At the Doctor’s request, Sergeant Benton is investigating ghosts and missing people in Kettering, while undercover as a local councillor
And that’s how he comes to meet Margery Phipps.
An alien incursion in the town hall leads them on a journey to a terrible future – where Margery discovers how she changed a world, and the life of a whole civilisation hangs in the balance…
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: COUNCIL OF WAR
Almost every surviving Doctor Who regular from the classic series has appeared in a Big Finish story at one time or another, but it took until “Council of War,” the final episode in the seventh series of Companion Chronicles, for John Levene to finally return to the role of Sgt. Benton. And the story, from Simon Barnard and Paul Morris, is quite entertaining.
“Council of War” starts out as an unapologetic James Bond satire. The plot is quite simple at the outset: there have been mysterious happenings in Kettering, from ghost sightings to disappearances, so the Brigadier sends Benton undercover to investigate as a local councilor. While there, he meets Margery Phipps (Sinead Keenan), another councilor who is unknowingly embroiled in events on an alien world, and things progress from there. Benton looks dashing in a suit, and carries a Walther, and he has a love interest – so it’s all very traditional spy stuff, except that Barnard and Morris puncture it all with Benton’s awkwardness and old-fashioned beliefs.
I’m not sure what’s supposed to be satirical and what’s supposed to be taken at face value, but Margery is the perfect representation of how feminists were depicted in popular media at the time. She’s an independent, career-minded woman that is destined for great things, but at the same time she struggles to square her beliefs with her own femininity – she doesn’t even recognize herself in a dress and makeup, she’s irritated by her attraction to Benton despite his traditional mindset, and so forth. It’s a male-driven view of feminism, in other words, and it’s so reminiscent of things we saw even in Doctor Who of the time that it must be intentional, especially since it works with the story’s general winking tone.
I’m less sure about the story once it shifts to the alien world. It’s reminiscent of “The Daleks,” where Ian has to teach pacifists how to fight for their own survival, and it allows Benton some serious heroism, as he embarks on a solo mission onto an alien ship in an attempt to sabotage it and drive it away. But the planet of Kettering, with its ludicrously intense devotion to peace above all else, is straight out of a message-driven Star Trek episode – so is this also part of the pastiche of late-‘60s-early-‘70s drama? The ending is also more than a little unrewarding, as Benton gets all the way to the invaders’ bridge and confronts them… and is immediately captured, and has to wait for the Doctor to turn up out of nowhere and save the day. Granted, Benton got 90% of the way there, but it would have been nice to see him get over the finish line.
I know John Levene has a well-deserved reputation for being an odd guy, but you certainly can’t tell from his audio performance. He’s generally fantastic: he has a great voice for narration and he effortlessly steps back into Benton’s appealing combination of militaristic heroism and innocence. His impression of Jon Pertwee isn’t convincing at all, but at this point in the Companion Chronicles that hardly matters. Lisa Bowerman directs well as always, and the sound design from Simon Robinson ably supports the script. Overall, “Council of War” is a solid Companion Chronicle and a great opportunity to finally hear a beloved character return to the fold.
Recommended.
7/10