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5th Doctor

Eye Of The Scorpion

Doctor Who: Eye Of The ScorpionAs the Doctor is trying to show Peri how to find her way around the TARDIS, something yanks the timeship violently off-course. By the time they reach the console room, however, the TARDIS has landed, depositing them in the sands of Egypt around 1400 B.C. Worse yet, as soon as they step outside the doors, they spot a young woman in a chariot being chased by the driver of another chariot. At Peri’s urging, the Doctor lends his assistance, saving the girl’s life – and earning both of the time travelers the favor of Erimem, the Pharaoh-in-waiting. But the Doctor is concerned – he can’t remember a female Pharaoh from this time period, and the other chariot’s driver was trying to kill her. Erimem asks the Doctor and Peri to accompany her to Thebes, where she plans to honor their heroics with a banquet, but only more court intrigue awaits them, including an assassination attempt thwarted by the Doctor, and the presence of an alien mind who can take humans – willing or unwilling – as hosts.

Order this CDwritten by Iain McLaughlin
directed by Gary Russell
music by David Darlington

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Jonathan Owen (Antranak), Stephen Perring (Horemshep), Harry Myers (Yanis), Jack Galagher (Fayum), Daniel Brennan (Kishik), Mark Wright (Slave)

Timeline: after Red Dawn and before No Place Like Home

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who

The Church And The Crown

Doctor Who: The Church And The CrownThe TARDIS brings the Doctor, Peri and Erimem to the eve of the French Revolution, though they aren’t aware of this at first. As soon as the Doctor realizes what period of history he’s brought his friends to, he tries to round them up to make a quick exit, but it’s too late. Peri has attracted some unwelcome attention due to her striking resemblance to Queen Anne, and Erimem’s usual curiosity has led her to some of the more colorful locals. Peri has become a target of kidnappers plotting against the Queen, and in trying to defend her, the Doctor has made a target of himself as well.

Order this CDwritten by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
directed by Gary Russell
music by Russell Stone

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Andrew Mackay (King Louis), Michael Shallard (Cardinal Richelieu), Marcus Hutton (The Duke of Buckingham), Peter John (Delmarre), Andy Coleman (Rouffet), Robert Curbishley (Captain Morand), Wendy Albiston (Madame De Chevreuse)

Timeline: between No Place Like Home and Nekromanteia

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who

No Place Like Home

Doctor Who: No Place Like HomeThe Doctor is giving Erimem a tour around the TARDIS, but begins to lose track of where he is inside his own ship. When the timeship’s power fades, the Doctor knows that some outside force is acting on his TARDIS… or is it something on the inside? The Doctor and Erimem discover that a new life form has evolved within the TARDIS itself, and finally it has gained the sentience and knowledge required to take control. The Doctor hopes he can reason with the being, but the creature seems to have other ideas…

written by Iain McLaughlin
directed by Gary Russell
music by David Darlington

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Mark Donovan (Rovie), Nicholas Briggs (Shayde)

Notes: The character of Shayde, an artificial intelligence spawned from the Time Lords’ Matrix itself, was created by writer Steve Parkhouse for the first fifth Doctor comic strip, “The Tides Of Time” (issues #61-67 of Doctor Who Monthly, 1982; art by Dave Gibbons).

Timeline: between The Eye Of The Scorpion and The Church And The Crown

Logbook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who

Nekromanteia

NekromanteiaThe Doctor, Peri and Erimem visit an alien market square – Erimem’s first adventure on a world other than Earth – where Erimem stumbles across information that leads her to suggest a visit to the Nekromanteia system. The Doctor goes along with the idea, unaware that he’s landing himself and his companions in the midst of a grim war – between a well-armed corporate entity and a coven of powerful witches – which has been plotted out from the beginning by an unscrupulous businessman seeking immortality for himself.

Order this CDwritten by Austen Atkinson
directed by John Ainsworth
music by David Darlington

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Gilly Cohen (Jal Dor Kal), Glyn Owen (Commander Harlon), Kerry Skinner (Cochrane), Ivor Danvers (Wendle Marr), Kate Brown (Tallis), Nigel Fairs (Yal Rom / Guard), Andrew Fettes (Salaysia), Simon Williams (Paul Addison), Gary Russell (Thesanius), Jack Galagher (Comms Officer), John Ainsworth (Soldier)

Timeline: between The Church And The Crown and The Caves Of Androzani

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who

The Axis Of Insanity

Doctor Who: Axis Of InsanityFor every Time Lord who has ever meddled in history, a divergent timeline has been created, for every divergent timeline is then tied off and anchored to the Axis, a transdimensional dumping ground for the timelines (and their occupants) that have been “corrected” out of existence. But if the Axis breaks down, all hell will break loose in time and space. The Axis and its Overseer have a special, if not necessarily cozy, relationship with the Time Lords in general, and with that race’s most prolific meddler in particular. But when the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Peri and Erimem to the Axis in response to a distress call, they find the Overseer on the brink of death…and a sinister Jester is now in charge, trying to break down the barriers between the isolated timelines, and then trying to unleash them into the primary timeline of the universe. The Doctor tries to reason with the Jester, but discovers that the being that now holds the fate of multiple universes in his hands is quite mad.

Order this CDwritten by Simon Furman
directed by Gary Russell
music by Andy Hardwick

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Roy North (The Overseer), Garrick Hagon (The Jester), Liza Ross (Jarra To), Marc Danbury (Tog), Stephen Mansfield (Bird Trader), Daniel Hogarth (Carnival Barker)

Timeline: after Nekromanteia and before The Roof Of The World

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who

The Roof Of The World

Doctor Who: The Roof Of The WorldThe Doctor, Peri and Erimem arrive in Tibet in 1917, just in time for a cricket match the Doctor intends to take part in. But he’s soon bowled over by evidence of a great evil at work – a man from a lost expedition appears and kisses Erimem’s hand, and later she is engulfed by a black storm cloud that seems to be able to think for itself. Before the Doctor can reach her, Erimem is snatched away by the cloud, which then vanishes. The same cloud had been spotted earlier on photos of the Himalayans, and had been dismissed, but now the Doctor is racing against time to find out what kind of menace is being dealt with. It may threaten all of Earth, and the Doctor may have to choose between saving humanity or saving his friend.

Order this CDwritten by Adrian Rigelsford
directed by Gary Russell
music by Russell Stone

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Edward de Souza (Lord Mortimer Davey), William Franklyn (Pharaoh Amenhotep II), Sylvester Morand (General Alexander Bruce), Alan Cox (John Matthews)

Notes: William Franklyn took over the role of the voice of the Guide from the late Peter Jones in the new 2004 radio series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. Writer Adrian Rigelsford also penned In The Dark Dimension, a planned multi-Doctor direct-to-video adventure intended to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series which ultimately died in the pre-production stage; he has also written nonfiction books about the series.

Timeline: after The Axis Of Insanity and before Three’s A Crowd

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

Three’s A Crowd

Doctor WhoAfter her ordeal in Tibet, Erimem is uncertain of whether she wishes to continue traveling with the Doctor and Peri. The TARDIS arrives on Space Station Medusa, orbiting over a distant world that is the home to Earth Colony Phoenix. Protected from the inhospitable surface of the planet by their artificial habitats, the colonists live and work in isolated quarters, travel only by transmat, and virtually never share space with each other. After she and Peri find what appears to be a nest of enormous eggs, Erimem accidentally activates a transmat port and finds herself beamed to Earth Colony Phoenix, into the quarters of a man who has never met another human being in his adult life. The Doctor and Peri are taken by an android to meet the leader of the Phoenix colony, who insists that nothing is wrong – even though Peri later learns that the colony, capable of supporting thousands, is down to only 16 people. Soon, the Doctor learns the grisly truth: a species of aliens known as the Khellians is also lurking on both the colony and the station, and has slowly harvested the human population for food until the colonists are nearly extinct.

Order this CDwritten by Colin Brake
directed by Gary Russell
music by David Darlington

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Deborah Watling (Auntie), Richard Gauntlett (General Makra’Thon), Charles Pemberton (Butler), Lucy Beresford (Bellip), Richard Unwin (Vidler), Daniel Hogarth (Laroq), Sara Carver (Khellian Queen)

Notes: Deborah Watling played Victoria Waterfield, who traveled with the second Doctor and Jamie, in from 1967 to 1968. The transmat sounds, if they’re not the actual original effects, seem to be an homage to the teleport sound effects from Blake’s 7.

Timeline: after The Roof Of The World and before The Council Of Nicaea

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

The Council Of Nicaea

Doctor WhoThe Doctor, Peri and Erimem arrive to witness the Roman Empire’s first attempt to determine the people’s choice of an official religious belief. But Erimem is deeply offended when she sees that persecution and tyranny are interfering in the process – the will of the people may, in fact, never see the light of day. She vouches her support for Arius in an open session of the council, enraging the Emperor Constantine and putting Peri and the Doctor’s lives in danger. The Doctor warns Erimem against trying to reshape history to suit her beliefs and her sense of justice, but his pleas fall on deaf ears. After all, to Erimem, the 4th century A.D. is in her distant future, and she doesn’t have to live with its past.

Order this CDwritten by Caroline Symcox
directed by Gary Russell
music by ERS

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), NIcola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), David Bamber (Emperor Constantine), Claire Carroll (Fausta), Steve Kynman (Arius), Martin Parsons (Athanasius), Michael Garland (Clement), Sean Carlsen (Centurion Caius), Stephan Bessant (Julius)

Timeline: after Three’s A Crowd and before The Kingmaker

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor 7th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

The Veiled Leopard

Doctor Who - The Veiled LeopardIt’s Monte Carlo, 1966, and Peri and Erimem are on an assignment: the Doctor has sent them to steal the Veiled Leopard, a spectacular diamond with unusual markings at its center. But this time, the TARDIS travelers are on their own, and the Doctor isn’t there to help them deal with someone else who’s there for the same reason, to say nothing of the other shady characters populating the casino. Two of the other guests in particular stick out like a sore thumb, which is an odd coincidence, because their names are Hex and Ace – and they’ve been sent by the Doctor to make sure that nobody steals the Veiled Leopard.

written by Iain McLaughlin & Claire Bartlett
directed by Gary Russell
music by David Darlington

Cast: Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hex), Lizzie Hopley (Lady Lillian Hawthorne), Alan Ruscoe (Peter Mathis), Steven Wickham (Gavin Walker), Stephen Mansfield (Jean, the Commisionaire)

Notes: Alan Ruscoe appeared in almost half of the episodes of the first season of the revived Doctor Who, playing heavily-costumed parts such as Autons, Slitheen and assorted androids; he also appeared in the first two movies of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Steven Wickham was Lister’s blushing GELF bride in the Red Dwarf episode Emohawk: Polymorph II. If you’re trying to fit written and audio Doctor Who into the same continuity, the fifth and seventh incarnations of the Doctor met up again both before and after this story; the Missing Adventures novel “Cold Fusion” takes place further back in the fifth Doctor’s life (when he’s traveling with Tegan, Nyssa and Adric), and much later in the seventh Doctor’s (when he’s no longer traveling with Ace or Hex, but instead shares the TARDIS with Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester).

LogBook entry & review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

Son Of The Dragon

Doctor Who: Son Of The DragonThe TARDIS brings the Doctor, Peri and Erimem to 15th century Wallachia – a future part of Romania, but known for now as Transylvania. Immediately the time travelers find evidence of a brutal war in progress, and they’re caught up in events before they have a chance to leave. Radu the Handsome, a contender for the Wallachian throne who now sides with the Turks, is leading an army to remove his brother, Prince Vlad III – also known as Vlad Dracula and Vlad the Impaler – from that throne. Peri immediately balks at even the possibility of meeting Dracula himself, despite the Doctor’s assurances that the fictional character bears little resemblance to the man who inspired him. The Doctor warns his friends not to become involved, but when they find themselves surrounded by a pitched battle, Erimem is left with little choice but to take up arms, and finds herself at the mercy of Prince Vlad, whose life she has saved without knowing who he is. He spirits her away to his palace, while Peri tags along as a refugee from the war. The Doctor, still in the company of Radu, tries to convince him that further bloodshed may not be necessary – but according to the history books, the Doctor may have no influence on events and may not even be able to save both of his companions.

Order this CDwritten by Steve Lyons
directed by Barnaby Edwards
music by ERS

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), James Purefoy (Dracula), Douglas Hodge (Radu), Barry McCarthy (John Dobrin), Clare Calbraith (Maria), Steven Wickham (Soldiers), Nicola Lloyd (Ayfer)

Timeline: between The Kingmaker and The Mind’s Eye

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

The Mind’s Eye / Mission Of The Viryans

Doctor Who: The Mind's Eye / Mission Of The ViryansThe Mind’s Eye: The Doctor finds himself alone in the jungle of a distant world, discovered by security officers from a human expedition which has arrived to examine the planet’s plant life. One particular specimen is of great interest to the expedition’s leaders: a plant which can infiltrate the dreams of animal victims before it consumes them. One side effect of even the most fleeting exposure is memory loss, and only now does the Doctor remember that Peri and Erimem were with him. Erimem is discovered in the jungle, and the Doctor has to use an experimental technique to enter her dreams and lead her back to reality. When Peri is found, however, she is in a more advanced state of the process – the plant has enveloped her body and begun to feed. The Doctor is ready to go into Peri’s dreams to save her, but he discovers that some members of the expedition have a vested interest in studying Peri as she dies.

Mission Of The Viryans: In an attempt to bring Peri to a destination free of strife and tragedy for once, the Doctor takes her to a planet renowned for its relaxed social gatherings. But even there she can’t escape trouble – and if she can’t figure out what the Viryans are up to, she may not escape at all.

Order this CDwritten by Colin Brake
directed by Barnaby Edwards
music by Steve Foxon

The Mind’s Eye Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Owen Teale (Hayton), Rebecca Front (Major Takol), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Kyle), Richard Laing (Ukarme), Nicola Weeks (Andree)

Mission Of The Viryans Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Peter Sowerbutts (Lawrence), Philip Childs (Chris)

Timeline: between Son Of The Dragon and The Bride Of Peladon

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green

Categories
5th Doctor Doctor Who The Audio Dramas

The Bride Of Peladon

Doctor Who: The Bride Of PeladonResponding to an Ice Warrior ambassador’s distress call, the Doctor, Peri and Erimem wind up on a doomed ship on a crash course for the planet Peladon, a world the Doctor has visited before. The Ice Warrior’s ship breaks up as it begins to enter the atmosphere, stranding the TARDIS in orbit as the crew cabin plummets to the planet below. On Peladon, a recent tragedy has left the planet without its queen, and a young prince prepares to take the throne on the eve of his wedding to a princess from Earth. But the prince, among others, has been hearing a mysterious voice, bidding all who hear it to offer up a sacrifice of royal blood – and any royal blood, from the arriving princess to Erimem, will suffice to unlock an ancient terror similar to one that the Doctor has faced before.

Order this CDwritten by Barnaby Edwards
directed by Barnaby Edwards
music by ERS

Cast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Caroline Morris (Erimem), Phyllida Law (Belldonia); Jenny Agutter (Voice); Christian Coulson (Pelleas), Yasmin Bannerman (Pandora), Nicholas Briggs (Zixlyr), Jane Goddard (Alpha Centauri), Richard Earl (Frankis), Peter Sowerbutts (Elkin), Philip Childs (Foreman), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Miner)

Timeline: between The Mind’s Eye and Mission Of The Viyrans

LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green