Recorded Time by Catherine Harvey
The TARDIS travellers find themselves at the court of Henry VIII, where the tragic Anne Boleyn will soon be discarded by her King in favour of the lovely Perpugilliam Brown. Or so it is written…
Paradoxicide by Richard Dinnick
On the legendary lost planet of Sendos, the Doctor and Peri find themselves caught up in the hunt for the cache of galaxy-busting super-weapons stored inside its fabled Armoury.
A Most Excellent Match by Matt Fitton
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of a mind of her own must be in want of a husband. But which of Miss Peri Brown’s rival suitors will be the one to win her hand: handsome Mr Darcy, or the mysterious Doctor?
Question Marks by Philip Lawrence
Five survivors of an unknown catastrophe wake to find themselves caught in an inescapable trap. But can the oddly-dressed man in the question-marked collar work out what’s really going on before time runs out – for good?
RECORDED TIME AND OTHER STORIES
The 2011 release year saw a milestone release in Big Finish’s main range: their 150th. And much as they did for their 100th release, “100,” they opted for an anthology of four stories rather than an epic, landmark release. The result is “Recorded Time and Other Stories,” directed by Ken Bentley, an anthology that, much like the previous “The Demons of Red Lodge and Other Stories,” has no overarching theme or connection. But is it, on the whole, a success?
RECORDED TIME
Right away, things get off to a bad start. The sixth Doctor and Peri land at the court of Henry VIII (Paul Shearer), lauded by the Doctor as one of the greatest minds of his generation. Naturally, this perception is proven wrong, as Henry is portrayed as a bellowing, horny idiot. It seems as though author Catherine Harvey is playing this for laughs, but as the script provoked none from me it’s difficult to tell. There’s a fantastic idea here – a Scrivener (Philip Bretherton) whose writings influence the course of real-world events – but it’s undercut by the conclusion. The source of the Scrivener’s power, you see, is his pen, which is actually alien technology that should be heavily regulated by the Time Lords, and how did he ever get his hands on that? We don’t find out, but that’s okay, because we’re too busy wondering how a character with absolute control over all reality allows himself to be bullied by a fantastic idiot of a king. And since this is the first main range release to feature Peri since all the way back in “The Bride of Peladon,” we’d better make sure to include threats of sexual violence! Watch out, Peri! Better run up that tower before the King rapes you! What an absolute waste of time.
2/10
PARADOXICIDE
So it’s the year 2011, Doctor Who has existed in various forms of media for forty-eight years, there’s a new series on television simultaneously telling great stories and getting fantastic ratings and reviews… so what shall I write? I know! One of those stories where the bad guys are a race of… women! Such mysterious, alien creatures cannot be properly understood! Of course, I’ll be sure to make one of them warlike and violent while the other is, well, ludicrously warlike and violent. I’ll also make sure they’re fantastically stupid, being so convinced of their own superiority that they allow their ship to be controlled by literally any sentient female organism. I’ll also make the Doctor comply with their demands – they’re threatening Peri, after all – and contribute to the complete destruction of an entire planetary civilization. Never fear, though, because their comeuppance is coming: they’ll be brutally murdered in a poison gas attack! I’m being unfair to author Richard Dinnick by writing my review this way, but honestly: it’s a stunningly misguided script that gets its tone completely wrong and uses a sci-fi concept that should have been left behind in the 1960s. This isn’t good enough.
3/10
A MOST EXCELLENT MATCH
Disc 2 is a great improvement on the first, starting with this story from author Matt Fitton. The “framing” story isn’t much to speak of – Cranton (Shearer again) is Sabalom Glitz in all but name, though his acting is hilarious – but the false, literature-themed reality in which the Doctor and Peri are trapped is delightful. It’s easy for writers to use stories like this to show off their literary knowledge, but Fitton never falls into that trap: his references, whether to Austen, Bronte, Hardy, or Defoe, are clear without being intrusive and evoke a smile instead of a roll of the eyes. If anything, it’s surprisingly a bit too long, but if you want a Doctor Who twist on classic literature, this is as good a place as any to look.
8/10
QUESTION MARKS
I’ve seen this described in a few places as reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I think it’s a fair description. On a technical level, this script from Philip Lawrence is easily the best in the anthology: it’s structured tightly, there are no obvious holes, and it keeps the audience guessing all the way up to a satisfying, if sad, resolution. It’s also enjoyable to watch each character’s personality come to the fore even if their memories cannot. But the resolution is what ultimately cheapens the drama for me: these aren’t actually the characters we’re used to following, and furthermore they’re ephemeral, vanishing ghosts. It’s the sort of story that can tug at the heartstrings, but yet it can be totally forgotten by “next week” – these characters barely existed and nobody but the Doctor knew about them anyway. And calling the Doctor “Question Marks” fifty times started to belabor the point after a while. Still, an entertaining end to the anthology, and thankfully a save after a dreadful start.
7/10
Average score: 5/10