The Worlds of Doctor Who Review
Guest contributor Nick Ferrazza reviews Big Finish’s 15th anniversary special.
These last few weeks have certainly been a treat for Doctor Who fans. As if the epic debut of Capaldi’s Doctor wasn’t already enough, Big Finish have treated us to an extra gift with the long awaited release of their 15th anniversary special. And after fifteen brilliant years of producing top quality audio dramas, how have Big Finish decided to celebrate? Why, with an epic crossover of all the characters and spin-offs we’ve come to love. “The Worlds of Doctor Who” brings together Big Finish’s most beloved series (“Jago & Litefoot”, “Counter-Measures”, “The Vault” and “Gallifrey”) with an interesting new threat for them all to face, but how does the celebratory special stack up? Let’s take a look…
Mind Games
Since its debut in 2010, “Jago & Litefoot” has become a favourite among Big Finish fans. The series follows Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, first introduced in the Fourth Doctor classic “The Talons of Weng-Chiang”, as they investigate the supernatural in Victorian London.
“Mind Games” is a typical “Jago & Litefoot” story, arguably too typical. Although new listeners will probably find this story to be an entertaining one, long time fans might find it to be a bit more of the same. With foggy streets, young women being murdered and a mystery revolving around the New Regency Theatre, this story really doesn’t stand out from the rest of the “Jago & Litefoot” range. For fans hoping for a little more substance, the entire plot quickly begins to feel somewhat predictable and unoriginal.
That’s not to say however that the story isn’t without its charm. One thing that clearly sticks out is the humour. “Jago & Litefoot” always finds a way to inject a good laugh or two into even the darkest of plots, and this story is no different. Another standout of the story is the acting, with Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter on top form, performing their roles as well as ever and once again pulling off the perfect double act that we’ve come to love over the years, and as per usual, it’s the exchanges between the two leads that produce the most laughs.
One of the key aims of the story though is to introduce us to Mr. Rees, a mysterious figure who will serve as the key thread throughout these four stories. Starring in the role is Jamie Glover, known to fans for his portrayal William Russell in last year’s “An Adventure in Space and Time”. Jamie Glover gives a satisfying performance, but his character does feel a little underdeveloped at this stage. The rushed resolution to the story really doesn’t help with this, as just as we get to know the character, the story suddenly comes to an abrupt close.
All in all, despite some brilliant acting and a few good laughs, “Mind Games” really feels like a bit of a disappointment, let down by its bad pacing and unoriginal story.
4/10
The Reesinger Process
The Counter Measures team take centre stage in part two of this epic event. The “Counter-Measures” series follows Group Captain Ian Gilmore, Professor Rachel Jenson and Alison Williams, first introduced in the Seventh Doctor story “Remembrance of the Daleks”. They are joined by audio exclusive regular Sir Toby Kinsella as they investigate the unusual and bizarre in 1960s Britain.
“The Reesinger Process” sees the team investigating a mystery eerily similar to the one investigated by Jago and Litefoot in the previous story, but this time around the story is far less predictable and will keep you guessing for a long time. By repeating a similar plot, writer Justin Richards does run the risk of becoming repetitive, but by adding a new spin to it all, he manages to keep it fresh and greatly improves upon the previous tale. Also of note in the storytelling department is the 1960s feel of the story, manifesting itself in this case as the Cold War paranoia prevalent during that period.
The pacing is noticeably better this time around, and the acting and character development are on top form as well. Particular mention must go to the story’s real life brother and sister guest cast Rory Keenan and Sinead Keenan, who also play a brother and sister in the story. Sinead’s performance at the climax particularly shows off what a talented actress she is.
After a brief hiccup, “The Worlds of Doctor Who” finds its footing with the “The Reesinger Process”. It may not be the best “Counter-Measures” story out there, but it’s certainly a satisfying one.
7.5/10
The Screaming Skull
The concept of “The Vault” is simple, to find a way to bring the movie companion actors back to Doctor Who, but with the rights to their roles laying with Fox, new roles had to be found for Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso. Thus we were given the “Companion Chronicles” stories “Tales from the Vault” and “Mastermind”, both of which tell the story of Captain Ruth Matherson and Warrant Officer Charlie Sato, two UNIT officers employed at the Vault, UNIT’s biggest collection of alien artifacts.
Unlike the previous two stories, which require only a minimal knowledge of their relative series, “The Screaming Skull” does ask that the listener knows “The Vault” duology a little better. Picking up a few months after the shocking conclusion to “Mastermind”, things have changed for the two leads. Charlie in particular has become noticeably more hardened and miserable after the losses of the previous story. As an added bonus, the listeners are also treated to Richard Franklin reprising his role as Captain Mike Yates. With this story, we are given the chance to explore Yates a little better as a character and learn a little more about his past and motivation than we have before. This, paired with Franklin’s acting, make the character a welcome addition to the story.
One thing that stands out in this story is the number of references to other stories. If, like me, you’re the kind of fan who loves it when stories reference other stories, then “The Screaming Skull” is sure to be like Christmas. I won’t spoil any for you, but keep an ear out for references to practically every Yates story ever, be it TV, Big Finish, or anything else. In a similar vein, this entry into the epic crossover tale features heavy ties to the previous two stories, something I for one had been hoping for across the whole range, but had been sadly missing up to this point. This is most obvious in the form of a spectacular cameo that I could write an entire review about in itself, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you.
I couldn’t finish my sub-review without thanking Justin Richards for stepping out of the writer’s box in this story and allowing Jonathon Morris, writer of the previous “The Vault” stories, to pen the tale. This really helps keep the tone and characterisation on top form. Morris and his creations reach new heights in this story, and I for one can’t help but feel the story more than proves we need “The Vault” to return as a full fledged series.
8/10
Second Sight
Unlike previous stories in the set, “Second Sight” begins immediately where the previous story left off. In this, the final entry into the fifteenth anniversary special, it’s finally time for the Doctor to make an appearance. Colin Baker is the Doctor that Big Finish have chosen for their celebrations, and why shouldn’t he be? Ever since 1999, Ol’ Sixy has quickly become Big Finish’s Doctor, and seems like the perfect choice to star in such a release.
What really sticks out though is the choice to team him up with Romana (Lalla Ward) and Yates, an unconventional yet absolutely brilliant TARDIS team. I’m sure I won’t be the only fan hoping to see this particular trinity explored further in the future. Another key player in the story is Leela, whose pivotal role in the story gives Louise Jameson a good chance to shine and prove once more why she’s a fan favourite. Keep an ear out for her later interactions with Yates in particular. It’s only a shame some of the other popular “Gallifrey” characters such as Narvin and Braxiatel couldn’t put in an appearance, but with the high quality of this story, I think we can forgive it that.
With this story, the sinister Mr. Reese finally gets some much-needed development. In the first fifteen minutes of the story alone he receives more development than he did in the previous three stories combined. However, despite a detailed look at his twisted childhood, the motivation behind Reese’s overall scheme still feels a little undefined. He is still a brilliant villain, but dances dangerously close to becoming just another power mad egomaniac.
With this story, Justin Richards has clearly tried to reach an epic scale, something that it has more than succeeded in doing. While the one hour format may not allow it to reach the heights seen in previous epics like “UNIT: Dominion” and “The Light at the End”, this story really does reach movie like proportions with its epic scale of story telling. The only qualm I may have about the story itself is the revelation that the TARDIS can travel into people’s minds, but this isn’t something that I can explore in too much depth without spoiling it.
Without a doubt, “Second Sight” is the best story in the set and serves as a more than satisfying conclusion to this interesting and unique arc. I guess you could say it gives“The Worlds of Doctor Who” the Big Finish it deserves.
9.5/10
Wrapping Up
“The Worlds of Doctor Who” was an ambitious project and I applaud Justin Richards for taking it on. After last year’s successful “The Light at the End”, Big Finish could just have easily have gone for the same thing with this story, but have chosen to go in a wild new direction, a direction that has more than paid off. Each story is interwoven brilliantly and the story arc itself is almost flawless. “Mind Games” does let the whole thing down a little, but is still mildly entertaining, and the release does quickly recover and becomes the fifteenth anniversary release Big Finish deserves. As one final thought, I might add that those new to Big Finish might want to steer clear of this somewhat continuity heavy story, but those more hardened fans should definitely check it out.
Thanks for fifteen great years Big Finish, and here’s to the next fifteen.