Something a little different today as we travel back to 2000 and Bloodtide, my first Doctor Who audio adventure for Big Finish. I compiled all the deleted scenes from this play at the time – a consientious habit which I immediately lost – and later sent them to Ben Cook for consideration for The Inside Story.
Most of those deleted scenes were ‘background chatter’ or ‘historical colour/showing off research’. But more fun are these scenes from a pre-first-draft draft of episode four.
Health warning! It’s a writing technique to bash out a rough draft in a deliberately hammy and amateurish way before going through it again and worrying about the dialogue, just to get the scenes down on paper in some form, and to have an idea of what needs to be said, by whom, and in what progression. This is because it’s easier to write fast if you’re not concerned about it being any good, and it’s easier to rewrite if you’ve already got the conversational flow sorted out. So this is deliberately crap; people say what they mean, they use exclamation marks a lot and there’s a fair bit of swearing... but what’s more worrying is the amount of stuff that made it through to the final draft...
Scene 71
(SFX: IN A VAST ECHOEY CHAMBER. RUMBLE OF ENGINES.)
TULLOCK:
You, ape creatures. Load the containers of bacteria into the submarine.
CHARLES & FITZROY:
We obey.
TULLOCK:
You puny creatures, I control your minds so easily. Is all prepared?
SILURIAN:
Ready to go, skip.
TULLOCK:
Excellent! My devious plan is almost near completion! Heh heh heh.
Scene 72
(SFX: ECHOEY CHAMBER)
SILURIAN:
Here, load them here. Careful!
TULLOCK:
That is the final load?
SILURIAN:
Yep, that’s your lot, skip.
TULLOCK:
And now we are all set. Shevak’s plague is all ready. Except - where the fuck has Shevak got to? Where is Shevak?
[...]
Scene 76
(CONTROL ROOM)
TULLOCK:
…If that is the case – then I shall kill you all and create a new race in your place. Any species can be manipulated. I am God, you know.
SILURIAN ONE:
Leader Tullock. The submarine is ready for departure.
TULLOCK:
Okay. I’m ready to go now. We shall leave for the human settlement at once and wipe all the buggers out. Yes, we will wipe the humans from the Earth, heh heh heh.
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES WEESH WEESH)
[...]
Scene 78
(IN THE SUBMARINE)
SILURIAN ONE:
All engines check. Check. Check. Rotors running. Silurian submarine all powered up and ready to go.
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)
TULLOCK:
Excellent. Right, let’s get this crate out there.
SILURIAN ONE:
Righty ho, skip!
TULLOCK:
And I shall rule the world, heh heh heh.
(INTERCOM)
DOCTOR:
Hello there. Bunker calling submarine. Bunker calling submarine.
TULLOCK:
What is this?
DOCTOR:
Hello there ! It’s nice to hear from you. Don’t rush off.
TULLOCK:
You – you are in the control room?
DOCTOR:
That’s right.
TULLOCK:
How did you escape from the cell – the two guards sent for you-?
DOCTOR:
We overpowered them. We killed them. You know, you Silurians aren’t all that powerful. It’s quite easy to over-ride your telepathic abilities and kill you. We’re stronger than we look.
TULLOCK:
You lie. You are a puny species.
DOCTOR:
These new nuclear reactors, I find they overload so easily, don’t they? All it takes are a few minor adjustments and you’re minutes away from a major explosion. Whoops, eh?
TULLOCK:
What?
DOCTOR:
I want to meet you. That’s all. The control room. You’ve got about fifteen minutes before this place explodes. Over and out.
(INTERCOM OFF)
SILURIAN ONE:
Shall we leave-?
TULLOCK:
Check the Doctor’s story.
SILURIAN:
He’s right. There’s a build up of nuclear things in the reactor.
TULLOCK:
No! No. I will meet with this Doctor. We shall kill them even if I have to do so myself. You, and you, stay on guard. You, come with me. We will see how he stands up against the will of the Silurians. He will die. Horribly horribly. And then we’ll leave. Heh heh heh.
[...]
Scene 80
(BY SUB)
EVELYN:
Find the submarine he says. Ah, here it is. It’s huge. Affix the sonic emitter. Fiddly, but done it. Piece of piss!
SILURIAN:
And what are you up to?
EVELYN:
Oh fuck!
[...]
Scene 86
(SUB)
SILURIAN ONE:
The Myrka! It’s out there, it’s bouncing off the side of our ship. It’s getting closer again.
TULLOCK:
The Myrka – but how? There must be a sonic emitter – quick – check the sub!
SILURIAN ONE:
Range now twenty yards. Ten yards.
(ACTIVATING, HEAR SONIC EMITTER)
SILURIAN:
Five yards. Massive electrical charge detected.
TULLOCK:
No! My dreams of conquest!
(CLANG BOOM!)