Embrace the Darkness (audio story)

 was the thirty-first monthly Doctor Who audio story produced by Big Finish Productions. It was the fourth in a series of six audio stories featuring the Eighth Doctor. It featured the Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and India Fisher as Charlotte Pollard.

Publisher's summary
The Doctor and Charley travel to the remote Cimmerian System to unravel the mystery of its sun. But darkness has already embraced the scientific base on Cimmeria IV in more ways than one.

In a fight for survival, the Doctor must use all his wits against a deadly artificial life-form and an ancient race whose return to the Cimmerian System threatens suffering and death on an apocalyptic scale.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Paul McGann
 * Charley Pollard - India Fisher
 * Orllensa - Nicola Boyce
 * Mike Ferras - Lee Moone
 * Haliard - Mark McDonnell
 * ROSM / Solarian / Cimmerian / Astrov - Ian Brooker
 * Cimmerian Voice - Nicholas Briggs

The Doctor

 * The Doctor refers to Charley as his best friend.
 * The Doctor tells Orllensa that he has spent much of his life being told that he was mad.

Biology

 * Charley's body contains potentially carcinogenic cells, which leads ROSM to order her termination. The Doctor attributes this to the fact that she comes from a time when humans did not genetically modify themselves. Given that she is from 1930, Charley is unfamiliar with the term "genetics".

TARDIS

 * Type 70 TARDISes emit a particular temporal energy discharge signature.
 * Charley knows how to access the TARDIS' databank.

Technology

 * ROSM is an acronym for Rescue Operational Security Module. It was designed by Professor Astrov.
 * Humans once used ships equipped with solar sails to navigate through space. This practice was later documented on history vids.
 * Charley refers to ROSM as a "talking adding machine."

Species

 * The Doctor is aware of several species who refer to themselves as the Solarians.
 * According to the Doctor, every civilisation has legends of healers who can cure illness and infirmity by touch.

Planets

 * Cimmeria IV is located hundreds of light-years from Earth.

Cultural references from the real world

 * Charley refers to watching the yachts coming in from the Cowes regatta.
 * The Doctor gives ROSM a non-sequitur answer "I have no bananas today." This is in reference to the 20th century song "".
 * The name "ROSM" is likely a reference to the play "", also known as "Rossum's Universal Robots", which is credited as introducing the word "robot" to the English language.
 * The name "Cimmeria" may be a reference to the of  in the stories of.

Continuity

 * ROSM detects the anti-time infection in Charley's system but is unable to recognise it. (AUDIO: Neverland)
 * The Doctor runs into a flotilla of Type 70 TARDISes in the Time Vortex and steers around them. He later learns the reasons for their presence from Lady President Romana during the anti-time crisis. (AUDIO: Neverland)
 * The Celestial Toymaker would later refer to the Solarians in a riddle while Charley was playing his games in the Celestial Toyroom. (AUDIO: Solitaire)