The Wrath of the Iceni (audio story)

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The Wrath of the Iceni was the third story in the first series of The Fourth Doctor Adventures.

Publisher's summary

Britain. The height of the Roman occupation. The Doctor has brought Leela to ancient Norfolk to learn about her ancestors...but has not idea how much education she is going to get.

Because this is the time of Boudica's rebellion. When the tribe of the Iceni rises up and attempts to overthrow the Roman masters.

As Leela begins to be swayed by the warrior queen's words, the Doctor has to make a decision: save his friend...or history itself?

Plot

to be added

Cast

References

  • The Doctor refers to Noël Coward, whom he describes as "a brave man who said all sorts of things that society did not want to hear."
  • The Doctor tells Leela that he hates Morris dancers almost as much as the Daleks and the Cybermen.
  • Leela refers to the Roman legionnaires as "men in skirts."
  • The Doctor recognises Boudica, the queen of the Iceni, due to her "very, very red hair."
  • Pacquolas taunts Leela by telling her that he has seen cats bigger than her slain in the Colosseum.
  • Boudica inquires if the Doctor and Leela belong to the Catuvellauni tribe. Leela tells her that she is of the Sevateem, whom the Doctor claims are located "as far north as you can go and then some."
  • There are approximately 900 people in the Iceni tribe.
  • The Iceni's camp in Norfolk is one day's ride from Camulodunum, the capital of Roman Britain which was formally the capital of the Trinovantes, a tribe which is allied with the Iceni. It is a retirement home for former soldiers, their wives and their children.
  • Bragnar is a cook who did not support the war against the Romans. She claims that she would be rather mate with a Roman than Caedmon.
  • The Doctor tells Leela that the Romans conquered Britain in 43, approximately seventeen years before Boudica's rebellion, after several unsuccessful attempts. Her husband Prasutagus, the previous ruler of the Iceni, was one of several tribal rulers in Britain who were bought off by the invading Romans. After his death, he left half of his kingdom to the Roman Emperor Nero and the other half to his daughters. However, the Emperor annexed the entire kingdom. When Boudica objected, she was flogged and her daughters were raped in public.
  • In order to prevent Boudica from severing the Doctor's head, Leela tells her that the Doctor is a prophet who foresaw her defeat at the hands of the Romans.
  • Bragnar wishes that she was back in Venta Icenorum, the Iceni capital in Norfolk. Unsurprisingly, she has never heard of the 19th century novel Moby Dick.
  • With the Trinovantes and the Brigantes on their side, the Iceni outnumber the Roman forces at Camulodunum five to one. She tells Leela that the Roman governor Suetonius Paulinus is waging war against the druids on Mona and that he has left only a skeleton force of old soldiers. The Doctor tells her that the forces at Camulodunum are a decoy and Paulinus has stationed an army to the north and intends to attack Boudica's army while it is ransacking Camulodunum. However, this was not the case. There was no army to the north. According to established history, after the burning of Camolundunum, which would later become Colchester, Boudica marched to Londinium and slaughtered almost everyone in the city including the old, the weak and the infirm. She was eventually defeated in a field in the middle of England which no has ever been able to identify. Her army may have numbered up to 80,000 by this time but the Doctor notes that this figure could have been exaggerated by later historians. There were no survivors. Instead of allowing the Romans to execute her, Boudica killed her daughters before killing herself. The Doctor tells Leela that he has no desire to witness Boudica's defeat first hand.
  • The Doctor refers to the American escapologist Harry Houdini, whom he claims kept several lock picks on his person.
  • Boudica declares that "Andraste rides with us" during her attack on Camulodunum.
  • After Bragnar accidentally kills Caedmon, the Doctor tells her that he is "as dead as a dodo. Or he will be, in about 1600 years."
  • Boudica tells Leela that her name means "she who is victorious."
  • The Doctor tells Leela and Bragnar that the Roman occupation of Britain would continue for another 350 years after the defeat of Boudica's revolt.
  • Bragnar eventually marries and tells her daughters stories of Boudica, Leela and the Doctor so that their memory will live on.

Notes

  • This is the first pure historical story in performed Doctor Who to feature the Fourth Doctor.
  • Pacquolas mentions watching fights in the Colosseum. In reality, however, its construction did not begin until 70, ten years after the events of this story take place.
  • This audio drama was recorded on 13 September 2011.
  • It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra's Seventh Dimension, presented by Toby Hadoke, on 30th May 2015.

Continuity

External links

v • e
Big Finish Fourth Doctor Adventures
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Series 4
Series 5
Series 6
Series 7
Series 8
Series 9
Series 10
Series 11
Series 12
Series 13
Dalek Universe
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