Landing in 17th Century Paris, the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem become embroiled in a plot to kill Queen Anne.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 11:33 PM
THE CHURCH AND THE CROWN
After the pseudohistorical delight that was The Eye of the Scorpion, it’s really no surprise to see Big Finish going right back at it, plunging the new Doctor/Peri/Erimem team into another historical adventure, this one transpiring in seventeenth-century France. Authors Cavan Scott and Mark Wright, meanwhile, depart radically from the tone of their first audio (Project: Twilight) to offer a fun Parisian romp. The result? A nearly flawless production.
The historical genre always seems to succeed within Doctor Who on television for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons was the BBC itself. Rooted in a history of producing costume dramas, the BBC could make much more convincing, expensive-looking Doctor Who when it took place on the streets of Victorian London rather than on a moon of Saturn. However, Big Finish suffers no such budgetary restrictions, so why have the historical stories fared so well on audio? Simple: the characters and settings are already written. Rather than introducing an alien society, the author is introducing a familiar human society to which audiences are naturally sympathetic, regardless of the story’s tone.
Tone, however, is equally significant. When one recalls the other Doctor Who story set in sixteenth- or seventeenth-century France — The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve — one recalls one of the original series’ bleakest, most dark tales. The Church and the Crown is absolutely not that — it is a witty romp, full of exciting swordfighting and verbal exchanges to rival the best of the Dumas adaptations. Rather than an out-and-out satire like the following month’s Bang-Bang-A-Boom!, The Church and the Crown’s comedy lies with its characters — the settings are serious and mostly realistic, which in some respects makes the play funnier and helps to emphasize the seriousness of the torture scene.
Peter Davison is, as expected, in control of proceedings as the Doctor. He’s a naturally-talented comic actor, something which wasn’t explored to any great extent on screen, and here we see his talent on display as he shows remarkable ease in give-and-takes with Richelieu and others. This Doctor would, of course, be totally out of place in season 21, but that’s a common complaint and not one that should interfere with one’s enjoyment of the play — Davison is clearly enjoying himself and it’s refreshing to hear the fifth Doctor actually having fun with his companions.
The old mainstay of a Doctor Who plot, that of the doppelganger, rears its head in this play, with Peri and Queen Anne turning out to be doubles. This allows Nicola Bryant to act in a Doctor Who story without adopting an American accent, and she is surprisingly good as the cynical queen. Of course, this mainly leaves Peri to be captured and freed, but then this is a Doctor Who historical, after all.
Caroline Morris’s first story as a fully-fledged companion is a stunning success. Unlike her “predecessor,” Leela, Erimem comes from a civilized society and, as such, she has little trouble fitting in at the French court. Indeed, the scenes showing her to be more adept than the Doctor at such situations are both effective and hilarious. Yet she’s still very new to travelling, and it’s equally wonderful to hear her sheer joy at discovering new things — the new concept of glass in a window is a nice little piece of writing.
With respect to its supporting characters, The Church and the Crown is quite reminiscent of a Robert Holmes script. Between Andy Coleman as Rouffet and Peter John as Delmarre, and Amdrew Mackay as Louis and Michael Shallard as Richelieu, as well as Nicola Bryant and Wendy Albiston as de Chevreuse, double-acts abound, and the characters and actors spark off each other with an easy, natural rhythm. Mackay is also quite funny as Blind Maurice — you wouldn’t know the two characters were the same actor without checking. It’s something of a repetitive task to praise BF for its casting choices, but this is yet another example of a superb supporting cast.
The sound design by Gareth Jenkins is masterful, as he presents swordfights that sound exactly like their epic, overblown film counterparts — and captures a nice sense of scale at the same time. Russell Stone’s score is magnificent, a fast-paced period piece that adds to the lighthearted tone of the proceedings and contributes to both the humor and the drama. Gary Russell, meanwhile, offers his usual solid direction, demonstrating a keen understanding of the script. The “quick cut” to Rouffet and Delmarre fighting is handled perfectly. Clayton Hickman’s work on the cover is great, too — it looks like Davison was photographed in that hat.
When the best of the best Big Finish productions are identified, we often point to the works of Shearman or Platt, those plays which carry huge dramatic weight or reinvent Doctor Who history. In doing so we often overlook gems like The Church and the Crown, a triumph of the historical genre and one of the best productions in BF history.
THE CHURCH AND THE CROWN
After the pseudohistorical delight that was The Eye of the Scorpion, it’s really no surprise to see Big Finish going right back at it, plunging the new Doctor/Peri/Erimem team into another historical adventure, this one transpiring in seventeenth-century France. Authors Cavan Scott and Mark Wright, meanwhile, depart radically from the tone of their first audio (Project: Twilight) to offer a fun Parisian romp. The result? A nearly flawless production.
The historical genre always seems to succeed within Doctor Who on television for a number of reasons, but one of the main reasons was the BBC itself. Rooted in a history of producing costume dramas, the BBC could make much more convincing, expensive-looking Doctor Who when it took place on the streets of Victorian London rather than on a moon of Saturn. However, Big Finish suffers no such budgetary restrictions, so why have the historical stories fared so well on audio? Simple: the characters and settings are already written. Rather than introducing an alien society, the author is introducing a familiar human society to which audiences are naturally sympathetic, regardless of the story’s tone.
Tone, however, is equally significant. When one recalls the other Doctor Who story set in sixteenth- or seventeenth-century France — The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve — one recalls one of the original series’ bleakest, most dark tales. The Church and the Crown is absolutely not that — it is a witty romp, full of exciting swordfighting and verbal exchanges to rival the best of the Dumas adaptations. Rather than an out-and-out satire like the following month’s Bang-Bang-A-Boom!, The Church and the Crown’s comedy lies with its characters — the settings are serious and mostly realistic, which in some respects makes the play funnier and helps to emphasize the seriousness of the torture scene.
Peter Davison is, as expected, in control of proceedings as the Doctor. He’s a naturally-talented comic actor, something which wasn’t explored to any great extent on screen, and here we see his talent on display as he shows remarkable ease in give-and-takes with Richelieu and others. This Doctor would, of course, be totally out of place in season 21, but that’s a common complaint and not one that should interfere with one’s enjoyment of the play — Davison is clearly enjoying himself and it’s refreshing to hear the fifth Doctor actually having fun with his companions.
The old mainstay of a Doctor Who plot, that of the doppelganger, rears its head in this play, with Peri and Queen Anne turning out to be doubles. This allows Nicola Bryant to act in a Doctor Who story without adopting an American accent, and she is surprisingly good as the cynical queen. Of course, this mainly leaves Peri to be captured and freed, but then this is a Doctor Who historical, after all.
Caroline Morris’s first story as a fully-fledged companion is a stunning success. Unlike her “predecessor,” Leela, Erimem comes from a civilized society and, as such, she has little trouble fitting in at the French court. Indeed, the scenes showing her to be more adept than the Doctor at such situations are both effective and hilarious. Yet she’s still very new to travelling, and it’s equally wonderful to hear her sheer joy at discovering new things — the new concept of glass in a window is a nice little piece of writing.
With respect to its supporting characters, The Church and the Crown is quite reminiscent of a Robert Holmes script. Between Andy Coleman as Rouffet and Peter John as Delmarre, and Amdrew Mackay as Louis and Michael Shallard as Richelieu, as well as Nicola Bryant and Wendy Albiston as de Chevreuse, double-acts abound, and the characters and actors spark off each other with an easy, natural rhythm. Mackay is also quite funny as Blind Maurice — you wouldn’t know the two characters were the same actor without checking. It’s something of a repetitive task to praise BF for its casting choices, but this is yet another example of a superb supporting cast.
The sound design by Gareth Jenkins is masterful, as he presents swordfights that sound exactly like their epic, overblown film counterparts — and captures a nice sense of scale at the same time. Russell Stone’s score is magnificent, a fast-paced period piece that adds to the lighthearted tone of the proceedings and contributes to both the humor and the drama. Gary Russell, meanwhile, offers his usual solid direction, demonstrating a keen understanding of the script. The “quick cut” to Rouffet and Delmarre fighting is handled perfectly. Clayton Hickman’s work on the cover is great, too — it looks like Davison was photographed in that hat.
When the best of the best Big Finish productions are identified, we often point to the works of Shearman or Platt, those plays which carry huge dramatic weight or reinvent Doctor Who history. In doing so we often overlook gems like The Church and the Crown, a triumph of the historical genre and one of the best productions in BF history.
Everyone should own this.
10/10