The Ghosts of N-Space (audio story): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 12:11, 8 December 2024

The Ghosts of N-Space was a BBC Radio drama recorded in 1994 and released in 1996. It was the second and final radio drama^[1] that Jon Pertwee lent his voice to. He passed away a few months later after its broadcast, ending plans for a third instalment.^[2]

The Ghosts of N-Space

Novelised as:

The Ghosts of N-Space

Doctor:

Companion(s):

Featuring:

Main enemy:

Main setting:

Sicily, 1975, 1818, and 1504

Key crew

Publisher:

Writer:

Director:

Producer:

Release details

Number of parts:

6

Premiere broadcast:

20 January - 24 February 1996

Premiere network:

BBC Radio 2

Format:

2 cassettes
3 CDs
Vinyl

ISBN:

ISBN 0-563-47701-6

BBC Audio Dramas
← Previous	Next →
The Paradise of Death	The Thing from the Sea

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

1996 cassette release[[edit] | [edit source]]

"When the barrier gives way, this planet will be flooded by all the evil in N-Space; and at the moment I have no idea how to stop it."

The Brigadier's ancient great-uncle Mario seems unsurprised by the spectres which haunt his even more ancient Sicilian castle. But when the Doctor comes to investigate he finds himself faced with a danger as great as any he has yet encountered.

Is the answer to be found in the past, in the corrupt alchemy of the black-hearted sorcerer said to have walled up alive for his evil deeds? Or must the Doctor — and the faithful Sarah Jane Smith — brave the realm of ghosts and face the very fiends of hell?

2000 CD release[[edit] | [edit source]]

Produced in 1994, this exciting six-part radio story reunited a classic line-up of actors from the Third Doctor's era. Deleted for several years, it has been remastered and is presented on CD for the first time ever.

Mysterious forces are at work in Italy, where the Brigadier is staying with an Italian relative. As the Doctor is enlisted to investigate mysterious occurrences in the area, which threaten to blur the lines between time periods and the living and the dead.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

Writer - Barry Letts
Producer & Director - Phil Clarke
Incidental Music - Peter Howell
Technical Presentation - John Whitehall, Alison Carter, Colin Guthrie
Production Assistant - Dawn Ellis

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sarah feels like a refugee from Pride and Prejudice.
The Doctor says that synchronicity is "the principle that a coincidence may happen without any causal link and yet still be significant".

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Ghosts of N-Space had its incidental music composed by Peter Howell and features his arrangement of the theme, rather than the Delia Derbyshire version used for the Third Doctor's TV stories.
According to the novelisation, The Ghosts of N-Space is set between Death to the Daleks and The Monster of Peladon.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Sarah tried to submit a "Dalek piece" for publication, but it was not accepted. (TV: Death to the Daleks)
The Doctor brought back a modified stun gun from Parakon. (AUDIO: The Paradise of Death)
The Doctor mentions that he has met H. G. Wells. He would later do so again in Scotland in 1885 during his sixth incarnation. (TV: Timelash)
The Doctor has been found guilty of intervention by his peers. (TV: The War Games)
The Doctor mentions his old teacher on Gallifrey. (TV: Planet of the Spiders)

Home media releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Ghosts of N-Space was released on CD by BBC Audio on 5 June 2000.

Novelisation[[edit] | [edit source]]

Novelisation cover

Main article: The Ghosts of N-Space (novelisation)

A novelisation written by Barry Letts was published in 1995. As the Target Books range had been retired by this time, the novelisation was published as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line. Unusually, the novel was published before the radio play was broadcast.

Releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 2 from 20 January to 24 February 1996.
It was released on double cassette in February 1996.
It was released on CD on 6 March 2000.
It was re-released as part of The BBC Radio Episodes boxset on 6 June 2011.
It was released on Vinyl by Demon Records, along with The Paradise of Death, on 28 February 2020.

1996 cassette release
2000 CD release
Digital release
The BBC Radio Episodes 2011 release
The BBC Radio Episodes 2022 re-release
The BBC Radio Episodes individual cover
Revised individual cover with 2018 logo
Vinyl Record release

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

↑ Glorious Goodwood (1974) also starred Pertwee as the Third Doctor, but wasn't officially released as an audio story until 2005.
↑ Doctor Who: The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts Of N-Space

[1] Glorious Goodwood (1974) also starred Pertwee as the Third Doctor, but wasn't officially released as an audio story until 2005.

[2] Doctor Who: The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts Of N-Space

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{title dab away}}
 {{real world}}
-{{Infobox Story
+{{Infobox Story SMW
-|image=Ghosts of N-Space.jpg
+|image = Ghosts of N-Space.jpg
 |series= [[BBC Audio Dramas]]
 |number=
 |doctor= Third Doctor
-|companions= [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]], [[Jeremy Fitzoliver|Jeremy]]
+|companions = [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|The Brigadier]], [[Sarah Jane Smith|Sarah]]
-|featuring=[[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|The Brig]]
+|featuring=[[Jeremy Fitzoliver|Jeremy]]
-|enemy=[[Maximilian Vilmius]]
+|enemy = [[Maximilian Vilmius]]
-|writer= [[Barry Letts]]
+|writer= Barry Letts
 |director= [[Phil Clarke]]
-|setting=[[Italy]], [[1975]]
+|setting = {{il|[[Sicily]], [[1975]], [[1818]], and [[1504]]}}
-|producer=[[Phil Clarke]]
+|producer = [[Phil Clarke]]
 |novelisation= The Ghosts of N-Space (novelisation)
-|network= [[BBC Radio]]
+|network= BBC Radio 2
-|broadcast date=[[20 January (releases)|20 January]] - [[24 February (releases)|24 February]] [[1996 (releases)|1996]]
+|broadcast date=20 January - 24 February 1996
 |publisher = BBC Audio
-|format= 6x30-minute episodes
+|format= 2 cassettes<br/>3 CDs<br/>Vinyl
 |production code=
 |isbn= ISBN 0-563-47701-6
 |prev= The Paradise of Death (audio story)
 |next= The Thing from the Sea (audio story)
-|clip = Doctor Who The Ghosts Of N space
+|epcount = 6
 }}{{audio stub}}
-'''''The Ghosts of N-Space''''' was a [[BBC Radio]] drama released in [[1996 (releases)|1996]]. It was the second and final audio drama that [[Jon Pertwee]] lent his voice to. He passed away a few months later after its broadcast.
+'''''The Ghosts of N-Space''''' was a [[BBC Radio]] drama recorded in [[1994 (production)|1994]] and released in [[1996 (releases)|1996]]. It was the second and final radio drama<ref>''[[Glorious Goodwood (audio story)|Glorious Goodwood]] (1974) also starred Pertwee as the [[Third Doctor]], but wasn't officially released as an audio story until 2005.</ref> that [[Jon Pertwee]] lent his voice to. He passed away a few months later after its broadcast, ending plans for a third instalment.<ref>[https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/doctor-paradise-death-ghosts-n-space Doctor Who: The Paradise of Death and The Ghosts Of N-Space]</ref>
 == Publisher's summary ==
+=== 1996 cassette release ===
 ''"When the barrier gives way, this planet will be flooded by all the evil in N-Space; and at the moment I have no idea how to stop it."''
-The [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|Brigadier]]'s ancient great-uncle Mario seems unsurprised by the spectres which haunt his even more ancient Sicilian castle. But when the Doctor comes to investigate he finds himself faced with a danger as great as any he has yet encountered.
+[[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|The Brigadier]]'s ancient great-uncle Mario seems unsurprised by the spectres which haunt his even more ancient Sicilian castle. But when the Doctor comes to investigate he finds himself faced with a danger as great as any he has yet encountered.
 Is the answer to be found in the past, in the corrupt [[alchemy]] of the black-hearted sorcerer said to have walled up alive for his evil deeds? Or must the Doctor — and the faithful [[Sarah Jane Smith]] — brave the realm of [[ghost]]s and face the very fiends of [[hell]]?
+=== 2000 CD release ===
+Produced in 1994, this exciting six-part radio story reunited a classic line-up of actors from the Third Doctor's era. Deleted for several years, it has been remastered and is presented on CD for the first time ever.
+Mysterious forces are at work in Italy, where the Brigadier is staying with an Italian relative. As the Doctor is enlisted to investigate mysterious occurrences in the area, which threaten to blur the lines between time periods and the living and the dead.
 == Plot ==
@@ Line 39: / Line 45: @@
 * [[Third Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Jon Pertwee]]
 * [[Sarah Jane Smith]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
-* [[The Brigadier]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
+* [[Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart|The Brigadier]] - [[Nicholas Courtney]]
 * [[Jeremy Fitzoliver|Jeremy]] - [[Richard Pearce]]
 * [[Maximilian Vilmius|Max]] - [[Stephen Thorne]]
 * [[Mario (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Mario]] - [[Harry Towb]]
-* [[Luisa]] - [[Deborah Berlin]]
+* [[Louisa (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Louisa]] - [[Deborah Berlin]]
-* [[Clemenza]] - [[Jonathan Tafler]]
+* [[Pietro Clemenza|Clemenza]] - [[Jonathan Tafler]]
 * [[Don Fabrizio]] - [[Don McCorkindale]]
-* [[Nico (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Nico]] - [[David Holt]]
+* [[Nicodemus|Nico]] - [[David Holt]]
 * [[Maggie (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Maggie]] - [[Sandra Dickinson]]
 * [[Umberto]] - [[Peter Yapp]]
 * [[Maid (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Maid]] - [[Joanne Sergeant]]
-* [[Paolo]] - [[Paul Brooke]]
+* [[Paolo Verconti|Paolo]] - [[Paul Brooke]]
 * [[Barone]] - [[Gavin Muir]]
-* [[Baronessa]] / [[Marcella]] - [[Jillie Meers]]
+* [[Baronessa]] / [[Marcella (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Marcella]] - [[Jillie Meers]]
 * [[Roberto (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Roberto]] - [[Jonathan Keeble]]
 * [[Guido (The Ghosts of N-Space)|Guido]] - [[Jim Sweeney]]
@@ Line 58: / Line 64: @@
 == Crew ==
 * [[Writer]] - [[Barry Letts]]
-* [[Director]] - [[Phil Clarke]]
+* [[Producer]] & [[Director (crew)|Director]] - [[Phil Clarke]]
 * [[Incidental music|Incidental Music]] - [[Peter Howell]]
 * Technical Presentation - [[John Whitehall]], [[Alison Carter]], [[Colin Guthrie]]
 * [[Production assistant|Production Assistant]] - [[Dawn Ellis]]
-* [[Producer]] - [[Phil Clarke]]
-== References ==
+== Worldbuilding ==
-=== Individuals ===
 * Sarah feels like a refugee from ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]''.
-=== Theories and concepts ===
 * The Doctor says that [[synchronicity]] is "the principle that a coincidence may happen without any causal link and yet still be significant".
-* [[Null-Space]]
 == Notes ==
-* This story was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 5 from 20 January to 24 February [[1996 (production)|1996]].
+* ''The Ghosts of N-Space'' had its incidental music composed by [[Peter Howell]] and features his arrangement of the theme, rather than the [[Delia Derbyshire]] version used for the Third Doctor's TV stories.
-* It was next released on double cassette.
+* According to [[The Ghosts of N-Space (novelisation)|the novelisation]], ''The Ghosts of N-Space'' is set between ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'' and ''[[The Monster of Peladon (TV story)|The Monster of Peladon]]''.
-* In [[2000 (releases)|2000]], it was released on CD.
-* This story had its incidental music composed by [[Peter Howell]] and features his arrangement of the theme, rather than the [[Delia Derbyshire|Derbyshire]] version used for the Third Doctor's TV stories.
 == Continuity ==
-* The story revolves around the reappearance of Theodore Clancy's Comet every hundred fifty-seven years. Previous appearances were in [[1504]], [[1661]] and [[1818]], placing this story in [[1975]].
+* Sarah tried to submit a "[[Dalek]] piece" for publication, but it was not accepted. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'')
-* The Doctor claims to have met [[Leonardo da Vinci]]. However, during his [[Fourth Doctor|fourth incarnation]], he would later tell Sarah that he had always wanted to meet him. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Masque of Mandragora (TV story)|The Masque of Mandragora]]'') He had done so by the time that he was travelling with the [[Romana II|second incarnation]] of [[Romana]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[City of Death (TV story)|City of Death]]'')
+* The Doctor brought back a modified [[stun gun]] from [[Parakon]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Paradise of Death (audio story)|The Paradise of Death]]'')
-* The Doctor mentions that he has met [[H. G. Wells]]. He would later do so again in [[Scotland]] in [[1885]] during his [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Timelash (TV story)|Timelash]]'') and in [[London]] in [[1889]] during his [[Tenth Doctor|tenth incarnation]] ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Time Machination (comic story)|The Time Machination]]''). On the latter occasion, the Doctor hinted that he and Wells would meet again. It is possible that he was referring to this encounter, which seemingly occurred during one of his first three incarnations, but which has not yet happened in Wells' personal timeline.
+* The Doctor mentions that he has met [[H. G. Wells]]. He would later do so again in [[Scotland]] in [[1885]] during his [[Sixth Doctor|sixth incarnation]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Timelash (TV story)|Timelash]]'')
-* The Doctor brings back a modified [[stun gun]] from [[Parakon]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Paradise of Death (audio story)|The Paradise of Death]]'')
+* The Doctor has been found guilty of intervention by his peers. ([[TV]]: ''[[The War Games (TV story)|The War Games]]'')
-* This story takes place after [[TV]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks]]'', first indicated by a comment Sarah makes about a "[[Dalek]] piece" she tried to submit for publication which was not accepted.
+* The Doctor mentions [[the Hermit|his old teacher]] on Gallifrey. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Spiders (TV story)|Planet of the Spiders]]'')
-== Releases ==
+== Home media releases ==
 ''The Ghosts of N-Space'' was released on [[CD]] by [[BBC Audio]] on [[5 June (releases)|5 June]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]].
 == Novelisation ==
 [[File:Ma-7.jpg|thumb|Novelisation cover]]
-: ''Main article: [[The Ghosts of N-Space (novelisation)]]''
+{{main|The Ghosts of N-Space (novelisation)}}
+* A novelisation written by [[Barry Letts]] was published in 1995. As the [[Target Books]] range had been retired by this time, the novelisation was published as part of the [[Virgin Missing Adventures]] line. Unusually, the novel was published before the radio play was broadcast.
+== Releases ==
+* This story was originally broadcast on [[BBC Radio 2]] from [[20 January (releases)|20 January]] to [[24 February (releases)|24 February]] [[1996 (production)|1996]].
+* It was released on double cassette in February 1996.
+* It was released on [[CD]] on [[6 March (releases)|6 March]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]].
+* It was re-released as part of ''[[The BBC Radio Episodes Collection|The BBC Radio Episodes]]'' boxset on [[6 June (releases)|6 June]] [[2011 (releases)|2011]].
+* It was released on Vinyl by Demon Records, along with ''[[The Paradise of Death (audio story)|The Paradise of Death]]'', on [[28 February (releases)|28 February]] [[2020 (releases)|2020]].
-* A novelisation written by [[Barry Letts]] was published in [[1995]]. As the [[Target Books]] range had been [[retire]]d by this time, the novelisation was published as part of the [[Virgin Missing Adventures]] line. Unusually, the novel was published before the radio play was broadcast.
+<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
+The_Ghosts_of_N-Space_Cassette.jpg|1996 cassette release
+Ghosts of N-Space.jpg|2000 CD release
+The Ghosts of N-Space digital cover.jpg|Digital release
+The_BBC_Radio_Episodes_CD_Box_Set.jpg|''The BBC Radio Episodes'' 2011 release
+The BBC Radio Episodes Collection.jpg|''The BBC Radio Episodes'' 2022 re-release
+Doctor Who The Ghosts of N-Space 2011 CD cover.jpg|''The BBC Radio Episodes'' individual cover
+The Ghosts Of N-Space revised cover.jpg|Revised individual cover with 2018 logo
+The_Paradise_of_Death_&_The_Ghosts_of_N-Space_Vinyl.jpg|Vinyl Record release
+</gallery>
 == External links ==
+{{chakoteya|Extras/GhostsofNSpace.html|The Ghosts of N-Space}}
 {{dwrefguide|ghost.htm|The Ghosts of N-Space}}
-* {{tetrap|other/ghosts.html|The Ghosts of N-Space}}
+{{tetrap|other/ghosts.html|The Ghosts of N-Space}}
+== Footnotes ==
+{{reflist}}
+{{BBCDWA}}
 {{TitleSort}}
 [[Category:Third Doctor audio stories]]
 [[Category:BBC Radio audio stories]]
+[[Category:Doctor Who audio stories]]
 [[Category:Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart audio stories]]
 [[Category:1996 audio stories]]
@@ Line 109: / Line 132: @@
 [[Category:Stories set in Italy]]
 [[Category:Stories set in the 16th century]]
-[[Category:Audio stories that use the Peter Howell Doctor Who theme]]
+[[Category:Audio stories that use the Peter Howell theme]]
+[[Category:Six part audio stories]]
+[[Category:Full-cast audio stories]]