Terror Firma
Encyclopedia
Terror Firma is a Big Finish Productions
audio drama based on the long-running British
science fiction television
series Doctor Who
. The story follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor
audio drama The Next Life
and flashes back to scenes that takes place before (and lead into) the first Eighth Doctor audio story Storm Warning.
Terror Firma was voted Doctor Who Magazine
readers' favourite of the previous year's Doctor Who audio plays in the annual poll held in 2006.
, the Eighth Doctor
, Charley Pollard
and C'rizz
land in a corridor and are captured by Davros
and several Daleks. Charley and C'rizz are taken into a cell, but Davros wants to talk to the Doctor. In Davros's lab, the Doctor notices Davros is suffering from mood swings and sometimes talks in a different voice. Davros needs the Doctor's help for something, but cannot explain what. Charley and C'rizz are freed by a woman called Gemma Griffin, who starts to lead them to an escape route. Elsewhere, a woman called Harriet Griffin is throwing a party, but her son, Samson Griffin, is in a bad mood and angrily goes outside when his mother mentions his sister, as he believes his sister only existed in his mother's imagination. As he runs outside, he begins to hear the Doctor's and Gemma's voices in his head. Meanwhile, Charley is separated from C'rizz after Gemma closes a hatch door to slow down the pursuing Daleks; C'rizz assumes Charley has been killed and agrees to join Gemma's resistance. Charley finds another way to the surface and finds Sam about to throw himself off a cliff, but, as she tries, Sam reveals that the Daleks have invaded Earth
. Meanwhile, the Doctor comes to the conclusion that Davros is losing his identity and mentally becoming the Emperor Dalek
. Davros begs the Doctor to help him regain his identity.
Davros reveals that he has made a clone of his body and asks the Doctor to transfer his mind into the clone so he can sever his ties to the Daleks and lead a normal life. A mutant
then approaches, and C'rizz kills it. Elsewhere, Charley takes Samson back to the house and confronts Harriet about the Dalek base. Harriet explains that, since the Daleks have left the humans in the area alone, they have decided to throw parties to distract themselves from worrying about the Daleks. Samson has a fit
and asks Charley for the Doctor. Davros tells the Doctor about what happened after the destruction of Skaro
. After being left alone in the dark for years, Davros created the virus
that the Fourth Doctor discussed with him
, which, when it was unleashed on the earth, mutated millions of people into Dalek creatures. Davros then gives the Doctor a second virus that will completely wipe out all life and offers to let him use it, but the Doctor refuses. Davros shows him what Charley and C'rizz are doing and tells Gemma to give C'rizz a gun and ask him to shoot her. Davros then changes the screen to the party where Samson is still having a fit, and Harriet explains that Samson disappeared with Gemma before the Daleks came, but returned later with no memory of Gemma or where he had been. Charley finds an implant in Samson's head and shows him the TARDIS
key, which he recognises. The Doctor finds Samson and Gemma's faces familiar; Davros reveals that they were the Doctor's old companions before he met Charley.
The Doctor now remembers that Samson was working at a library
that the Doctor visited, and Samson and Gemma decided to follow him back to the TARDIS, where they joined his adventures. At the same time, Davros's escape pod was blown into the time vortex
by the exploding Dalek Mothership, where he was picked up by an alien time ship in which he killed all the inhabitants. The TARDIS landed on the ship, and Samson and Gemma found Davros, who forced them into taking him onboard the TARDIS, where he overpowered the Doctor, deleted the Doctor's memories of his recent travels, linked Samson's mind to the TARDIS and took Samson and Gemma home, and left, leaving the Doctor to experience the events of Storm Warning. Samson returned to his home, but experienced the TARDIS's travels via his dreams, which Davros used to track the Doctor. Gemma then spread Davros's virus, giving him enough Dalek creatures to create an army of Daleks. Gemma is then ordered to ask C'rizz for the gun back, and they carry on. Samson now has his memory back, and Harriet reveals that her party guests are in fact the British resistance and that the parties are just a cover story
. The Doctor leaves the lab, despite Davros's pleas for the Doctor to grant him euthanasia
. After the Doctor reaches the surface he concludes that the Daleks are only pretending to be loyal to Davros, but he can't work out why; he decides to wait for the French resistance with the others. As they reach the end of the tunnel, C'rizz accuses Gemma of manipulating him, and as she opens a door a Dalek greets her; Gemma then reveals that the Daleks are posing as the French resistance.
The Daleks explain that they want to kill Davros to free themselves from him; the Doctor agrees to help them. In the tunnel, Gemma reveals herself to be a Dalek agent, explaining that the Daleks need a new Dalek Emperor
and have chosen C'rizz. He destroys one with his bare hands, but they show him the casing and force him inside by threatening to kill an unflinching Gemma, and the machine then attempts to mentally turn him into a Dalek. The Doctor removes Samson's link to the TARDIS and confronts Davros. Despite Davros's request, the Doctor refuses to kill Davros, instead watching as Daleks enter the room. They in turn refuse Davros' order to exterminate the Doctor. He has threatened to use Davros's virus unless they leave Earth, but the Daleks insist that the Doctor has promised them a new emperor. C'rizz is freed and arrives, but without Gemma who, he later reveals to the Doctor privately, "didn't make it". The Daleks destroy the clone and so Davros's Dalek Emperor personality finally overpowers the rest of his mind; he leaves to become the leader of the Daleks. The Doctor tells C'rizz to keep his meeting with Gemma secret, removes Davros's taint from Samson's mind and gives Harriet the virus as a deterrent to defend Earth if the Daleks threaten to return.
The episode concludes when the Doctor takes the TARDIS to Blackpool
. While he and Charley enjoy it, however, C'rizz stays in bed thinking about all the people he's "saved" – that is, killed – talking to them in his mind. Among the voices is now a Dalek – and Gemma... and he drifts off to sleep wondering when he might have to "save" the Doctor and Charley.
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 follows on directly from the previous Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
audio drama The Next Life
The Next Life
The Next Life is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the culmination of the "Divergent Universe" saga.-Plot:...
and flashes back to scenes that takes place before (and lead into) the first Eighth Doctor audio story Storm Warning.
Terror Firma was voted Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
readers' favourite of the previous year's Doctor Who audio plays in the annual poll held in 2006.
Plot
At the beginning of the episode, after returning from the Divergent UniverseThe Next Life
The Next Life is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It is the culmination of the "Divergent Universe" saga.-Plot:...
, the Eighth Doctor
Eighth Doctor
The Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
, Charley Pollard
Charley Pollard
Charlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
and C'rizz
C'rizz
C'rizz is a fictional character played by Conrad Westmaas in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A Eutermesan from the planet Bortresoye, which exists in a parallel universe, he is a companion of...
land in a corridor and are captured by Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
and several Daleks. Charley and C'rizz are taken into a cell, but Davros wants to talk to the Doctor. In Davros's lab, the Doctor notices Davros is suffering from mood swings and sometimes talks in a different voice. Davros needs the Doctor's help for something, but cannot explain what. Charley and C'rizz are freed by a woman called Gemma Griffin, who starts to lead them to an escape route. Elsewhere, a woman called Harriet Griffin is throwing a party, but her son, Samson Griffin, is in a bad mood and angrily goes outside when his mother mentions his sister, as he believes his sister only existed in his mother's imagination. As he runs outside, he begins to hear the Doctor's and Gemma's voices in his head. Meanwhile, Charley is separated from C'rizz after Gemma closes a hatch door to slow down the pursuing Daleks; C'rizz assumes Charley has been killed and agrees to join Gemma's resistance. Charley finds another way to the surface and finds Sam about to throw himself off a cliff, but, as she tries, Sam reveals that the Daleks have invaded Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Meanwhile, the Doctor comes to the conclusion that Davros is losing his identity and mentally becoming the Emperor Dalek
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
. Davros begs the Doctor to help him regain his identity.
Davros reveals that he has made a clone of his body and asks the Doctor to transfer his mind into the clone so he can sever his ties to the Daleks and lead a normal life. A mutant
Mutant
In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not...
then approaches, and C'rizz kills it. Elsewhere, Charley takes Samson back to the house and confronts Harriet about the Dalek base. Harriet explains that, since the Daleks have left the humans in the area alone, they have decided to throw parties to distract themselves from worrying about the Daleks. Samson has a fit
Fit
Fit or FIT may refer to:Fitness* Physical fitness, how well a person is suited for physical tasks* FitTV, cable television network about physical fitness* Wii Fit, Nintendo Wii video game about physical fitness...
and asks Charley for the Doctor. Davros tells the Doctor about what happened after the destruction of Skaro
Skaro
Skaro is a fictional planet from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire....
. After being left alone in the dark for years, Davros created the virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
that the Fourth Doctor discussed with him
Genesis of the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
, which, when it was unleashed on the earth, mutated millions of people into Dalek creatures. Davros then gives the Doctor a second virus that will completely wipe out all life and offers to let him use it, but the Doctor refuses. Davros shows him what Charley and C'rizz are doing and tells Gemma to give C'rizz a gun and ask him to shoot her. Davros then changes the screen to the party where Samson is still having a fit, and Harriet explains that Samson disappeared with Gemma before the Daleks came, but returned later with no memory of Gemma or where he had been. Charley finds an implant in Samson's head and shows 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...
key, which he recognises. The Doctor finds Samson and Gemma's faces familiar; Davros reveals that they were the Doctor's old companions before he met Charley.
The Doctor now remembers that Samson was working at a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
that the Doctor visited, and Samson and Gemma decided to follow him back to the TARDIS, where they joined his adventures. At the same time, Davros's escape pod was blown into the time vortex
Time vortex (Doctor Who)
In the science fiction television series Doctor Who, the time vortex is the medium that the TARDIS and other time machines travel through...
by the exploding Dalek Mothership, where he was picked up by an alien time ship in which he killed all the inhabitants. The TARDIS landed on the ship, and Samson and Gemma found Davros, who forced them into taking him onboard the TARDIS, where he overpowered the Doctor, deleted the Doctor's memories of his recent travels, linked Samson's mind to the TARDIS and took Samson and Gemma home, and left, leaving the Doctor to experience the events of Storm Warning. Samson returned to his home, but experienced the TARDIS's travels via his dreams, which Davros used to track the Doctor. Gemma then spread Davros's virus, giving him enough Dalek creatures to create an army of Daleks. Gemma is then ordered to ask C'rizz for the gun back, and they carry on. Samson now has his memory back, and Harriet reveals that her party guests are in fact the British resistance and that the parties are just a cover story
Cover-up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrong-doing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information...
. The Doctor leaves the lab, despite Davros's pleas for the Doctor to grant him euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
. After the Doctor reaches the surface he concludes that the Daleks are only pretending to be loyal to Davros, but he can't work out why; he decides to wait for the French resistance with the others. As they reach the end of the tunnel, C'rizz accuses Gemma of manipulating him, and as she opens a door a Dalek greets her; Gemma then reveals that the Daleks are posing as the French resistance.
The Daleks explain that they want to kill Davros to free themselves from him; the Doctor agrees to help them. In the tunnel, Gemma reveals herself to be a Dalek agent, explaining that the Daleks need a new Dalek Emperor
Dalek variants
Since their first appearance in 1963 there have been a number of variant models of the Daleks, a fictional alien race in the long-running BBC science fiction television programme Doctor Who.Daleks are not robots...
and have chosen C'rizz. He destroys one with his bare hands, but they show him the casing and force him inside by threatening to kill an unflinching Gemma, and the machine then attempts to mentally turn him into a Dalek. The Doctor removes Samson's link to the TARDIS and confronts Davros. Despite Davros's request, the Doctor refuses to kill Davros, instead watching as Daleks enter the room. They in turn refuse Davros' order to exterminate the Doctor. He has threatened to use Davros's virus unless they leave Earth, but the Daleks insist that the Doctor has promised them a new emperor. C'rizz is freed and arrives, but without Gemma who, he later reveals to the Doctor privately, "didn't make it". The Daleks destroy the clone and so Davros's Dalek Emperor personality finally overpowers the rest of his mind; he leaves to become the leader of the Daleks. The Doctor tells C'rizz to keep his meeting with Gemma secret, removes Davros's taint from Samson's mind and gives Harriet the virus as a deterrent to defend Earth if the Daleks threaten to return.
The episode concludes when the Doctor takes the TARDIS to Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. While he and Charley enjoy it, however, C'rizz stays in bed thinking about all the people he's "saved" – that is, killed – talking to them in his mind. Among the voices is now a Dalek – and Gemma... and he drifts off to sleep wondering when he might have to "save" the Doctor and Charley.
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....
— Paul McGannPaul McGannPaul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role... - CharleyCharley PollardCharlotte Elspeth Pollard, or simply Charley, is a fictional character played by India Fisher in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions, many of which were broadcast on BBC Radio 7, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman...
— India FisherIndia FisherIndia Fisher is a British actress born in 1974. Her father is the ex-MP Mark Fisher. She is also the stepsister of musician Crispin Hunt and of actress Francesca Hunt, who appears with her in the play Other Lives.... - C'rizzC'rizzC'rizz is a fictional character played by Conrad Westmaas in a series of audio plays produced by Big Finish Productions based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A Eutermesan from the planet Bortresoye, which exists in a parallel universe, he is a companion of...
— Conrad WestmaasConrad WestmaasConrad Westmaas is a British actor who trained at The Poor School, London from 1998-2000.Westmaas has appeared mainly in theatre, including Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare's Globe in 2008 and also played Paul McGann's companion C'rizz in a range of audio dramas by Big Finish Productions based on... - DavrosDavrosDavros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
— Terry MolloyTerry MolloyTerry Molloy is an English actor known predominantly for his work on radio and television.Molloy has been a member of the cast of BBC Radio 4's The Archers playing Mike Tucker since 1973 and has won awards for his work as an actor on radio.On television, Molloy is perhaps best known for his role... - Harriet Griffin — Julia DeakinJulia Deakin-Work:On television, Deakin played Stella Tulley in Side by Side and Marsha, the ageing but lovely divorcée landlady, in the British sitcom Spaced ....
- Samson Griffin — Lee InglebyLee InglebyLee Ingleby is a British film, television, and stage actor.He is perhaps best known for his roles as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus in the BBC Drama George Gently and as Stan Shunpike in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...
- Gemma Griffin — Lizzie HopleyLizzie HopleyLizzie Hopley is a British actor and writer.She appears in several audio plays based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. Her first appearance was as the Eighth Doctor’s companion Gemma Griffin in Terror Firma. She also portrayed the sister of Davros in the I, Davros...
- DalekDalekThe Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
voices — 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...
Continuity
- For Davros, this story takes place between the classic series TV story Remembrance of the DaleksRemembrance of the DaleksRemembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
and the new series TV story The Stolen EarthThe Stolen Earth"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
, in which he has regained his own personality and is in thrall to his creations once more. - As well as referring to the events of Storm Warning (where the Doctor first met Charley aboard the R101R101R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
airship), this story is concerned with all the Eighth Doctor audios, as Davros has been "following" these "adventures". Notably, the deaths of C'rizz's father and lover, by his own hand, are key to his mental state. - The Doctor mentions the time he and Davros "worked together", a likely reference to the Big Finish audio drama DavrosDavros (Doctor Who audio)Davros is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
, starring Colin BakerColin BakerColin Baker is a British actor who is known for playing Paul Merroney in The Brothers from 1974 to 1976 and as the sixth incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who, from 1984 to 1986.- Background:Colin Baker was born in London, but moved north to...
as the Sixth Doctor. - Among the previously unseen/heard events involving the Eighth Doctor and the Griffin siblings, included here in flashback and through references made by characters, are: the initial meeting in the library where Sam works, with the Doctor seeking to borrow an Agatha ChristieAgatha ChristieDame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
novel; a visit to the court of Queen Elizabeth I; a "bizarre" adventure where guitars came alive and attacked the trio; the Doctor celebrating his birthday on an alien planet with all three drinking too much and Gemma and Sam giving the Doctor a first edition of Christie's The Murder of Roger AckroydThe Murder of Roger AckroydThe Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in June 1926 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company on the 19th of the same month. It features Hercule Poirot as the lead detective...
. It is the morning after these events, where Samson has a hangoverHangoverA hangover describes the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, dysphoria, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the...
, that the ill-fated encounter with Davros' ship in the vortex takes place. - Referring to Agatha Christie, the Doctor says that she travelled with him for a while. This may contradict the events of the new series episode The Unicorn and the WaspThe Unicorn and the Wasp"The Unicorn and the Wasp" is the 7th episode in the revised fourth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was aired by BBC One on 17 May 2008 at 19:00. Perhaps due to its later broadcast, it received an overnight audience rating of 7.7 million, making it the...
in which the Tenth Doctor encounters the author for the first time, though she does subsequently make a journey in the TARDIS, albeit while incapacitated. - Jogging his own memory, the Doctor finds The Murder of Roger Ackroyd on his bookshelf in the TARDIS and notes that the last page has been torn out, possibly during the encounter with Davros, as he was reading it when the Griffins fell foul of the villain.
- The Company of Friends: Mary's Story reveals that at some point during their travels, the Doctor dropped Samson & Gemma off in ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and then spent years travelling with Mary ShelleyMary ShelleyMary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
before going finally returning to pick them up.