What's it about: The TARDIS lands
on an island off Singapore during the Japanese invasion of 1942. The travellers
are found by some British soldiers - among them a certain Private James
Jackson, who just happens to be Ben’s father. But they're not the only visitors
to the island...
Giddy Aunt: I've heard complaints about Frazer Hines'
interpretation of the Doctor during the second season of Early Adventures,
comments that he doesn't sound bona fide enough. Get a grip guys, Frazer Hines
is not trying to portray Patrick Troughton as the Doctor, he is offering his
own take on the character. An interpretation that springs from real affection
for their time together. If there are bumpy moments when Hines doesn't quite
get the inflection right I can easily forgive that because I know he is acting
his heart off out of a place of pure love for both the character and the actor
who played him. If it's enough to take you out of the story, I feel for you.
But for me Hines' efforts are greatly appreciated. The Doctor doesn't mind what he gets to eat during wartime...but
states specifically what he desires. I love how the Doctor can suddenly turn on
a sixpence from a bumbling buffoon who gets entangled in a trap of pots and
pans to a quietly menacing figure facing down an alien interloper. It's those
shades of grey that make him such a fascinating incarnation. Richards has
always had a good grasp on the most indefinable of Doctors, as far back as his
novel Dreams of Empire. The Doctor manages to prove he is who he says he is
because he bamboozles everybody in trying to prove it. His playfulness in the
face of a creature that feeds on fear is his greatest strength. He has no fear of
dying, which is a bit of a problem for a foe that uses that thought as a method
of dispatch.
Able Seaman: I truly appreciate the chance to explore Ben
more as a character because we have already enjoyed a wealth of adventures that
have fleshed out Jamie and Polly. Ben is more of an enigma and with a strong
actor in the role it is a great chance to puzzle him out. Having him feature in
a grim historical featuring a family member brings this a little close in style
to Resistance (which had the same modus operandi but for Polly) but since that
was such a success I can completely understand why they have repeated the
formula. Ben knew there was a possibly of touching upon aspects of his life
when travelling in time but he never expected it to become so personal.
Dolly Bird: Polly enjoys a huge imagination which can run
away with itself. She informs Ben in a very curt way that he cannot coddle her
all the time, no matter how much he might want to. Her ability to talk to
people, to comfort them, is a real art. Amongst two testosterone fuelled young
men and an awkward Time Lord, she is the personable link to the real world. A
feisty lady who isn't going to be frightened to death by their foe, Polly gets
seriously angry when the alien tries it's party trick on her. She's smart too,
managing to escape its clutches and survive against the odds.
Yahoos: Whilst there might have been some underlying tension
between Michael Craze and Frazer Hines that manifested itself on screen at
times during the early Troughton era (the scene where they brawl in The
Moonbase feels bourne of real feelings to me), I always had the sense that a
bromance could emerge between these two characters if the writers had wanted to
explore that. Or maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part. There were
moments during The Forsaken where I felt a brotherly association between the
two, a laddish connection. I would love to see that explored some more because
it would be a really fresh approach to both characters. He's not a tactical
genius but he knows how to set up an early warning system with pots and
pans...at least in order to ensnare the Doctor!
Standout Performance: I'm truly on the fence when it comes
to recasting but not because I object to the idea, more because Big Finish
already have an ideal way to cover for the missing actors (the companion
chronicles) in a format that I really miss. But even I have to admit they have
gotten it spot on with Elliot Chapman as Ben. Chapman sounds really authentic;
chrirpy, charming, cocky and moody. All the things that Ben brought to the
series. And adding a real cockney accent to this foursome makes the stories
themselves sound more genuine.
Sparkling Dialogue: 'If you're fighting for a better world
then you need people to live in it.'
Great Ideas: When a character states that there are worse
places to be stuck waiting for evacuation than Singapore during this period, he
clearly isn't too aware of the tidal wave approaching the country. Jimmy
Jackson is Ben's father. He's come face to face with his father nine months
before he was born. If he isn't careful, he could change things for himself in
a pretty permanent way. Richards manages to brew up a familiar base under siege
environment thanks to the appearance of a roomful of bodies. Who is responsible
and are they still among us? An alien creature that feeds on fear, that can
generate it and use it to its advantage. That's simultaneously a terrifying
prospect and an awesome natural protection.
Killing some of them makes the survivors even more afraid. It drains its
victims of terror, devours it, killing them outright. Another survival
technique, a shape shifting ability. Not just the killer among us but the
killer is one of us. The Doctor thought the Forsaken were a legend. They land
somewhere off the beaten track where they don't attract attention to
themselves. The Doctor realises that whilst the Forsaken are relishing in the
death of others, they are terrified of their own end.
Audio Landscape: Birdsong, seagulls which feel so evocative
to me living on the South Coast and being woken up by the buggers every
morning, planes roaring overhead, rasping breathing, creatures whistling and
screaming in the jungle, heavy breathing, a squeaking door, gunshots.
Musical Cues: The music was instantly memorable;
instrumental, chilling and exotic. After a time it becomes a little familiar
but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is beautifully composed.
Isn't it Odd: How very bizarre to flaunt the concept of Ben
having to protect the life of his father in order to preserve his life and then
do so little with it. It's not an original idea but I was at least expecting
some touching moments between Ben and his father and some kind of complications
to the story that might suggest that Ben might pop out of existence. Otherwise
why bring the idea up in the first place?
Result: 'It's only a matter of time...' I have been
doing volunteer work with various organisation for the past five years. One of
those was Age Concern Eastbourne and in their befriending programme I found
myself in the company of a fascinating man called Jack who was a Japanese
prisoner of war in Singapore in the Second World War. If I had a strong
reaction to this tale it is because Jack recounted in some detail the horrors
that he suffered during that period, even giving me his autobiography to read.
It is a rich and emotional historical furrow for Doctor Who to mine. It was a
genuinely horrific time and to set a Troughton adventure during that period is
quite a brave affair - his era was far more interested in entertaining than
educating and this is the kind of raw reminder of human history that was
contained to the Hartnell era. Whilst this story doesn't go into graphic detail
about the atrocities that occurred (it is still Doctor Who after all), I
listened on edge in a way that somebody who hasn't experienced the torture of
the experience through another might not. Richards does something surprising
with the regulars, he keeps them together for a great deal of the story. That
impressed me because it must be much more tempting to split them up and handle
their own thread in the story. It reminds me of just how engaging this foursome
are. Lisa Bowerman is such a strong director with acres of experience at
bringing historical adventures to life (Jago & Litefoot) and this had a
touch of one of my favourite audios stories about it, A Thousand Tiny Wings
(also directed by Bowerman). There is an air of disquiet to the story, a
feeling that the enemy could set upon the characters at any minute. That enemy
turned out to be a science fiction concept rather than an historical one but it
was a creepy, if derivative, threat all the same. I enjoyed the shorter
episodes too, very in keeping with the Troughton era. The atmospherics and
character compensate for the fact that the story is actually rather thin and
barely justifies half the length. But this is hardly the only story from 60s
and 70s Who that commits this crime and the realisation and strong cast truly
pick up the slack. The whole dilemma of Ben's father being present is
bafflingly ignored...I'm not entirely sure why it was included given it's
irrelevance to the story. A shame as whilst this is a strong story for Ben
anyway (Elliot Chapman is superb), it could have been a lot more personal. But
I wont quibble because if you compare this to Richards other recent
contribution (The Wave of Destruction) The Forsaken is loaded with riches. I
listened to this story on a Sunday afternoon and it feels like the perfect time
to enjoy an atmospheric and enjoyable slice of Who: 7/10
