra¬matic” it
places. “Cartoon” is too strong a word,
but you want some-body who’s got some size
and colour, but at the same time you believe that
he means what he’s doing, as opposed to just
going for the gags and the laughs...’
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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"
He
has been exploring the universe for hundreds of years. He fights injustice.
He defeats evil. He helps people. In his fifth incarnation, The Doctor
is more restrained in temper, calmer in attitude and visually younger
in appearance than he used to be. He looks for the best in people and
tries never to deliberately offend or cause trouble. Some may underestimate
him because of his comparatively youthful nature. But those enemies who
do, do so at their own risk...
Nyssa
First television appearance: "The
Keeper of Traken"
First chronological Big Finish audio appearance: "The
Land of the Dead".
Nyssa
began travelling with The Doctor after the untimely death of her father.
She is the product of the highly civilised society of the planet Traken.
She is logical and pragmatic - a great believer in science and reason
- but is also compassionate and caring. Together, she and The Doctor
have visited Earth at various points in its history - Alaska in the 1990s,
Switzerland in the 1960s, America in the 22nd Century - as well as both
Traken and Telos in their respective infancies. On the planet Veln, she
suffered police brutality and interrogation, then went on to experience
the dangers of sport obsession on the planet Cray. Now, with the indulgence
of The Doctor, she has developed a device for communicating across time
and space. If only she could get it to work... |
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Full Cast List:
| The Doctor |
Peter Davison |
| Nyssa |
Sarah Sutton |
| General Tillington |
William Hope |
| Sergeant |
Stewart Alexander |
| Wilton |
Jon Weinberg |
| Mulberry |
Nicholas Deal |
| Floyd |
Richie Campbell |
| Alice |
Regina Reagan |
| The Greylish |
Nicholas Briggs |
| Daleks |
Nicholas Briggs |
The Production Team:
| Writer |
Stephen Hawking
(from a story by
Christopher H Bidmead) |
| Director |
John Ainsworth |
| Sound/Music |
Andy Hardwick |
| Theme Music |
David Darlington |
| Script Editor |
Alan Barnes |
| Producer |
Sharon Gosling |
| Executive Producers |
Nicholas Briggs
and Jason Haigh-Ellery |
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