While we are still recovering from last month’s superb era mash-up of ‘Classic Doctors, New Monsters’, Big Finish takes another of their ranges into unknown territory as Bernice Summerfield enters ‘The Unbound Universe’; a parallel dimension where David Warner is the Doctor.
Meanwhile, Gwen Cooper wraps up Torchwood’s second audio season with ‘Made You Look’ – although we have plenty to look forward to with a full cast story ‘Outbreak scheduled for November and talk of a further special to celebrate the show’s tenth anniversary.
This month’s Short Trip is another break from the norm with Tim Treloar, Big Finish’s recast Third Doctor, narrating ‘Damascus’. Meanwhile the second story in the current main range trilogy sees Seventh Doctor, Ace and Mel enjoying a danger filled trip into Spanish history.
Finally, the Fourth Doctor wraps up his current (fifth!) series of adventures, as well as a number of ongoing plotlines with ‘Casualties of Time’, concluding the story begun last month.
Main Range #215: ‘Fiesta of the Damned’
Landing in 1938, during the latter stages of the Spanish Civil War, the recently reunited TARDIS trio find themselves in the company of Republican soldiers, under the command of a charismatic leader, and under fire from Nationalist bombs.
Meeting British journalist George Newman of the Times, whose lust for adventure strikes a chord with Ace, they accompany the soldiers to the local town of Farissa, but danger follows them as the bombs have stirred something alien back to life.
With the other-worldly menace is an intriguing once, if perhaps akin to the Chula device from ‘The Empty Child’, Guy Adams’ tale is far more character driven as we get to know the pragmatic Republican leader Juan Romero (Enzo Squillino Jnr), the troubled mayor of Farissa and the plight of those who suffered from leprosy at the time.
In this poignant historical setting, the Doctor is helpless to do more than defeat the alien menace – grimly aware that the Republicans were fighting a losing battle against Franco’s Nationalists. In truth, the setting is so rich that is was almost a shame that this too could not have been a pure-historical story.
Finding a new status quo for the two companions, we enjoyed the banter between Ace and Mel and despite paring Newman and Ace, with his amusingly antiquated values giving her something to chafe against (and flirt with), it is actually Mel who was granted the more emotional sub-plot in her relationship with the doomed Juan.
Jamie Robertson’s score for this story is particularly fine, full of strings, enthusiastic percussion and (of course) the distinctive twang of Spanish guitar.
Extras: As well as the two tracks of isolated music, the downloadable extended extras are well worth a listen, where writer Guy Adams talks about his inspiration for the leper character and his community.
Fourth Doctor Adventures 5.08: ‘Casualties of Time’
The latest series of Fourth Doctor Adventures starts is coming to a close and this month gave us the Nick Briggs story The Pursuit of History, part one of a two-part season finale. This story sees Tom Baker’s Doctor, K9 (John Leeson) and Romana II (Lalla Ward) up against David Warner’s Cuthbert, the head of the mighty Conglomerate.
Cuthbert first appeared in a pair of stories with Mary Tamm’s Romana I, and this story allows various ideas from that adventure to be explored. It also means the return of Toby Hadoake as Mr Dorrick and Jane Slavin as the alien, time-sensitive Laan.
If all that goodness weren’t enough, the cast also includes David Troughton, son of Patrick as Mr Edge, another well-realised character.
The story is a good mix of silly (just what is an alien space-parrot doing in the TARDIS), the megalomaniac (what is Cuthbert doing messing with history) and the intriguing (what is going on in 1850s Yorkshire). We also get a sense of other off-stage forces, and foreknowledge of the next story tells us great things are afoot (and the cast list mentions the White Guardian), but these don’t get in the way of this particular tale, which builds nicely towards next month’s conclusion.
As ever the cast are all excellent, and this extends to the versatility of voice shown by Jez Fielder as everything from the Parrot to a Yorkshire ruffian. The Pursuit is one of those stories that is over too soon, a mark of a decent tale well told. The only criticism is we have to wait a month for the resolution.
The continuity to previous stories might concern newer fans, but they should rest assured this adventure works independently, though having heard David Warner’s masterful performance, his previous appearance in the 2013 pair ‘The Sands of Life’ / ‘War Against the Laan’ will be next on their list to purchase.
Short Trips 6.08: ‘Damascus’
In recent years, the Doctor has met various Prime Ministers; from Harriet Jones to Harold Saxon. Jonathan Barnes’ short trip takes us back to an earlier era for another such encounter, when the Third Doctor was in exile on Earth and working for UNIT.
When a UFO appears in the Norfolk skies and the Doctor is less than keen to do anything about it, he is called upon by the government of the day, in the person of the incumbent PM “Jeremy” who was referenced in ‘The Green Death’.
Jeremy ends up accompanying the Doctor as they investigate the effects of a listlessness field which makes half the country fall asleep.
There were a few amusing moments along the way, especially the outsider’s perspective of UNIT HQ and the description of the alien threat which rather put us in mind of The Clangers.
After last month’s Meddling Monk tale, this is another innovative angle for a story and while we would not dream of spoiling it, these events certainly beg a sequel or two that we can look forward to.
What was your favourite Doctor Who release from Big Finish this month? Let us know below…