Tales from the Vault (audio story)
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Synopsis
Welcome to The Vault - jokingly known as 'The Museum of Terrors' - a high security establishment where UNIT keeps all of its alien artefacts.
New recruit Warrant Officer Charlie Sato is given a guided tour by Captain Ruth Matheson, and the archive reveals some dark secrets. An army jacket, a painting, crystal and a wax cylinder all hold a grave significance, and their stories are told by the Doctor's companions: Steven Taylor, Zoe Heriot, Jo Grant and Romana...
Cast
- Captain Ruth Matheson - Daphne Ashbrook
- Warrant Officer Charlie Sato - Yee Jee Tso
- Steven Taylor - Peter Purves
- Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
- Jo Grant - Katy Manning
- Romana - Mary Tamm
References
- Private Tommy Watkins was killed in the Battle of Spion Kop during the Second Boer War, as was the case with Joan Redfern's husband Oliver. (DW: Human Nature) Though it is not stated in either production, the battle took place from 23 to 24 January 1900.
Notes
- This is the second Companion Chronicles release to feature multiple companions from different eras (the first being CC: The Three Companions). There are in fact six companions involved in the story, although only four are heard. This is not an omnibus of stories with linking material, but rather Jo, Romana, Steven and Zoe are worked into the narrative by way of archival recordings.
- As Big Finish does not have the rights to the TV movie characters Grace Holloway and Chang Lee, Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso are able to participate in the Companion Chronicles by playing new characters. This isn't the first time companion actors have been brought in to perform characters other than their originals for the line. (A reference to the TV nonetheless is made when Matheson talks about UNIT covering up strange events that occurred at the turn of the millennium.)
- This audio drama features a cast of six actors, more than any other Companion Chronicle release to date.
- Many Companion Chronicles are in the form of one actor reading a story, but the format of this story allows it to be presented as a regular audio drama.
- Along with CC: Mother Russia, this is one of only two Big Finish audio dramas to feature Dodo Chaplet as a character.
Continuity
- Captain Matheson tells Warrant Office Sato about the Terravore incursion in the London Underground in 2010. (BFA: The Crimes of Thomas Brewster)
- References are made to UNIT's involvement with an incident involving a sea monster appearing in the River Thames (DW: Terror of the Zygons) and the disturbances at the millennium (DW: Doctor Who (1996), MA: Millennial Rites, BFIW: The Panda Invasion).
- The events involving Romana take place in 2001, around the time Matheson first began working with her UNIT division. This marks the first time the Time Lady has been chronicled interacting with UNIT.
- The events involving Jo are said to take place "70-odd" years after the death of Tommy Watkins in the Second Boer War battle which occurred in 1900, placing the Doctor with UNIT in the early 1970s, consistent with the DW: Mawdryn Undead version of the UNIT dating controversy and the real-life broadcasts.
- Jo mentions the Axons (DW: The Claws of Axos).
- Matheson's stated aim of the Vault is very similar to the mandate of Torchwood One (DW: Army of Ghosts).
Timeline
- Tales from the Vault occurs about a year after BFA: The Crimes of Thomas Brewster for Matheson and Sato (2011-2012).
- The Romana segment takes place after DW: The Stones of Blood (Romana's first visit to Earth).
- The Jo Grant segment takes place after DW: The Claws of Axos
External links
- Official Tales from the Vault page at bigfinish.com
- Tales from the Vault at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
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