Doctor Who - Audio Details

Two thousand years ago, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption wiped the Roman city of Pompeii from the face of the Earth.  It also buried the Doctor's TARDIS...

Arriving in Pompeii one day before the disaster, the Doctor and Mel find themselves sparated from their ship and entangled in local politics.  With time running out, they fight to escape from the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.  But how can they succeed when history itself is working against them?

I was a bit nervous about hearing my first script being performed.  I knew it probably wouldn't sound like I'd imagined it, and I was right.  It sounded much better.  The actors really brought the characters to life, and I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise to them for that list of hard-to-pronounce Latin words - especially to Gemma Bissix, who got stuck with the nickname 'Algae' for the weekend.

The characters in The Fires of Vulcan are based on real people who lived in Pompeii at the time of its destruction.  However, as we don't know much about them, I've probably libelled most of them.  My main reference book was Pompeii, The Day a City Died by Robert Etienne (Thames and Hudson).

A big thanks to Neil Blomly, who helped with research and whose ides it was to have the Doctor visit Pompeii in the first place.  Kyle Rickards wanted a mention too, but he didn't do anything to deserve one.

Steve Lyons, March 2000