Big Finish - Lost Stories Season 4
I’m not sure how much I actually enjoyed this story as it was a more sophisticated version of the Celestial Toymaker with the first Doctor. And his sister, apparently! Jamie, Zoe, and the Doctor land in a dark hallway and begin to explore. They find clocks of the most frightening type lining the halls. And there are two gargoyle henchmen roaming the halls as well. They meet Hecuba then the Doctor is taken away by her for “dinner.” And as course after course of the meal is served, various threats to Jamie and Zoe are handled as the Doctor looks on, only able to try to appease their host with his words. Ultimately, the Doctor plays a trick on Hecuba and they escape but they leave the converted clocks behind as the world collapses around Hecuba.
I didn’t like that the Doctor really couldn’t participate in this story other than as an observer and with the occasional clue. Jamie and Zoe do all of the hard work, basically. And they leave the people converted into clocks behind, without even trying to revert them to normal, which seems odd. They’re just happy to get out with their lives! The best part of this story is the structure of the story but the actual adventure pieces seem like pointless torture for the most part. Hecuba is just mean yet has strange tortures for the companions. And she doesn’t seem to actually act like the Doctor is a threat though she keeps saying that he is. She may think she’s clever but she’s just like all of the other villains – threaten the lives of the companions to make the Doctor do what she wants. And Jamie and Zoe actually saves the Doctor’s life at one point, which is nice. And the conclusion is nice, too. The Doctor can be as vindictive as the worst villain when it’s for a cause!
Jamie McCrimmon (Frazer Hines), Zoe Heriot (Wendy Padbury), Hecuba (Caroline Faber)
Writer: Brian Hayles, adapted by Catherine Harvey
Director: Lisa Bowerman
Release: October 2013