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Xmas
A TARDIS Christmas
Season: "Trip Of A Lifetime"
Story Number: 1
Doctor: Aron Toman Doctor
Companions: Astra, The Computer
Writer: Aron Toman
Producer: Crossover Adventure Productions
Release Date: 24 December 2002, 26 December 2002
Running Time: 41 minutes
No. Episodes: 2 episodes
Previous Story: Toil & Trouble
Following Story: Faithful Unto Death


Story[]

Synopsis[]

"Christmas is for celebrating, not for certain doom!"

'Twas the morning of Christmas, and all through the ship the tinsel was glistening, the tree-lights were lit. The Doctor had laid them with pride and with care, determined to celebrate and rest, if he dare. The Computer was helping, with songs and with cheer, her off-key warbling instilling some fear.

The console room door sprang wide with a clatter as Astra came in to see what was the matter. She didn't agree with the Doctor's joy, the holiday he loved she found to be coy. Christmas is fun, in theory alone, in reality people tend to look after their own. She wanted nothing of it, she'd rather not sing, for Christmas really was not her thing.

But before the Doctor could explain his case, the TARDIS was bombarded with monsters from space. Known as the Cybermen they turned up in droves to turn our dear heroes into Cybermen drones. But what was so strange, not that it was so wrong, but they threatened our heroes in rhyme and in song.

Is this a spell or the wrath of some god? Or will the Doctor find something even more odd? Is the Computer the one they should blame, and will the TARDIS systems ever be the same? As more monsters come and the Doctor takes flight, will he and his companions ever see Christmas night?

Plot[]

to be added

Continuity[]

to be added

Production[]

A special Christmas musical adventure, featuring the Doctor, Astra and the Computer, this story was first released Christmas Day, 2002

Cast[]

The Doctor: Aron Toman
Astra: Coren Idle
The Computer: Jane Karr
Daleks/Cybermen: Liam Legham
The Master: 'Anthony Ainley'

Crew[]

Sound Design: Aron Toman
Original Theme: Ron Grainer
Arrangement: Howard Richardson
Cover Art: David Nagel
Director/Producer: Aron Toman

Production Notes[]

Episode One[]

At the time of writing, our most recent story in our little radio play series "A Cause for Carolling" remains unfinished on my hard drive, waiting in vain for music to be composed for it. At last count we've gone through three composers, all of which have had irritating things happen to them preventing them from doing much in the way of work on it. It's cursed, it has to be, there's no other explanation! Anyway, when Corey "Frobisher" Klemow reminded me a month or so ago that this year will mark the third Christmas that our Christmas special had missed out on being finished by Christmas. Determined not to miss another year of not doing anything special for the season, and aware that our last serious release was back in March, I hastily put together a script to release on Christmas Day. And with Coren "Astra" Idle back in a position to record lines and eager to do something, I figured this would be a perfect oppourtunity to do a special story to celebrate Christmas 2002 with.


Originally this two-part story was going to be released at the same time on December 25 to celebrate the day, but sadly this wasn't to happen. A combination of a lack of time and a constantly crashing computer meant that by the end of Christmas Eve only the first episode had been completed. So the decision had to be made to release one episode on Christmas Eve and the other one on Boxing Day, giving me enough time to finish it.


Anyway, hope you enjoy this adventure. It's got songs, carols, monsters and a lot of good cheer. So enough of me wittering on, let's join the Doctor, Astra and the Computer who're about to settle down and enjoy Christmas. Except on the TARDIS, things never go according to plan...


Aron Toman

December 2002.

Episode Two[]

I guess I'd better start by pointing out how significant this little episode is in regards to the history of the Doctor Who Crossover Adventures. Besides the fact it's an episode that concludes the first story we've managed to complete since December 2000, it's also the end of a story which has had the shortest interval between episodes - about two days - which isn't bad considering we're currently going through having the longest interval between episodes - nine months and counting. I feel very proud of this little achievment, in recent times it's become quite a mammoth feat to release a fifteen minute episode a year, whereas here we've just had fourty-five minutes in under a week. I don't think we're doing too badly.

There's really not much to say about this story, nothing I haven't already written in the notes for episode one. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as you enjoyed the last one (if not more), and please, no death threats about the Computer's singing. She's supposed to sound like that, honest!


Oh, and thanks to Coren Idle and, ahem, Jane Karr for being so wonderful in doing their lines in such a rapid fashion to get this thing finished. And to Corey Klemow for inspiring me to do some sort of Christmas special for 2002. And of course, special thanks to the three music composers of A Cause for Carolling for finding more and more excuses not to write their music, without whom I'd never have had the motivation to get something like this done ;)

Oh, and incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!


Aron Toman

December 2002.

Links[]

Downloadable audio page @ Crossover Adventure Productions

See also[]

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