Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure was a musical stage play that ran from 23 March to 19 August 1989.
Jon Pertwee reprised his role as the Third Doctor for the initial run, with his understudy David Banks taking over for a couple of performances when Pertwee was taken ill.[1] The rest of the run saw Colin Baker take over as the Sixth Doctor.
Summary[]
The Daleks and the Cybermen form an alliance to kidnap the American Envoy and ruin a peace conference on Earth. The Doctor meets a new companion, a Frenchman called Jason. After they fail to stop the Cybermen taking the US Envoy from a nightclub, they are joined by a singer named Crystal who works there. After a trip to Altair Three and then the Bar Galactica, they meet Madame Delilah but are forced to flee along with a small furry creature called Zog.
The travellers are captured briefly by the Daleks. They navigate the ship through an asteroid field before making a series of short trips, then confront the Dalek Emperor. The Doctor tricks the Emperor into revealing that the Daleks intend to betray the Cybermen and a battle breaks out between the two. Returning to Earth, the Doctor realises the US Envoy is under Dalek influence and programmed to destroy London with a Dalekanium bomb. The Doctor breaks his conditioning and defuses the bomb by putting it in a teapot.
Cast[]
- Third Doctor/Unknown Doctor/Sixth Doctor (depending on lead performer) - Jon Pertwee (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 03/06/89) or David Banks (29/04/89) or Colin Baker (05/06/89 to 19/08/89)
- Jason - Graeme Smith (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89) or David Bingham (21/04/89 to 23/04/89, 17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Crystal - Rebecca Thornhill
- Karl - David Banks (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 19/08/89) or Chris Beaumont (29/04/89)
- Madame Delilah / Mrs T - Judith Hibbert
- Zog - Stephanie Colburn
- Emperor Dalek - Troy Webb
- Cyber-Leader - Wolf Christian
- Dalek Voices - Chris Beaumont, Troy Webb
- U.S. Envoy - Chris Beaumont
- Nightclub MC - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89) or Oliver Gray (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Envoy's Wife - Claudia Kelly
- Bell Boy - Stephanie Colburn
- U.S. Bodyguards - Troy Webb, Deborah Hecht
- Mercenaries - Terry Walsh (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Alison Reddihough, Oliver Gray (26/06/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Cybermen Voices - Oliver Gray
- The Cybermen - Paula Tappenden, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Insect Men - Claudia Kelly, Troy Webb, Alison Reddihough
- Waitress - Deborah Hecht
- Ant-Person - Claudia Kelly
- Martial Arts Mercenary - Troy Webb
- Vervoid - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Chicken-Headed Alien - Paula Tappenden
- Hairy Alien - Chris Beaumont (23/03/89 to 29/04/89, 01/05/89 to 19/08/89)
- Draconian - Wolf Christian
- The Daleks - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Oliver Gray, Troy Webb, Deborah Hecht, Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Chief Dalek - Paula Tappenden
- Dalek Scientist - Chris Beaumont
- Executioner - Alison Reddihough
- Execution Victim - David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Duelling Guards - Terry Walsh (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), Wolf Christian, Oliver Gray (26/06/89 to 15/07/89)
- Ragamuffin - Claudia Kelly
- French Women - Paula Tappenden, Deborah Hecht, Judith Hibbert
- French Men - Chris Beaumont, Troy Webb, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 24/06/89), David Bingham (23/03/89 to 20/04/89, 24/04/89 to 15/07/89), Gavin Warwick (17/07/89 to 19/08/89)
- Customers - Wolf Christian, Claudia Kelly, Troy Webb, Paula Tappenden, Oliver Gray (23/03/89 to 15/07/89), Alison Reddihough, Gavin Warwick (23/03/89 to 15/07/89)
Notes[]
- Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor costume was heavily redesigned for the stage.[2]
- Associated merchandise included: glossy brochure (updated half-way through the run to feature Colin Baker), clocks, posters, badges, baseball caps, colour photographs and t-shirts.
- The play was referenced in AUDIO: Jubilee, in which a movie star played a fictionalised version of the Doctor in the film Daleks: The Ultimate Adventure in an alternate timeline.
- No official recordings of this production were ever commissioned, so the only video and audio that do exist are amateur, technically ilegal recordings taken by fans. Although they vary heavily in quality, Josh Snares, a renowned Whovian and documentarian, has used the existing material to create an optimum quality version of the performance.
Gallery[]
Remakes[]
- Terrance Dicks has stated that he intended to write a novelisation of the play, but Target Books chose not to publish it.
- In 2008, Big Finish Productions produced an audio drama version of the play, complete with the original score. Colin Baker reprised the role of the Sixth Doctor while David Banks reprised the role of Karl.
External links[]
- Detailed Synopsis - Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure at TheUltimateAdventure.co.uk
- The Ultimate Adventure at Chrissie's Transcripts Site
- Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
Footnotes[]
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