The Fires of Vulcan

Big Finish Productions audio play
The Fires of Vulcan
Series	Doctor Who
Release number	12
Featuring	Seventh Doctor Mel
Writer	Steve Lyons
Director	Gary Russell
Producer(s)	Gary Russell Jason Haigh-Ellery
Executive producer(s)	Jacqueline Rayner
Production code	7FA
Set between	Delta and the Bannermen and Dragonfire
Release date	September 2000

The Fires of Vulcan is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.

Plot

The Seventh Doctor and Mel visit ancient Pompeii just before the Vesuvius tragedy is due to occur.

Cast

• The Doctor — Sylvester McCoy
• Mel — Bonnie Langford
• Professor Scalini — Anthony Keetch
• Captain Muriel Frost — Karen Henson
• Tibernus — Robert Curbishley
• Popidus Celsinus — Andy Coleman
• Valeria Hedone — Nicky Goldie
• Murranus — Steven Wickham
• Eumanchia — Lisa Hollander
• Aglae — Gemma Bissix
• Priest — Toby Longworth
• Roman Legionary — Robert Curbishley

Continuity

• The cause of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius turns out to be the Tenth Doctor in the 2008 TV story The Fires of Pompeii
• The archaeologist and UNIT officer in the first and final scenes are named Professor Scalini (after an Italian restaurant that Steve Lyons used to live over) and Captain Muriel Frost (after a character from the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip).
• The names and roles of all the named characters in the play were taken from real life, mostly from graffiti found in Pompeii when it was excavated (with the exception of Tibernus, a made up character name).
• The character Murranus was only added to provide a subplot to keep the Doctor busy during the third episode. Steve Lyons did not originally want to include a cliched gladiator at all.

External links

• Big Finish Productions - The Fires of Vulcan
• The Fires of Vulcan at the Doctor Who Reference Guide

Reviews

• The Fires of Vulcan reviews at Outpost Gallifrey
• The Fires of Vulcan reviews at The Doctor Who Ratings Guide