No one lives to old age in the village. When their Time is come, they are taken and never seen again. That is The Way. And, should anyone try to break with the established order of things, then the fury of Herne the Hunter is unleashed.
No one lives to old age in the village. When their Time is come, they are taken and never seen again. That is The Way. And, should anyone try to break with the established order of things, then the fury of Herne the Hunter is unleashed.
THE LOST STORIES: LEVIATHAN
After adapting two of the most famous “lost” season 23 scripts, “The Nightmare Fair” and “Mission to Magnus,” for their Lost Stories range, Big Finish turned to a lesser-known story for the third release: Brian Finch’s “Leviathan.” With no recurring villains and a twisting, relatively complex plot, it’s quite a departure from the first two stories in the series – and, pleasingly, it’s rather good to boot!
Evidently, Big Finish had little knowledge of this story until contacted by the late Brian Finch’s son, Paul. He would subsequently adapt his father’s script for audio production. It’s hard to say, of course, what the original television script looked like, but Paul Finch has certainly done a wonderful job with the adaptation. Even without the alterations, the script sounds far too expensive for a TV production – especially Doctor Who in the 1980s – but the scale here is epic and sweeping, from medieval villages to frantic chases through the woods to pitched battles aboard disguised spaceships. The script doesn’t let up, either: it blazes from point to point and setting to setting with scarcely a look back, relying on the charisma of its lead actors to paper over the cracks. Even the chief antagonist changes as the Doctor learns more about what’s going on.
And what a performance by Colin Baker! He easily slips back into his spikier persona, but his unflappable confidence holds everything together. I’m sure the plot doesn’t entirely make sense, but the effectiveness of Finch’s script arises from not allowing the listener to think about it, and putting a forthright explanation from the Doctor wherever questions might arise. It’s a fun listen from start to finish, even the obligatory opening TARDIS scene complete with playful Doctor/Peri bickering. Kudos to Nicola Bryant, too, as Peri is given a much more proactive role than usual, and she convinces utterly in the role of leader and source of inspiration.
These Lost Stories certainly have the advantage of no budgetary restrictions while on audio. There’s no way the cliffhanger reveal would have been done with anything other than CSO and a model shot, but here one can picture the Doctor stepping out onto a panoramic view of outer space. Herne the Hunter would have been a Stephen Thorne sort of role on TV: a large, cumbersome costume necessitating an immobile actor who could shout really convincingly. But here, he can lead a hunting pack atop a horse *and* shout really convincingly! That’s not flippancy, incidentally – John Banks gives a great performance.
If there’s a significant complaint with “Leviathan,” it’s the size (or lack thereof) of the supporting cast. Big Finish credits seven actors, which is on the high end for them, but the script must have twice as many speaking parts. As a result, it seems as though everyone save the regulars doubles or triples up, and while they all give professional efforts, it’s very easy to lose track of what characters are in which scenes. There are also occasions of actors performing against themselves, something that works much better than it probably should but is still noticeable.
The production front is polished as ever, giving the script a scale and ambition that would have been impossible on television. Simon Robinson’s sound design is first-rate, as is Ken Bentley’s direction, while Robinson’s score emulates the 1980s synths but keeps largely to the background.
If this review seems relatively short, it’s because “Leviathan,” as enjoyable as it is, isn’t really about much of anything, and so I don’t find much here to discuss. But it’s a fine, entertaining piece of action drama all the same: full of ideas and gripping moments, held together by great central performances. Who knows how this would have come across on television; on audio, it’s a valuable part of the Doctor Who tapestry.
Recommended.
8/10