The Great White Hurricane was the second and final story in the audio anthology The First Doctor Adventures: Volume One. It was written by Guy Adams and featured David Bradley as the First Doctor, Claudia Grant as Susan Foreman, Jamie Glover as Ian Chesterton and Jemma Powell as Barbara Wright.
Publisher's summary
Rival gangs turn streets into battlegrounds, and the Doctor and his friends are caught in the crossfire. They find themselves separated and lost in the cold.
As the hunt for a fugitive turns ever more desperate, a blizzard descends. The snow keeps falling. And soon it will prove as deadly as any weapon...
Plot
The Coming Storm (1)
Immediately following their previous adventure, the Doctor and his companions arrive in the TARDIS on Earth. Ian steps outside to see where they are and is shot. While Barbara and the Doctor attempt to tend to him, a gang member being pursued by police takes Susan hostage and flees. The Doctor's primary concern is Susan's safety, pointing out that Ian's injury is only a grazed temple that could have easily been much worse. While Barbara decides to take Ian to the hospital, the Doctor attempts to go after Susan. A police officer arrives on the scene in an attempt to assist Susan, but decides to imprison the Doctor due to his hostility. In a police carriage, he encounters another man who tells him that he is not only capable of helping the Doctor get out of prison, but is also the brother of the man who took Susan.
At the Presbyterian Hospital, Barbara meets Rosalita, a Puerto Rican woman who broke her leg while attempting to find food for her son Joseph. She expresses concern for Joseph, who is currently with their neighbours; none of them expect Rosalita to be away for longer than an hour. A nurse comes to ask Barbara for help with Ian, who is resisting instructions from the doctor attending to him.
Meanwhile, Susan's kidnapper demands that she help him find food. When Susan resists, he reveals that he had no intention of hurting her and does not carry a weapon. His main interest is in staying out of jail. Susan suggests they find someplace dry.
The police officer escorts the Doctor into the station house while mocking him and accusing him of being inebriated. Inside, the other prisoner introduces himself to the Doctor as Daniel Ellis, a former member of the Mad Boars who had joined to try to keep his brother Patrick out of trouble. He had been Patrick's primary caretaker since both of their parents died of cholera when Patrick was a few months old; the authorities and affluency did nothing to help Daniel even though he was only ten, forcing him to join the gang for support. While Daniel felt he eventually outgrew the gang and left, Patrick couldn't remember being without them and remained. He insists that Patrick will not hurt Susan.
Patrick and Susan run from pursuers and hide under a fire escape after stealing some bread and bandages. Patrick has some prior wounds that reopen while running, so he suggests they go elsewhere to take cover and use the bandages.
Back at the hospital, Ian asks Barbara to help him leave. She tells him to rest to ease his concussion. When he learns that Susan has been taken, he is anxious to go help find her. Barbara tells Ian that they are in New York City, but they are not sure of the year. She goes to find out what year it is and to ask Ian's doctor how long he will need to recover.
In a grocery store cellar, Susan uses windowlight to bandage Patrick's injury. He is concerned about infection, but Susan suggests simply using antibiotics. Patrick has never heard of them. He tells her about his upbringing and expresses frustration with his brother Daniel who doesn't seem to care about him. She suggests going to him for help, but he is resistant. Looking out the window, she sees the first signs of snow.
Daniel climbs the walls of the cell to try to get a look outside and also comments on the snow. He is surprised when the Doctor tells him that he has a habit of getting on the wrong side of the law despite his refinement, but the Doctor has a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There is no bed available for Rosalita at the hospital, and she has been sitting without yet receiving treatment all this time. She and Barbara notice the snow outside, which worries Rosalita who has already injured herself from slipping. Barbara notices a newspaper left by one of the doctors and is upset when she notices the date: March 12, 1888. She runs to Ian to tell him that they need to leave immediately. In his daze, he doesn't understand her concern. She explains that they are in the beginnings of the Great White Hurricane, which will lead to 85 mile-per-hour winds, snowdrifts in excess of 30 feet, frozen windows, a total lockdown of the city, and hundreds dead.
The Frozen City (2)
to be added
The Killer in the Snow (3)
to be added
River of Doom (4)
to be added
Cast
References
- The man with the ladder is from a work crew based on Mulberry Street.
- Ian is taken to the Presbyterian Hospital.
Notes
- This is the first historical story with David Bradley as the First Doctor.
Continuity
- The Doctor recalls having played backgammon with the Emperor of China. (TV: Marco Polo)
- The Doctor frequently later visited New York City. (TV: The Chase, Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, Day of the Moon, The Angels Take Manhattan, The Return of Doctor Mysterio, AUDIO: The Side of the Angels)
External links
- Official The Great White Hurricane page at bigfinish.com