Big Finish Audiobooks
I haven’t read most of the Doctor Who novels (unless sent to me by my friend Rob in Boston) and these stories make me glad I didn’t. I find them a bit on the brutal and depressing side, though I do like Chris and Roz a lot. This story has the Doctor investigating a new drug on the streets of London called Smile. And it’s definitely a “commentary” on how drug use can destroy your life as you’re taken over by the alien inside of you.
The story of the twins separated at birth, Steven and Gabriel, as well as both of their families are intertwined very organically with the story of the Time Lord weapon/sentient sculpture, called the N-Form, infused in Smile, a drug distributed and consumed throughout London. The N-Form is a weapon used to fight vampires, which is re-activated on Earth due to the vampiric relationship Gabriel and Steven share and is used for experimentation by Torchwood (this being the first time the Doctor’s heard of the organization, apparently).
This story is dark and horrific but there are so many well-formed characters that they overshadow that darkness with their own stories. It’s really a marvelous story and despite it being a bit of a throwback for the 7th Doctor (he doesn’t know what’s going on?!?!?), I enjoyed it.
Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Travis Oliver (Chris Cwej), Yasmin Bannerman (Roz Forrester), Michelle Collins (Winnie Tyler), Denise Black (Eva Jericho), Georgie Fuller (Bev Tyler), Tayler Marshall (Gabriel Tyler), Richard Hope (Harry Harvey), Daniel Brocklebank (David Daniels), Peter Barrett (The Capper), Robert Duncan (Mr Thomas), Damian Lynch (Scott Delaney)
Writer: Russell T Davies, adapted by Jonathan Morris
Director: Ken Bentley
Release: April 2015