The Ultimate Adventure (stage play)

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Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure was a musical stage play mounted during 1989. Jon Pertwee reprised his role as the Third Doctor for the initial run of the play, and the remaining run saw Colin Baker take over as the Sixth Doctor. During Pertwee's run, the actor fell ill for a couple of performances and his understudy, David Banks (best known for his Cyberman acting work on TV) briefly played a unique incarnation of the Doctor[1] .

Summary

The Daleks and the Cybermen form an alliance to kidnap the American Envoy and ruin a peace conference on Earth. The Doctor meets a new companion in the form of a Frenchman nicknamed Jason, who after failing to stop the Cybermen take the US Envoy from a nightclub are joined by a singer named Crystal, who works there. After a trip to Altair Three and then the Bar Galactica, they meet Madame Delilah but are forced to flee along with a small furry creature called Zog.

The time travellers are captured briefly by the Daleks and navigate the ship through an asteroid field before making a series of short trips, before arriving to confront the Dalek Emperor. The Doctor tricks the Emperor into revealing that the Daleks intend to betray the Cybermen and a battle breaks out between the two. Returning to Earth, the Doctor realises the US Envoy is under Dalek influence and programmed to destroy London with a Dalekanium bomb. The Doctor breaks his conditioning and defuses the bomb by putting it in a teapot.

Cast

  • Third Doctor/Unknown Doctor/Sixth Doctor (depending on lead performer) - Jon Pertwee (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 03/06/89) or David Banks (29/04/89) or Colin Baker (05/06/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Jason - Graeme Smith (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89) or David Bingham (21/04/89 to 23/04/89, 17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Crystal - Rebecca Thornhill
  • Karl - David Banks (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 19/08/89) or Chris Beaumont (29/04/89)
  • Madame Delilah / Mrs T - Judith Hibbert
  • Zog - Stephanie Colburn
  • Envoy - Chris Beaumont
  • Nightclub MC - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89) or Oliver Gray (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • The Daleks - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Oliver Gray, Troy Webb, Deborah Hecht, Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Emperor Dalek - Troy Webb
  • Chief Dalek - Paula Tappenden
  • Dalek Scientist - Chris Beaumont
  • Dalek Voices - Chris Beaumont, Troy Webb
  • The Cybermen - Paula Tappenden, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Cyberleader - Wolf Christian
  • Cybermen Voices - Oliver Gray
  • Envoy's Wife - Claudia Kelly
  • Bell Boy - Stephanie Colburn
  • U.S. Bodyguards - Troy Webb, Deborah Hecht
  • Mercenaries - Terry Walsh (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Alison Reddihough, Oliver Gray (26/06/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Martial Arts Mercenary - Troy Webb
  • Insect Men - Claudia Kelly, Troy Webb, Alison Reddihough
  • Waitress - Deborah Hecht
  • Ant-Person - Claudia Kelly
  • Vervoid - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Chicken-Headed Alien - Paula Tappenden
  • Hairy Alien - Chris Beaumont (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Draconian - Wolf Christian
  • Executioner - Alison Reddihough
  • Execution Victim - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Duelling Guards - Terry Walsh (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Wolf Christian, Oliver Gray (26/06/89 to 15/07/89)
  • Ragamuffin - Claudia Kelly
  • French Women - Paula Tappenden, Deborah Hecht, Judith Hibbert
  • French Men - Chris Beaumont, Troy Webb, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
  • Customers - Wolf Christian, Claudia Kelly, Troy Webb, Paula Tappenden, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 15/07/89), Alison Reddihough, Gavin Warwick (23/03/89 to 15/07/89)

Notes

  • The inclusion of the Cybermen by playwright Terrance Dicks is ironic given his stated distaste for them in commentary on the 2008 DVD release of The Five Doctors.

Gallery

Continuity

  • Face Value is a sequel to this story.
  • Due to the fact that it is a musical, coupled with the fact that three different actors played the Doctor at different times during its run (including the David Banks incarnation which has no equivalent in mainstream continuity), the play is not considered canonical. However, Big Finish Productions released an audio drama based on this play which may be considered a part of Big Finish canon.

Remakes

External links

References

  1. David Banks (1990) Doctor Who: Cybermen, W H Allen & Co plc. ISBN 0-352-32738-3.
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