Changes: Walking to Babylon (audio story)

Walking to Babylon was the third Bernice Summerfield audio drama produced by Big Finish Productions. It was the first in a trilogy of stories known as the "Time Ring Trilogy" whose arc element was the use of Bernice Summerfield and Jason Kane's wedding time rings, given to them when they were married in Happy Endings. Like the previous audio story, this story also features a former Doctor Who television actor, with Elisabeth Sladen playing Ninan-ashtammu.

This story was the first to show photos of the actors on the front cover, with Lisa Bowerman and Elisabeth Sladen both pictured.

Publisher's summary

The Time Ring Trilogy: Part 1

"I'm scared of letting all these people down. At least if I get blown up as well, they can say I died heroically. Assuming I ever existed at all."

The People are one of the most technologically advanced races in the Universe - except in the area of time travel. Professor Bernice Summerfield has a time ring. So does her ex-husband Jason Kane. Trouble is, they're their wedding rings, and they won't work unless they're together.

Benny is surprised when Jason turns up to visit her at St Oscar's, especially when she discovers that he has brought one of the People with him. She should have guessed that her good-for-nothing ex wasn't just interested in her company...

Using the time rings, two People create a Time Path and travel back to ancient Babylon, taking an unwilling Jason with them. Benny has just 48 hours to find them and rescue her errant husband, before the People back in the 26th century send a singularity bomb to destroy the Path - and Babylon.

But someone else has discovered the Path and walked to Babylon - Edwardian time sensitive John Lafayette. And Benny discovers her mission has a complication that she never dreamed of - romance.

Plot

to be added

Cast

References

Species

The People make their first audio appearance.
Jason and Bernice's Time Rings make their first audio appearance.

Notes

This is the first audio in the "Time Ring Trilogy", comprised of Walking to Babylon, Birthright and Just War. To emphasise this fact, their covers feature a ring motif.
Unlike all other releases of the first season, the cover of the audio does not reuse the cover art for the novel it has been adapted from. Instead it reproduces the novel cover, which was a wrong shape, from a different angle.^[1]
Kate Orman does not have any rights to the audio adaptation aside from those attached to her original work, as these were signed away in her contract.^[2]
Gary Russell announced the adaptation of the novel without making sure that Orman, its author, had been notified, which caused certain awkwardness. Part of the reason was that Big Finish Productions had a contract with Virgin, who owned the rights to the story, rather than with the author.^[1]
One of the fans invited to the recording of the story, Paul Ebbs,^[1] went on to write the story The Greatest Shop in the Galaxy, which was released as part of the third season of the range.
This audio drama was recorded on 5 and 6 November 1998 at Crosstown Studios, London.
The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1 states the release date as January 1999, which corresponds to the 1999 copyright year on the CD. It appears that the November 1998 release date on the website of Big Finish Productions is erroneous.

Cover gallery

Continuity

The People were introduced in PROSE: The Also People.
Benny mentions that the last time she saw Jason was during the business on Ursu. (AUDIO: Beyond the Sun)
Benny's expedition to Fields of Aggrazar is mentioned. (AUDIO: Making Myths)

External links

Official Walking to Babylon page at bigfinish.com
Walking to Babylon at the Doctor Who Reference Guide

Footnotes

[BFC-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1

[2] Ask Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum - The Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey (ezyboard membership required)

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{audio stub}}
 {{title dab away}}
 {{real world}}
 {{Infobox Story
-|image=Walking to Babylon audio cover.jpg
+|image           = Walking to Babylon audio cover.jpg
+|range           = BSSR
-|series = [[Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series]]
+|series in range = Series 1 (BFBS)
-|story number= 3
-|season number= Series 1 (BFBS){{!}}1
+|series number in range = 1
-|number=3
+|number in series = 3
+|series          = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]''
-|adapted from= Walking to Babylon (novel)
+|story number    = 3
-|main character= [[Bernice Summerfield]]
+|audio series    = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]''<br />Single Releases
-|featuring= [[Jason Kane]]
+|audio series number   = [[Series 1 (BFBS)|1]]
-|enemy= [[The People]]
+|series release number          = 3
-|setting=[[St. Oscar's University]], [[Dellah]], [[2594]]<br />[[Babylon]], [[BC#6th century BC|570 B.C.]]
+|adapted from    = Walking to Babylon (novel)
-|writer= Based on a novel by [[Kate Orman]] <br /> Adapted for Audio by [[Jacqueline Rayner]]
+|main character  = [[Bernice Summerfield]]
-|director= [[Gary Russell]]
-|producer= [[Gary Russell]]
+|featuring       = [[Jason Kane]]
-|sound= [[Harvey Summers]]
+|enemy           = [[The People]]
+|setting         = {{il|[[St Oscar's University]], [[2594]]|[[Babylon]], [[BC#6th century BC|570 B.C.]]}}
-|music=[[Harvey Summers]]<br />
+|writer          = {{il|Based on a novel by [[Kate Orman]];|adapted for Audio by [[Jacqueline Rayner]]}}
-[[Chinook Lodge]]
+|director        = [[Gary Russell]]
-|publisher= Big Finish Productions
+|producer        = [[Gary Russell]]
-|cover=[[Colin Howard]]
+|sound           = [[Harvey Summers]]
-|release date= [[November (releases)|November]] [[1998 (releases)|1998]]
+|music           = {{il|[[Harvey Summers]]|[[Chinook Lodge]]}}
-|format= 2 CDs
+|publisher       = Big Finish Productions
-|production code=BFPCD3
+|cover           = [[Colin Howard]]
-|isbn= ISBN  1-903654-19X
+|release date    = [[January (releases)|January]] [[1999 (releases)|1999]]
-|prev= Beyond the Sun (audio story)
+|format          = {{il|2 episodes on 2 CDs:|Episode 1 (55:53)|Episode 2 (36:17)}}
-|next= Birthright (audio story)}}
+|production code = BFPCD3
-'''''Walking to Babylon''''' was the third [[Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series|Bernice Summerfield]] audio drama produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was the first in a trilogy of stories known as the "Time Ring Trilogy" whose arc element was the use of [[Bernice Summerfield]] and [[Jason Kane]]'s wedding [[time ring]]s, given to them when they were married in ''[[Happy Endings]]''. Like the previous audio story, this story also features a former ''[[Doctor Who]]'' television actor, with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] playing [[Ninan-ashtammu]].
+|isbn            = ISBN  1-903654-19X
+|prev            = Beyond the Sun (audio story)
+|next            = Birthright (audio story)
+}}{{audio stub}}
+'''''Walking to Babylon''''' was the third ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' audio drama produced by [[Big Finish Productions]]. It was the first in a trilogy of stories known as the "Time Ring Trilogy" whose arc element was the use of [[Bernice Summerfield]] and [[Jason Kane]]'s wedding [[time ring]]s, given to them when they were married in ''[[Happy Endings (novel)|Happy Endings]]''. Like the previous audio story, this story also features a former ''[[Doctor Who]]'' television actor, with [[Elisabeth Sladen]] playing [[Ninan-ashtammu]].
 This story was the first to show photos of the actors on the front cover, with [[Lisa Bowerman]] and Elisabeth Sladen both pictured.
 == Publisher's summary ==
+The Time Ring Trilogy: Part 1
 "I'm scared of letting all these people down. At least if I get blown up as well, they can say I died heroically. Assuming I ever existed at all."
-[[The People]] are one of the most technologically advanced races in the Universe - except in the area of time travel. Professor [[Bernice Summerfield]] has a time ring. So does her ex-husband [[Jason Kane]]. Trouble is, they're their wedding rings, and they won't work unless they're together.
+[[The People]] are one of the most technologically advanced races in the Universe - except in the area of time travel. Professor [[Bernice Summerfield]] has a [[time ring]]. So does her ex-husband [[Jason Kane]]. Trouble is, they're their wedding rings, and they won't work unless they're together.
-Benny is surprised when Jason turns up to visit her at [[St. Oscar's University|St Oscar's]], especially when she discovers that he has brought one of the People with him. She should have guessed that her good-for-nothing ex wasn't just interested in her company...
+Benny is surprised when Jason turns up to visit her at [[St Oscar's University|St Oscar's]], especially when she discovers that he has brought one of the People with him. She should have guessed that her good-for-nothing ex wasn't just interested in her company...
-Using the time rings, two People create a Time Path and travel back to ancient [[Babylon]], taking an unwilling Jason with them. Benny has just 48 hours to find them and rescue her errant husband, before the People back in the [[26th century]] send a singularity bomb to destroy the Path - and Babylon.
+Using the time rings, two People create a [[Time Path]] and travel back to ancient [[Babylon]], taking an unwilling Jason with them. Benny has just 48 hours to find them and rescue her errant husband, before the People back in the [[26th century]] send a singularity bomb to destroy the Path - and Babylon.
 But someone else has discovered the Path and walked to Babylon - [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] [[Time sensitivity|time sensitive]] [[John Lafayette]]. And Benny discovers her mission has a complication that she never dreamed of - romance.
@@ Line 47: / Line 53: @@
 == Cast ==
 * [[Bernice Summerfield]] - [[Lisa Bowerman]]
-* [[Jason Kane]] - [[Stephen Fewell]]
 * [[Ninan-ashtammu]] - [[Elisabeth Sladen]]
+* [[Jason Kane]] - [[Stephen Fewell]]
 * [[John Lafayette]] - [[Barnaby Edwards (actor)|Barnaby Edwards]]
 * [[WiRgo!xu]] - [[Nigel Fairs]]
 * [[!Ci!ci-tel]] - [[Anthony Keetch]]
-* The Drone - [[Steven Wickham]]
+* [[!qu-!qu-tala|The Drone]] - [[Steven Wickham]]
-* [[Miriam]] - [[Louise Morell]]
+* [[Miriam (Walking to Babylon)|Miriam]] - [[Louise Morell]]
 * Babylonian Child - [[Alex Canini]]
@@ Line 62: / Line 68: @@
 == Notes ==
-* This is the first audio in the Time Ring Trilogy, comprised of ''Walking to Babylon'', ''[[Birthright (audio story)|Birthright]]'' and'' [[Just War (audio story)|Just War]]''.
+* This is the first audio in the "Time Ring Trilogy", comprised of ''Walking to Babylon'', ''[[Birthright (audio story)|Birthright]]'' and'' [[Just War (audio story)|Just War]]''. To emphasise this fact, their covers feature a ring motif.
+* Unlike all other releases of the [[Series 1 (BFBS)|first season]], the cover of the audio does not reuse the cover art for the novel it has been adapted from. Instead it reproduces the novel cover, which was a wrong shape, from a different angle.<ref name="BFC" />
-* Kate Orman does not have any rights to the audio adaptation aside from those attached to her original work, as these were signed away in her contract.<ref>[http://p102.ezboard.com/fthedoctorwhoforumfrm4.showMessage?topicID=7.topic Ask Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum - The Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey (ezyboard membership required)]</ref>
+* [[Kate Orman]] does not have any rights to the audio adaptation aside from those attached to her original work, as these were signed away in her contract.<ref>[http://p102.ezboard.com/fthedoctorwhoforumfrm4.showMessage?topicID=7.topic Ask Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum - The Doctor Who Forum at Outpost Gallifrey (ezyboard membership required)]</ref>
-* This audio drama was recorded on [[5 November (production)|5]] and [[6 November (production)|6 November]] [[1998 (production)|1998]].
+* [[Gary Russell]] announced the adaptation of the [[Walking to Babylon (novel)|novel]] without making sure that Orman, its author, had been notified, which caused certain awkwardness. Part of the reason was that [[Big Finish Productions]] had a contract with [[Virgin Books|Virgin]], who owned the rights to the story, rather than with the author.<ref name="BFC">''[[The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1]]''</ref>
+* One of the fans invited to the recording of the story, [[Paul Ebbs]],<ref name="BFC" /> went on to write the story ''[[The Greatest Shop in the Galaxy (audio story)|The Greatest Shop in the Galaxy]]'', which was released as part of the [[Series 3 (BFBS)|third season]] of the range.
+* This audio drama was recorded on [[5 November (production)|5]] and [[6 November (production)|6 November]] [[1998 (production)|1998]] at [[Crosstown Studios]], [[London]].
+* ''[[The Big Finish Companion: Volume 1]]'' states the release date as [[January (releases)|January]] [[1999 (releases)|1999]], which corresponds to the 1999 copyright year on the CD. It appears that the November 1998 release date on the website of [[Big Finish Productions]] is erroneous.
+=== Cover gallery ===
+<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
+Walking to Babylon audio cover.jpg|Cover with actors' photos and the release number, additionally mentioning the author [[Kate Orman]]
+WalkingToBabylon cover with logo.jpg|Cover with [[Paul Vyse]]'s series logo
+Walking to Babylon.jpg|Cover of the original novel
+</gallery>
 == Continuity ==
 * The People were introduced in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Also People]]''.
+* Benny mentions that the last time she saw Jason was during the business on [[Ursu]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Beyond the Sun (audio story)|Beyond the Sun]]'')
-* Both contradictory accounts of her visit to [[Guernsey]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Just War (novel)|Just War]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Just War (audio story)|Just War]]'') appear to have taken place ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Paydirt]]'') and Bernice was able to recall them both. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dear Friend]]'') As well as the rest of time ring trilogy
+* Benny's expedition to Fields of Aggrazar is mentioned. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Making Myths (audio story)|Making Myths]]'')
 == External links ==
-* {{bigfinish|releases/v/walking-to-babylon-43|Walking to Babylon}}
+{{bigfinish|releases/v/walking-to-babylon-43|Walking to Babylon}}
 {{dwrefguide|benny03.htm|Walking to Babylon}}
 == Footnotes ==
 {{reflist}}
 {{BFBS}}
 {{TitleSort}}
-[[Category:Bernice Summerfield stories]]
+[[Category:Series 1 (BFBS) audio stories]]
-[[Category:1998 audio stories]]
+[[Category:Stories set in 570 BC]]
-[[Category:BFBS audio stories]]
-[[Category:Stories set in the distant past]]
 [[Category:Stories set in Babylon]]
-[[Category:Pseudo-historical stories]]
 [[Category:Stories set on Dellah]]
 [[Category:Stories set in 2594]]
-[[Category:Adaptations]]
 [[Category:Stories set in 1901]]
+[[Category:1999 audio stories]]
+[[Category:Bernice Summerfield stories]]
+[[Category:Stories that use Alistair Lock's Bernice Summerfield theme]]

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