An Eye For Murder (audio story): Difference between revisions

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{{title dab away}}
{{title dab away}}
{{real world}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image            =  
|image            =  
|series          = ''[[Main Range]]''
|series          = ''[[Main Range]]''
|audio anthology  = ''[[Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories]]''
|audio anthology  = Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories
|range            = Main Range
|range            = Main Range
|number in range  = 188c
|number in range  = 188c
Line 12: Line 12:
|enemy            = [[Maria Backhouse]]
|enemy            = [[Maria Backhouse]]
|setting          = [[St Ursula's College]], [[England]], [[September]] [[1939]]
|setting          = [[St Ursula's College]], [[England]], [[September]] [[1939]]
|writer          = [[Una McCormack]]
|writer          = Una McCormack
|director        = [[Nicholas Briggs]]
|director        = [[Nicholas Briggs]]
|producer        = [[David Richardson]]
|producer        = [[David Richardson]]
Line 19: Line 19:
|epcount          = 1
|epcount          = 1
|publisher        = Big Finish Productions
|publisher        = Big Finish Productions
|release date    = [[11 July (releases)|11 July]] [[2014 (releases)|2014]]
|release date    = 11 July 2014
|format          = 1 CD<br/>Download<br/>3rd of 4 stories
|format          = 1 CD<br/>Download<br/>3rd of 4 stories
|production code  = 6Z/AC
|production code  = 6Z/AC
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Tracking [[dark vacuum energy]] fluctuations, [[Sixth Doctor|the Doctor]] takes [[Peri Brown|Peri]] to [[St Ursula's College]] in [[September]] [[1939]] where she is mistaken by [[Petherbridge|Dr Petherbridge]], the [[principal]], for [[Susan Perry]], a thriller [[writer]] whom she is expecting. Dr Petherbridge tells Peri that anonymous poison pen [[letter]]s have been sent to [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[physicist]] [[Ruth Horwitz|Dr Horwitz]] and, to avoid involving the [[police]] and damaging the college's reputation, asks her to look into it, which the Doctor agrees that they will do. Peri gets the [[racism|racist]] letters from Dr Horwitz whilst the Doctor meets [[economist]] [[Joan Dalton|Dr Dalton]], who escorts him to his room to ensure that no undergraduates get an undeserved reputation for interacting with him.
Tracking [[dark vacuum energy]] fluctuations, [[Sixth Doctor|the Doctor]] takes [[Peri Brown|Peri]] to [[St Ursula's College]] in [[September]] [[1939]] where she is mistaken by [[Petherbridge|Dr Petherbridge]], the [[principal]], for [[Susan Perry]], a thriller [[writer]] whom she is expecting. Dr Petherbridge tells Peri that anonymous poison pen [[letter]]s have been sent to [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[physicist]] [[Ruth Horwitz|Dr Horwitz]] and, to avoid involving the [[police]] and damaging the college's reputation, asks her to look into it, which the Doctor agrees that they will do. Peri gets the [[racism|racist]] letters from Dr Horwitz whilst the Doctor meets [[economist]] [[Joan Dalton|Dr Dalton]], who escorts him to his room to ensure that no undergraduates get an undeserved reputation for interacting with him.


After [[Maria Backhouse|Dr Backhouse]] advises her to question Dr Dalton about her [[politics]], Peri catches up with the Doctor and she realises that Dr Dalton is a [[communism|communist]] rather than a [[Nazi]] following the announcement of the [[Second World War]] over the [[radio]]. Dr Horwitz tells Peri that somebody tried to [[murder]] as she was working, which coincides with the Doctor's readings becoming stronger, but she is unable to give a satisfactory answer for how she was able to escape. The Doctor and Peri wonder if Dr Dalton, who failed to recruit Dr Horwitz to the communist cause, is responsible and meet with her and Dr Petherbridge in the principal's office. Although Dr Dalton denies the charge, Dr Petherbridge calls the police and she is [[arrest]]ed.
After [[Maria Backhouse|Dr Backhouse]] advises her to question Dr Dalton about her [[politics]], Peri catches up with the Doctor and she realises that Dr Dalton is a [[communism|communist]] rather than a [[Nazi]] following the announcement of the [[Second World War]] over the [[radio]]. Dr Horwitz tells Peri that somebody tried to [[murder]] as she was working, which coincides with the Doctor's readings becoming stronger, but she is unable to give a satisfactory answer for how she was able to escape. The Doctor and Peri wonder if Dr Dalton, who failed to recruit Dr Horwitz to the communist cause, is responsible and meet with her and Dr Petherbridge in the principal's office. Although Dr Dalton denies the charge, Dr Petherbridge has her [[arrest]]ed and Dr Horwitz says that a mistake has been made.


Doctor Horwitz bursts in after Dalton is taken away saying it's been a mistake. She and Peri walk back to her room, only to find the door open and the Doctor inside, saying he has discovered the source of the readings coming from the room and interrogates Ruth. They discover that Ruth was given a family heirloom as a girl and was curious about its properties, and so studied physics so she could further investigate the mysterious object. The Doctor realises that it is a petrified alien eye that has the ability to cloak other, albeit small, objects due its properties. Ruth explains that there are many people after the artefact, primarily the Nazis and that her family, who are in Vienna, are being held hostage for it by Dr Backhouse. They expect Dr Backhouse has fled with the artefact so the Doctor goes with the police in pursuit of Backhouse, assuming she hasn't gontten far. However, the further car gets, the more the energy readings die down and the Doctor realises he's made a huge mistake.
Dr Horwitz's notes and work are stolen from her room and the Doctor confronts her about the impossibility of her escape from her attacker, leading her to explain that one of the stolen items is a family heirloom, a sketch of which the Doctor recognises as a [[petrification|petrified]] [[eye]], with the power of [[invisibility]] and that she has been studying it in the hopes of replicating its power to win the war. She says that the letters have been coming from Dr Backhouse, a Nazi who has been threatening her relatives in [[Vienna]] and who has apparently left by [[car]]. The Doctor follows the fluctuation readings so that he and [[policeman (An Eye For Murder)|a policeman]] can catch Dr Backhouse before she escapes, but the readings fade and he realises that she is still at St Ursula's.


Peri, Dr Petherbridge and Ruth celebrate but Peri reveals she's uneasy as she thought Backhouse would have put up more of a fight... but then they hear a noise and discover that Backhouse was hiding amongst them and never left the college using the artefact eye to hide herself the whole time. Peri and the others pursue her and the doctor arrives just in time and chases after Backhouse as the others are not able to keep up in order to stop her as she poses a danger to the girls in the dorms. He tries to pursuade Backhouse to give him the eye when they reach the roof as rain falls, making it slippery, but Backhouse refuses. She suddenly sees her hand and legs beginning to disappear and the Doctor tells her that it is the dark vacuum energy affecting her at a [[Molecule|molecular]] level and destabilising her and explains he can only save her if she throws away the eye but she refuses, however, missing her limbs she slips and falls off the [[roof]], destabilising completely as she hits the ground while the eye shatters and breaks much to the others' despair.
Peri, Dr Petherbridge and Dr Horwitz realise that Dr Backhouse is using the eye to conceal herself in the building and chase the sound of her footsteps outside. The Doctor arrives and joins them in heading to the [[chapel]] where Dr Backhouse becomes visible. He warns her that the dark vacuum energy is causing her to fall apart, but she refuses to throw the eye away and falls to her [[death]] from a height, smashing the eye and fading away. Although Dr Horwitz's notes have been lost to the [[storm]], she is pleased to receive a [[telegram]] that her family left Vienna for [[Great Britain|Britain]] before war was declared, which was why Dr Backhouse had to resort to [[theft]] rather than [[blackmail]]. Dr Petherbridge asks the Doctor to address the undergraduates, but he defers to Peri and they head to the TARDIS, ostensibly to fetch Peri's notes.
 
In the epilogue it is revealed that Ruth's notes on the eye were lost as they flew out the window after her room was ransacked but her family managed to flee Vienna and make it to Paris and are now on their way join Ruth in Britain, and the Doctor suspects that without a hostage to threaten Ruth with Backhouse now had to act quickly. The department asks the Doctor to address the college but the Doctor defers the duty to Peri who says she'd love to but needs to get her notes she left in the [[The Doctor's TARDIS|police box]] near the campus and they slip away, Peri merely using "fetching the notes" as an excuse.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
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* [[Petherbridge|Dr Petherbridge]] - [[Janet Henfrey]]
* [[Petherbridge|Dr Petherbridge]] - [[Janet Henfrey]]
* [[Ruth Horwitz|Dr Ruth Horwitz]] - [[Jessica Knappett]]
* [[Ruth Horwitz|Dr Ruth Horwitz]] - [[Jessica Knappett]]
* Policeman - [[Andy Secombe]]
* [[Policeman (An Eye For Murder)|Policeman]] - [[Andy Secombe]]


== Worldbuilding ==
== Worldbuilding ==
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* Peri describes the Doctor's coat as resembling "an explosion in a paint factory."
* Peri describes the Doctor's coat as resembling "an explosion in a paint factory."
* Peri likes [[coffee]].
* Peri likes [[coffee]].
* [[Ruth Horwitz|Dr. Ruth Horwitz]] is [[Judaism|Jewish]]. She has been receiving anti-Semitic poison pen letters for two to three months.
* [[Ruth Horwitz]] is [[Judaism|Jewish]]. She has been receiving anti-Semitic poison pen letters for two to three months.
* [[Joan Dalton|Dr. Joan Dalton]] is a [[Communism|Communist]] while [[Maria Backhouse|Dr. Maria Backhouse]] is a [[Nazi]].
* [[Joan Dalton]] is an [[economist]] and a [[Communism|communist]].
* [[Nazi]] [[Germany]] and the [[Soviet Union]] have signed a non-aggression pact.
* [[Maria Backhouse]] is a [[Nazi]].
 
* Nazi [[Germany]] and the [[Soviet Union]] have signed a non-aggression pact.
* Dr Petherbridge mistakes the Doctor and Peri for a [[couple]].
* [[Petherbridge|Dr Petherbridge]] mistakes the Doctor and Peri for a [[couple]].
* The Doctor is a dab hand at typing and with a [[typewriter]].
* The Doctor is a "dab hand" with a [[typewriter]].
* The energy readings are [[dark energy fluctuations]].
* The energy readings are [[dark vacuum energy]] fluctuations.
* Dr Joan Dalton is an [[economist]] as the Doctor claims.
* [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Josef Stalin]] are mentioned.
* [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Joseph Stalin|Jospeh Stalin]] are mentioned.


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==

Latest revision as of 17:45, 1 November 2024

RealWorld.png

An Eye For Murder was the third story in the audio anthology, Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories, which comprised the one hundred and eighty-eighth release in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Una McCormack and featured Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

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

The year is 1939, and a case of poison pen letters at St Ursula's College threatens to change the course of the Second World War. Fortunately thriller writer Miss Sarah Perry is on hand to investigate...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tracking dark vacuum energy fluctuations, the Doctor takes Peri to St Ursula's College in September 1939 where she is mistaken by Dr Petherbridge, the principal, for Susan Perry, a thriller writer whom she is expecting. Dr Petherbridge tells Peri that anonymous poison pen letters have been sent to Jewish physicist Dr Horwitz and, to avoid involving the police and damaging the college's reputation, asks her to look into it, which the Doctor agrees that they will do. Peri gets the racist letters from Dr Horwitz whilst the Doctor meets economist Dr Dalton, who escorts him to his room to ensure that no undergraduates get an undeserved reputation for interacting with him.

After Dr Backhouse advises her to question Dr Dalton about her politics, Peri catches up with the Doctor and she realises that Dr Dalton is a communist rather than a Nazi following the announcement of the Second World War over the radio. Dr Horwitz tells Peri that somebody tried to murder as she was working, which coincides with the Doctor's readings becoming stronger, but she is unable to give a satisfactory answer for how she was able to escape. The Doctor and Peri wonder if Dr Dalton, who failed to recruit Dr Horwitz to the communist cause, is responsible and meet with her and Dr Petherbridge in the principal's office. Although Dr Dalton denies the charge, Dr Petherbridge has her arrested and Dr Horwitz says that a mistake has been made.

Dr Horwitz's notes and work are stolen from her room and the Doctor confronts her about the impossibility of her escape from her attacker, leading her to explain that one of the stolen items is a family heirloom, a sketch of which the Doctor recognises as a petrified eye, with the power of invisibility and that she has been studying it in the hopes of replicating its power to win the war. She says that the letters have been coming from Dr Backhouse, a Nazi who has been threatening her relatives in Vienna and who has apparently left by car. The Doctor follows the fluctuation readings so that he and a policeman can catch Dr Backhouse before she escapes, but the readings fade and he realises that she is still at St Ursula's.

Peri, Dr Petherbridge and Dr Horwitz realise that Dr Backhouse is using the eye to conceal herself in the building and chase the sound of her footsteps outside. The Doctor arrives and joins them in heading to the chapel where Dr Backhouse becomes visible. He warns her that the dark vacuum energy is causing her to fall apart, but she refuses to throw the eye away and falls to her death from a height, smashing the eye and fading away. Although Dr Horwitz's notes have been lost to the storm, she is pleased to receive a telegram that her family left Vienna for Britain before war was declared, which was why Dr Backhouse had to resort to theft rather than blackmail. Dr Petherbridge asks the Doctor to address the undergraduates, but he defers to Peri and they head to the TARDIS, ostensibly to fetch Peri's notes.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]