Big Finish Audio Drama #34, 2002
A classic tale from front to back, beginning to end. Marc Platt has also written Loups-Garoux and Valhalla, both of which are very good but this, this story is a classic! Define classic, you say? Well, first of all, there are very few holes in the story or loopholes. The story moves from beginning to end with adventures galore, characters learning and being themselves, reacting and turning the adventures on decisions they make, the people they meet. And despite all the characters do, despite their best intentions, the disaster occurs anyway. A classic tale in the Dr. Who canon, as it were.
When I listened to this adventure the first time, it blew me away! There hadn’t been anything like it previously, establishing some of the back story for one of the big villains in the Dr. Who canon. All based on the Doctor as a template! How twisted and amazing is that!? The only real flaw for me comes in the ending. Doctorman Allan’s change of heart to saving the people to saving the city to saving the Committee is a bit confusing. And Commander Zheng wasn’t destroyed—he activated the propulsion system! Kind of bizarre that. The ending was a bit odd but poignant all the same. Not unexpected as the Cybermen come into the existence in the future, that’s for sure. My personal favorite villain in Doctor Who so this is in my top audios. Possibly the top 10. Amazing audio drama!
Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton
writer: Marc Platt
director: G-Russell