The Marian Conspiracy (audio story)

Publisher's Summary
Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing.

The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn's life. But there he meets the Queen of England and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman's block...

Cast

 * The Doctor - Colin Baker
 * Dr. Evelyn Smythe - Maggie Stables
 * Reverend Thomas Smith - Nicholas Pegg
 * The Queen - Anah Ruddin
 * Lady Sarah - Jo Castleton
 * Francois de Noailles - Barnaby Edwards
 * George Crow - Sean Jackson
 * John Wilson - Gary Russell
 * William Leaf - Jez Fielder
 * Royal Guard - Alistair Lock

Continuity

 * The Doctor once again uses his well worn alias, Dr John Smith- first used by his third incarnation during his exile to Earth - to gain access to the Queen's inner circle.
 * The Doctor does some serious name dropping during this story, mentioning meetings with Socrates (whom he told to "stick to his guns" when it came to his theories), Sir Francis Drake, Henry VIII, Lady Jane Grey (whom he met in the Tower of London, persumably in 1554 before her execution), Sir Robert Cecil (Henry VIII's former advisor) and Queen Elizabeth I.
 * When viewing London from the TARDIS scanner, Evelyn muses that it will all be burnt down in the Great Fire (of London), a statement that causes an intake of breath from the Doctor - his fifth incarnation played a part in starting that fire in The Visitation.
 * A few tidbits on Evelyn's life are revealed during her debut. She was once married, but ended up leaving her spouse following a row about her attendance at an academic conference on the day of their anniversary - though she doesnt seem to be too bothered about this, describing "love" as a distraction. Her specialty is Tudor political history, which she teaches at an un-named university - this is later revealed to be Sheffield Hallam.. The class of 1974 were apparently a particularly difficult bunch, she can pick locks with a hairpin following years of dealing with students who had locked themselves out of their rooms and she has a pathological love of cocoa and cakes.
 * At the end of this adventure, the Doctor agrees to take Evelyn to Mexico or Havana so they can pick up some chocolate for some of Evelyn's cakes.

Timeline

 * The Marian Conspiracy occurs after: The Trial of a Time Lord.
 * The Marian Conspiracy occurs before: The Spectre of Lanyon Moor.