This is the second of the first Doctor's Lost Stories (third if you count The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance
separately), in terms of both production and my experience. As
mentioned a few entries ago I was given it as a present last Christmas,
but have resisted listening to it until now. So what do I think of it,
one episode in?
Big Finish have learned a lot since their initial attempt, which used a
format I found tricky to get used to; and although it was saved by the
strength of the story, the first episode in particular was a bit of a
rough ride. This time there is a more natural division of narration
duties (and voices!) between William Russell and Carole Ann Ford, with
Russell handling Ian and the Doctor while Ford takes Susan and Barbara.
The script, in stark contrast to Farewell, Great Macedon,
supports this in two ways. First, when the TARDIS crew split up, it is
into male-female pairs, so that there are natural roles for the two
actors. Second, there are no speaking roles in the entire episode other
than the regulars! I think this is true of The Dead Planet too, but with visuals and a full, living cast it's not so obvious.
Like Moris Farhi's story, this script feels very much of its time.
There's a naivety to it, a confidence that the show can do anything
coupled with an uncertainty about which of the myriad possibilities
would work best. This leads to images like the vast, crystal building
set atop a mountain, the kind of extravagant spectacle that the recent
series paid tribute to in The Rings of Akhaten; but also to
missteps like the TARDIS being driven about like a flying car, an idea
that fits perfectly in the new series but is not quite how the show
developed in its early years. Still, challenging modelwork aside,
practicality isn't forgotten. There's nothing that couldn't have been
realised in the confines of Lime Grove Studio D.
I had very clear images in my mind as I listened to this story. They
were in black and white, but not really limited by the 1960s technology -
for instance, my vision of the TARDIS landing inside the building and
Ian and Susan stepping out would have required CGI, though I can imagine
how they would have been done if the serial had been produced. This
clarity is probably the best indicator that the adaptation to audio has
been successful.
As with many opening episodes I enjoyed the mystery here. The
cliffhanger, not so much. Susan is about to eat something! Um, is it so
hard to imagine how they get out of that one? I confidently predict that
the food is good to eat. Let's see if I'm right.
Speaking of the food, Susan's comment "is it real?" made me think that this should come after The Keys of Marinus.
We also have references to the earlier lost stories which must have
been added for audio. I'm not one of those who thinks the original
script should have been followed slavishly, so this is all part of the
adaptation. As for it's original, aborted placement... well, I'll say a
little about that next time.
One final quibble: it's not a "cannibal flower", since it doesn't eat
its own kind, but a carnivorous flower. I'll overlook this because (a)
it's non-scientist Barbara describing it, and (b) it sounds way cooler.
Rating:
8/10.
Next Time:
The Mockery of a Man.
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