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 To
coincide with the releases during January
to June 2002 of the six stories, starring
Paul McGann as the Eighth
Doctor and India Fisher as companion Charlotte
Pollard,
Big Finish have realised that this will
mean a long time to wait for the other three
Doctors to have any releases. So they have
decided that for February, April and June
2002 they will also be releasing a three
part mini series containing the
Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors.
Available on
single CD's these Doctor Who adventures will have Peter Davison, Colin
Baker and Sylvester McCoy starring in one each.
"What's
different about these adventures," says Big Finish producer Jason Haigh-Ellery,
"is that although they are three separate stories, all will take place on the
planet Artaris and focus on events occurring in the city of Excelis The plays
will be linked via a holy relic that each Doctor must locate in the three
different time zones he arrives in… but of course it's not quite that
simple!"
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| Jo Grant |
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Titled "Excelis Dawns", "Excelis Rising" and
"Excelis Decays" they are being written by Paul Magrs, David A McIntee and
Craig Hinton respectively. They will also guest-star Paul Magrs' popular Iris
Wildthyme character who has appeared in several of his Doctor Who
novels. Katy Manning, who starred alongside Jon Pertwee as the
Third
Doctor's companion
Jo Grant,
has taken on the role of Iris. Katy, who was currently in the UK, recorded her
parts during November before her return to her home in Australia.
The Doctor
will also face the wrath of a recurring villain, the Warlord
Grayvorn, who,
after meeting the Fifth Doctor and Iris, is 'touched' by an alien artefact
known as the Relic and becomes immortal. In the subsequent two Excelis
adventures, Grayvorn has to adopt alternate identities in his quest for power
over both the city of Excelis and the planet Artaris itself.
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| Anthony Stewart Head |
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The part of Warlord Grayvorn is being played by
Anthony Stewart Head. Anthony gained fame during the 1980's with the famous
will-they wont-they Gold Blend coffee adverts before obtaining worldwide fame
as Rupert Giles in the television series Buffy the Vampire
Slayer.
Co-producer Gary Russell has been reported as saying "As a
Buffy fan, I'm overwhelmed to be working with Anthony. As a producer, I'm
absolutely delighted to be directing such a great actor. It's the best of both
worlds really!"
Warlord Grayvorn, who, after meeting the Fifth Doctor and
Iris Wildthyme in "Excelis Dawns", is 'touched' by an alien artefact and
becomes immortal. In the subsequent two adventures, he has to adopt alternate
identities in his quest for power over both the city of Excelis and the planet
Artaris itself.
Anthony is reported to be delighted to have been offered the
multiple Doctor Who roles: "You get to play three loonies in one day!
Who could resist an offer like that?"
Big Finish
have announced that in addition to these three Excelis stories, Ms Wildthyme
will also feature in "Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Plague Herds of
Excelis" which will be written by Stephen Cole. It will be released in July
2002 as part of the ongoing Benny audios and it will be both a crossover with
the Doctor Who plays and an epilogue to the Excelis
saga.
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