Britain. The height of the Roman occupation. The Doctor has brought Leela to ancient Norfolk to learn about her ancestors… but has no idea how much of an education she is going to get.
Because this is the time of Boudica’s rebellion. When the tribe of the Iceni rises up and attempts to overthrow the Roman masters.
As Leela begins to be swayed by the warrior queen’s words, the Doctor has to make a decision: save his friend… or save history itself?
THE WRATH OF THE ICENI
After two releases evoking the traditional feeling of Tom Baker’s early years as the Doctor, Big Finish’s Fourth Doctor Adventures take a surprising turn in John Dorney’s “The Wrath of the Iceni,” dropping Baker into a setting his Doctor has never experienced and giving him a companion relationship unlike anything seen on television. It’s a strong success, largely due to its willingness to take these characters in new directions.
Ironically enough, “The Wrath of the Iceni” isn’t very innovative at all for a Doctor Who story. It follows a tried-and-true formula: the Doctor and his companion land in a historical era on the eve of some great calamity, the companion insists that something can be done to help, the Doctor refuses, and their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Finally, of course, the historical event goes off as planned despite any efforts to the contrary. We’ve seen this everywhere from “The Aztecs” to “The Fires of Pompeii,” including multiple Big Finish stories, and it’s exactly what we get here, with the fourth Doctor, Leela, and Boudica (Ella Kenion). What makes it different, though, is that Tom Baker’s Doctor has never faced this scenario while Leela is the perfect companion for this scenario.
What’s also fascinating – and hard to believe unless you think about it – is that Tom Baker was rarely given challenging dramatic material during his seven years in the lead role. Sure, there was a great deal of righteous indignation mixed in with countless instances of heroism, but how often was he truly at odds with a companion? We remember “Have I the right?” or “But what’s it FOR?!” but something like this, where he’s powerless to stop his companion facing historical inevitability, is new – and Baker is absolutely fantastic. He still gets to employ his trademark flippancy, but he’s also given quiet moments of self-reflection that are devastating to hear. Perhaps the Tom Baker of the 1970s wouldn’t have done this so successfully, but as Baker himself is more prone to bouts of melancholy with age, so too does he imbue his character with regret. In a series that publicly aims to capture the feel of 1977, it’s amazing to see Dorney push the envelope with the lead actor in this way.
It’s also amazing to hear with Louise Jameson does with the role, as this is unquestionably Leela’s story. She has much in common with Boudica, of course, so she naturally desires to help Boudica avenge the harm done to her by the Romans – and isn’t the Doctor’s silence in describing their atrocities a great moment? Yes, the Doctor averts the change of history, but Leela learns the truth about Boudica without any help from him. The Doctor’s term of endearment aside, Leela is anything but a savage, and seeing her juxtaposed against Boudica has never demonstrated that more clearly. That being said, if I have one complaint about “Iceni” it’s the one-note characterization of Boudica: while it may be historically accurate, Dorney portrays her as a deranged, murderous lunatic, and Kenion’s performance is way too flat to be sympathetic. It’s almost hard to see why Leela sympathizes with her in the first place, but Jameson saves that issue with her brilliant performance.
Not much to say on the production front. Ken Bentley directs a small cast to great effect and draws great performances from the regulars. The sound design, by Richard Fox and Lauren Yason, is superlative – given the small cast, it’s amazing how they capture the sound of a pitched battle involving thousands. The music is more typically orchestral than that in the first two releases, but it fits well with the script. Overall, “The Wrath of the Iceni” is a success. The material isn’t the most innovative, but that material with this cast certainly is – and it’s worth hearing just to expand your perspectives on what a Tom Baker story can be. That it’s very good besides is almost a bonus.
Highly recommended.
8/10