Embrace the Darkness (audio story)

Embrace the Darkness
Doctor:	Eighth Doctor
Companion(s):	Charley
Main enemy:	The Cimmerians
Main setting:	Cimmeria IV, the Cimmerian System
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writer:	Nicholas Briggs
Director:	Nicholas Briggs
Cover by:	Clayton Hickman
Release details
Release number:	31
Release date:	April 2002
Format:	4 Episodes on 2 CDs
Production code:	8J
ISBN:	ISBN 1-903654-60-2
Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories
← Previous	Seasons of Fear
Next →	The Time of the Daleks

Embrace the Darkness was the thirty-first monthly Doctor Who audio story produced by Big Finish Productions. It was the fourth in a series of six audio stories featuring the Eighth Doctor. It featured the Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard.

Publisher's summary

The Doctor and Charley travel to the remote Cimmerian System to unravel the mystery of its sun. But darkness has already embraced the scientific base on Cimmeria IV in more ways than one.

In a fight for survival, the Doctor must use all his wits against a deadly artificial life-form and an ancient race whose return to the Cimmerian System threatens suffering and death on an apocalyptic scale.

Plot

to be added

Illustration preview by Martin Geraghty in DWM 316

Cast

• The Doctor - Paul McGann
• Charley Pollard - India Fisher
• Orllensa - Nicola Boyce
• Ferras - Lee Moone
• Haliard - Mark McDonnell
• ROSM / Solarian / Cimmerian / Astrov - Ian Brooker
• Cimmerian Voice - Nicholas Briggs

References

The Doctor

• The Doctor refers to Charley as his best friend.
• The Doctor tells Orllensa that he has spent much of his life being told that he was mad.

Biology

• Charley's body contains potentially carcinogenic cells, which leads ROSM to order her termination. The Doctor attributes this to the fact that she comes from a time when humans did not genetically modify themselves. Given that she is from 1930, Charley is unfamiliar with the term "genetics".

TARDIS

• Type 70 TARDISes emit a particular temporal energy discharge signature.
• Charley knows how to access the TARDIS' databank.

Technology

• ROSM is an acronym for Rescue Operational Security Module. It was designed by Professor Astrov.
• Humans once used ships equipped with solar sails to navigate through space. This practice was later documented on history vids.
• Charley refers to ROSM as a "talking adding machine."

Species

• The Doctor is aware of several species who refer to themselves as the Solarians.
• According to the Doctor, every civilisation has legends of healers who can cure illness and infirmity by touch.

Planets

• Cimmeria IV is located hundreds of light-years from Earth.

Cultural references from the real world

• Charley refers to watching the yachts coming in from the Cowes regatta.
• The Doctor gives ROSM a non-sequitur answer "I have no bananas today." This is in reference to the 20th century song "Yes! We Have No Bananas".
• The name "ROSM" is likely a reference to the play "R.U.R.", also known as "Rossum's Universal Robots", which is credited as introducing the word "robot" to the English language.
• The name "Cimmeria" may be a reference to the homeland of Conan the Barbarian in the stories of Robert E. Howard.

Notes

• This story was originally to have featured the Morestrans (who appeared in TV: Planet of Evil) instead of the Throxillians, but the rights could not be obtained from the BBC.
• Nicola Boyce (Orllensa) would later play Viola Learman in AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks and Taris in AUDIO: Neverland.
• Mark McDonnell (Haliard) would later play Alby Brook in Dalek Empire I and Dalek Empire II: Dalek War and Liam Barnaby in Cyberman and Cyberman 2.
• This audio drama was recorded on 22 January, 25 January and 26 January 2001.

Continuity

• ROSM detects the anti-time infection in Charley's system but is unable to recognise it. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The Doctor runs into a flotilla of Type 70 TARDISes in the Time Vortex and steers around them. He later learns the reasons for their presence from Lady President Romana during the anti-time crisis. (AUDIO: Neverland)
• The Celestial Toymaker would later refer to the Solarians in a riddle while Charley was playing his games in the Celestial Toyroom. (AUDIO: Solitaire)

External links

• Official Embrace the Darkness page at bigfinish.com
• Embrace the Darkness at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• DisContinuity for Embrace the Darkness at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide