Doctor Who - Classic Doctors, New Monsters Vol. 1 (2016) - Audio Review

Starring: Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy & Paul McGann

Written By: Phil Mulryne, Simon Barnard, Paul Morris, James Goss & Andrew Smith

Directed By: Barnaby Edwards

Back when I was starting out with Big Finish, 'Spare Parts' was my starting point for getting into their massive catalogue of releases. But where was I to go after this? If you've ever looked at the Big Finish website, you'll know there are plenty of routes I could've took. Yet the one that drew my eye was Vol. 1 of 'Classic Doctors, New Monsters'. Not only did it appear accessible, being four standalone stories free of other Big Finish continuity, it was a nice opportunity to bring Classic and New Who together. So does this set live up to its simple, accessible appearance, and is it a good place for other newcomers to start out?

FALLEN ANGELS

2015: When sightseers Joel and Gabby Finch encounter a strange man in Edwardian cricketing garb in the Sistine Chapel, their honeymoon suddenly takes a terrifying turn. 1511: Michelangelo is commissioned to create some very special sculptures by a mysterious sect. But as he carves, angels seem to emerge fully-formed from the rock. Almost as if they're alive... From Michelangelo's workshop to the catacombs of Rome, the 5th Doctor must keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open as he confronts the Weeping Angels.

The main question on my mind (and most people's really) going into 'Fallen Angels' was how this particular "New Monster" was going to work in an audio format. Their premise alone practically dictates that they're a highly visual creation. This isn't to say it's impossible for the Weeping Angels to work in other formats. After all, Jonathan Morris' novel 'Touched By An Angel' is not only one of my favourite 'Doctor Who' books, but at times gives 'Blink' a run for its money. For the most part, they do work here on audio, largely through a mixture of appropriately-timed music and dramatic sound effects to signify an attack. Occasionally the story does rely on its characters to quite literally spell out what they can see in front of them, and the dialogue can come off a little clunky as a result, but it rarely becomes much of a problem. 

There's something about the Angels that really suits a setting such as 16th Century Rome, and this sunny romanticized depiction of it makes it just perfect for the 5th Doctor too. This is easily the most vivid of the locations visited across this box set, brought to life through noises such as the crowds in the street and the echo of catacombs. Peter Davison also feels right at home in what feels much more like a new series brand of story than anything from his own era. 'Fallen Angels' can further boast one of the best guest casts in this set, most notable being Matthew Kelly as Michelangelo. While he's certainly not the first name I would've thought of when casting the renaissance artist, he does a pretty good job as a gruff, in-love-with-himself version of Michelangelo. There are also a couple more recognizable names to be found among the guest cast, with Sacha Dhawan and Diane Morgan as newly-weds, Joel and Gabby. Although not exactly companion material, Joel and Gabby are still a cute couple and work well putting across the timey-wimey elements of the story. Overall, while 'Fallen Angels' is hardly the pinnacle of Big Finish, it gets this set off to a very solid start, and does a damn better job handling the Weeping Angels than most of the recent attempts from the TV series. 8/10

JUDOON IN CHAINS

The 6th Doctor is no stranger to courtroom drama, but faces a very different challenge when he prepares to defend a most unusual Judoon. After an environmental clearance mission goes wrong, Captain Kybo of the 19th Judoon Interplanetary Force is stranded in Victorian England, bound in chains, an exhibit in a circus show. But he has allies: Eliza Jenkins - known to audiences as 'Thomasina Thumb' - and the larger-than-life 'clown' in the colourful coat. Uncovering a trail of injustice and corruption, the Doctor and Kybo soon find themselves on trial for their lives.

It's not hard to see what the biggest source of inspiration was for 'Judoon In Chains'. Pretty early on, the similarities are made apparent between this and David Lynch's (fantastic) 1980 film 'The Elephant Man'. The Doctor even outright says at one point "I am not an animal, I am a Time Lord!". Substituting John Merrick for a Judoon Captain sounds like either a comical or gimmicky idea. The Judoon have always been a fun but ultimately not very complex alien race, and before I listened to this, I wouldn't have thought a Judoon could capture the complexities of Merrick's character. But listening to Captain Kybo as he gradually learns to speak English without his translator device, read literature and even write his own poetry … it completely proved me wrong. Not only that, but it did something new with the goofy police thugs, and I never thought I'd say it, but it actually got me emotionally invested in a Judoon. Credit has to be given to Nicholas Briggs for his performance as Kybo, which finds just the right balance between being gruff and gentle. 

Like 16th Century Rome and the Weeping Angels suited the 5th Doctor, there's something that just seems to fit about the pairing of the Judoon and the 6th Doctor. Maybe it's the generally loud, bombastic personalities of the two that work so well. What makes the 6th Doctor even more suited to this story is of course the trial aspect. While it seems strange that the Doctor is allowed to represent Kybo in court (given that he too was present during the inciting events), it does represent a nice little character arc for him. At the beginning of the story, the Doctor is adamant that the Judoon are of extremely limited intelligence and something of a lost cause. But once Kybo proves him wrong, it opens his eyes enough that he makes up for his misconception and steps up to defend him. 'Judoon In Chains' honestly surprised me the most out of the stories in this set. Basing anything off the plot of 'The Elephant Man' is a good start for any story, but 'Judoon In Chains' goes even further than that. Doing something interesting with a one-note alien, emotionally satisfying, and hugely entertaining: I loved it. Best story in the box set. 9/10

HARVEST OF THE SYCORAX

In the far future, humanity has a remedy for everything. Whatever the problem, Pharma Corps has the answer and a designer disease tailored to every human's blood type. Zanzibar Hashtag has no need to be sad, scared, stressed or depressed ever again. That is, until vicious aliens arrive on her space station intent on opening its Vault. What will it mean for the human race if the Sycorax take control of what's inside? And when the 7th Doctor arrives on the scene, can he convince Zanzibar to care about her life long enough to help him? 

When I saw that the Sycorax were one of the "New Monsters" due to return in this box set, my mind almost immediately pictured them in some kind of grungy, horror kind of story. This was mostly the result of their appearance in 'The Christmas Invasion' - their use of blood control (a.k.a. fancy voodoo), their skull-like design, the use of traditional weapons like whips and swords, and even lines of dialogue such as "Sycorax rock!". They're the kind of alien I can imagine being set against heavy metal music, and expanding on their dingy-looking surroundings in 'The Christmas Invasion' feels like a good way to explore more about them. But 'Harvest Of The Sycorax' instead opts for a futuristic, gleaming white medical centre. Not only that, but the Sycorax themselves don't feature anywhere near as prominently as the Weeping Angels and Judoon did in their respective stories. Even when they do appear, very little is actually added to them and their methods are exactly same as those seen in 'The Christmas Invasion'. Considering the amount that could be done with the Sycorax that their single TV appearance left untapped, it feels like a huge waste of potential. 

Away from the Sycorax, I can see what the rest of this story was trying to accomplish. A human society that's left defenceless to threats because cures for everything, even negative emotional states, have all been discovered - there are plenty of similarities between this story and 'The Ark'. Even Big Finish themselves have explored this kind of area before, with another fantastic story featuring the 7th Doctor: 'Red'. But whereas 'Red' was incredibly dark and at times even disturbing, 'Harvest Of The Sycorax' takes a comedic route. Given that the whole premise of the story is a massive piece of satire (after all, one of the characters is actually called Zanzibar Hashtag), I should stress this approach can work, but the problem is that most of the laughs here just don't land. You'd have thought a more comedic script would work wonders for Sylvester McCoy, but not even he seems to be entirely convinced. His performance is okay, but leaves very little overall impression. (Spoiler Warning!) And of course, the story ends with Pharma Corps, the company that insisted every human had to comply with their demands or go without medical care, sold humanity out to the Sycorax. What a shocker. Especially coming straight after this box set's high point, 'Judoon In Chains', 'Harvest Of The Sycorax' brings things down quite considerably. It has its moments where it works, but generally glosses over a whole bunch of potential. 4/10

THE SONTARAN ORDEAL

An instant of the Time War brings centuries of conflict to the planet Drakkis, and the 8th Doctor is there to witness the terrible results. A Sontaran fleet, desperate to join the epic conflict, follows in its wake to take advantage of the fallout. But when Commander Jask is beamed down to the ravaged surface, there is more to his arrival than first appears. Soon, an unlikely champion joins forces with the Time Lord to fight for the future of her world, and together they must face the Sontaran Ordeal... 

'The Sontaran Ordeal' seemed to be controversial from the get go with some people, because of the "New Monster" being the Sontarans, which as any 'Doctor Who' fan will fansplain to you is a classic series villain. While the Sontarans themselves aren't the "New" element here, there is still plenty about this story that falls under the "New" category. One of these things is the return of Christopher Ryan, who previously played General Staal in 'The Sontaran Stratagem'. I was particularly happy about his return, because as much as I love Dan Starkey, who seems to have become the definitive Sontaran actor, there's something about Ryan's performances that just capture the self-important arrogance of the Sontarans. 

But the real "New Monster" of the story is in fact, the Time War. Set away from the heart of the war on Gallifrey, 'The Sontaran Ordeal' instead focuses on the effects of the war on its fringes, and the effects it has on a peaceful backwater planet. I've deliberately kept away from most of Big Finish's forays into the Time War, as I'm rather fond of the "so terrible it cannot be spoken" approach that Russell T Davies conjured in the new series. From what I hear, Big Finish can have a tendency to paint the Time War as a fairly ordinary space battle, not too dissimilar from something like 'Star Wars'. 'The Sontaran Ordeal' is better than that though, revealing exactly why the war is called the Time War. A whole planet consumed by temporal flux condemning what was once a peaceful world into a war-torn ravaged landscape, and the worst part about it is that it will always be like that. The effects of time manipulation on the planet means that Drakkis will never recover from the effects of the war. Paul McGann is fantastic as this older, more tired and bitter version of the 8th Doctor, and is a great deal away from the sweet, romantic version of the Doctor that he is primarily known for. Aside from a few sparks of hope, there's a constant sense of inevitable dread running throughout 'The Sontaran Ordeal', and nobody works with it better than Josette Simon as Sarana. Her condemnation of the Doctor and the Time Lords is delivered with such loathing, and Josette delivers easily the best guest performance in this set. 'The Sontaran Ordeal' hardly closes this box set on a cheerful note, but it is the kind of Time War story I'm happy Big Finish have done. It may not have left me in a hurry to listen to the other Time War ranges, and I'd still rather keep most of it unspoken, but this story delivers and deserves a listen, despite initial appearances. 8/10

Vol. 1 of 'Classic Doctors, New Monsters' lives up to and in most cases, surpasses expectations. Although I'd definitely recommend it to newcomers especially, even Big Finish veterans shouldn't miss out on some of the great stories here. With only one I'd be prepared to call a dud, but three more that do impressive jobs, this set delivers on fun and does a great job bringing Classic and New Who even closer together.

Overall score for Classic Doctors, New Monsters Vol. 1

8/10