Flip-Flop (audio story)

Flip-Flop was a 2003 release in the Big Finish monthly Doctor Who range featuring the Seventh Doctor and Melanie Bush. It was notable for its highly experimental format. Each of the two discs contained two episodes which could be listened to in whatever order the listener chose. The serial detailed what happened when the Doctor was coerced into changing the past by altering the fate of the president of a human (audio story) colony, but offered no conclusions about which of the versions of history was the "correct" one.

The play was further notable for being the closest the Quarks have ever come to returning to performed Doctor Who since The War Games. Though never heard, the Quarks are essentially the of the story and are mentioned at least once in each episode. From the Doctor and Mel's perspective, the events of Flip-Flop were merely a side-trip from their current "mission" to defeat the Quarks aboard the space-yacht, Pinto.

Publisher's summary
Christmas Eve in the year 3060 and the planet Puxatornee is home to a prosperous human colony.

A space craft has arrived in orbit carrying the Slithergees, a race of obsequious alien slugs. Their home world has been destroyed and they are humbly requesting permission to settle on the first moon.

And if they don't get permission, then they are humbly threatening to declare all-out war.

The future hangs in the balance. The decision rests with Bailey, the colony's president -- but she has other things on her mind...

Christmas Eve in the year 3090, and the planet Puxatornee has changed beyond all recognition.

The Doctor and Mel arrive, on a completely unrelated mission to defeat a race of terrible monsters, and soon discover that something rather confusing has been happening to history...

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Melanie Bush - Bonnie Langford
 * Mitchell - Richard Gibson
 * Bailey - Pamela Miles
 * Stuart - Francis Magee
 * Reed - Audrey Schoellhammer
 * Potter - Trevor Littledale
 * Professor Capra - Trevor Martin
 * Slithergees - Daniel Hogarth

Continuity

 * The Doctor first encountered the Quarks on Dulkis in the company of Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot during his second incarnation. (DW: The Dominators)

Timeline

 * Flip-Flop occurs after BFA: Bang-Bang-A-Boom!
 * Flip-Flop occurs before DW: Delta and the Bannermen