The Blood Furnace (audio story)

 was the two hundred and twenty-eighth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Eddie Robson and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush and Sophie Aldred as Ace.

Publisher's summary
The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Ace and Mel to a recently reopened shipyard in Merseyside. It's 1991, the hardest of times - but now they're shipbuilding once again, thanks to the yard's new owners, the Dark Alloy Corporation. A miracle of job creation - but is it too good to be true?

While the Doctor and Ace go in search of an alien assassin at loose in the yard, Stuart Dale, discoverer of the near-magical Dark Alloy material, has an extraordinary proposition to make to his old college friend, Mel.

But who is the Corporation's mysterious client? Who does she really represent? And what's the secret of the Blood Furnace? Seeking answers, the Doctor and friends are about to find themselves in very deep water...

Part one
to be added

Part two
to be added

Part three
to be added

Part four
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Ace - Sophie Aldred
 * Mel - Bonnie Langford
 * Carolyn - Julie Graham
 * Danuta - Jade Anouka
 * Stuart Dale - Todd Heppenstall
 * Orla - Clare Calbraith
 * Vinny - Louis Tamone
 * Lee - Ignatius Anthony

Crew

 * Cover Art - Anthony Lamb
 * Director - Ken Bentley
 * Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery
 * Music - Andy Hardwick
 * Producer - David Richardson
 * Script Editor - Alan Barnes
 * Sound Design - Martin Montague
 * Writer - Eddie Robson

Worldbuilding

 * Joel's father has been out of work since 1981.
 * The Doctor claims that he, Ace and Mel are from the Foreign Office.
 * Mel and Stuart dated for more than two years in university. After they graduated, he got a job as an engineer in the Middle East. They had a long distance relationship for some time before they broke up.
 * The Doctor bought a second hand crime scene forensic scanner from a retired Judoon.
 * The Doctor once met a Sontaran named Harold.
 * Stuart did karate at school.
 * The emergency severing system can separate the interior and exterior of the Doctor's TARDIS.

Continuity

 * Ace once again refers to Mel as "Donut". (TV: Dragonfire; AUDIO: A Life of Crime, Fiesta of the Damned)
 * Ace once again exclaims, "Gordon Bennett!" (TV: Dragonfire, The Happiness Patrol, The Greatest Show in the Galaxy, Battlefield; AUDIO: A Life of Crime)
 * The Doctor treats Mel in the TARDIS sickbay. (TV: Cold Blood)
 * The Doctor refers to the Dominators, (TV: The Dominators) the Great Vampires (TV: State of Decay) and the Dæmons. (TV: The Dæmons)
 * On the dictaphone recording, the Doctor mentions looking up a house called Gabriel Chase. (TV: Ghost Light)
 * Ace notes that the TARDIS does not like it when she tries to fly it. (AUDIO: You Are the Doctor, Come Die With Me, The Grand Betelgeuse Hotel, Dead to the World)
 * The Doctor explains the TARDIS will be fine without a shield oscillator as long as they don't encounter a magno-grab. (TV: Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS)