The Marian Conspiracy (audio story)

The Marian Conspiracy
Doctor:	[[doctor::Sixth Doctor]]
Companion(s):	Dr Evelyn Smythe (Introduction)
Main enemy:	Queen Mary I of England
Main setting:	Earth, London, 16th century
Key crew
Publisher:	[[publisher::Big Finish Productions]]
Writer:	Jacqueline Rayner
Director:	Gary Russell
Producer:	Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell
Release details
Release number:	6
Release date:	March 2000
Format:	4 Episodes on 2 CDs
Production code:	7C/A
ISBN:	ISBN 1-903654-17-3

Publisher's Summary

Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing.

The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn's life. But there he meets the Queen of England and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman's block...

Cast

• The Doctor - Colin Baker
• Dr. Evelyn Smythe - Maggie Stables
• Reverend Thomas Smith - Nicholas Pegg
• The Queen - Anah Ruddin
• Lady Sarah - Jo Castleton
• Francois de Noailles - Barnaby Edwards
• George Crow - Sean Jackson
• John Wilson - Gary Russell
• William Leaf - Jez Fielder
• Royal Guard - Alistair Lock

References

Foods and beverages

• The Doctor agrees to take Evelyn to Mexico or Havana so they can pick up some chocolate for some of Evelyn's cakes.
• Evelyn gives Mary some asprin, she takes it with beer.

The Doctor

• The Doctor once again uses his well worn alias, Aliases of the Doctor#Dr John Smith to gain access to the Queen's inner circle.
• The Doctor does some serious name dropping during this story, mentioning meetings with Socrates (whom he told to "stick to his guns" when it came to his theories), Sir Francis Drake, Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey (whom he met in the Tower of London, Sir Robert Cecil (Henry VIII's former advisor) and Queen Elizabeth I.

Individuals

• Evelyn was once married, but ended up leaving her spouse following a row about her attendance at an academic conference on the day of their anniversary though she doesn't seem to be too bothered about this, describing "love" as a distraction. Her specialty is Tudor political history. She can pick locks with a hairpin following years of dealing with students who had locked themselves out of their rooms and she has a pathological love of cocoa and cakes.

Notes

to be added

Continuity

• When viewing London from the TARDIS scanner, Evelyn muses that it will all be burnt down in the Great Fire (of London), a statement that causes an intake of breath from the Doctor - his fifth incarnation played a part in starting that fire in DW: The Visitation.
• The Doctor says that he should "pop back and support Darwin", he and Evelyn meet Charles Darwin in BFA: Bloodtide.

Timeline

• The Marian Conspiracy occurs after: DW: The Ultimate Foe
• The Marian Conspiracy occurs before: BFA: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor

External Links

• Big Finish The Marian Conspiracy page
• The Marian Conspiracy at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
• DisContinuity for The Marian Conspiracy at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide