Doctor Who: The Adventure Games
Encyclopedia
Doctor Who: The Adventure Games (Sega Doctor Who: The Adventures Games in Indonesia) is a series of episodic third-person adventure game
s, based on the BBC
TV series Doctor Who
and developed by Sumo Digital
. Charles Cecil
served as executive producer and worked with Sean Millard and Will Tarratt on the design. Each episode is being made available for free download by residents of the UK from the official website of Doctor Who. A UK internet address is required to both download and play them. The first one was released on 5 June 2010, the second one released on 26 June 2010, the third released on 27 August 2010 and the fourth released on 22 December 2010 and the fifth released on 31 October 2011. .
. Phil Ford was selected to write because of his experience in writing for Doctor Who, and the Sarah Jane Adventures, including writing the Dreamland animated Doctor Who series.
Phil Ford
and James Moran
wrote the scripts, and Charles Cecil
worked on the game design. The Games were created by Sumo Digital
with Will Tarratt as lead designer. Composer of the revived series of Doctor Who Murray Gold
has provided music for The Adventure Games. Executive producers of the 2010 series of the show Steven Moffat
, Piers Wenger
and Beth Willis
, along with BBC Wales Interactive's Anwen Aspden and video game creator Charles Cecil all serve as executive producers of the interactive episodes. Producer and voice director was Gary Russell
who had previously directed the animated serials The Infinite Quest
and Dreamland
.
and Amy
arrive in Trafalgar Square
, London in 1963 to find the city in ruins and under the control of the Dalek
s. Following a woman, Sylvia, into the London Underground
they learn that she is the only human survivor after the Daleks invaded - appearing through a 'split' in the sky. Amy, Sylvia and the Doctor are pursued by the Daleks. Sylvia is killed but the Doctor and Amy escape. The Doctor deduces that the Daleks have gained the power to alter history and, returning to the TARDIS with Amy, traces the source of the invasion to Skaro
, the Daleks' home planet.
The TARDIS lands in Kaalann, the Dalek capital city, which has been rebuilt since the Doctor last saw it. Amy begins to fade, since the destruction of humanity in 1963 means that she was never born. The Doctor uses several Dalek components to create a "Chronon Blocker", which slows the process. The Doctor and Amy observe the Dalek Council Chamber. They see the Dalek Emperor, as well as a device which the Doctor believes to be the technology that allows the Daleks to manipulate history. The Doctor and Amy are captured by Daleks and taken before the Emperor. The Emperor explains that the Daleks will become the new Time Lord
s with control over the Time Vortex, through the use of the "Eye of Time
", a powerful tool previously kept on Gallifrey
. The Doctor escapes with Amy by leaping into the Eye which transports them back in time to an earlier ruined Kaalann which is infested with Varga plants
just prior to the arrival of the Daleks with the Eye.
The Doctor sends Amy to find components that he can use to create a device that will blind the Daleks. Despite beginning to fade once more, Amy finds the parts and the Doctor constructs the device. In the Council Chamber, the Daleks, led by the white Supreme Dalek, are preparing to use the Eye to launch an attack on Earth in 1963. Amy, still fading, activates the blinding device affecting the Daleks. This allows the Doctor to free the Eye from its restraints and to flee the room with Amy. The Eye crashes down and explodes and the Doctor and Amy find themselves back at the TARDIS, but with Kaalann still in ruins. Amy is no longer fading out of existence. Using the TARDIS scanner, they see that the original 1963 timeline has been restored and that Sylvia is alive.
where he finds a Cyberman
arm. Chisholm falls off a cliff and gets badly hurt.
The Doctor receives an SOS call which he responds to, and landing where Chisholm fell. The Doctor and Amy rescue Chisholm and they use the TARDIS where to go back to the base where Chisholm came from.
They get out the TARDIS where Chisholm is attacked by a Cybermat after which he runs away and hides. The Doctor goes to the base entrance where he encounters a Cyberslave. After Amy kills the Cyberslave they enter the base. The head of the operation, Professor Meadows (voiced by Sarah Douglas
), tells them that all of her crew have been turned into Cyberslaves. The Doctor starts on a serum
to reverse the effects of the Cyberman conversion. To reach the communications room they have to get past Cybermats and then a Cyberslave which tries to kill Amy. The Doctor and Amy hear over the radio that a team is coming to the base, however they can't be warned until the radio is repaired. The Doctor has developed a cure which they give to the part changed Chisholm. Chisholm shows them a lift in which they go down underground.
Trying to get to the control room the Doctor and Amy have to get around Cyberslaves. However, Amy is kidnapped by two Cyberslaves. The Doctor reaches the control room where he finds Professor Meadows is now a Cyberslave. She forces the Doctor to revive the Cybermen from stasis
to save Amy. The Doctor saves Amy but he needs to stop the Cybermen. The intervention of Chisholm allows him to do this and they escape from underground before an explosion destroys everything. The Doctor and Amy leave Chisholm behind so he can answer any questions that UNIT
might have. After that the Cybermen are seen frozen on ice. A Short-circuit is then heard.
and Amy
are inside the TARDIS
, discussing where they should go next for a more peaceful outing, and the Doctor mentions that his holidays in Brighton
and Paris
did not turn out well (aluding to The Leisure Hive
and City of Death
respectively). However, the TARDIS suddenly enters a 'space riptide', and the Doctor is launched through the doors and out into space.
After the TARDIS steadies itself, Amy looks outside and sees the Doctor hovering, still conscious and surrounded by a number of strange blue worms, a short distance away. Through sign language, he manages to tell Amy that he is slowly suffocating
, and she can save him by operating the TARDIS. Amy follows his directions and recovers the Doctor by using a makeshift tractor beam to draw him back into the TARDIS. The blue worms, known as 'Chronomites', are somewhat harmless parasites, although they can make you 'very itchy'.
Just as they begin to celebrate their victory, the TARDIS enters another riptide, and Amy disappears. Amy is now in the Doctor's future with a strange glowing sphere that she had accidentally released from its prison in the TARDIS. The Doctor brings himself and Amy back into the same time and deals with the creature, the "Entity".
The Doctor plans to take Amy to 23rd century London
just after a 'Great Flood', but finds that the underwater city is being prowled by a gigantic shark-like creature.
called Martin. The Doctor explains to Amy how sea levels rose dramatically, causing the entire human race to rebuild on higher land. However, underwater cities like this one, Poseidon, were built in order to harvest resources from the ocean floor. He also notes how the Blade Fin is obviously not indigenous to Earth, and must have somehow relocated from another world.
Martin explains how Poseidon's workers have been suffering from some form of disease, and how Jones, the intelligent computer monitoring Poseidon, has been forced to place the crew under quarantine. Martin then takes the Doctor and Amy to meet Dana, the crew's medic, and Oswald, the captain. Before they are able to explain any more about the situation, the lights go out due to a generator malfunction; when they come back on, Martin's flesh has been eaten away from his skeleton inside his diving suit. The Doctor realises that Poseidon has also been infested by Vashta Nerada.
The Doctor and Amy travel through Poseidon's tunnels, while still being stalked by the Blade Fin, in order to reach the generator and switch the lights back on. After evading a pair of divers, now dead and re-animated by the Vashta Nerada, they succeed and head back to meet Oswald. The Doctor explains how he found a radiation detector on one of the diving suits which has picked up a form of radiation that Jones was unable to identify. The Doctor believes the radiation is of alien origin and he knows how to create a cure to stop it; however, Oswald is reluctant to let him back out into the tunnels to find the required ingredients. He instead intends to send everybody up to the surface in safety pods - a bad idea, as they would surely be destroyed by the Blade Fin. Oswald still refuses to let them out, and closes off the city outside Poseidon Eight.
The Doctor convinces Dana to reopen the tunnels; she also gives away that the Blade Fin, the Vashta Nerada and the radiation all seemed to appear after a flash of light a short distance away from Poseidon only a few days ago. After getting back out into Poseidon, the Doctor finds the ingredients for the cure (simply numerous types of vegetation from the seabed) and heads back to Dana's lab. He manages to create the cure and heal Dana, who was starting to suffer from the radiation, but Oswald enters with a harpoon gun and threatens the Doctor to back off so that he and Dana can evacuate Poseidon. Oswald leaves with Dana, while the Doctor and Amy find Jones and use its scanners to identify the source of the light Dana mentioned. Jones' scanners pick up a shipwreck a short distance away; the Doctor identifies it as the USS Eldridge, a ship constructed by the USA during the WWII era. The Americans had attempted to give the ship cloaking
technology and had asked Albert Einstein
for help, but they accidentally opened a wormhole which the ship then jumped through into another world. After being there for centuries, the ship then jumped back through another wormhole and landed outside Poseidon, but the hole is still open and has allowed the creatures as well as the radiation to come through.
Jones helps the Doctor and Amy to get back to the TARDIS via a series of safety tunnels built beneath the main ones. They then travel to the Eldridge, seeking to close the wormhole. The Doctor believes that closing the gap will bring everything that came through back as well. The two make their way to the Accelerator room, which is at the heart of the gap. Amy makes her way to the top, followed by the Doctor, who survives a close encounter with the Vashta Nerada. After they reach the controls which can close the wormhole, the Blade Fin, which is apparently aware of their intentions, attacks the Eldridge, and begins to smash its way into the Accelerator. Just before it reaches them, the Doctor finishes the process, and the Blade Fin is dragged back through the wormhole along with the Vashta Nerada and the disease.
Back at Poseidon Eight, Oswald apologises for his earlier behaviour, saying how he only wished to protect his people. He then offers for the Doctor and Amy to join them for Christmas dinner, an offer they decide to run from when they find that the main course is a helping of Oswald's prize crop - 'Sea Pumpkin'.
While trying to return to the Doctor, Rory discovers a squad of Sontarans are also under London, searching for the crashed Rutan ship, but he is able to escape using a catapult to strike the Sontarans' probic vents. With the Doctor now aware that they are dealing with a crashed Rutan ship underneath Parliament, he infiltrates the Gunpowder Plot to monitor their progress while Amy and Rory track down the ship, discovering a control room with a strange spherical device and a slot where a second one should be, but a child who followed them down there steals the sphere. Confronting Lady Winters, the Doctor learns that the Rutan ship is damaged and requres the energy of the explosion to escape its position under Parliament unless missing control rods- indestructible components that were lost when the ship crashed- are recovered, and that the Rutan ship holds a doomsday weapon that could end the Sontaran/Rutan war.
Although Amy manages to find the missing components, the Doctor is only just able to save Parliament by using the leisons to teleport Parliament into space, although he and his companions are forced to search the Houses when they learn that both doomsday weapons are there. With Rory armed with a sound blaster that can disorientate the Rutans, they manage to escape pursuit and find the weapons, which the Doctor realises are genetic bombs that could wipe out all of one race if activated. Reprogramming one, the Doctor randomly tosses both weapons to the Sontarans and the Rutans, noting that it is now impossible for either of them to set the weapons off as they have no way of knowing if their weapon will destroy their enemies or themselves.
The first episode was scheduled to be available on the 5 June, But a 'not quite final' version was available 3 days early. The Mac version was released on 15 June.
On 17 June, Simon Nelson, controller of portfolio and multiplatform at BBC Vision told games magazine MCV that the number of downloads of the first episode had already exceeded half a million. "The result is a lot more than I was expecting, We had set ourselves some fairly stretched targets on this and we’ve blown them away", he says.
To promote the second episode "Blood of the Cybermen", Steven Moffat and Nicholas Briggs went to Gavinburn Primary School in Scotland and to the Pacific Quay in Glasgow.
To coincide with the airing of The Big Bang
in the US on 24 July on BBC America
and Space, the Windows versions of the first two episodes were made available to purchase outside the UK via Direct2Drive
.
On 20 September 2010, a second series was commissioned for 2011. BBC’s head of multiplatform in vision Simon Nelson says "Given the success of the first series, we'd be daft not to recomission. But it's not just about the numbers; the feedback we've had has been overwhelmingly positive."
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s, based on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and developed by Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital Ltd. is an independent game development studio based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Set up in 2003 following the closure of Infogrames Studios Sheffield/Gremlin Interactive...
. Charles Cecil
Charles Cecil
Charles Cecil MBE has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for 25 years. He is currently operating as Managing Director for UK based company Revolution Software which has released such critical and commercial hits as Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series...
served as executive producer and worked with Sean Millard and Will Tarratt on the design. Each episode is being made available for free download by residents of the UK from the official website of Doctor Who. A UK internet address is required to both download and play them. The first one was released on 5 June 2010, the second one released on 26 June 2010, the third released on 27 August 2010 and the fourth released on 22 December 2010 and the fifth released on 31 October 2011. .
Production
The games were commissioned by Simon Nelson and Rosie Allimonos of BBC VisionBBC Vision
BBC Vision is a department of the BBC which incorporates the programme production, commissioning and broadcast operations including BBC Television...
. Phil Ford was selected to write because of his experience in writing for Doctor Who, and the Sarah Jane Adventures, including writing the Dreamland animated Doctor Who series.
Phil Ford
Phil Ford (writer)
Phil Ford is a British television writer. He was the head writer for the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, broadcast in 2008, and wrote "The Waters of Mars", one of the 2009 special episodes of Doctor Who, with Russell T Davies.-Television:...
and James Moran
James Moran (writer)
James Moran is a British screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror-comedy Severance. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction and spy thriller genres.-Breaking in:...
wrote the scripts, and Charles Cecil
Charles Cecil
Charles Cecil MBE has worked in the interactive entertainment industry for 25 years. He is currently operating as Managing Director for UK based company Revolution Software which has released such critical and commercial hits as Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword series...
worked on the game design. The Games were created by Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital Ltd. is an independent game development studio based in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Set up in 2003 following the closure of Infogrames Studios Sheffield/Gremlin Interactive...
with Will Tarratt as lead designer. Composer of the revived series of Doctor Who Murray Gold
Murray Gold
Murray Gold is an English composer for stage, film, and television and a dramatist for both theatre and radio.-Television:Gold has been nominated for a BAFTA four times in the category Best Original Television Music, for Vanity Fair , Queer as Folk , Casanova and Doctor Who...
has provided music for The Adventure Games. Executive producers of the 2010 series of the show Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
, Piers Wenger
Piers Wenger
Piers Wenger is a British television producer who has been Head of Drama at BBC Wales since January 2009. His work includes the BAFTA-winning Victoria Wood drama Housewife, 49 and the 2007 adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's novel Ballet Shoes....
and Beth Willis
Beth Willis (producer)
Beth Willis is a British television producer, although she has worked as a script editor on Agatha Christie's Poirot and The Amazing Mrs Pritchard....
, along with BBC Wales Interactive's Anwen Aspden and video game creator Charles Cecil all serve as executive producers of the interactive episodes. Producer and voice director was Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
who had previously directed the animated serials The Infinite Quest
The Infinite Quest
The Infinite Quest is an animated serial based on the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was made by BBC Television, but does not share the same producers as the live-action series. It was aired in twelve weekly parts starting 2 April 2007 as a segment of the children's...
and Dreamland
Dreamland (Doctor Who)
Dreamland is the second animated Doctor Who serial to air on television...
.
Series 1
| No | Episode | Writer | Release date(s) | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "City of the Daleks" | Phil Ford Phil Ford (writer) Phil Ford is a British television writer. He was the head writer for the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, broadcast in 2008, and wrote "The Waters of Mars", one of the 2009 special episodes of Doctor Who, with Russell T Davies.-Television:... |
5 June 2010 (PC) / 15 June 2010 (Mac) | link | |
| In an alternate 1963, the Daleks have control of time and the TARDIS TARDIS The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s... arrives in the ruins of London. Before time runs out for Amy Pond Amy Pond Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who... , a trip must be made to the planet of Skaro Skaro Skaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire.... . |
|||||
| 2 | "Blood of the Cybermen" | Phil Ford | 26 June 2010 (PC) / 1 July 2010 (Mac) | link | |
| In the Arctic Arctic The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost... a survey team are turning into metal. An army of Cybermen have been under the ice for thousands of years. |
|||||
| 3 | "TARDIS" | James Moran James Moran (writer) James Moran is a British screenwriter for television and film, who wrote the horror-comedy Severance. He works in the horror, comedy, science-fiction, historical fiction and spy thriller genres.-Breaking in:... |
27 August 2010 (PC / Mac) | link | |
| Amid an accident in the the TARDIS TARDIS The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s... Amy's attempts to rescue the Doctor unwittingly unleash the creature known only as the Entity . |
|||||
| 4 | "Shadows of the Vashta Nerada" | Phil Ford | 22 December 2010 (PC / Mac) | link | |
| A temporal rift means that the Doctor and Amy have to deal with an alien shark, alien radiation and worst of all, the Vashta Nerada on Poseidon 8, an underwater base on Christmas Eve in the 23rd Century. | |||||
Series 2
| No | Episode | Writer | Release date(s) | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | "The Gunpowder Plot" | Phil Ford | 31 October 2011 (PC / Mac) | link | |
| The Doctor, Amy and Rory travel from the end of the Liao Dynasty Liao Dynasty The Liao Dynasty , also known as the Khitan Empire was an empire in East Asia that ruled over the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia, and parts of northern China proper between 9071125... forward to London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... in 1605. There they battle Sontaran Sontaran The Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:... s and Rutans and meet Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York... during the time of the Gunpowder Plot Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of... . |
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Playable characters
Rotoscope technique was used to capture the actors' movements.- Matt Smith as the Eleventh DoctorEleventh DoctorThe Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
(series 1 - present) - Karen GillanKaren GillanKaren Sheila Gillan is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.-Early life:...
as Amy PondAmy PondAmelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
(series 1 - present) - Arthur DarvillArthur DarvillThomas Arthur Darvill is an English actor, known professionally as Arthur Darvill. He is noted for his work in the plays Terre Haute and Swimming with Sharks , but is probably best known for his role as the Eleventh Doctor's Companion Rory Williams in the television series Doctor Who.-Early and...
as Rory WilliamsRory WilliamsRory Williams is a fictional character portrayed by Arthur Darvill in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Having been introduced at the start of the 5th series, Rory joins the Eleventh Doctor as a companion in the middle of Series 5...
(series 2 - present)
Series 1
- Nicholas BriggsNicholas BriggsNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks. Briggs sometimes uses the pseudonym Arthur Wallis...
as Dalek VoicesDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
("City of the Daleks") / Cyber VoicesCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
("Blood of the Cybermen") / Oswald Fox ("Shadows of the Vashta Nerada"). He has voiced the DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s and CybermenCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
since the revival of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
in 2005. He has also voiced the Nestene ConsciousnessAutonThe Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and adversaries of the Doctor. First appearing in Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, Spearhead from Space in 1970, they were the first monsters on the show to be presented in colour.Autons...
and the JudoonJudoonThe Judoon are a fictional extraterrestrial species of mercenary police from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. They first appeared in the episode Smith and Jones in 2007....
and appeared as Rick Yates in "Day Four" of Torchwood: Children of Earth. - Sara Carver as Sylvia ("City of the Daleks"). She previously starred as Khellian Queen in Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
's audio adventure "Three's a Crowd" and as Kim Kronotska in Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
's audio adventure "Memory Lane". She has also voiced other characters in numerous Doctor Who related audio dramas produced by Big FinishBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
. - Sarah DouglasSarah DouglasSarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
as Professor Meadows ("Blood of the Cybermen") / Entity ("TARDIS") / Jones ("Shadows of the Vashta Nerada"). She had previously played Gillen in the Unbound audio drama Masters of War, Mary in the Iris WildthymeIris WildthymeIris Wildthyme is a fictional character created by writer Paul Magrs, who has appeared in short stories, novels and audio dramas from numerous publishers...
audio drama The Claws of SantaThe Claws of SantaThe Claws of Santa is a Big Finish Productions audio drama featuring Katy Manning as Iris Wildthyme, a character from the spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.- Plot :...
and later appeared in the fourth series of GallifreyGallifrey (audio series)Gallifrey is the umbrella title of a line of audio plays set in the Doctor Who universe, produced by Big Finish Productions, featuring Louise Jameson as Leela, Lalla Ward as President Romana, and John Leeson as two K-9 units, Mark I and Mark II...
. - Barnaby EdwardsBarnaby EdwardsBarnaby Edwards is a British actor, writer, director and artist. He is best known for his work on the popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. His various roles include being a Dalek operator for the revived series in many Dalek stories...
as Chisholm ("Blood of the Cybermen") / Martin Flanagan ("Shadows of the Vashta Nerada"). He has directed, written and provided voices for various Big FinishBig Finish ProductionsBig Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
Doctor Who audios, and is also a principal Dalek operator in the television series. - Eleanor MatsuuraEleanor Matsuura- Biography :Eleanor Matsuura was born in the Japanese capital Tokyo, but raised in London. She is half English and half Japanese. In 2004, Eleanor Matsuura graduated at Central School of Speech and Drama. She worked on stage at Royal Court Theatre, Old Vic Theatre and several West End theatres...
as Dana Tanaka ("Shadows of the Vashta Nerada"). She previously played Jo Nakashima in "The Sontaran StratagemThe Sontaran Stratagem"The Sontaran Stratagem" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 26 April 2008...
".
"The Gunpowder Plot"
- Emilia FoxEmilia FoxEmilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
as Lady Winters She previously played Berenice in the Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
audio drama Nevermore. - Ralf LittleRalf LittleRalf Alistair J. B. Little is an English actor, writer and semi-professional footballer, working mainly in television comedy. He is best known for playing Antony Royle in The Royle Family and Jonny Keogh in the first six series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life and work...
as Guy FawkesGuy FawkesGuy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York... - Phil DanielsPhil DanielsPhilip W. "Phil" Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles as "cockneys" such as Jimmy in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Mark in Meantime, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks and Edward Kitchener "Ted"...
as Geoffrey Plum - Alexander Vlahos as Robert CatesbyRobert CatesbyRobert Catesby , was the leader of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605....
- Dan StarkeyDan StarkeyDan Starkey is a British actor.Dan studied at University of Cambridge before training at the Bristol Old Vic .-Theatre credits:*The 39 Steps UK national tour* The Fitzrovia Radio Hour-Filmography:...
as Field Major Kaarsh / SontaranSontaranThe Sontarans are a fictional extraterrestrial race of humanoids from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and also seen in spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures. They were created by writer Robert Holmes.-Culture:...
s - Miles RichardsonMiles RichardsonMiles Richardson is a British actor.He was born on 15 July 1963 in Battersea, London to parents Ian Richardson and Maroussia Frank , both founder members of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Black RodBlack RodThe Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, generally shortened to just Black Rod, is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom... - David Ames as Thomas Percy
- Lizzie HopleyLizzie HopleyLizzie Hopley is a British actor and writer.She appears in several audio plays based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Her first appearance was as the Eighth Doctor’s companion Gemma Griffin in Terror Firma. She also portrayed the sister of Davros in the I, Davros...
as Alice Flowers She previously appeared in the Seventh DoctorSeventh DoctorThe Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
audio drama Night Thoughts as Sue, the Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
audio drama Terror FirmaTerror FirmaTerror Firma is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor audio drama The Next Life and flashes back to scenes that takes place before the first Eighth Doctor...
as Gemma Griffin, and in I, Davros as Yarvell. - Jamie Oram as Charlie
- Chris JohnsonChris Johnson (presenter)Christopher David Johnson , born 25 January 1991, is a voice actor & presenter for CBBC. His first television appearance was for BBC Three, introducing Family Guy. He began presenting on the CBBC Channel in January 2010...
as Barnaby He previously appeared in the fourth series of GallifreyGallifrey (audio series)Gallifrey is the umbrella title of a line of audio plays set in the Doctor Who universe, produced by Big Finish Productions, featuring Louise Jameson as Leela, Lalla Ward as President Romana, and John Leeson as two K-9 units, Mark I and Mark II...
and in Bernice Summerfield: Epoch as Darion. - Amelda BrownAmelda BrownAmelda Brown is a British actress. She is best known for playing Brenda Parkin in Backup, Mrs Roach in Soldier Soldier, Pauline Cook in A Touch of Frost and Sue Barnes in Peak Practice and she has also appeared in Inspector Morse, The Bill, Lovejoy, Holby City, The Story of Tracy Beaker, and Doctors...
as Margaret - Barnaby EdwardsBarnaby EdwardsBarnaby Edwards is a British actor, writer, director and artist. He is best known for his work on the popular British science-fiction series Doctor Who. His various roles include being a Dalek operator for the revived series in many Dalek stories...
as The SilenceSilence (Doctor Who)The Silence is a fictional religious order or movement in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.Executive producer Steven Moffat created the Silence, intending them to be "scarier" than past villains in Doctor Who...
City of the Daleks
The DoctorEleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
and Amy
Amy Pond
Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
arrive in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
, London in 1963 to find the city in ruins and under the control of the Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
s. Following a woman, Sylvia, into the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
they learn that she is the only human survivor after the Daleks invaded - appearing through a 'split' in the sky. Amy, Sylvia and the Doctor are pursued by the Daleks. Sylvia is killed but the Doctor and Amy escape. The Doctor deduces that the Daleks have gained the power to alter history and, returning to the TARDIS with Amy, traces the source of the invasion to Skaro
Skaro
Skaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire....
, the Daleks' home planet.
The TARDIS lands in Kaalann, the Dalek capital city, which has been rebuilt since the Doctor last saw it. Amy begins to fade, since the destruction of humanity in 1963 means that she was never born. The Doctor uses several Dalek components to create a "Chronon Blocker", which slows the process. The Doctor and Amy observe the Dalek Council Chamber. They see the Dalek Emperor, as well as a device which the Doctor believes to be the technology that allows the Daleks to manipulate history. The Doctor and Amy are captured by Daleks and taken before the Emperor. The Emperor explains that the Daleks will become the new Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
s with control over the Time Vortex, through the use of the "Eye of Time
Eye of Harmony
The Eye of Harmony is an artificial black hole created by the Time Lords to provide energy for their home world of Gallifrey and their time travel technology in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-First appearances:...
", a powerful tool previously kept on Gallifrey
Gallifrey
Gallifrey is a fictional planet in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and is the homeworld of the Doctor and the Time Lords...
. The Doctor escapes with Amy by leaping into the Eye which transports them back in time to an earlier ruined Kaalann which is infested with Varga plants
Mission to the Unknown
"Mission to the Unknown", sometimes known as "Dalek Cutaway", is an episode in the television series Doctor Who. It is a standalone episode, serving as an introduction to the 12 part story The Daleks' Master Plan...
just prior to the arrival of the Daleks with the Eye.
The Doctor sends Amy to find components that he can use to create a device that will blind the Daleks. Despite beginning to fade once more, Amy finds the parts and the Doctor constructs the device. In the Council Chamber, the Daleks, led by the white Supreme Dalek, are preparing to use the Eye to launch an attack on Earth in 1963. Amy, still fading, activates the blinding device affecting the Daleks. This allows the Doctor to free the Eye from its restraints and to flee the room with Amy. The Eye crashes down and explodes and the Doctor and Amy find themselves back at the TARDIS, but with Kaalann still in ruins. Amy is no longer fading out of existence. Using the TARDIS scanner, they see that the original 1963 timeline has been restored and that Sylvia is alive.
Blood of the Cybermen
A number of flashbacks show an excavation of an arctic base. A worker at the base called Chisholm flees from the base on a SnowmobileSnowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
where he finds a Cyberman
Cyberman
The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
arm. Chisholm falls off a cliff and gets badly hurt.
The Doctor receives an SOS call which he responds to, and landing where Chisholm fell. The Doctor and Amy rescue Chisholm and they use the TARDIS where to go back to the base where Chisholm came from.
They get out the TARDIS where Chisholm is attacked by a Cybermat after which he runs away and hides. The Doctor goes to the base entrance where he encounters a Cyberslave. After Amy kills the Cyberslave they enter the base. The head of the operation, Professor Meadows (voiced by Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
), tells them that all of her crew have been turned into Cyberslaves. The Doctor starts on a serum
Antiserum
Antiserum is blood serum containing polyclonal antibodies. Antiserum is used to pass on passive immunity to many diseases. Passive antibody transfusion from a previous human survivor is the only known effective treatment for Ebola infection .The most common use of antiserum in humans is as...
to reverse the effects of the Cyberman conversion. To reach the communications room they have to get past Cybermats and then a Cyberslave which tries to kill Amy. The Doctor and Amy hear over the radio that a team is coming to the base, however they can't be warned until the radio is repaired. The Doctor has developed a cure which they give to the part changed Chisholm. Chisholm shows them a lift in which they go down underground.
Trying to get to the control room the Doctor and Amy have to get around Cyberslaves. However, Amy is kidnapped by two Cyberslaves. The Doctor reaches the control room where he finds Professor Meadows is now a Cyberslave. She forces the Doctor to revive the Cybermen from stasis
Stasis (fiction)
Stasis , or hypersleep, is a science fiction concept akin to suspended animation. Whereas suspended animation usually refers to a greatly reduced state of life processes, stasis implies a complete cessation of these processes, which can be easily restarted or restart spontaneously when stasis is...
to save Amy. The Doctor saves Amy but he needs to stop the Cybermen. The intervention of Chisholm allows him to do this and they escape from underground before an explosion destroys everything. The Doctor and Amy leave Chisholm behind so he can answer any questions that UNIT
UNIT
UNIT is a fictional military organisation from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures...
might have. After that the Cybermen are seen frozen on ice. A Short-circuit is then heard.
TARDIS
The DoctorEleventh Doctor
The Eleventh Doctor is the eleventh incarnation of the protagonist of the BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. Matt Smith plays this incarnation, replacing David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2010 episode "The End of Time, Part Two"...
and Amy
Amy Pond
Amelia Jessica 'Amy' Pond is a fictional character portrayed by Karen Gillan in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
are inside the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
, discussing where they should go next for a more peaceful outing, and the Doctor mentions that his holidays in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
did not turn out well (aluding to The Leisure Hive
The Leisure Hive
The Leisure Hive is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 August to 20 September 1980.-Plot:...
and City of Death
City of Death
-Pre-production:Writer David Fisher had contributed two scripts to Doctor Whos sixteenth season – The Stones of Blood and The Androids of Tara – and was asked by producer Graham Williams for further story ideas...
respectively). However, the TARDIS suddenly enters a 'space riptide', and the Doctor is launched through the doors and out into space.
After the TARDIS steadies itself, Amy looks outside and sees the Doctor hovering, still conscious and surrounded by a number of strange blue worms, a short distance away. Through sign language, he manages to tell Amy that he is slowly suffocating
Suffocation
Suffocation is the process of Asphyxia.Suffocation may also refer to:* Suffocation , an American death metal band* "Suffocation", a song on Morbid Angel's debut album, Altars of Madness...
, and she can save him by operating the TARDIS. Amy follows his directions and recovers the Doctor by using a makeshift tractor beam to draw him back into the TARDIS. The blue worms, known as 'Chronomites', are somewhat harmless parasites, although they can make you 'very itchy'.
Just as they begin to celebrate their victory, the TARDIS enters another riptide, and Amy disappears. Amy is now in the Doctor's future with a strange glowing sphere that she had accidentally released from its prison in the TARDIS. The Doctor brings himself and Amy back into the same time and deals with the creature, the "Entity".
The Doctor plans to take Amy to 23rd century London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
just after a 'Great Flood', but finds that the underwater city is being prowled by a gigantic shark-like creature.
Shadows of the Vashta Nerada
The episode begins with the Doctor and Amy being stalked through the underwater city (from the end of the previous episode) by an enormous shark-like creature known as a 'Blade Fin'. The two make their way through a series of tunnels while the Blade Fin tries to ram its way in; while they manage to escape, the Blade Fin destroys one of the tunnels, separating them from the TARDIS. They head over to the city's central building, Poseidon Eight, where they are greeted by an oceanographerOceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
called Martin. The Doctor explains to Amy how sea levels rose dramatically, causing the entire human race to rebuild on higher land. However, underwater cities like this one, Poseidon, were built in order to harvest resources from the ocean floor. He also notes how the Blade Fin is obviously not indigenous to Earth, and must have somehow relocated from another world.
Martin explains how Poseidon's workers have been suffering from some form of disease, and how Jones, the intelligent computer monitoring Poseidon, has been forced to place the crew under quarantine. Martin then takes the Doctor and Amy to meet Dana, the crew's medic, and Oswald, the captain. Before they are able to explain any more about the situation, the lights go out due to a generator malfunction; when they come back on, Martin's flesh has been eaten away from his skeleton inside his diving suit. The Doctor realises that Poseidon has also been infested by Vashta Nerada.
The Doctor and Amy travel through Poseidon's tunnels, while still being stalked by the Blade Fin, in order to reach the generator and switch the lights back on. After evading a pair of divers, now dead and re-animated by the Vashta Nerada, they succeed and head back to meet Oswald. The Doctor explains how he found a radiation detector on one of the diving suits which has picked up a form of radiation that Jones was unable to identify. The Doctor believes the radiation is of alien origin and he knows how to create a cure to stop it; however, Oswald is reluctant to let him back out into the tunnels to find the required ingredients. He instead intends to send everybody up to the surface in safety pods - a bad idea, as they would surely be destroyed by the Blade Fin. Oswald still refuses to let them out, and closes off the city outside Poseidon Eight.
The Doctor convinces Dana to reopen the tunnels; she also gives away that the Blade Fin, the Vashta Nerada and the radiation all seemed to appear after a flash of light a short distance away from Poseidon only a few days ago. After getting back out into Poseidon, the Doctor finds the ingredients for the cure (simply numerous types of vegetation from the seabed) and heads back to Dana's lab. He manages to create the cure and heal Dana, who was starting to suffer from the radiation, but Oswald enters with a harpoon gun and threatens the Doctor to back off so that he and Dana can evacuate Poseidon. Oswald leaves with Dana, while the Doctor and Amy find Jones and use its scanners to identify the source of the light Dana mentioned. Jones' scanners pick up a shipwreck a short distance away; the Doctor identifies it as the USS Eldridge, a ship constructed by the USA during the WWII era. The Americans had attempted to give the ship cloaking
Invisibility
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be invisible . The term is usually used as a fantasy/science fiction term, where objects are literally made unseeable by magical or technological means; however, its effects can also be seen in the real...
technology and had asked Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
for help, but they accidentally opened a wormhole which the ship then jumped through into another world. After being there for centuries, the ship then jumped back through another wormhole and landed outside Poseidon, but the hole is still open and has allowed the creatures as well as the radiation to come through.
Jones helps the Doctor and Amy to get back to the TARDIS via a series of safety tunnels built beneath the main ones. They then travel to the Eldridge, seeking to close the wormhole. The Doctor believes that closing the gap will bring everything that came through back as well. The two make their way to the Accelerator room, which is at the heart of the gap. Amy makes her way to the top, followed by the Doctor, who survives a close encounter with the Vashta Nerada. After they reach the controls which can close the wormhole, the Blade Fin, which is apparently aware of their intentions, attacks the Eldridge, and begins to smash its way into the Accelerator. Just before it reaches them, the Doctor finishes the process, and the Blade Fin is dragged back through the wormhole along with the Vashta Nerada and the disease.
Back at Poseidon Eight, Oswald apologises for his earlier behaviour, saying how he only wished to protect his people. He then offers for the Doctor and Amy to join them for Christmas dinner, an offer they decide to run from when they find that the main course is a helping of Oswald's prize crop - 'Sea Pumpkin'.
The Gunpowder Plot
While leaving China after trying to get a take-out, the TARDIS collides with an alien ship, creating a dimensional leison inside the ship that links the TARDIS to an alien planet. After the Doctor accidentally drops the sonic screwdriver into the rift and Rory recovers it, they trace the ship that they collided with and discover that it is under London in the seventeenth century. While the Doctor works on a device to close the leisons in the TARDIS, Amy and Rory explore the sewers where they have landed, and discover that they have arrived at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, where Rory is puzzled at the presence of 'Lady Winters', a mysterious woman in green, in the conspiracy. When Amy follows Lady Winters while Rory tries to return to the Doctor, she discovers that Lady Winters is actually a Rutan, but is only just saved from an attack when the Doctor opens a leison to her location and drives the Rutan away.While trying to return to the Doctor, Rory discovers a squad of Sontarans are also under London, searching for the crashed Rutan ship, but he is able to escape using a catapult to strike the Sontarans' probic vents. With the Doctor now aware that they are dealing with a crashed Rutan ship underneath Parliament, he infiltrates the Gunpowder Plot to monitor their progress while Amy and Rory track down the ship, discovering a control room with a strange spherical device and a slot where a second one should be, but a child who followed them down there steals the sphere. Confronting Lady Winters, the Doctor learns that the Rutan ship is damaged and requres the energy of the explosion to escape its position under Parliament unless missing control rods- indestructible components that were lost when the ship crashed- are recovered, and that the Rutan ship holds a doomsday weapon that could end the Sontaran/Rutan war.
Although Amy manages to find the missing components, the Doctor is only just able to save Parliament by using the leisons to teleport Parliament into space, although he and his companions are forced to search the Houses when they learn that both doomsday weapons are there. With Rory armed with a sound blaster that can disorientate the Rutans, they manage to escape pursuit and find the weapons, which the Doctor realises are genetic bombs that could wipe out all of one race if activated. Reprogramming one, the Doctor randomly tosses both weapons to the Sontarans and the Rutans, noting that it is now impossible for either of them to set the weapons off as they have no way of knowing if their weapon will destroy their enemies or themselves.
City of the Daleks
- Varga plants previously appeared in the First DoctorFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
-era episode "Mission to the UnknownMission to the Unknown"Mission to the Unknown", sometimes known as "Dalek Cutaway", is an episode in the television series Doctor Who. It is a standalone episode, serving as an introduction to the 12 part story The Daleks' Master Plan...
" and were created by Dalek creator Terry NationTerry NationTerry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
. - One of the items needed is a Kontron Crystal, which appeared in the serial TimelashTimelashTimelash is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts from 9–16 March 1985.-Synopsis:...
. - The BeatlesThe BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
previously appeared in The ChaseThe Chase (Doctor Who)The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
as the First Doctor and his companions watched the band perform "Ticket to RideTicket to Ride"Ticket to Ride" is a song by The Beatles from their 1965 album, Help!. It was recorded 15 February 1965 and released two months later. -Composition:...
" on the Time-Space Visualiser. - The Doctor mentions Cathy GaleCathy GaleDr Cathy Gale was a fictional character, played by Honor Blackman, on the 1960s British series The Avengers. She was the first regular female partner of John Steed following the departure of Steed's original male co-star, Dr David Keel...
, a character from the TV series The AvengersThe Avengers (TV series)The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. Honor BlackmanHonor BlackmanHonor Blackman is an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in The Avengers and Bond girl Pussy Galore in Goldfinger .-Early life:...
, who played the character, starred as Professor Lasky in the Sixth DoctorSixth DoctorThe Sixth Doctor is the sixth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Colin Baker...
's story The Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time LordThe Trial of a Time Lord is a fourteen-part British science fiction serial of the long running BBC series Doctor Who. The serial, produced as the twenty-third season of the Doctor Who television series, aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986...
and also Anahita in the upcoming Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
audio drama The Children of SethThe Children of SethThe Children of Seth is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
.
Blood of the Cybermen
- Amy says the Cybermats are worse than spiders, to which the Doctor replies "Spiders? I'd rather we changed the subject." His fear of spiders is established in the Third DoctorThird DoctorThe Third Doctor is the third incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by actor Jon Pertwee....
's story Planet of the SpidersPlanet of the SpidersPlanet of the Spiders is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from May 4 to June 8, 1974. It was Jon Pertwee's last serial as the Doctor and marks the first, uncredited appearance of Tom Baker in the role. It also marks...
. - This story conflicts with the episode The Pandorica OpensThe Pandorica Opens"The Pandorica Opens" is the twelfth episode, and first in a two-part story, in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, broadcast on 19 June 2010. The Doctor's friends send him a warning; he deals with a message on a cliff, a mysterious box and a love story that...
, in which Amy does not know what Cybermen are.
TARDIS
- Amy asks the Doctor to name one of his holidays which didn't end in a disaster and the Doctor recalls Brighton Beach. In the Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
story The Leisure HiveThe Leisure HiveThe Leisure Hive is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 30 August to 20 September 1980.-Plot:...
K-9K-9 (Doctor Who)K-9, or K9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977...
exploded while visiting BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
with the Doctor. The Doctor also mentions ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he visits in City of DeathCity of Death-Pre-production:Writer David Fisher had contributed two scripts to Doctor Whos sixteenth season – The Stones of Blood and The Androids of Tara – and was asked by producer Graham Williams for further story ideas...
. - The Laser Screwdriver which the MasterMaster (Doctor Who)The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
used in "The Sound of DrumsThe Sound of Drums"The Sound of Drums" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 23 June 2007, and is the twelfth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
" / "Last of the Time LordsLast of the Time Lords"Last of the Time Lords" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 30 June 2007, and is the thirteenth and final episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series...
" is used by Amy to assemble the Tractor Beam. - Also inside the TARDIS study room are the following items: a DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
eye stalk, the book of the Weeping AngelsWeeping AngelsThe Weeping Angels are a fictional ancient race of aliens from the Doctor Who television series, featured in the Tenth Doctor episode "Blink", and the Eleventh Doctor episodes "The Time of Angels", "Flesh and Stone" and in a cameo appearance in Series 6's "The God Complex"...
("The Time of AngelsThe Time of Angels"The Time of Angels" is the fourth episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 24 April 2010 on BBC One. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Adam Smith; the second episode was...
"), the Second DoctorSecond DoctorThe Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
's recorder, the Chronon Blocker from "City of the Daleks", a map of medieval Venice ("The Vampires of VeniceThe Vampires of Venice"The Vampires of Venice" is the sixth episode in the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 8 May 2010. It was written by Toby Whithouse, who previously wrote "School Reunion". Rory Williams returns to the series in this episode, this time...
"), Liz Ten's facemask ("The Beast BelowThe Beast Below"The Beast Below" is the second episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by showrunner Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 10 April 2010....
"), the fob watch and the Journal of Impossible Things from "Human NatureHuman Nature (Doctor Who episode)"Human Nature" is the eighth episode of the third series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the first episode of a two-part story written by Paul Cornell adapted from his 1995 Doctor Who novel Human Nature...
", a parallel universe Cyberman chestpiece, RassilonRassilonRassilon is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. In the backstory of the programme, he was the founder of Time Lord society on the planet Gallifrey...
's Time LordTime LordThe Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
staff (The End of TimeThe End of TimeThe End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
), a Sycorax staff ("The Christmas InvasionThe Christmas Invasion"The Christmas Invasion" is a 60-minute special episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is Christmas, but there is little cause for celebration as planet Earth is invaded by aliens known as the Sycorax...
"), a gramophone seen in the TV movie, a cricket ball that belonged to the Fifth DoctorFifth DoctorThe Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
, the sonic blaster used by Jack HarknessJack HarknessCaptain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
("The Doctor DancesThe Doctor Dances"The Doctor Dances" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 28 May 2005. It is the second of a two-part story and saw Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, join the Doctor as a companion. The first part, "The Empty Child", was...
") and River SongRiver Song (Doctor Who)River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
("Silence in the LibrarySilence in the Library"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to...
" / "Forest of the DeadForest of the Dead"Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008...
"), an OodOodThe Ood are a fictional alien species with telepathic abilities from the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. In the series' narrative, they live in the distant future ....
translator, the Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
's scarf and the distress beacon from "Blood of the Cybermen". - The TARDIS' drawing roomDrawing roomA drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained. The name is derived from the sixteenth-century terms "withdrawing room" and "withdrawing chamber", which remained in use through the seventeenth century, and made its first written appearance in 1642...
was last seen in the 1996 telemovie. As then, it features a multitude of clocks and books.
Shadows of the Vashta Nerada
- The Eleventh Doctor and Amy escape tied rope using the same trick Harry Houdini taught the Doctor that the Tenth DoctorTenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
used in animated serial DreamlandDreamland (Doctor Who)Dreamland is the second animated Doctor Who serial to air on television...
. - The Doctor previously fought the Vashta Nerada in the episodes "Silence in the LibrarySilence in the Library"Silence in the Library" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the revived British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first broadcast on 31 May 2008. It is the first of a two-part story, followed by "Forest of the Dead", and is the second two-parter Steven Moffat contributed to...
" and "Forest of the DeadForest of the Dead"Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008...
".
The Gunpowder Plot
- The Rutans and the Rutan Host first appeared in the Fourth DoctorFourth DoctorThe Fourth Doctor is the fourth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC British television science-fiction series Doctor Who....
story The Horror of Fang RockHorror of Fang RockHorror of Fang Rock is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 3 September to 24 September 1977.-Synopsis:...
. - The novel The PlottersThe PlottersThe Plotters is an original novel written by Gareth Roberts and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
depicts the Doctor meeting Guy FawkesGuy FawkesGuy Fawkes , also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, belonged to a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.Fawkes was born and educated in York...
in his first incarnationFirst DoctorThe First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
. - A Silent can be seen when wandering around London.
- When in the TARDIS drawing room, some additional features are present, including the Doctor's cot (As seen in A Good Man Goes to WarA Good Man Goes to War"A Good Man Goes to War" is the seventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was first broadcast on BBC One on 4 June 2011...
).
System requirements
Marketing
On 7 April 2010, the game was first announced on the official Doctor Who BBC website. It included a brief description of what was to come as well as 13 in-game pictures.The first episode was scheduled to be available on the 5 June, But a 'not quite final' version was available 3 days early. The Mac version was released on 15 June.
On 17 June, Simon Nelson, controller of portfolio and multiplatform at BBC Vision told games magazine MCV that the number of downloads of the first episode had already exceeded half a million. "The result is a lot more than I was expecting, We had set ourselves some fairly stretched targets on this and we’ve blown them away", he says.
To promote the second episode "Blood of the Cybermen", Steven Moffat and Nicholas Briggs went to Gavinburn Primary School in Scotland and to the Pacific Quay in Glasgow.
To coincide with the airing of The Big Bang
The Big Bang (Doctor Who)
"The Big Bang" is the 13th and final episode in the fifth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the second part of a two-part season finale started with "The Pandorica Opens", at the end of which The Doctor is trapped, the TARDIS destroyed, and Amy Pond has been shot...
in the US on 24 July on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
and Space, the Windows versions of the first two episodes were made available to purchase outside the UK via Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive
Direct2Drive is an online game store offering PC videogames via direct download. On May 25, 2011, Gamefly acquired Direct2Drive from IGN Entertainment Group .- Competition with Steam :...
.
On 20 September 2010, a second series was commissioned for 2011. BBC’s head of multiplatform in vision Simon Nelson says "Given the success of the first series, we'd be daft not to recomission. But it's not just about the numbers; the feedback we've had has been overwhelmingly positive."