| Title | : | Doctor Who: The Marian Conspiracy |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1903654173 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781903654170 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audio CD |
| Number of Pages | : | 2 |
| Publication | : | First published March 1, 2000 |
The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn's life. But there he meets the Queen of England and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman's block...
Doctor Who: The Marian Conspiracy Reviews
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Big Finish have produced so many great stories, but it’s the reappraisal of Colin’s Doctor that is easy their most important output.
The introduction of Evelyn Smythe as a companion really does benefit he’s incarnation of The Doctor.
Whilst tracking a nexus point in time, The Doctor mets history lecturer Dr. Smythe. He must travel back to the Tudor period to stabilise the nexuses point and help save Evelyn from disappearing from history.
It’s a perfect pure historical adventure.
The scenes with Evelyn in the ale house are so vividly brought to life, with her knowledge of the time it really helps the listen to get an understanding of the period.
Both Baker and Stables are a perfect combination, there’s a slight echo of school teacher Barbara softening the First Doctor too.
They’ve got a great chemistry between them, I’m looking forward to hearing more adventures with the pair. -
This was very enjoyable, clearly Big Finish have more or less hit their stride by now. I wonder if the writers of the modern Doctor Who series studied these plays in detail, because in some ways, Evelyn Smythe is like a proto-Donna, someone who can match the Doctor in temperament, and foists herself into the TARDIS in search of the adventure of a lifetime, whether or not the Doctor wants her to. Better still, someone who doesn't get all cow-eyed over the Doctor, Donna being the only modern companion not do so. On the other hand, she is a professor in her 50s - this would not have sat well with either Davies or Moff who see the role of companion quite firmly as 'something for the dads'.
Anyway, there's a time nexus that centres on the Prof, and her whole family history is in danger of being wiped out with unknown consequences for the world at large, so she tags along with Peacock Doctor to the Elizabethan era, only winding up a few years early, as Smythe discovers when she raises a toast to 'good Queen Bess' in a taverns and is greeted with cries of 'kill the traitor'! She falls in with Protestant rebels plotting against Mary, while the Doctor becomes Mary's pet physician. There is a great character moment when the Doc, contemplating the complex knots of intentions and actions, confesses to a lady-in-waiting that he has done terrible things, all with the best intentions.
Complex plot, great dialogue, a mix of the strange and familiar, a fantastic companion - this play has it all. Even the end, when Smythe gets the Doctor to rescue two Protestants she has made friends with from Mary's barbecue of heretics, reminds one of Donna's plea to the Doctor to 'at least save someone' in Pompeii. As it turns out, this won't be the last Big Finish audio to inspire elements in NuWho. -
Now this is what im talking about! This is why you get big finish, to take the doctor somewhere he hasn't been before, to bring in a new fun companion and see what happens! This has the sprinklings of a classic adventure! I frankly loved it 🥰
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4.5 stars A very enjoyable first outing with Evelyn Smythe and the 6th Doctor.
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A great kick-off to the sequence of stories featuring Evelyn Smythe -- an elderly history professor -- as the Doctor's traveling companion.
This sequence of stories is one of the best runs of Doctor Who that Big Finish has done. Almost every one is a keeper, and that's all thanks to the relationship that develops between Evelyn and the Doctor. They squabble like an old married couple, but they have a deep and abiding respect for each other as well. There's tragedy and heartbreak and some unexpected joys and several partings ahead for those who start this sequence.
But here it's just plain old fun as the Doctor tries to track down a time anomally that might be linked to Eveyln, and brings her along.
Maggie Stables was a gem. She will be missed. -
A solid, fun, Colin Baker story. WIth a new companion and a refreshingly, non-alien, history story as the Doctor tries to stop a nexus event altering Tudor history. A slightly nothing ending, and a weird refusal to use (what I thought was) an obvious trick to escape a dungeon were the only wrinkles.
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Big Finish's sixth monthly release is where the company truly excels for the first time. The Sixth Doctor is given a new companion and they drop right into a historical farce while trying to evade death. It's great fun and a story one shouldn't miss out on!
Story: 10
Rayner mixes the introduction of a new companion with a historical adventure, which feels very Moffat-y. The story gives Evelyn a huge part to play and an important and fleshed out background. It also goes through all the inevitable introductionary content admirably.
Rayber throws in minor twists as cliffhangers and they truly make the story a whole lot more enjoyable! And the dialogue between the Doctor and the Queen, in language true to the era, Iis delicious.
Rayner makes good use of the interesting political times, creating something of a farce similar to The Romans (1965); misadventures and misunderstandings putting our heroes into deeper and deeper trouble. There are so many misadventures while the Doctor and Evelyn inadvertently work against each other.
All the things above being considered, a big chunk of the plot centres around moral discussions, particularly between the Doctor and Sarah. The main plot of Evelyn's past disappearing is almost forgotten until the final episode.
This story has some hilarious and memorable cliffhangers that put some special twists to the story. The same goes for the lovely little ending after things are finished.
Acting: 10
Maggie Stables is amazing as Evelyn. I fell in love with her confident character from the onset. Together with Colin Baker's Doctor she immediately makes for one of the better TARDIS duos. Jo Castelton is great as Lady Sarah and Anah Ruddin's take on the Queen is hilariously over-the-top.
The Doctor: 11
The Doctor has some friendly bickering with Evelyn. Mind you, it's very different from the antagonistic tone he has with Peri on TV. Here' it's warm and genuinely funny.
The Doctor has a great moment contemplating his part in history and how he believes he's done the right things before - what makes him and the Queen different people?
The Companions: 12
Evelyn kills this story, no debate. She gets the best scenes, and that's saying a lot since the Doctor also has many great scenes.
Evelyn's part in the story inst anything else than comic relief in the first half, but her scenes taking with the men about modern phenomena and history is amusing.
The Monster/Villain: 7
The villains are Francois and the Reverend, conspirators against the throne. They have grandiose plans but don't come across as particularly effective. They aren't a big trouble for our time travellers as much as they are for the Queen, but they're hilariously ineffective.
Production: 8
There are some lovely editing quips that keep up a twist a little longer before the reveal. The incidental music is fine. The soundscapes here are used sparingly but gives the tory just the touch it needs.
Pacing: 8
The main story doesn't progress until the last episode, but the Doctor and Evelyn's misgivings are great fun to follow. There's no particular rush to the story, but it flows better than many similar stories.
Atmosphere: 10
Above all, this is a comedy and a pretty fun one at that. It never feels menacing, exciting or terrifying but that's not the intent either. The mid-1550s era comes across well from the dialogue and the soundscapes and the Doctor and Evelyn work very well together. That creates a likeable atmosphere of satisfaction.
Impact: 11
With The Marian Conspiracy, Big Finish proved they were capable of creating original companions while also being willing to progress the Sixth Doctor and move him away from his repulsive TV persona.
Replay Value: 12
The lovely comedy and great chemistry between Baker and Stables make this a great story to return to several times over.
Random Observations:
"Smythe. Evelyn. Doctor."
"So, you know my name"
"What?"
"I'm the Doctor"
"No! I'm the doctor!"
The Doctor is keen on showing off his lame claim to fame: meeting Queen Victoria, Francis Drake, Socrates. Too bad that doesn't impress Evelyn much.
Wonderful how they reference the fact that the Doctor seems to meet Queen Victoria so often he doesn't quite know in what incarnation he has done or will do, that. The Tenth Doctor will, of course, end up marrying her (The Day of the Doctor, 2013).
I always love it when companions complain about the Doctor not quite being able to control where and when the TARDIS arrives. And the Doctor seems just as annoyed every time, even though the companions end up being right msot of the time.
This is the first pure historical story in dramatised Doctor Who since 1982s Black Orchid, and the first with historical characters since The Gunfighters (1966)!
Score: 99/120 -
The 6th release of Big Finish's Doctor Who main range, The Marian Conspiracy features Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and introduces Maggie Stables as Professor Evelyn Smythe, Big Finish's first original companion. This is the story where the Sixth Doctor’s renaissance with Big Finish truly begins as he was still close to the brash, loud egocentric TV Sixth Doctor in the previous story Whispers of Terror. Introducing Maggie Stables as Dr. Evelyn Smythe, a history professor in her mid-fifties, this story finds the Doctor hunting down a nexus point that threatens the timeline. It turns out that Evelyn is at the center of the nexus with her family disappearing from history. Because of this, in order to protect Evelyn, the Doctor takes her to Tudor England to prevent the damage. However, instead of the court of Elizabeth I, they find themselves three years early during the reign of Mary I.
I really like this one. We get a softer Sixth Doctor who’s not the abrasive man we saw on TV. Evelyn is a joy to listen to. She’s clever and sassy, and doesn’t take any grief from the Doctor. I feel that Evelyn is the best companion we’ve ever got for the Sixth Doctor, and possibly the best original companion from Big Finish to date. The other big reason why this is the best story in this range so far (the Monthly Adventures, and we're talking best out of the first six releases), at least for me, is that it takes a person from history who is considered a monster and who I didn’t know much about, and made them sympathetic, human characters. Mary I, who is known by most as Bloody Mary, is treated here not as evil, but misguided. Firm in her beliefs, still doing terrible things but not for the sake of being bad. She truly believed that she was in the right, that this is what God wanted from her.
Of the first six Monthly Adventures, this is the best so far. An excellent companion introduction, the beginnings of the Sixth Doctor’s reform, and a pure historical that isn’t boring. Yes, there are even better stories going forward, but you couldn't ask for a better jumping on point into the Sixth Doctor audio stories from Big Finish. An accessible story that's well-acted with great characters and an enjoyable plot, and no continuity baggage. A must for history buffs and fans of the Sixth Doctor alike. -
I'm particularly fond of this one: this is where I came in to Big Finish... a very long time ago even though it feels like yesterday; this one is part of the first batch of CDs I bought, I'm not sure if I started listening with this one or
Doctor Who: The Chimes of Midnight but this is the one I try to "sell" to people when I say Big Finish does the Sixth Doctor so very well. I didn't know at the time how early it was in the monthly releases and I'm surprised about that, it really feels like BF got the right formula early.
About the story: the Doctor meets Evelyn Smythe when he disturbs one of her lectures on Queen Elisabeth the First. He is seeking what is causing a time disturbance, Evelyn is literally related to it... her ancestors are being erased from history and our curious Doctor goes off with her to investigate and that's how the two of them come to travel to England under the rule of Queen Mary Tudor. From there, there's plots, counterplots with a good dose of adventures.
Like I mentioned earlier, I think it's a great story: the Sixth is perfect; at my first listening, I thought this had a lot to do with not seeing the costume and I still think that's part of it, but the writing, the acting that is much more important; a new companion is always exciting be it on the telly or audio; historicals are often my favorites and getting Queen Mary is a treat, I didn't know a lot about her when I listened to this first (not even sure, I knew she existed, English history is not a priority in Quebec's classrooms) and I found that the story gave a lot of interesting information about the reign and yet didn't get bogged down by historical accuracy, it isn't as fast paced as running from the Daleks, but I thought it had a nice rhythm.
All in all an excellent audio. -
you know, having just finished 'the fearmonger' i was not expecting to enjoy the following story more. but this audio drama single-handedly brought six up in my rankings, like several spots. i can finally say i love six. not kidding. but beyond that there is so much to love about this.
i have said this several times on several different platforms: i am a sucker for a historical doctor who adventure. and i quite love the tudor era. but beyond that: the plot, the companion, the intrigue. all of it is top tier. i'm saying it right here: this is better than 'the fearmonger'.
i really enjoyed evelyn smithe and i can't wait to get more of her. after finishing my rewatch of the entire modern era last year, she feels so fresh. i can understand how she might be everyone's cup of tea, but i really enjoy. she's this charming but a bit quirky type of an older character i really enjoy. and i really enjoy her dynamic with the doctor. and how six just accepted that she's coming along.
but then the story. i am a sucker for time travel shenanigans stories. now that might sound like a very weird comment when talking about doctor who. it is a time travel story after all. but we all know that for most of doctor who stories the time travel is just used as backdrop for, well, dropping us in whatever adventure we're taking part of. i love it when time travel and/or paradoxes to do with time and a crucial part of the story. and sprinkle in a bit of commentary. *chef's kiss*
all in all, this story just had all the qualities of a doctor who story for me. it's not the recipe for a favourite story of all time. but it's on that list of stories that i can just consume again and again. -
あらすじ
Part1
大学で講義中だった歴史学者のイブリンの前にドクターが現れる。ドクターは時間軸に影響を及ぼしているネクサス・ポイントを探しており、センサーがイブリンに反応したと説明。イブリンの祖先はエリザベス女王に使えていたジョン・ホワイト・スミスというが、疑うドクターに資料を見せようとすると、書かれていた文字が消えている。イブリンが異変に関係していると確信したドクターはイブリンをつれてエリザベス女王の治世下にターディスで飛ぶ。しかし、到着したのはまだメアリー女王が統治している時代のイギリスだった。
Part2
エリザベスを擁立して謀反を企んでいると誤解されたイブリン。しかし、パブで知り合ったジョージ・クローとウィリアム・リーフはイブリンがエリザベス派であることを喜び、レヴェレンド・トーマスというプロテスタントの牧師に引きあわせる。彼らはプロテスタントを迫害するメアリーの治世をどうにかしたいと考えていた。一方、メアリーに謁見したドクターはすっかり気に入られ、相談役に引き立てられる。ドクターはメアリーの侍女レディ・サラに頼んで、イブリンを迎えにいってもらうが、このことでトマスはイブリンがメアリーのスパイなのではないかと疑う。一方、ドクターがトラブルに巻き込まれたのかと心配したイブリンはドクターの元に赴こうとするが、激しい頭痛に見舞われ、体が透けはじめる。
Part3
そこへイブリンが忘れていったバックを届けに来たトーマスが現れ、バックの中にはドクターがイブリンに渡していたネクサス・ポイントの影響を防ぐためのディバイスのおかげで、症状はおさまる。イブリンはドクターと合流するが、メアリーの前に出たとたん、ノリスが飛び込んできて、イブリンが毒殺を企んでいると告発。しかし、ノリスが証拠として糾弾した薬はイブリンの頭痛薬のことで、ドクターの機転で事なきを得る。豊かな知識で的確なアドバイスができるドクターをメアリーは大いに気に入り、褒美に妻になる相手を探すことを約束する。その候補として侍女のサラをあげてきた。サラのフルネームを知ったエリザベスにつかえていた自分の祖先の父親はドクターなのではないかと考える。しかし、イブリンが話した歴史によればその人物はメアリーに処刑されることになっているのだ。それをドクターが指摘した時、反逆者として逮捕されたトーマスに共謀者として名前を挙げられた二人は逮捕されロンドン塔に投獄される。
Part４
ロンドン塔に歴史学者としての血が騒ぎ大喜びするイブリン。歴史的事実である1958年よりも先にメアリーが暗殺されると歴史が変わり、イブリンは消えてしまう。メアリーの暗殺を防ぐため、イブリンとドクターはロンドン塔を脱獄する。しかし、それはメアリーによるプロテスタントの迫害を止めることはできずイブリンが知り合い、意気投合したジョージやウィリアムを見殺しにすることを意味していた。
感想
Big Finishオリジナルのコンパニオン、イブリン登場。58歳の歴史学者イブリンは好奇心たっぷりのお節介なところのある明るいキャラクター。6thドクターとのコンビネーションはとてもいい。6thドクターはちょっと悲観的なところがあるので、イブリンのあっけらかんさがとても救いになっている。メアリー女王がブロッディ・メアリーとあだ名されるようになったプロテスタント迫害を通して、ドクターも自分が侵した罪に思いをはせるところが興味深い。 -
A Sixth Doctor and... Evelyn story? Who the fuck is Evelyn? Of course I'm being facetious, I knew about Evelyn a long time before ever starting Big Finish. For those not in the know, Doctor Evelyn Smythe is the first ever companion to be introduced in the audios. She's a 55 year-old History professor. So, you know, not the common companion template. And she's awesome. Her chemistry with the Sixth Doctor is incredible, and she's just such a fun character in general. Her excitement at being able to interact with the history she's dedicated her life to is just great. The Doctor himself was also very endearing and charming in this story. The plot was simple, but effective and well-written, and some of the side-characters were quite endearing. It was also an interesting look at Queen Mary, which portrayed her accurately without turning her into this complete monster. That said, I do think the Doctor was a bit too sympathetic to her. Overall I'd say that this is the first genuinely great Big Finish story, mostly because of Evelyn, and I'd give it 4.5 stars.
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This was my first time venturing into Big Finish Audios Doctor Who range. I went with one with the sixth doctor and I loved it. Six is simultaneously brash and a total sweetie. I’d seen his series with Evelyn (who is a middle aged companion exclusive to the Big Finish range) recommended loads and now I can see why, they work so well together! If I had to compare their dynamic to something in new!Who it’s kind of like Donna and 10— there’s nothing that can be read as a romantic undertone, and they come across as bickering siblings most of the time. I really enjoyed Evelyn as I think something new!who lacks is older companions. The fact that Six can be swayed with the offering of Evelyn’s homemade chocolate cake is hilarious. I also love that she wasn’t afraid to put him in his place and is sarcastic as hell too which is always bonus!
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This was a quirky little adventure that fits the mold of when the Doctor is saddled with a new companion, even if only for a single adventure. Plus it's the sort of Who story that has a strong historical context defining the narrative. This is either a good or a bad thing depending on how you feel about the period leading up to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, but those are the kicks.
I feel like there was a really big risk of messing with the timeline here given the Doctor's inexperienced companion but it's still all in good fun. -
I really liked this story I thought that the idea that maybe Evlin was the Doctors decendent was great also I liked how the Doctor tried to in a small way try and convince Queen Mary that burning people was wrong and that she her self had done what the prosteants were doing at that moment to me it made her seem like a hypocrict but one thing that I don't understand and that is the story is great but it never explain's what caused Evlins time line to change in the first place but other then that little detail great story look forward to more of the same.
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It is always exciting when the Doctor gets a new companion and it's incredibly special when a classic Doctor gets a fresh travel partner (5 and Erimem, 7 and Hex) in the superb a audio adventures from Big Finish.
Sixy (Colin Baker) and Dr. Evelyn Smythe (Maggie Stables) have an interesting dynamic and instant chemistry.
Plus: there's a slight tongue in cheek nod to Back to the Future, another time travel classic. -
6 meets Evelyn Smythe, a university history professor and discovers she is a nexus point in time. Soon she is whisked away to 1555 and is in a plot involved to kill Queen Mary.
Evelyn's introduction story is really fun and immediately she is given a great personality with a bit of sass. Her relationship with the Doctor is set up to be firey as the two argue but the Doctor clearly has a soft spot for her which creates great drama. -
“An angel in a cardigan? I’ve seen stranger things...” muses the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) in The Marian Conspiracy, an absolutely delightful historical romp of the highest calibre. Introducing the charming Dr. Evelyn Smythe as the Doctor’s latest travelling companion, a lady of a certain age with an adoration for cocoa...
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Loved this story!!! I always do enjoy a good historical with no sci-fi elements. I also was impressed by how sympathetic the portrayal of Queen Mary was. My only complaint is that I wish Evelyn—and I love her, by the way—but she should act more like the historian she is! They give her the same bumbling, anachronism-spouting mistakes they give the teenage companions. Ugh.
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He meets Evelyn Smyth! This is great. Opening is hilarious.
Love how absolutely calm Evelyn seems to be about everything the doctor tells her. Including her fading In and out of time.
Also how go-with-the-flow she is.
The history in it also intrigues me, I remember reading about this in my favorite history class.
My favorite was how she argues with the doctor at the end and won. -
Very sweet Colin Baker audio drama. Audio-only companions were a risk for Big Finish, I suppose, but dramatically absolutely essential. Lovely irony of how TV's most brash and over-the-top Doctor, in Big Finish's hands, becomes the warmest and most humane. Six/Evelyn is the licence's best non-Eight pairing, and Rayner sells it right out the gate.
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I'd heard only one story with Evelyn before, so I didn't have a proper appreciation for her yet, but now I do! What a great character. Really glad I bought the bundles that contain all her stories so I can hear them all now. This is a good throwback to when the show did more full-on historical tales.
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Honestly this is probably my favorite of the Monthly Adventures so far! Evelyn Smythe is an absolute gem and I already love her. The story itself was quite interesting and the music was great. Six is delightful as always!
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It was enjoyable. I like Evelyn as a new companion (and have wanted to hear a story with her for a long time), though I’m not sure the story followed fully through on its initial premise. I liked listening, though.
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I like Evelyn Smythe, good chemistry with Colin Baker's Doctor, and I enjoyed the historical context in this. Some of these big finish plays can be a bit muddled, but this had some clear storytelling.
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They have finaly found a companion, which helps the 6th doctor be more humane!
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Evelyn acts like a gal who's known The Doctor for at least three episodes.
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Wow I'm super surprised that there's a 6th Doctor adventure that I like. 😱 Maybe because it was an historical episode. This introduces the companion, Evelyn Smithye.
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Nice to have a story with an older woman as the Doctor's companion.
