Nocturne (audio story)
Nocturne was the ninety-second story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Dan Abnett and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace and Philip Olivier as Hex.
Publisher's summary
On the human colony planet Nocturne, there is suffering and blight, tragic symptoms of an ages-old war. Nevertheless, Nocturne is also one of the Doctor's favourite places in all of time and space, because it is here that a late, great flowering of human art — the High Renaissance — is taking place.
He has been back here, many times. It is a place of music and art which he finds inspirational and uplifting. It is a place he wants to share with Ace and Hex. It's always been a safe haven for him, a world of friends and laughter.
But with strict Martial Law imposed on the front-line city, and the brutal scourge of interstellar warfare vicing the system, how safe can anyone really be?
There is a note of death in the wild, midnight wind...
Plot
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
- Ace - Sophie Aldred
- Hex - Philip Olivier
- Korbin Thessinger - Trevor Bannister
- Will Alloran/Lomas Alloran - Paul David-Gough
- Lothar Ragpole - Eric Potts
- Lilian Dillane - Ann Rye
- Oberst Cate Reeney / Familiars - Helen Kay
Crew
- Cover Art - Alex Mallinson
- Director - John Ainsworth
- Executive Producers - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
- Music and Sound Design - Steve Foxon
- Producers - Sharon Gosling and Gary Russell
- Script Editor - Alan Barnes
- Writer - Dan Abnett
Worldbuilding
The Doctor
- Ace and Hex remind the Doctor of several previous occasions that he brought them to places under false pretences including Breearos, Tau Sartos and Nydas III.
- Lilian Dillane comments that it is quite a novelty for the Doctor not to have regenerated between visits to Nocturne.
- During a visit to Glasst City five years earlier, the Doctor became embroiled in a cover-up over an attempted Foucoo assassination of the executives of the War Department.
- During his fifth incarnation, the Doctor visited Nocturne in the company of Tegan Jovanka. He remembers it as being a "particularly lively visit."
Individuals
- While he was in secondary school, Hex went on a school trip to Venice. He thought that everything was wet and smelled like rubbish.
Planets
- Nocturne is located between the systems of Tau Ceti and Zeta Reticuli. It is 3 parsecs from Earth.
History
- In later centuries, Nocturne will be regarded as the greatest concentration of artists including painters, sculptors, poets, writers and composers since the Florentine Renaissance.
Technology
- The people of Nocturne are serviced by robots known as Familiars, all of whom are female.
Gallery
Original cover art
Illustrated by Martin Geraghty from DWM 379
Notes
- A preview illustrated by Martin Geraghty was featured in DWM 379.
- This audio drama was recorded on 26 and 27 September 2006 at the Moat Studios.
- The Doctor says that the era "you" come from is about 790 years ago, however it is unclear whether he is referring to Ace's time (1987) or Hex's time (2021).
- This is the last Big Finish release to feature the original cover design.
- This story was originally released on CD and download. It is now available as a download only.
- This story is set after Survival.
Continuity
- The Doctor mentions that he has previously had numerous bad experiences with robots. (TV: Robot, The Robots of Death)
- "Glasst City" appears to be named for Gregori Glasst, the great classical music composer mentioned in PROSE: Deadfall, Invasion of the Cat-People, and Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe. Glasst originated in the Audio Visuals.
External links
- Official Nocturne page at bigfinish.com
- Nocturne at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- DisContinuity for Nocturne at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide
