Somewhere outside our universe, she is waiting.
A god-like immortal, living in a realm of clocks. The hours tick slowly by as she plots and plans. She is readying her trap. A trap for a very special man in a very special police box.
Hecuba has all the time in the world. But for the Doctor, time is running out.
THE LOST STORIES: THE QUEEN OF TIME
For the second story of the fourth series of Lost Stories, Big Finish returned to the second Doctor era and a second idea from Brian Hayles, adapted by Catherine Harvey into “The Queen of Time.” While Hayles is best known for creating the Ice Warriors, he also created the Celestial Toymaker for the serial of the same name. “The Queen of Time” is a sequel to that story both in style and content – and that’s all there is to it.
This is one of those stories that’s difficult to review, simply because there isn’t much to say about it. Despite three of its four episodes currently being lost, “The Celestial Toymaker” is well known among Doctor Who fans both for its structure and for its villain. Well, get ready for more of the same: remember when the Toymaker pitted his wits against the Doctor’s in a series of puzzles? Hecuba (Caroline Faber), the aforementioned Queen of Time, does the same here. Remember when the Toymaker trapped Steven and Dodo in a series of increasingly elaborate, deathly games? Hecuba does the same to Jamie and Zoe. How about when the TARDIS crew reunites at the conclusion and the Doctor devises a way to trap the Toymaker forever inside his domain? Yep, that’s here too. Yes, Hecuba uses time-related tricks instead of parlor games and toys, but when the Doctor even pauses at the conclusion to remark on the similarities, it gives the game away somewhat. This isn’t a sequel so much as a remake.
Thankfully, “The Queen of Time” is more entertaining than its predecessor, but that’s largely down to the format. Through Harvey’s prose, we are presented with a massive citadel filled to capacity with clocks. Massive, razor-sharp clock hands cut deadly swathes through the air. Zoe ages between an elderly woman, an infant, and back again. On television, these would likely be as unconvincing and boring as they are in “The Final Test” – but here the story gets away with it through the listener’s imagination. It also helps that Jamie and Zoe are a more exciting pairing than Steven and Dodo, and that the Doctor isn’t written out of the story for an entire episode. The cast is great, too: this is probably Frazer Hines’ best turn as Patrick Troughton, because he actually tries to capture some of Troughton’s more energetic line readings instead of using his (brilliant) serious Troughton for every word. Wendy Padbury pitches up her voice while playing her younger self, making for a noticeable difference between narration and character. And, of course, Caroline Faber goes stratospherically over the top as Hecuba, cackling her way through the script while having an obvious whale of a time.
The production is solid, both in terms of Lisa Bowerman’s direction and the sound design from Toby Hrycek-Robinson. Overall, though, there isn’t much more to say about “The Queen of Time.” You can basically call this “The Celestial Toymaker II.” If that sounds like a blast to you, then pick this up. If not, don’t.
6/10