Multiple Sixth Doctors will converge to mark Ol’ Sixie’s forty years of TARDIS travel.
Updated 19/03/24: Trailer released for The Quin Dilemma.
Ahead of its release on Friday, 22nd March, there’s a trailer for the celebratory Sixth Doctor tale.
The Quin Dilemma sees four iterations of the bombastic Sixth Doctor drawn together to combat a rather specific threat to his person. His head is the prize which will allow one of the Quin sons of King Otho to succeed their father on the throne of Arunopal.
You can pre order Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor Adventures – The Quin Dilemma now from Big Finish.
Continuing the spin on Sixth Doctor titles, the release also comes with a bonus audiobook: The Ultimate Poe by Andrew Collins.
Updated 09/02/24: Cover released for The Quin Dilemma
Ahead of its March release, the multi-Sixth Doctor tale The Quin Dilemma – released to celebrate 40 years of Colin Baker’s colourful incarnation – now has a cover. It’s a striking one from artist Sean Longmore too, with four different iterations of the Doctor…
Coat(s) of many colours
For students of Ol’ Sixie, differing versions of his costume may hold the key to where each Doctor is in his personal timeline. There are changing cat badges, neckerchiefs and waistcoats, in addition to that famous coat.
Some are easier than others to peg:
● The Doctor at the front wears his late Season 22 ensemble, circa ‘Timelash’, the cat badge is the giveaway. Surely this is Peri’s Doctor?
● The blue jacket ensemble hails from Real Time, a BBC/Big Finish webcast animated story. However it has been mentioned in various audio dramas since.
● The blue cloak first appeared in ‘Revelation of the Daleks’ (as blue is the colour of mourning on Necros).
● The Doctor at the rear wears his ‘Trial of a Time Lord’ past/present day ensemble, so could be the one with Mel as she joined in that story.
Of course, we realise this is audio drama and Colin Baker won’t have donned the relevant costume for each recording session. He’s pictured (below) in a far more comfortable black t-shirt and doubtless, although not pictured, sports a pair of his famous crocs!
Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor Adventures – The Quin Dilemma is up for to pre-order now at Big Finish.
Original article (of 31/01/24) continues…
The Quin Dilemma – Big Finish celebrate 40 Years of the Sixth Doctor
Multiple Sixth Doctors will converge to mark Ol’ Sixie’s forty years of TARDIS travel.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Colin Baker’s debut as the Sixth Doctor.
While his on screen tenure may have been colourful, with behind-the-scenes drama and the show seemingly unloved by the BBC, the actor himself has always remained a staunch supporter of Doctor Who.
The advent of Big Finish audio in 1999 has afforded Baker the opportunity to play the role more as he wished. Through numerous adventures and joined by a roster of companions, he has become a beloved fan favourite on audio. He even enjoyed a suitably heroic send off with 2015’s The Last Adventure.
The Quin Dilemma
Now, to celebrate those forty years of the Sixth Doctor, Big Finish have announced a celebratory audio boxset. Titled ‘The Quin Dilemma, a neat play on Baker’s first tale ‘The Twin Dilemma’, the boxset reunites Baker with his television companions Peri (Nicola Bryant) and Mel (Bonnie Langford), as well as audio allies Constance (Miranda Raison) and Flip (Lisa Greenwood).
The guest cast also includes Jonnie Broadbent (Thomas and Friends), Carrie Quinlan (John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme) and Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies). Plus, Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) and Nikki Kelly (Hi-De-Hi).
The six stories in The Quin Dilemma are as follows:
‘The Exaltation’ by Jacqueline Rayner
Hints of a temporal anomaly bring the Doctor and Mel to Arunopal on the day King Otho steps down as ruler. But Otho has a dilemma – which of his five sons should succeed to the throne? He has a deadly game in mind to solve the problem – and the target is a certain Time Lord…
‘Escape From Holy Island’ by Chris Chapman
The history books tell us that on the 8th June, 793 AD, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne was burnt to the ground by Viking raiders. But history also records that “fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky” – can that be true? With time running out, the Doctor, Peri and a young H.G. Wells try to mobilise the island’s monks as the real raiders of Lindisfarne thunder over the North Sea – and they don’t look like Vikings…
‘Sibling Rivalry’ by Robert Valentine
The Doctor, Constance and Flip are stuck on an alien planet in the middle of a civil war. To make matters worse, the Sontarans have invaded. To make matters even worse, two of the dastardly quins – the volatile Clarent and the odious Dellan – are both on the scene… and the Doctor may not survive their furious competition.
‘Children of the Revolution’ by Robert Valentine
With their plans causing havoc, wicked quins Clarent and Dellan are at loggerheads. But as the schemes of Sontaran Battle Marshal Skurr reach their climax, the only thing more dangerous than the brothers’ competing against each other… is the brothers joining forces.
‘The Thousand Year Thaw’ by Chris Chapman
Once every thousand years, the frozen planet of Zycros thaws, revealing the most fertile soil in the universe. For a brief window, Zycros becomes the farming capital of the cosmos, and that brings with it many visitors – including a small blue box and its two occupants, keen to stretch their legs. But as the ice melts and the temperature rises, the Doctor and Peri realise that this pleasant stroll may be the last one they ever take together…
‘The Firstborn’ by Jacqueline Rayner
The Quins have succeeded in their quest – a little too well. Multiple Doctors congregate on Arunopal, bringing with them a terrible threat to reality…
Producer Jacqueline Rayner said:
“I think I asked if I could do a 40th anniversary story almost as soon as I took on the producer’s job – it was a milestone that just had to be celebrated. How incredible is it that Sixie’s still going strong four decades after his debut?
“Our job with this story was to show just why dear ol’ Sixie is so beloved by Big Finish fans, and why he’s endured for so long – of course, the main answer to that is ‘Colin Baker’, but for us to shine a light on what he brings to Doctor Who.
“The title is clearly an homage to The Twin Dilemma, but we’re going 2.5 times better… and in terms of Doctors, four times better. Yup, we end up with no fewer than four Sixth Doctors.”
“This set was such fun to do, and what a joy to have Colin, Bonnie, Nicola, Miranda and Lisa together – with our brilliant guest stars too. I’m told we set the record for most actors in studio for a Big Finish recording ever!”
Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor Adventures – The Quin Dilemma is up for to pre-order now at Big Finish. It’s available on collector’s edition CD (+ download) or digital download only. The collector’s edition CD box set is strictly limited to 1500 copies and will not be repressed.
The boxset also includes ‘The Memory Eaters’ by Alison Lawson, the first of 2024’s bonus Interludes, read by Dan Starkey. Interludes are hour-long audiobook adventures with music and effects, which come as download extras with selected classic Doctor box sets