The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex find themselves in a World War I military hospital where simmering hate and anger threatens to engulf them.
The Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex find themselves in a World War I military hospital where simmering hate and anger threatens to engulf them.
NO MAN’S LAND
I’ve always been a fan of Martin Day — I was one of a very few people that genuinely enjoyed “The Menagerie,” and I think he became one of the books’ most underrated authors — so the prospect of a Day-penned audio made me hopeful. And “No Man’s Land” does not disappoint in the slightest: it’s a disturbingly bleak evocation of World War I with a lot to say about the human condition, and a dramatic listen to boot.
The setting, along with the plot, is surprisingly simple. It’s a wartime field hospital used primarily for the treatment of the mind: Lieutenant-Colonel Brook (Michael Cochrane) believes he has found a way to breed better soldiers, to drill the compassionate impulses out of his men and develop perfect killing machines. It’s interesting that Day picks the First World War as his environment, since it was then that the nature of warfare changed — Brook’s philosophies are fairly representative of the present day, though you’d never get a modern-day commander to admit as much. Look at Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” — it’s all about the reduction of the modern soldier to an animalistic state. That took place in Vietnam, though, when modern tactics were entrenched; here, Day examines where that all came from. It’s not exactly an optimistic take — “No Man’s Land” definitely posits that the animal nature is there and ready to be exploited — but Brook, Wood (Rob Dixon), and Burridge (Ian Hayles) are certainly filed with the bad guys. In light of this, the revelation at the end isn’t shocking: what other organization would have its eye on the future in such a way?
So when you throw the Doctor, Ace, and Hex into this as “metaphysical detectives,” you’re also defining their roles in the play in a meta-fictional sense. Yes, they bring a stop to Brook’s experiments, but in the long term those actions are virtually meaningless — the war will go on, soldiers will go on killing, and plagues and disease will continue to devastate the planet. So while the Doctor may be trying to solve a murder that hasn’t happened yet, he’s also peeling back the facade on human thought processes that haven’t yet gained a foothold. Thanks to the Doctor, Brook’s pretense fails and we see the abandonment of honor and the embracing of brutality, while Hex is subjected to the treatment for a comparatively short time and we already see it working. There’s really a lot going on here — “No Man’s Land” is quietly one of the most intelligent Big Finish releases.
Sylvester McCoy is on top form here. I’m not sure what prompts his “off days,” but he’s all over this script, giving one of his most powerful performances. He dominates scenes without taking center stage, allowing his wonderful voice to do the heavy lifting. Hex, meanwhile, has gone through hell of late — Philip Olivier is excellent as usual, but is Hex ever *not* having his faith challenged or being tortured? Ace doesn’t do much in terms of the plot, but she and Dudgeon (Rupert Wickham) provide the human counterpoint against the treated soldiers. Sophie Aldred is a world better than she was on television in these more mature portrayals. Cochrane steals the show — Brook’s barely-controlled madness is self-generated rather than the result of brainwashing, and Cochrane portrays this conflict brilliantly. He’s also great in two-handed scenes with McCoy. Dixon is way over the top as Sergeant Wood, but he’s not around long, while Hayles is much more believeable as Burridge. Wickham and Oliver Mellor give welcome performances, though Michael Adams isn’t especially convincing as Pvt. Dixon.
Simon Robinson’s sound design is bizarre in places. It’s hard to discern exactly what is happening in crowded scenes, the marching effects are unconvincing, and the music is almost inappropriate at times. Of course, in other places, it’s fantastic — the effects on the soldiers in the Hate Room are overwhelming and frightening, for example. I’ve noticed other Ainsworth-helmed plays sometimes struggle to “gel” in this way, but the pace is excellent and the acting of a generally high standard.
Overall, this is another excellent release in a surprisingly great year. Martin Day’s script is gripping and intelligent, and the regulars give some of their finest performances in support. Some flaws in the production and in the supporting cast bring it down a point or so, but this should not deter a potential buyer from picking up a fine piece of drama.
Highly recommended.
8/10