Doctor Who: The Peterloo Massacre. Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, Jayne Standing, Robbie Stevens, Gerard Kearns, Philip Labey, Wayne Forester, Liz Morgan.

There are moments in history that are so sacred, so vital to have taken place that by not understanding them, not appreciating the full scale of the event and the fall-out from them, is to allow ignorance to breed and the wrong side of the argument to gain ground. There are such moments that bring change, eventual and ultimate change that to deny them should be considered a crime against humanity and the possibility of such events recurring.

In the world of Doctor Who such moments are sometimes dressed up as if by allegory, of the events being transposed and allowed to rest in another dimension or off world, such is the story being placed at the feet of the fan that to place them in their true historic relative moment might be seen as incendiary and callous. Yet despite that, history is researched by the intrigued and fascinated. It is in such intrigue and devotion to history that occasionally a story of such magnitude transcends the fan base of Doctor Who and should be seen and heard in its complete context by all; such is enormity of Paul Magrs’ The Peterloo Massacre, the significance of the event and its close proximity to the 200th anniversary that nothing but absolute respect can be shown to all who were involved in its production.

The Peterloo Massacre might just go down in Big Finish history as one of the greatest stories brought to life by the company and its actors, the enormity of the one of the most brutal days, the level of consequence that followed and the disgust at the near successful cover up is to feel the weight of other such tragedies and establishment conspiracies that go hand in hand. For the Peterloo Massacre read Hillsborough, both have the stench of establishment corruption firmly entrenched and both were used as a weapon to beat the working class down by their supposed lords and masters.

Paul Magrs captures the time, the hope, the despair and the wretched conditions perfectly and without ever veering into dishonest writing, of allowing the imagination to run away where the truth could not follow. By placing The Doctor in such a moment in time and knowing that he cannot save the day, that he cannot change time, is to be applauded and upholds the decency and respect of the victims on that Manchester day.

A story of such importance that requires greater appreciation as the anniversary of that day draws closer; a story that doesn’t trivialise or speculate, it simply catches the heart and mind unaware of the scale of just how far the establishment will go to cover up their mistakes.

Doctor Who: The Peterloo Massacre is available to buy from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.

Ian D. Hall