Andrew Smith, the youngest ever individual to write for Doctor Who, has spoken about his two upcoming plays for Big Finish and debut with the company’s Blake’s 7 range.
Smith, who was just 18 when he penned Full Circle in 1980 for Tom Baker’s final season, says he is delighted to be writing for Doctor Who‘s classic stablemate with his play Battleground:
“I used to love Blake’s 7 when it was on the TV. When I wrote for Doctor Who, series three of Blake’s 7 had gone out, and I remember talking about it at a Doctor Who meeting. At the time, there was a rule in the BBC that you couldn’t write for Blake’s 7 if you were writing for Doctor Who, but I remember speaking to the Blake’s 7 script editor Chris Boucher, and I got a letter from him that really struck a chord with me - about the security of a writing job, if you were looking to provide for your family. It was a really good series - anything could happen, and the characters weren’t straightforward black and white, as there was much moral ambiguity about several of them.”
Andrew’s commission for Blake’s 7 came following the recording of Domain of the Voord, part of the anticipated Early Adventures range from Big Finish:
“When we were recording Domain of the Voord, the producer David Richardson asked if I’d be interested in writing for Blake’s 7, and this led to the commission. The script editor, Justin Richards, came up with an outline for the series, and mine is the second play…”
Andrew feels that the new play is will fit perfectly into Blake’s 7′s chronology:
“My play is about the training planet for the Federation, where they send their officers and troopers to run battle scenarios - it’s a great concept of Justin’s, it all fits neatly into the TV continuity of the second season, and I think it’s a pretty special series. My script was the first one to be recorded. When I arrived at the studio, Gareth Thomas who plays Blake asked, ‘What happens next?!’ And I thought, ‘Yes,’ that’s exactly what we want the listeners to feel as well.”
Alongside Andrew’s forthcoming Early Adventures and Blake’s 7 play, he has also penned The Brood of Erys which was released just a few days ago, another continuing adventure for the Sixth Doctor and Flip Jackson as portrayed by Colin Baker and Lisa Greenwood respectively:
“I’m always nervous before my plays are released, and I’m no different with this! I was asked by the script editor Alan Barnes to come up with a story for the Doctor and Flip, and I suggested one I came up with years ago, about imp-like creatures invading the TARDIS, as well as a spaceship crashing, and a woman who has lost her memory, and Alan asked me to put these elements together. When I was writing it, I was playing around with the idea of what a bad guy is, it starts out quite light, and then it becomes darker and darker as it goes along, but the theme throughout it is that of family, and what it is to be a parent.”
Andy, who has two young daughters, Amy and Jenny, says Brood of Erys is a very personal story:
“It’s a very personal story - the motivations in it are personal, and it’s not an invasion story. It’s not a big, sweeping epic adventure, as it’s about people who find the most important things to them are at risk and it was good fun too, including times when the actors would make group recordings of the sounds of these impish creatures (and other alien creatures) chattering and laughing in high-pitched tones.”
Doctor Who: The Brood of Erys and Blake’s 7: Battleground are both available now at BigFinish.com.
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