The Galileo Trap (audio story): Difference between revisions

It saw the first appearance of Galileo Galilei in Doctor Who media since The Empire of Glass and showed his friendship with the Eighth Doctor. It was also the first appearance of a historical character in the Eighth Doctor Adventures since Sitric Silkbeard in The Book of Kells.

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

Helen Sinclair doesn't know what hit her. One moment she was trapped in a dead-end job in 1960s London, and now she is transported back to Renaissance Italy over three centuries before. Florence is a city in turmoil. A new plague stalks the streets. A ferocious behemoth rampages through the vineyards. And Galileo Galilei, celebrated scientist, astronomer and old friend of the Doctor, is imprisoned in his own villa for heresy.

But why has Galileo summoned the Doctor? Who are the mysterious Fortuna and Cleaver? Why have they been sent to Earth? And what is Galileo's secret? Is it the last thing he saw before he went blind?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

A young man flees from something to a hospital where a monk closes the doors, being at full capacity due to the plague. The man runs elsewhere but is caught and screams.

Count Licori asks Captain Cavalli about Massimo da Riva, who reportedly deals in strange creatures. Liv and Helen wander Florence and are almost run over by Count Licori before the Doctor returns to them, having had no luck finding Galileo.

Count Licori and Captain Cavalli hunt a bloodhog, supplied by da Riva. Captain Cavalli seems suspicious of the merchant and, once he has gone, says that the hunt is up.

The Doctor has learnt from the prison that Galileo is living under house arrest in Arcetri some leagues from Florence. Liv comes across a wounded boy and gives him some antiseptic whilst the Doctor gives his mother some peaches.

The hunt continues and Count Licori is injured by the bloodhog.

Helen reads a man's tombstone, excited by her ability to read Latin, and meets da Riva, who takes notice of her watch and asks to know where she is really from. He leaves as the Doctor and Liv arrive and remind Helen that they are looking for Galileo.

Galileo is fed by his daughter, Virginia, and tells her to read his own Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations to him. He thought that he heard an animal in the night.

The Doctor, Liv and Helen walk to Arcetri and meet Captain Cavalli, who tells them of Count Licori's death and mentions his knowledge of snapshots. The trio arrive at the home of Galileo, who remembers the Doctor in an older incarnation and tells him that his message was made under duress and was a warning to keep him away from 1639.

Captain Cavalli enters da Riva's house and confronts him about feeding on humans and unleashing a bloodhog. Da Riva reveals himself to be Volkbrood and unleashes his pet morgrahound Heracles upon him. Captain Cavalli is mauled to death.

Helen asks Liv if joining the Doctor was the right idea and Liv responds by telling her that it is simply culture shock. They hear an unearthly animal in the distance and Virginia lets them in whilst the Doctor is talking to Galileo, who changes the subject once Virginia returns. She serves food, including magentas which the Doctor and Helen recognise as being extraterrestrial, and Galileo tells the Doctor that he has discovered another planet.

Da Riva meets Virginia, whose real name is Fortuna. She admonishes him for the death of Count Licori and tells him that the Doctor has arrived.

Galileo tells the Doctor about the planet that he discovered in 1637 between Mercury and the Sun, which he has named Phaiton and which caused his blindness. Da Riva and Fortuna come upstairs for the Doctor, whom Galileo unsuccessfully attempts to protect by claiming that he is an impostor. The Doctor tells Liv and Helen to run and is tied up by da Riva.

Liv and Helen encounter a creature and are saved by Cavalli 2, a cyborg who downloaded all of the previous Cavalli's memories. He tells them that da Riva is a criminal called Cleaver and shows them terracotta pots containing children, marked with the same wound as the begging woman's son, which he believes are used as dog food.

Cleaver and Fortuna wait to hand over the Doctor to their client. Cleaver admits that he has been feeding on the souls of humans and intends on staying in Italy once he has handed the Doctor over, although Fortuna has no intention of doing so.

Liv and Helen board Cleaver's spaceship with Cavalli 2 and find a collection of art and weapons. Helen opens a door and unwittingly releases a number of morgrahounds. Meanwhile, Cleaver reveals himself as Volkbrood, which comes as no surprise to the Doctor. Cavalli 2 shoots one morgrahound whilst the other runs off, but one of his arms has been bitten off.

The Doctor tricks Fortuna and switches places with her, allowing him to escape. He takes a helmet off of Galileo, thinking that it was hurting him, but Galileo instead tells him to put it on himself.

Cleaver returns to the ship and kills Cavalli 2 whilst Helen flees to find the Doctor.

The Doctor realises that the helmet is a celestial projector not unlike a telescope, which Galileo says was given to him by Fortuna. He tells him that the real Virginia died five years previously and that he knew Fortuna was not really her. Fortuna returns with a gun, telling the Doctor that it would soon be time.

Cleaver finishes eating Cavalli 2, whom he did not enjoy due to his lack of a soul, and instead sets his sights on Liv, who brandishes an antique gun. He returns to the house.

When Phaiton comes into alignment with the Earth, allowing for communication, Helen arrives at the house. Fortuna makes contact with the Eleven and confirms that she has the Doctor in her possession whilst Helen sees to Galileo and helps him downstairs. Cleaver takes the Doctor to prepare him for transport and Galileo asks for Fortuna to stay, confessing that he knew what he and Cleaver had done thanks to the celestial projector.

Broteus returns to the house and is killed by the Doctor, who throws him a device. The Cosmos Security Service arrive, led by Cavalli 2, and Cleaver tries to kill the Doctor with Fortuna's blessing but is overwhelmed by the Doctor's soul. He burns up and dies whilst Fortuna escapes to the ship with Helen as a hostage.

The Doctor offers to trade his life for Helen's, but she instead chooses to take them both. The CSS have locked the ship and she is shot and arrested by Cavalli 2.

Galileo encourages Helen to go out and see the universe with the Doctor and Liv whilst she still can. The Doctor says goodbye to him and prepares to go to Phaiton in search of the Eleven, offering to take Helen home before they go. She chooses to stay.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Duke of Urbino boasts that he hunted down a pack of anthropophagi, although Captain Cavalli claims to have heard that they were only men in masks.
Count Licori threatens to throw Cleaver in the River Arno.
Helen has a box brownie camera.
The Doctor gives Helen a peach.
Helen lives in Tooting.
Helen reads the tomb of Gaius Julius Epilichus.
Galileo says that figs give him the runs.
Galileo asks Virginia if they have missed Vespers yet.
Virginia asks if Galileo wants her to read some Ovid. He instead has her read Day 3 of his own Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations.
Captain Cavalli charges Cleaver with gross mortal turpitude.
Cleaver has two morgrahounds called Heracles and Broteus.
Virginia offers bread, cheese, figs, magentas and wine.
Virginia Galilei died in 1634.
Galileo's theory of heliocentrism was inspired by Copernicus.
Cleaver has grotzits.
Cleaver has been to Venice.
Cleaver flies an HS Sun Turbo 500 which Helen likens to a tacky Mayfair apartment. It has top-end furnishings, gold-plated controls and is full of art and weaponry, including sketches by Botticelli and a collectable Beyon Triblade.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was recorded at The Moat Studios.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Helen is shocked to have travelled 300 years in the past. (AUDIO: The Red Lady)
Virginia taught the Doctor to play the recorder when she was only around 10 years old. (TV: The Power of the Daleks, etc.)
The Doctor previously met Galileo in his first incarnation. (PROSE: The Empire of Glass)
Galileo comments that the Eighth Doctor is "not the Doctor I was expecting". (TV: The Night of the Doctor)

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

Official The Galileo Trap page at bigfinish.com

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{title dab away}}
 {{real world}}
-{{Infobox Story
+{{Infobox Story SMW
-|name             = {{StoryTitle}}
 |image            = The Galileo Trap cover.jpg
-|anthology        = ''[[Doom Coalition 1 (audio anthology)|Doom Coalition 1]]''
+|range           = Doom Coalition (audio series)
+|series in range = Doom Coalition 1
+|series number in range = 1
+|number in series = 3
+|audio anthology  = Doom Coalition 1
 |number           = 1.3
 |doctor           = Eighth Doctor
-|companions       = [[Liv Chenka]], [[Helen Sinclair]]
+|companions       = [[Liv Chenka|Liv]], [[Helen Sinclair|Helen]]
 |enemy            = [[Cleaver (The Galileo Trap)|Cleaver]], [[Fortuna (The Galileo Trap)|Fortuna]]
-|setting          = [[Florence]], [[1639]]
+|featuring        = [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]], [[the Eleven]]
-|writer           = [[Marc Platt]]
+|setting          = [[Florence]] and [[Arcetri]], [[1639]]
+|writer           = Marc Platt
 |director         = [[Ken Bentley]]
+|producer         = [[David Richardson]]
 |music            = [[Wilfredo Acosta]]
 |sound            = [[Wilfredo Acosta]]
 |publisher        = Big Finish Productions
 |cover            = [[Tom Webster]]
-|release date     = [[12 October (releases)|12 October]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]]
+|release date     = 12 October 2015
 |format           = 1 X 1 hour
 |production code  =
@@ Line 24: / Line 29: @@
 |next             = The Satanic Mill (audio story)
 }}
-{{audio stub}}
+'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the third story of ''[[Doom Coalition 1]]'', produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was written by [[Marc Platt]] and featured [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]], [[Nicola Walker]] as [[Liv Chenka]] and [[Hattie Morahan]] as [[Helen Sinclair]] and [[Mark Bonnar]] as [[The Eleven]].
-'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the third audio story in the anthology ''[[Doom Coalition 1 (audio anthology)|Doom Coalition 1]]''. It starred [[Paul McGann]] as the [[Eighth Doctor]], [[Nicola Walker]] as [[Liv Chenka]], and [[Hattie Morahan]] as [[Helen Sinclair]].
+It saw the first appearance of [[Galileo Galilei]] in ''[[Doctor Who]]'' media since ''[[The Empire of Glass (novel)|The Empire of Glass]]'' and showed his friendship with the [[Eighth Doctor]]. It was also the first appearance of a historical character in the ''[[Eighth Doctor Adventures (audio series)|Eighth Doctor Adventures]]'' since [[Sitric Silkbeard]] in ''[[The Book of Kells (audio story)|The Book of Kells]]''.
 == Publisher's summary ==
-[[Helen Sinclair]] doesn't know what hit her. One moment she was trapped in a dead-end job in [[1960s]] [[London]], and now she is transported back to [[Renaissance]] [[Italy]] over three centuries before. [[Florence]] is a city in turmoil. A new [[plague]] stalks the streets. A ferocious behemoth rampages through the [[vineyard]]s. And [[Galileo Galilei]], celebrated [[scientist]], [[astronomer]] and old friend of the Doctor, is imprisoned in his own villa for heresy.
+[[Helen Sinclair]] doesn't know what hit her. One moment she was trapped in a dead-end job in [[1960s]] [[London]], and now she is transported back to [[Renaissance]] [[Italy]] over three centuries before. [[Florence]] is a [[city]] in turmoil. A new [[plague]] stalks the [[street]]s. A ferocious behemoth rampages through the [[vineyard]]s. And [[Galileo Galilei]], celebrated [[scientist]], [[astronomer]] and old friend of [[Eighth Doctor|the Doctor]], is imprisoned in his own villa for heresy.
-But why has Galileo summoned the Doctor? Who are the mysterious Fortuna and Cleaver? Why have they been sent to [[Earth]]? And what is Galileo's secret? Is it the last thing he saw before he went blind?
+But why has Galileo summoned the Doctor? Who are the mysterious [[Fortuna (The Galileo Trap)|Fortuna]] and [[Cleaver (The Galileo Trap)|Cleaver]]? Why have they been sent to [[Earth]]? And what is Galileo's secret? Is it the last thing he saw before he went [[blindness|blind]]?
 == Plot ==
-''to be added''
+[[Youth (The Galileo Trap)|A young man]] flees from something to a [[hospital]] where [[monk (The Galileo Trap)|a monk]] closes the doors, being at full capacity due to the [[plague]]. The man runs elsewhere but is caught and screams.
+[[Licori|Count Licori]] asks [[Cavalli|Captain Cavalli]] about [[Cleaver (The Galileo Trap)|Massimo da Riva]], who reportedly deals in strange creatures. [[Liv Chenka|Liv]] and [[Helen Sinclair|Helen]] wander [[Florence]] and are almost run over by Count Licori before [[Eighth Doctor|the Doctor]] returns to them, having had no luck finding [[Galileo Galilei|Galileo]].
+Count Licori and Captain Cavalli hunt a [[bloodhog]], supplied by da Riva. Captain Cavalli seems suspicious of the merchant and, once he has gone, says that the hunt is up.
+The Doctor has learnt from the prison that Galileo is living under house arrest in [[Arcetri]] some leagues from Florence. Liv comes across a wounded boy and gives him some [[antiseptic]] whilst the Doctor gives [[Beggar woman (The Galileo Trap)|his mother]] some peaches.
+The hunt continues and Count Licori is injured by the bloodhog.
+Helen reads [[Gaius Julius Epilichus|a man]]'s [[tombstone]], excited by her ability to read [[Latin]], and meets da Riva, who takes notice of her [[watch]] and asks to know where she is really from. He leaves as the Doctor and Liv arrive and remind Helen that they are looking for Galileo.
+Galileo is fed by his daughter, [[Fortuna (The Galileo Trap)|Virginia]], and tells her to read his own ''[[Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations]]'' to him. He thought that he heard an animal in the night.
+The Doctor, Liv and Helen walk to Arcetri and meet Captain Cavalli, who tells them of Count Licori's death and mentions his knowledge of [[snapshot]]s. The trio arrive at the home of Galileo, who remembers the Doctor in an older [[incarnation]] and tells him that his message was made under duress and was a warning to keep him away from 1639.
+Captain Cavalli enters da Riva's house and confronts him about feeding on [[human]]s and unleashing a bloodhog. Da Riva reveals himself to be [[Volkbrood]] and unleashes his pet [[morgrahound]] [[Heracles (The Galileo Trap)|Heracles]] upon him. Captain Cavalli is mauled to death.
+Helen asks Liv if joining the Doctor was the right idea and Liv responds by telling her that it is simply culture shock. They hear an unearthly animal in the distance and Virginia lets them in whilst the Doctor is talking to Galileo, who changes the subject once Virginia returns. She serves food, including [[magenta]]s which the Doctor and Helen recognise as being extraterrestrial, and Galileo tells the Doctor that he has discovered another [[planet]].
+Da Riva meets Virginia, whose real name is Fortuna. She admonishes him for the death of Count Licori and tells him that the Doctor has arrived.
+Galileo tells the Doctor about the planet that he discovered in [[1637]] between [[Mercury]] and [[the Sun]], which he has named [[Satanic Mill|Phaiton]] and which caused his [[blindness]]. Da Riva and Fortuna come upstairs for the Doctor, whom Galileo unsuccessfully attempts to protect by claiming that he is an impostor. The Doctor tells Liv and Helen to run and is tied up by da Riva.
+Liv and Helen encounter a creature and are saved by Cavalli 2, a [[cyborg]] who downloaded all of the previous Cavalli's [[memory|memories]]. He tells them that da Riva is a criminal called Cleaver and shows them [[terracotta]] pots containing children, marked with the same wound as the begging woman's son, which he believes are used as dog food.
+Cleaver and Fortuna wait to hand over the Doctor to their client. Cleaver admits that he has been feeding on the [[soul]]s of humans and intends on staying in [[Italy]] once he has handed the Doctor over, although Fortuna has no intention of doing so.
+Liv and Helen board [[HS Sun Turbo 500|Cleaver's spaceship]] with Cavalli 2 and find a collection of art and weapons. Helen opens a door and unwittingly releases a number of morgrahounds. Meanwhile, Cleaver reveals himself as Volkbrood, which comes as no surprise to the Doctor. Cavalli 2 shoots one morgrahound whilst the other runs off, but one of his arms has been bitten off.
+The Doctor tricks Fortuna and switches places with her, allowing him to escape. He takes a [[helmet]] off of Galileo, thinking that it was hurting him, but Galileo instead tells him to put it on himself.
+Cleaver returns to the ship and kills Cavalli 2 whilst Helen flees to find the Doctor.
+The Doctor realises that the helmet is a [[celestial projector]] not unlike a [[telescope]], which Galileo says was given to him by Fortuna. He tells him that the real Virginia died five years previously and that he knew Fortuna was not really her. Fortuna returns with a [[gun]], telling the Doctor that it would soon be time.
+Cleaver finishes eating Cavalli 2, whom he did not enjoy due to his lack of a soul, and instead sets his sights on Liv, who brandishes an antique gun. He returns to the house.
+When Phaiton comes into alignment with the Earth, allowing for communication, Helen arrives at the house. Fortuna makes contact with [[the Eleven]] and confirms that she has the Doctor in her possession whilst Helen sees to Galileo and helps him downstairs. Cleaver takes the Doctor to prepare him for transport and Galileo asks for Fortuna to stay, confessing that he knew what he and Cleaver had done thanks to the celestial projector.
+Broteus returns to the house and is killed by the Doctor, who throws him a device. The [[Cosmos Security Service]] arrive, led by Cavalli 2, and Cleaver tries to kill the Doctor with Fortuna's blessing but is overwhelmed by the Doctor's soul. He burns up and dies whilst Fortuna escapes to the ship with Helen as a hostage.
+The Doctor offers to trade his life for Helen's, but she instead chooses to take them both. The CSS have locked the ship and she is shot and arrested by Cavalli 2.
+Galileo encourages Helen to go out and see the universe with the Doctor and Liv whilst she still can. The Doctor says goodbye to him and prepares to go to Phaiton in search of the Eleven, offering to take Helen home before they go. She chooses to stay.
 == Cast ==
@@ Line 39: / Line 89: @@
 * [[Liv Chenka]] - [[Nicola Walker]]
 * [[Helen Sinclair]] - [[Hattie Morahan]]
-* [[Galileo Galilei]] - [[John Woodvine]]
+* [[The Eleven]] - [[Mark Bonnar]]
+* [[Licori|Count Licori]] - [[Ewan Bailey]]
+* [[Monk (The Galileo Trap)|Monk]] / [[Youth (The Galileo Trap)|Youth]] - [[John Banks]]
+* [[Cavalli]] - [[Gunnar Cauthery]]
 * [[Fortuna (The Galileo Trap)|Virginia]] - [[Esther Hall]]
-* [[Cavalli]] - [[Gunnar Cauthery]]
+* [[Beggar woman (The Galileo Trap)|Beggar Woman]] - [[Lizzie Mounter]]
-* Count [[Licori]] - [[Ewan Bailey]]
 * [[Cleaver (The Galileo Trap)|Cleaver]] - [[Harry Myers]]
-* [[The Eleven]] - [[Mark Bonnar]]
+* [[Galileo Galilei]] - [[John Woodvine]]
-* Beggar Woman - [[Lizzie Mounter]]
-*  Monk/Youth - [[John Banks]]
-== References ==
+== Worldbuilding ==
-* [[Helen Sinclair|Helen]] has a [[Brownie|box brownie]] camera.
+* The [[Duke of Urbino]] boasts that he hunted down a pack of [[anthropophagi]], although Captain Cavalli claims to have heard that they were only men in masks.
+* Count Licori threatens to throw Cleaver in the [[River Arno]].
+* [[Helen Sinclair|Helen]] has a [[Brownie Camera|box brownie]] camera.
+* The Doctor gives Helen a [[peach]].
+* Helen lives in [[Tooting]].
+* Helen reads the tomb of [[Gaius Julius Epilichus]].
+* Galileo says that [[fig]]s give him [[the runs]].
+* Galileo asks Virginia if they have missed [[Vespers]] yet.
+* Virginia asks if Galileo wants her to read some [[Ovid (writer)|Ovid]]. He instead has her read Day 3 of his own ''[[Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations]]''.
+* Captain Cavalli charges Cleaver with [[gross mortal turpitude]].
+* Cleaver has two [[morgrahound]]s called [[Heracles (The Galileo Trap)|Heracles]] and [[Broteus]].
+* Virginia offers [[bread]], [[cheese]], figs, [[magenta]]s and [[wine]].
 * [[Virginia Galilei]] died in [[1634]].
 * Galileo's theory of [[heliocentrism]] was inspired by [[Copernicus]].
+* Cleaver has [[grotzit]]s.
+* Cleaver has been to [[Venice]].
+* Cleaver flies an [[HS Sun Turbo 500]] which Helen likens to a tacky [[Mayfair]] apartment. It has top-end furnishings, gold-plated controls and is full of art and weaponry, including sketches by [[Botticelli]] and a collectable [[Beyon Triblade]].
 == Notes ==
@@ Line 58: / Line 122: @@
 == Continuity ==
 * Helen is shocked to have travelled 300 years in the past. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Red Lady (audio story)|The Red Lady]]'')
-* Virginia taught the Doctor to play the [[recorder]] when she was only around 10 years old. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]]'' et al.)
+* Virginia taught the Doctor to play the [[recorder]] when she was only around 10 years old. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]]'', etc.)
 * The Doctor previously met Galileo in his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Empire of Glass (novel)|The Empire of Glass]]'')
+* Galileo comments that the Eighth Doctor is "not the Doctor I was expecting". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Night of the Doctor (TV story)|The Night of the Doctor]]'')
 == External links ==
-* {{bigfinish|releases/v/doom-coalition-1-1221|Doom Coalition 1}}
+{{bigfinish|releases/v/doom-coalition-1-1221}}
 {{BF EDA}}
 {{TitleSort}}
-[[Category:Eighth Doctor Adventures audio stories]]
-[[Category:2015 audio stories]]
+[[Category:Doom Coalition 1 audio stories]]
 [[Category:Stories set in 1639]]
-[[Category:Pseudo-historical stories]]
+[[Category:Stories set in Florence]]
-[[Category:Stories set in Italy]]
-[[Category:Stories that use the David Arnold theme]]