TDP 1509: Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures: False Friends (4.08)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Villain-Venice-Steampunk-Adventure-Expanded/dp/B0GYVW1ZM3?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE Minnie and Gary are trapped on a planet of robots, a fake Earth, and they're the only humans. Hoping no-one spots their humanity, they summon the one person they know will answer their call for help. But can the Doctor and Rose save Gary and Minnie from this false Earth - and who has built this very bad copy of human civilisation in the first place? This release will have a limited CD pressing of 1500 copies. Writer Timothy X Atack said: "I love writing for the Ninth Doctor and Rose. The gift of these stories being set in between Father's Day and The Empty Child is that, somewhere in that space, the Doctor has become happier for Rose to do her own thing, to pursue her own investigations. And so I figure the question to be answered is, what's the process that led to Rose's confidence, skills, and that growing unflappability? "I really love Imitation Earth adventures, where the world is not quite right, like a dream. Doctor Who is full of them - Android Invasion, Amy's Choice, Wish World, Carnival of Monsters. I wondered what would happen if an alien force tried to perfect its imitation of humans, but still got it a bit wrong, enough for any genuine human to spot. It also became a lot about the information panic that we're all living under at the moment." Director Helen Goldwyn added: "The great thing about Timothy X Atack as a writer is that he always comes up with characters that are legendary in their quirkiness. And what he's done in this script is he's created a whole environment that is slightly off, slightly quirky in every sense. All of the voices and all of the features are just a bit wonky. "The two characters that really draw us into this story are Minnie and Gary - they're such beautifully drawn original characters. We were so lucky to get these two actors. Joe Pitts has done one Big Finish recording before, but this was Máiréad Tyers' first time. Their voices were magically perfect together, and their style of delivery was very aligned." Lead actor Christopher Eccleston said: "It's a tremendously fun episode and the Doctor's very engaged by the puzzle that he and Rose are confronted with and have to work out together. We see how quickly Rose learns and we understand that the Doctor made a very good choice - it wasn't just sentiment when he asked her to come with him and travel the universe! "Máiréad and Joe made me feel very old - two young actors coming in and just playing it brilliantly. Two really lovely roles, very cleverly written, and they are a pleasure to work with." Guest star Máiréad Tyers added: "Doctor Who is such an iconic British TV show and coming into this world, I'm reminded of how impactful it was at the time and how big a show it was and is. "I thought this was a really interesting story. It's not immediately obvious to you what the story is or what this world is that they're living in, you find out little details as it goes on. And I love the way that Minnie and Gary meet and how their different character traits enable them to meet one another."