The Perils of Nellie Bly (audio story)

When the TARDIS crew arrive on the RMS Oceanic, they meet notorious journalist Nellie Bly on the final leg of her voyage to travel the world in less than eighty days. But with a saboteur on board, the Doctor and his friends must race to help Nellie reach her destination – and save her future.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Marc arrive on RMS Oceanic in a storm and meet Nellie Bly, who is attempting to travel around the world in less than eighty days. Seeing that Nyssa is seasick, Nellie gives her and Tegan her room key so that she can relax; on their way, they overhear Marion Jones bribe the Second Mate into ensuring that the ship does not arrive in San Francisco in time for Nellie to complete her mission.

Nellie tells a fascinated Marc about her travels and why she is impatient to get to San Francisco, worried that Lizzie Bisland might beat her. The Doctor fetches alkaloid anti-motion tablets for Nyssa from the TARDIS whilst Nellie introduces Tegan and Marc to her monkey, Horace. Tegan gives Nyssa the pills and they discuss whether they should tell Nellie what they overheard, not being sure of what is supposed to happen.

The Second Mate has the anchor dropped on the pretence of keeping the boat quiet for a time to placate the passengers.

The passengers suggest that they throw Horace overboard, believing that having a monkey on board is bad luck and is what caused the storm. Nellie convinces them not to, but they instead decide that the Doctor and Marc must be to blame. They flee to first-class and find Nyssa and Tegan, who watch Marion betting against Nellie completing her mission and tell the Doctor of the bribery they overheard.

Nellie storms in, unhappy at the anchor having been dropped, and enlists Nyssa and Marc to raise the anchor whilst the Doctor speaks with the Second Mate. The Doctor uses the money that Marion bribed the First Mate with to bet that Nellie will complete her mission after 72 days, 6 hours, 11 mins and 14 secs.

Nellie invites Tegan back to her room to discuss their respective adventures; Nellie tells her about her struggles with her editor because of sexism and how she decided to prove that she was not only as good as men, but better. She convinces Tegan to swap clothes with her to allow her some anonymity, being instantly recognisable in her chequered coat. Nellie heads to the lounge in Tegan's clothes whilst Tegan and Horace look for the Doctor, Nyssa and Marc. Before she can do so, a man kidnaps her, believing her to be Nellie.

Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor, Nyssa and Marc find Nellie and go in search of Tegan, whom the Doctor correctly fears has been mistaken for Nellie. They find Tegan tied to the top of the mast after she sends Horace to get help and Marc climbs the rigging to save her, which is complicated by the wood being greased with oil. Once Marc gets her down, Tegan is eager to swap clothes with Nellie once again.

Marion admonishes the man for his failure and tasks him with boarding a train as part of her new plan.

Arriving in San Francisco, Nyssa suggests that they stay with Nellie as she boards the Miss Nellie Bly Special to New Jersey to ensure her safety, a suggestion that her friends agree with. She and the Doctor board the train in the TARDIS whilst Tegan and Marc stay with Nellie, but Nyssa notices that Nellie is being escorted towards the wrong train. Tegan and Marc are separated from Nellie at customs and, after seeing Marion trick her into boarding the wrong train, Marc jumps aboard to try to stop it. When the train slows thanks to a telegram sent by the Doctor, he, Nellie and Horace jump off.

The Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan travel by horse and stagecoach towards the first stop and find Marc, Nellie and Horace. They manage to get aboard the Miss Nellie Bly Special but find that the speed is increasing dangerously thanks to Marion's sabotage. The Doctor manages to slow the train down and awaken the driver, whom Marion has chloroformed. She is locked in the guards' carriage.

The train arrives in New Jersey after 72 days, 6 hours, 11 mins and 14 secs. Nellie thanks the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Marc for their help and, knowing that they are from elsewhere, asks the Doctor if she will be remembered in the future; he tells her that she will be. The Doctor is announced as the winner of the competition to guess how long it would take for Nellie to arrive and decides to leave with his friends in the TARDIS to avoid becoming part of history. He left instructions, however, asking that the winnings be donated to the Society for the Advancement of Kindness to Monkeys.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

The sea reminds Marc of his home.
Seasickness is caused by the inner ear sending different signals.
Nellie writes for the New York World. It is owned by Joseph Pulitzer.
Phileas Fogg is a fictional character created by Jules Verne.
Nellie left New Jersey on 14 November, 1889.
There is no sea on Traken.
Tegan once had a passenger on the way to Brisbane who insisted on cutting his toenails.
Nellie met Jules Verne in France. She has also been to England, Italy, Ceylon, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
Lizzie Bisland is heading to New Jersey on another ship.
Admiral Lord Nelson suffered from seasickness for which the Doctor gave him alkaloid anti-motion tablets of his own making. He died in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Nellie bought Horace, a monkey, in Singapore.
Marc once saw a wealthy family who owned a monkey whom they dressed up in a straw hat and tunic.
The bill of health which Nellie needed was left in Yokohama. The captain eventually found it in the doctor's desk, although the doctor swore that he never put it in there.
A rumour of a smallpox case on the ship could have meant that they would have been quarantined.
A clergyman claims to be on a mission for the Archbishop of York.
Nellie's first assignment was to feign insanity to expose the conditions inside a women's asylum. She was incarcerated for ten days before her newspaper convinced the asylum to release her.
The Miss Nellie Bly Special is a train chartered by Joseph Pulitzer.
The Doctor explains to Marc that a train is like an iron chariot.
Marion tricks Nellie into boarding a train to Los Angeles, which is nowhere near New Jersey.
Marion uses chloroform on the train driver.

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

This story was originally intended to be part of Perils and Nightmares, the 269th release of the Monthly Adventures range, alongside Nightmare of the Daleks.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Nyssa and Tegan notes that the Doctor is unable to pilot the TARDIS with any degree of accuracy, and that short hops are difficult. (TV: Full Circle, State of Decay, Logopolis, The Bells of Saint John)
The Doctor lands the TARDIS on its side. (TV: The Ice Warriors, Castrovalva, Time-Flight, The Eleventh Hour)
Marc mentions his master, Cicero. (AUDIO: Tartarus)
The Fifth Doctor says that he doesn't speak monkey. Later on however the Eleventh Doctor says that he speaks everything.

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Official The Perils of Nellie Bly page at bigfinish.com