ISSUE: 116 • OCTOBER 2018 WWW.BIGFINISH.COM PLUS! DOCTOR WHO SURVIVORS DOCTOR WHO THE EARLY ADVENTURES SERIES SEVEN THE SEVENTH DOCTOR We make great full-cast audio dramas and audiobooks that are available to buy on CD and/or download WE LOVE STORIES! SUBSCRIBERS GET Our audio productions are based on much-loved MORE! TV series like Doctor Who, Torchwood, Dark If you subscribe, depending on the Shadows, Blake’s 7, The Avengers, The Prisoner, range you subscribe to, you get free The Omega Factor, Terrahawks, Captain audiobooks, PDFs of scripts, extra Scarlet and Survivors, as well as classics such as behind-the-scenes material, a HG Wells, Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, The bonus release, downloadable audio Phantom of the Opera and Dorian Gray. We also readings of new short stories and produce original creations such as Graceless, discounts. Charlotte Pollard and The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield, plus the Big Finish Originals range featuring seven great new series Secure online ordering and details of including ATA Girl, Cicero, Jeremiah Bourne in all our products can be found at: Time and Shilling & Sixpence Investigate. www.bigfinish.com WWW.BIGFINISH.COM @ BIGFINISH THEBIGFINISH COMING SOON ’VE MENTIONED before that when writing Vortex each I month, I sadly don’t get the chance to attend the Big Finish studio recordings and talk face to face with the actors, writers, directors, producers and the plethora of other talented individuals who bring our favourite stories to life each month. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, AS MICHELLE But sometimes, just sometimes, I’m GOMEZ RETURNS TO PLAY MISSY IN A NEW BOX SET in the fortunate position of being able OF ADVENTURES EARLY NEXT YEAR… to meet some Big Finish contributors in person if they cross the border and venture into Scotland! That was ISSY – THE first female In February 2019, we’ll meet the case earlier this summer when incarnation of the Missy in her own box set of four Ingrid Oliver – better known to us M Doctor’s arch-enemy new adventures with A Spoonful all as Osgood in UNIT – attended the Master – makes her Big of Mayhem by Roy Gill, Divorced, the Glasgow Collectormania event. Finish debut, and there’s no sign Beheaded, Regenerated by John I’d been told beforehand that of her old rival to put a stop to Dorney, The Broken Clock by Ingrid is lovely, and that’s always a her malevolent and Nev Fountain and The Belly of reassurance. But, as the kids say – mischievous plans. the Beast by Jonathan Morris. OMG! She was absolutely wonderful. It’s not Michelle’s first time Although there’s no sign I introduced myself to her and she in a Big Finish studio, of of the Doctor in these tales, was more than happy to talk about course, having appeared with there will be a different Time her work with Big Finish. It’s always a Scottish Time Lord, Sylvester Lord showing his face, as a relief when you meet someone McCoy, many moons ago in Missy encounters another whose work you’ve enjoyed for Main Range story Valhalla. renegade from Gallifrey, years and they more than live up Michelle said: “Missy’s such a the Meddling Monk, played to your expectations in the flesh. ridiculously brilliant character, again by Rufus Hound. Equally as impressive was the fact and hopefully that earns her Big Finish senior producer that she even remembered the name that moment in the spotlight. David Richardson teases: of the first character she played in To find myself centre stage “Just wait until you hear a Doctor Who story – long before with these Missy adventures is the collaboration of Missy Osgood on TV – Lt Baraki in the thrilling – I’m very grateful.” and the Meddling Monk!” Seventh Doctor Lost Story Earth Aid. It just tripped off her tongue! It is a well-worn cliché, but the Big Finish family – an extension Managing Editor: Jason Haigh-Ellery Design: Mark Plastow of the larger Doctor Who family – Executive Producer: Nicholas Briggs Copy Editor: Stephanie Hornett really is a wonderful thing. Those Senior Producer: David Richardson Marketing: Kris Griffin two words, Big Finish, instantly Editor: Kenny Smith and Paddy Freeland give a connection to people you’ve The Big Finish Team: Ian Atkins, BFP Administration: Cheryl Bly, never met before, with friends and Sue Cowley, Emily de Fraine, Brenda Smith, Alison Taylor colleagues in common. I feel so lucky Hannah Peel, Paul Spragg Publisher: Big Finish Productions Ltd. to be a peripheral part of that. KENNY VORTEX | PAGE 3 As more aliens invade, Kenny Smith discovers there’s… IN NUMBERS NIT IS used to facing all was to have two two-part stories Pik-Sen was intrigued – although kinds of alien threats. in box set seven. However, when she admitted she wasn’t sure U Since arriving at Big we were unable to turn around how we’d make it work. When Finish, they’ve taken on familiar one of our two-part stories in she saw the script, however, foes like the Autons, Sontarans, time, it made total sense to have any such worries vanished! the Master, Cybermen and Daleks, a two-parter, and two one- “And finally in this box set we and faced new threats like the parters! And so we have Kate have an excellent morality tale Silence and the Tengobushi. The and Osgood facing up to the from David K Barnes, with Breach latest series, UNIT – Revisitations, Wirrn in the lake district – how of Trust. Jemma and Ingrid loved the seventh to be led by Kate irresistible is that? And the return the moral dilemmas in this story Stewart and Petronella Osgood, of Captain Chin Lee (Pik-Sen and, in only his second script has a mixture of the old and new. Lim) and the Keller Machine. for Big Finish, David is proving The Wirrn are a familiar foe of “The latter came about when to be a talent to reckon with.” the Doctor’s, and they arrive on Pik-Sen guest starred in Jenny Earth in this new series, while a – The Doctor’s Daughter, and OMEONE WHO’S menace from the past, the Keller we chatted about her husband delighted to return is Machine, makes a surprise return. Don Houghton’s Doctor Who S Ingrid Oliver, playing Producer David Richardson scripts. I suggested we could do Osgood. Having first appeared says: “Our original plan for UNIT a sequel to The Mind of Evil and as the character in 2013’s 50th VORTEX | PAGE 4 SERIES SEVEN UNIT: THE NEW SERIES in and worked for Big Finish before he had become the Doctor, and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe one day...’ – and now I get to come back as my own character! “At conventions, lots of people talk about Big Finish, so there must be people listening. I love doing them, although the Moat Studios are literally the other side of London for me in quite an I DIDN’T THINK I’D STILL BE INVOLVED, AND I’M ABSOLUTELY THRILLED. INGRID OLIVER annoying way, but it’s worth it – not just for the lunches – but because everyone involved is so fantastic. “With the newest series, we have the Wirrn – I had to say Hosts of the Wirrn - Back row (l–r): Glen McReady, Ingrid Oliver, Katherine Senior the word so often that it almost and Chris Chapman • Front row (l–r): Vineeta Rishi and Ramon Tikaram got to the point where it lost all meaning! Wirrn,Wirrn, Wirrn…” anniversary special, The Day of ALKING OF Robert Holmes’ the Doctor, on TV, Ingrid admits 1975 creations from TV she’s surprised to still be playing T episode, The Ark in Space, the part, five years later: “I UNIT – Revisitations begins with the didn’t think I’d still be involved, two-parter, Hosts of the Wirrn, and I’m absolutely thrilled. Ask written by Chris Chapman. anyone doing a Big Finish job, He tells Vortex: “This was the first and they’ll tell you they love it. time Big Finish have approached We all muck in. They’ve asked me with a brief for a story, rather recently if I’ll keep doing them, than me pitching something so yes – yes please!” mad to them – in this case, David Like many actors, Ingrid’s Richardson and Matt Fitton were first involvement withDoctor in touch to see if I’d like to try a Who came through Big Finish in UNIT two-parter with some kind of Project: Destiny and Earth Aid. Wirrn infection within UNIT. I’m She recalls: “Weirdly, I was in equally geeky and loving towards two stories both with Sylvester modern Who as I am to the classic McCoy. I played an ant alien, and variety, so I jumped at the chance of I can recall that one character writing for Kate and Osgood’s UNIT was called Lieutenant Baraki. troupe – and I was particularly Above: Pik-Sen Lim I remember them telling me chuffed to get a chance to write how David Tennant had been for one of my favourite Doctor VORTEX | PAGE 5 SERIES SEVEN UNIT: THE NEW SERIES UNIT: THE NEW SERIES REVISITATIONS Above (l–r): Ingrid Oliver and James Joyce HOSTS OF THE WIRRN by Chris Chapman BREACH OF TRUST I WANTED TO HARNESS by David K Barnes OPEN THE BOX HOW HORRIBLE THE by Roy Gill WIRRN ARE. CHRIS CHAPMAN Who creatures, the Wirrn!” of their shared mind, and that RELEASED November 2018 The Wirrn are still a if you become part of that very memorable adversary, despite alien gestalt, then they will know CD £23.00 the creatures only having everything you know.