The Thief Who Stole Time was the ninth and final story in the sixth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Marc Platt and featured Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Lalla Ward as Romana II.
After The Skin of the Sleek, it was the second part of the series finale.
Publisher's summary
A god has died. A crime has been committed. And an even greater threat lies beneath the surface.
On the ocean world of Funderell, Romana has been reunited with her old friend from Gallifrey, Sartia, and the Doctor is investigating the history and religion of this strange world. But events have quickly spiralled out of control.
Why is this planet of such interest to the Time Lords? What lurks in the depths?
The life of more than one world is at stake. But time is running out.
Plot
Part one
to be added
Part two
to be added
Cast
- The Doctor - Tom Baker
- Romana - Lalla Ward
- Sartia - Joannah Tincey
- Eamonn Orensky - Alan Cox
- Klick Chervain/Rolf - Kieran Hodgson
- Blujaw Skaldson - Des McAleer
- Linnis Skaldson - Alex Wyndham
- Greygul - Jamie Newall
- Frithra - Jane Slavin
- The Sleeks - John Banks
References
- The Doctor offers himself for execution in Romana's place.
- When reading the Book of Futures, the Doctor mentions that in the beginning, time split the omniverse in two, and continued until there was an infinite number of times.
- The Doctor quotes William Shakespeare: "a tale told by an idiot" and "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow."
- Funderell does not have a seabed or molten core. It is an artificial planet engineered by the Time Lords back when they knew how to build planets. At the centre of the world are parallel timelines, "Time's Infinity." With the Orb of Funderell, the possible futures can be viewed, but not changed. Sartia tries to use the Orb with the TARDIS to control the timelines, but it's too overpowering.
- The Book of Futures is made from parts of the Sleeks: it's cover is Sleek skin, and the chains around it are their bones.
- The Doctor theorises that the Time Lords forgot about Funderell millennia ago, during the great cut-backs of the 53rd Bureaucratic Regime.
- The Doctor notes that good companions are modest: he asks Romana how many times she's saved the universe, but she hasn't kept count.
- The Doctor "reboots" the planet back to its default setting before it started to degrade. As a result, the green sea is returned to a blue ocean.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- Romana says the Doctor is very particular about who he lets into the TARDIS. (TV: The Long Game)
- Sartia escapes using a time ring. (TV: Genesis of the Daleks)
External links
- Official The Thief Who Stole Time page at bigfinish.com
