Flip-Flop (audio story)

Flip-Flop was a 2003 release in the Big Finish monthly Doctor Who range featuring the Seventh Doctor and Melanie Bush. It was notable for its highly experimental format. Each of the two discs contained two episodes which could be listened to in whatever order the listener chose. The serial detailed what happened when the Doctor was coerced into changing the past by altering the fate of the president of a human (audio story) colony, but offered no conclusions about which of the versions of history was the "correct" one.

The play was further notable for being the closest the Quarks have ever come to returning to performed Doctor Who since The War Games. Though never heard, the Quarks are essentially the MacGuffin of the story and are mentioned at least once in each episode. From the Doctor and Mel's perspective, the events of Flip-Flop were merely a side-trip from their current "mission" to defeat the Quarks aboard the space-yacht, Pinto.

Publisher's summary

Christmas Eve in the year 3060 and the planet Puxatornee is home to a prosperous human colony.

A space craft has arrived in orbit carrying the Slithergees, a race of obsequious alien slugs. Their home world has been destroyed and they are humbly requesting permission to settle on the first moon.

And if they don't get permission, then they are humbly threatening to declare all-out war.

The future hangs in the balance. The decision rests with Bailey, the colony's president -- but she has other things on her mind...

Christmas Eve in the year 3090, and the planet Puxatornee has changed beyond all recognition.

The Doctor and Mel arrive, on a completely unrelated mission to defeat a race of terrible monsters, and soon discover that something rather confusing has been happening to history...

Cast

References

Quarks are mentioned.
The Doctor and Mel experience (and become part of) events locked in a time loop (though one from which they are able to escape).
Edgar Allan Poe is mentioned.

Notes

The planet's name Puxatornee is an in-joke reference to the movie Groundhog Day.
This is another of Big Finish's 'experiments'. A black disc and a white disc comprise the adventure. They can be listened to in either order and the story can still make sense.
In one of the timelines, Trevor Martin's character, Professor Capra, invented a time machine. Incidentally, Martin played an alternative Fourth Doctor in SP: Doctor Who and the Daleks in The Seven Keys to Doomsday and subsequently, BFA: Seven Keys to Doomsday, as well as a Time Lord in DW: The War Games.
Professor Capra, is named for Frank Capra, director of the classic Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life. The other characters are also named for characters and actors in It's a Wonderful Life.
The anti-radiation gloves, which the Doctor claims were created by one of his previous incarnations, is a reference to DW: The Daleks, where William Hartnell was supposed to say "anti-radiation drugs" but instead said "anti-radiation gloves".
This audio drama was recorded on 16 and 17 March 2003.

Continuity

to be added

Timeline

Flip-Flop occurs after BFA: Bang-Bang-A-Boom!
Flip-Flop occurs before DW: Delta and the Bannermen

External links

Official Flip-Flop page at bigfinish.com
Flip-Flop at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
DisContinuity for Flip-Flop at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide

Big Finish Main Range

Fifth Doctor

	Adric, Nyssa, Tegan	The Star Men • The Contingency Club • Zaltys • Kingdom of Lies • Ghost Walk • Serpent in the Silver Mask

	Nyssa	The Land of the Dead • Winter for the Adept • The Mutant Phase • Primeval • Spare Parts • Creatures of Beauty • The Game • Circular Time (Spring • Summer • Autumn • Winter) • Renaissance of the Daleks • Return to the Web Planet • Castle of Fear • The Eternal Summer • Plague of the Daleks • The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories • (The Demons of Red Lodge • The Entropy Composition • Doing Time • Special Features) • 1001 Nights (1001 Nights, My Brother's Keeper, The Interplanetarian, Smuggling Tales) • 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men • Alien Heart • Dalek Soul

	Nyssa, Brewster	The Haunting of Thomas Brewster • The Boy That Time Forgot • Time Reef • A Perfect World

	Nyssa, Hannah	Moonflesh • Tomb Ship • Masquerade

	Nyssa, Tegan	The Waters of Amsterdam • Aquitaine • The Peterloo Massacre

	Nyssa, Tegan, Marc	Tartarus • Interstitial • Feast of Fear • Warzone • Conversion • Madquake

	Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough	Cobwebs • The Whispering Forest • The Cradle of the Snake • Heroes of Sontar • Kiss of Death • Rat Trap • The Emerald Tiger • The Jupiter Conjunction • The Butcher of Brisbane • Eldrad Must Die! • The Lady of Mercia • Prisoners of Fate • Mistfall • Equilibrium • The Entropy Plague

	Tegan, Turlough, Kamelion	Devil in the Mist • Black Thursday • Power Game • The Kamelion Empire

	Tegan, Leela	Time in Office

	Turlough	Phantasmagoria • Loups-Garoux • Singularity • The Memory Bank and Other Stories (The Memory Bank • The Last Fairy Tale • Repeat Offender • The Becoming) • The Blazing Hour • The End of the Beginning

	Peri	Red Dawn • Exotron • Urban Myths • Mission of the Viyrans

	Peri, Erimem	The Eye of the Scorpion • The Church and the Crown • Nekromanteia • The Axis of Insanity • The Roof of the World • Three's a Crowd • The Council of Nicaea • The Kingmaker • Son of the Dragon • The Mind's Eye • The Bride of Peladon

	Amy	The Judgement of Isskar • The Destroyer of Delights • The Chaos Pool

	Vicki, Steven	The Secret History

	Solo travels	The Sirens of Time • Omega • The Gathering • The Four Doctors • The Burning Prince • The Secret History • And You Will Obey Me • The Helliax Rift • Time Apart (Ghost Station • The Bridge Master • What Lurks Down Under • The Dancing Plague) • Thin Time • Shadow of the Daleks 1 (Aimed at the Body • Lightspeed • The Bookshop at the End of the World • Interlude) • Shadow of the Daleks 2 (Echo Chamber • Towards Zero • Castle Hydra • Effect and Cause)

Sixth Doctor

	Peri	Whispers of Terror • ...ish • Cryptobiosis • The Reaping • Year of the Pig • Recorded Time and Other Stories (Recorded Time • A Most Excellent Match • Question Marks • Paradoxicide) • 1963: The Space Race • Breaking Bubbles and Other Stories (Breaking Bubbles • Of Chaos Time The • An Eye For Murder • The Curious Incident of the Doctor in the Night-Time) • The Widow's Assassin • Masters of Earth • The Rani Elite • Memories of a Tyrant • Emissary of the Daleks • Harry Houdini's War • Plight of the Pimpernel

	Evelyn	The Marian Conspiracy • The Spectre of Lanyon Moor • The Apocalypse Element • Bloodtide • Project: Twilight • The Sandman • Jubilee • Doctor Who and the Pirates • Project: Lazarus • Arrangements for War • Medicinal Purposes • Pier Pressure • The Nowhere Place • 100 (100 BC • My Own Private Wolfgang • Bedtime Story • The 100 Days of the Doctor) • Assassin in the Limelight

	Evelyn, Brewster	The Crimes of Thomas Brewster • The Feast of Axos • Industrial Evolution

	Frobisher	The Holy Terror • The Maltese Penguin

	Charley	The Condemned • The Doomwood Curse • Brotherhood of the Daleks • Return of the Krotons • The Raincloud Man • Patient Zero • Paper Cuts • Blue Forgotten Planet

	"Jamie"	City of Spires • The Wreck of the Titan • Legend of the Cybermen

	Flip	The Curse of Davros • The Fourth Wall • Wirrn Isle • Antidote to Oblivion • The Brood of Erys • Scavenger • Vortex Ice • Cortex Fire

	Constance	Criss-Cross • Planet of the Rani • Shield of the Jötunn • Order of the Daleks • Absolute Power • Colony of Fear • The End of the Beginning

	Constance, Flip	Quicksilver • The Behemoth • The Middle • Static • Cry of the Vultriss • Scorched Earth • The Lovecraft Invasion

	Mel	The One Doctor • The Juggernauts • Catch-1782 • Thicker Than Water • The Wishing Beast • The Vanity Box • The Wrong Doctors • Spaceport Fear • The Seeds of War

	Jamie, Zoe	Last of the Cybermen

	Solo travels	The Sirens of Time • Davros • The Wormery • Her Final Flight • I.D. • Urgent Calls • The Four Doctors • The Acheron Pulse • Trial of the Valeyard • Last of the Cybermen • Vampire of the Mind • The Lure of the Nomad • Iron Bright • Hour of the Cybermen • The Hunting Ground

Seventh Doctor

	Mel	The Fires of Vulcan • Bang-Bang-a-Boom! • Flip-Flop • Unregenerate! • Red • We Are The Daleks • The Warehouse • Terror of the Sontarans

	Ace	The Fearmonger • The Genocide Machine • Dust Breeding • Colditz • The Rapture • 1963: The Assassination Games • You Are the Doctor and Other Stories (You Are the Doctor • Come Die With Me • The Grand Betelgeuse Hotel • Dead to the World) • The Grey Man of the Mountain

	Ace, Hex	The Harvest • Dreamtime • LIVE 34 • Night Thoughts • The Settling • No Man's Land • Nocturne • The Dark Husband • Forty-Five (False Gods • Order of Simplicity • Casualties of War • The Word Lord) • The Magic Mousetrap • Enemy of the Daleks • The Angel of Scutari • Project: Destiny • A Death in the Family • Lurkers at Sunlight's Edge • Protect and Survive • Revenge of the Swarm • Mask of Tragedy • Shadow Planet • World Apart • Muse of Fire • The Flying Dutchman • Displaced

	Ace, Benny	The Shadow of the Scourge • The Dark Flame

	Sally	House of Blue Fire

	Ace, Hex, Lysandra, Sally	Black and White • Gods and Monsters

	Ace, Hex, Sally	Afterlife • Signs and Wonders

	Ace, Mel	A Life of Crime • Fiesta of the Damned • Maker of Demons • The High Price of Parking • The Blood Furnace • The Silurian Candidate • Red Planets • The Dispossessed • The Quantum Possibility Engine

	Mags	The Monsters of Gokroth • The Moons of Vulpana • An Alien Werewolf in London

	Klein	A Thousand Tiny Wings • Klein's Story • Survival of the Fittest • The Architects of History • Warlock's Cross

	Klein, Will	Persuasion • Starlight Robbery • Daleks Among Us

	Jo	The Defectors

	Solo travels	The Sirens of Time • Project: Lazarus • Master • Return of the Daleks • Valhalla • Frozen Time • Death Collectors • Spider's Shadow • Kingdom of Silver • Keepsake • The Four Doctors • Robophobia • The Doomsday Quatrain • The Shadow Heart • The Two Masters • Dark Universe • The Psychic Circus • Subterfuge • The End of the Beginning

Eighth Doctor

	Mary Shelley	Mary's Story • The Silver Turk • The Witch from the Well • Army of Death

	Charley	Storm Warning • Sword of Orion • The Stones of Venice • Minuet in Hell • Invaders from Mars • The Chimes of Midnight • Seasons of Fear • Embrace the Darkness • The Time of the Daleks • Neverland • Zagreus • Scherzo • The Girl Who Never Was • The End of the Beginning

	Charley, C'rizz	The Creed of the Kromon • The Natural History of Fear • The Twilight Kingdom • Faith Stealer • The Last • Caerdroia • The Next Life • Terror Firma • Scaredy Cat • Other Lives • Time Works • Something Inside • Memory Lane • Absolution

	Solo & other travels	The Company of Friends (Benny's Story • Fitz's Story • Izzy's Story) • An Earthly Child • The Four Doctors

All stories from Big Finish Productions' main monthly range from 1999 to 2021 are included in this navigation box, including the "subscriber exclusive" stories which were part of the subscription service for this range.

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Flip-Flop (audio story)

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