Audio extras

Subscribers to Big Finish’s Doctor Who range receive a free audio, The Four Doctors.  And from today, they can also download a behind-the-scenes extra. That has interviews with producer/director/dalek Nick Briggs; actors Peter Davison, Ellie Burrow and David Bamber; and the writer, me!

This audio extra nicely explains how things developed during the scripting and production stages, and the benefits of having a splendid script editor like Alan Barnes.

The original brief back at the end of last year was to pitch something inspired by A Christmas Carol, that didn’t have the Doctors meeting up at any stage, and only three guest cast. At one stage, the Doctors even identified which of their companions they were travelling with at the time of the adventure.

You can hear in the download how the script evolved over time, and why the character names were changed. But can you work out who or what was originally called the following:

• Brugra Vaterlaus
• Jen Dorsey
• Brent Katullo
• Schedler Kannell
• Jai-Gerbar
• Howells
• Tarrack
• Bullington

Or which of the original four episodes were called:

• Analysis
• Disassembly
• Decompilation
• Reverse Engineering

Perhaps we should have called it “Decompilation of the Daleks”. Or not.