Tartarus (audio story)

Tartarus
Doctor:	Fifth Doctor
Companion(s):	Tegan, Nyssa, Marc
Featuring:	Cicero
Main enemy:	Tartarus
Main setting:	Cumae, 63 BC
Key crew
Publisher:	Big Finish Productions
Writer:	David Llewellyn
Director:	Scott Handcock
Producer:	Scott Handcock
Music:	Robert Harvey
Sound:	Robert Harvey
Cover by:	Simon Holub
Release details
Release number:	256
Release date:	17 September 2019
Format:	2 Episodes on 2 CDs
Production code:	BFPDWCD256
ISBN:	ISBN 978-1-78178-861-5
Official trailer
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Tartarus was the two hundred and fifty sixth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by David Llewellyn and featured Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa and Janet Fielding as Tegan and introduced George Watkins as Marc.

Publisher's summary

63BC. Following the overthrow of Catiline, Cicero and his wife retire to the coastal town of Cumae, safe from the threats of Rome.

But when a stranger and his companions arrive at Cicero's villa, new dangers lie in wait and Cicero finds himself plunged into a realm of gods and monsters.

His only hope of returning home lies with a man known as the Doctor. But can Cicero trust him?

Plot

Part one

to be added

Part two

to be added

Cast

• The Doctor - Peter Davison
• Nyssa - Sarah Sutton
• Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
• Cicero - Samuel Barnett
• Terentia - Laura Riseborough
• Septus - Joe Shire
• Tartarus - Tracy Ann Oberman
• Marc - George Watkins

References

• Cicero addresses a letter to Atticus.
• Tartarus is a sentient warp ship.
• Tartarus was sent by the Hive Leadership on Zorth, which is in the Fraxis Galaxy in the constellation of Zandrobar. The Zorth lived there before their home planet was destroyed.

Notes

Alternate cover.

• With Samuel Barnett playing Cicero and Laura Riseborough as Terentia, this story was a crossover with Big Finish's Cicero series. (BFX: Tartarus)
• Playing new companion Marc is George Watkins, who is Peter Davison's nephew. (BFX: Time in Office)
• The story was recorded on 29 and 30 January 2019 at The Moat Studios.
• The Doctor says that Marc has lived his entire life in 1st century Naples. However, the story is actually set in 63 BC, during the previous century.

Continuity

• The Doctor assures Tegan that Vesuvius will not erupt for another 140 years. The Doctor would later be present at this event in at least his seventh and tenth incarnations. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii; AUDIO: The Fires of Vulcan)
• The Doctor has previously met a Roman Emperor. (TV: The Romans)
• Nyssa remarks that it's been a long time since the Doctor last mentioned Adric. (TV: Earthshock, Time-Flight)
• Tegan tries saying "veni, vidi, vici", but Cicero does not understand, asking her what language it was in. Donna Noble would later do the same, and discover that her Latin sounds like Celtic to the locals, due to the TARDIS translation circuits. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii)
• The Doctor recalls that he used to play the recorder. (TV: The Power of the Daleks, etc.)

External links

• Official Tartarus page at bigfinish.com