Red Dawn (audio story)

 was the eighth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Justin Richards and featured Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri Brown.

Of the two "firsts," the former turned out to be the more unusual, as virtually every Fifth Doctor/Peri adventure subsequently released also featured the Big Finish-original character of Erimem. Nothing in this story necessarily forced listeners to believe it happened either before or after Erimem's first story, AUDIO: The Eye of the Scorpion since it made no specific references to how long the two had been travelling.

Though Ice Warrior stories were not uncommon at Big Finish following this initial adventure, Red Dawn proved interesting retrospectively because Nicholas Briggs — later the dominant 21st-century voice of the Ice Warriors — was not at all involved in the production. Matthew Brehner's Zzaal ultimately became a counterpoint to Briggs' several Martian characters, both on audio and television. Indeed, producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell gave voice to the subordinate Ice Warriors, further distancing this story's Ice Warrior's vocal palette from the later Briggsian norm.

Publisher's summary
Ares One: NASA's first manned mission to the dead planet Mars. But is Mars as dead as it seems?

While the NASA team investigate an 'anomaly' on the planet's surface, the Doctor and Peri find themselves inside a strange alien building. What is its purpose? And what is frozen inside the blocks of ice that guard the doorways? If the Doctor has a sense of deja-vu, it's because he's about to meet some old adversaries, as well as some new ones...

Part 1
The NASA mission Ares One set off for Mars, captained by Commander Lee Forbes. Upon arrival, pilot Susan Roberts is forced to manually land on the planet surface because of the dust storm interfering with the scanning system.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Doctor and Peri arrive in the TARDIS on unknown ground. They discover that they are inside some organic building, made of a green substance. They also continue to find — as they walk through endless corridors — ice-pillars, which seem to hold a shape inside them.

After a quick walk across the surface, Commander Forbes discovers what they are looking for and when he embarks the rocket again, he deduces that the communications have gone down. This turns out to be true, and so he and his pilot exit the transport and investigate the green building. They suddenly find the Doctor and Peri who have been wandering for a while.

The Doctor joins forces with the Commander as Susan takes Peri to the rocket for an insulation suit. The Doctor and the Commander discover some sort of ceremonial room and find more ice-moulded pillars, which seem to crack in the warming air. The Doctor realises what is inside each one: Ice Warriors.

Part 2
to be added

Part 3
to be added

Part 4
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Peter Davison
 * Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant
 * Commander Forbes - Robert Jezek
 * Susan Roberts - Maureen Oakeley
 * Tanya Webster - Georgia Moffett
 * Paul Webster - Stephen Fewell
 * Commander Zzaal - Matthew Brenher
 * Sub Commander Sstast - Hylton Collins
 * Razzburr - Gary Russell
 * Zizmar - Alistair Lock
 * Sskann - Jason Haigh-Ellery

Spacecraft

 * The NASA mission is only viable due to the Webster Corporation's funding.
 * The NASA spacecraft is called the Argosy.

Mars

 * The British missions to Mars are mentioned. However this is the first American Mars mission.
 * The titular "red dawn" refers to the ultraviolet radiation that penetrates Mars' atmosphere.
 * The Ice Lord Izdaal was the greatest Ice Warrior who ever lived.

Continuity

 * During his second incarnation, the Doctor encountered the Ice Warriors for the first time on the Brittanicus Base during an Ice Age in the company of Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield. (TV: The Ice Warriors)
 * The British Mars missions mentioned are either from TV: The Ambassadors of Death or PROSE: The Dying Days. An unmanned mission, described as being the UK's first (despite the earlier missions depicted), is featured in TV: The Christmas Invasion.
 * In the far future, radio and television broadcasts about the first manned mission to Mars could be accessed via the Gogglebox inside the Moon. (AUDIO: The Reaping, AUDIO: The Gathering)
 * The Doctor and Peri would encounter the Ice Warriors again on Peladon in the 41st century (AUDIO: The Bride of Peladon) and, following the former's regeneration into his sixth incarnation, on Magnus in the 24th century (AUDIO: Mission to Magnus).
 * The Fifth Doctor would return to Mars in the company of Amy, where they witnessed the destruction of the planet's atmosphere millions of years in the past. (AUDIO: The Judgement of Isskar)
 * Isskar witnessed Lord Izdaal step outside and sacrifice himself to the Red Dawn. (AUDIO: The Judgement of Isskar)
 * Following the destruction of Mars' atmosphere, the Ice Warriors fled to Deimos, one of the planet's moons, where they constructed catacombs and placed themselves in suspended animation in the hope of one day either reclaiming Mars or conquering Earth. Millions of years later, after Mars had been colonised by humans, large sections of the catacombs were opened to the public in the museum in the Deimos moonbase in the 23rd century. One of the exhibits in the museum featured a holographic simulation of Lord Izdaal sacrificing his life. (AUDIO: Deimos)