The Veiled Leopard (audio story)

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The Veiled Leopard was a full-cast audio drama initially released on CD as a bonus with DWM 367. It features Peri and Erimem in part one and Ace and Hex in part two, conducting two separate missions at the same location for their respective Doctors. Neither the Fifth nor Seventh Doctors appear, though they are referenced in dialogue.

Leopard predates the Companion Chronicles series, and differs from them in that it is a full-cast audio dramas (as opposed to most Companion Chronicles which usually feature a single narrator and a second voice). The two sets of companions never meet, although their paths do coincidentally cross once.

Following the same basic plot of The Pink Panther, it is a rare instance of a Doctor Who story in any medium being a pastiche of a comedy.

The Veiled Leopard was later made available for free download from Big Finish's Soundcloud website, and was one of several stories made available for free download with the purchase of the 50th anniversary special edition of DWM 467 in 2013.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

Monte Carlo, 1966:

Four time travellers. Two missions. One costumed ball. The Doctor has sent Peri and Erimem to prevent the fabulous Veiled Leopard diamond from being stolen. Which is odd, seeing as the Doctor has sent Ace and Hex to steal the diamond. How will the two teams cope with this contradictory task? Will Peri's asp slip? Why does Ace have to pretend to be a French maid? How will Erimem cope with Pharaoh Rammalamadingdong? And can Hex really "do posh"?

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

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

The Seventh Doctor has previously talked to the Fifth Doctor about a plan to stop the theft of the Veiled Leopard, a precious diamond which contains a code to rebuild a world which was lost. They talked about returning it to its owners. Peri and Erimem stop the jewel thief and return it to its safe, completely ignorant that it is, in fact, a piece of alien technology.

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

Ace and Hex go to find the diamond to steal it. Luckily, this happened after Peri and Erimem stopped the jewel thief. This time, the Doctor has explained why it is so important. Unfortunately, they arrive too late and have to stop another thief who is trying to steal the diamond so that the owner can become even more rich. Ace finds a shortcut, and stops the thief, but before she can leave, she must explain herself to Peri, Erimem and a few other people.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The CD contains trailers for other Big Finish titles.
  • Peri and Erimem on the one hand and Ace and Hex on the other observe their counterparts in the crowd several times over the course of their respective episodes but do not actually interact. Consequently, each companion pair remains ignorant of what they have in common.
  • The first and second halves of this story take place at the same time. The same is true of audio stories Flip-Flop and Peri and the Piscon Paradox.
  • With the exception of the charity Children in Need special Dimensions in Time, this was the first story in performed Doctor Who to feature both Peri and Ace. Both characters would later appear in the audio story The Light at the End, in which they met and interacted.
  • Before the events of this story from their perspective, Peri and Erimem observed the Doctor arguing with a "goofy little guy in a weird pullover" who kept staring at them strangely. They are curious as to his identity.

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

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