The TARDIS has been destroyed and Rob finds himself back home on Earth in 2007. But bumping into his old friend Ben brings its own share of troubles - there's been a dreadful accident involving Ben's old college master, and a strange space ship has recently crashed into a nearby lake.
Rob and Ben dive down to explore the ship, but unwittingly release a force which has been imprisoned for the good of the Universe. Is the offer it makes them too good to be true? Ben suddenly finds himself whisked backwards in time, and then the dead begin to walk...
Cast List Rob - Steve Alexander Ben - Dave Taylor Terry Johnson - Jonno Simmons The Toymaker - Ant Cox Computer Voice - Si Hart Linda McCow - Trudi Gard Passer By - Andrew Clancy Written and Produced by Si Hunt. Cover by Pip Madeley
Extras Pictures (click for larger versions)
CD Cover
CD Inlay/Back
The Making of Keepsake Narrated by P-Bal (Paul Ballard)
Not long after "Soap of Fatal Death" had been completed, the opportunity arose for a few of the cast members from the previous plays to record a new one. "Soap" had finished on a cliffhanger which saw the Doctor and the TARDIS apparently destroyed, and so the plan was hatched to record an impromptu "solo" adventure for Rob ("Magical History Tour" was already planned at this point). This was quite a departure, as up to this point the PS Audios had been mammoth affairs, planned in advance. Si Hunt began to develop the script for "Keepsake" during February 2007, originally planning a character called Jake as a friend for Rob - until it was pointed out by Steven Alexander that "there are no real people called Jake". The script was eventually written in just a week.
Production
The story was recorded in Bracknell on the afternoon of 17th February 2007, and is the only PS Audio to have been "rehearsed" in full before recording. It also marks the first time a foe from 'classic' Doctor Who was brought into the audio series, as Ant Cox played The Celestial Toymaker, following in the footsteps of Michael Gough on TV.
Much discussion was had during recording regarding the presence or otherwise of the wet suits in the closing scenes. Trudi Gard appears in the story (in a remotely recorded cameo - and a blatant rip-off of "Aliens of London") as Rob's mum, Linda McCow, as does Andrew Clancy as the old man in the park.
Quote Unquote
TERRY: Did you think it would be like a fairytale? That you could unpick time like a badly crocheted bobble hat?
BEN: I… thought I’d changed things. That you’d be brought back to life!
TERRY: You stupid boy! You can’t turn back the clock! My time has gone, but thanks to you I live again, but as a shadow person! A twisted toy! A plaything of the immortal Toymaker!
--
VOICE: It’s all in the rules of the game…
ROB: No, you’re not playing by the rules! You have to play by the rules!
VOICE: The game has yet to begin…
ROB: You said the game had started! “These are the rules of my game” you said!
VOICE: Play by the rules!
ROB: No, YOU play by the rules! I want my turn! Send me back! (shouts) I want my GO!
--
BEN: Manhole, there's a ma-aa-aa-aaa-aannnHOLE!
Trivia
The episodes clock in amongst some of the shortest for PlanetSkaro Audios stories at around 15 minutes Episode 1 and 13 minutes for Episode 2. And consider that most of this time is flashbacks and re-used material.
The song that Ben (played by Dave Taylor) sings along to just before the car crash around which the story is based, is "Manhole" by Lorraine Bowen, released on her 2006 album "Lorraine Bowen's Vital Organs".
This story predicts that Toy Story 3 (which at the time did not exist) would be out "by Christmas [2007]". In reality, it was finally released in June 2010.
Rob's Time Watch (at this point already written into "Magical History Tour") makes an appearance.
Rob mentions he and Ben's mutual friends, "Shubbers", "Ninja" and "Babe Magnet", which were all nicknames of writer Si Hunt's real-life work colleagues.
For the cover, Ant Cox wore a Battik dressing gown from the Isle of Skye and a colourful hat from the Himalayas.
As he was killed in the previous adventure, the character of The Doctor as played by Paul Monk does not appear in Keepsake.
Existing Material
The Script and recording sessions currently exist for this adventure, as well as an unreleased interview session from the day of the recording, which is of variable quality.