The Psychic Circus (audio story)

 was the two hundred and sixty first story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Stephen Wyatt and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, and James Dreyfus as. It was the second in a trilogy of stories pitting the Seventh Doctor against another rogue Time Lord.

Publisher's summary
When a junkmail robot invades the TARDIS, the Doctor gets led down an unnervingly familiar path.

Meanwhile, space beatniks Kingpin and Juniper Berry just want to hitch rides and busk – until a greater purpose calls.

The Doctor's past and Kingpin's future are entangled by malevolent forces. The Psychic Circus is just beginning: it may lack clowns, but it already has a Master...

Part one
As the Seventh Doctor is juggling alone in the TARDIS, a Junkmail Robot materializes in the TARDIS, asking if he is the owner of the ship. The Doctor initially dismisses him, but then he relents and confirms he is indeed the "owner" of the TARDIS. The robot then displays an advertisement for the Psychic Circus, which makes the Doctor suspicious.

On Zamyatin two street artists, Kingpin and Juniper Berry, are arrested for being "useless". Their numbers and antics are judged frivolous and unnecessary in a planet where everyhing is rigidly ordained and disposed to be productive. The two of them are damned to a reducational course, and forced to sit and watch four hours of a documentary extolling Zamyatin's system. As they do, they hear a voice, encouraging them to resist against the induction.

The Doctor, still not trusting the robot, refuses to go the Circus; the robot then proposes he go to Zamyatin instead. The Doctor initially refuses, but when the robot taunts him, suggesting he is scared, the Doctor accepts. As they are about to reach Zamyatin, something attacks the TARDIS, and also makes the robot scream in agony, which the Doctor once again finds suspicious.

On Zamyatin, Kingpin and Juniper are ordered to build a wall by fabricating the bricks themselves, unguarded because nobody thinks they can escape. But as soon as they are left alone, they hear the voice again. Follow its instructions, they escape from the courtyard where they are through the sewers, until they reach a colony of rebels, led by Panpipe, waiting for them. He tells Kingpin he is supposed to lead a revolution, as the voice told.

The Doctor reaches Zamyatin, and he is also arrested for juggling. As he is interrogated by the Minister, and argues withher notions of good and evil, the robot suggests him to start juggling once again. The Doctor obeys, and this act of his generates a psychic storm, a wave of psychic energy capable of having everyone on the planet revolting, thus beginning the revolution.

Part two
The Doctor finds himself and the robot back in the TARDIS. He wonders whether the experience was real or just a projection. The robot activates and, after repeating his invitation to the Circus, proposes the Doctor they instead visit the Paradise Towers. The Doctor finally understands this is his past returning, and accepts the invitation.

On Zamyatin, people celebrate their newfound freedom, and many of them congratulate with Kingpin, which they take as the leader of the revolution. Amongst them, there is a fortune teller, Morgana, who sees the future in her crystal ball. Inspired by the voice, Kingpin has the idea of gathering a group of artists and start travelling together throughout the galaxy, exhibiting themselves for the fun of everyone. Some, like Penpipe, refuse the invitation, but most of them, including Morgana, agree to Kingpin's proposal, and start travelling in a bus.

At Paradise Towers, the Doctor is taken by the robot on a tour of the giant buildings, not yet finished and still inhabited. At one juncture, they come across a poster for the Psychic Circus, and are addressed by a man, excited and weird, expressing his desire to be a clown. He takes the poster and run away to join the Circus, to the Doctor's wonder and worry.

Due to a fault, the bus has stopped on the planet Segonax; Kingpin takes advantage of the forced stay to hold audition for new acts, including a clown. He keeps hearing the voice, telling him to stay on Segonax and never leave. The man at the Paradise Towers presents himself at the audition and becomes part of the Circus as a clown. When the bus is finally ready to leave, Kingpin decides they should stay, going against Juniper's will, and in a subsequient meeting he and the clown manage to convince the others. Looking in her ball, Morgana gets a glimpse of an eye in the mist.

At Paradise Towers, the Doctor enters a lift with the robot, and pushes the button to go up. The lift instead starts going down, and the Doctor realizes too late it is a trap. He turns to the robot, insisting he tells him why he's really here, why he was in pain before and who sent him.

On Segonax, that night, Kingpin musters the courage to ask the voice who it really is. It replies he may call him "the Master".

Part three
to be added

Part four
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
 * Kingpin / Robot - Chris Jury
 * Juniper / Ragnarok God 2 - Anna Brophy
 * Morgana / Minister - Sioned Jones
 * Chief Clown - Ian Reddington
 * - James Dreyfus
 * Panpipe / Police / Bus conductor / Whydini / Ragnarok God 1 - Andrew Spooner

Continuity

 * The Junkmail Robot strongly resembles a Kerb!am Man. (TV: Kerblam!)
 * The Seventh Doctor previously visited Segonax in TV: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy.
 * Paradise Towers was previously the setting for TV: Paradise Towers.
 * Upon seeing the Master, the Doctor remarks these are "early days" for him. This incarnation presented himself as the one who fled from Gallifrey in a stolen TARDIS. (AUDIO: The Destination Wars)
 * The Doctor gathers that the Master is trying to get out of some "dark, little place", suggesting that he is still stranded on Destination. (AUDIO: The Destination Wars)