Big Finish Do "The Ultimate Adventure" and the other Stage Plays

[Si Hunt]

I don't have much info, but someone on the RT has stated that "Big Finish or BBC Audio" are making an audio version of "The Ultimate Adventure" somehow.

A good idea?

Si.

[Pip Madeley]

Terrance Dicks has been asked to adapt both "Ultimate Adventure" and "Seven Keys" for audio... I'm totally indifferent, to be honest!

[Si Hunt]

For whom, Big Finish? Has he agreed? Where does the info come from Pip, and is there any more?

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

It'll be OK I suppose. I'm not leaping up & down but I'm quite interested to hear the result having seen the two different versions on one of those illegal videos the Matt West was waffling on about.

[Pip Madeley]

For whom, Big Finish? Has he agreed? Where does the info come from Pip, and is there any more?

Si.

Daleks, Doctors and a dog called Goliath

Terrance thought he'd be able to kick back after finishing Revenge of the Judoon, but then someone asked him to convert into CD audio format the two Dr Who stageplays he'd written.

[SiHart]

Hmm, well it was great seeing it on stage, but it wasn't actually all that great really. However, if they manage to get Krystal and Jason back as the companions and do the songs well, it might just work.

Si xx

[Lissa]

If it is indeed Big Finish who are behind this, why not just get Uncle Terrance to write a new story? Why do they apparently have this reluctance to ask him to contribute to their Doctor Who range?

[Captain Tancredi]

His comment at the National Media Museum event was that he regards the audios as "evolved fan activity" (his words) and he only did the Sarah Jane audio because Elisabeth Sladen asked for him and Barry Letts to do one each.

[Lissa]

As opposed to "Shakedown" and "Mindgame" which were... evolved fan activity with a camera?

[Captain Tancredi]

evolved fan activity with a camera?

Another horde of disturbing mental images is unleashed...but probably more along the lines of "evolved fan activity which three people bought 10-15 years ago and probably don't even realise they have any more". The book of 'Shakedown' is good, but mainly because of the Ogron private detective.

[SiHart]

Well, yes they are going to the Ulitimate Adventure, along with Curse of the Daleks and The Seven Keys to Doomsday. Colin is to star in The Ultimate Adventure (though no news on the rest of the cast yet) and all the songs will be included!

I wonder if Trevor Martin and Padders will be back for Seven Keys? Could be fun.

Apparently they're going to be released monthly from October as a mini-series.

Si xx

[Wayne]

Curse of the Daleks

[SiHart]

Wayne, you never mentioned you liked the Daleks...

Si xx

[Wayne]

I wonder who'll play the Doctor(s?) on these.....

Edited to add: Ah, i see Colin is doing at least one.

[SiHart]

The Doctor wasn't in Curse- it was a Dalek as the stars play, so it's just Seven Keys we're waiting to find out about.

Si xx

[Wayne]

Ah right. For some reason i thought it was originally Pertwee or Terry Walsh or something. But i only have a vague knowledge of these things.

[Stuart Wallis]

A vague knowledge of most things, not unlike most of us round here.

If they weren't doing them all as a series, I'd have seen them at least doing Seven Keys as a one off Dalek Empire thingy.

[Lissa]

Details of the three plays is now on BF's website. They are £14.99 each but you can order all three for £24.99.

[SiHart]

Cast news:

Big Finish Productions has announced some casting news for its upcoming audio adaptation releases of the three Doctor Who stage plays from years past.

Trevor Martin, who played the Doctor in the 1974 stage play "The Seven Keys to Doomsday," will reprise the role for the audio adaptation, while Charlie Hayes will play companion Jenny; Hayes is the daughter of actress Wendy Padbury, who played Jenny during the play's initial run and also played Zoe Heriot in the late 1960s TV episodes with Patrick Troughton. Colin Baker reprises the role of the Doctor in "The Ultimate Adventure" and is joined by David Banks as Karl, reprising his role from that play; Banks is also familiar to Doctor Who fans as the Cyberleader from 1980s Doctor Who, and also understudied the role of the Doctor in several performances during the play's original run. Finally, "Curse of the Daleks" features actor Michael Praed as the lead character, Ladiver; he is joined by actor John Line, who played Ladiver in the original play's run back in 1965 and here plays Professor Vanderlyn.

The audio adaptations of the stage plays will be released by Big Finish in late September (The Ultimate Adventure), October (The Seven Keys to Doomsday) and November (Curse of the Daleks).

Meanwhile, the company has also announced the scheduling of The Masters of War, the long awaited eighth installment of their "Doctor Who Unbound" audio series by Eddie Robson, for December release. The play features the return of David Warner as the alternate third Doctor, which he created in "Sympathy for the Devil", alongside Nicholas Courtney playing the version of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart that goes traveling with the Doctor at the end of the previous tale. Terry Molloy returns to the role of Davros for the installment.

Si xx

[Antony Cox]

I like all the tie-ins to the original cast - a nice touch!

[WhiteCrow]

I've just read this, and wonder is Doctor Who an area where it's considered acceptable to practise nepotism?

Everyone seems to always get excited when "staring the child of former Companion/Doctor", but in any other business we'd be horried by such practises.

[SiHart]

She is an actress at least, so it may not be as bad as all that Mike.

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

She is an actress at least, so it may not be as bad as all that Mike.

I'm sure it isn't that bad, but when you consider how many times in the New Series we've had that son of/daughter of in the casting.

It's just in most other industries, that kind of nepotism would be frowned on. I know I'd not be happy if Bill Gates son picked me to a software job.

[Dirk Gently]

I know I'd not be happy if Bill Gates son picked me to a software job.

I'm sure you would, Mike, but if he's better qualified than you then what's the problem?
If you mean "If Bill Gates' son was picked over you because of whose son he is" then that's different. Although as Si pointed out, in this instance it's continuity of family within the industry. She is an actress & for all we know might have got the role because she's a good actress.

[Andrew Curnow]

Frankly, since it's audio, couldn't they have just got Wendy P to do it - it's not like she needs to be young enough to run around nonstop for two hours!