When the TARDIS lands in a dilapidated attic, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven discover they are on Earth, in London… in Number 10 Downing Street.
However alien forces are at play here, affecting the very fabric of the building… and adjusting the very essence of history itself.
THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: UPSTAIRS
The third episode of the eighth series of Companion Chronicles is “Upstairs” by Mat Coward, and it presents a rather unusual scenario. It’s claustrophobic, very sci-fi in its presentation, and an entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking story as well.
It’s odd to consider that Maureen O’Brien starred in the first ever Companion Chronicle, but that “Upstairs,” in the eighth series, is only her third appearance in the range. Still, she’s the star here, and she handles the duties of the narrator with aplomb. Vicki gets some interesting lines here about how she perceives her time in the TARDIS: the grandfather and older brother relationships are obvious, but her fear of abandonment is much more subtle even as it underpins some of the story. O’Brien is quite good, as expected – she captures Vicki’s childlike outlook very well, and her Hartnell impression is completely unconvincing yet also hilarious. Peter Purves is also along for the ride, and it’s somewhat unusual to hear his voice in a Companion Chronicle but not his Hartnell. He completely vanishes into his supporting roles, though – he’s one of the best in the Big Finish stable at voices.
As for the actual story, I love the small scale: the TARDIS materializes in the attics above 10 Downing Street, and the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven explore to try to find out what year it is. But they discover that the various rooms exist at different moments in time simultaneously, setting up a potentially infinite series of rooms with very few escape routes. The first episode is purely about this mystery, featuring nothing more than the three characters wandering the attic and investigating their surroundings. We saw episodes like this in the 60s, usually when the budget ran out, and they often had a mysterious atmosphere. The same is true of “Upstairs,” which definitely piques the interest.
The second episode, which reveals that the time traveling attics are the result of the presence of a giant fungal growth whose tendrils extend into various time zones, is utterly bonkers. The servants of Number 10 are worshippers of the fungus, and aim to set it up as Prime Minister, so they must stop the TARDIS crew from interfering. But because they are servants, and because the Doctor and companions pretend to be nobles of various rank, they are forced to stop them politely. This leads to a number of mind-bending sequences involving the Doctor pretending to be an archbishop and the servants apologizing for being murderous. The solution also comes out of nowhere, and while I’m not normally a fan of the Doctor just having the solution laying around somewhere in the TARDIS, it works here because finding the TARDIS is such a focal point of the drama.
Lisa Bowerman directs, as usual, and the sound design from Richard Fox and Lauren Yason is suitably spooky. Overall, “Upstairs” is a success. It’s unashamedly weird, and for the most part, it works. As much as I appreciate the unlimited scale available on audio, sometimes it’s good to hear something in the minimalist 60s Doctor Who style.
Recommended.
7/10