Whispers of Terror (audio story)
Whispers of Terror was the third story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Justin Richards and featured Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.
Publisher's summary
The Doctor and Peri find themselves in the Museum of Aural Antiquities, where every sound is stored for posterity — from the speeches of Visteen Krane to security service wire taps and interrogation tapes. But they also find an intruder, mysteriously changed recordings, and a dead body.
Before long the Doctor realises that there is more going on than a simple break-in or murder. How can he defeat a creature that is made of pure sound?
Plot
Part one
Following his death during his election campaign, the recordings of acclaimed actor Visteen Krane's speeches are given to the Museum of Aural Antiquities curated by the blind Gantman and his assistant, Miles Napton, who is researching Krane. Amber Dent and Goff Fotherill break in to alter one of Krane's speeches and hear whistling which Fotherill goes to investigate. He hears somebody using Dent's voice and unwittingly trespasses outside the security archive where he is killed by the security system with a lethal charge, something that is reported to Gantman.
The TARDIS lands in the museum and the Doctor and Peri go to explore, although Peri is not especially enthused by the view of a dusty corridor on the scanner. They interrupt Dent as she alters Krane's speech and give chase when she runs away after deleting the change logs, but they come across Fotherill's corpse and are apprehended by Detective Berkeley, who believes them to be guilty of breaking and entering if not murder. Berkeley takes them to Gantman in his office and intends to take them into town to give statements.
The Doctor tells Gantman and Berkeley about his encounter with Dent and recalls that she was listening to a speech including the line "No single man is greater than his policies", one which Gantman, whose sense of hearing and memory has been enhanced by his lack of vision, remembers as "A single man is greater than his policies". Wanting to investigate this possible change as well as Fotherill's death, the Doctor insists that he and Peri stay to investigate and are told that Beth Pernell, Krane's agent, will be arriving soon with Hans Stengard and will be able to confirm what the correct wording is.
In a flashback sequence, Fotherill is commanded to meet Dent outside the museum by an unknown, robotic voice. He is assured that she knows what to do. When asked, he confirms that he knows the identity of the voice.
Elsewhere in the museum, Dent is still searching for Fotherill in vain. She hears his voice played back in a computerised manner, just as Fotherill had heard hers earlier. She calls out for him, assuming it is only him playing the fool. The voice morphs into that heard in the flashback scene and soon it gets louder and louder, mocking her shouts and laughing in a robotic voice. With the voice yelling after her, she escapes the museum.
Intrigued by the noise, the Doctor and Peri go down to investigate. As they arrive, it gets louder still. They try to call out for hope but they are drowned out. The voice shouts angrily, asking "Who am I?". Petrified, Peri lets out a bloodcurdling scream.
Part two
to be added
Part three
to be added
Part four
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Colin Baker
- Peri - Nicola Bryant
- Amber Dent / Car Computer - Rebecca Jenkins
- Goff Fotherill / Computer Voice - Hylton Collins
- Visteen Krane - Matthew Brenher
- Radio Announcer - Harvey Summers
- Museum Curator Gantman - Peter Miles
- Miles Napton - Mark Trotman
- Detective Berkeley - Nick Scovell
- Hans Stengard - Steffan Boje
- Beth Pernell - Lisa Bowerman
- Answerphone Message - Justin Richards
- Audio Voices - Jacqueline Rayner
Crew
- Cover Art - James Arnott
- Director - Gary Russell
- Executive Producer - Stephen Cole
- Music - Nicholas Briggs
- Producers - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell
- Sound Design - Harvey Summers
- Writer - Justin Richards
Worldbuilding
- Carlos Bilton was a president.
- The Doctor quotes Macbeth.
Notes
- This audio drama was recorded on 17 and 18 July 1999 at the Nu Groove Studios, London.
- Oddly, this story doesn't use either the Peter Howell or Dominic Glynn theme tunes associated with the Sixth Doctor's era, but rather the second rendition of the Delia Derbyshire theme tune used from 1967-1980.
- The characters' names come from Justin Richards's Mission: Impossible episode guide.[1]
- Justin Richards explained the Shakespeare-inspired thought process that led to the story: "What if the voice of her conscience that drives Lady Macbeth to suicide were real? Just as her husband actually sees Banquo's ghost, what if she really hears someone whispering to her - driving her quite deliberately to suicide?"[2]
- This is the first main range release to not feature the Fifth Doctor.
- Working titles for the story included The Sound of Fear and Sound Judgement.[1]
- This story was originally released on CD and cassette. It is now available as a download, as well as to stream on Spotify.
- This story is set between Revelation of the Daleks and The Trial of a Time Lord.
Continuity
- Visteen Krane performed in the play The Good Soldiers. (PROSE: Theatre of War)
External links
- Official Whispers of Terror page at bigfinish.com
- Whispers of Terror at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
- DisContinuity for Whispers of Terror at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1
- ↑ Whispers of Terror CD inside cover
