What could have been?

This is an original audio drama produced by the BBC in 2001 and broadcast online. There was talk at the time about continuing the Doctor's adventures in this format, so this could be seen as testing the waters on some level.

As a fan of the show, it is hard to be objective reviewing this radio drama as it does a fair bit of "re-imagining" of the premise of the show. The Time Lords are presented as "Gods of the Fourth", supremely powerful and unable to interfere with the machinations of the universe without destroying it (and given all the killing with a single word stuff, is paying homage to Frank Herbert's Dune).

We encounter a Doctor who has dealt with the issue of unpredictable companions by literally building his own, who of course is not aware of his own origins (which I admit leads to some lovely scenes when The Doctor has to deal with the loss of Antimony). TV companion Ace is back, voiced by the gorgeous Sophie Aldred, but now even she is something more than we remember and has a difficult path ahead of her as she moves away from The Doctor.

The plot follows the conquests of the brutal General Tanis, while the 7th Doctor is busy pulling strings behind the scenes to manipulate his downfall. The production becomes almost surreal at times with wonderful characters such as the "Minister of Chance" weaving themselves in and out of events. In coming to resolution, The Doctor is forced to make some very difficult decisions, some of which change the universe (and by extension, the nature of any adventures that might have followed in this canon).

Personally, I loved this drama and found the bizarre quality of the story and characters genuinely engaging. That being said, I can see how the story might be too confusing for someone not a fan, and ironically may put off the die-hard fan due to its rewriting of continuity.

Fans of the series who can deal with speculative treatments of the material may find a hidden gem here.

8 people found this helpful

Confusing

I wanted to like this audio adventure but unlike those done by Elizabeth Sladen and John Pertwee, this adventure does not flow well, has some overwhelming sound effects which blot out dialogue at times, and is produced as if the listener could see what is happening.

Slyvester McCoy is barely in the episode and the events in this story seem over the top, even for Doctor Who.

Good voice acting, especially by John Sessions.

5 people found this helpful

Classic Doctor Who... with a Twist

I'm not sure that I can recommend this for those who are new to Doctor Who because you have to know something about the lore to appreciate this story. But for those fans of the classic series, especially those who enjoy Sylvester McCoy's run... here's the thought for the day that will make you scratch your head:

Ace... in training to become a Time Lord.

Do I have your attention yet? This story is straight from the planned scripts that were in line to be made for the next season before the series got cancelled. Think of this as a peek behind the curtain into what might have been as part of the Cartmel Masterplan.

2 people found this helpful

Confusing

Confusing is the only word to describe this Doctor Who audiobook -- the performances, while done very well by the voice actors, are marred by very little explanation of what's going on. There are loads of sound effects but these sometimes almost drown or distort the voices. Even after hours of listening, I just couldn't really get into what's happening or who's who as many voices sound almost alike.

1 person found this helpful

Canonically weird, but excellent story

This is a strange story. It's heavily steeped in the mythology of the Doctor Who series, especially the classic series, and casual Doctor Who fans might not understand everything going on. On the other hand, those that are very knowledgable about the Doctor Who mythos might be put off by the heavy changes made to the background of the universe.

But it has Stephen Fry as a Time Lord, and that pretty much wipes away any concerns about this drama.

In all honesty, it has some amazing acting performances, and the story is just a lot of fun from start to finish. I highly recommend it to Doctor Who fans.

1 person found this helpful

Brillant

Epic Story of the Doctor, Lots of Depth and possibilites. Its trully a "what if" story. I loved his "companion" and the ending, both were real twists...real fans of McCoy will love.

1 person found this helpful

This is much better as a web story

It is had to follow without the imagery associated with the original web story. One does not get a sense of place, which is important in a complex story.

Great story

Of all the audio Doctor Who adventures, this is one of my favorites. (The other being Ghosts of N-Space.) I like this because of the twists and turns in the story. I like having Sophie Aldred and Sylvester McCoy being Ace and the Doctor. I especially like what happens to Ace. It would have been wonderful to see this on the television.

GREAT Doctor Who!

I'm a Big Doctor Who fan but didn't care all that much for Sylester McCoy. His running with knees up high with goofy music. To be honest there was a few of his Doctor shows I did like. But this was a GREAT story. Well worth the listen!

the best dr who audio

What made the experience of listening to Doctor Who the most enjoyable?

every thing was perfect

What was one of the most memorable moments of Doctor Who?

everything was perfect

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

every thing was perfect

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

not extreme but it was very great

Any additional comments?

i reccomend this as one right now the best audio book i have ever listened to !