Like Rise and Fall, this is a lyrical story that would never have worked on TV. It has the pacing and experimental nature of Who in 1964, while requiring colour and 21st century CGI to realise effectively. But then, it was never written to be made...
So far as I can tell, this is a tale like no other in Who. For one thing, love stories are few and far between - the closest in tone that I can think of being Autumn from the Circular Time audio - and surreally symbolic stories are just about equally rare. I've never come across the combination before.
Still, before I dive too much into the writing (which will be the focus for most of this review) I want to take a look at the audio production.
First, let me say how pleased I am that Carole Ann Ford is given more of a chance to use her particular talents than was the case during the previous story. It balances things up a little, and while the ideal reader here would, of course, be the much-missed Jacqueline Hill, Ford makes the most of the opportunity and impresses. William Russell holds his own as always, but for once he has the less interesting material to work with. John Dorney's Rhythm is quite different from Alexander, much younger in terms of experience; and he's joined here by Helen Goldwyn as Melody and Harmony. The extra performer, combined with a smaller cast to begin with, means that this feels closer to a full-cast production.
The music is very good - better here than in the historical, in my opinion - and although there are a couple of occasions where it's somewhat over-egged (such as when Iamb asks to look closer at the console) it does a fine job of setting the atmosphere.
On to the story, then, and I'd like to get the bad stuff out of the way. I mentioned that Russell drew the short straw for interesting material, and that's because he's narrating the parts where the Doctor is showing off his ship, and describing the workings in excruciating detail, much to Ian's concern. It's this aspect of the story that is by far the weakest: true, it sets up a pleasing contrast between the sciencey TARDIS scenes and the lyrical external ones; but unfortunately the clunky nature of the explanations just drags things down.
Explanations are going on outside, too, but in a much more artful manner. Susan echoes the audience's confusion as Melody and Harmony explain about the Fragile Yellow Arc, but - unusually - she is shown to be smart about it, grasping the concepts, turning them over in her mind and arguing with them intelligently. It's one of the better stories for the Doctor's granddaughter.
I'll also praise the characterisation of the inhabitants of Fragrance. They are alien, yet with recognisable motives. When Rhythm's mother Rhyme declares her intent to stop the travellers leaving you can feel her desperation. There's no evil behind it, just maternal love; and Rhythm's nobility in response is heart-rending. People sometimes complain about the degree to which Russell T. Davies knowingly pulls on his audience's emotional strings, but by golly he wasn't the first! This is potent stuff.
Let's see, I've mentioned Ian, Susan, the Doctor, the TARDIS and the locals. I've got a feeling that I'm missing someone, but I can't put my finger on who. Ah well, they probably weren't important to the story.
Development of a Script, Part 7: On Spec
When Moris Farhi was trying to get work at the BBC through David Whitaker, the script editor was already impressed with Farhi's writing and didn't want him to spend his time producing a sample script for nothing. Instead, Whitaker arranged a meeting with the writer and then agreed with Head of Drama Donald Wilson that they would offer to pay Farhi £50 for a single trial script. Not being privy to this discussion, Farhi decided that he would write a sample episode anyway, and did so over the four days prior to the meeting. That script was The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance.
Whitaker's eye for talent combined with Farhi's over-enthusiasm has made this is one of the best fifty quid the BBC spent. The corporation got a good writer on board (Farhi later wrote for Paul Temple, The Onedin Line and other BBC productions), and we got seven episodes of classic Hartnell-era Who.
Next Time:
More of the same, but this time focusing on a missing piece at the heart of the puzzle...
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