Changes: Three's a Crowd (audio story)

It sits almost exactly in the middle of the run of stories featuring the former Pharaoh Erimem. Released in May 2005, it was the first audio written by Brake, who had authored several Doctor Who novels. It featured 1960s television regular Deborah Watling in a new role.

Crowd explores the Orwellian theme of individuality and conformity. Indeed it can be viewed as a pastiche of Nineteen Eighty-Four, in the same way that The Brain of Morbius is an homage to Frankenstein and Robot evokes King Kong.

A major subplot is of Erimem recovering from the unpleasant experiences of The Roof of the World. Indeed, the opening TARDIS interior scenes share some common beats with Tegan's opening scenes in both The Visitation and Mawdryn Undead as she struggled to deal with Mara encounters in the previous stories. Erimem's disquiet, however, isn't just mentioned in the opening episode and then forgotten; rather it's a comparatively more complex part of Crowd's narrative. It also reaches all the way back to The Eye of the Scorpion, and at last addresses the way in which Peri effectively forced Erimem into the TARDIS and onto an apparently unenthused Doctor.

As the title suggests, the story is in some ways about whether the Doctor and Erimem really want to travel together and Peri's struggle to stabilise them all into a coherent, three-person "TARDIS team". However, the title has a double meaning. It also refers to the people whom the Doctor and his friends meet. Made acutely agoraphobic by the rules of their society, it's intensely difficult for even two of them to physically meet. For them, three is very definitely a crowd.

Publisher's summary

On an almost lifeless planet in a remote star system, Earth Colony Phoenix is struggling to survive. The colonists, utterly dependent on transmat technology and unable to leave the security of their Habitat Domes, have developed severe agoraphobia... not to mention an inability to deal with visitors...

The TARDIS crew arrives on an apparently abandoned space station in orbit above the planet and soon discover that they and the remaining colonists are in the gravest danger.

To survive, the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem must uncover the colony's darkest secrets before it is too late.

Something inhuman is stalking the colony...

...and it's hungry!

Plot

to be added

Cast

References

Peri wants to take Erimem on a roller coaster ride.
Phoenix was founded in 2835.

Notes

This audio drama was recorded on 26 January and 3 March 2005 at The Moat Studios.
The sound effects used for the teleport are those previously used in Blake's 7.
Behind the scenes footage of the production of this story was featured in episode 1x12 of Doctor Who Confidential.

Continuity

The TARDIS' pool is still frozen over. (AUDIO: The Roof of the World)
Since The Axis of Insanity, Erimem has received a TARDIS key and begun to wear it, as she says, "around her neck, as usual". It was a central plot point of Axis that she did not then have a TARDIS key.
Peri refers to her mother. (AUDIO: The Reaping)

External links

Official Three's a Crowd page at bigfinish.com
Three's a Crowd at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
DisContinuity for Three's a Crowd at Tetrapyriarbus - The DisContinuity Guide

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{real world}}
 {{title dab away}}
+{{real world}}
 {{Infobox Story
-|name= Three's a Crowd
 |image=Threes a Crowd cover.jpg
+|range           = Main Range
-|series=[[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|Big Finish ''Doctor Who'' audio stories]]
+|number in range = 69
+|series=''[[Main Range]]''
 |number= 69
 |doctor= Fifth Doctor
 |companions= [[Peri Brown|Peri]], [[Erimem]]
 |enemy=[[Khellian]], [[Makra'Thon]]
-|setting= Earth colony [[Phoenix (planet)|Phoenix]] and the space station ''[[Medusa (space station)|Medusa]]'', [[2885]]
+|setting= [[Phoenix (planet)|Phoenix]], ''[[Medusa (space station)|Medusa]]'', [[2885]]
 |writer= [[Colin Brake]]
 |director= [[Gary Russell]]
+|producer = [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]]
-|post production=[[David Darlington]]
-|music=[[David Darlington]]
+|sound = [[David Darlington]]
-|cover=[[Stuart Manning]]
+|music = [[David Darlington]]
+|cover = [[Stuart Manning]]
 |publisher= Big Finish Productions
 |release date= [[May (releases)|May]] [[2005 (releases)|2005]]
@@ Line 22: / Line 24: @@
 |prev= Catch-1782 (audio story)
 |next= Unregenerate! (audio story)
+|made prev = Unregenerate! (audio story)
+|made next = The Council of Nicaea (audio story)
 }}{{audio stub}}
-'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the sixty-ninth [[Big Finish Doctor Who audio stories|monthly ''Doctor Who'' audio story]] produced by [[Big Finish Productions]].  It sits almost exactly in the middle of the run of stories featuring the former [[Pharaoh]] [[Erimem]]. Released in May 2005, it was the first audio written by [[Colin Brake]], who had authored several ''[[Doctor Who]]'' novels. It featured 1960s television regular [[Deborah Watling]] in a new role.
+'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was the sixty-ninth story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Colin Brake]] and featured [[Peter Davison]] as the [[Fifth Doctor]], [[Nicola Bryant]] as [[Peri Brown]] and [[Caroline Morris]] as [[Erimem]].
+It sits almost exactly in the middle of the run of stories featuring the former [[Pharaoh]] Erimem. Released in May 2005, it was the first audio written by Brake, who had authored several ''[[Doctor Who]]'' novels. It featured 1960s television regular [[Deborah Watling]] in a new role.
-''Crowd'' explores the [[George Orwell|Orwellian]] theme of individuality and conformity. Indeed it can be viewed as a pastiche of ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', in the same way that ''[[The Brain of Morbius]]'' is an homage to ''[[Frankenstein]]'' and ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' evokes ''[[King Kong]]''.
+''Crowd'' explores the [[George Orwell|Orwellian]] theme of individuality and conformity. Indeed it can be viewed as a pastiche of ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'', in the same way that ''[[The Brain of Morbius (TV story)|The Brain of Morbius]]'' is an homage to ''[[Frankenstein]]'' and ''[[Robot (TV story)|Robot]]'' evokes ''[[King Kong]]''.
-A major subplot is of [[Erimem]] recovering from the unpleasant experiences of ''[[The Roof of the World (audio story)|The Roof of the World]]''.  Indeed, the opening TARDIS interior scenes share some common beats with [[Tegan]]'s opening scenes in both ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'' and ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'' as she struggled to deal with [[Mara]] encounters in the previous stories.  Erimem's disquiet, however, isn't just mentioned in the opening episode and then forgotten; rather it's a comparatively more complex part of ''Crowd''{{'}}s narrative. It also reaches all the way back to ''[[The Eye of the Scorpion (audio story)|The Eye of the Scorpion]]'', and at last addresses the way in which Peri effectively forced Erimem into the TARDIS and onto an apparently unenthused Doctor.
+A major subplot is of Erimem recovering from the unpleasant experiences of ''[[The Roof of the World (audio story)|The Roof of the World]]''. Indeed, the opening TARDIS interior scenes share some common beats with [[Tegan]]'s opening scenes in both ''[[The Visitation (TV story)|The Visitation]]'' and ''[[Mawdryn Undead (TV story)|Mawdryn Undead]]'' as she struggled to deal with [[Mara]] encounters in the previous stories. Erimem's disquiet, however, isn't just mentioned in the opening episode and then forgotten; rather it's a comparatively more complex part of ''Crowd''{{'}}s narrative. It also reaches all the way back to ''[[The Eye of the Scorpion (audio story)|The Eye of the Scorpion]]'', and at last addresses the way in which Peri effectively forced Erimem into the TARDIS and onto an apparently unenthused Doctor.
-As the title suggests, the story is in some ways about whether the Doctor and Erimem really want to travel together and [[Peri]]'s struggle to stabilise them all into a coherent, three-person "TARDIS team".  However, the title has a double meaning.  It also refers to the people whom the Doctor and his friends meet.  Made acutely agoraphobic by the rules of their society, it's intensely difficult for even two of them to physically meet.  For them, three is very definitely a crowd.
+As the title suggests, the story is in some ways about whether the Doctor and Erimem really want to travel together and [[Peri Brown|Peri]]'s struggle to stabilise them all into a coherent, three-person "TARDIS team". However, the title has a double meaning. It also refers to the people whom the Doctor and his friends meet. Made acutely agoraphobic by the rules of their society, it's intensely difficult for even two of them to physically meet. For them, three is very definitely a crowd.
 == Publisher's summary ==
@@ Line 63: / Line 69: @@
 == Notes ==
 * This audio drama was recorded on [[26 January (production)|26 January]] and [[3 March (production)|3 March]] [[2005 (production)|2005]] at [[The Moat Studios]].
+* The sound effects used for the teleport are those previously used in ''[[Blake's 7]]''.
+* Behind the scenes footage of the production of this story was featured in episode 1x12 of ''[[Doctor Who Confidential]].''
 == Continuity ==
 * The TARDIS' pool is still frozen over. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Roof of the World (audio story)|The Roof of the World]]'')
-* Since ''[[The Axis of Insanity (audio story)|The Axis of Insanity]]'', [[Erimem]] has received a [[TARDIS key]] and begun to wear it, as she says, "around her neck, as usual".  It was a central plot point of ''Axis'' that she did not then have a TARDIS key.
+* Since ''[[The Axis of Insanity (audio story)|The Axis of Insanity]]'', [[Erimem]] has received a [[TARDIS key]] and begun to wear it, as she says, "around her neck, as usual". It was a central plot point of ''Axis'' that she did not then have a TARDIS key.
 * Peri refers to [[Janine Foster|her mother]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Reaping (audio story)|The Reaping]]'')
 == External links ==
-* {{bigfinish|releases/v/three-s-a-crowd-235|Three's a Crowd}}
+{{bigfinish|releases/v/three-s-a-crowd-235|Three's a Crowd}}
-* {{dwrefguide|who_bf69.htm|Three's a Crowd}}
+{{dwrefguide|who_bf69.htm|Three's a Crowd}}
 * {{tetrap|5/threesacrowd.html|Three's a Crowd}}
@@ Line 77: / Line 85: @@
 {{TitleSort}}
 [[Category:Fifth Doctor audio stories]]
-[[Category:Doctor Who monthly audio stories]]
-[[Category:2005 audio stories]]
-[[Category:Audio stories that use the Peter Howell theme]]
 [[Category:Stories set in 2885]]
+[[Category:Audio stories that use the Peter Howell theme]]
+[[Category:Erimem audio stories]]
+[[Category:Fifth Doctor Main Range audio stories]]
+[[Category:2005 Main Range audio stories]]

Tardis

Changes: Three's a Crowd (audio story)

Revision as of 10:31, 30 April 2020

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