The year is 1989. In London, safe cracker Raine Creevy breaks into a house – and finds more than the family jewels.
In the Middle East, the kingdom of Sayf Udeen is being terrorised by Soviet invaders and alien monsters.
And on the Scottish border, a highly guarded facility contains an advanced alien weapon.
These are all part of the Doctor’s masterplan. But masterplans can go awry…
THE LOST STORIES: CRIME OF THE CENTURY
The second of Big Finish’s four “season 27” stories, Andrew Cartmel’s “Crime of the Century” follows almost directly in the footsteps of its predecessor. As such, it’s very heavily in the spirit of the late McCoy era while still blazing its own trail, and while the story doesn’t make a great deal of sense, its confidence leads it to success.
The best way to describe “Crime of the Century” is as a diverse array of set pieces. From the opening, with new companion Raine (Beth Chalmers) discovering the Doctor in the safe, to Ace’s adventures in eastern Europe, to the wonderful little scene in the club, to the climactic swordfight, the imagery on display is compelling. Cartmel knows what makes a good scene, and his talent for capturing a moment has never been more apparent. Of course, there’s a very legitimate argument to be made that none of these scenes actually hold together into a cohesive whole: the titular crime, for example, barely even appears in the story until the fourth episode. It’s also quite difficult to piece together the Doctor’s exact plan – he’s clearly in full control throughout, but his ultimate goal isn’t clear at all. But I’ve said before that my preference as a consumer is for atmosphere over plot, and “Crime of the Century” has that in spades. I could listen to Sylvester McCoy read the phone book in his mysterious voice, so I’ll freely admit a lack of objectivity.
As mentioned above, the story is most notable for introducing a new companion, Raine Creevy, a high-class safe cracker who finds herself wrapped up in the Doctor’s plans without any foreknowledge. She’s a surprisingly effective character: she’s self-confident but knows her limits, she’s very intelligent, and she’s a good foil for the Doctor. I liked her issues with her father Markus (Ricky Groves), returning from “Thin Ice” – they’re believable and not overplayed. And of course she has the most famous introductory scene that was never filmed: sneaking out of a party to crack a safe and finding the Doctor crammed inside, awaiting her arrival. Credit to Cartmel for pulling that scene off so effectively; it’s definitely one of those things that could have easily failed to live up to expectations. I also like the early days of her relationship with Ace: they’re similar people, deep down, with class being their deep division. I’ve seen their bickering described as “cat-fighting,” which seems awfully harsh (and sexist!) for something that lasts for less than five minutes. I’m looking forward to seeing Raine’s relationships with the TARDIS crew develop.
“Crime of the Century” also continues to evolve the Doctor’s relationship with Ace. While the execution of her scenes may leave something to be desired, it’s fascinating to see the Doctor sending Ace on unsupervised missions. We saw this in the NAs, of course, but only after Ace had returned from her time with the Dalek hunters – here she’s growing into the role naturally. It’s also somewhat different from BF’s own continuity: there, her relationship with the Doctor is a deep, trusting friendship, whereas this has much more of a professional component. The Doctor himself is also changing, continuing to operate from the shadows as he adds another companion to his toolbox.
While director Ken Bentley adopts a rather languid pace to the story, I absolutely enjoyed the relatively short episodes – this is not a story that overstays its welcome! Simon Robinson’s sound design is up to his usual standard, but much like “Thin Ice,” the music doesn’t really capture the feeling of the era – that said, it’s an improvement on its predecessor. Overall, “Crime of the Century” is a success. The plot barely hangs together in places, but it’s another wonderful opportunity to experience the late McCoy era in all its glory. I could listen to these stories all day.
Recommended.
7/10