Birthright (audio story)

Birthright
Adapted from:	Birthright
Main character(s):	Bernice Summerfield
Featuring:	Jason Kane
Main enemy:	Charrl, Jared Khan
Main setting:	London, 1909 Antýkhon, 22000
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writers:	Based on a novel by Nigel Robinson, Adapted for Audio by Jacqueline Rayner
Director:	Nicholas Briggs
Producer:	Gary Russell
Music:	Harvey Summers, Chinook Lodge
Sound:	Harvey Summers
Cover by:	Peter Elson
Release details
Story number:	4
Release date:	February 1999
Format:	2 CDs
Production code:	BFPCD4
ISBN:	ISBN 1-903654-36-X
Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series
← Previous	Walking to Babylon
Next →	Just War

You may wish to consult Birthright (disambiguation) for other, similarly-named pages.

Birthright was the fourth Bernice Summerfield audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions. It was the second in a trilogy of stories known as the "Time Ring Trilogy" whose arc element was the use of Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane's wedding time rings, given to them when they were married in Happy Endings.

This was the first story to be adapted that was a Virgin New Adventures novel, rather than part of the Virgin Bernice Summerfield New Adventures which featured Bernice without the Doctor. The original Birthright novel featured elements which have been adapted here. While the Doctor did not feature heavily in the original novel, Ace did. Ace's role is now taken by Jason Kane.

Though adapted from a Seventh Doctor story, the work contains Sixth Doctor actor Colin Baker's first work for Big Finish. He doesn't play the Doctor here, though, which means he, like David Tennant after him, is an actor who played a televised Doctor whose first work for Big Finish was not in the role of the Doctor.

Publisher's summary

"If the human race were to die tomorrow, insect life would carry on regardless. Insects might even become the dominant species!"

Thrown off the Time Path, Professor Bernice Summerfield is trapped in early 20th century London, with only one of the pair of time rings she needs to get home. At the other end of time, her ex-husband Jason Kane finds himself stranded on a dead world, where the queen of the Charrl demands his help to save her dying race. But all he wants to do is find Benny, and return to the 26th century.

In the East End a series of grisly murders has been committed — is this the work of the legendary Springheel Jack or, as Benny suspects, something even more sinister? Allied with a Russian detective, she determines to find out. But the master of a grand order of sorcerers has other plans for her...

Plot

to be added

Cast

• Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
• Jason Kane - Stephen Fewell
• Mikhail "Misha" Vladamir Popov - Colin Baker
• John Lafayette - Barnaby Edwards
• Jared Khan - John Wadmore
• Queen Ch'tizz - Jane Shakespeare
• Chief Inspector Prior - Jonathan Reason
• Charlie Jackson - Benjamin Roddy

References

• Jason derisively refers to Misha as "Gorbachev."

Cultural references from the real world

• Jason has seen the science fiction film Alien.

Notes

• This audio drama was recorded on 5 and 6 November 1998.

Cover gallery

• 

  Cover with actors' photos and the release number, additionally mentioning the author Nigel Robinson

• 

  Cover with Paul Vyse's series logo, additionally featuring Stephen Fewell

• 

  Cover of the original novel

Continuity

• Jason mentions that he has just come from Babylon. (AUDIO: Walking to Babylon)
• Both contradictory accounts of her visit to Guernsey (PROSE: Just War, AUDIO: Just War) appear to have taken place (PROSE: Paydirt) and Bernice was able to recall them both. (PROSE: Dear Friend) As well as the rest of time ring trilogy 

External links

• Official Birthright page at bigfinish.com
• Birthright at the Doctor Who Reference Guide