STORY PLACEMENT THIS STORY TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE BIG FINISH AUDIO DRAMAS "THE JUGGERNAUTS" AND "THICKER THAN WATER."
PRODUCTION CODE 7C/T
WRITTEN BY ALISON LAWSON
DIRECTED BY GARY RUSSELL
RECOMMENDED PURCHASE BIG FINISH CD#68 (ISBN 1-84435-135-1) RELEASED IN APRIL 2005.
BLURB When the Doctor and Mel visit the National Foundation for Scientific Research as it celebrates its centenary, Mel expects only to be able to catch up with her uncle. She doesn’t expect to meet her own ancestors...
Visiting your relatives can sometimes be trying, but surely it should never be this difficult? |
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Catch-1782 APRIL 2005 (4 EPISODES)
“Catch-1782” is one of those stories that I half-dreaded prior to its release, but after listening to it I could not believe just how good it actually was. Released not long after the triumphant return of Doctor Who to our television screens, this story is one that has sadly been overlooked by many fans. Rather than compete with the fast and bold Saturday night drama of the 2005 series, “Catch-1782” is in contrast a quiet, personal story; a wonderful exploration of the perils of time travel.
I have to admit it, Mel and the sixth Doctor make for a good team on audio. Both “The One Doctor” and “The Juggernauts” were excellent stories, and “Catch-1782” continues the trend. I have never liked the character of Mel and I doubt that I ever will, but credit has to be given to both Big Finish and Bonnie Langford for their rejuvenation of the character. On television, Mel was nothing more than a blank slate. A character with no introduction; no past; and quite frankly no personality. On audio, however, Mel has been given a home, a time, a place – and now a family.
Alison Lawson’s story is based entirely around the idea of Mel being thrown back into her own family history and unwittingly becoming a part of it. It works brilliantly, firstly because the paradox itself is fascinating and secondly - more importantly - because Lawson’s characters are great – every last one of them. From makeshift companion Professor Munro (Iain Fairbairn); to Mel’s troubled ancestor, Henry Hallam (Keith Drinkel); to his besotted housekeeper, Mrs McGregor (Jillie Meers); every fascinating character is credibly portrayed, really helping to bring the eighteenth century alive. These historical audio adventures keep getting better and better.
Why I liked “Catch-1782” so much though is because it is not a huge, bold historical adventure the likes of “The Highlanders” or “The Aztecs.” Instead, the period visit is of no real historical importance, the story revolving around character rather than incident which I personally found far more interesting.
I cannot think of a better compliment to pay this new Big Finish writer than to say that she had me hooked for nearly two hours on a story revolving around a character that I have always hated! A real gem, this one.
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Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2006
E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
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