The Annihilators (audio story)

There's something in the water at Lewgate Docks. Something strange, and green, and deadly. Summoned to the North of England by a mystery informer, the Brigadier finds his investigations hampered at every turn by the local police. Just what are they trying to hide?

While the Third Doctor uncovers sinister goings-on in the city morgue, Liz attracts the attention of something unearthly. But with Time running out, quite literally, the Doctor, Liz and UNIT aren’t the only ones to find themselves targeted by a world-shattering alien menace...

...because they’ve got a previous Doctor and his best friend Jamie in their sights, too!

Plot

to be added

Cast

Crew

Cover Art - Sean Longmore
Writer, Music & Director - Nicholas Briggs
Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery
Producer - Heather Challands
Script Editor - Alan Barnes
Sound Design - Steve Foxon
Senior Producer - David Richardson

Worldbuilding

In order to prove his identity to Jamie, the Third Doctor mentions that he had travelled with Victoria Waterfield and Zoe Heriot.

Notes

This story was recorded on 6, 8 and 21-23 September 2021 at the Soundhouse and Audio Sorcery.
To keep the Second Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon's appearance in this audio drama secret, Big Finish initially released a dummy cover and the first version of the trailer on their website and on social media.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] The same was done with Old Friends in The Ninth Doctor Adventures, released just over a week later, to keep the involvement of the Cybermen a secret.
Michael Troughton was set to debut as the Second Doctor in Big Finish's upcoming range, The Second Doctor Adventures. However, when Briggs noted there would be a sizeable wait ahead of the new range's first release, he decided to include the Second Doctor and Jamie in The Annihilators as a teaser of what was to come. The Annihilators notably reveals that the two are on a special mission but its true nature is not revealed; Briggs teased that this would tie in to The Second Doctor Adventures. (BFX: The Annihilators)
The Annihilators was the first seven part story made by Big Finish, in accordance with the production choices of Season 7. Though he had been keen on this idea for some time, Nicholas Briggs felt that the Big Finish CD release format made it impractical. He changed his mind when Heather Challands urged him to go for it. (BFX: The Annihilators)
The cover does not name Nicholas Briggs as the writer.
The opening theme for each episode is split in two, largely framing the cliffhanger reprise, as it was for The Ambassadors of Death.

Continuity

In order to prove his identity to Jamie, the Third Doctor mentions that their first encounter with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was when they fought the Yeti in the London Underground when he was still a Colonel. (TV: The Web of Fear)
The Brigadier says that Jamie is older than the last time they both saw each other, fighting against the Cybermen. (TV: The Invasion)
Liz is aware of regeneration because of the Brigadier telling her about knowing the Doctor in a previous body. (TV: Spearhead from Space)
When the Third Doctor discusses the aliens' transmat, Jamie remembers the incident with T-Mat and the Ice Warriors on The Moon. (TV: The Seeds of Death)
The Third Doctor tries, unsuccessfully in the end, to rematerialise the console inside the TARDIS control room. (TV: The Ambassadors of Death, Inferno) River Song would later be more successful in reinstalling it, much to the Doctor's annoyance. (AUDIO: Rivers of Light)
The Second Doctor is working for the Time Lords, though under duress, (AUDIO: The Final Beginning) and is being accompanied by Jamie following their reunion. (AUDIO: Jamie) He is also aware of his upcoming exile to Earth. (AUDIO: The Final Beginning) However, the Third Doctor does not remember travelling with an older Jamie, since the Time Lords regularly erased the Doctor's memories. (PROSE: Save Yourself)

Cover gallery

Dummy cover without the Second Doctor and Jamie McCrimmon
Alternate cover
Textless cover
Textless dummy cover

External links

Official The Annihilators page at bigfinish.com

[1] ttps://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-third-doctor-faces-the-annihilators

[2] ttps://twitter.com/bigfinish/status/1468233851596124164

[3] ttps://twitter.com/bigfinish/status/1473684767489019921

[4] ttps://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/michael-troughton-is-the-second-doctor

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