Invaders from Mars (audio drama)

Last updated

Invaders from Mars
Invaders from Mars (Doctor Who).jpg
Big Finish Productions audio drama
Series Doctor Who
Release no.28
Featuring Eighth Doctor
Charley Pollard
Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed byMark Gatiss
Produced by Gary Russell
Jason Haigh-Ellery
Executive producer(s) Jacqueline Rayner
Production code8F
Length1 hour 34 mins
Release dateJanuary 2002
Preceded by"The One Doctor"
Followed by"The Chimes of Midnight"

Invaders from Mars is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who . This audio drama was later broadcast on BBC 7 in four weekly parts (starting on 29 October 2005) and was later rebroadcast on the same channel once more (beginning on 19 November 2006).

Contents

Summary

In Manhattan 1938, the Eighth Doctor and Charley meet a crooked gangster, a Russian spy, a sinister fifth columnist and Orson Welles. Welles's broadcast of War of the Worlds is just a story, but maybe there really are aliens at loose.

Cast

Deliberate errors

The second season of Eighth Doctor audios featured a number of deliberate errors:

The first two "mistakes" in this list were deliberate, intended to be examples of anti-time contamination. The third was also deliberate, but was explained in The Time of the Daleks . The last was not deliberate but was later retconned to be another example of anti-time contamination.

Another possible example of anti-time contamination is the date. The War of the Worlds aired on 30 October 1938, yet, when he asks what day it is, the Doctor is told that it is 31 October 1938.

Later Doctor Who appearances

The episode is particularly notable in that 5 of the actors went on to star in the re-booted Doctor Who TV series from 2005, including:

This does not include Paul McGann and Katy Manning who had appeared in Doctor Who prior to their appearance in this episode.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Pegg</span> English actor (born 1970)

Simon John Pegg is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom Spaced (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the films Shaun of the Dead (2004), Hot Fuzz (2007), and The World's End (2013), known collectively as the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, all of which saw Wright directing and Pegg starring alongside Nick Frost. Pegg and Frost also wrote and starred in the sci-fi comedy film Paul (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Hynes</span> British actress, writer (born 1972)

Tallulah Jessica Elina Hynes is a British actress, director and writer. Known professionally as Jessica Stevenson until 2007, she was one of the creators, writers and stars of the British sitcom Spaced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, fully Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, generally referred to simply as the Brigadier, is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, created by writers Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln and played by Nicholas Courtney. He is one of the founders of UNIT, an international organisation that defends Earth from alien threats, and serves as commander of the British contingent. Presented at first as reluctant to accept the continuing aid of the Doctor, over time the Brigadier became one of the Doctor's greatest friends and his principal ally in defending Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Gatiss</span> British actor, screenwriter and novelist

Mark Gatiss is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. He is best known for his work with Steven Moffat, including co-creating and starring in the BBC series’ Sherlock (2010-17) and Dracula (2020), the former as Mycroft Holmes. He also wrote several episodes of Doctor Who during Moffat’s tenure as showrunner. His other TV roles include Game of Thrones. Together with Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson, he is a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernice Summerfield</span> Character in the Virgin New Adventures series of books

Professor Bernice Surprise Summerfield, or simply Benny, is a fictional character created by author Paul Cornell as a new companion of the Seventh Doctor in Virgin Publishing's range of original full-length Doctor Who novels, the New Adventures. The New Adventures were authorised novels carrying on from where the Doctor Who television series had left off, and Summerfield was introduced in Cornell's novel Love and War in 1992.

Iris Wildthyme is a fictional character created by writer Paul Magrs, who has appeared in short stories, novels and audio dramas from numerous publishers. She is best known from spin-off media based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, where she is sometimes depicted as a renegade Time Lord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice Warrior</span> Fictional alien from Doctor Who

The Ice Warriors are a fictional extraterrestrial race of reptilian humanoids in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. They were originally created by Brian Hayles, first appearing in the 1967 serial The Ice Warriors where they encountered the Second Doctor and his companions Jamie and Victoria. In Doctor Who, the Ice Warriors originated on Mars, which within the series narrative is a dying world. Their early appearances depict the Ice Warriors as attempting to conquer the Earth and escape their planet as early as Earth's Ice Age. A frozen group are discovered by an Earth scientific team, one of whom, Walters, dubs them 'Ice Warriors' in their first appearance. Despite this not being the name of their species, an Ice Lord later refers to his soldiers as Ice Warriors in the 1974 serial The Monster of Peladon. Similarly there is a fleeting reference to themselves as such in The Curse of Peladon. Although originally appearing as villains, subsequent appearances have depicted Ice Warriors that have eschewed violence and even ally themselves with the Doctor. They have also been featured in flashback and cameo appearances, in addition to appearing frequently in spin-off media such as novels and audio releases.

<i>Doctor Who Confidential</i> British TV series or programme

Doctor Who Confidential is a documentary series created by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to complement the revival of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Each episode was broadcast on BBC Three on Saturdays, immediately after the broadcast of the weekly television episode on BBC One. The first and second series episodes ran 30 minutes each; third series instalments ran 45 minutes. BBC Three also broadcast a cut-down edition of the programme, lasting 15 minutes, shown after the repeats on Sundays and Fridays and after the weekday evening repeats of earlier seasons. Confidential received its own version of the Doctor Who theme tune, at least three different versions of the theme appeared in the series.

<i>The Chimes of Midnight</i> 2002 Doctor Who audio drama

The Chimes of Midnight is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio play was broadcast on digital radio station BBC 7 in four weekly parts, starting on 17 December 2005, and has been rebroadcast on the same channel beginning on 17 December 2006, and again on 26 and 27 September 2007.

<i>Embrace the Darkness</i> 2002 Doctor Who audio drama

Embrace the Darkness is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

<i>Neverland</i> (audio drama) 2002 Doctor Who audio drama

Neverland is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

<i>Zagreus</i> (audio drama) 2003 Doctor Who audio drama

Zagreus is a 2003 Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. This audio drama was presented on three compact discs, and was made by Big Finish as their primary release to celebrate forty years of Doctor Who. As of February 2015, it is being sold as a download.

Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, writer and director. Educated at Nottingham High School and graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Exeter, Pegg subsequently trained at the Guildford School of Acting.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (1972 film) 1972 live-action film adaption of Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a 1972 adventure film, based on the 1883 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film stars Orson Welles as Long John Silver, Kim Burfield as Jim Hawkins, Walter Slezak as Squire Trelawney, Rik Battaglia as Captain Smollett, and Ángel del Pozo as Doctor Livesey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eighth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Eighth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Paul McGann.

<i>An Adventure in Space and Time</i> 2013 British television docudrama directed by Terry McDonough

An Adventure in Space and Time is a 2013 British biographical television film, starring David Bradley, Brian Cox, Jessica Raine and Sacha Dhawan. Directed by Terry McDonough, and written by regular Doctor Who writer Mark Gatiss, it premiered on BBC Two on 21 November 2013, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the science fiction television series. Further, international broadcasts of the television film were made after its premiere on British television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Night of the Doctor</span> 2013 Doctor Who mini-episode

"The Night of the Doctor" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was made available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube on 14 November 2013, as part of the BBC One lead-up to the show's 50th anniversary special. It was written by Steven Moffat and starred Paul McGann as the Doctor.

<i>The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot</i> British TV series or programme

The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot is a 2013 comedy spoof and homage to the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It appeared on the BBC Red Button service after the broadcast of "The Day of the Doctor", the official 50th anniversary special. The programme was written and directed by Peter Davison, who stars alongside fellow former Doctor actors Sylvester McCoy, Colin Baker and Paul McGann. It features appearances from then-stars of the show Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman as well as former stars David Tennant and John Barrowman. Additionally, then-Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat, his predecessor Russell T Davies and numerous others connected to the programme all appear as themselves in a more or less parodic manner.