Medicinal Purposes (audio story)

Medicinal Purposes

Key crew

Publisher:

Big Finish Productions

Writer:

Robert Ross

Director:

Gary Russell

Producer:

Gary Russell and Jason Haigh-Ellery

Music:

David Darlington

Post production:

David Darlington

Cover by:

Lee Binding

Release details

Number of parts:

Release number:

Release date:

August 2004

Format:

2 CDs
Download

Production code:

7C/L

ISBN:

ISBN 978-1-84435-098-8 (physical)
ISBN 978-1-78178-758-8 (digital)

*Main Range*
← Previous	Next →
The Roof of the World	Faith Stealer

Production order
← Previous	Next →
Arrangements for War	The Harvest

Medicinal Purposes was the sixtieth story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Robert Ross and featured Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe.

This story marked the first appearance of Robert Knox played by Leslie Phillips. This is the second and final Big Finish audio drama in the main range in which David Tennant appears.

Publisher's summary[]

Edinburgh, 1827.

The infamous body snatchers William Burke and William Hare are at large. The local prostitutes dull their fear with cheap whisky. The graveyard owls are hooting. Business is good.

When accidental tourists the Doctor and Evelyn Smythe stumble upon one of Britain's most lurid, illuminating chapters in history, a simple case of interest in the work of dedicated man of science Doctor Robert Knox, quickly turns sour.

Just what is that time-bending Scots mist? Whatever it is may put the very fabric of the universe under threat...

As always.

Plot[]

to be added

Cast[]

Crew[]

Cover Art - Lee Binding
Director - Gary Russell
Executive Producer - Jacqueline Rayner
Music and Sound Design - David Darlington
Producers - Gary Russell and Jason Haigh-Ellery
Writer - Robert Ross

Worldbuilding[]

The Doctor and Evelyn visited Greyfriars Graveyard.

Individuals[]

Daft Jamie's name and nationality causes the Doctor to recall his former companion Jamie McCrimmon.
The Doctor refers to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
The Doctor mentions Dr Christiaan Barnard.
Evelyn mentions Roger Bannister.
Knox is contemptuous of the Time Lords and their 'dominion' over time, and says it doesn't exist.

TARDIS[]

Knox bought his Type 70 TARDIS from a Nekkistani on Gryben.
Knox's TARDIS has a working chameleon circuit.

Literature from the real world[]

The Doctor superstitiously refers to Macbeth as "the Scottish Play."
Dr. Knox refers to The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, who would not be born until the 1850s. The Doctor realised that he mentioned the novel as a test for Evelyn whom he correctly believed may be another time traveller.

Gallery[]

Notes[]

This story was featured in the preview section of DWM 347 with art by Martin Geraghty.
Although it is not stated in the story itself, Daft Jamie's real name was James Wilson and he was 18 years at the time of his murder in October 1828. Mary Patterson was the same age when Burke and Hare killed her on 9 April 1828.
This audio drama was recorded on 18 and 19 March 2004 at the Moat Studios.
Although the back cover of the CD dates this story to 1827, it is actually set in 1828.
Robert Louis Stevenson was apparently born in a different year in the Doctor Who timeline than in the real world. The Date is given as December 1828 and the Doctor says it is "a full 30 years" before his birth, which would put his birth in 1858 or early 1859. In real life, Stevenson was born 13 November 1850.

Continuity[]

The Doctor and Evelyn would encounter Knox once again in Washington DC in April 1865. (AUDIO: Assassin in the Limelight)
The Doctor would refer to Macbeth as "the Scottish Play" again during his eighth incarnation. (AUDIO: The Next Life, The Book of Kells)

External links[]

Official Medicinal Purposes page at bigfinish.com
Medicinal Purposes at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
DisContinuity for Medicinal Purposes at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide

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Fifth Doctor

	Adric, Nyssa, Tegan	The Star Men • The Contingency Club • Zaltys • Kingdom of Lies • Ghost Walk • Serpent in the Silver Mask

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Sixth Doctor

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	Evelyn	The Marian Conspiracy • The Spectre of Lanyon Moor • The Apocalypse Element • Bloodtide • Project: Twilight • The Sandman • Jubilee • Doctor Who and the Pirates • Project: Lazarus • Arrangements for War • Medicinal Purposes • Pier Pressure • The Nowhere Place • 100 (100 BC • My Own Private Wolfgang • Bedtime Story • The 100 Days of the Doctor) • Assassin in the Limelight

	Evelyn, Brewster	The Crimes of Thomas Brewster • The Feast of Axos • Industrial Evolution

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	Solo travels	The Sirens of Time • Davros • The Wormery • Her Final Flight • I.D. • Urgent Calls • The Four Doctors • The Acheron Pulse • Trial of the Valeyard • Last of the Cybermen • Vampire of the Mind • The Lure of the Nomad • Iron Bright • Hour of the Cybermen • The Hunting Ground

Seventh Doctor

	Mel	The Fires of Vulcan • Bang-Bang-a-Boom! • Flip-Flop • Unregenerate! • Red • We Are The Daleks • The Warehouse • Terror of the Sontarans

	Ace	The Fearmonger • The Genocide Machine • Dust Breeding • Colditz • The Rapture • 1963: The Assassination Games • You Are the Doctor and Other Stories (You Are the Doctor • Come Die With Me • The Grand Betelgeuse Hotel • Dead to the World) • The Grey Man of the Mountain

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Eighth Doctor

	Mary Shelley	Mary's Story • The Silver Turk • The Witch from the Well • Army of Death

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