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Saturday, 10 January 2004 - Reported by Shaun Lyon
Big Finish has updated some details on its 2004 audios, including confirming the dates and casts for the forthcomingThe Axis of Insanity by Simon Furman (April), which stars Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Caroline Morris as the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem; Arrangements for War by Paul Sutton (May), starring Colin Baker and Maggie Stables as the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn; and The Harvest by Dan Abnett (June), starring Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and newcomer Philip Olivier as the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex. Big Finish has also added the cover illustrations and blurbs for Jim Mortimore's The Natural History of Fear (as well as a new downloadable trailer) and the sixth Short Trips fiction anthology volume, Past Tense. Meanwhile, some new details about the new character, Hex, and Philip Olivier's debut in "The Harvest"; says the Big Finish site, Hex's real name is Hector, "not the coolest name for a kid growing up in Merseyside," and he lives and works in London in the year 2021. "He enjoys working as a nurse in a hospital, is terribly good at his job and gets on with patients and staff alike, an all round good bloke. He's quite taken by Dorothy McShane [aka Ace] (she's only a few years older), a friend who has been working part-time at the hospital for some months now. Intrigued by her, he follows her home one night to an address in Shoreditch, only to find it's not quite the home he expected... Hex and Ace form a good friendship and together with the Doctor solve the galaxy's problems. However, everyone has a past, despite what appears on the surface and Hex knows that one day, whether he likes it or not, his might surface and that could seriously damage the dynamic of the new TARDIS team. So he opts to keep quiet about things... for now..." According to Gary Russell, he didn't have any actor in mind for the part, but saw Olivier in the UK soap "Brookside," where he was playing the character of Tinhead. (Thanks to Big Finish)

The Natural History of Fear, by Jim Mortimore

IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY PERSONALITY OR MEMORY-RELATED ARTICLE SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS PUBLIC THEATRE, INCLUDING THIS WARNING. PUNISHMENT OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED REDUCTION OF AUTHORISED OVERTIME HOURS AND TOTAL PERSONALITY REVISION. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY JUKEBOX OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT INTO THIS PUBLIC THEATRE. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE EDITOR MAY CONFISCATE SUCH ARTICLES. WE ASK THE PUBLIC TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO THEIR LOCAL CONSCIENCE. THANK YOU.

Public Warning
Faction Against Character Theft

Short Trips 6: Past Tense, edited by Ian Farrington

Doctor Who began in 1963 with a remit to teach its audience about the past. One of the regular characters was a history teacher and the intention was that the series would regularly explore bygone centuries, meet historical figures and interact with our ancestors. Soon, the TARDIS was making visits to the Roman era, the time of the French Revolution and the pre-Cortez Aztec culture; the Doctor and his companions met cavemen, Marco Polo, Richard the Lionheart and Wyatt Earp. But just as the Doctor is an alien visitor, so other interlopers from other worlds have found themselves in Earth's past some with the intention of changing history.

Past Tense features seventeen tales set on Earth in days gone by. The Doctor finds himself and his fellow travellers in a variety of times and places: involved in international espionage with British and German spies, at the annexation of the Transvaal, watching an Ashes cricket match and mixing with the late-Sixteenth Century theatrical set. Seeing history happen, learning about its nuances, trying to prevent its corruption, or simply enjoying its atmosphere, our heroes find themselves in exciting adventures wherever or whenever they go.

Featuring "The Immortals" by Simon Guerrier, "One Small StepĂ " by Nicholas Briggs, "Ante Bellum" by Stephen Hatcher, "CHAOS" by Eric Saward, "The Thief of Sherwood" by Jonathan Morris, "Come Friendly BombsĂ " by Dave Owen, "Graham Dilley Saves The World" by Iain McLaughlin & Claire Bartlett, "Mortlake" by Mark Wright, "Far From Home" by Alison Lawson, "White Man's Burden" by John Binns, "All Done With Mirrors" by Christopher Bav, "Bide-a-Wee" by Anthony Keetch, "Of Mercury and Jupiter" by Ian Mond & Danny Heap, "The Man Who Wouldn't Give Up" by Nev Fountain, "To Kill a Nandi Bear" by Paul Williams, "Fixing a Hole" by Samantha Baker, and "That Time I Nearly Destroyed The World While Looking For a Dress" by Joseph Lidster.




FILTER: - Audio