The Gathering
The Doctor follows a trail of highly unusual energy emissions through Earth’s history to Brisbane, Australia in 2006. There, he meets Dr. Katherine Chambers, a woman whose life was changed forever by her last encounter with the Doctor (an encounter that won’t happen until his next regeneration). When he tells her that he’s trying to track down potentially dangerous alien technology, Dr. Chambers begins evading the Doctor’s questions, but he follows her to a surprise birthday party, badgering her with question anyway. But the guest of honor at the surprise party manages to stun the Doctor into silence: it’s Tegan, his former traveling companion, who hasn’t seen him in over 20 years. She isn’t thrilled to renew their acquaintance, since she maintains that anywhere the Doctor goes, trouble - and death - follow. But even without the Doctor, they’re already catching up with Tegan anyway.
written by Joseph Lidster
directed by Gary Russell
music by David DarlingtonCast: Peter Davison (The Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan Jovanka), Jane Perry (Katherine Chambers), Richard Grieve (James Clarke), Dait Abuchi (Michael Tanaka), Janie Booth (Eve Morris), Zehra Naqvi (Jodi Boyd), Jef Higgins (Waiter), Nicholas Briggs (Alan Fitzgerald), Belinda Hoare (Rosemary Stark)
Appearing in clips from The Reaping: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Nicola Bryant (Peri), Claudia Christian (Janine Foster), Stuart Milligan (Anthony Chambers), Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Nate Chambers)
Original title: Summer In The City
Timeline: between The Council Of Nicaea and The Kingmaker, and during The Veiled Leopard
Review: Easily the most eagerly anticipated Big Finish audio play of 2006, and one of the most eagerly awaited releases in the entire series, The Gathering completes a trilogy of impossible things that producer Gary Russell wanted to accomplish before breakfast with the Doctor Who audio license. (The other two were bringing back Bonnie Langford for a fresh look at Melanie, and bringing back Paul McGann as the Doctor.) Of those three, the return of Tegan was long considered the most unlikely goal, simply because actress Janet Fielding had become more jaded and disenchanted with her Doctor Who connection in the 22 years since her final appearance as Tegan (a few DVD commentaries notwithstanding).
Russell had stopped asking when she suddenly volunteered her services for a one-off return appearance, so long as it tied up the loose threads of her character and addressed some of her own misgivings about the Doctor Who format. (more…)