Alien sharks vs time-tampering Nazis!
THE ARCHITECTS OF HISTORY
Big Finish 120 mins (two discs) £12.99 (download)/E14.99 (CD) OUT NOW! ★★★☆☆
PARADISE 5
Big Finish 120 mins (two discs) £12.99 (download)/£14.99 (CD) OUT NOW! ★★★★☆
THE EMPEROR OF ETERNITY
Big Finish 65 mins (one disc) £7.99 (download)/£8.99 (CD) OUT NOW! ★★★☆☆
Trilogies can be tricky things. It's sometimes easier to set up a dramatic situation than it is to pay it off, and despite Big Finish's "Klein trilogy" having featured some of their finest recent moments, the concluding instalment doesn't quite measure up.
That's not to say there isn't plenty of old-school Who entertainment in The Architects Of History, as time-travelling ex-Nazi scientist Elizabeth Klein (Tracey Childs) finally gets her own way. Having hijacked the TARDIS, she's rewritten history so that the 21st century Nazi party now rules over a Galactic Reich, and even the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) seems unable to stop her. However, when a moonbase comes under attack from a group of war-hungry alien sharks, the Selachians, Klein soon discovers the Doctor may have other, distinctly dangerous plans...
The plot rattles along at a decent pace, there's a selection of powerful scenes and Childs once again gives a strong performance... but it's hard not to think that a story featuring history-altering Nazis and gun-toting sharks in battlesuits shouldn't feel quite as routine as this. We're essentially in base-under-siege territory once again, while there's also a hefty dose of '80s Who uber-grimness that feels distinctly overplayed. The end result is still entertaining SF action - it just isn't a very satisfying conclusion.
Meanwhile, Big Finish's Lost Stories series of unmade Doctor Who adventures moves into new territory with Paradise 5. It's still part of their "alternate" version of Who's 23rd season, but it's the first of the range to not be taken from a full unmade script - instead, this story from Sapphire And Steel creator PJ Hammond only existed as a detailed synopsis and a script for one episode. The audio adaptation (done by regular Who author Andy Lane) is therefore a lot more radical, and in this case it works wonderfully, following the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Peri (Nicola Bryant) as they investigate sinister disappearances at the heavenlythemed space resort Paradise 5, and run foul of mysterious cloaked creatures called the Elohim.
Campier and more colourful than you might expect given Hammond's previous TV SF work, it's a very '80s Who story in both tone and style, but doesn't fall foul of some of that era's flaws. Instead, we get a proactive version of Peri and some appealingly bizarre storytelling twists, along with classy dialogue and some brilliant performances. Lively, imaginative and thoroughly entertaining, this is the best of the Lost Stories releases yet.
Following up last month's double-sized Companion Chronicles release, this month we get another double-helping of Who assistants - although in this case, we're back to the regular single-disc format for a tale starring '60s companions Victoria (Deborah Watling) and Jamie (Frazer Hines). Victoria is the main narrator in this purely historical, non-SF story set in Ancient China, as the Doctor is abducted by the forces of the Emperor Qin, and Victoria and Jamie have to save him. Some of the plot twists may be a little predictable, but the resulting tale captures the traditional '60$ blend of educational adventure, making this an effective (if not quite essential) addition to the range. Saxon Bullock
Also out now, two readings from BBC Audio: Tenth Doctor book Beautiful Chaos, and Hartnell novelisation Mission To The Unknown.
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