Birthright was the fourth Bernice Summerfield audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions. It was the second in a trilogy of stories known as the "Time Ring Trilogy" whose arc element was the use of Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane's wedding time rings, given to them when they were married in Happy Endings. Like the previous stories this story also features a previous Doctor Who television story actor Colin Baker in the role of Mikhail Vladamir Popov.
This was the first story to be adapted that that was a Virgin New Adventures novel, rather than part of the Virgin Bernice Summerfield New Adventures which featured Bernice without the Doctor. The original Birthright novel featured elements which have been adapted here. While the Doctor did not feature heavily in the original novel, Ace did. Ace's role is now taken by Jason Kane.
This audio production is also notable for being the first in Big Finish's output to feature an actor who previously played the Doctor, in this case the Sixth Doctor with Colin Baker playing Mikhail Vladamir Popov. It would be another 6 months following the release of this audio that The Sirens of Time was released featuring Colin Baker in a Doctor Who audio story playing his Doctor opposite Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy also reprising their roles in that story.
Publisher's summary
"If the human race were to die tomorrow, insect life would carry on regardless. Insects might even become the dominant species!"
Thrown off the Time Path, Professor Bernice Summerfield is trapped in early 20th Century London, with only one of the pair of time rings she needs to get home. At the other end of time, her ex-husband Jason Kane finds himself stranded on a dead world, where the queen of the Charrl demands his help to save her dying race. But all he wants to do is find Benny, and return to the 26th Century.
In the East End a series of grisly murders has been committed - is this the work of the legendary Springheel Jack or, as Benny suspects, something even more sinister? Allied with a Russian detective, she determines to find out. But the master of a grand order of sorcerers has other plans for her...
Plot
to be added
Cast
- Bernice Summerfield - Lisa Bowerman
- Jason Kane - Stephen Fewell
- Mikhail Vladamir Popov - Colin Baker
- John Lafayette - Barnaby Edwards
- Jared Khan - John Wadmore
- Queen Ch'tizz - Jane Shakespeare
- Chief Inspector Prior - Jonathan Reason
- Charlie Jackson - Benjamin Roddy
References
Cultural references from the real world
- Jason has seen the science fiction film Alien.
Notes
- This was adapted from PROSE: Birthright for audio by Jacqueline Rayner.
- Colin Baker voices the character of Mikhail Vladimir Popov in this audio drama. This marked the first time that any actor who played the Doctor had participated in a Big Finish audio drama. He, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann would all later return to the role of the Doctor in Big Finish's Doctor Who main range and/or one of its spin-offs.
- This audio drama was recorded on 5 and 6 November 1998.
- It has never been established whether the audio version of Birthright or the original novel take precedent in terms of placement in overall Doctor Who universe continuity.
Continuity
to be added
External links
- Official Birthright page at bigfinish.com
- Birthright at the Doctor Who Reference Guide