The Peterloo Massacre (audio story)

"They say there'll be thousands pouring into Manchester tomorrow. From all over the county, north and south. It'll be a piece of history. People will remember this!"

Lost in the smog of the Industrial Revolution, the TARDIS crashes four miles south of Manchester, in the grounds of Hurley Hall – a grand mansion belonging to a local factory owner, a proudly self-made man. But while Hurley dreams of growing richer still on the wealth of secret knowledge locked up in the Doctor's time and space machine, his servants hope only for a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. His young maid Cathy, for instance, whom Nyssa learns is looking forward to joining the working people's march to St Peter's Field, in the heart of the city. There'll be speeches and banners and music. It'll be like one big jamboree...

Or so she thinks. For the city's establishment have called in their own private militia, to control the crowd. One of the darkest days in Manchester's history is about to unfold – and the Doctor, Nyssa and Jovanka are right in the thick of it.

Plot

Part one

to be added

Part two

to be added

Part three

to be added

Part four

to be added

Cast

References

Tegan derisively refers to the Doctor as a "posho".
William Hurley and Thomas Tyler attended school together.
Walton fought in the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.
The Peterloo Massacre is a fixed point in time. It was a major turning point in the history of the working class. It inspired many to speak out and push for reform. Historians debated the exact number of causalities for many years. They eventually reached the conclusion that there were six hundred and fifty four.
Percy Shelley wrote a poem about the massacre. The Doctor recited an excerpt of it to his companions:

"Rise, like lions after slumber

In unvanquishable number!

Shake your chains to earth like dew

Which in sleep had fallen on you:

Ye are many — they are few!"

Notes

This story was recorded on 6 and 7 July 2015 at The Moat Studios.
The Doctor sprains his ankle, a reference to the cliché that companions would frequently twist their ankles in the classic series. Here, it is the Doctor who suffers this fate. The Eighth Doctor also sprained his ankle in Magrs' 1998 novel The Scarlet Empress.

Continuity

Nyssa has told Tegan about her visit to Gallifrey. (TV: Arc of Infinity)
Tegan once again exclaims, "Rabbits!" (TV: Logopolis, Frontios, et. al)
The TARDIS' automated repair systems will take a day or two. The Doctor previously referred to the TARDIS knowing how to fix something if it's happened before. (PROSE: The Sands of Time)
The Doctor refers to Percy Shelley. During his eighth incarnation, Shelley's wife Mary Shelley became one of his companions. (AUDIO: Mary's Story)
Tegan refers to her brief departure from the TARDIS. (TV: Time-Flight, Arc of Infinity)
The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan would later return to Manchester in 1993. (PROSE: Goth Opera)

External links

Official The Peterloo Massacre page at bigfinish.com