Production History

== Echoes of the Protii

In 2002, Si Hunt and Simon Hart were asked to write a story for the Doctor Who fiction website Doctor Who: The Legacy. The pair wrote the story, Echoes of the Protii, together at Si Hunt's house, hammering out each episode with both of them round the keyboard. Si Hart later came up with an idea for a further story, Soap of Fatal Death, which Si Hunt helped him write.

Some time later, Si Hunt came up with the idea of adapting Echoes as an audio play, to be performed by members of the Planet Skaro Doctor Who forum. It was decided to change the legacy companion Alf into a male companion, Rob, but to keep the male companion, Nick. The story was directly transcribed into three episodes of audio script, which new material added in order to feature cameos from as many forum members as possible. The play was recorded in an afternoon, mixed in the following months, and then unveiled at a 'premier' evening at Si Hunt's house in Sawbridgeworth. The play was well received, although some of the cameo performances had been of quite poor quality, including some sent on cassette, so it was decided not to include cassette-originated material in the future. The play was distributed on a double CD, with a cover designed by Pip Madeley, who would henceforth become "official" cover designer when the plays became a regular proposition.

The CD also contained a "Making Of" documentary (as the story had an odd number of episodes something was needed to fit on the end of the second disc) containing out-takes and interviews with the performers.

== Soap of Fatal Death and Keepsake

It was soon decided to adapt Soap of Fatal Death into an audio play as well, although it was a year later, in early 2007, before the play would be recorded. The characters of Rob and Nick were back, and Hunt and Hart decided to include a cliffhanger into a planned third play. Wanting "something huge that it was impossible to get out of", they had the TARDIS blow up in the final scene. Si Hunt secretely persauded cabaret singer Lorraine Bowen to record a cameo for Soap of Fatal Death, which delighted the regular cast at the story's premier. Soap of Fatal Death was again released on a double CD with a cover by Pip Madeley, although as it contained four episodes (compared to Echoes of the Protii which had three) there was no "Making Of" feature. Because they had been adapted from a written story, the play ended up very long, and lots of material had to be cut, to the dissapointment of some cast members.

Some time afterwards, some members of the team were meeting at Simon Hart and Steve Alexander's house with some other friends, and it was decided to record a 'mini adventure' which was written in under a week by Si Hunt. Paul Monk was not present, so it was a Doctor-free adventure introducing the character of Rob's friend Ben (played by Dave Taylor) and featuring the Celestial Toymaker. Once recorded, it was found that the material taped had quite a short running time, with each of the two episodes lasting less than fifteen minutes. However, this story now stands as something of a template for the future, being the first 'mini adventure', the first with a different main cast, and the first written by someone other than the original writers, Hunt and Hart.

== Magical History Tour and Heart of the Haniad

Si Hart had an idea for a story set in the "swinging sixties", featuring Brian Epstein (a role he would eventually play himself). Si Hunt meanwhile wanted to write a Pirate adventure. The two ideas were combined, and Magical History Tour told the story of how Rob and Nick were re-united after Soap of Fatal Death and were tracked down by the Doctor, who had been stranded in history. Hunt, Hart and Steve Alexander toyed with many titles for the story including "Time Gash", "You Can't Hide Your Nick Away" and various takes on Beatles' song titles. Magical History Tour abandoned the idea of cameos for their own sake, although it featured the return of Rob's Mum Linda McCow, again played by Trudi Gard. There was also the by-now customary cameo by Martin Penny, a forum member who had appeared as a different guest character in each of the previous audio plays (apart from Keepsake). The play also featured the last appearance to date of the hat-obsessed Harolds, as played by husband and wife forum posters The Curnows. Their recordings had been of poor sound quality, and difficult to integrate into the main adventure.

Martin Penny had decided to meet the team by coming along to the recording session for Magical History Tour. In order to give him more to do (Penny was slated only to play brief cameos as a Pirate and as Freddie Mercury in Magical History Tour) Si Hunt asked Steve Alexander to pen a shorter adventure, set in space, and featuring Penny as a new companion. This story was taped at the end of the recording day, and was the first time stories had been 'double banked' in such a way. It was also the first time an audio featuring a companion other than Nick and Rob had been recorded, although arguably previous characters like Emma Bonham and Vera Jundrey had fulfilled the same role.

== Doctor Who and the Christmas Gnomes

An unplanned adventure for the end of the year, Doctor Who and the Christmas Gnomes was written by Steve Alexander (in release order, the first time a story not written by Hunt or Hart had been produced). It was decided that, due to the enforced seasonal deadline, for the first time production would not be the sole responsibility of Si Hunt, an episode each being handled by Hunt, Alexander and Pip Madeley. They were frictions during this period as Alexander asked for approval on any edits made to his material.

Si Hunt made a passing reference to designing a cover himself for Doctor Who and the Christmas Gnomes, and built a scale model of the TARDIS outside Tinsel Central. The model had to be moved 70 miles to the home of Hunt's parents to be photographed on a high quality camera, and was sprayed with fake snow for the occasion. Meanwhile, Madeley had designed his own cover, which was computer generated. In the end, copies of the Doctor Who and the Christmas Gnomes CD would feature a double-sided cover, so fans could decide if they wished to display Hunt or Madeley's design.

== Season 2

Heart of the Haniad had not been released on CD or put on-line because of the impromtu plans for The Doctor Who Audio Dramas (DWAD)tor Who and the Christmas Gnomes]] at the end of 2007. Feeling it would be unsatisfactory as the sole offering in early 2008, Hunt decided to hold it back and release it alongside the two new stories to be recorded that spring, forming a mini-season. This would be retrospectively titled Season 2, with all the previous stories designated the umbrella title Season 1, even though they spanned two years and were not originally made as a deliberate season.

Wanting to bring back the character of Ed, it was decided that one of the two new stories (Heist!, by Simon Hart) would feature Ed, and the other (The Paradise Machine by Martin Penny) would feature Rob and Nick. The stories were recorded back to back, with production on Heist! being performed by Simon Hart and The Paradise Machine by Si Hunt.