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The Fires of Vulcan was the twelfth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Steve Lyons and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush.
This was the third full story to feature the Seventh Doctor but the first audio story to feature Mel, a role which she last played in Children in Need presentation Dimensions in Time in 1993. This was also writer Lyons' first contribution to an audio story; he has also contributed to a number of novels and short stories.
Publisher's summary
Two thousand years ago, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption wiped the Roman city of Pompeii from the face of the Earth. It also buried the Doctor's TARDIS...
Arriving in Pompeii one day before the disaster, the Seventh Doctor and Mel find themselves separated from their ship and entangled in local politics. With time running out, they fight to escape from the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. But how can they succeed when history itself is working against them?
Plot
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Melanie Bush - Bonnie Langford
- Professor Scalini - Anthony Keetch
- Captain Muriel Frost - Karen Henson
- Tibernus / Roman Legionary - Robert Curbishley
- Popidius Celsinus - Andy Coleman
- Valeria Hedone - Nicky Goldie
- Murranus - Steven Wickham
- Eumachia - Lisa Hollander
- Aglae - Gemma Bissix
- Priest - Toby Longworth
References
The Doctor
- During his fifth incarnation, the Doctor was contacted by UNIT, who told him that they had found his TARDIS encased in rock at Pompeii during an archaeological excavation in 1980.
Individuals
- Mel states that she is a vegetarian. Valeria Hedone responds that she has never heard of Vegetaria.
- Mel made a replica of Mount Vesuvius out of papier mâché while at primary school.
The Master
- The Doctor uses his voice to compel a guard and later Popidius into handing over a key and going to sleep, a skill previously demonstrated by the Master.
Earth history
Notes
- This story was originally released on both CD and cassette. It is now available as a download.
- An illustrated preview for this story appeared in Doctor Who Magazine issue 295 with art by Lee Sullivan.
- Muriel Frost becomes the first character created for the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip to be featured in an audio drama. She will later be followed by Frobisher, Izzy Sinclair, Maxwell Edison and others.
- This audio drama was recorded on 11 and 12 March 2000 at The Moat Studios.
- Alistair Lock's soundtrack to the story was released on CD on Music from the New Audio Adventures Volume 2, alongside the scores for two other Seventh Doctor stories, Last of the Titans and The Shadow of the Scourge.
- This story is set between Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire.
- This story is set parallel to The Fires of Pompeii, although neither the Doctor nor Mel are known to encounter the Pyrovile or the Doctor's future incarnation and Donna.
- This story was originally released on CD and cassette. It is now available to download and to stream on Spotify.
Cover gallery
Cassette cover and cassettes
Original CD cover art
Revised CD cover art
Continuity
- An older version of the Seventh Doctor would later return to Pompeii in August 79 in the company of Ace (PROSE: The Algebra of Ice), as would the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble (TV: The Fires of Pompeii) and his future travelling companion Captain Jack Harkness, on multiple occasions (TV: The Doctor Dances).
- The Seventh Doctor is unaware that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was triggered by his tenth incarnation in order to stop the Pyroviles. (TV: The Fires of Pompeii)