Phantasmagoria (Doctor Who audio)
Encyclopedia
Phantasmagoria is a Big Finish Productions
audio drama based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. The story was written by Mark Gatiss
and stars Peter Davison
and Mark Strickson
. It was recorded between 26–27 June 1999.
and Turlough
investigate mysterious goings-on at the Diabola Club in London
, 1702, where patrons are disappearing after losing at cards to the mysterious Sir Nikolas Valentine.
and discussing the coming succession of Queen Anne
in the Diabola club (an institution loosely based on the Hellfire Club
). They argue and Carteret storms off claiming a desire for adventure and excitement. Carteret is then approached by Sir Nicholas Valentine (introduced as a scholar, landowner and astrologer), a sinister character, they agree to play cards. Carteret is later heard leaving alone furtively and acting "very queer". The following morning Valentine is heard to remark that he had good luck at cards the previous evening and inviting a down-at-heel school teacher to play with him the following evening.
Meanwhile in the Tardis the Doctor tries to educate Turlough in the esoteric rules of cricket
with a 1928 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
and attempts to work out their time location from clues from the house they find themselves in. They are confronted by the home's owner a Dr Samuel Holywell who they deduce to be an antiquarian
and so manage to explain their presence on the pretext that they were delivering him the Tardis
to form part of his collection. Whilst the Doctor distracts Holywell Turlough notices that a number of his books are connected with necromancy
. It then becomes apparent that the protagonists are being observed by an advanced intelligence not from their current era. That evening, whilst the Doctor and Turlough are being entertained by Holywell, Jeake and Flower are robbed by Major Billy Lovemore (a highwayman
) and lose their winnings from the previous night. Later Ned Cotton (a drunken watchman
) encounters Hannah Fry (who is Holywell's maid) outside Holywell's house and attempts to rape
her. Hearing her cries from inside and the Doctor being distracted Turlough comes to her rescue on his own. Inside Holywell informs the doctor that has practical proof of the existence of ghosts and is in regular contact with them. Before Turlough can fight Cotton to protect Fry they are distracted by a man running towards them as if persuaded by invisible ghosts and dies of shock with a playing card in his hand. The Doctor takes this card and puts it into his Almanack. Holywell blames himself as he perceives the death to be due to his contact with the ghosts.
In an aside, to the background of screams of torment, Valentine is heard to comment that only a little time remains until his work is complete. Following the above altercation between Turlough and Cotton, Turlough has gone missing and the Doctor attempts to locate him. He notes that the dead man has numerous coins and promissory notes in his pockets and Holywell informs him that there have been a number of disappearances like Turlough's recently. Holywell claims that he has been able to contact the spirits of these missing persons through his experiments. Turlough it becomes apparent has fallen and injured his head but has been rescued by Flowers and Jeake. Holywell tells the doctor that twenty-four people have gone missing all of them within a mile of the area of the Diabola club. Meanwhile Lovemore murders Cotton citing vengeance as the reason. In then Diabola club Poltrot is playing cards with Valentine and notes that Valentine never removes his gloves. This is dismissed by Valentine as gamblers' suspicion. Flowers approaches Valentine and confronts him about Carteret's disappearance. Valentine claims that Carteret had left after a few hands and invites Flowers to play with him and Poltrot. Later Jeake and Turlough see Flowers leaving the club looking pale and apparently avoiding them.
Holywell, the Doctor and Hannah commence a seance
in an attempt to locate the missing persons. They succeed in summoning sounds that remind them of the death outside Holywell's house, the sounds seem to be a series of numbers. Meanwhile Turlough and Jeake decide to try to follow Flowers. They catch up with him and he asks for help claiming that he is pursued by devils and a thousand voices. The voices are calling out numbers which the Doctor recognizes to be radio
signals and he believes the Tardis can locate the source. Meanwhile Valentine is heard revealing to Carteret that he will be used for "restoration". In the Tardis the Doctor discovers that the source of the radio signal has been blocked and Fry remarks that someone (presumably the originator of the radio waves) is cleverer than they thought. The Doctor instructs Holywell and Fry to research into the disappeared people in order to find a pattern. Holywell discovers that a spate of young men in their prime disappearing in the area has happened every thirty years and finally connects this with the Diabola club. It becomes apparent that the out-of-context observers are looking for someone and have now noticed the presence of the Doctor in addition to a person they are apparently hunting. The Doctor and Holywell arrive at the club (leaving Fry behind) to find Valentine playing cards with Pultrot who is quickly dismissed and the Doctor takes over playing with Valentine. The Doctor wins with an Ace of Hearts and Valentine tells him to keep the card. The Doctor then decides to retire leaving Turlough and Jeake in the Diabola who decides to follow Valentine after he leaves the club unbeknown to the Doctor. Meanwhile Lovemore is heard talking to the alien presence stating that he believes the Valentine is the person they are looking for and he will now cast off his fake identities and confront Valentine. It is revealed that both Lovemore and Fry are his fake identities.
The Doctor discovers that the playing card he was given by Valentine is a tracking device and it is calling the 'spirits' to him and realizes that he must destroy it. On destroying it the 'spirits' depart. Valentine is heard to comment that if he could have the Doctor's mind it would complete his work. The Doctor realizes that he is stealing his victims consciousnesses and each card is tailored to its victim's touch which is why Valentine wears gloves when playing cards. It is these trapped consciousnesses which comprise the spirits or ghosts which are summoned to the card once it has been activated. The Doctor discovers a way to reprogram the card he took from the dead man to claim a new victim when he or she touches it and conceals it in his Almanack. Hannah returns and reveals herself to be the same person as Lovemore and an alien and then justifies her criminal life as a response to the gender stereotypes of the era. She goes on to disclose that Valentine is in fact Carthok of Deodalis (sp.) a deranged tyrant who escaped execution and she has been hunting him in revenge for the death of her family at his hands. Meanwhile Jeake and Turlough arrive at Valentines laboratory and are detained and disarmed by Valentine, in their cell they meet up with Carteret who appears to be bordering on insanity. The Doctor and Holywell decide to knock on Valentine's door and confront him directly. Valentine reveals his true identity (Carthok of Deodalis) and admits to murdering Fry/Lovemore's parents and explains that he needs the consciousness of his victims to power his bio-mechanical ship in order to escape from the earth where he has been trapped. He has been healing his ship every thirty years by feeding it people's minds. Fry/Lovemore tries to force Valentine to return to Deodalis in order to face his execution but she is disabled by Valentine's defense systems. Valentine then decides to use Fry/Lovemore's brain (rather than the Doctor's) to complete his repairs out of sense of irony
and she is placed into some sort of machine. The Doctor pleads for her life in exchange for what he claims is an item of great power but is in fact his Almanack (which he refers to as "the Wisdens"). He feints trying to escape with the Almanack and when Valentine/Carthok opens the book he touches the concealed card-trap and the consciousness/spirits he uses to capture his victims turn on him and kill him led by Fry/Lovemore who also dies in the struggle.
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio drama based on the long-running British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. The story was written by Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
and stars Peter Davison
Peter Davison
Peter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,...
and Mark Strickson
Mark Strickson
Mark Strickson is a British TV producer and actor best known for his acting role as the character of Vislor Turlough on the television series Doctor Who.Strickson was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England...
. It was recorded between 26–27 June 1999.
Synopsis
The Fifth DoctorFifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
and Turlough
Vislor Turlough
Vislor Turlough is a fictional character played by Mark Strickson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a companion of the Fifth Doctor, being a regular in the programme from 1983 to 1984.-Character history:...
investigate mysterious goings-on at the Diabola Club in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 1702, where patrons are disappearing after losing at cards to the mysterious Sir Nikolas Valentine.
Cast
- The DoctorDoctor (Doctor Who)The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
— Peter DavisonPeter DavisonPeter Davison is a British actor, best known for his roles as Tristan Farnon in the television version of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and the fifth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, which he played from 1982 to 1984.-Early life:Davison was born Peter Moffett in Streatham,... - TurloughVislor TurloughVislor Turlough is a fictional character played by Mark Strickson in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was a companion of the Fifth Doctor, being a regular in the programme from 1983 to 1984.-Character history:...
— Mark StricksonMark StricksonMark Strickson is a British TV producer and actor best known for his acting role as the character of Vislor Turlough on the television series Doctor Who.Strickson was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England... - Henry Gaunt — Nicholas BriggsNicholas BriggsNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs, particularly as the voice of the Daleks. Briggs sometimes uses the pseudonym Arthur Wallis...
- Quincy Flowers — David WalliamsDavid WalliamsDavid Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
- Edmund Carteret — Jonathan RigbyJonathan RigbyJonathan Rigby is an English film critic and actor who has written the following books - English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema , Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History , Roxy Music: Both Ends Burning , American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema and Studies in Terror: Landmarks of...
- Jasper Jeake — Mark GatissMark GatissMark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
- Poltrot — Jez Fielder
- Sir Nicholas Valentine — David RyallDavid RyallDavid Ryall is an English actor who has appeared on British television since the 1970s. He has had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King and The Final Cut, the...
- Dr Samuel Holywell — Steven WickhamSteven WickhamSteven Wickham is a British actor known largely for his roles in Big Finish Productions audio dramas as well as guest appearances in Red Dwarf, Casualty, The Bill, Eastenders and Doctor Who in a career which began in 1984.-Career:...
- Hannah Fry — Julia DalkinJulia Dalkin-Partial filmography:*Nebulous *EastEnders - Polly *Doctors - Suzanne Matthews *The Worst Journey in the World - Angela Turner*Holby City - Nikki Taylor...
- Librarian — Jez Fielder
- Major Billy Lovemore — Jez Fielder
Plot
The programme opens to Jasper Jeake, Quincy Flowers and Edmund Carteret and a fourth playing whistWhist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
and discussing the coming succession of Queen Anne
Queen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
in the Diabola club (an institution loosely based on the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club
The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century, and was more formally or cautiously known as the "Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe"...
). They argue and Carteret storms off claiming a desire for adventure and excitement. Carteret is then approached by Sir Nicholas Valentine (introduced as a scholar, landowner and astrologer), a sinister character, they agree to play cards. Carteret is later heard leaving alone furtively and acting "very queer". The following morning Valentine is heard to remark that he had good luck at cards the previous evening and inviting a down-at-heel school teacher to play with him the following evening.
Meanwhile in the Tardis the Doctor tries to educate Turlough in the esoteric rules of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
with a 1928 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
and attempts to work out their time location from clues from the house they find themselves in. They are confronted by the home's owner a Dr Samuel Holywell who they deduce to be an antiquarian
Antiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and so manage to explain their presence on the pretext that they were delivering him the Tardis
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
to form part of his collection. Whilst the Doctor distracts Holywell Turlough notices that a number of his books are connected with necromancy
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
. It then becomes apparent that the protagonists are being observed by an advanced intelligence not from their current era. That evening, whilst the Doctor and Turlough are being entertained by Holywell, Jeake and Flower are robbed by Major Billy Lovemore (a highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
) and lose their winnings from the previous night. Later Ned Cotton (a drunken watchman
Watchman
Watchman or Watchmen may refer to:*Watchman , a member of a group who provided law enforcement**Security guard or watchman, a person who watches over and protects property, assets, or people...
) encounters Hannah Fry (who is Holywell's maid) outside Holywell's house and attempts to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
her. Hearing her cries from inside and the Doctor being distracted Turlough comes to her rescue on his own. Inside Holywell informs the doctor that has practical proof of the existence of ghosts and is in regular contact with them. Before Turlough can fight Cotton to protect Fry they are distracted by a man running towards them as if persuaded by invisible ghosts and dies of shock with a playing card in his hand. The Doctor takes this card and puts it into his Almanack. Holywell blames himself as he perceives the death to be due to his contact with the ghosts.
In an aside, to the background of screams of torment, Valentine is heard to comment that only a little time remains until his work is complete. Following the above altercation between Turlough and Cotton, Turlough has gone missing and the Doctor attempts to locate him. He notes that the dead man has numerous coins and promissory notes in his pockets and Holywell informs him that there have been a number of disappearances like Turlough's recently. Holywell claims that he has been able to contact the spirits of these missing persons through his experiments. Turlough it becomes apparent has fallen and injured his head but has been rescued by Flowers and Jeake. Holywell tells the doctor that twenty-four people have gone missing all of them within a mile of the area of the Diabola club. Meanwhile Lovemore murders Cotton citing vengeance as the reason. In then Diabola club Poltrot is playing cards with Valentine and notes that Valentine never removes his gloves. This is dismissed by Valentine as gamblers' suspicion. Flowers approaches Valentine and confronts him about Carteret's disappearance. Valentine claims that Carteret had left after a few hands and invites Flowers to play with him and Poltrot. Later Jeake and Turlough see Flowers leaving the club looking pale and apparently avoiding them.
Holywell, the Doctor and Hannah commence a seance
Séance
A séance is an attempt to communicate with spirits. The word "séance" comes from the French word for "seat," "session" or "sitting," from the Old French "seoir," "to sit." In French, the word's meaning is quite general: one may, for example, speak of "une séance de cinéma"...
in an attempt to locate the missing persons. They succeed in summoning sounds that remind them of the death outside Holywell's house, the sounds seem to be a series of numbers. Meanwhile Turlough and Jeake decide to try to follow Flowers. They catch up with him and he asks for help claiming that he is pursued by devils and a thousand voices. The voices are calling out numbers which the Doctor recognizes to be radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
signals and he believes the Tardis can locate the source. Meanwhile Valentine is heard revealing to Carteret that he will be used for "restoration". In the Tardis the Doctor discovers that the source of the radio signal has been blocked and Fry remarks that someone (presumably the originator of the radio waves) is cleverer than they thought. The Doctor instructs Holywell and Fry to research into the disappeared people in order to find a pattern. Holywell discovers that a spate of young men in their prime disappearing in the area has happened every thirty years and finally connects this with the Diabola club. It becomes apparent that the out-of-context observers are looking for someone and have now noticed the presence of the Doctor in addition to a person they are apparently hunting. The Doctor and Holywell arrive at the club (leaving Fry behind) to find Valentine playing cards with Pultrot who is quickly dismissed and the Doctor takes over playing with Valentine. The Doctor wins with an Ace of Hearts and Valentine tells him to keep the card. The Doctor then decides to retire leaving Turlough and Jeake in the Diabola who decides to follow Valentine after he leaves the club unbeknown to the Doctor. Meanwhile Lovemore is heard talking to the alien presence stating that he believes the Valentine is the person they are looking for and he will now cast off his fake identities and confront Valentine. It is revealed that both Lovemore and Fry are his fake identities.
The Doctor discovers that the playing card he was given by Valentine is a tracking device and it is calling the 'spirits' to him and realizes that he must destroy it. On destroying it the 'spirits' depart. Valentine is heard to comment that if he could have the Doctor's mind it would complete his work. The Doctor realizes that he is stealing his victims consciousnesses and each card is tailored to its victim's touch which is why Valentine wears gloves when playing cards. It is these trapped consciousnesses which comprise the spirits or ghosts which are summoned to the card once it has been activated. The Doctor discovers a way to reprogram the card he took from the dead man to claim a new victim when he or she touches it and conceals it in his Almanack. Hannah returns and reveals herself to be the same person as Lovemore and an alien and then justifies her criminal life as a response to the gender stereotypes of the era. She goes on to disclose that Valentine is in fact Carthok of Deodalis (sp.) a deranged tyrant who escaped execution and she has been hunting him in revenge for the death of her family at his hands. Meanwhile Jeake and Turlough arrive at Valentines laboratory and are detained and disarmed by Valentine, in their cell they meet up with Carteret who appears to be bordering on insanity. The Doctor and Holywell decide to knock on Valentine's door and confront him directly. Valentine reveals his true identity (Carthok of Deodalis) and admits to murdering Fry/Lovemore's parents and explains that he needs the consciousness of his victims to power his bio-mechanical ship in order to escape from the earth where he has been trapped. He has been healing his ship every thirty years by feeding it people's minds. Fry/Lovemore tries to force Valentine to return to Deodalis in order to face his execution but she is disabled by Valentine's defense systems. Valentine then decides to use Fry/Lovemore's brain (rather than the Doctor's) to complete his repairs out of sense of irony
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
and she is placed into some sort of machine. The Doctor pleads for her life in exchange for what he claims is an item of great power but is in fact his Almanack (which he refers to as "the Wisdens"). He feints trying to escape with the Almanack and when Valentine/Carthok opens the book he touches the concealed card-trap and the consciousness/spirits he uses to capture his victims turn on him and kill him led by Fry/Lovemore who also dies in the struggle.