Following an emergency landing, the TARDIS arrives on a remote world orbiting a peculiar star – a pulsar which exerts an enormous gravitational force, strong enough to warp time. On further exploration the Doctor and his friends, Jamie and Zoe, discover a human outpost on the planet surface, inhabited by scientists who are there to study an ancient city. The city is apparently abandoned, but the scientists are at a loss to explain what happened to its sophisticated alien architects. The Doctor discovers that something dark, silent and deadly is also present on the world – and it is slowly closing in on the human intruders…
SHADOW OF DEATH
“Shadow of Death” is the second in the eleven-play anniversary series “Destiny of the Doctor,” produced cooperatively by Big Finish and AudioGO. Unlike its predecessor, which told a story that preceded “An Unearthly Child,” this script from author Simon Guerrier aims to be a straight-up tribute to the Troughton era, and succeeds in entertaining fashion.
This story couldn’t have a more traditional structure if Terrance Dicks wrote it. The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe land inside a deserted base on a planet orbiting a pulsar. Within minutes, they find that the base isn’t as deserted as they thought, and are arrested as saboteurs. And when an unknown menace starts to attack the base personnel, our heroes manage to convince their captors of their good faith and solve the problem in the nick of time. Where “Shadow of Death” succeeds is in its atmosphere: Guerrier’s prose expertly captures the bleak, desolate feel of the nearly-empty base and planet surface, while presenting the “enemy” as a creeping shadow on the floor gives it an implacable, threatening quality. The lone death is suitably horrifying and prepares the listener to expect more, making the subsequent scenes all the more gripping.
Characterization is also a strength of this story, especially concerning the regulars. The second Doctor is presented at his best, his foolish exterior just concealing his fierce intelligence. His response to the message from the future – “That’s what I say when I don’t know what I’m doing” – is laugh-out-loud funny, and Guerrier describes Troughton’s mannerisms perfectly. Jamie and Zoe also do well, especially the former’s initial confrontation with the “monster,” and it’s delightful to hear how much trust the Doctor has in Zoe’s problem-solving abilities. Unfortunately, the supporting characters don’t do as well – Sophie is drawn well, albeit in broad strokes, but the others are so forgettable it’s hard to remember how many of them there actually are. Or, indeed, to remember their names while writing a review. The conclusion of the story is also anticlimactic – while the TARDIS crew’s abrupt departure is strongly in keeping with the era, the dramatic revelation of the “monster’s” motive is head-scratchingly uninteresting.
As for the continuing arc element, it’s interesting that it’s only the second play and the eleventh Doctor’s involvement has already been explicitly spelled out. Guerrier’s description of the future Doctor is perfect, and it’s a delight to hear the second Doctor reading his future self’s words in disbelief. I’m not sure what’s to come of this device, but even kept to one message per episode like this I suspect I’d enjoy it.
Frazer Hines narrates, and to call his performance “wonderful” would be to undersell it. It’s no surprise that he easily recaptures his performance as Jamie, but his impression of Patrick Troughton is so convincing I almost forgot it wasn’t the genuine article. When not doing voices, his smooth tones help bring out the script’s atmosphere. Guerrier seems to understand not to ask his narrator to do too much, and so he keeps other characters’ lines to a minimum – though this does make the others seem oddly silent. Fortunately, Hines only has to affect a silly voice for the “monster” on one occasion. Evie Dawnay adds the voice of Sophie, and while convincing, her role as a narrative foil for the TARDIS crew renders her somewhat unmemorable.
The production is quite successful. Simon Hunt’s sound design is mostly heard in opening doors or TARDIS materializations, but his score is reminiscent of the minimalist Troughton-era sci-fi scores. John Ainsworth directs smoothly. Overall, “Shadow of Death” is a fine love letter to the era that inspired it. It makes effective use of its format and sports an excellent narrator to carry the listener through the story. Not a classic, but exactly what you’d expect from an anniversary tribute.
Highly recommended.
8/10