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Post by Audio Watchdog on Apr 29, 2020 15:44:58 GMT
Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and John Leeson star in Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun, an exciting Fourth Doctor mystery adventure written by Rob Valentine.
This is the first full-cast Doctor Who audio drama to have been produced using Big Finish’s remote recording techniques, and it boasts among its guest cast the brilliant Fenella Woolgar (Inside Number 9, Call the Midwife) as terminally bored socialite, Lady Malina Rigel-Smythe. She is one of many passengers on board a luxury liner with a difference.
Doctor Who: Shadow of the Sun is now available to pre-order exclusively at the Big Finish website, from just £8.99.
After an accident, the TARDIS lands on a luxury star-liner. Leaving their ship to repair itself, the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves facing a great terror: mingling at a cocktail party.
Something seems awry behind the pleasantries however. Guests are going missing, and equipment is breaking down. When the Doctor investigates further he discovers that the star-liner is literally on course for disaster.
But no-one seems surprised by this information, still less troubled. What’s going on? And can the Doctor and his friends save everyone... when nobody wants to be saved?
Director Nicholas Briggs said: “In Shadow of the Sun, we have a great, well-made script by . A lovely slice of science fantasy. It has a great central idea and a cast of superb characters. At its core, there’s a fanatical belief in something that is patent nonsense, but the Doctor, Leela and K9 find themselves to be the only people who know the truth. That’s a great set-up!
“And it also has a flavour of the often talked about ‘base under siege’ setting, which adds an appealing claustrophobia to the storytelling. It makes the situation more extreme and therefore more of an exciting ride for the audience.”
Writer Rob Valentine added: “This is a story inspired by the modern trend of giving the same value to opinion as fact – including everything from climate change denial to the anti-vaccination movement – but specifically the recent (and ultimately fatal) rocket launch experiments intended to prove that the Earth is flat. The Doctor is about to find himself in a situation where the true enemy is pseudo-scientific hubris, and for once it might be an enemy he hasn't the tools to overcome.”
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Post by relativetime on Apr 29, 2020 15:53:46 GMT
Sounds right up my alley - and from one of the newer writers to Big Finish as well, if I’m not mistaken. It’ll be nice to get a sense of his writing style before The Lovecraft Invasion comes out. All-in-all, a very easy preorder from me. I wonder if this’ll be the only lockdown special release we’ll be getting...
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Post by themeddlingmonk on Apr 29, 2020 16:06:26 GMT
Sounds right up my alley - and from one of the newer writers to Big Finish as well, if I’m not mistaken. It’ll be nice to get a sense of his writing style before The Lovecraft Invasion comes out. All-in-all, a very easy preorder from me. I wonder if this’ll be the only lockdown special release we’ll be getting... Yeah this’ll actually be his first release I think? Depending on when the Paternoster Gang set comes out which he’s also written an episode for. I imagine this was perhaps written for a later series but they brought it forward for lockdown?
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Apr 29, 2020 16:11:08 GMT
Sounds right up my alley - and from one of the newer writers to Big Finish as well, if I’m not mistaken. It’ll be nice to get a sense of his writing style before The Lovecraft Invasion comes out. All-in-all, a very easy preorder from me. I wonder if this’ll be the only lockdown special release we’ll be getting... Yeah this’ll actually be his first release I think? Depending on when the Paternoster Gang set comes out which he’s also written an episode for. I imagine this was perhaps written for a later series but they brought it forward for lockdown? If so it would not be the first time a 4th Doctor/Leela story was brought forward. I seem to recall Night of the Stormcrow was moved forward to fill in for a delayed title when we still got our yearly Main Range bonus disc.
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Post by Digi on Apr 29, 2020 16:15:54 GMT
Huh! Neat!
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Post by sexbombsimon on Apr 29, 2020 16:15:54 GMT
Pre-Ordered!
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Post by nucleusofswarm on Apr 29, 2020 16:16:25 GMT
'Writer Rob Valentine added: “This is a story inspired by the modern trend of giving the same value to opinion as fact – including everything from climate change denial to the anti-vaccination movement – but specifically the recent (and ultimately fatal) rocket launch experiments intended to prove that the Earth is flat. The Doctor is about to find himself in a situation where the true enemy is pseudo-scientific hubris, and for once it might be an enemy he hasn't the tools to overcome.”'
If this was a 13 episode, what are the odds that certain people would be crying about 'puhleetikul agenduh' and 'freezepeach' with that description? But because it's BF, we will mercifully be spared. And hey, cool BF are finding solutions to production and keeping people employed in some way.
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Post by vivdunstan on Apr 29, 2020 16:18:01 GMT
Yup, this was an instant preorder for me too. I’m particularly amused by the backstage photos from the recording (on the item order page), including Tom on his computer
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Post by themeddlingmonk on Apr 29, 2020 16:18:08 GMT
I can’t really see them managing to get a full hour long story written and recorded and sound designed in like what two or three months?
I wouldn’t be shocked if this was supposed to be recorded around this time already, and they just decided why not release it early as they’re banked years ahead anyway.
The only other lockdown release BF has done is that Dorian Gray minisode, which was a 15 minute monologue. So I’d definitely wager that this was a pre-existing script.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2020 16:23:31 GMT
I am so gonna pre-order this!
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Apr 29, 2020 16:42:20 GMT
I can’t really see them managing to get a full hour long story written and recorded and sound designed in like what two or three months? I wouldn’t be shocked if this was supposed to be recorded around this time already, and they just decided why not release it early as they’re banked years ahead anyway. The only other lockdown release BF has done is that Dorian Gray minisode, which was a 15 minute monologue. So I’d definitely wager that this was a pre-existing script. It's certainly possible. I personally know two writers who, with the right fire of inspiration, can write the first draft of a full length play in 4 or 5 days. I'm not saying you are wrong. This could easily be a script that they already had ready to go for an FDA in the future that got moved up. And a month or two is plenty of time to get a production edited with sound design & music. Perhaps dorney will drop in and let us know.
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Post by cwm on Apr 29, 2020 16:51:28 GMT
I can’t really see them managing to get a full hour long story written and recorded and sound designed in like what two or three months? I wouldn’t be shocked if this was supposed to be recorded around this time already, and they just decided why not release it early as they’re banked years ahead anyway. The only other lockdown release BF has done is that Dorian Gray minisode, which was a 15 minute monologue. So I’d definitely wager that this was a pre-existing script. Even if it was pre-written, I would presume all post-production work would have to be done in a significantly shorter timescale than usual, though.
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,081
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Post by mbt66 on Apr 29, 2020 16:59:23 GMT
Yup, this was an instant preorder for me too. I’m particularly amused by the backstage photos from the recording (on the item order page), including Tom on his computer And poor Jane Slavin recording with Tom, but doesn’t even get a part in it! I know she often does this, but come on Big Finish give the lady a credit...or perhaps they just promised her some more Ann Kelso episodes!!
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,081
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Post by mbt66 on Apr 29, 2020 17:01:06 GMT
Well this has cheered up a wet and miserable Wednesday.
Edit: And ordered! Spending money on the Fourth Doctor always makes me happy...
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Post by shallacatop on Apr 29, 2020 17:47:51 GMT
This is a nice little announcement. I have Leela fatigue, but love the premise and idea of producing a lockdown special. I think it most probably was something intended for a few years down the line (and potential confirmation of yet another Leela & K9 series), but the quick turnaround is impressive. It’s always nice to support a new writer too.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 29, 2020 18:19:10 GMT
Pre-ordered. Sounds fun and interesting.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 29, 2020 18:20:05 GMT
This is a nice little announcement. I have Leela fatigue, but love the premise and idea of producing a lockdown special. I think it most probably was something intended for a few years down the line (and potential confirmation of yet another Leela & K9 series), but the quick turnaround is impressive. It’s always nice to support a new writer too. Yeah, I have some Leela fatique, too. She just seems to pop up everywhere... But this sounds fun never the less.
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Post by muckypup on Apr 29, 2020 18:28:03 GMT
not too sure about the story, i would have liked something a little more fun at this time, but don't really care its great BF are going all out to bring us stuff......
also it will be good to hear the difference (if there is one) to studio stuff......
and congrats too everyone for going all out to produce stuff in record time......
all ordered.......
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Post by agentten on Apr 29, 2020 19:10:39 GMT
Pre-ordered! I'm really curious how this will turn out. Recording from home could be a useful new tool in Big Finish's toolbox, even after the outbreak. It might allow some aging actors to still do some recording if they want to.
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Post by masterdoctor on Apr 29, 2020 19:48:58 GMT
Pre-ordered not only because it sounds like good fun, but because I really want to support Big Finish as they venture into these uncharted ways of production.
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