The Chimes of Midnight (audio story): Difference between revisions

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{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image=The Chimes of Midnight_cover.jpg  
|image             = <gallery>
|name= The Chimes of Midnight
The Chimes of Midnight cover.jpg|CD
|series= [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|Big Finish ''Doctor Who'' audio stories]]
Chimes of Midnight vinyl.jpg|Vinyl </gallery>
|number= 29
|range            = Main Range
|script=The Audio Scripts: Volume Three
|number in range  = 29
|doctor= Eighth Doctor
|series           = ''[[Main Range]]''
|companions= [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]]  
|number           = 29
|enemy= [[Edward Grove]]  
|script           = The Audio Scripts: Volume Three
|writer= [[Robert Shearman]]
|doctor           = Eighth Doctor
|director= [[Barnaby Edwards (actor)|Barnaby Edwards]]
|companions       = [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]]
|setting= [[Edward Grove]], [[London]], [[24 December]] [[1906]]  
|enemy             = [[Edward Grove]]
|producer= [[Russell Stone]] and [[Andy Hardwick]]
|setting          = [[Edward Grove]], [[London]], [[24 December]] [[1906]]
|publisher= Big Finish Productions
|writer            = Robert Shearman
|cover=[[Clayton Hickman]]
|director         = [[Barnaby Edwards]]
|release date= [[February (releases)|February]] [[2002 (releases)|2002]]
|producer          = [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]] and [[Gary Russell]]
|format= 4 Episodes on 2 CDs
|music            = [[Russell Stone]]
|production code= 8G
|sound            = [[Andy Hardwick]]
|isbn= ISBN 1-903654-58-0
|cover            = [[Clayton Hickman]] (CD), [[Tom Webster]] (LP)
|prev=Invaders from Mars (audio story)
|publisher         = Big Finish Productions
|next=Seasons of Fear (audio story)
|release date     = 25 February 2002{{dl/set|February 2002|Release}}
}}{{audio stub}}
|format           = 2 CDs<br/>Download<br/>Vinyl
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the twenty-ninth [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|monthly ''Doctor Who'' audio story]] produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was the second in a series of 6 audio stories featuring the [[Eighth Doctor]]. It featured [[Paul McGann]] as the Eighth Doctor and [[India Fisher]] as [[Charlotte Pollard]].  
|production code   = [[List of production codes#Big Finish production codes|8G]]
|isbn             = 2002 Release:<br/>ISBN 978-1-90365-458-3 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-84435-730-7 (digital)<br/></br>2016 Release:<br/>ISBN 978-1-78575-333-6 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-80240-259-9 (digital)
|prev             = Invaders from Mars (audio story)
|next             = Seasons of Fear (audio story)
|trailer          = The Chimes of Midnight Vinyl Trailer - Doctor Who
|soundcloudtrailer = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-the-chimes-of-midnight-trailer
|soundcloudbts    = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/the-chimes-of-midnight-exclusive-clip-from-the-new-documentary
|epcount = 4
}}{{spotify|album=6Ze4coxArPzZ3jixIjRIZR|height=350}}
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the twenty-ninth story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Robert Shearman]] and featured [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[India Fisher]] as [[Charlotte Pollard]].
 
It was the second in a series of 6 audio stories featuring the Eighth Doctor.


== Publisher's summary ==
== Publisher's summary ==
''’Twas the night before [[Christmas]], and all through the house not a creature was stirring...''
''{{'}}Twas the night before [[Christmas]], and all through the house not a creature was stirring...''


But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the [[grandfather clock]] ticks on towards midnight.
But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] [[mansion]] in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the [[grandfather clock]] ticks on towards midnight.


Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don’t stay dead. Time is running out.
Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out.


And Time itself might well be the killer...
And time itself might well be the killer...


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
=== Part 1 ===
=== Part one ===
[[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]] and [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] step out of [[the TARDIS]] and find themselves in a dark room. The Doctor asks Charley where they are, but it is so dark that she can't tell. The Doctor says that the console's giving a blank readout.
The [[Eighth Doctor|Doctor]] and [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley]] land somewhere that the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|TARDIS]] cannot even identify and they decide to explore (the Doctor is trying to get her to [[Singapore]]). The home resembles Charley's old home and they discover that their interactions with the house undo themselves after a while. Charley accidentally knocked over a jar of [[jam]] and when the Doctor returns to the TARDIS to get some tools and exits, he notices that the jar is back on the table, having reset itself and the stain on Charley's dress has disappeared, among other strange happenings in the house including Charley writing her name in the dust, only for it to immediately disappear.
 
The Doctor goes into the TARDIS to find some [[torch]]es, and tells Charley to investigate, but she says she can't see. He tells her to use her other senses. She says she can't hear anything, but she can smell [[fruit]].
 
She tries to feel around, but accidentally smashes a jar. The Doctor thinks she has been badly wounded, but he realises the jar was full of [[raspberry]] jam. On shining a torch around, they see that they are in a well stocked [[larder]]. On inspecting some cans of [[custard]], the Doctor figures that they've landed in the early [[20th century]]. They leave the larder to investigate the rest of the house.
 
In a scullery, a maid, named [[Edith Thompson|Edith]],  is singing "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." She says one of the words wrong, and the butler, Mr [[Shaughnessy]], walks in and corrects her.
 
He asks her why she is caterwauling, saying that it is so loud that even the master of the house may be able to hear it upstairs. He says that her excitement over [[Christmas]] is causing her work to suffer, and that the dust is so thick she could write her name in it.
 
Edith says she couldn't write her name if she wanted to, as she can't write, and Mr Shaughnessy shows her how to. He then tells her to return to work, and to remember what he always tells her, to which she says, "I'm nothing, sir. I'm nobody."
 
In the dark house, the Doctor and Charley find themselves in the [[scullery]] of an [[Edwardian]] house, sometime from [[1901]] to [[1910]]. The Doctor lights [[candle]]s instead of continuing to use the torches so as not to be anachronistic.
 
Charley finds that the scullery maid has left her dish washing half-done, but that the water is still warm. The Doctor walks over to the table and finds a name written in the dust, Edith Thompson. The Doctor wonders if she is the missing scullery maid.


Charley tries to write her name in the dust, but the dust spreads back over it, leaving only Edith's name intact. The Doctor remembers that he found the jar Charley had smashed intact, and Charley finds that the raspberry jam stain on her dress is gone too. They look for someone who can explain what is happening to them.
Meanwhile, a [[scullery maid]] named [[Edith Thompson|Edith]] is ordered around the house to do menial chores and is treated poorly by all the household, including her master Mr [[Shaughnessy]] and [[kitchen]] maid Mrs [[Baddeley]].


In the kitchen, Mr Shaughnessy asks the cook, Mrs [[Baddeley]], whether everything will be ready for the Christmas feast the next day. She replies that she's got everything prepared and that the [[turkey (bird)|turkey]]'s especially big this year. She says that she's made one of her famous [[plum pudding]]s.
The Doctor and Charley discover they've arrived on [[Christmas]] but the house is abandoned. Charley hears a faint voice singing [[Hark the Herald Angels Sing]] while Edith hears Charley's faint voice alerting the Doctor to a freshly prepared [[Turkey (bird)|turkey]]. The two continue to explore only to discover that it's very difficult to make impressions on the surrounding environment. They manage to find a way to interact with it, but to the Doctor's disturbance, the house's environment begins to taunt them. [[Frederick (The Chimes of Midnight)|Frederick]] finds and calls off his relationship with [[Mary (The Chimes of Midnight)|Mary]] after being forced to by Mrs Baddeley but Mary has other plans. Charley, who seems to be able to hear Edith, is prompted by the Doctor to find the source of the voice when she suddenly stumbles onto Edith taking a [[bath]]. They converse and find themselves getting along well when suddenly Charley hears another Edith say that she (Edith) is going to die soon. Charley, frightened, calls out for the Doctor and finds she can talk to him and he reveals they need to return to the TARDIS. She comments he's scared which he acknowledges, claiming some mysteries are best left alone, however, they hear a scream, a clock chime and the Doctor realises they are now trapped...


As Mr Shaughnessy complements Mrs Baddeley's plum puddings, they hear Edith singing in the scullery. Mrs Baddeley tells her to stop working in the scullery and to help her in the kitchen. She tells Edith to take the plum pudding off the stove for her.
=== Part two ===
They find Edith [[drowning]] and while the Doctor tries to save her, she [[Death|dies]]. The household come to investigate the commotion and think she died by accidental [[suicide]] but the Doctor suspects otherwise, as he suspects it was [[murder]]. They then reveal they were expecting the Doctor, claiming he's [[Scotland Yard|Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard]], to arrive and investigate. Mr Shaughnessy tells the Doctor he has access to anywhere he likes and can question whomever he wants and tells the household staff they are to answer every one of his questions except those concerning the going-ons of the house. The Doctor tells Charley he has an unnerving feeling but they ought to play along, saying he suspects the murder and the time anomaly are linked when Charley asks which task they should be focusing on. He and Charley split up, and he interviews Shaughnessy while Charley interviews Mrs. Baddeley. Baddeley refuses to help Charley since she won't taste her [[plum pudding]] while the Doctor learns about the residents of the house from him and Shaughnessy says he suspects Mrs Baddeley.


Edith asks if they will be eating the pudding on [[Christmas Eve]]. Mrs Baddeley says that the servants are eating the smaller one. Edith asks why they don't get the bigger one, as there are more servants than people upstairs, and Mr  Shaugnessy says that that's a wicked thought. Edith apologises, not meaning to be wicked on Christmas. Mrs Baddeley tells Edith to remember that "we are nothing. We are nobody."
Charley relents and tries some pudding but ends up behaving strangely and catching herself, excuses herself after asking Baddeley who she suspects and Baddeley reveals she suspects Shaughnessy because he has "shifty eyes" (the same reason given by Shaughnessy to the Doctor). The Doctor interviews Frederick, the [[chauffeur]], and Charley interviews Mary, both claiming their accused of also having "shifty eyes". Suddenly Charley hears Edith again who reveals she needs to find out who murdered her, to not forget her, that another murder will occur and finally Edward Grove is alive. Charley yells for the Doctor who finds her but they discover that Mrs. Baddeley has been the next victim, and has been stuffed with her own pudding. The household believe it another suicide and the Doctor asks them to leave so he can consult with Charley. He reveals that he suspects they are playing a game and they know a few things, that the murders occur on the hour and something strange occurs each time, such as Mrs Baddeley being stuffed with her own pudding. Charley realises that the murders are occurring too quickly to be an hour apart and an impressed Doctor reasons that the killer must be speeding up time and they set off to find a clock. Frederick and Mary meet and their warped perception of the events begins to take hold as they forget about Edith and reaffirm their devotion to each other.


Mr Shaugnessy hears a bell ringing, and goes off to give his master his [[sherry]]. He tells Edith to keep helping Mrs Baddeley. While they work, [[Frederick (The Chimes of Midnight)|Frederick]], the [[chauffeur]], walks in. He asks Mrs Baddeley if he could have a private word. She sends Edith out, and tells him she knows what he wants to talk about, and that it will do him no good. He asks if they can come to an arrangement.
The Doctor and Charley find Shaughnessy and ask for his [[Watch|pocket watch]] but he refuses. They decide that they will go upstairs to find the [[grandfather clock]] that keeps striking but Shaughnessy holds them at [[Firearm|gunpoint]]. The Doctor then tricks Shaughnessy to give up his pocket watch and they end up not going upstairs. The Doctor explains to Charley that the entity sees them as a threat but cannot work out how to respond to them which is why he was able to convince Shaughnessy. They find the watch behaving strangely and call the house members together to see what will happen and who may be murdered only to find that they cannot remember Edith. They split up again despite the Doctor's warnings, claiming there is household work to return to and the grandfather clock strikes midnight...


The Doctor and Charley walk into the kitchen, and find that there is still no one to be seen. The Doctor finds a plum pudding, and Charley finds another. Charley says that her cook always made too much plum pudding at her house.  
=== Part three ===
The Doctor and Charley are returned to the [[scullery]] and find that things have reverted back, then find Edith dead, having been suffocated to death by a plunger. The household members find them, with Mrs. Baddeley still alive and the events of before have repeated themselves, seeming as if the two have gone back in time. This time the Doctor and Charley find a third scribble in the dust, with the name Edward Grove, and attempt to deduce what is happening. The two split up again to investigate. The Doctor questions Frederick and asks him to take him for a drive but Frederick refuses, then attempts to open the door to go outside the house but the two reveal that their master has instructed them to kill him if he attempts to leave. The Doctor decides to play along further and Frederick and Mary say they suspect that they killed Edith. Charley, in the meantime, questions Mrs Baddeley and discovers some of her more distrubing traits. The Doctor learns that Frederick and Mary were to kill Mrs. Baddeley but don't remember who Edith is. Mrs. Baddeley disturbs Charley, saying she had already died. A confused Charley is then contacted mentally by Edith who says she is forgetting her and mentions [[Edward Grove]] and finally doesn't understand why she had to die but Charley can live. Just then another death occurs, this time Frederick's. However, Mary is thought to be the scullery maid despite Charley trying to remind them of Edith and they all resume their work. The Doctor and Charley attempt to understand what they've misunderstood and Charley storms out when the Doctor tries to explain to her she's misremembering things. Charley goes to find Edith's dust signature but it has disappeared and Edith appears to Charley, saying she is forgetting her and they need to find Edward Grove.


They look for a turkey, to find whether it is before or after Christmas. Charley exclaims that she has hunted the turkey, and the Doctor says this means it's Christmas Eve. The Doctor wonders where everyone is, and wonders whether everyone else is still there, and they're the ones missing.
The Doctor attempts to go to the forbidden upstairs and is stopped by Shaughnessy holding him at gunpoint, revealing that Shaughnessy was manipulated by the outside force as he himself reveals he doesn't feel in control. The Doctor then has Shaughnessy confirm his suspicions, that the name Edward Grove is actually the name of the house. The Doctor explains that it's the house doing the murders. The household are called to action to kill the Doctor and in the process, they call forth Charley who has also come under the control of the house. However, as the clock strikes twelve time is reversed and the Doctor reveals that it seems even the entity itself doesn't have complete control. They arrive back in the scullery where Edith has been clubbed to death this time and the household, forgetting the finer details, go back to their duties. The Doctor explains to Charley that the house is performing this and that it's slowly trying to make her and the Doctor part of its narrative. He reveals that all the traumatic memories that may have happened may have been absorbed by the house, causing its sentience.


Charley stops and asks the Doctor if he can hear anything. He says he can't. She says she can very faintly hear someone singing "[[Hark, the Herald Angels Sing]]", but the Doctor can't hear anything. Charley says it's probably a caroler outside, and the Doctor says he hopes so.
The Doctor tells Charley they are to return to the TARDIS as they're in a trap and while the household tries to stop them, they manage to leave. Inside the TARDIS the Doctor reveals that if they'd brought any bit of paradox with them they'd be trapped. Just then Charley hears the grandfather clock striking again, the console disappears and the house begins to reform around them and the Doctor realises that they haven't escaped the house but instead, brought it with them....


In the kitchen, Frederick is again complementing Mrs Baddeley on her plum pudding when Edith hears Charley's voice saying that she's hunted the turkey. Neither Frederick or Mrs Baddeley can hear it, and Mrs Baddeley tells Edith that his lordship hunts [[fox]]es, not turkeys. Frederick again asks Mrs Baddeley for a private word, and Mrs Baddeley again sends Edith out.
=== Part four ===
The Doctor explains that they're still in the TARDIS but they're stuck in a [[time loop]]. He then explains that the problem is them as they are the [[Temporal paradox|paradox]] and are trapped. The household finds them and reveals their master is coming to meet him and they transport Charley elsewhere despite the Doctor's protests. The Doctor meets Edward Grove who has taken over the body of Shaughnessy to serve as a communication vessel. Charley, meanwhile, finds Edith again and she asks Edith to show herself. Edith does and Charley, shocked, realises Edith was the cook in her family's old estate, having not recognised her earlier because when Edith worked as a scullery maid she looked different, younger, as it was her first job. She mysteriously explains that she died for Charley. The Doctor and Edward Grove chat and the Doctor condemns Edward's horrific treatment of the household. He further questions the point of Grove's existence but Grove reveals it is enough for him to simply exist, even if it means keeping the others enslaved and the paradox going. Edith explains to the Charley the horrible treatment she's had to endure her whole life and how Charley was always so kind to her, and explains that Grove has filled aspects of her life into the household. When Charley asks why there's so much death, Edith simply says she died for Charley even though she came back to life. The Doctor and Grove talk more and Grove reveals that the Doctor and Charley are what are giving him life, having arrived and created a paradox. Edith explains to Charley that when the news of her death in the R101 crash reached home, Edith was ignored by all as the mood of the house was depressed over Charley's death and yet she, Edith, was not allowed to mourn Charley, her best friend. Not wanting to live without Charley, she commits suicide in the kitchen on the night of Christmas eve. The Doctor tries to convince Grove to commit suicide, saying that he is not really alive but Grove declares that having tasted existence, he will keep the paradox going for a single moment, destroying everyone inside the loop to keep himself alive. The Doctor tries to stop him, volunteering to sacrifice himself and takes advantage of the household's commitment to serve him under Grove's earlier orders, first telling them to kill him, Grove trying his best to stop him. Edith tries to convince Charley to commit suicide since Charley was supposed to have died in the R101 in 1931 but is still alive here in 1906. Charley must make a choice: her life or Edith's.


Mrs Baddeley says she knows what Frederick wants to ask, and that it'll do him no good. She knows what he is, a "veritable monster." Frederick begs her not to tell, or he and Mary, the lady's maid, will lose their jobs. Mrs Baddeley says that's for her lady to decide.
The Doctor, however, managing to overcome Grove, reaches out to Charley and convinces her to live, and the two them convince Edith to live, ending the paradox. Everything returns to normal and as a final check, the Doctor lands the TARDIS in the moment they arrived before the paradox occurred, and when they find Edith, they disguise themselves, tell Shaughnessy that Edith has done a fine work as a scullery maid, Charley tells Edith that she's not nobody but a good person, and they leave, having resolved and broken the paradox.
 
Frederick says it was just a bit of fun, and offers Mrs Baddeley [[money]]. She says she already has plenty saved up, and that she's richer than him. Frederick says she's not stronger than him, and, shocked at this threat, she throws him out of her kitchen.
 
The Doctor and Charley find the [[servant]]s' lounge. They see that the [[fire]] is burning, but the flames aren't moving. The Doctor tells Charley to pull a [[Christmas cracker|cracker]] with him, as an experiment, and it flies back together.
 
The Doctor says that time is blocking them out, which isn't possible unless someone's doing it intentionally. He tells Charley to pull the cracker with him again. It seems to be as before, but this time the Doctor has managed to grab a joke and a paper hat which he puts on.
 
They read the joke. It says, "When is a door not a door?" but instead of saying, "When it's ajar," it says, "When it's a raspberry jam jar." The Doctor says that whatever is doing this, it's mocking them.
 
=== Part 2 ===
''to be added''
 
=== Part 3 ===
''to be added''
 
=== Part 4 ===
''to be added''


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Paul McGann]]
* [[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Paul McGann]]
* [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]] - [[India Fisher]]
* [[Charlotte Pollard|Charley Pollard]] - [[India Fisher]]
* [[Edith Thompson]] - [[Louise Rolfe]]
* [[Edith Thompson|Edith]] - [[Louise Rolfe]]
* Mr [[Shaughnessy]] - [[Lennox Greaves]]
* Mr [[Shaughnessy]] - [[Lennox Greaves]]
* Mrs [[Baddeley]] - [[Sue Wallace]]
* Mrs [[Baddeley]] - [[Sue Wallace]]
Line 98: Line 82:
* [[Mary (The Chimes of Midnight)|Mary]] - [[Juliet Warner]]
* [[Mary (The Chimes of Midnight)|Mary]] - [[Juliet Warner]]


== References ==
== Crew ==


* Cover Art - [[Clayton Hickman]] (2002 release) and [[Tom Webster]] (2016 release)
* Director - [[Barnaby Edwards]]
* Executive Producer - [[Jacqueline Rayner]]
* Music - [[Russell Stone]]
* Producers - [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
* Sound Design - [[Andy Hardwick]]
* Writer - [[Robert Shearman]]
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Real World ===
=== Real World ===
* [[Agatha Christie]] is mentioned for her detective mysteries.
* [[Agatha Christie]] is mentioned for her detective mysteries.
Line 111: Line 104:
=== Time travel ===
=== Time travel ===
* The Doctor and Charley experience several [[time loop]]s.
* The Doctor and Charley experience several [[time loop]]s.
[[File:Doctor_Who_Magazine_314_chimes_of_midnight.jpg|thumb|Art by [[Martin Geraghty]] featured in DWM 314]]
* The Doctor mentions travelling for [[Century|centuries]].
* The Doctor mentions travelling for centuries.


=== Individuals ===
=== Individuals ===
* Plum pudding has always been Charlie's favourite. The Doctor also seems fond of it.
* The Doctor finds [[plum pudding]] with brandy butter. Charley expresses dislike for plum pudding.
 
=== Food and drink ===
* Charley expresses a love of [[Milk|condensed milk]] but a dislike of [[custard]].
 
* Charlie smells [[lemon]]s and [[orange]]s when they arrive.
* Charlie knocks over a jar of [[jam]] that the Doctor [[taste]]s. They also find [[custard]] made in [[Leeds]] in the scullery.
 
=== Songs ===
* Edith sings "[[Hark the Herald Angels Sing]]" and Shaughnessy mentions "[[Silent Night]]".
 
=== Vehicles ===
* Frederick drives a [[Bentley]] and has never heard of [[Chrysler]].
 
== Gallery ==
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
The Chimes of Midnight cover.jpg|Original cover
Chimes of Midnight vinyl.jpg|Vinyl cover
Doctor_Who_Magazine_314_chimes_of_midnight.jpg|Art by [[Martin Geraghty]] featured in DWM 314
</gallery>


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
* ''The Chimes of Midnight'' was the first time that a companion created specifically for the audio range had featured on the cover.
* ''The Chimes of Midnight'' was the first time that a companion created specifically for the audio range had featured on the cover.
* The cook, Mrs Baddeley, shares a name with actress {{w|Angela Baddeley}}, who played Mrs Bridges in the [[ITV]] television series {{wi|Upstairs, Downstairs}} which is also set in a large Edwardian house. Shaughnessy is named after the shows script editor, Alfred Shaughnessy.
* In 2016, this story was [[Big Finish vinyl releases|re-released on vinyl]] in a limited run of 500 copies. [[Tom Webster]] designed a new cover, and a new behind-the-scenes documentary was recorded.
* This audio drama was recorded on [[17 January (production)|17]] and [[18 January (production)|18 January]] 2001.
* The cook, Mrs Baddeley, is named after actress {{w|Angela Baddeley}}, who played Mrs Bridges in the [[ITV]] television series ''[[Upstairs, Downstairs]]'' which is also set in a large Edwardian house. Shaughnessy is named after the show's script editor, {{w|Alfred Shaughnessy}}.
* By coincidence this is the second story in a row in which the Doctor impersonates a detective. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]'')
* This audio drama was recorded on [[17 January (production)|17]] and [[18 January (production)|18 January]] [[2001 (production)|2001]].
* After [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]'', this is the second consecutive story in which the Doctor impersonates a detective. It is also the second story in a row set on a holiday of some sort, since ''Invaders from Mars'' was set on Halloween, and this on Christmas.
* This audio was streamed as part of the “lockdown” event.
* The Doctor imagines opening the door of the house and seeing a void, claiming that he has "seen that" before. This is a reference to the [[BBV]] audio drama ''Punchline'', also by Shearman, which featured a thinly-veiled [[Seventh Doctor]].
* There is an in-joke in the story when the Doctor mentions to Charley that it wouldn't be fair if the murderer is someone with whom they hadn't met yet, as was sometimes the case in the classic series.
* Each cliffhanger was based on Shearman's favourite cliffhangers from the series <ref>https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256287932819914754</ref>
:* Part 1's was based on ''[[The Space Museum (TV story)#The Space Museum (1)|The Space Museum: Part One]]''.<ref>https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256289395793068033</ref>
:* Part 2's was based on ''[[Kinda (TV story)#Part three|Kinda: Part Three]]''.<ref>https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256297627198644224</ref>
:* Part 3's was based on ''[[Horror of Fang Rock (TV story)#Part three|Horror of Fang Rock: Part Three]]''.<ref>https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256304930991812609</ref>


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Edith references some of the events of [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]''.
* Edith references some of the events of [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Storm Warning (audio story)|Storm Warning]]''.
* The Doctor mentions the events of [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Stones of Venice (audio story)|The Stones of Venice]]'' and [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Minuet in Hell (audio story)|Minuet in Hell]]''.
* The Doctor mentions the events of [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Stones of Venice (audio story)|The Stones of Venice]]'' and [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Minuet in Hell (audio story)|Minuet in Hell]]''.
* [[The Celestial Toymaker]] would later refer to Edith Thompson in a riddle while Charley was playing his games in the [[Celestial Toyroom]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Solitaire (audio story)|Solitaire]]'')
* The Doctor mentions travelling for centuries without ever knowing where he'd landed. ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'' et al.)
* The [[Celestial Toymaker]] would later refer to Edith Thompson in a riddle while Charley was playing his games in the [[Celestial Toyroom]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Solitaire (audio story)|Solitaire]]'')
* Edith was the only person who knew that Charley intended to stowaway aboard the ''R101'' and helped her prepare for the adventure. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Fall of the House of Pollard (audio story)|The Fall of the House of Pollard]]'')
* Edith was the only person who knew that Charley intended to stowaway aboard the ''R101'' and helped her prepare for the adventure. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Fall of the House of Pollard (audio story)|The Fall of the House of Pollard]]'')
* Charley's mother [[Louisa Pollard|Lady Louisa Pollard]] discovered Edith's body. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Fall of the House of Pollard (audio story)|The Fall of the House of Pollard]]'')
* The Doctor is still trying to get Charley to Singapore. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]'')
* The Doctor is still trying to get Charley to Singapore. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Invaders from Mars (audio story)|Invaders from Mars]]'')
* The Eighth Doctor seems to like custard much like the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' et al)
* The Eighth Doctor seems to like custard much like the [[Eleventh Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'' et al)
* The Doctor has solved the riddle "when is a door not a door" in his [[Second incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mind Robber (TV story)|The Mind Robber]])
* The Doctor previously solved the riddle "When is a door not a door?" during his [[Second Doctor|second incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Mind Robber (TV story)|The Mind Robber]]'')
* Mrs [[Baddeley]] believes her [[plum pudding]] to be superior to Mrs [[Beeton]]'s. The [[Second Doctor]] confessed that he enjoyed Mrs. Beeton's roly-poly custard pudding. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Queen of Time (audio story)|The Queen of Time]]'')


== External links ==
== External links ==
* {{bigfinish|releases/v/the-chimes-of-midnight-653|The Chimes of Midnight}}; note that it is out of print and is available as download only.
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-chimes-of-midnight-653|The Chimes of Midnight}}; note that it is out of print and is available as download only.
* {{dwrefguide|who_bf29.htm|The Chimes of Midnight}}
{{ChakoteyaWM|20151230142437/http://www.chakoteya.net:80/8Doctor/main29.html}}
{{dwrefguide|who_bf29.htm|The Chimes of Midnight}}
* {{tetrap|8/chimes.html|The Chimes of Midnight}}
* {{tetrap|8/chimes.html|The Chimes of Midnight}}
* Transcript of '''''[http://www.chakoteya.net/8Doctor/main29.html The Chimes of Midnight]''''' at [http://www.chakoteya.net Chrissie's Transcripts Site]
* [http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/so-many-ideas-so-much-darkness-the-chimes-of-midnight/#comments Robert Shearman discussing the story in depth.]
 
== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}
{{BFA monthly}}
{{BFA monthly}}
{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}
[[fr:The Chimes of Midnight]]


[[Category:Eighth Doctor audio stories]]
[[Category:Doctor Who monthly audio stories]]
[[Category:2002 audio stories]]
[[Category:Stories set outside time and space]]
[[Category:Stories set outside time and space]]
[[Category:Stories set at Christmas]]
[[Category:Stories set at Christmas]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1906]]
[[Category:Stories set in 1906]]
[[Category:Stories set in alternative timelines]]
[[Category:Stories set in alternate timelines]]
[[Category:Pseudo-historical stories]]
[[Category:Audio stories that use the David Arnold theme]]
 
[[Category:Charlotte Pollard audio stories]]
[[fr:The Chimes of Midnight]]
[[Category:Eighth Doctor Main Range audio stories]]
[[Category:2002 Main Range audio stories]]
[[Category:Stories set in London]]
[[Category:Stories set in a time loop]]

Latest revision as of 20:37, 3 November 2024

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The Chimes of Midnight was the twenty-ninth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Robert Shearman and featured Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard.

It was the second in a series of 6 audio stories featuring the Eighth Doctor.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring...

But something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.

Trapped and afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no motive, where the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out.

And time itself might well be the killer...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor and Charley land somewhere that the TARDIS cannot even identify and they decide to explore (the Doctor is trying to get her to Singapore). The home resembles Charley's old home and they discover that their interactions with the house undo themselves after a while. Charley accidentally knocked over a jar of jam and when the Doctor returns to the TARDIS to get some tools and exits, he notices that the jar is back on the table, having reset itself and the stain on Charley's dress has disappeared, among other strange happenings in the house including Charley writing her name in the dust, only for it to immediately disappear.

Meanwhile, a scullery maid named Edith is ordered around the house to do menial chores and is treated poorly by all the household, including her master Mr Shaughnessy and kitchen maid Mrs Baddeley.

The Doctor and Charley discover they've arrived on Christmas but the house is abandoned. Charley hears a faint voice singing Hark the Herald Angels Sing while Edith hears Charley's faint voice alerting the Doctor to a freshly prepared turkey. The two continue to explore only to discover that it's very difficult to make impressions on the surrounding environment. They manage to find a way to interact with it, but to the Doctor's disturbance, the house's environment begins to taunt them. Frederick finds and calls off his relationship with Mary after being forced to by Mrs Baddeley but Mary has other plans. Charley, who seems to be able to hear Edith, is prompted by the Doctor to find the source of the voice when she suddenly stumbles onto Edith taking a bath. They converse and find themselves getting along well when suddenly Charley hears another Edith say that she (Edith) is going to die soon. Charley, frightened, calls out for the Doctor and finds she can talk to him and he reveals they need to return to the TARDIS. She comments he's scared which he acknowledges, claiming some mysteries are best left alone, however, they hear a scream, a clock chime and the Doctor realises they are now trapped...

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

They find Edith drowning and while the Doctor tries to save her, she dies. The household come to investigate the commotion and think she died by accidental suicide but the Doctor suspects otherwise, as he suspects it was murder. They then reveal they were expecting the Doctor, claiming he's Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard, to arrive and investigate. Mr Shaughnessy tells the Doctor he has access to anywhere he likes and can question whomever he wants and tells the household staff they are to answer every one of his questions except those concerning the going-ons of the house. The Doctor tells Charley he has an unnerving feeling but they ought to play along, saying he suspects the murder and the time anomaly are linked when Charley asks which task they should be focusing on. He and Charley split up, and he interviews Shaughnessy while Charley interviews Mrs. Baddeley. Baddeley refuses to help Charley since she won't taste her plum pudding while the Doctor learns about the residents of the house from him and Shaughnessy says he suspects Mrs Baddeley.

Charley relents and tries some pudding but ends up behaving strangely and catching herself, excuses herself after asking Baddeley who she suspects and Baddeley reveals she suspects Shaughnessy because he has "shifty eyes" (the same reason given by Shaughnessy to the Doctor). The Doctor interviews Frederick, the chauffeur, and Charley interviews Mary, both claiming their accused of also having "shifty eyes". Suddenly Charley hears Edith again who reveals she needs to find out who murdered her, to not forget her, that another murder will occur and finally Edward Grove is alive. Charley yells for the Doctor who finds her but they discover that Mrs. Baddeley has been the next victim, and has been stuffed with her own pudding. The household believe it another suicide and the Doctor asks them to leave so he can consult with Charley. He reveals that he suspects they are playing a game and they know a few things, that the murders occur on the hour and something strange occurs each time, such as Mrs Baddeley being stuffed with her own pudding. Charley realises that the murders are occurring too quickly to be an hour apart and an impressed Doctor reasons that the killer must be speeding up time and they set off to find a clock. Frederick and Mary meet and their warped perception of the events begins to take hold as they forget about Edith and reaffirm their devotion to each other.

The Doctor and Charley find Shaughnessy and ask for his pocket watch but he refuses. They decide that they will go upstairs to find the grandfather clock that keeps striking but Shaughnessy holds them at gunpoint. The Doctor then tricks Shaughnessy to give up his pocket watch and they end up not going upstairs. The Doctor explains to Charley that the entity sees them as a threat but cannot work out how to respond to them which is why he was able to convince Shaughnessy. They find the watch behaving strangely and call the house members together to see what will happen and who may be murdered only to find that they cannot remember Edith. They split up again despite the Doctor's warnings, claiming there is household work to return to and the grandfather clock strikes midnight...

Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor and Charley are returned to the scullery and find that things have reverted back, then find Edith dead, having been suffocated to death by a plunger. The household members find them, with Mrs. Baddeley still alive and the events of before have repeated themselves, seeming as if the two have gone back in time. This time the Doctor and Charley find a third scribble in the dust, with the name Edward Grove, and attempt to deduce what is happening. The two split up again to investigate. The Doctor questions Frederick and asks him to take him for a drive but Frederick refuses, then attempts to open the door to go outside the house but the two reveal that their master has instructed them to kill him if he attempts to leave. The Doctor decides to play along further and Frederick and Mary say they suspect that they killed Edith. Charley, in the meantime, questions Mrs Baddeley and discovers some of her more distrubing traits. The Doctor learns that Frederick and Mary were to kill Mrs. Baddeley but don't remember who Edith is. Mrs. Baddeley disturbs Charley, saying she had already died. A confused Charley is then contacted mentally by Edith who says she is forgetting her and mentions Edward Grove and finally doesn't understand why she had to die but Charley can live. Just then another death occurs, this time Frederick's. However, Mary is thought to be the scullery maid despite Charley trying to remind them of Edith and they all resume their work. The Doctor and Charley attempt to understand what they've misunderstood and Charley storms out when the Doctor tries to explain to her she's misremembering things. Charley goes to find Edith's dust signature but it has disappeared and Edith appears to Charley, saying she is forgetting her and they need to find Edward Grove.

The Doctor attempts to go to the forbidden upstairs and is stopped by Shaughnessy holding him at gunpoint, revealing that Shaughnessy was manipulated by the outside force as he himself reveals he doesn't feel in control. The Doctor then has Shaughnessy confirm his suspicions, that the name Edward Grove is actually the name of the house. The Doctor explains that it's the house doing the murders. The household are called to action to kill the Doctor and in the process, they call forth Charley who has also come under the control of the house. However, as the clock strikes twelve time is reversed and the Doctor reveals that it seems even the entity itself doesn't have complete control. They arrive back in the scullery where Edith has been clubbed to death this time and the household, forgetting the finer details, go back to their duties. The Doctor explains to Charley that the house is performing this and that it's slowly trying to make her and the Doctor part of its narrative. He reveals that all the traumatic memories that may have happened may have been absorbed by the house, causing its sentience.

The Doctor tells Charley they are to return to the TARDIS as they're in a trap and while the household tries to stop them, they manage to leave. Inside the TARDIS the Doctor reveals that if they'd brought any bit of paradox with them they'd be trapped. Just then Charley hears the grandfather clock striking again, the console disappears and the house begins to reform around them and the Doctor realises that they haven't escaped the house but instead, brought it with them....

Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor explains that they're still in the TARDIS but they're stuck in a time loop. He then explains that the problem is them as they are the paradox and are trapped. The household finds them and reveals their master is coming to meet him and they transport Charley elsewhere despite the Doctor's protests. The Doctor meets Edward Grove who has taken over the body of Shaughnessy to serve as a communication vessel. Charley, meanwhile, finds Edith again and she asks Edith to show herself. Edith does and Charley, shocked, realises Edith was the cook in her family's old estate, having not recognised her earlier because when Edith worked as a scullery maid she looked different, younger, as it was her first job. She mysteriously explains that she died for Charley. The Doctor and Edward Grove chat and the Doctor condemns Edward's horrific treatment of the household. He further questions the point of Grove's existence but Grove reveals it is enough for him to simply exist, even if it means keeping the others enslaved and the paradox going. Edith explains to the Charley the horrible treatment she's had to endure her whole life and how Charley was always so kind to her, and explains that Grove has filled aspects of her life into the household. When Charley asks why there's so much death, Edith simply says she died for Charley even though she came back to life. The Doctor and Grove talk more and Grove reveals that the Doctor and Charley are what are giving him life, having arrived and created a paradox. Edith explains to Charley that when the news of her death in the R101 crash reached home, Edith was ignored by all as the mood of the house was depressed over Charley's death and yet she, Edith, was not allowed to mourn Charley, her best friend. Not wanting to live without Charley, she commits suicide in the kitchen on the night of Christmas eve. The Doctor tries to convince Grove to commit suicide, saying that he is not really alive but Grove declares that having tasted existence, he will keep the paradox going for a single moment, destroying everyone inside the loop to keep himself alive. The Doctor tries to stop him, volunteering to sacrifice himself and takes advantage of the household's commitment to serve him under Grove's earlier orders, first telling them to kill him, Grove trying his best to stop him. Edith tries to convince Charley to commit suicide since Charley was supposed to have died in the R101 in 1931 but is still alive here in 1906. Charley must make a choice: her life or Edith's.

The Doctor, however, managing to overcome Grove, reaches out to Charley and convinces her to live, and the two them convince Edith to live, ending the paradox. Everything returns to normal and as a final check, the Doctor lands the TARDIS in the moment they arrived before the paradox occurred, and when they find Edith, they disguise themselves, tell Shaughnessy that Edith has done a fine work as a scullery maid, Charley tells Edith that she's not nobody but a good person, and they leave, having resolved and broken the paradox.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Real World[[edit] | [edit source]]

Books[[edit] | [edit source]]

Objects[[edit] | [edit source]]

Time travel[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor and Charley experience several time loops.
  • The Doctor mentions travelling for centuries.

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor finds plum pudding with brandy butter. Charley expresses dislike for plum pudding.

Food and drink[[edit] | [edit source]]

Songs[[edit] | [edit source]]

Vehicles[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Chimes of Midnight was the first time that a companion created specifically for the audio range had featured on the cover.
  • In 2016, this story was re-released on vinyl in a limited run of 500 copies. Tom Webster designed a new cover, and a new behind-the-scenes documentary was recorded.
  • The cook, Mrs Baddeley, is named after actress Angela Baddeley, who played Mrs Bridges in the ITV television series Upstairs, Downstairs which is also set in a large Edwardian house. Shaughnessy is named after the show's script editor, Alfred Shaughnessy.
  • This audio drama was recorded on 17 and 18 January 2001.
  • After AUDIO: Invaders from Mars, this is the second consecutive story in which the Doctor impersonates a detective. It is also the second story in a row set on a holiday of some sort, since Invaders from Mars was set on Halloween, and this on Christmas.
  • This audio was streamed as part of the “lockdown” event.
  • The Doctor imagines opening the door of the house and seeing a void, claiming that he has "seen that" before. This is a reference to the BBV audio drama Punchline, also by Shearman, which featured a thinly-veiled Seventh Doctor.
  • There is an in-joke in the story when the Doctor mentions to Charley that it wouldn't be fair if the murderer is someone with whom they hadn't met yet, as was sometimes the case in the classic series.
  • Each cliffhanger was based on Shearman's favourite cliffhangers from the series [1]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256287932819914754
  2. ↑ https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256289395793068033
  3. ↑ https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256297627198644224
  4. ↑ https://twitter.com/ShearmanRobert/status/1256304930991812609
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