Big Finish have dropped four brand new adventures, as seen and told by those closest to the First Doctor: his companions.
Out today, and starring Maureen O’Brien as Vicki, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor, Anneke Wills as Polly, and Elliot Chapman as Ben Jackson, Doctor Who – The Companion Chronicles: The First Doctor Volume 2 is available now. These four new stories come with additional exclusive download extras from Big Finish!
1. Fields of Terror by John Pritchard
The TARDIS has brought the Doctor back to Revolutionary France, a place that’s always fascinated him. But this time he, along with Steven and Vicki, are drawn into a devastated land, caught between the soldiers who are burning all before them and a monstrous shape that follows in their wake.
2. Across the Darkened City by David Bartlett
On the planet Shade, The Chaons, an invading race of strange, amorphous creatures that ravenously absorb energy, have reduced the city there to a desolate ruin. Separated from the Doctor and Vicki, Steven has to join forces with an unexpected ally to find his way back to the TARDIS. Ahead, lies a nightmare journey through the dark – a test of endurance and trust.
3. The Bonfires of the Vanities by Una McCormack
When the Doctor, Polly, and Ben arrive in Lewes in the late 1950s, they’re just in time to celebrate Guy Fawkes’ Night. But there’s no fun on the streets tonight – the town is in the grip of fear. There are imps on the loose in Lewes, the Bonfire Boys are on the march, and nobody is safe from the fire.
4. The Plague of Dreams by Guy Adams
“Pray welcome, one and all, to this, a fantasy in two acts, presented, most humbly, for your pleasure. We bring you drama and magic, angels and demons, a tale of mysterious plague… of nightmares made flesh… of a war fought both in this world and those immeasurably distant. A war, in fact, fought through the mists of time itself. It will make you gasp! It will make you weep! It may even make some of you wake-up…”
With this release you can also pick up some exclusive extras! All four scripts for these stories will be downloadable as PDFs, as well as a 38 minute music suite from composer Rob Harvey. Have a taster below, as Rob takes you through how he recreated the original sound of the First Doctor’s adventures:
“Working with Rob on this set has been a highlight, not only with his input to the recording process – where he even attended a couple of the studio days and joined the rest of us with shouting on the wild tracks! – but in hearing his music work as it came together,” producer Ian Atkins tells us, “I used to buy movie soundtrack CDs by the score, and this fits beautifully alongside them.”
“One benefit of this release is getting a companion’s perspective on a new story, which gives a wonderful human colour to events, be it from Vicki encountering the darkness of history at its worst, to Polly finding herself stranded and alone with only a shifty thespian for company. We’re lucky to have such a talented cast prepared to really push themselves, and directors who can work so well with each character. This set of stories seeing the light of day is something I’m hugely proud of.”
This release, and the extras, are available for £20 and £15 on CD and Download, but only until the end of July. And you can download Part 1 of The Bonfires of the Vanities with a code, if you sign up to the Big Finish newsletter.
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