Audio plays
Full cast audio productions and talking books. For RADIO plays go here.
It's always a pleasure to write for Doctor Who. Big Finish's audio plays hit the wonderful middle ground of letting us revisit old Doctors and companions but enjoying them in new and modern stories. It's the best of all worlds, and I think Big Finish are responsible for a lot of the best Doctor Who in the franchise's history.
Big Finish Productions 2001
1400 BC
Egypt is in mourning. Pharaoh, the great God-King, is
dead. The future of the Two Kingdoms of Egypt is shrouded in uncertainty
as the Council of Priests debates the claim to the throne of Pharaoh's
only heir.
Out in the deserts around Thebes, Egypt's capital, a
warlord chief is assembling an army of mercenaries, waiting for just the
right moment to strike at Egypt's heart.
But not all of Egypt's enemies are outside the city. What is the secret of the strange box discovered in the desert?
When the TARDIS arrives nearby, it has apparently been hi-jacked... by the Doctor?
Big Finish Productions 2003
Whilst showing his latest companion, Erimem, around
her new home, the Doctor discovers that the TARDIS seems remarkably
keen to be as unhelpful as possible. Almost as if it wants rid of its
occupants...
Big Finish Productions, 2006
with Claire Bartlett
Monte Carlo, 1966:
Four time travellers. Two missions. One costumed ball. The Doctor has sent Peri and Erimem to prevent the fabulous Veiled Leopard diamond from being stolen. Which is odd, seeing as the Doctor has sent Ace and Hext to steal the diamond. how will the two teams cope with this contradictory task? Will Peri's asp slip? Why does Ace have to pretend to be a French maid? How will Erimem cope with Pharaoh Rammalamadingdong? And can Hex really "do posh"?
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Big Finish Productions, 2007
with Claire Bartlett
Original draft only
The TARDIS lands on Phobos, moon of Mars — where extreme sports nuts of the future indulge their passion for gravity-boarding and wormhole-jumping. But there's something lurking in the shadows, something infinitely old and infinitely dangerous. It's not for nothing that "Phobos" is the ancient word for "fear"...
Big Finish Productions, 2018
1941. The Prime Minister has much on his mind as London reels from the
Blitz. When a daring mission to discover Nazi secrets bears unexpected
results, Churchill heads north to retrieve technology that could win the
war. But an old ally is set against his intent. Weary from his own
people’s conflict, the Doctor knows that some weapons should never enter
the field of human conflict.
When I was a kid UNIT were a big party of Doctor Who. My Dad was a staff sergeant in the army, so I always felt a sort of pull to the army in the show. It's an affection that never went away and when I was offered the chance to work on a UNIT audio series I jumped at it, especially when I found out we'd have the Brigadier on board.
Big Finish Productions, 2005
with Claire Bartlett
The UK branch of UNIT is under threat. The Government wants its own
military investigative organisation, one under its sole control. The
public want answers to the strange things that have been happening
recently.
When the division's commanding officer goes missing whilst transporting
a dangerous cargo, Colonel Emily Chaudhry, UNIT's political officer, is
thrown in at the deep end. Things are not helped when a series of
accidents show a bizarre pattern.
The Brigadier, meanwhile, is trying to enjoy his retirement but it seems it is time again for him to come to the rescue.
Big Finish Productions, 2005
with Claire Bartlett
A deadly flu-like infection is sweeping the planet. Its first cases
appeared in Britain but now millions are infected worldwide and there is
no sign of a cure. The emergency services can't cope with what the
press have dubbed a plague…
Under attack from all sides, UNIT in Britain is in disarray. It faces a
stark choice - to close its doors and concede defeat, or to fight back,
whatever the cost… and the injured Colonel Emily Chaudhry knows UNIT
has never backed down from a battle…
If UNIT is to fight back, it's going to need the services of its
missing commander, Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood, and the experience of the
Brigadier, who can never refuse when duty calls…
Why is Erimem here?
Just wait and see... or wait and hear.
BBV 2021
Looking at
her timeline, Erimem is intrigued by evidence that at some point in her life,
she visits the Nazi-besieged city of Stalingrad in 1942. Against the advice of
her friends, Erimem travels back through time to discover what happened in
Russia during those terrible times in the war.
Erimem’s friends all have the same question - why is she suddenly so obsessed with visiting Stalingrad at this most brutal time?
With German forces relentlessly bombarding the city, the people are freezing and starving... and worse, there are stories of a demon or a beast, stalking the ruined streets of Stalingrad, devouring anyone it meets.
When Erimem arrives she finds a city under attack both from the invading German armies and from a dark force in the shadows.
PRIME IMPERATIVE
BBV 2021
The deep-space probe ship Clinton has been out of communication with Earth since its encounter with an interstellar comet.
Erimem and her friends arrive on a space station high in Earth orbit just before the almost derelict Clinton is due to dock.
Very soon it is the space station and its crew who need to be rescued, but that would certainly mean the end of all human life on Earth.
A trip to the future for Erimem and her friends coincides with a brutal, unstoppable attack on the planet.
Earth is lost is less than an hour and humanity is forced to abandon its homeworld, but is there anywhere for the desperate refugees to go?
The last remaining Earth warship offers some sense of hope but soon Erimem and her friends discover that hope may be the bringer of the end of humanity...
I've been lucky enough to work on a couple of Blake's 7 audios for Big Finish. It's a real blast working on a show that's been part of your consciousness since you were 10 years old. Add to that I got to work with Cav Scott and Justin Richards on these, which was terrific. I have enormous respect for both. To cap it all mine have all been Vila-centric stories, so... excellent all round.
Big Finish Productions, 2014
Vila is scared. Of course he is. Vila is always scared.
He should feel safe. He is on board the Liberator, the most powerful ship ever constructed. He is home – but he is certainly not alone.
Ghostly figures stalk the corridors of the Liberator. Spectres who know Vila’s name.
Revenants. Demons.
And Vila has nowhere to run.
Big Finish Productions, 2015
Federation Freighter Antares is a ship with many secrets. Why is it making regular runs to a heavily guarded frontier world? Why is the hold out of bounds? And who is watching the crew’s every move?
Events take a dangerous turn when two new recruits come on board. Will Jance and Voss survive their very first mission together?
This was the second story in Blake's 7: The Liberator Chronicles - Volume 11
In Crossfire, the last series of Blake’s 7, the crew of the Liberator were caught in the middle of a devastating war for control of the Federation between Servalan and the former President whom she deposed. The story continues in Restoration, a new series of 12 episodes.
In The Hunted Avon and Vila play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Federation President and his right-hand man, General Mordekain.
MORE AUDIOS
with Claire Bartlett
A reading of our Time Hiunter novella by the excellent TRACEY CHILDS
Featuring Honoré Lechasseur and Emily Blandish.
Echoes of the past ... echoes of the future. Honoré Lechasseur can see the threads that bind the two together, however when he and Emily Blandish find themselves outside the imposing tower-block headquarters of Dragon Industry, both can sense something is wrong.
There are ghosts in the building, and images and echoes of all times pervade the structure. But what is behind this massive contradiction in time, and can Honoré and Emily figure it out before they become trapped themselves?
Part mystery, part detective story, part dark fantasy, part science fiction... original adventures in time and space.
Spiteful Puppet Productions, 2019
An audio play recorded live on stage. Script adapted by Barnaby Eaton Jones, Daniel McGachey and Iain McLaughlin from a play by Miles Tredinnick, which was based on characters, situations and scripts by Talbot Rothwell and Sid Colin.
When I were a lad, the Carry On films were the funniest things in the world. Frankie Howerd only appeared in two but he was in Carry On Doctor, one of my absolute favourites. I was in my teens when I first saw repeats of Up Pompeii... and laughed and laughed and laughed. When the chance came up to be involved in a revival of Up Pompeii, I leaped at it and I've had a ball. I can't wait to hear those great words "And now, the prologue..." and if you don't know what I'm talking about; if you have never seen Up Pompeii... head over to Youtube and treat yourself.
This page contains some scripts that didn't make it into production.
Never throw an idea in the bin - you never know when you might be able
to use it. Anyway, just as a curiosity, here are some of my efforts that
went nowhere...