The Flames of Cadiz (audio story)

The Flames of Cadiz was the seventh story of the seventh series in The Companion Chronicles audio range. It was produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Marc Platt and featured Ian Chesterton and Susan.

Publisher's summary
The TARDIS materialises in Spain in the late sixteenth century. The country is at war with England — and the travellers find themselves on the wrong side of the battle lines.

When Ian and his new friend Esteban are captured by the Inquisition, the Doctor, Susan and Barbara plan to rescue them.

But these are dark days in human history. And heretics face certain death...

The Morisco (1)
The TARDIS lands once again on Earth in the past, and the four travellers - the Doctor, Susan, Barbara and Ian - go out and explore. From Barbara's recollections of a previous holiday of hers, and from observing their surroundings, they gather it's 16th century Spain. Their guesses are proven true as they assist, in a square, to a play regarding the execution of Mary Stuart on Elizabeth I's order. The Doctor and Barbara then decide that it is not safe for them to be here: at this point in history, religious contrast between the Catholic Spain and Protestant England is driving the two countries towards war, and if the four travellers are recognised as Englishmen, this could put them in grave danger.

As they try to get back to the TARDIS, the travellers assist to a squadron of monks and guards, members of the Spanish Inquisition, attacking and burning a house with an old woman inside. Ian wants to intervene, but the Doctor and Barbara restrain him. His actions, however, catch the eye of one of the monks, an Englishman like them, Father Richard. He asks them what they are doing here as Englishmen, and Barbara pretends they are, like him, Catholics in exile; Father Richard then offers them hospitality, but the Doctor politely refuses. The travellers are about to go on, when a young man, of African descent, arrives at the scene and starts fighting the guards to enter in the burning house. This time, Ian intervenes in his help, and both of them ended up being imprisoned.

The Doctor, Barbara and Susan, unable to trace back their way to the TARDIS, are meanwhile given shelter and protection by a young woman, Catalina. She explains to them that the burnt house belonged to a family of "moriscos" - moors converted to Christianity - whose fault was actually that of refusing to sell the paper they produced to the Church for free. The same thing is explained to Ian by the young man (Esteban) as they are in prison; from him, Ian also comes to know that the year is 1587, and that King Philip II of Spain is preparing to launch the Invincible Armada against England. In spite of Barbara's protests, Catalina convinces the travellers to wait for the return of her husband, "Don Miguel", a merchant of spices and food who should soon return from the closing of a deal. From one of the papers on Don Miguel's desk, the Doctor also guesses what year is it, and what is about to happen.

Ian is led in front of Father Richard, who questions him about his faith. Unable to give the monk a satisfying answer, Ian is finally charged of being an English spy, and sentenced to appear before the Inquisition's tribunal. A 1962 bronze coin, with the head of Elizabeth II, confirms his presumed guilt.

The Justice of God (2)
At Don Miguel's house, the Doctor, Susan and Barbara finally meets the man. He presents himself as one who used to work for the Church, until he got hold of some unwanted money; now he works for the crown as a provider of food and supply for the fleet. Hearing that, Barbara asks whether the fleet is landed at Cadiz, while the Doctor has an idea. The next morning, as Ian and Esteban are led out of the prison to be put to trial and then executed in an auto-da-fe (a public trial and execution of multiple heretics) the Doctor and Susan disguises themselves as a Cardinal and his monk servant and present themselves to King Philip II as messengers from Rome, from the Pope.

The Doctor brings with himself a fake manuscript with the seal of the Pope, where he has only written Ian's name. He manages to talk to the king, avoiding his secretary, Idi Arguez, and tells him Ian is working for him, and has important information about the English fleet, which would get lost if he's executed. The suspicions of the secretary, however, are not easily put to rest, and eventually the Doctor sends Susan back to Don Miguel's house to tell Barbara they need to create a diversion, using some of the smoke bombs they previously used in Peking in a similar situation. Susan returns to the house but, when confronted on her whereabout by Barbara (who knew nothing), Don Miguel (who only now realises they are Englishmen) and a friend of his, Lorenzo (an actor, the one playing Elisabeth I the day before), is so distraught she almost forgets.

In the square, Ian and Esteban are put to trial, whipped and finally sentenced to be burnt alive at the Grand Inquisitor's presence. Suddenly, the King arrives with the Doctor in tow, but, as the latter one starts demanding Ian's release, Father Richard also arrives and whispers something at the Inquisitor's ears. The Inquisitor then grabs the Doctor by the collar and tears open his robe, revealing his ruse. The Doctor tries to appeal to the people, but in vain: as Susan, Barbara and Don Miguel arrive with the bombs, the Doctor too is now chained and about to be put to death.

The Doleful Knight (3)
to be added

The Queen's Pirate (4)
to be added

Cast

 * Ian Chesterton - William Russell
 * Susan - Carole Ann Ford
 * Esteban - Nabil Elouahabi

Characters

 * First Doctor
 * Susan
 * Ian Chesterton
 * Barbara Wright
 * Esteban Aribi
 * Miguel de Cervantes
 * Catalina
 * Father William
 * Sir Francis Drake
 * King Philip II
 * Idi Arguez
 * Grand Inquisitor
 * Lorenzo
 * Sancho

Continuity

 * The Doctor refers to Susan's time at Coal Hill School in 1963. (TV: An Unearthly Child)
 * Ian refers to his encounter with Captain James Cook in 1770. (AUDIO: The Transit of Venus)
 * The Doctor wears a panama hat while in Seville. (TV: The Daleks' Master Plan)
 * Ian mentions his national service. (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger, The Time Travellers, The Face of the Enemy; AUDIO: Domain of the Voord)
 * During his second and sixth incarnations, the Doctor later returned to Seville in 1985. (TV: The Two Doctors)
 * Susan mentions that she and the Doctor once shared fish with the Venerable Bede. (TV: The Talons of Weng-Chiang)
 * In 1588, during his fourth incarnation, the Doctor told Sir Robert Harney that he was present for Drake's attack in Cadiz. Several days later, he and Leela witnessed England's battle with the Spanish Armada. (AUDIO: The Devil's Armada)
 * The Doctor was playing bowls with Francis Drake in 1588 when he was called away to fight the Spanish Armada. The Doctor let Drake win so that he could join the fight. (PROSE: Birthright)
 * During his tenth incarnation, the Doctor would encounter Drake once again in the company of Donna Noble when he was taken out of her own time by Momus who wanted her to help lead Planet 12 of the Ridion Alliance into a new age of enlightenment. The Doctor eventually returned him to his rightful place in Earth's history. (PROSE: The Lonely Computer)
 * Two of the Doctor's future incarnations would make a return visit to Seville. (TV: The Two Doctors).