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“The Curse of Ratanapura will haunt your dreams...."
Teddy Carrington was a jeweller, a scoundrel, a cheat and a
swindler, just like his Father before him. He lived for money, but
not as much as he lived for the love of humiliating his business
rival, Sir Bobby Jameson. When Teddy wasn’t playing poker in the
Kings Head Inn with the family fortune, he was learning how to cheat
at it so he could defeat Bobby.
New Year’s Eve, 1799. Teddy and Bobby played their final game. It
was a game that raged on for longer, and with more bluffs, tricks
and twists than ever before. The inn closed, but the game went on,
with all the patrons and players cheering for either one man or the
other to win. Teddy had been dealt a bad hand, but it didn’t matter.
His poker face could convince you his hide was on fire and you
wouldn’t doubt him! Slowly, he drew Bobby Jameson’s entire fortune
onto the table until Jameson played an Ace. Both metaphorically and
on a card. He placed on the table a diamond as big as a fist. It
sparkled so brightly that the entire inn fell silent for one
devastating moment. And in that moment, Teddy knew that he had lost.
He pulled out a gun from nowhere shot his opponent in the chest,
snatching the gemstone from the dying man’s hands. It is said that
with his last breath, Jameson cursed Carrington and his family to a
hundred years of misery and torment.
New Year’s Eve, 1899. The legend says the spirit of Sir Bobby
Jameson shall return tonight at the stroke of midnight to relinquish
the curse. Lady Rosalind Carrington, the current owner of the
Ratanapura gemstone, has invited her closest friends, family and
three time travellers to bear witness and celebrate the turn of the
century. But not everyone will live to see it...
Pre-Production
The pre-credits sequence of the previous story, "The Paradise
Machine", had somewhat audaciously announced the return of the
Daleks in a big cliffhanger. However, this was a red herring of Si
Hunt's devising, and their appearance would turn out to have been a
massive joke on the part of the Doctor's companions Rob and Nick -
the real following story, "The Curse of Ratanapura", was to be the
Doctor's comeback to his two friends.
On 12th September 2007, Pip Madeley (who had designed the covers for
all the PS Audios to date) sent a synopsis to Si Hunt called "The
Curse of Ratanapura", Madeley specifying that "Ratanapura is
pronounced ra-ta-na-puh-ra". In the original synopsis, Rosalind was
to be called "Rosaline" and the idea of the story, revolving around
a "gala ball" and the theft of a precious gemstone, was present.
Nick and Rob pose as a singing duo, and cover a Beatles number.
Hunt made a number of suggested changes on 13th September, mainly to
steer the story away from being too like the Si Hart story "Heist!",
then shortly due to go into production, and to expand the "ghost"
element, as he had been wanting PS Audios to "do a ghost story" for
some time. After several stories set on alien worlds or spaceships,
Si Hunt also suggested relocating the adventure from its original
setting of a colony planet to Earth, and introduced two new
characters - Sir James Padbury ("playboy and gambler") and a "decoy
character" ("What about a weathered old fisherman who arrives at the
house wanting shelter when he gets caught in the storm?") which
Madeley himself would play. The character of Barrington Carrington
was originally female and called Lady Delia Carrington.
Eventually Si Hunt agreed to a co-writing credit and wrote Episode
1, leaving Madeley to write the final Episode.
Production
On Saturday 2nd August 2008, a recording was held in Bracknell to
record "Eye of the Daleks" and "The Curse of Ratanapura". Si Hunt
had also privately been working on a standby script, "The Kalrexi
Mutation", which he was keen to make.
"Eye" was recorded first, but several key cast members needed for "Ratanapura"
were absent or late. The team decided to go ahead and start
recording "The Kalrexi Mutation" - in addition, some of the team
were trying to record "Many Happy Returns" in secret, the result
being that there was almost no time left to record "The Curse of
Ratanapura". Si Hunt today explains: "It was insane. We were getting
to the point where we would normally have started to pack up, and
suddenly we were starting this whole entire story. I'd envisaged it
so differently; it was going to be a sedate, armchair theatre type
play, but we had to rush it. I felt bad for Pip because it was his
first stab at writing."
The story was recorded, but no-one was entirely happy with the
compromises that had been made. In addition, the role of the
Doctor's companion Rosalind was recorded at a later session, but the
recording quality was variable and made her absence from the main
recording session all too obvious.
The lines of the Ghost (the so-called Spirit of Sir Bobby Jameson)
were originally recorded by Paul Monk; thereby suggesting the later
plot revelation that the Doctor was behind the apparitions. However,
it was felt he was too recognisable and that this would give the
resolution away, so the lines were re-recorded by Madeley in
post-production. Sir Bobby Jameson was played by Michael Talks,
although Ant Williams also recorded the lines during the second
studio recording. In post-production it was decided to use Talks'
performance as Williams, although excellent, sounded too young for
the character.
A photos session was held in the garden of the house in Bracknell,
with special photos taken for the CD's of "Eye of the Daleks" and
"The Kalrexi Mutation", as well as several shots (ultimately unused
on the CD sleeve) of Tim Hawtin and Dave Taylor 'posing' as their
characters from "The Curse of Ratanapura".
Madeley produced the
finished episodes himself, and completed them just minutes before
they went on-line - episode 2 was originally scheduled for release
on 25th October and eventually made it on-line on the 29th.
Quote/Unquote
DOCTOR
(furious): You tell me the Daleks have invaded the TARDIS… FOR A
JOKE!?
NICK: Well, how were we to know you’d whip out your Time Ring
and transport us off to some alien planet!
ROB: Yes, and that the Mogadorians had just started their
bi-centurial ten-years war with the Klith to determine who was
the rightful owner of the Holy Sheild Of Gropp, when all
visitors to the normally-peaceful planet are captured as
prisoners of war and imprisoned in the Mud Mines of Mogador for
the entire duration of the conflict?!
DOCTOR: Legacy? A gemstone? Is that all you care about? Oh
Rosalind, look at yourself, look at what you've become.
ROSALIND: I don't need your pity, Doctor. And that's LADY
Rosalind, thank you very much.
DOCTOR: Well, LADY Rosalind, I don't like what you've become one
little bit, and I look forward to when this whole business is
concluded. I'd go right now if I wasn't a man of my word. Sadly.
And by the way, I'll have the telegraph back from you when this
is all over, thank you very much!
ROSALIND: You're welcome to it, I don't think I'll be needing it
again somehow. Shall we make our way to the drawing room then
(loaded with venom)... Doctor!?
LADY ROSALIND: Yes, James. The jewel of Ratanapura! An ancient
family treasure!
(She whips out the gemstone, and everyone gasps)
ROB: Bliiiiimey! A diamond!
NICK: Look at the size of that thing Doctor! It must be worth a
fortune!
LADY ROSALIND: And so it is young man! A million pound fortune,
no less. But my family has passed down the diamond at a price.
We are plagued by a curse. A hundred years of bad luck!
ROSALIND: Thank you Doctor. I suppose I should call the
constabulary and arrange medical assistance.
DOCTOR: (annoyed) I should think that's the very least you could
do, don't you think?!
ROSALIND: I never wanted any of this Doctor. But thank you for
saving my precious Ratanapura.
DOCTOR: You've got some nerve. I don't want your gratitude. In
fact I don't want anything to do with you. Ever. You can keep
the gem, and the guilt of knowing how many lives it cost you. I
can’t believe how much you’ve changed. Goodbye Rosalind.
Listener
Response
"I've just listened and really enjoyed it. Quite a different type of
story, reminds me of an early Tom Baker adventure. I love the
opening and the resolution of the cliffhanger from the last story -
didn't see that coming! That opening sequence with the exlosions and
monster roars was brilliant, and I think the most exciting opener
there has been for a story - loved the music too, and I think I may
know where it came from, but I'm not sure..."
(Martin Penny)
"On the down side, Ali was a bit too quiet but on the upside, BLOODY
BRILLIANT!
I love the feel of the story & at first it felt very Hammer Horror
but after about 5 minutes it was more like a 1930's Sherlock Holmes
crossed with an Ealing comedy."
(Tim Hawtin)
"I liked it because as has been observed, it's a different style
again to the previous stories, & it all helps to keep the season as
a whole sounding varied & fresh."
(Wayne Jefferies)
"I have to admit to a bit of disappointment that the Daleks weren't
actually involved after the cliffhanger from Paradise Machine, but
fair enough it was quite neatly resolved - I hope the Daleks will be
making some kind of appearance in the PS audios at some stage
though!!"
(Andrew Curnow)
Trivia
The Klith are an highly advanced alien race described by Rob McCow
as having "fangs, fins and prisons smellier than the TARDIS laundry
basket after we accidentally created that artificial life form from
Nick’s old socks!".
The Doctor recieves a message on his Space-Time Telegraph, a device
which appeared in the Second Doctor story The Mind Robber.
The TARDIS arrives on the Isle of Skye on December 31st 1899. The
Doctor mentions it has been "at least three years" since the crew
have celebrated a New Year.
This is the first adventure to be set in Earth's past since the
season one story Magical History Tour.
Nick is said to be wearing the Doctor's Holmesian Victorian outfit,
first seen in the Fourth Doctor story The Talons of Weng-Chiang.
Marwood's first name is Thomas, although it is never mentioned in
the finished story.
This story contains a brief flashback to an unheard adventure where
the Planet Skaro Doctor and Rosalind introduce an unidentified race
of aliens (played by Alex Finch) to tea, having saved them from the
terrible Zodin.
Mogador was a planet name suggested by Si Hunt, after he spotted the
real place name while driving home from a friends house.
This story won "Best Cover Artwork for Season 2" in a poll by the
members of Planet Skaro in March 2009.
Existing Material
No material is known to exist, though there is a possibility that
some or all of the original recordings may be in the possession of
producer Pip Madeley, who has since left the PS Audios team.
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Episodes
Episode 1 (28.05)
Episode 2 (27.45)
CD Extras
"Tea With The Trods", a short story written and read by Steve
Alexander
Outtakes
Cast List and Production Credits
The Doctor - Paul Monk
Nick - David Tudor
Rob McCow - Steven Alexander
Lady Rosalind Carringon - Ali Bongo
Barrington Carrington - Ashley Culley
Sir James Padbury - Dave Taylor
Michaels - Tim Hawtin
Lord Rusty Cheshire / Aliens - Alex Finch
Sir Bobby Jameson - Michael Talks
Thomas Marwood / Ghost - Pip Madeley
Written by Pip Madeley and Si Hunt
Produced by Pip Madeley
Directed by Pip Madeley with Simon Hart and Steve Alexander
CD artwork designed by Pip Madeley
Originally released
18th October 2008 and 29th October 2008
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