Doctor Who: Echoes of Grey

The Companion Chronicles #5.02

by John Dorney, Wendy Padbury (Narrator)

Zoe Heriot has a photographic memory. Totall recall. But when it comes to the years she spent travelling in time and space, all she can remember is that she has forgotten.

Years after she was returned to the Wheel in Space by the Time Lords, Zoe meets Ali, a young woman who claims to have met Zoe before, when she was with the Doctor and Jamie. Suddenly, part of the hidden past is exposed, as memories return of a visit to the Whitaker Institute in Central Australia. Secrets are uncovered. And the mystery of the Achromatics is about to be unleashed…

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published August 31, 2010

About the author

John Dorney is a British writer and actor best known for stage roles including the National Theatre, the BBC Radio 4 sitcom My First Planet; and his scripts for the Big Finish Doctor Who range. His script 'Solitaire' was rated the most popular Doctor Who Companion Chronicle of 2010 on the Timescales website and was the runner up in Unreality Sci-fi net's poll for Story of the Year 2010-11.

As well as Doctor Who, he has written for Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel series and on radio co-wrote three series of BBC Radio 4's Recorded for Training Purposes. He won the BBC Show Me the Funny 'Sketch Factor' competition, was a finalist in the BBC 'Laughing Stock' competition, and has performed in Mark Watson's Edinburgh Comedy Award winning long shows as 'The Balladeer'. On stage, he has written plays for the Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead and Soho Theatres.

He trained at LAMDA.

Reviews

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe has a photographic memory but after her travelling with the second doctor both her and jamie had their memories clean by the Time Lords. In this tale a woman talks with zoe telling that she knew her but zoe didn't remember her. Then she told Zoe that she had a machine that could refresh their memories and she willingly went.

Zoe start remembering a time when they were in a scientific facilities in Australia and people with fatal diseases are cured. As they investigate they realized that some beings called Achromatics basically suck the disease/harm to them curing the humans. The Doctor and Zoe become embroiled yet again because they were first afraid that it would be used as a weapon and second they were living beings and so they had their rights.

Everything went astray when a patiente's brother appear asking for his sister and is struck down from one of this "things". It seams someone in the facilities don't want to go public because they are afraid if truth was told it would be shut down.

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe as they escape the Achromatics (not because they were evil but because they were sucking everyone's life force) destroy them releasing a deadly disease on one of them and they consumed themselves one by one.

As Zoe returns she confronts the woman saying that she doesn't remember her and who was she. She admits that she is not there when that events happened but she represents the company and since she's got a photographic memory she would be the one to remember the formula to make more of those things.

Zoe, in the end, says she can't help them because she doesn't remember anything...

Very good audiodrama. Well not very good but better that Glorious Revolution, Resistance or Emperor of Eternity.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echoes of Grey is part of Big Finish's excellent Companion Chronicles series. This story features the Second Doctor, Zoë, and Jamie. It is preformed by Wendy Padbury as Zoë and Emily Pithon as Ali. Zoë is simply walking down the street when she's approached by a woman called Ali, a woman who claims to know her, who said she met her during an encounter with the Doctor at the Whitaker Institute, an encounter involving the Achromatics. Ali says she has some equipment that can help Zoë remember. Ali takes her somewhere and hooks Zoë up to an Alpha-Wave generator, and Zoë begins to remember her adventure.
The TARDIS lands in what seems to be an abandoned medical facility. The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoë discover an empty medical ward, with charts still hanging on the beds, and some strange yellow creatures. They meet a girl, Ali, who, like Zoë, was a child prodigy, who was soon surrounded by adults and seen more for her skills than as a person. They meet a man who's just snuck into the facility to find out what happened to his grandmother, and they meet the staff. They also discover a mysterious vat of white stuff. After the mysterious murder of one of the staff members - the trio, now mistaken as members of the "Company" that is paying for the research, on a fact-finding mission, discover what it is the Whitaker Institute has manufactured - the Achromatics - beings that can absorb any sort of disease or injury. Unfortunately, the semi-senitent Achromatics don't stop with simply absorbing the disease - once the disease is absorbed and the person cured, they move on the absorb healthy cells - until the person dies. And then they move on to the next host. The Achromatics continue their healing/killing until they are so diseased - they die. The Doctor and Zoë are appalled that living creatures would die for this cure - and that it doesn't work since the host/patient also dies. In the end, the Doctor manages to dispose of the Achromatics in a rather clever way - and the trio leaves in the TARDIS.
When Zoë speaks to Ali again, the woman presses her for the formula for the Achromatics - a formula she saw on one of the white boards in the Institute. With her photographic memory - she should recall it. But Zoë realises something is wrong - she doesn't remember Ali being there, even though Ali insists she was. Zoë also realises that the Achromatics Project is far too dangerous and inhumane to get out. In the end, she decides - she doesn't remember.
This was a good story, with lots of atmosphere, well-performed by Wendy Padbury who always does a very good job in the Companion Chronicles. The only criticism I have is that it's a bit short. I would have liked a slightly longer, more complex story. Still, it is a good story and it's easily visualized. I recommend Echoes of Grey. Oh, and I loved the reason for the title, it's reference, and even where the name of the "monster du jour" comes from.

[Daniel Cork · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Companion Chronicles is a range that almost never lets you down, it's constantly consistent with top-notch writing and loving performances and narration from the cast.

Echoes of Grey is no different, it's quite an underrated little tale from this range with some really intriguing ideas and a thick gloomy atmosphere with some graphic violence in the mix. It's got a great narrative device with Zoe coming across someone she doesn't quite remember after having her memory taken away by The Timelords and together they uncover a dark secret in her past to do with The Doctor.

John Dorney rarely lets me down, he's such a clever and bold writer who always presents something new and enjoyable. Echoes of Grey may not be one of his best stories, especially since the first half does take a little while to get going but once it does, it's a very fun and creepy adventure with a wonderful Dorian Grey style twist.

Overall: It's not for everyone, a very mixed story in the range but I would recommend giving it a go at the very least. 8.5/10

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un audio assez intéressant. Le retournement de situation concernant l'interlocuteur était malheureusement un peu prévisible à cause d'une remarque de Zoé rendu au 3/4 de l'épisode, ça aurait été parfait si elle l'avait seulement interrogé dans une nuance de ton et pas à voix haute. J'ai trouvé bien toutefois l'idée d'une "psychanalyse" de Zoé pour s'identifier à son interlocutrice, j'étais aussi très enthousiaste à cette idée au départ.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda wish that more time had been spent on the future era.

[Billy Martel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great concept, great story.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,0

[Mikael Kuoppala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe Heriot once met a man called the Doctor and a teenaged boy called Jaimie. They only met briefly, but the encounter haunts her. She has dreams and impressions of events she doesn't quite remember. Various flashes into a life she has never had. Or has she? One day she meets a woman who tells her that she used to travel with the Doctor and Jaimie, a woman who urges her to remember events that hold a key into several sectrets about Zoe herself.

"Echoes of Grey" is a well crafted tale that utilizes Zoe's memory wipe at the end of season six of the original TV-series run very well. There are titillating psychological facets at play in this one, and Zoe is a magnificent protagonist. In addition John Dorney mixes in some nice sci-fi elements and societal allegory to give the tale more depth and meaning.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bringing back Wendy Padbury as Zoë, in a tale of investigation of curious biological experimentation with the significantly named Achromatics at the Whitaker Institute, close to Zoë's own time and space. I found myself wondering where this was going in the first half, but it picked up after the interval, basically as a narrative of Zoë remembering a past adventure out loud to a very interested listener (Ali, played by Emily Pithon). There is one really good idea here, which is the literary play on words linking the monsters and the title of the play; also Zoë's loss of memory, induced by the Time Lords after The War Games, is worked into the plot in a slightly new way. Padbury's impression of Troughton isn't perfect but is distinctive. Decent stuff.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe is living her life when somebody from her past that she does not remember turns up. This woman knew Zoe when she travelled with the Doctor and Jamie. Zoe remembers an adventure involving a hospital and experimental health services. The framing story is really interesting and memorable. The main story does feel like a 2nd doctor plot. A good listen.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good solid story that manages to capture the feel of the 2nd Doctor era while introducing a few new twists. Nothing earth-shattering, but good fun.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe is helped to remember an adventure with the Doctor where they landed on a planet where aliens were made to be carriers for diseases that are infecting the inhabitants of the planet.