November 1963, and the Soviet space programme reigns supreme. Having sent the first animals, then the first men beyond Earth’s atmosphere, now they’re sending a manned capsule into orbit around the Moon.
Just as Vostok Seven passes over into the dark side, however, its life support system fails. Only the intervention of the Sixth Doctor and Peri, adopting the identities of scientists from Moscow University, means that contact with the capsule is regained.
But something has happened to the cosmonaut on board. She appears to have lost her memory, and developed extreme claustrophobia. Maybe she’s not quite as human as she used to be…
1963: THE SPACE RACE
The second of three 1963-themed plays commemorating Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary, Jonathan Morris’s “The Space Race” is one of the more unexpected Big Finish releases in recent memory. What begins as a reliable Doctor Who story rapidly becomes something almost ludicrous, and it is to the story’s credit that it almost pulls it off.
The first episode of “The Space Race” is a fine example of gripping, entertaining Doctor Who. Within minutes of another emergency TARDIS landing, the sixth Doctor and Peri discover two bodies in a car in the winter wastes of the Soviet Union, steal the identities of the deceased, and promptly find themselves embroiled in the Soviet space program. While Peri scouts for information, the Doctor uses his scientific knowledge to gain the trust of the people in charge, helping solve the mysterious problems that have been plaguing their most recent mission. And everything builds up to a cliffhanger that wonderfully captures the spirit of the series – it’s a curveball, but it’s exactly the sort of curveball Doctor Who likes to throw. If “The Light at the End” had you rolling your eyes, this first episode will pull you right back into the fold as an audio fan.
From there, though, your mileage may very. Morris’ script goes completely off the wall, aping (of all things) the main range audio “Rat Trap” in its presentation of test animals coming to life and taking their revenge on the humans that oppressed them. That’s odd enough even before you consider that the animals are led by Laika, first dog in orbit, and now possessed by the spirit of vengeance. For a while the animals are basically portrayed as psychopathic villains, but as the story progresses Morris gives Laika more sympathy, giving it a pro-animal-rights feel. While I certainly don’t have any issue with the sentiment, this goes back to something I said in my “Rat Trap” review: I’m not going to have any sympathy for your characters if they act like cartoon supervillains, cutting out people’s brains and larynxes and planning to lock those humans they don’t murder into cages.
By the time we get to the secret American base on the dark side of the moon, the story has shed all pretense of realism, and I’m pretty sure it’s all the better for it. There are American spies, KGB intrigue, a potential nuclear strike, and even the assassination of President Kennedy is directly incorporated into the plot. Doctor Who history of this period has often flagrantly disregarded actual history – secret British manned missions to Mars in the 1970s – and Morris is merely taking this to its natural, unhinged conclusion. I wouldn’t enjoy something like this every month, as it’s still difficult to take seriously, but as an anniversary story with B-movie sensibilities it’s very difficult not to enjoy this.
And the cast certainly agrees, judging by the performances. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are reunited in the main range, allowing Baker to take up his spikier TV persona. Peri actually gets a lot to do in this story, and it’s nice to hear her actually enjoying a season 22 adventure instead of bickering miserably with the Doctor. Karen Henson also clearly enjoys her surrogate companion role, and I very much enjoyed David Shaw-Parker and Tom Alexander, especially in their scenes as forthright Americans. The production is also a success. Director Nicholas Briggs employs a neat touch: when the Doctor and Peri are around, characters speak in English accents; when they’re not, characters use their natural accents. It’s a subtle little nod to the TARDIS translation circuits that I’m not sure I’ve heard before. Howard Carter’s sound design and music are up to their usual high standards. Overall, “The Space Race” is one of the more outlandish Doctor Who stories Big Finish has done in a while. It loses its way from time to time, but it’s still quite entertaining and a solid way to continue the anniversary trilogy.
Recommended.
7/10