Forty-Five (audio anthology)
Forty-Five was the one hundred and fifteenth release in Big Finish's monthly range. The four stories were written by Mark Morris, Nick Scovell, Mark Michalowski and Steven Hall respectively and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace and Philip Olivier as Hex.
The number "45" somehow figured into each of the four stories and was intended to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Doctor Who.
Publisher's summary
In Egypt, archaeologist Howard Carter unearths an ancient secret buried in the Valley of the Kings. On an island of Mendolovinia, a deranged academic attempts to push back the frontiers of the human mind. In war-torn London, a cockney spiv takes possession of a bizarre alien object. And in a military bunker in the cold heart of Antartica, the strangest and deadliest of the Doctor's many enemies lies in wait...
IN DETAIL
1. FALSE GODS by Mark Morris
In the blistering heat of the Egyptian desert Howard Carter and his team search for the lost tomb of Userhat, a servant of the god Amun. What they discover sheds new light on the history of the world as we know it.
2. ORDER OF SIMPLICITY by Nick Scovell
Dr. Verryman has devoted his life to the advancement of knowledge. When his experiments on a remote planet threaten the entire human race only the Doctor can help - if he puts his mind to it.
3. CASUALTIES OF WAR by Mark Michalowski
Opportunity knocks in postwar London. But when a tea leaf steals from the wrong woman it becomes a race against time to discover the truth. Only some truths are best left untold.
4. THE WORD LORD by Steven Hall
In a top secret military bunker deep beneath the Antarctic ice a mysterious death threatens peace negotiations and could spell disaster for the inhabitants of Earth. Can the Doctor cross the t's and dot the i's? Or will his efforts get lost in translation?
Stories
| # | Title | Author | Director | Featuring | Released | Pr. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.1 | False Gods | Mark Morris | Ken Bentley | Ace, Hex | November 2008 | 7W/H |
| 45.2 | Order of Simplicity | Nick Scovell | ||||
| 45.3 | Casualties of War | Mark Michalowski | ||||
| 45.4 | The Word Lord | Steven Hall |
Gallery
Original cover art
Textless cover art
Illustrated preview from DWM 402 by Anthony Dry
Notes
- This is the second story to celebrate Doctor Who's 45th anniversary, the other being the comic story The Forgotten.
- This anthology was recorded at the Moat Studios.
- On the CD cover art and inside the booklet, the TARDIS interior shown is the one from the TV Movie, reflecting the sound effect which had been used since The Settling. Whilst this seemingly contradicted Excelis Decays, in which the Seventh Doctor was depicted as reconfiguring the TARDIS into its TV Movie form, it was later revealed in Black and White that the Doctor restored the TARDIS console room's original configuration at some point between A Death in the Family and that story in order to differentiate it from that of the black TARDIS.
- This is Big Finish's third anthology release, an annual trend which began with Circular Time. Anthologies have covered themes such as companions and seasons, but more recently stories have only been linked by Doctor and companion.
- The number "45" is of thematic significance in each play:
- In False Gods, there are 45 statues and Jane said she was belonged to the 45th class at the Time Lord Academy.
- In Order of Simplicity, the Doctor reduces his IQ to 45.
- Casualties of War is set on VE Day 1945.
- The Word Lord is set in 2045, and explains the recurring number is due to Nobody No-One's CORDIS.
- Anthony Dry did an illustrated preview of this story in DWM 402.
External links
- Official Forty-five page at bigfinish.com
- Forty-five at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- DisContinuity for Forty-five at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide
