Christian Cawley's Blog, page 111

Watch Rufus Hound & Maisie Williams at Doctor Who Series 9 Readthrough

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

How would you, as a Doctor Who fan, react if you had been cast in the show? Would you be completely professional and hold it together, while screaming on the inside, or would the excitement scupper your dreams altogether?

Fortunately for actor Rufus Hound, he was able to maintain something approaching dignity.  “I had to make sure I played it cool, because inside I was not.  I’m trying to be a professional, rather than a boy wanting to run around squeeing!” But let’s face it, as he was sat next to Peter Capaldi, he was in familiar company; the star of Doctor Who is himself a massive fan, going so far as to have run his own fan club back in the 1970s.

Above you can see Hound chatting about his experience at the first readthrough for the Doctor Who Series 9 episodes The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived, in which he plays Sam Swift. You’ll also spot Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams in the footage, too, although her character’s name remains a secret…

The post Watch Rufus Hound & Maisie Williams at Doctor Who Series 9 Readthrough appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Your Most Underrated Series 3 Story?

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

This year, Doctor Who has been back on our screen ten whole years. It feels like yesterday that the TARDIS materialised once more; suitably, it also feels like forever.

So join us as we celebrate a decade with the Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Doctors. Let’s find out which serials are our favourites, and shine a light on the underrated ones too. Watch us run.

And then vote on your favourites. At the end of the year, we’ll find out which serials showcase our beloved show at the height of its game.

Martha Jones’ life on the TARDIS started on the moon. She met Daleks, a living sun, the Family of Blood, and the Master. We’ve looked at our favourite stories, but what’s the most underrated serial of Series 3?

James Whittington: Utopia

Forget John Simm and Michelle Gomez and their way over-the-top portrayals of the Master: the only one who has grabbed the real essence of the character was given a few short minutes to shine. Sir Derek Jacobi.

Utopia is your bog-standard new Series 3 episode with the Tenth Doctor being all moody and shouty and Martha doing her best to grab his attention. Even good old Captain Jack seems tired of it all, but up steps Professor Yana and it all becomes so much fun. Jacobi takes the script and teases the audience with a fully fleshed out character who seems to be missing a few brain cells but is looked upon with respect. When he opens up his fob watch (it’s a long story), the realisation of who he truly is is quite superb. Add to this that one of his first tasks is to kill his faithful assistant, Chantho (Chipo Chung) we all know the Master is back to his purely evil best. This scene sums up the character instantly; he cares not for a soul but himself and it’s such a shame he had to regenerate and that the rest of this story became a bit of a damp squib.

Alex Skerratt: Gridlock

Nobody ever seems to talk about Gridlock – and yet, having just Googled it, I see that it appears high up in many people’s episode polls. Although maybe not as high up as Blink, which seems to eclipse everything! And maybe that’s the issue…? With Series 3, there is a tendency to either praise the Weeping Angels, or throw tomatoes at the Daleks, and solid episodes like Gridlock are overlooked. It’s a shame, because the concept is intelligent and fun, and there’s a healthy balance of humour and terror, and some suitably ‘crabby’ villains lurking in the exhaust fumes. And let’s face it, seeing those classic creatures return after a 40 year absence was truly awesome. So if you’re one of those people who feels that Gridlock never gets the attention it deserves, trust me – You Are Not Alone!

Becky Crockett: 42

Because it precedes three amazing episodes, and then what is essentially a three-part series finale, it tends to be forgotten and seen almost as filler before getting to the good stuff at the end of the series. It does, however, give Martha a chance to do something, which is nice, and even manages to advance the series-long Saxon/Master/Martha’s family plotline, and it will be the last time that plot is even mentioned in the series till we get to The Sound Of Drums. Add to that the use of real time in the episode makes the danger they face more compelling.

Plus it’s titled 42, a nod to the Answer to The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything…

Joe Siegler: Smith and Jones

Underrated Series 3 serial? Smith and Jones. Coming off of Series 2, I was quite glad to see Rose’s backside (no piggish remark intended). I never liked Rose once she got to Doctor 10, so a new companion was needed. I loved Martha, as while they did play off the “Doctor getting over Rose” most of the season, she as a character wasn’t defined by her relationship with the Doctor. She travelled with the Doctor, yes, but to me didn’t seem defined by what she wanted. Having said that, they did in the end cheapen Martha a bit by having her long for the Doctor, but that’s a different story.

I thought Smith and Jones was a great introduction to a companion. The first time you saw the Doctor, it was a time jump trick. The kind of thing you don’t see very often in Doctor Who, and something I wish they did more. We saw the Doctor from a point where he came back from the end of the story to prove a point. I loved that. The comedy of him being in a hospital bed worked for me, as did his and Martha’s interactions when she examined his hearts. Seemed really light and fresh after the dirge that was the Rose “relationship”. Good stuff. As was the Doctor’s “Judoon platoon upon the Moon” line later on.

The Judoon were an interesting character visually. I always had a thing for characters that we as the viewer can’t understand, but everyone else can (cue R2D2). Martha and the Doctor sneaking around once the hospital was taken to the moon was cool. Speaking of that, the concept of picking up a building to move it to the Judoon’s “legal jurisdiction” was a pretty hilarious concept. The visual of the Judoon marching across the moon’s surface gave me some flashbacks to the Cybermen in Troughton’s The Moonbase. We also got an example of the Doctor’s like for gift shops, an odd character quirk that I thought should have been followed up on more. Lots of comedy in that.

The villain of the episode was a bit cartoonish with sucking people’s blood out with a straw, but I didn’t have a problem with that. There was plenty of cool stuff to counterbalance it. I guess I’ll be repeating myself that Martha was such a breath of fresh air after Rose, but I was bummed she left after just a single series.

To finish off, I should mention there is an oft forgotten line from this episode where the Doctor briefly mentions he used to have a brother…

Drew Boynton: Gridlock

It seems like Gridlock isn’t super-underrated, as it seems to have its fans, but I’m going to make a tough choice and pick it as my Most Underrated of Series 3. Simply put, this is an episode that should not be as good as it is.

The crazy mix of events and characters in this episode make it seem as though Russell T. Davies put a bunch of little slips of paper into a hat, drew one or two out as he needed them, and then completed the script that way. I mean, we have a traffic jam of floating cars that has been going on for decades (which I’m not sure makes sense, but anyway…), cat people (I love you, Brannigan!), a desolate future, Martha kidnapped by a good-looking couple, an unheralded return of the Macra, the heralded return of both Novice Hame and the Face of Boe (Hi, Jack!), and all topped off by an emotional showdown between the Doctor and Martha where he finally tells her of Gallifrey’s destruction.

Oh yeah, and also comments on drugs, pollution, modern society, and religion. Whew! Taken separately, almost any of the above could have been the basis of a whole episode on ITS OWN. Jumbled together and run through RTD’s magical word processor, it somehow all gels together to make the Most Underrated Episode of Series 3!

Philip Bates: The Lazarus Experiment

Oh, why do people overlook The Lazarus Experiment? Everything about it is great. Apart from the monster not actually looking like Mark Gatiss. Otherwise, it’s a good, solid design. As a failed evolutionary possibility, it works. As a memorable creature to genuinely threaten the Doctor and co., it works too.

The chase scenes are terrifically acted, nicely thought-out, and beautifully directed. And just look at the design work! Lazarus’ labs are silky smooth, corporate, blingy, stylised, and utterly creepy. That’s what I look for in a Bad Guy’s HQ. Except I’m not sure Lazarus is a baddie.

What I like most about The Lazarus Experiment is its humanity. From Richard, from Martha, from Tish, from everyone concerned. Even the Doctor shows glimmering traces of humanity. Because this story shines when it’s focused on the plight of the human race: our dreams, aspirations, fears, insecurities, nastiness, and our rage, rage, against the dying of the night. Doctor Who doesn’t examine death too much. The series is drenched in blood, of course, but this episode hints at a fear of death. More often than not, death can seem trivial, pointless, both in Doctor Who and in reality. Here, the weight of the terrible notion hangs over proceedings. The Doctor is positive about everything, he knows so much – but we’re not aware of what he knows of death. Does the veil momentarily slip over him during regeneration? Does he cheat it at every opportunity? Or is it all guess work? Either way, the man who is essentially immortal seems so idealistic. But what right does he have decrying someone else’s work to extend their years?

Retroactively, perhaps, the Doctor is concerned over his own death too. He must know he only has a couple of regenerations left (unaware as he is of the events in The Stolen Earth/ Journey’s End, and then of course, of The Time of the Doctor), so is he just putting on this jovial spirit?

Nonetheless, at the end, we find further questions about religion. I’m not sure Lazarus is particularly a Christian, but that doesn’t matter; he seeks solace in the church because he did when he was young. That parallel is truly affecting. I also love how at the end, he’s essentially just one guy struggling against the inevitable – alone. Meanwhile, Martha has her family there. She gives Tish a glimpse of what she’s experiencing – then she’s off again, once the Time Lord decides he wants to get over himself, that he doesn’t want to be on his own.

Those final scenes in the church are among my favourites from Series 3. The Lazarus Experiment deserves to have a life beyond its 40-odd minutes on screen.

Tony Jones: 42

If there is a problem with 42 it’s the fact it was immediately overshadowed by the following run of episodes (Human Nature / Family of Blood and Blink). This is a shame as there is a lot about 42 that stands out.

Re-watching the story makes it easier to compare with Chris Chibnall’s later Who titles and, in some way I have yet to think through, it has similarities with The Power of Three though in many ways is a far more satisfactory story.

As a Douglas Adams fan I choose to care more about the Hitchhiker’s Guide reference in the title than the fact this is the running time of the episode. It is, however, this tight running time that gives the episode much of its feel, and the simple fact of a looming deadline as the ship falls into a star. Both Martha and the Doctor get a set of challenges to complete and both come together before the ship can be saved and the Doctor has to be as heroic as any character as he saves Martha when her escape pod gets flung from the ship.

Every scene serves a purpose though the dialogue finds time for in-jokes, romance, secrets, sacrifice, and connections to the show’s recent past and the season conclusion. Martha gets a phone upgrade not only to confirm her status, but also to act as the solution to an Elvis/ Beatles puzzle and in turn link Martha to Saxon via her mother.

This story oozes polish, drama and quality. Michelle Collins gives a great performance as the ship’s captain, still fatally attracted to her possessed husband, and there is far more to this story than many episodes that simply pad out the season.

It may not be very best episode in the season, but it is very far from the worst. Very far.

That’s what we think. Now it’s your turn! Vote below for the most underrated serial of Series 3, and we’ll find out the overall winner later this year…

Take Our Poll

The post NuWho 10th Anniversary: What Is Your Most Underrated Series 3 Story? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Simpsons Pips Doctor Who in List of Most Important Television Articles on Wikipedia

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

When I was in grade school and wanted to learn about something, I was directed to the encyclopedia section of the school library. Today, I can hold a button on my smartphone and ask it to recall practically anything I want to know, about pretty much anything I may have an interest in.

Everyone knows the true path to wisdom comes form a Google search, but the top hit on the other end of that search is usually a link to the subject’s Wikipedia link. Wikipedia, in case you’re not familiar, is a crowd sourced repository of knowledge; or if you prefer, an encyclopedia that anyone can update, add to, etc. While that can sometimes lead to slightly wrong information, Wikipedia is generally a good starting place for basic knowledge on vast array of subjects. This includes Doctor Who and Radio Times is reporting that the Doctor is near the top of the most important TV shows on the knowledge site!

Using WikiRank’s new web tool, you can see what Wikipedia articles are the highest ranked for a particular subject. In our case, among television programmes, Doctor Who falls into second place:

Of course, that means our beloved show comes in second to The Simpsons, but since the animated show has often referenced the Doctor, I think we can probably let this slide. And while I do not prefer it to Doctor Who, many of my childhood memories revolve around watching the Simpson clan’s misadventures.

That being said, it is an incredible thing that Doctor Who’s popularity has helped it achieve this rank. If you want the give the tool a spin (as it ranks just about any category you can think to search for), you can access WikiRank here.

What do you think about Doctor Who’s ranking on Wikipedia? Too high? Too low? Do you use Wikipedia regularly? Let us know!

The post The Simpsons Pips Doctor Who in List of Most Important Television Articles on Wikipedia appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Destination: Nerva Hits BBC Radio 4 Extra!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Good news for fans of the Fourth Doctor – the 2012 Big Finish adventure Destination: Nerva is to be aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra!

Written by Nicholas Briggs, the adventure stars Tom Baker in his first audio appearance with Big Finish, and is joined by Louise Jameson as Leela. Destination: Nerva is a sort of sequel to Ark in Space, and takes place straight after The Talons of Weng-Chiang.

After saying their goodbyes to Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, the Doctor and Leela respond to an alien distress call beamed direct from Victorian England. It is the beginning of a journey that will take them to the newly built Space Dock Nerva… where a long overdue homecoming is expected.

It’s interesting to note that among the guest cast is Tim Treloar, who is currently narrating Third Doctor adventures with Big Finish.

If you want to listen to Destination: Nerva right now, you can order it on CD or as a download from Big Finish. Alternatively, wait a couple of weeks until Saturday May 16th, when the full series of adventures is scheduled on BBC Radio’s “classic drama and comedy” channel from 6pm.

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More Survivors for Big Finish in 2016!

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Big Finish has announced that, in addition to June’s Series 2 and this fall’s Series 3 of Survivors, plans are already underway for Series 4 and 5 in 2016! Success of the first series based on the works of Dalek creator, Terry Nation, factored into the ramp up according to Big Finish producer, David Richardson:

“As I write this, we’re prepping to go into studio for Series 3 (Abby Grant and Jimmy Garland, and a deadly voyage into London…) and signing off edits for the very dark, disturbing Series 2. But plates are spinning for Series 4 – our writers are all attached and coming up with the storylines – and we know where we are going with Series 5. How wonderful that Survivors has become such a success for Big Finish – and what a tribute to Terry Nation’s original idea, and the wonderful cast of actors.”

Look for June and November releases for Series 4 and 5 next year, respectively. In the meanwhile, you may want to check out the upcoming release of Survivors – Series 2. Here’s a look at the synopsis:

“It begins with just a few people falling ill. Another flu virus that spreads around the globe. And then the reports begin that people are dying…When most of the world’s population is wiped out, a handful of survivors are left to pick up the pieces.Cities become graveyards. Technology becomes largely obsolete. Mankind must start again…

1: Dark Rain by Ken Bentley

Introducing: Tim Treloar as Russell, Bernard Holley as Ridley

Months after the plague, storms batter the country. As Abby resumes the search for her son, Jackie and Daniel fight for their lives.

2: Mother’s Courage by Louise Jameson

Introducing: Fiona Sheehan as Molly

The search for Peter leads to Aberystwyth, and a community of women who have cut themselves off from the outside world. But what appears to be a safe haven could be nothing of the sort…

3: The Hunted by Ken Bentley

Introducing: Tim Bentinck as Irvin Warner

Greg, Daniel and Russell need the help of survivalist Irvin Warner, who is hiding out in the Brecon Beacons. But predators are roaming in the barren countryside too…

4: Savages by Matt Fitton

Wounded, split apart and fighting for their lives, the survivors discover that survival isn’t everything…

It’s worth noting that Survivors is a little more mature on the content side than most Doctor Who ranges, if that’s a concern for you. A Series 2 trailer and the current preorder can be found here. In addition to the preorder special price, those of you who opt for the CD set will find a digital download available upon release as well.

Are you interested in more Terry Nation’s Survivors? Already enjoying the series? Join in the conversation below!

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Hear Tim Treloar as The Third Doctor in This New Trailer!

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Listeners can get their first taste of one of the most eagerly awaited Doctor Who audios of the year with a new trailer for The Third Doctor Adventures, with Tim Treloar recreating the voice of Jon Pertwee!

Based on this snippet Treloar has done an excellent job, succeeding in the difficult task of providing the voice of this most distinctive-sounding Doctors. His vocal similarity to Pertwee, reportedly commented on by Tom Baker in recordings for Destination: Nerva, has seen him handed this most challenging role.

Big Finish ruled out recasting any of the early Doctors for many years, and still maintain that this new set doesn’t amount to that (Treloar is billed as playing the narrator, who in turn voices the Doctor’s dialogue). Whatever your view, it will surely give the Third Doctor a new lease of life on audio after a few years of being rather under-used by Big Finish. And the sad truth is that, with so many people from that era no longer around to give voice to their much-loved characters, it’s becoming hard to see how adventures set in that era could be produced without some kind of vocal recreation by another performer.

The obvious question this raises, of course, is why stop there? Will we soon hear First and Second Doctor adventures with Hartnell and Troughton sound-alikes stepping in?

But all that can wait for another day. The Third Doctor Adventures box set, to be released in September 2015, will contain Prisoners of the Lake by Justin Richards and The Havoc of Empires by Andy Lane. Listen to the trailer above and pre-order now from Big Finish.

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Redgrave Confirms 2nd Doctor Who Series 9 Appearance

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Another Doctor Who Series 9 behind the scenes video has been released by the BBC, with Kate Stewart actress Jemma Redgrave confirming that she will be making a second appearance.

This follows previous confirmation that the actress – who first appeared as the Brigadier’s daughter in 2012’s The Power of Three – is returning for what is currently the opening two-part story, The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar.

Here’s Redgrave at some footage shot at the readthrough for episodes 7 and 8 or Doctor Who Series 9:

That’s a lot of UNIT for one series!

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The First Doctor Companion Chronicles Box Set Coming in June!

Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Bless my soul, dear readers! It is with the utmost excitement on this writer’s part that I share with you that Big Finish is returning to the Companion Chronicles range with a brand new First Doctor Box Set! If you’ve followed our Big Finish coverage you’ve no doubt seen my laments about the end of the Companion Chronicles line of audio adventures.

This set has come in time to reignite, if only briefly, my passion for the series. The First Doctor Companion Chronicles Box Set features a brand new quartet of stories read by Carole Ann Ford, Maureen O’Brien, and Peter Purves, accompanied by another voice actor. Here’s a list of the stories in the set:

“The Sleeping Blood by Martin Day

When the Doctor falls ill, Susan is forced to leave the safety of the TARDIS behind. Exploring a disused research centre in search of medical supplies, she becomes embroiled in the deadly plans of a terrorist holding an entire world to ransom – and the soldier sent to stop him.

The Unwinding World by Ian Potter

Office life is tough, the commute is a grind, nothing works quite as well as you’d like. Vicki seems to remember things being better once, before the little flat. It’s time she put some excitement back in her life. It’s just a shame the Doctor can’t help.

The Founding Fathers by Simon Guerrier

The TARDIS lands in Leicester Square in the summer of 1762. When the Doctor, Steven and Vicki find themselves locked out of the TARDIS, only one man can possibly help them. But the American, Benjamin Franklin, has problems of his own…

The Locked Room by Simon Guerrier

Steven Taylor left the Doctor and the TARDIS to become king of an alien world. But it’s now many years since he gave up the throne and went to live in a cell in the mountains, out of sight of his people. He’s not escaping his past – quite the opposite, in fact. As his granddaughter, Sida, is about to discover…”

Other details about the release are scarce at the moment, but as news arrives, we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop! This writer is particularly excited about the The Locked Room, as it appears to be a sequel to my favourite Companion Chronicles story, The War to End All Wars. The earlier release ended on a cliff hanger and I am truly glad that they’re revisiting Steven’s arc.

Doctor Who: The First Doctor Companion Chronicles Box Set is up for release in June, but is available for pre-order now. Tell us, dear readers, will you be venturing back into the Companion Chronicles range? Or have you found another range that you’d prefer to invest in?

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Voice Actors Wanted for Charity Project

Connor Farley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Word of Mouth Productions in association with Anglia Ruskin University and Doctor Who Online Adventures are in search of voice actors for the sequel to the highly regarded Doctor Who audio dramas One Fine Time Lord and Dark Times. Titled Eternity Rises, the audio drama has been made, much like its predecessors in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal.

Auditions for the new project take place on May 2nd at Anglia Ruskin Univeristy in Cambridge. The auditions are open to anyone, everywhere and experience in acting is not a factor in the choosing of the very special guest stars of the upcoming audio drama.

Word of Mouth Productions are currently looking for young male actors from the age of 13 – 19, and male and females aged 25 to 60.

If successful in the audition stages, it is required that the successful candidates be able on Sunday 17th May and the evenings of the 18th, 19th and 20th for the recording of the audio drama. In order to arrange a slot in auditions for May 2nd, email the producer of Eternity Rises James Amery at wometernityrises@gmail.com.

Auditions are likely to fill up quickly, so be quick! Good luck to all those auditioning and we hope some readers of Kasterborous will take a shot at the auditions, with the hope of seeing them feature in the audio drama itself!

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Reviewed: The Defectors

Peter Shaw is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s great fun to have a little whimsical dark-haired Doctor interacting with Jo Grant and the UNIT crew – such a contrast to the tall, pompous Pertwee Doctor. But enough about The Three Doctors, I’m here to review the first of Big Finish’s trilogy of ‘locum Doctor’ stories…

Wouldn’t it be great if the Seventh Doctor had an adventure where he teamed up with the chaps at UNIT, met the Brigadier and drove around in the Third Doctor’s Edwardian Roadster, Bessie? Yes, you guessed it, that was Battlefield, but – apologies for going off-subject – I’m scrutinising the first in a series of three interlinked adventures leading up to the 200th story in Big Finish’s main Doctor Who range…

Imagine what would happen if the Doctor suddenly changed, leaving his friends confused and suspicious. How could the serious, authoritative, grey-haired, dapper gent suddenly become a small, tricksy, rambling hobo with a silly hat? Sorry, that’s Power of the Daleks. I should really start to offer an opinion about The Defectors…

It’s annoying when you innocently click on a link, or you’re scrolling through Facebook and suddenly you’ve been spoilt. You now know a major plot point, the return of an old villain or a major casting announcement. And, like catching a glimpse of a work colleague’s, um, parts in the cycle changing room before work, it’s not something you can remove from your head once it’s there…

I remember clicking on a YouTube link to Night of the Doctor and actually cheering at the screen when Paul McGann appears in the spaceship doorway and announces, “I’m a doctor. But probably not the one you’re expecting.” I was on a work trip, on my own in a hotel in Mumbai. I kind of danced around the room a bit. Which, for me, is quite a reaction. You see, I didn’t know what was coming, and it was brilliant.

I mention this because The Defectors specifically, but not particularly successfully, attempts to echo that moment. When the Seventh Doctor appears to Jo Grant in the (distinctly un-Pertwee-era-like) pre-credit sequence, he says, “Hello, Jo. I’m guessing I’m not quite the Doctor you were expecting.”

The McGann line works on two levels: you believe it’s what he’d say to Cass right there and then, but the dialogue also reflects a huge thrill for the audience to see a Doctor we never thought we’d witness again on screen. It’s an OMGA (Oh my giddy aunt!) moment. In contrast, the McCoy line falls a little flat because it’s not quite believable in context – it’s definitely just for the listeners. The script even acknowledges this later: Jo asks, “What do you mean, ‘not quite the Doctor I was expecting’?” The Doctor replies, “I mean… Actually, I’m not sure what I mean.” No, neither do we…

But back to spoilers… it’s essential for Big Finish to promote and publicise its excellent range of audio plays. And they clearly need the occasional gimmick or high concept to drum up interest and rack up the sales. And, good on them, they are fantastic, and have pulled off many coups fans never dreamed would be possible: a whole lifetime for McGann’s Doctor, the return of Tegan and Adric, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward reunited…

So, it’s understandable that in the lead-up to their 200th main series release, they revealed a brilliant idea: later Doctors appearing in earlier Doctor’s adventures. It’s a neat concept which allows Big Finish to explore the eras of the first three – sadly deceased – Doctors in new full cast stories.

But, in a strange twist, after I heard about it, I actually spoiled the idea for myself. Now, I know we all come with pre-conceptions to an adventure and have to put them to one side when actually experiencing it. But what I thought Big Finish were announcing was a series of body swap stories. A later Doctor suddenly, inexplicably, appears in the body of an earlier Doctor, maybe even an existing TV adventure – a bit like Quantum Leap. Then you get the tension of a different Doctor having to convince his earlier companions that he is the Doctor, and struggling to ‘be’ his earlier self. There’s a teeny bit of that in The Defectors, but it’s not really developed.

For me, the problem with The Defectors is that the Seventh Doctor isn’t thrown into the midst of a Pertwee-era story – confused and with no memory of the events, forced to pick up the pieces. It’s the start of the adventure when he joins and it could easily be just a Seventh Doctor story where he teams up with Jo Grant – akin to the the Sixth Doctor and Jamie reunited in the Big Finish story City of Spires. Sure, Jo is somewhat suspicious of Doctor Seven, but then she immediately refers to the events of The Three Doctors, the Doctor concurs and off they go…

The other stumbling block is how to evoke the ‘Pertwee era’. When I hear those two words another phrase pops into my head: ‘the UNIT family’. They are strange kin: an older dandy scientist, a confused military leader and two of his underlings – one posh and heroic, the other northern and a bit bumbling – alongside a kooky, hippyish young woman, and a bearded galactic super villain. Yes, the Master is part of the UNIT family too, along with rhotic uncle Terrance and his lefty Buddhist best friend, Barry. And lovely Liz Sladen, of course.

And that’s the very sad thing about that era of Who: so many have passed away. Delgado, Pertwee, Letts, Courtney, Sladen… But it’s surprising how very few adventures the whole ‘family’ feature in together. Discounting Sarah-Jane, it’s just five stories spanning two years (seven stories and three years if you don’t include Delgado). But it’s still the team that define the Pertwee era.

If Nick Courtney was still with us, the Brig’s presence would have been a given (although, as mentioned earlier, he has already encountered Doctor Seven on TV, so not that much of a novelty). The Defectors does tantalise an appearance from the Brigadier. There’s a very brief muffled voice at the end of a distorted radio line – but we know it’s not going to be Nick, of course. Similarly, the coughing, mumbling Doctor at the very end isn’t McCoy but we know it can’t properly be Pertwee either – more’s the shame.

And The Defectors doesn’t quite have the feel of a Pertwee adventure. Not that they are all uniform. From Carnival of Monsters to Inferno, Frontier in Space to The Daemons, there’s plenty of variety in the Pertwee tales. But I was hoping for more of the tropes that evoke Pertwee, like lengthy vehicle chases, physical action, challenging of pompous authority figures, prison cell chats then a daring escape, a mission from the Time Lords, misguided scientists in experimental laboratories, a peace conference, the Doctor railing a the blundering military, ecological issues, Dr John Smith used as an alias, a moral speech to end proceedings or a moment of charm… Wouldn’t it have been fun for Doctor Seven to bumble through a sword fight, fall off a jet ski, or try a bit of Venusian akido?

Instead it’s a solid tale of cold war secrets, a mysterious island and a race of aliens quite unlike anything encountered in the Pertwee era. Ironically the not-quite-right pub with strangely-acting publican is more reminiscent of The Android Invasion, a Fourth Doctor tale that marked the death throes of the UNIT family.

The music is varied, with occasional hints of Dudley Simpson’s early ’70s electronica experimentation but the main military theme has unexpected echoes of the soundtrack to Wartime, Reeltime Picture’s 1987 UNIT spin-off story starring John Levene as Benton. One of the few surviving members of the UNIT family, John Levene’s avuncular sergeant is mentioned but does not appear here. A pre-breakdown Captain Yates is relegated to a few cameo appearances. All of which, for me, is a shame. It’s like turning up to a reunion party to find that some of your best mates have pulled out and sent a video message. Sure, there are other interesting characters in The Defectors, but few classic faces from the era I thought this play was celebrating.

Jo Grant is bubbly, resourceful, brave and unafraid to challenge the Doctor. But top and tail the opening and closing scenes, remove a few throwaway references to the story arc, and The Defectors could have been a good Seventh Doctor and Mel adventure. That’s no bad thing, but I thought this was meant to be something else.

So, listen and enjoy but hold back your hopes for a Pertwee-flavour story featuring a fish-out-of-water Seventh Doctor, because that’s not really what you get. So it’s a disappointing start to the ‘locum Doctors’ trilogy. You might like to seek a second opinion, but, for me, The Defectors is a bit defective.

However I was really excited when I learnt that the Sixth Doctor was about to team up with Jamie and Zoe and face some Troughton-era Cybermen. I say ‘was’, because that was back in 2010, just before Big Finish released Legend of the Cybermen. Let’s hope Last of the Cybermen, the next in the ‘locum Doctor trilogy’ where the same three team up once again, offers something a little more special…

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