The Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem meet Richard III and try to solve the mystery of who murdered the two princes in the tower.
The Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem meet Richard III and try to solve the mystery of who murdered the two princes in the tower.
THE KINGMAKER
After “Omega,” author Nev Fountain’s twist-filled postmodern opus of the so-called “Villains Trilogy,” the idea of Fountain tackling a historical was intriguing at the very least. Despite Big Finish’s return to the historical genre, Doctor Who hadn’t seen a satirical historical since all the way back in 1965’s “The Romans,” and humor was almost certainly on the way. But I don’t think anyone expected precisely what we got — a delightful, hilarious story that stands with the very best Peter Davison audios.
The comedic and self-referential nature of this play is evident from the beginning. The Doctor is menaced by a robot from the future, demanding that he complete the final book in the “Doctor Who Discovers” series — “Doctor Who” because the original title “The Doctor, who Discovers…” was misinterpreted by the editors. There’s really no need for this joke, but it’s absolutely hysterical, and just hearing Peri mockingly refer to him as “Doctor Who” is worth the price of admission. But it doesn’t stop there: the Doctor refers back to his research, and it’s a tape recording of his previous self! No, it’s not Tom Baker, but rather Jon Culshaw doing his famous impression — and that sounds blasphemous, until you hear Davison’s line that “everyone sounds different on tape,” which undercuts everything and brings a grin to the face. We’ve also got our first Big Finish new series reference, as there is talk of a Northern man with big ears delivering a letter. “The Kingmaker” is easily the most self-aware Big Finish audio, something which many may find grating, but which I find a delight on par with the best Paul Magrs novels.
Of course, this comic atmosphere extends to the historical environment of 1483, which leads to an utter lack of realism: modern idioms and speech patterns are thrown about with regularity, while stereotypical accents are used to help define the characters. It’s more like Blackadder than, say, “The Massacre,” but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this strategy. If “The Romans” can feature a pantomime runaround of Nero’s court, surely 41 years later we can accomodate the same in the time of Richard III. As for “The Kingmaker’s” treatment of history — in which there never were princes imprisoned in the Tower and in which a time-travelling William Shakespeare died for Richard at Bosworth Field — it’s obviously a bit silly, but it holds up remarkably well within the structure of the play, and by the end it makes perfect sense.
The structure, more than anything, is what holds “The Kingmaker” together. It’s a complex play, including scene shifts that jump through time, and more twists than should be healthy, but it’s also a refreshing play — you’re using your brain while you’re laughing, something which doesn’t happen too often in drama. It also maintains a surprisingly dark tone, with torture and murder featuring heavily. Maybe Stephen Beckett’s monotone deliveries as Richard seem boring to some, but there’s a subtle menace hidden among the jokes.
Give Peter Davison a script with some humor and he’ll blow you away. That’s certainly the case here, as he approaches the role with his signature sarcasm — but he also has an appealing, unassuming sense about him, shown to perfection in his first conversation with Tyrell (Chris Neill). Nicola Bryant is really coming into her own with her “reinvented” Peri, who continues to show pluck and determination that wasn’t always on stage in the Colin Baker years. She’s a bit stupid in this play, though, and Erimem (Caroline Morris, again on fine form) appears to be favored by the author — that said, Peri’s 20th century morality is assailed on all sides in the play’s most gripping ethical debate, making for an exceptional scene. I’ve already discussed Beckett’s performance as Richard, and Marcus Hutton is a perfect foil for him as Buckingham. Michael Fenton Stevens is brilliant as the mysterious “Mr. Seyton,” and his shifting accents are a particular delight. Neill’s Tyrell plays well off Davison, as does Arthur Smith’s Clarrie, and Jon Culshaw’s Tom Baker impression is always welcome. A script like this requires a strong cast, and Big Finish delivers in spades yet again. Gareth Jenkins’ production design is somewhat overlooked due to the complex nature of the drama, but his work is up to its usual high standard, while Andy Hardwick’s music nicely complements the script without getting in the way. Gary Russell’s direction is noteworthy — this is a long, complex script, and it never drags.
Let’s face it — “The Kingmaker” is brilliant. Everything flows from the intelligent, witty script, but the acting and production are first-rate as well. Sure, it’s a bit fannish, but that’s not a barrier: anyone should be able to pick this up and love it. The only thing holding “Omega” back was its padding; here, Fountain has overcome any such issues and has written a truly excellent piece of Doctor Who. It’s the best Davison audio since “The Church and the Crown,” and that’s heady company with which to stand.
Exceptional.
10/10
The Kingmaker was not only my first Big Finish historical story, but my first EVER historical story. And at the same time it wasn’t.
If I were to say the first word that popped into my head about this story, it would be fun. It literally rewrites history without having an impact on anything major. Beware, SPOILERS AHEAD…
Basically, the Master is in it, but he’s really Shakespeare who stowed away on the TARDIS. The 2 princes are princesses and are mistaken by Peri for robots because they are wearing codpieces – medieval dildos basically. Shakespeare is trapped in the past and killed at a famous battle but goes down in history as Richard the 3rd whilst old Rickie boy lives out his life as Shakespeare . George, Earl of Clarence never got killed, he was given a new identity instead : Uncle Clarry. You cannot say that The Kingmaker is bulging with originality and comedy. I laughed so bloody hard at the image of a hunchback wildly chasing Shakespeare round ye olde London with a sword.
Overall, a brilliant pseudo-historical piece and an orgasmically good piece of comedy and only episode 4 seems to lose the fantastic mystery about who killed the princes in the tower .
9/10