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"The
TARDIS is in the centre of The Labyrinth, and the
whole idea of a labyrinth is that you’re not
supposed to find the centre…" |
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Caerdroia
(Lloyd Rose) |
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 The
third, and penultimate story, in the current "arc"
for the Eighth
Doctor, Charley
Pollard and C’rizz, is titled "Caerdroia"
and has been written by Lloyd Rose.
This
may be her first Doctor Who audio play but her
name will be familiar to BBC Books readers for her novels
"The
City of the Dead", "Camera
Obscura" and "The
Algebra of Ice". Rose also has impressive TV
writing credits such as Homicide: Life on the Streets
and the acclaimed Mexican mobster mini-series Kingpin.
This story has been directed by Gary Russell and it was
recorded on the 8th June 2004. It stars Paul McGann, as
The Doctor, India Fisher, as Charley, Conrad Westmaas,
as C’rizz, and Stephen Perring as the Kro'ka.
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Caerdroia
(10th Planet Cover)
(Lloyd Rose) |
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As
well as the standard cover (see above), and to mark the
November 2004 Dimensions convention, an alternative cover
(pictured left) was produced as a limited edition for
the 10th Planet shop.
While
The Doctor is taking a nap the Kro'ka makes a visit only
to find Charley and C'rizz who realise that they can’t
move between Interzone if The Doctor is asleep. However,
it is not long before The Doctor awakes and it seems as
if the Kro'ka has the upper hand - but could The Doctor
have the last laugh. Finding himself in The Doctor’s
mind the Kro'ka is forced to reveal the truth behind what
has been happening to The Doctor and his travelling companions
since their arrival in the Divergents Universe.
The
Doctor is also able to use his ingenuity to obtain from
the Kro'ka the location of the ever-so-mysterious beings
who are the dominant force in this universe and so the
possible location of his TARDIS
and so the possibility of regaining it. He also learns
that they are in a Universe without time and that no one
has heard of the word except for the Divergents.
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| Eighth Doctor |
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The
Doctor also realises that the Interzone is infact a clearing
station for all movements between the Divergent’s
worlds with multiple portals but that there is only one
portal through which time can leak and so lead to the
Divergents. But will The Doctor be able to use this information
that he has gained in the battle of wills between himself
and the Kro'ka, and so reach the castle at the centre
of Caerdroia - otherwise known as "the fortress of
many turnings". Or maybe the Kro'ka has not let on
everything about The Doctor and his travelling companion’s
next location.
Locating this one portal turns out to be quite easy as
being a Time Lord this particular portal will make The Doctor feel ill. With the help of his companions they
manage to make it through the portal and so find themselves
in Caerdroia - However, this results into one rather nasty
side effect - Charley and C'rizz end up with a Doctor
who has been pulled apart and so with three Doctors to
deal with…
Finding themselves in an unreal environment, where little
is what it appears, just so that they can hopefully learn
the truth about this universe Charley, C'rizz and the
three versions of The Doctor decide to split up - much
to the announce of Charley who gets teamed up with the
"nasty" side of The Doctor...
Eventually
they find themselves on a journey to the centre of a labyrinth
imprisoning a paradox. On there way they have to encounter
incongruous time pieces, mythic creatures, the perils
of officialdom and the Garden of Curiosities which reveals
something The Doctor has never seen before.
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| India
Fisher |
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As The Doctor faces these different challenges, Charley
and C'rizz provide valuable help. But with the TARDIS
itself at stake, The Doctor reaches deep inside himself
to find some surprising new allies. All this while he
is not quite feeling himself…
And what about the Kro'ka who, feeling threatened and
desperate, abandons his behind-the-scenes machinations
to confront The Doctor directly? Will both of them lose
their way in the maze of the strange world in which they
find themselves and will The Doctor and his companions
be able to reach the centre of Caerdroia. And if they
do will they at last find the TARDIS and so have the means
of escaping from the Divergents?
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Notes:
- Featuring the Eighth
Doctor,
Charley Pollard and C'rizz.
- Serial Number: 8U
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Cover Length: 105 minutes
- Episode Lengths: 1 = 25'11", 2 = 26'37",
3 = 27'33", 4 = 26'22"
- Total Story Length: 105'43"
- This story takes place after "Doctor
Who: The Movie" and follows on from last month’s "The
Last".
- Cover Illustration: Steve Johnson
- Recorded: 8th June 2004
- Recording Location: Christchurch Studios and
The Moat Studios
- Released: November 2004
- ISBN: 1-84435-104-1
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On the Back Cover:
Self-exiled to a
new universe, separated from his TARDIS, opposed and manipulated
by the Divergence and their agent the Kro'ka, The Doctor
has been struggling to work out the nature of the cosmic
game in which he's an unwilling pawn. Now, at last, he
has a chance to find the answer and regain the TARDIS!
Threatened and
desperate, the Kro'ka abandons his behind-the-scenes
machinations to confront The Doctor directly. But will
both of them lose their way in the maze of the strange
world in which they find themselves? A world in which
a clock may have a cuckoo but no hands, a labyrinth
imprisoning a paradox, and a Garden of Curiosities reveals
something The Doctor has never seen before.
As The Doctor
faces these challenges, Charley and C'rizz provide valuable
help. But with the TARDIS itself at stake, The Doctor
reaches deep inside himself to find some surprising
new allies.
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On the Inside Cover:
FOR ABOUT TEN
YEARS I worked in the theatre, and I came to like and
admire actors. I think they lead pretty tough professional
lives, with more than their share of being under-appreciated.
So when I got the opportunity to write an audio for
Big Finish (thanks to Paul Cornell, who scoffed at my
shyness and all but dragged me by the arm to meet Gary
Russell), I thought that I would like to give Paul McGann,
India Fisher, Conrad Westmaas and Stephen Perring something
they could have fun with, maybe even show off a bit.
This was the genesis of Caerdroia. In the event,
I handed them this little container of a script and
they blew the lid off it. My gratitude to all of them
for their talent, commitment and wit.
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Lloyd Rose,
June 2004 |
Lloyd Rose - has written three terribly popular
Doctor Who novels for BBC Books, City of
the Dead, Camera Obscura and The Algebra
of Ice. She’s also written scripts for TV series
as diverse as Kingpin and Homicide: Life
on the Streets, but this is her first fray into the
world of Doctor Who audio. |
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Production Notes:
Caerdroia came very simply from a desire to do
a fantasy-based story. Producer Gary Russell originally
envisioned flying dragons and maidens and orc armies and
other Terry Pratchett-style clichés, but once he
met and talked with Lloyd Rose in Los Angeles in February
2003, other ideas took shape. Lloyd had written an enormously
popular Eighth Doctor novel for the BBC Books range and
the producer thought she might be the right ‘voice’
for an unusual, darker, tone for the penultimate ‘alternative
universe’ adventure. Lloyd
took a lot of convincing - her career as a stage and
TV writer hadn’t really given her the opportunity
to explore audio work - but ultimately she took the
minotaur by the horns and really went for it. She opted,
rather than have a large cast of actors, just to focus
on the four regulars and give them, particularly Paul
McGann, something extra to do.
Caerdroia
isn’t quite the fantasy romp Gary Russell originally
wanted for this season of stories, although it has certain
fantastical moments, but instead its a much more deeply
woven story of identity and strangeness. |
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Who's Who?
The Eighth Doctor
First television appearance: Doctor Who
First Big Finish audio appearance: “Storm
Warning”
The
Eighth Doctor has gone through an extraordinary battle.
In order to save the life of his companion and friend
Charley Pollard, he absorbed a destructive energy force
referred to as Zagreus,
currently subdued beneath his own, far more likable persona.
However, this means The Doctor can no longer live in our
universe and so has recently exiled himself into an alternative
universe from which he can never return home...
Charley Pollard
First Big Finish audio appearance: "Storm
Warning".
Charley
was rescued by The Doctor from the ill-fated R101 airship
in 1930. Recently, much against The Doctor's wishes, she
has gone with him into the Divergent Universe, knowing
that she will never see Earth or anyone she has known
and loved ever again. However, Charley does not seem too
concerned about that and believes it was a price worth
paying to remain at the side of her friend and mentor.
Charley was witness recently to the loss of the TARDIS
when they landed on the first planet of this new universe...
C'rizz
First Big Finish audio appearance: "The
Creed of the Kromon".
A
Eutermesan, the first actual person The Doctor and Charley
met in the Divergent Universe. Having lost his TARDIS,
The Doctor found himself trapped on a planet separated
into zones, although those within the zones seemed unaware
that they were thus confined. C'rizz's natural curiosity
has made him join The Doctor and Charley. However, he
is an instinctively peaceful man, recently forced to commit
murder against his nature. What effect this may have on
him in the future remains to be seen... |
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Full Cast List:
| The Doctor |
Paul McGann |
| Charley Pollard |
India Fisher |
| C'rizz |
Conrad Westmaas |
| The Kro'Ka |
Stephen Perring |
The Production Team:
| Writer |
Lloyd Rose |
| Director |
Gary Russell |
| Sound/Music |
Steve Foxon |
| Theme Music |
David Darlington |
| Producers |
Gary Russell and
Jason Haigh-Ellery |
| Executive Producer for the BBC |
Jaqueline Rayner |
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