Quick plug. In the new issue of Doctor Who Magazine, that marvellous journal of all things dimensionally transcendental, they’re doing a promotion whereby the readers can download a previously-unreleased Doctor Who Companion Chronicles play from the Big Finish website. The play’s called The Mists Of Time and I wrote it. It stars Katy Manning as Jo Grant, who was the assistant to the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee. Like all the Companion Chronicles, it’s somewhere between a dramatic monologue and a two-hander play.
I’ll witter on remorselessly about writing it some other time, if I can think of anything interpreting to say (or, more likely, even if I can’t). I was fortunate enough to attend the recording; Lisa Bowerman was directing, marvellously, and Katy Manning was lovely. In fact, she was so friendly, enthusiastic and tactile I was a little overwhelmed. I’m not used to it. But the recording went well, and Katy seemed to enjoy herself, although I gather in retrospect she’s become a bit uncomfortable about returning to those days, so this may very well be the last Companion Chronicle she does. Or it may not. I don’t know. It’s entirely her decision and a decision I respect. But I hope she does more.
At the time, we didn’t know it would be a DWM giveaway. Would we have done anything differently had we known? I don’t know. Maybe I’d have made it tighter and shorter (but I say that about everything I write). I was surprised (and delighted) by the decision to use it as the freebie; the idea being that it will encourage readers to buy more CDs and downloads from Big Finish (and I hope it does). A greatly flattering and much appreciated vote of confidence. And hopefully their website will cope with the strain...
