The Secrets of Det-Sen
Peter Purves (Steven Taylor/First Doctor), Lauren Cornelius (Dodo Chaplet), Paul Courtenay Hyu (Oddiyāna), Kerry Gooderson (Pema Tsering)
The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive in the Himalayas, and set off a chain of events that will haunt The Doctor through many lives.
Available to order from www.bigfinish.com
In The Secrets of Det-Sen, we learn of the events preceding The Abominable Snowmen, originally broadcast in 1967. For the first time on audio, Lauren Cornelius takes on the iconic role of Dodo Chaplet, alongside Peter Purves in the dual roles of the First Doctor and Steven Taylor.
Producer Alfie Shaw said:
“The Secrets of Det-Sen is the first appearance of Dodo as played by Lauren Cornelius. I know there’s been a growing demand for more stories with Dodo, and so it’s a delight to be able to make that happen. Lauren is fantastic in the role, and I can’t wait for listeners to hear her in action!”
Both of these new Doctor Who – The Early Adventures stories are now available to pre-order as collector’s edition box sets (on CD at £14.99 each) or digital downloads (at £12.99 each), exclusively at the Big Finish website.
Big Finish listeners can save money by pre-ordering both stories together in a bundle for £28 on CD or £25 on download.
Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mail-out of collector’s edition CDs may be delayed due to factors beyond our control, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.
The Abominable Snowmen (Part 1)
The TARDIS lands at the Himalayas and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo Chaplet get out and have a look around. They then meet a real life Tibetan Yeti. After a few moments, they spot pilgrims and head towards it. They tag along with the monks and meet a wise man known as Oddiyāna. They chat. After that, they must depart as bandits start to pursue them.
Guru Rinpoche Day (Part 2)
We learn more about the culture and beliefs of the Det-Sen monastery in this part. The story then proceeds to make listeners learn more about the holy relics and what secret is Oddiyāna hiding. We have a trilling part as the bandits catch up on them and descend and plunder. Steven and the Doctor stops them with a cane.
The Bandits (Part 3)
Meanwhile, Dodo is sent to get aid from outside to drive the bandits away. She meets the Yeti. They become restless as they are alerted by whisperings but Dodo calms them down with a lil’ sing song. The Yetis then agreed to help and follows Dodo.
The Ghanta of Det-Sen (Part 4)
The Monks are on the verge of failing to contain the bandits when the Yeti arrives. The Yeti flung the bandits to their deaths and they met a grisly end. The Monks think that the Yeti are friendly and thus trust them to protect the monastery in the future. Meanwhile, the ghanta is handed over to The Doctor for safekeeping and Oddiyāna embraces his destiny.
This was Dodo Chaplet’s first appearance in The Early Adventures range, having previously been represented by narration in The Companion Chronicles and Short Trips ranges. Previously portrayed by Jackie Lane (who passed away two months before the story’s release and had previously declined to reprise the role), Lauren Cornelius was cast to recreate the role.
This story served as a prequel to The Abominable Snowmen. John Dorney, as script editor, expressed particular fondness for this as Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen was the first Target novelisation he owned. (The Secrets of Det-Sen)
Following the death of original Dodo actress Jackie Lane, Big Finish announced that this story would be dedicated to her memory.
Lisa Bowerman claimed the story is set relativelyearly during Dodo’s travels in the TARDIS, to account for time for her accent to change as it did during her TVseries tenure. (The Secrets of Det-Sen)
Dorney watched a number of episodes featuring Dodo to get a feel for the character, taking inspiration from the Gunfighters in particular. (The Secrets of Det-Sen)
The Doctor recalls one of his teachers being a hermit. (The Time Monster, Planet of the Spiders)
This story takes place in 1630, three hundred years before The Doctor’s next visit to Det-Sen, and a hundred years before the Great Intelligence comes to Det-Sen (The Abominable Snowmen)
Dodo previously having a cold and it causing trouble is mentioned. (The Ark)
coming soon
