The Sirens of Time Redux (audio story)

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The Sirens of Time Redux
Adapted from:	The Sirens of Time
Doctors:	Fifth Doctor, Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor
Featuring:	Vansell
Main enemy:	Sirens of Time
Main setting:	Gallifrey Unnamed planet, 3562 U-20, 7 May 1915 Edifice
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writer:	Nicholas Briggs
Director:	Nicholas Briggs
Producer:	Jason Haigh-Ellery, Gary Russell
Music:	Nicholas Briggs
Sound:	Nicholas Briggs
Cover by:	Tom Webster
Release details
Number of parts:	1
Release date:	26 November 2024
Format:	CD Download 130 minutes
Production code:	BFPDWREDUX001
ISBN:	ISBN 978-1-80240-575-0 (digital, Bronze) ISBN 978-1-80240-464-7 (physical, Silver) ISBN 978-1-80240-465-4 (digital, Silver) ISBN 978-1-80240-576-7 (physical, Gold) ISBN 978-1-80240-577-4 (physical, Platinum)
Big Finish anniversary releases
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The Sirens of Time Redux, also known as The Sirens of Time - Redux, was a re-edited, re-scored and re-released edition of the first story in Big Finish's monthly range, The Sirens of Time ^[+]Loading...["The Sirens of Time (audio story)"], written by Nicholas Briggs and featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor. It was released on 26 November 2024.

It was released in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Big Finish making Doctor Who audio dramas.

The updated title refers to the literary term redux, which comes from the Latin reducere: "to bring back".

Publisher's summary

Gallifrey is in a state of crisis, facing destruction at the hands of an overwhelming enemy. And the Doctor is involved in three different incarnations - each caught up in a deadly adventure, scattered across time and space. The web of time is threatened - and someone wants the Doctor dead.

The three incarnations of the Doctor must join together to set time back on the right track - but in doing so, will they unleash a still greater threat?

Plot

to be added

Cast

• Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison
• Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker
• Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
• The Temperon / Drudgers - Nicholas Briggs
• Commander Raldeth / Schmidt - Andrew Fettes
• Captain Schwieger / Captain / Knight 2 - Mark Gatiss
• Coordinator Vansell - Anthony Keetch
• Sancroff - Colin McIntyre
• Knight Commander Lyena - Sarah Mowat
• Delegate - Nicholas Pegg
• Ruthley - Maggie Stables
• The President - Michael Wade
• Commandant / Lt Zentner / Pilot Azimendah / Sub-Commander Solanec - John Wadmore

Worldbuilding

Main article: The Sirens of Time (audio story) (#Worldbuilding section)

Editions

The Sirens of Time Redux was available in Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum editions. All editions were available for standard download.

Bundle Type	Overall Bundle Quantity	Bundle Contents	Bundle Formats	Price
Bronze	n/a	Audio Story	Download	£12.99
Silver	1000 copies	Audio Story Extra Audio Interviews Bonus Tracks	CD Download	£15.99
Gold	150 copies	Audio Story Limited Edition Cassette Extra Audio Interviews Bonus Tracks	Cassette CD Download	£44.99
Platinum	100 copies	Audio Story Photos from Recording Sessions Limited Edition Cassette Extra Audio Interviews Bonus Tracks		£65.99

Notes

• This release is a "redux" of The Sirens of Time ^[+]Loading...["The Sirens of Time (audio story)"], the very first Big Finish audio for Doctor Who.
• This release was originally announced as The Sirens of Time – Redux, the title was finalised as The Sirens of Time Redux.
• This story was originally recorded on 6 and 7 March 1999 at Crosstown Studios.
• The news article announcing the Redux states that The Sirens of Time "featured the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors teaming up against a deadly threat to Gallifrey, with Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy reprising their roles on audio drama for the first time." However, Colin Baker had already performed as the Sixth Doctor on audio in the radio drama Slipback ^[+]Loading...["Slipback (audio story)"] in 1985, and did so again later in the audiobook readings of Moon Graffiti ^[+]Loading...["Moon Graffiti (short story)"] and Vigil ^[+]Loading...["Vigil (audio story)"] for the audio anthology Out of the Darkness ^[+]Loading...["Out of the Darkness (audio anthology)"] in 1998, with the former two of the three stories alongside Nicola Bryant as Peri.
• Several references to the Audio Visuals audio dramas are made during this story, including;
  • The appearance of Drudgers, originally robotic servants of Conglomerate who appeared in Conglomerate, The Destructor Contract and Subterfuge.
  • The appearance of the Temperons, which first appeared in The Time Ravagers; and the mention of the Calfadorian Tri-Planetary Alliance, which first appeared in Maenad before being mentioned several times in future stories.
• For the Fifth Doctor, this story is set between The Five Doctors ^[+]Loading...["The Five Doctors (TV story)"] and Warriors of the Deep ^[+]Loading...["Warriors of the Deep (TV story)"]; for the Sixth Doctor, between The Trial of a Time Lord and Time and the Rani ^[+]Loading...["Time and the Rani (TV story)"]; and for the Seventh Doctor "immediately prior" to or simply "before" the 1996 TV Movie ^[+]Loading...["Doctor Who (TV story)","1996 TV Movie"].
• The Fifth Doctor is travelling with Tegan Jovanka and Vislor Turlough, who remain in his TARDIS throughout the story.
• According to PROSE: Instruments of Darkness, Evelyn Smythe was in the TARDIS while the Sixth Doctor was at the Kurgon Wonder.

Original production

Main article: The Sirens of Time (audio story) (Notes)

Details from Redux behind the scenes extras

• According to Peter Davison, when asked if he remembered The Sirens of Time by Nicholas Briggs, "it wasn't in one's head... you can only know this in hindsight, that we [himself, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy] didn't think it was a beginning". Indeed, later in the extras, Briggs states that they would've simply been approached for The Sirens of Time only, with no mention of any future Big Finish productions at the time.
• Colin Baker recollected that he was approached by Nicholas Briggs and Gary Russell to do The Sirens of Time. However, Gary Russell stated, "So the first thing I did, was, I went to Colin, and said, 'We're doing this - will you be part of it?", with no mention of Briggs approaching Colin also. He continued, saying he then asked Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison the same question, in that order. When asking Davison, he added that Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy had already agreed, and said that Davison went, "'Well, I suppose I can't say 'no' then.'".
  • This same order of Gary Russell approaching Colin Baker, then Sylvester McCoy, and then Peter Davison, would be recollected by Davison in an interview for TV Choice by Graham Kibble-White.
• Peter Davison remembered that The Sirens of Time was "hitherto... the Children in Need special that we did with EastEnders, that made no sense at all", before saying, "Sirens of Time also made no sense at all... I think I've got a reasonable grip - grasp of most Doctor Who stories... Most... And I had no idea what was going on. So you can imagine that if I had no idea what was going on, Colin or Sylvester had absolutely no clue. I mean, they were completely in the dark. Sylvester, I think he just said, 'Oh, I'm gonna, just roll my R's a bit. I think that's what I'll do.' ...But we had a fun time! It was a great time!"
  • He later elaborated, "We enjoyed it a lot, but, just, none of us knew what it was about... I'm not even sure that whoever directed it - I can't remember who did direct it now - knew either". The director and writer of The Sirens of Time was Nicholas Briggs.
• At some point, Sylvester McCoy lost his script during recording. Colin Baker gave his script to McCoy and shared with Peter Davison's script.
• Some answers of Peter Davison in the extras are also stated or similar to other statements given in his interview for TV Choice by Graham Kibble-White about his work on the original The Sirens of Time and his Big Finish Doctor Who work overall. Specifically: those about his, Colin Baker's, and Sylvester McCoy's understanding of the story of The Sirens of Time; his thoughts to performing in Big Finish's Doctor Who audios and his re-association with Doctor Who in that respect; how he decided he would do his performance as the Fifth Doctor on audio; and his concern on photographs being taken during recordings that the audience will see, as he wants them to imagine the characters as how they looked onscreen, not as how the actors who played the characters look now.

Redux production and release

• The Redux was announced on 8 June 2024 at Big Finish Day. It features both a new sound design and incidental music score by Nicholas Briggs.
• Toby Hrycek-Robinson helped Briggs "rescue the original source material off ancient digital audio tapes," by "skilfully extract[ing] the material".
• All Editions include the original The Sirens of Time on download, but only the Silver, Gold, and Platinum Editions include bonus tracks.
  • The bonus tracks are comprised of newly-conducted audio interviews by Nicholas Briggs with Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Sarah Mowat, Jason Haigh-Ellery, and Gary Russell, intercut with segments from the original production of The Sirens of Time - one of which includes a brief anecdote from Maggie Stables - and a music suite which consists of incidental music tracks, also from the original production. The suite begins with a version of the Doctor Who theme from this production that Nicholas Briggs comments was "perhaps, best-forgotten". The theme utilises and remixes elements from Delia Derbyshire's arrangements.
  • With Sarah Mowat's participation in the extras, this marks her latest and last contribution to a Big Finish Doctor Who production since playing Gajeeda in Dark Eyes 3 ^[+]Loading...["Dark Eyes 3 (audio anthology)"]: The Reviled ^[+]Loading...["The Reviled (audio story)"] in 2014 . Her last contribution for any Big Finish production was The Prisoner: Volume Three in 2019.
  • The music track 'Call to Adventure' by Kevin MacLeod is used at six minutes, thirty-three seconds into the behind the scenes extras.
• The Silver Edition was limited to 1000 copies and included the Redux on CD and download; the Gold Edition was limited to 150 copies and also included the Redux on CD and download, with a Limited Edition Cassette tape; and the Platinum Edition was limited to 100 copies, with the Redux on CD, download, the Cassette tape, and photo prints of the original The Sirens of Time production.
  • These editions were restricted to one per customer, with duplicate orders cancelled and refunded. The Bronze Edition is considered as "Unlimited" in the news article announcement of the Redux.
• The cover was revealed on 1 July 2024. Tom Webster posted the clean artwork to his Twitter the same day. The costumes and bodies for the Doctors were provided by cosplayers Webster had asked to help with the cover. Those of the Fifth and Sixth Doctor were provided by EspadonPatissier, while the Seventh Doctor's was provided by Daniel Pederson.
  • With Webster's contribution of this cover, this marks his latest and last cover for Big Finish. Before this, his last covers were those for The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Old Friends ^[+]Loading...["Old Friends (audio anthology)"].
  • Rafe Wallbank would later credit Daniel Pederson for the costume and body of the Seventh Doctor on his cover for The Doctor and Carnacki ^[+]Loading...["The Doctor and Carnacki (audio anthology)"].
• The webpages for the Redux Editions on the Big Finish website originally used the image of the recording tapes that were featured in the announcement article. Following the cover reveal on 1 July 2024, the images were changed to said cover the same day.
• By 3 July 2024, the Gold and Platinum Editions were sold out, with the Big Finish Twitter account labelling the Silver Edition as "very limited!" By 5 July 2024, the account said they were "about to sell-out [by the way]", followed by the account posting on 8 July that for those who wanted a CD copy of the Redux to "Be quick!", as the image that was included with the post stated CD copies were 90% sold out. On 9 July, they stated the amount was "down to double-digits".
  • On 10 July 2024, The Sirens of Time Redux was declared out of print.
• The trailer for the Redux was released on 5 July 2024.
• Sometime between 5 October 2024 and 6 November 2024, the Big Finish page for the Platinum Edition was updated to include two packshot images in the Backstage tab.
  • Sometime between 25 November and 27 November 2024, photos of Peter Davison, Colin Baker at the original recording of The Sirens of Time, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell being interviewed, and Nicholas Briggs at the original CD release of The Sirens of Time, all taken in 1999, were added to the Backstage tab.
• On 1 November 2024, the Big Finish Twitter account posted the second packshot image of the Platinum Edition. The Big Finish Bluesky account would post the same image on 19 November.
• A tweet from the Big Finish account stated that The Sirens of Time Redux would release a week from 21 November 2024, ergo, 28 November. This is most likely an error as all other dates - and the day Redux did release - was on 26 November 2024.

Differences between versions

• Whereas the original focused on one Doctor per each of the first three parts, the Redux features all three incarnations throughout those parts. According to the Big Finish news article announcing the Redux, this was done "for a more narratively satisfying experience." Nicholas Briggs stated this made for "a significantly different unfolding of the narrative of the story" in the same article.
• The Delia Derbyshire theme as used in the original is not used in the Redux. Instead, the respective themes for the Doctors are, though not sequentially.
  • Peter Howell's arrangement is used for Part 1's opening, and Part 4's closing.
  • Dominic Glynn's arrangement is used for Part 1's cliffhanger; Part 2's opening and cliffhanger; Part 3's opening; and Part 4's opening.
  • Keff McCulloch's arrangement is used only for Part 3's cliffhanger.
• The original opened with the following line from a computer warning system on Gallifrey (voiced by Nicholas Briggs): "Sector 8 alert! Sector 8 alert! Unauthorised capsule entry imminent! Repeat: Unauthorised capsule entry imminent! Stand two on Sector 8!" in a pre-titles sequence.
  • In the Redux, there is no pre-titles sequence, and it opens with the merchant ship at sea as the TARDIS materialises inside it. The Fifth Doctor then exits, making the opening line of Redux, "Hmm. Just as I thought. A sea vessel of some sort... Probably steam turbines. Come on out, you two! Let's stretch your sea legs! While I use my tracker to see if this is where that time distortion, or whatever it was, is coming from."
• Part 3 in the Redux ends with the bio-engineered assassins opening fire on the Seventh Doctor, instead of the scene of the Sixth Doctor being returned to the TARDIS and freeing the Temperon. This scene is moved to the beginning of Part 4, and removes the Doctor saying he cannot breathe when the Temperon absorbs him.
• The Doctors' telepathic contact segment in Part 4 in the Redux is truncated significantly down to approximately three seconds, from the original's ninety seconds.

Continuity

Main article: The Sirens of Time (audio story) (Continuity)

Gallery

• 

  Textless cover

• 

  Original recording tapes used

• 

  Platinum Edition packshot 1

• 

  Platinum Edition packshot 2

External links

• Official The Sirens of Time Redux (Bronze Edition) page at bigfinish.com
• Official The Sirens of Time Redux (Silver Edition) page at bigfinish.com
• Official The Sirens of Time Redux (Gold Edition) page at bigfinish.com
• Official The Sirens of Time Redux (Platinum Edition) page at bigfinish.com