Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Tom Baker, Sadie Miller, Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver, Rufus Hound, Ewan Bailey, Colin Baker, Peter Davison, Sylvester McCoy, Stephen Noonan, Dan Starkey, Tim Treloar, Michael Troughton.
Stories are important, they are magical, they are a link to our past and our determination to see the future shaped in our image. Once a story has been silenced it becomes myth, the unspoken, the heritage of the speaker denied…but some tales persist in Time, they become the backdrop to our society, to our history and the dream that such days can once more return.
There is an obvious connection between tales and stories such as the legend of King Arthur and Robin Hood and that in which the strange madman in the blue box, the being that calls themselves The Doctor, lay deep within the psyche of those who have taken the characters, the truths of their existence into their hearts; they resonate a deeper passion within us to be seen as noble, to do the right thing, to live up to an expectation in which the oppressed are given hope, tyranny is stood up to, and all are equal under the stars.
It is perhaps then that as the long running science fiction serial strides purposely towards its 60th anniversary, the cannon of Doctor Who goes deeper, given greater depth of purpose, that somewhere within us the phrase ‘Once and future’ resonates with greater belief than we may arguably give credit to.
It is only fitting that Big Finish, who kept the flame alive as they produced audio dramas involving the incarnations of the doctor who were still with us whilst the B.B.C creatively shunned the return of Doctor Who for a new generation, are part of the overall 60th anniversary celebrations; and whilst the viewers are on tenterhooks for three part special to be broadcast later in the year, the fact that Big Finish have pulled a huge multi=part-multi-Doctor story line out of the bag is enough to more than keep the appetite growling for me, is not just welcome, it is declaration of intent as it approaches its own humongous milestone of 25 years of incredible, and powerful stories.
The opening of the multi-part adventure, intriguingly titled Doctor Who: Once and Future – Past Lives is a testament to the production, the longevity, and the sheer scope of imagination that has been presented to the audiophiles and fans of Doctor Who.
The players on the list, reprising roles or even being entrusted with honour to perform the parts of those the serial has lost over the decades, all perform to the maximum, for there is no room for fear, no room for anything but the majestic, and as the tale begins, as the Doctor is forced and driven to de-generate, or at least take on the mantle and wear the face and personality of the fourth incarnation, he faces down yet another problem of universal scale, so it is to the likes of Jemma Redgrave, Ingrid Oliver and Rufus Hound to connect the new with the old, and for Sadie Miller to bring love to the fore as she takes on the near impossible task of providing the voice for Sarah Jane Smith in memory of the passing of the dear and much loved Elizabeth Sladen.
The once and future Doctor, the strange but enlightened being with a passion for Earth, is in trouble, and it going to take more than Time to solve this particular puzzle, it is going to take a host of Doctors to save himself.
A superb start to the anniversary, and if this is what Big Finish have set up for the overall celebrations of the television’s 60th anniversary, imagine what they have up their sleeves for when they themselves face their silver birthday.
Ian D. Hall