The Last was the sixty-second story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Gary Hopkins and featured Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor, India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard, Conrad Westmaas as C'rizz and Stephen Perring as The Kro'ka.
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Publisher's summary
Trapped on a dying world, the Doctor and Charley come face-to-face with those responsible for the war to end all wars, while C'rizz tries to understand what has happened and learns the terrible truth.
Powerful forces are at work on Bortresoye that not even a nuclear holocaust can tame; natural forces that have excited the interest of Excelsior, the self-proclaimed saviour of her people.
With Charley immobilised and C'rizz left to battle against the elements with some of the victims of war, one final, desperate hope of escape presents itself to the travellers.
But who will be the last to leave the planet? Who will have to stay behind? And will the Doctor, Charley and C'rizz live long enough to find out?
Plot
The Last began with Excelsior, Minister Voss, and Minister Tralfinial discussing a war they planned to engage in, and Excelsior's announcement of the coming war to the people of Bortresoye. Excelsior gave her speech from their underground bunker, and then ordered the execution of her make-up assistant.
Then it cut to the Doctor in the Interzone, where the Kro'Ka shows him Adric and Katarina. He was upset to see them. He then arrived on Bortresoye, which had been utterly destroyed in a nuclear war. The Doctor, Charley, and C'rizz took cover in a building, which soon collapsed down on them. The Doctor was completely buried in the rubble, Charley was paralysed from the neck down, and C'rizz left to get help.
C'rizz found Requiem, who he assumes to be a survivor, and leads him back to where he left Charley and the Doctor, only to find them gone. Meanwhile, Charley and the Doctor are taken to the underground bunker by Landscar. The Doctor finds Charley, who tells him that she has damage to her spine and is likely permanently paralysed.
C'rizz followed Requiem to the archive where they worked, and found fifty survivors. Together, they set off for the underground bunker. When they arrived, the Doctor insisted on letting C'rizz in, but no one could see the survivors, including Requiem. It was theorised that they were either ghosts or hallucinations.
Cast
- The Doctor - Paul McGann
- Charley Pollard - India Fisher
- C'rizz - Conrad Westmaas
- The Kro'ka - Stephen Perring
- Excelsior - Carolyn Jones
- Minister Voss - Ian Brooker
- Minister Tralfinial - Robert Hines
- Landscar - Richard Derrington
- Requiem - Tom Eastwood
- Nurse - Jane Hills
- Make-Up Assistant - John Dorney
Crew
- Cover Art - Steve Johnson
- Director - Gary Russell
- Executive Producer - Jacqueline Rayner
- Music and Sound Design - David Darlington
- Producers - Gary Russell and Jason Haigh-Ellery
- Writer - Gary Hopkins
Worldbuilding
Individuals
- Voss is the Bortresoye Minister of War while Tralfinial is the Minister of Peace.
- The Kro'ka presents the Doctor with visions of Katarina and Adric, two of his companions who died while under his care.
- Most of C'rizz' family and friends were killed when the Kromon invaded Eutermes.
- Charley believes that all war is a crime.
The Doctor
- The Doctor refers to Katarina as "the little handmaiden from Troy." He regrets taking her away from her own time and giving her hope, only for her to be killed shortly afterwards.
- The Doctor quotes Dante's "Inferno".
- The Doctor states that he doesn't consider himself to be suicidal.
TARDIS
- The Doctor believes that the Kro'ka may have moved the TARDIS off-world.
Technology
- Given that she is from 1930, Charley is unfamiliar with nuclear weapons.
Species
- Eutermesans have an exoskeleton.
Conflicts
- Following the nuclear war, Voss reports that 60 million of Bortresoye's population of 75 million have been killed. However, Tralfinial believes that the death toll is even higher than that.
Gallery
Original CD cover art
Illustrated preview by Martin Geraghty from DWM 349
Notes
- An illustrated preview for this story appeared in DWM 349 by Martin Geraghty.
- A deleted scene from Episode 4 with the Eighth Doctor was included with Big Finish Magazine #6. The clip had been removed for time and pacing considerations. It is 1:59 in length.
- The working titles for this story were Would The Last Person To Leave The Planet Please Switch Off The Light? and Last.
- This story is unusual in that it does not feature the TARDIS. It was the last such story in the main range until AUDIO: LIVE 34 in September 2005.
- This audio drama was recorded on 9 and 10 June 2004 at The Moat Studios.
- This story was originally released on CD. It is now available as a download only.
Continuity
- The Doctor encounters the shades of his former companions Katarina (TV: The Myth Makers et al.) and Adric. (TV: Full Circle et al.) He refers to the fact that they both died while travelling with him. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan, Earthshock)
- C'rizz wears a moon stone around his neck which was given to him by his father Guidance on the day of his wedding to L'da. (AUDIO: The Next Life, The Creed of the Kromon)
- C'rizz and Charley discuss the fate of L'da. (AUDIO: The Creed of the Kromon)
External links
- Official The Last page at bigfinish.com