Doctor Who and The Fourth Wall

‘The Fourth Wall’

Written by John Dorney, directed by Nicholas Briggs
Released February 2012
Story 157
“Kill without conscience, without pity… without motive.”

For one of the briefest of incarnations on screen, the Sixth Doctor has an exceptionally large retinue of traveling companions from Peri and Mel on screen to Frobisher, Charley Pollard, Evelyn Smythe, Jamie McCrimmon, Jago & Litefoot and now Philipa Jackson in audio format.

An abrasive yet brilliant and confident personality, the Sixth Doctor is a divisive incarnation of the Doctor, but in my opinion one of the better ones because he is so very different. Colin Baker infused a unique alien quality to his performance along with an unpredictability when the character had become so familiar and somewhat pedestrian. Say what you will about him, but there’s no other version of the Doctor like the Sixth. Baker himself points out that he is the ‘middle Doctor’ and that may contribute to his peculiarity. In audio format, Colin Baker’s Doctor has matured into a lovable if egotistic and brash hero possessing a keen wit and sharp analytic mind. It is the Sixth Doctor’s inspired intelligence that always made him stand out to me, and also made him so difficult to write for, I imagine. For that reason, the Fourth Wall could only be his sort of adventure.

Flip had met the Doctor during the story ‘The Crimes of Thomas Brewster’ and was later reunited with the colorful champion in the Curse of Davros. I had to admit that neither of those instances filled me with much admiration, but finally in The Fourth Wall Flip shines as one of the great companions.

While using the time-space visualizer (waaaaay back from the Hartnell story, The Chase) to watch a cricket match, the Doctor notices a warp in space and time. The fabric of reality has been damaged, pulling Flip into another dimension where her only way of communicating is through the visualizer. Meanwhile on the asteroid called Transmission, a desperate business man Augustus Scullop attempts to wrestle his fortune from oblivion with a ground-breaking form of entertainment where the characters are real. Unfortunately, Flip has found herself wedged into this fictional world and the Doctor soon discovers that there is more at play here than just bad television.

When the device malfunctions, the Doctor realizes that the fictional reality is overlapping the real one and threatening all of creation. When Flip realizes that she is living in some awful camp adventure program ‘Jack Laser,’ she challenges it and pays the ultimate price. Up until that point, the story was very weird and silly, but after the real danger becomes apparent, the bar is raised. Added to this is a group of Porcions, a bumbling race of also-ran alien conquerors. The Doctor is wary of the Porcions, but not because of their desire to conquer, rather the fact that they are so rubbish at it.

Colin Baker (The Doctor) and Lisa Greenwood (Flip)

When Jack Laser’s poorly conceived villain (the production team admit that they never got around to finishing his back story) Lord Krarn escapes his limited reality, he has an existential dilemma. Why is he so bent on evil? Why does he kill? Meeting his creator hardly helps as Lord Krarn explodes at Augustus Scullop that he has a responsibility as a creator to his ‘children’ rather than just making them suffer for no other reason than a limited imagination (writers take note!). It’s a very moving scene when Krarn realizes that despite the fact that his wife was murdered by Jack Laser, he is the villain. Why?

Full to the brim with absolutely ingenious notions, the Fourth Wall is a wealth of mind-blowing ideas (actors are scanned into the alternate reality, but their performances take on a life of their own) and side-holding hilarity (an audible cue accompanies every entrance from the villains or any threat… something that Flip finds exceedingly annoying and reminds me far too much of Murray Gold’s work).

The young Lisa Greenwood (even Colin Baker is reluctant to address her age, yet in the extra material she shows how charming and intelligent she is) is scintillating as the spunky and forthright Flip. Refusing to give in to bullies or monsters, Flip had already gone toe-to-toe with Davros so anything after that is gravy! Playing opposite Colin Baker, she brings out his more affectionate personality traits. I understand that she has a single adventure after this one (to date, anyway), and I already miss her.

One of the most entertaining audios from Big Finish to date, The Fourth Wall can be ordered from The Book Depository with free shipping worldwide by clicking on the link below:

Doctor Who and The Nightmare Fair

‘The Nightmare Fair’

Written by Graham Williams, directed by John Ainsworth
Released November 2009
The Lost Stories Story 1.01

In 1985, Doctor Who was suffering from a poor critical reception from the press, ailing ratings and dwindling fan support. After the departure of Peter Davison, Doctor Who continued down a path involving steadily darker and more violent material. The latest leading man in the role of the Doctor, Colin Baker, unduly took the brunt of the punishment. The 22nd series was actually a very strong set of adventures with at least two classics in its run. Stories had been commissioned for the following year that boasted the return of Sil, the Ice Warriors, the Tractators, the Master and another more obscure villain, the Celestial Toymaker. Some of the scripts were later adapted into novelized form and later still as audio productions by Big Finish. Some of the scripts were further along than others with The Nightmare Fair being one that was finished by former series producer Graham Williams.

The story of the Nightmare Fair marked the beginning of the ‘Lost Stories’ series by Big Finish, where stories that never made it to the screen were dramatized by a full cast with the auditory aplomb of the Big Finish crew. A rather lackluster story that meanders in places, it nonetheless has some very strong moments of characterization. The Sixth Doctor is at his decidedly most egocentric and vain as he crankily denounces others for their failings in intelligence as he boasts his past visits to other planets and times. It’s a shame that this story was not produced as it would have suited the Sixth Doctor’s period so well.

Invested in showing his companion Peri the finest of amusements, the Doctor has piloted the TARDIS to Blackpool in a contemporary time period (similar to Attack of the Cybermen set and transmitted in 1984). But the reality is that the Doctor did not pilot the TARDIS at all, and he had planned to take Peri somewhere else entirely. A space/time vortex has dragged the TARDIS to this location and even the Doctor is not sure what lies a its heart. An old villain the Celestial Toymaker sits at the center of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach like some massive spider pulling flies into his clutch.

A sequel of sorts to the 1965 William Hartnell story by Bryan Hayles and Donald Tosh, the Nightmare Fair features the return of that cosmic character The Celestial Toymaker. Initially portrayed by Michael Gough (familiar to many as Alfred in the 1989-1997 Batman movies), the Toymaker is a very strange character more at home in a comic book than anywhere else. Possessing mental prowess that staggers the mind, he is obsessed with games of skill and in his first meeting with the Doctor was undone by the crafty Time Lord much to his chagrin. This time he will have revenge.

Playing the Toymaker in Gough’s absence is David Bailie, Dask from the Tom Baker story, The Robots of Death. His performance is impressive as he manages to exude charisma and villainy in equal parts. Playing opposite Colin Baker, the pair make for an entertaining dual act, but sadly the two actors have very few scenes together. In fact, the Nightmare Fair feels like a story stretched out fill the running time with many sequences in which the Doctor and/or Peri are imprisoned repeating throughout. There are some great ideas such as the posh Humandroid who is mostly robotic and the Venusian mechanic in the nearby cell. If anything, the Nightmare Fair is a testament to the brilliance of Graham Williams, but it definitely requires additional tightening up to play up its strengths.

David Bailie, Nicola Bryant and Colin Baker

Much like its predecessor, The Nightmare Fair is very focused on games and traps which is where this story finds inspiration. Additionally, the Doctor sheds some light on the nature of the Toymaker, something that the 1965 story had no interest in doing. A being of immense power, even the Time Lords were unable to understand him or trace his origins. This story gives more clues to who and what the Toymaker is but in the end the Doctor once again decides that he is far too dangerously to be dealt with lightly. Using his cunning mental ability and a nerve of steel, the Doctor manages to unravel the mad plot of the Toymaker, leaving him and Peri free to visit the fairground once more for candy floss and another ride on the roller coaster.

An overlong yet charming adventure, The Nightmare Fair can be ordered from The Book Depository with free shipping worldwide by clicking on the link below:

Doctor Who Big Finish – The Feast of Axos

‘The Feast of Axos’

Story 144
By Mike Maddox, directed by Nicholas Briggs
Released 28 February, 2011
“This is wonderful! It’s like that song by David Bowie! Doctor, why don’t we do this more often?”
“To be honest, Evelyn, I’m not much of a fan.”
“Of David Bowie?”
“No, of space walking.”

In the near future, the planet Earth is depleted of natural resources and desperate for a solution. Industrialist Campbell Irons funds a trip into space to make peace with Axos, an extraterrestrial vampire that nearly made the entire human race extinct not long ago. The Doctor, Evelyn and Thomas Brewster arrive just in time to sort things out, only it all gets much more complicated instead.

A sequel of sorts to the classic 1972 adventure by Bob Baker and Dave Martin ‘The Claws of Axos,’ Mike Maddox’s ‘The Feast of Axos’ is a real wholloping fun ride. John Pickard is remarkable as Thomas Brewster (in his fourth outing in Doctor Who), is absolutely marvelous. A wanderer and cut purse from the 18th Century let loose in time and space by encountering the Doctor. Evelyn can see the similarities between Brewster and the Doctor (both are outcasts and both attempt to do the right thing) but neither is keen to see her point of view. As a trio, the Doctor, Evelyn and Brewster offer up a bevy of opportunities. Evelyn is an old hand at time traveling and lovable as all get-out, but far more fragile than she lets on. Brewster is a shifty personality who may very well be far more moral than he knows, but in the process of discovering his true potential he could sell the human race to the Devil.

The stakes are quite high in this adventure and the back-story to the Claws of Axos is a welcome layer of continuity and a heft helping of legacy to the Sixth Doctor’s era. When he had last encountered Axos, the Doctor was stranded on Earth with much of his memory blocked by the Time Lords. Drawn toward the Earth by the Master, it was only with his arch enemy’s assistance that he managed to defeat the alien menace by placing it in a time loop in orbit around the planet.

It’s a clever observation by Big Finish that The Claws of Axos begs for a sequel and an even better turn of events that Mike Maddox was able to deliver a sterling story worthy of a continuation. In The Claws of Axos, an alien menace takes advantage of the human race’s innocence and gullibility, but in this case Axos is called on for help. In essence, the humans are willingly entering into a bargain with an evil alien parasite. Maddox’s script is ripe with rich characters, hair-raising situations and clever dialog. It’s a real gem.

Hot on the trail of the Irons expedition is as vessel launched by the European Union who are eager to charge Irons for betraying the human race, but they are also interested in dealing with Axos. No one seems to understand the true threat that Axos poses aside from the Doctor… and despite the events happening inside of a time loop, his time is running thin.

With the Eurozone space craft and the private Irons Industries craft vying for control of Axos, the Doctor
has his work cut out for him. He must contain the situation but also not interfere too much with the conflicts of the culture as it’s not his own. In the end, he realizes that he is an adult surrounded by children playing with a bomb and forces the situation into positive closure. The only problem is that his companions have their own ideas and in each case, they are catastrophic.

The shifty Thomas Brewster gets roped in by an erzats copy of the Doctor and becomes a spokesperson for Axos with Irons. Axos is of course looking to suck the planet dry of life energy, but needs to bide for time as it is weak and requires sustenance. I love how the character of Brewster is played out as the listener is never sure of his intentions. He and the Doctor seem to be playing a very risky game and each is holding his cards close to the chest, causing the tension to be quite palpable. I was never 100% sure of Brewster and the Doctor had some unspoken agreement or if Brewster was a fool and had unwittingly damned all of humanity for a false promise from Axos.

John Pickard as Thomas Brewster

Evelyn is absolutely marvelous in this story. Maggie Stables has been praised as the best new character in Doctor Who in ages, but I will just add my voice to that chorus. Her crusty persona and indignant bravery are challenged only by her sense of humor in the face of danger. Evelyn trusts the Doctor implicitly and pays the price for it. Forced into a space suit to travel to Axos from a dead space craft, Evelyn sadly finds herself adrift and rapidly fading from view. It is a testament to Big Finish that a very visual event was presented so well in an all audio format as the Doctor mourns her loss and she floats ever further away.

Ground Control to Evelyn Smythe...

I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Feast of Axos, but found it to be a gripping drama with plenty of adventure and interesting spins on old ideas including the nature of a time loop and Axos’ ability to manipulate matter. It is another feather in Colin Baker’s hat (if he wears one) as he comes off as the brilliant, brave and passionate Time Lord in a multi-colored coat. He also gets to play the part of a villain by voicing his own duplicate!

The Feast of Axos can be purchased from Big Finish and from local retailers such as Mike’s Comics.

Doctor Who – Slipback

Written by Eric Saward
Transmitted 25 July to 8 August 1985
Suffering a painful hangover, the Doctor receives a psychic message that draws him to a massive spacecraft. On board, a series of mysterious killings threatens the lives of the crew while the craft’s artificial intelligence develops schizophrenia and the ship captain’s various illnesses increase to such an extent that he could will a plague upon his crew. When the Doctor and Peri are separated, Peri encounters a pair of unlikely policemen who insist that they are anything but while the Doctor bumps into their prey, a crook named Shellingbourne Grant. The Doctor soon realizes that the ship’s AI, full to the brim with knowledge of the universe from its various surveys, is disgusted with the state of existence and intends to travel back in time and cause a second big bang, wiping out reality in favor of a more structured creation. In order to save life as we know it, the Doctor must win an argument with an insane computer, dodge the police, avoid being eaten by a creature that should be extinct and stop the captain of the Vipod Mor from recreating the black death. Just another day for the Doctor, then.

Filling in the 18 month gap between Revelation of the Daleks and Trial of a Time Lord, Slipback is a strange experiment in radio drama for the long running science fiction program. With Big Finish Productions currently wearing a laurel of over a hundred and fifty audio dramas of Doctor Who alone, Slipback is difficult to judge in comparison. A somewhat stilted affair, the six part format is an awkward fit, resulting in some weird cliffhangers (the Doctor screaming ‘NOOOOOOO!’ when he realizes the ship computer’s plan being one) and plenty of padding.

The performances are varied, with Colin Baker showing his acting capacity in the lighter comedic moments as well as the heavy dramatic ones, winning his place as the Doctor even back in 1985 when he was still a relative newcomer to the part. Nicola Bryant fares less well as Peri, but given that she was still very new to the profession and likely had never acted on radio, you can’t hold it against her. Valentine Dyall (familiar to Whovians as the Black Guardian during the Fifth Doctor’s time) is splendid. This performance is sadly shortly before he passed on and he was in very bad health at the time. Both Jon Glover and Jane Carr are treasures to the production, their vocal talents bring Saward’s script to vibrant life.

A veteran of screen and radio, Saward’s script is a bit of a mess, unfortunately. It is firmly embedded in the various Saward-isms of the period; dark humor, absurd situations and plenty of violence. Many have compared Slipback to Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy due to the doddering space policemen who seem to be ripped directly from its pages, but in truth Slipback is far stranger due to the character of the Doctor. With Douglas Adams’ work, there is the comfort of a likable (if ineffectual) hero, but the Sixth Doctor is so alien and unpredictable that he hardly brings a feeling of safety. Definitely one of the moire brilliant and forthright incarnations of the Doctor, one often gets the impression that he may not be on our side after all. When it becomes clear that he is the only force between life and death on such a galactic scale, it becomes very tense indeed.

An odd experiment that kept the fires burning for Doctor Who fandom, Slipback is often forgotten these days as it is neither part of the classic TV program nor is it part of the more recent Big Finish line of audios. Nevertheless, it is still finding fans as this animation shows:

Since his time on air, Colin Baker’s irascible Sixth Doctor has found a new legion of followers, hungry for more material. While it may not be his finest hour story-wise, Slipback should be included in that list of books, audios and such, along with the following: