Good Grief: The Doctor is not remotely interested in chasing
after the Brigadier's mysteries, even when Jo tries to put an exciting spin on
them. He walks into any establishment and acts as if he owns the place and
doesn't give a damn if it upsets anybody or not. Something of an expert in
everything, especially modesty. He might be a pompous know it all but he will
step into danger at a moments notice to save his friends. Confidence is his key
characteristic, for good or for ill. If anyone can talk himself out of trouble
it is the Doctor. It's in the moments of real gravity that Trelor sounds bang
on like Pertwee, where he has to issue an order and take command of a
situation. The third Doctor had a way of making any situation, no matter how
absurd (think Gell Guards or blobby anti-matter jelly) seem like it was the end
of the world. And Treloar captures that beautifully. The Doctor might bang on
about how much humanity bores/irritates/frustrates him but he will fight until
his last breath to prevent any harm coming to the people on the planet he is stuck
on. That's why he's the hero.
Dippy Agent: Jo went on an underwater assault course just
last year...is this another of her fabricated stories so she doesn't get left
out of the action and will she cause a massive plot complication because of it?
I suppose that is the most extreme description you could give Jo - a useful
plot complication. She was a way of stretching a four parter to a six parter.
It's omitting to mention the great charm and humour that Manning brought to the
role and the series though. Richards gives Jo an authentic series eight showing
here; a buddy for the Doctor, someone who stumbles around in dangerous
environments and gets into blunders and somebody who can be relied on to
provide the humanity in any given situation. Strangely Manning fares less well
in full cast dramas than she does in stories she narrates in their entirety
(she was similarly uncomfortable in The Defectors). She's adequate in Prisoners
without giving the sort of full throttle performance that rocketed stories like
Find and Replace into something truly special.
Camp Soldier: Mike Yates has enjoyed a quiet revolution on
audio between the Nest Cottage audios and his appearances in Big Finish
stories. He's actually racked up an impressive number of stories now and it certainly
helps that Richard Franklin sounds as though he hasn't aged a day since Planet
of the Spiders. Mike was never the most exciting character on television (until
he turned rogue and even then he was a bit wet) but on audio he has been
re-interpreted as somebody a bit more thoughtful and resourceful, somebody
grounded that the Doctor can rely on in a crisis. Somebody I like, rather than
tolerate. When the Doctor starts insulting people willy nilly, Mike steps in to
point out he is being rude and the man he is insulting is actually highly
qualified.
Standout Performance: How do I feel about Big Finish
recasting the third Doctor? How do I feel about recasting the Doctors in
general? If you had asked me fifteen years ago when I was still a precocious
youth I probably would have ran around the room declaring it the worst idea
ever conceived, hurl some abuse in your face and refuse to talk to you again.
Something extraordinary happened when the companion chronicles were devised and
produced, Big Finish were able to find a subtle way of recasting the Doctors
over and over again as the performers who played their companions offered
authentic and often poignant portrayals of the Doctors that they travelled
with. William Russell, Peter Purves, Frazer Hines and Katy Manning in
particular captured their Doctor with a touching sense of nostalgia for the
actor they once worked with. Such was the success of the range it paved the way
for Big Finish to definitively recast certain performers that are no longer
with us in full cast audios. Was this crossing a line? I don't think so. It's
finding new avenues to tell stories that otherwise wouldn't be able to be told
given that the original actors are no longer with us. That is a fact and it is
hardly an affront to them when the replacements are trying to tap into the same
magic that they created in the first play. More an homage than an
interpretation. For some people, this is a complete no-no. I get that. I hope
that those same people can't bring themselves to watch The Five Doctors.
Prisoners of the Lake sees Tim Treloar making his debut in a full length story
as the third Doctor. Is he a spot on mimic of Pertwee? No. But the gravelly
tones, petulance and good humour capture enough of what Pertwee brought to the
role for you to be able to suspend your belief and enjoy the story unfold. It's
an enjoyable performance in an enjoyable story and the fact that Treloar allowed
me to imagine Jon Pertwee alive and in action again felt like a real gift. I
certainly don't object to more of the same, it means that the Pertwee era can
now be represented in the same lavish way as the other classic eras of the
show.
Great Ideas: Something sinister has occurred in an
underwater base. In one sentence Justin Richards manages to sum up the essence
of a great Doctor Who story. A mystery in an exciting setting. I certainly
don't object to narration in a full cast drama, it sure cuts away all that
awkward and flabby descriptive dialogue that can sink an otherwise good story.
There is a touch of The Sea Devils to the Doctor heading underwater in a diving
bell to an underwater base but I don't think it does this range any harm at all
to mimic the era it is supposed to be set in to get itself established. If,
like the fourth Doctor adventures, it continues to play the nostalgia card it
could get a little wearying but at this stage this is exactly the sort of thing
I am looking for. Something that feels like a Pertwee adventure that could have
taken place. The structure under the water turns out to be an alien
spaceship...well of course it does! And a stone spaceship at that (see The
Daemons). The Dastrons are some of the most callous, vicious and murderous life
forms in the cosmos, their expansionist imperialism cost the lives of millions.
The prisoners of the lake are the leaders of the Dastron military forces, the
ones responsible for attempting to annex their neighbouring star systems. The
two stone robots are prosecutor and defender and the transport vessel is a
justice environment to try the Dastron leaders. Operating a hyperdrive in the
atmosphere of the Earth would be catastrophic, causing massive devastation to
an enormous area. Millions will die.
Musical Cues: Hah. When I heard how authentic the brassy and
bold musical score was for this story I knew Graeme Robertson had to be
involved somewhere along the line. It seems that whatever era of the show he is
scoring, he manages to nail the feel of the music. Early Pertwee was electronic
madness, melodramatic blasts, beeps and whistles and all of that is in here.
Robertson doesn't just copy the music, he captures the essence of it and does
his own thing. Nicholas Briggs is one of the most underrated musicians at Big
Finish and his presence is also felt.
Isn't it Odd: If out of the unusual Who is your bag then
this will not appeal to you in the slightest. It doesn't come much more
traditional than this. The only element that differs from the norm is Trelor in
the title role. And for those of you who remember how simplistic and escape/capture
the Pertwee years could be at time, do not prepare to have your intellect
tested.
Standout Scene: As strange it might sound, my favourite
scene was the initial scene in the UNIT lab featuring the Doctor and Jo. Simply
because my fears were unfounded and that chemistry was recaptured with a new
actor in the role.
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