Behind The Scenes

The 6th Doctor- Voiced by Colin Baker

Students: Martha Jones, Primeval: Abby, Rose (series 2), Primeval: Connor, Primeval: Claudia, Custom Toby Zed, Primeval: Stephen, Custom Belinda, Mickey Smith, Rose (series 1), Sarah Jane Smith and Primeval Lester

This mini flash video was posted on the site on 24 Feb 2009.

The original BIG FINISH cover

Evelyn Smythe- Voiced by Maggie Stables

My custom made Evelyn figure uses Grandma Connolly as a base. The hair has been darkened slightly and the outfit painted to reflect her appearance in the BBC Online drama Reel Time. The glasses have been made out of copper wire from an old telephone lead.

I have always loved Maggie Stables' Evelyn Smythe. It was a real departure for Big Finish to introduce an older companion and she is a stark contrast to the Doctor's more traditional assistants.

It had long been my intention to introduce Evelyn into the AFT. She was originally meant to appear in Crystal Palace but the first figure I made was so awful, it couldn't possibly see the light of day.

My second attempt, using an Episode 1 Padme as the base was a lot more successful but by this time the CO classic figures were already on the way and my custom made 3.75" versions were permanently rested.

The Doctor and Evelyn in Crystal Palace

Although Crystal Palace was made with Peri taking the companion's role, plans are underway to reshoot the adventure with Evelyn taking her rightful place.

Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe

Unwilling to introduce her with no form of introduction and equally unwilling to rewrite her debut appearance, I opted to make a flash movie of her first meeting with the Doctor using the original soundtrack.

It's intended as an homage and a record of this historic meeting and no infringement is intended. Please note that I do own the CD. And jolly good it is too.

Evelyn from Reel Time

The sets were created in September 2006 in 3.75" scale, which shows how long this venture had been planned. They were rescaled for the 5" figures and the pictures taken for the story in mid November 2008.

The soundtrack was edited early in 2008 and has been cut down to keep it short and to the point.

The video was created in Flash during early January 2009.

But is it "cannon"?

It's the policy of the AFT that only the TV series is cannon simply because it's hard to keep track of the huge amount of comics, audio stories and novels that have been produced.

However, in the case of Evelyn Smythe, we've made an exception. The Marian Conspiracy is accepted in to the AFT cannon but all other Smythe stories (while not consciously contradicted) are not.

The Marian Conspiracy takes place for the Doctor after The Trial of a Time Lord. He's dropped Mel back in the future and is now travelling alone. Following the meeting shown here, the Doctor follows Evelyn to her home and persuades her to accompany him back in time to the court of Queen Elizabeth to investigate the alteration in the time line. Ofcourse, things don't quite go according to plan, it is called The Marian Conspiracy after all. I won't spoil the story which can be bought from here but needless to say the Doctor finds himself with a new companion that will be joining him here at the AFT.