The Sixth Doctor and Peri are accused of murder in the Museum of Aural Antiquities.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 10:07 PM
WHISPERS OF TERROR
The third release from Big Finish, Whispers of Terror continues the trend of improvement started with Phantasmagoria. The script comes from prolific author Justin Richards, and its content is predictable: a workmanlike plot featuring degrees of political intrigue and a surprising plot twist or two. It is a testament to Richards’ ability, as well as that of the production staff, that Big Finish scores its first hit with a plot that, in lesser hands, would have passed unnoticed out of the eyes of fans.
The decision to experiment with the audio medium from the beginning was a good one, as Whispers is a story that simply could not work effectively on television — it requires the listener to be visually unaware of his surroundings. The concept of a creature that manifests itself as a sound wave is brilliant, and Richards coaxes every ounce of drama out of the idea, so much so that by the play’s conclusion the listener doesn’t know what to trust.
However, it must be said that there isn’t really enough plot to sustain a four-episode story. Richards tries his hardest to stretch things out, but the fact remains that by the end of episode two the listener knows exactly what’s going on, minus a detail or two. This leads to the final two episodes constituting little more than runarounds — though they are very entertaining runarounds, given the nature of the monster doing the chasing. The revelation about Napton is wonderful, though an attentive listener will see it coming, while Stengard’s encounter with the live cable is terrifying.
The performances are mostly fine, with Colin Baker’s first solo performance as the sixth Doctor since Trial being a smashing success. It’s no secret that Baker is the most popular audio Doctor, and it’s easy to see why in his very first outing: his voice and delivery capture the ear with ease, while his natural eloquence allows him to deliver even the most ludicrous of lines with some credibility. Lisa Bowerman is nicely evil as Beth Pernell, while Peter Miles’ Gantman is a pleasure to hear. Some of the dialogue is quite witty, the Doctor in particular getting to exchange barbs with almost every fellow cast member.
Nicola Bryant, however, does much less well in this story. Her delivery in the first episode is absolutely dire, sounding as though she’s more concerned with nailing the American accent than actually delivering her lines convincingly. Peri then spends the rest of the story much as she did in season 22: being generally whiny and useless, and Bryant does nothing to make her character more appealing or interesting. The bickering with the Doctor works, however, evoking a strong feeling of the TV era.
Overall, the direction in episode 3 seems incredibly weak, with many of the actors offering flat deliveries. It’s almost as though they lost interest, which I can’t understand given the recovery in the fourth part. Furthermore, many of the explanations of the plot are repetitive and obvious, underscoring the lack of plot necessary for a full four episodes. And what was going on with the cliffhanger to part three? Since when does the sixth Doctor scream “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” when he’s not even being tortured?
The production and sound design, however, is exquisite. Harvey Summers does a fine job of playing around with the sound samples, slightly distorting them to indicate the presence of Crane. Special mention must be made of Nicholas Briggs’ music, which perfectly evokes Season 22 — this sounded exactly like a Peter Howell composition might have done. The sound effects are additionally much more precise — in Phantasmagoria, the sound design seemed content with the “wall of sound = monster” theory, whereas here the effects are believable and understandable. Stepping outside the context of the play, though — who on earth let the interior color scheme for the booklet slip through? Yellow on white?!
Overall, Whispers of Terror is a fine first audio outing for the sixth Doctor. Despite some flaws, and an uncharacteristic lack of plot from Justin Richards, it sports a strong script, good performances, and excellent production values. On first listen, it was this play which gave me confidence in the BF range — confidence that would be reaffirmed time and again in Colin Baker’s future appearances.
WHISPERS OF TERROR
The third release from Big Finish, Whispers of Terror continues the trend of improvement started with Phantasmagoria. The script comes from prolific author Justin Richards, and its content is predictable: a workmanlike plot featuring degrees of political intrigue and a surprising plot twist or two. It is a testament to Richards’ ability, as well as that of the production staff, that Big Finish scores its first hit with a plot that, in lesser hands, would have passed unnoticed out of the eyes of fans.
The decision to experiment with the audio medium from the beginning was a good one, as Whispers is a story that simply could not work effectively on television — it requires the listener to be visually unaware of his surroundings. The concept of a creature that manifests itself as a sound wave is brilliant, and Richards coaxes every ounce of drama out of the idea, so much so that by the play’s conclusion the listener doesn’t know what to trust.
However, it must be said that there isn’t really enough plot to sustain a four-episode story. Richards tries his hardest to stretch things out, but the fact remains that by the end of episode two the listener knows exactly what’s going on, minus a detail or two. This leads to the final two episodes constituting little more than runarounds — though they are very entertaining runarounds, given the nature of the monster doing the chasing. The revelation about Napton is wonderful, though an attentive listener will see it coming, while Stengard’s encounter with the live cable is terrifying.
The performances are mostly fine, with Colin Baker’s first solo performance as the sixth Doctor since Trial being a smashing success. It’s no secret that Baker is the most popular audio Doctor, and it’s easy to see why in his very first outing: his voice and delivery capture the ear with ease, while his natural eloquence allows him to deliver even the most ludicrous of lines with some credibility. Lisa Bowerman is nicely evil as Beth Pernell, while Peter Miles’ Gantman is a pleasure to hear. Some of the dialogue is quite witty, the Doctor in particular getting to exchange barbs with almost every fellow cast member.
Nicola Bryant, however, does much less well in this story. Her delivery in the first episode is absolutely dire, sounding as though she’s more concerned with nailing the American accent than actually delivering her lines convincingly. Peri then spends the rest of the story much as she did in season 22: being generally whiny and useless, and Bryant does nothing to make her character more appealing or interesting. The bickering with the Doctor works, however, evoking a strong feeling of the TV era.
Overall, the direction in episode 3 seems incredibly weak, with many of the actors offering flat deliveries. It’s almost as though they lost interest, which I can’t understand given the recovery in the fourth part. Furthermore, many of the explanations of the plot are repetitive and obvious, underscoring the lack of plot necessary for a full four episodes. And what was going on with the cliffhanger to part three? Since when does the sixth Doctor scream “NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!” when he’s not even being tortured?
The production and sound design, however, is exquisite. Harvey Summers does a fine job of playing around with the sound samples, slightly distorting them to indicate the presence of Crane. Special mention must be made of Nicholas Briggs’ music, which perfectly evokes Season 22 — this sounded exactly like a Peter Howell composition might have done. The sound effects are additionally much more precise — in Phantasmagoria, the sound design seemed content with the “wall of sound = monster” theory, whereas here the effects are believable and understandable. Stepping outside the context of the play, though — who on earth let the interior color scheme for the booklet slip through? Yellow on white?!
Overall, Whispers of Terror is a fine first audio outing for the sixth Doctor. Despite some flaws, and an uncharacteristic lack of plot from Justin Richards, it sports a strong script, good performances, and excellent production values. On first listen, it was this play which gave me confidence in the BF range — confidence that would be reaffirmed time and again in Colin Baker’s future appearances.
7/10