''Serpent Crest'' is an

audio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

in five episodes based on the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. It is written by

Paul Magrs Paul Magrs (pronounced "Mars"; born 12 November 1969) is a writer and lecturer. He was born in Jarrow, England, and now lives in Manchester with his partner, author and lecturer Jeremy Hoad. Early life Magrs was born in Jarrow, Tyne & Wear, on ...

, and stars

Tom Baker Thomas Stewart Baker (born 20 January 1934) is an English actor and writer. He is well known for his portrayal of the Fourth Doctor, fourth incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Wh ...

as the

Fourth Doctor The Fourth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Tom Baker. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from the ...

and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. It was released on five CDs by

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Audiobooks between September and December 2011 and is a sequel to 2009's ''

Hornets' Nest ''Hornets’ Nest'' is a 1970 Italian-American war film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Rock Hudson, Sylva Koscina, and Sergio Fantoni. The plot focuses on a group of boys aged 7–14 who survive a massacre in their village in Northern It ...

'' and 2010's ''

Demon Quest ''Demon Quest'' is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Ya ...

''. They feature multiple actors, but four of the episodes contain some degree of narration by different characters, the exception being the first episode, ''Tsar Wars''.

Serpent Crest

Tsar Wars

(released 8 September 2011) * The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are kidnapped by menacing robots and transported through a

wormhole A wormhole (Einstein-Rosen bridge) is a hypothetical structure connecting disparate points in spacetime, and is based on a special Solutions of the Einstein field equations, solution of the Einstein field equations. A wormhole can be visualize ...

to an extravagant palace, floating in space, a hundred thousand years in the future. A colony of humanoid robots have overthrown their creators and forged a longstanding galactic empire. But now the humans are threatening to overthrow their Robotov

Tsars Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

. In an attempt to bring peace, the Tsarina creates Alex, a

cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.

infant. And at his heart is a deadly Skishtari Egg.

Cast

* The Doctor / Father Gregory –

* Mrs. Wibbsey –

Susan Jameson Susan I. M. Jameson (born 13 August 1941) is an English actress. She is best known for two roles: portraying Esther Lane in the BBC crime drama series ''New Tricks'' between 2003 and 2013, and voicing Mrs Wibbsey opposite Tom Baker in a series ...

* Tsar –

Michael Jayston Michael James (born 29 October 1935), known professionally as Michael Jayston, is an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He has also made many television appearances, which have include ...

* Tsarina – Suzy Aitchison * Boolin –

Simon Shepherd Simon Stephen Shepherd (born 20 August 1956) is an English actor best known to TV audiences from many appearances, including as Dr Will Preston in eight series of ITV's ''Peak Practice'' and Doctor Jonathan Barling in ''Casualty''. Shepherd ...

* Servo 53 / Lucius – Sam Hoare * Servo 96 / Kani –

Paul Chequer Paul Chequer is an English actor best known for starring in the British drama '' As If'' as Jamie Collier on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2004 and the BBC Three drama ''Sinchronicity'', as Nathan, in 2006. He later appeared as Eugene Jones in the Brit ...

* Servo 51 / Bellis –

Gabriel Vick In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር ...

* Servo 14 / Tarnak –

Grant Gillespie Grant Gillespie may refer to: * Grant Gillespie (footballer) (born 1991), Scottish footballer * Grant Gillespie (writer), English novelist and actor {{Hndis, Gillespie, Grant ...

The Broken Crown

(released 6 October 2011) * Wibbsey and the Doctor traverse the wormhole back to Nest Cottage. But Nest Cottage hasn't been built yet. This is Hexford Village in the year 1861. And the TARDIS is a century and a half in the future. They also discover a thirteen-year-old boy with a paper face. And his favourite toy is the powerful Skishtari Egg.

Cast

* The Doctor –

* Mrs Wibbsey – Susan Jameson * Mr Bewley –

* Andrew –

Guy Harvey Guy Harvey (born 16 September 1955) is a Jamaican marine wildlife artist and conservationist. His depictions of sealife, especially of sportfish such as marlin, are popular with sportfishermen and have been reproduced in prints, posters, T- ...

* Reverend Dobbs –

Terrence Hardiman Terrence Hardiman (born 6 April 1937)Biographical detail

Joanna David Joanna David (born Joanna Elizabeth Hacking; 17 January 1947) is an English actress, best known for her television work. Life David was born in Lancaster, England, to Davida Elizabeth (''née'' Nesbitt) and John Almond Hacking. In 1971, she ...

* Harold –

Geoff Leesley Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...

* The Cook – Su Douglas * Jake – Charlie Mitchell * Sally – Elinor Coleman

Aladdin Time

(released 3 November 2011) * Alex, Wibbsey and the Doctor have been pulled within the Skishtari Egg. Now they find themselves trapped in Aladdin's Cave, a labyrinth of magical rooms and strange characters.

Cast

* The Doctor – Tom Baker * Mrs Wibbsey – Susan Jameson * The Magician –

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

– Guy Harvey *

Scarf A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of diff ...

–

Andrew Sachs Andreas Siegfried Sachs (7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016), known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor and writer. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Sp ...

Gryphon The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back ...

– Terrence Hardiman * The Storyteller –

Sophie Ward Sophie Anna Ward (born 1964) is an English stage and screen actress, and a writer of non-fiction and fiction. As an actress, she played Elizabeth Hardy, the female lead in Barry Levinson's '' Young Sherlock Holmes'' (1985), and in other feat ...

* Toad – Su Douglas

The Hexford Invasion

(released 8 December 2011) * The Doctor is reunited with his TARDIS and uses it to return Alex and Boolin to the Robotovs. Mrs Wibbsey is back at present day Nest Cottage, with the Skishtari Egg buried deep beneath it, as it always has been. While the Doctor is away, nine months quietly go by for her. Then Mike Yates returns, along with his former employers,

UNIT Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (alb ...

, on the trail of alien activity. Mike has also teamed up with a strange little man claiming to be the

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans an ...

Cast

* The Doctor – Tom Baker * Mrs Wibbsey – Susan Jameson * Captain Mike Yates – Richard Franklin * The Visitor –

David Troughton David Troughton (born 9 June 1950) is an English actor. He is known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage and for his many roles on British television, including Dr Bob Buzzard in ''A Very Peculiar Practice'' and Ricky Hanson in ''Ne ...

* Reverend Tonge – Cornelius Garrett * Deirdre –

Nerys Hughes Nerys Hughes (born 8 November 1941) is a Welsh actress and narrator, known primarily for her television roles, including her part in the BBC TV series ''The Liver Birds''. Biography She was born in Rhyl, Flintshire. Her parents were Myfi and ...

* Tish –

Joanna Tope Joanna M Tope (born 14 May 1944 in Bideford, Devon) is an English actress. She has appeared in many TV programmes including ''Emmerdale Farm'' as Dr. Clare Scott between 1973 and 1977, ''The Omega Factor'' as Julia Crane in 1979 and ''The Tomorrow ...

Survivors in Space

(released 8 December 2011) * The Skishtari spaceship failed to find their precious Egg and in the process, the entire village of Hexford is accidentally thrown through a wormhole and dumped on a barren moon in a strange galaxy. For three months, the villagers cope, with only Captain Yates and his mysterious, mop-topped little friend to maintain order. But the Robotovs' guards are closing in, as are the Skishtari. Finally, the TARDIS tracks down the misplaced hamlet. The Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey make their final confrontation, bringing with them the Skishtari Egg, just as it is about to hatch.

Cast

* The Doctor – Tom Baker * Mrs Wibbsey – Susan Jameson * Captain Mike Yates – Richard Franklin * The Visitor – David Troughton * Reverend Tonge – Cornelius Garrett * Deirdre – Nerys Hughes * Tish – Joanna Tope * Lucius – Sam Hoare * Tsar –

Paddy Wallace Patrick Wallace (born 27 August 1979) is an Ireland rugby union player who played for Ireland's national team and played for Ulster. A native of Belfast, he attended Rockport School and Campbell College. He was a member of the Ireland U19 side ...

Crew

*Writer –

*Producer & Director – Kate Thomas *Script Editor & Executive Producer – Michael Stevens *Cover Illustrators – Brian Williamson

Continuity

*This story is a sequel to ''

'' and ''

'', with the Fourth Doctor, Yates and Mrs Wibbsey reuniting. ''Serpent Crest'' begins by picking up from the cliffhanger at the end of ''Demon Quest''. *The Fourth Doctor mentions that the

Time Lords The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...

removed certain events from his memory, just before they force regenerated him at the end of ''

The War Games ''The War Games'' is the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. In the serial, an unnamed alien r ...

''. In particular, they hid memories of adventures he had with his other incarnations. The Second Doctor encountered his previous and

following ''Following'' is a 1998 independent neo-noir crime thriller film written, produced, edited and directed by Christopher Nolan. It tells the story of a young man who follows strangers around the streets of London and is drawn into a criminal unde ...

selves in '' The Three Doctors''. He met them again in ''

The Five Doctors ''The Five Doctors'' is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', produced in celebration of the programme's 20th anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago ...

'', along with the

Fifth Doctor The Fifth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Peter Davison. Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien Time Lord from t ...

. He also met the

Sixth Doctor The Sixth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Colin Baker. Although his televisual time on the series was comparatively brief and turbulent, Ba ...

in ''

The Two Doctors ''The Two Doctors'' is the fourth serial of the Doctor Who (season 22), 22nd season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 16 February to 2 March 1985 ...

''. *The Fourth Doctor investigates his past by checking his 500 Year Diary, which was seen with the Second Doctor in ''

The Power of the Daleks ''The Power of the Daleks'' is the completely missing third serial of the fourth season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It is ...

'' and ''

The Tomb of the Cybermen ''The Tomb of the Cybermen'' is the first serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was originally broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 2 to 23 September 1967. In the serial, the ...

''. *The visiting Doctor recalls his adventures with the

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

in '' The Invasion'' and ''The Tomb of the Cybermen'', the

Yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported t ...

in ''

The Web of Fear ''The Web of Fear'' is the Doctor Who missing episodes, partly missing fifth serial of the Doctor Who (season 5), fifth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 3 Fe ...

'' and the giant crabs in ''

The Macra Terror ''The Macra Terror'' is the completely missing seventh serial of the fourth season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 March to 1 April 1967. In this serial, th ...

''. He also mentions an encounter with the

Daleks The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

in the diamond mines of Marlion, as mentioned in the Paul Magrs novel ''

Verdigris Verdigris is the common name for blue-green, copper-based pigments that form a patina on copper, bronze, and brass. The technical literature is ambiguous as to its chemical composition. Some sources refer to "neutral verdigris" as copper(II) ac ...

''. *The Doctor met the real Rasputin in the novel '' The Wages of Sin'' and the audio drama '' The Wanderer''.

Notes

*''Tsar Wars'' is the only story in all of the Nest Cottage series to contain no narration. *''Tsar Wars'' reunites the cast of the 1971 film ''

Nicholas and Alexandra ''Nicholas and Alexandra'' is a 1971 British epic film, epic historical drama film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, from a screenplay written by James Goldman and Edward Bond, based on Robert K. Massie's 1967 Nicholas and Alexandra (book), boo ...

'', in which Michael Jayston had starred as

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of ...

and Tom Baker co-starred as the mad monk

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus g ...

(a role which was influential in Barry Letts' decision, in 1974, to cast him as the Fourth Doctor). *Michael Jayston previously appeared in ''Doctor Who'' in 1986, playing the

Valeyard The Valeyard () is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series, ''Doctor Who''. He is described by the Master as an amalgamation of the Doctor's darker sides from between his twelfth and final incarn ...

in the 13-part television serial ''

The Trial of a Time Lord The twenty-third season of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', known collectively as ''The Trial of a Time Lord'', aired in weekly episodes from 6 September to 6 December 1986. It contained four adventures: ''The Mysterious ...

''. *Paul Chequer played Eugene Jones in the 2006 ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing ...

'' episode "

Random Shoes In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Individual rand ...

". *Terrence Hardiman played Hawthorne in the 2010 ''Doctor Who'' television episode "

The Beast Below "The Beast Below" is the second episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was written by executive producer and head writer Steven Moffat and broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD on 10 April 201 ...

". *David Troughton is the son of Second Doctor

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

. He previously appeared in ''Doctor Who'' in the television serials ''

Enemy of the World ''Enemy of the World'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Four Year Strong. It is the final album to feature keyboardist Josh Lyford prior to his departure from the band in April 2011. Release On December 18, 2009, it was announced ...

'' in 1967, ''

'' in 1969, ''

The Curse of Peladon ''The Curse of Peladon'' is the second serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 29 January to 19 February 1972. The serial is set on ...

'' in 1972, and "

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

" in 2008. *Nerys Hughes previously appeared in the 1982 ''Doctor Who'' television serial ''

Kinda Kinda or Kindah may refer to: Politics and society *Kinda (tribe), an ancient and medieval Arab tribe *Kingdom of Kinda, a tribal kingdom in north and central Arabia in – Places * Kinda, Idlib, Syria * Kinda Hundred, a hundred in Sweden * Kinda ...

'', and in the 2008 ''Torchwood'' episode " Something Borrowed".

References

External links

Press Release

BBC Store

Big Finish Store
{{Authority control 2011 audio plays Fourth Doctor audio plays UNIT audio plays