The Marian Conspiracy

This country will be Catholic before my death, Doctor, and no man will stand in my way. I will wipe the Protestant scourge from every corner of England!

Queen Mary

Synopsis

Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing.

The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn’s life. But there he meets the Queen of England and use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman’s block…

Review

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while will know how much I love history. Therefore, when Doctor Who does a historical story, as with this one, I will tend to be positively disposed towards them. It does help though when they are a cracking story, as is the case with this one.

The Tudor period is one that has fascinated me from a young age. A lot of people who have been through the English school system get fed up with them because the curriculum used to see them taught repeatedly. In contrast, the more I learnt about them, the more they intrigued me. The Tudor dynasty is one that seems more fragile than most others. Mary’s grandfather, Henry Tudor, had such a distant claim to the throne of England that he had to see off claims of pretenders Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel, who claimed to be the younger prince from the tower, Richard, and the nephew of Richard III respectively. Henry VIII’s reign was dominated by his need to have a son to cement his succession, causing a split with Rome and six marriages. His son, Edward VI, was a Protestant, whose age and ill-health meant that his rule was dominated by adult protectors, each with their own motives. Then when Mary came to the throne, she flipped the switches back to Catholicism and married the unpopular Phillip II of Spain. By the time of The Marian Conspiracy, Mary had already seen off one rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt, as well as the unsuccessful attempt to keep her off the throne by placing Lady Jane Grey on it instead. Mary’s reign was haunted by the spectre of her half-sister, Elizabeth, the last of the Tudor monarchs. Her reign saw conflict with Spain and in later years, the Catholic Church once again. She was also dogged by the succession, and died heirless, meaning the crown went to James VI of Scotland, the first of the Stuarts. Mary’s persecution of Protestants, which was not limited to preachers, but to every day folk, earned her the nickname Bloody Mary. Elizabeth would later put Catholics to death too, although only in large numbers once the Pope had excommunicated her. I suppose that’s something that did bother me a bit was that Evelyn did have quite a black and white view of the two monarchs, however, this was probably fed into by Victorian historians, who saw Elizabeth’s reign as a precursor to Victoria’s Empire in the 19th Century.

Here endeth the history lesson. Still with me? Good. Let’s get back to the Doctor and The Marian Conspiracy.

Jacqueline Rayner has written a really strong pure historical story set in Tudor England. It may not be the most bombastic of stories, but it cements the Doctor’s new companion firmly at the heart of the narrative. Evelyn is curious about her ancestor, who was a trusted advisor to Elizabeth I, however, traces of him are being removed from history. It’s a good example of Doctor Who taking a personal story and giving it catastrophic effects. Here, usurping Mary would see her ancestor disappear from history altogether, taking vast swathes of the Smythe family tree with it, including Evelyn herself. It’s a really well-written story which does rolic along at a fair old pace. In addition, Rayner shows a very sympathetic view towards Mary. Mary is presented as someone who has been abandoned by her husband and going through a phantom pregnancy which she is determined to be real. Together, Evelyn and the Doctor uncover a plot to replace her with Elizabeth, who does not appear in this story at all. That does allow her to enjoy an almost ethereal presence in the story and also reflects history: Mary kept Elizabeth alive because she and her advisors could never satisfactorily prove that Elizabeth was involved in the plots against her half-sister. There are some wonderful bits of music and sound design here too, especially as Evelyn’s family tree starts vanishing before her eyes, and again as Evelyn begins to fade away at the end of the first part.

There are strong guest performances here, most notably from Anah Ruddin as Mary. Her performance is a major part of making this story work too – she makes Mary I feel like a human rather than a monster, complete with vulnerabilities. Combined with Rayner’s writing, Ruddin makes the audience sympathetic to her plight. We also have good performances from Nicholas Pegg and Barnaby Edwards as Reverend Thomas and de Noailles, the brains behind the conspiracy in this story. There’s also Sean Jackson and Jez Fielder as George Crow and William Leaf, who are good too, although I found it weird that they constantly referred to each other by their full names. Jo Castleton is good too as Lady Sarah, a member of Mary’s household.

I think that cake is an excellent solution to so many of life’s problems.

Evelyn Smythe

The Marian Conspiracy introduces us to Evelyn Smythe, a university lecturer whose family tree is rapidly disappearing when she meets the Doctor. As Big Finish’s first original companion, she does arrive quite fully formed. Older than the usual companions, she’s not prepared to take the Doctor’s usual nonsense and does call him out on occasion. She is used to her creature comforts, like her cocoa, and her age means that she does essentially come with medication, something that very nearly gets her into trouble in this story. Maggie Stables brings such warmth and life to the character that she practically leaps off the page. Perhaps it is because I love history too that I felt such affection towards her from the off. With the TARDIS landing in 1555 rather than comfortably in Elizabethan England, Evelyn nearly lands herself in massive trouble when toasting Elizabeth in a tavern, but is fortunate to come across George Crow and William Leaf who are plotting to overthrow Mary in any event. This is a companion who is not likely to be running down corridors.

We get to see a diplomatic side to the Sixth Doctor here as he manages to gain access to Queen Mary’s court and gain her confidence. Colin Baker really shines when given the ability to be charming. The Doctor is here to ensure that time runs correctly, which does involve trying to keep Evelyn in line. The chemistry between Baker and Stables is really entertaining, and it is nice to give Baker’s Doctor an original companion to give him more of a life following his truncated television run.

Verdict: The Marian Conspiracy is a great pure historical story which introduces a new companion. 9/10

Cast: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Maggie Stables (Evelyn Smythe), Nicholas Pegg (Reverend Thomas Smith), Anah Ruddin (The Queen), Jo Castleton (Lady Sarah), Barnaby Edwards (Francois de Noailles), Sean Jackson (George Crow), Gary Russell (John Wilson), Jez Fielder (William Leaf) & Alistair Lock (Royal Guard).

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Director: Gary Russell

Music and Sound: Alistair Lock

Release Date: 12 March 2000

Main Range Release Number: 6

Behind the Scenes

• Evelyn Smythe was the first companion created by Big Finish. Each Doctor would receive an original companion in the Main Range:
  • Charley Pollard, companion to the Eighth and Sixth Doctors, introduced in Storm Warning, which was released in January 2001.
  • Erimem, companion to the Fifth Doctor introduced in The Eye of the Scorpion, released in September 2001.
  • Hex, companion to the Seventh Doctor, introduced in The Harvest, released in June 2004.
  • Ann Nelson, companion to the Fourth Doctor, introduced in The Sinestran Kill, released in January 2019.

Cast Notes

• Prior to her first appearance as Evelyn Smythe, Maggie Stables played Ruthley in The Sirens of Time.
• Nicholas Pegg is a frequent collaborator with Big Finish as an actor and director. He is also one of the Dalek operators for the revived series.
• Jo Castleton also appeared in Brotherhood of the Daleks and Time’s Horizon (Dark Eyes).
• Barnaby Edwards is a frequent collaborator with Big Finish as an actor and director. He is also one of the Dalek operators for the revived series.
• Gary Russell was the executive producer of Big Finish between 1998 and 2006. He has directed, written and appeared in a number of Big Finish productions.
• Jez Fielder has also appeared in Phantasmagoria, The Rapture and The Defectors.
• Alistair Lock has appeared in minor roles in a number of Big Finish stories, including The Land of the Dead, The One Doctor and Invaders from Mars.

Best Quote

You’re just twisting things to suit yourself. Rather like a student trying to make an essay question fit what he’s revised.

Evelyn Smythe

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