The Avenues of Possibility written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Helen Goldwyn

What’s it About: DI Patricia Menzies is used to the strange, but even she is surprised when the eighteenth century itself falls onto her patch. Fortunately, she has the founders of modern policing to help with her enquiries. And when the Sixth Doctor and Charley arrive, they find armed and hostile forces trying to change Earth history forever.

Softer Six: The sixth Doctor and Charley stories were one of my favourite periods of Big Finish; when the trilogies were just kicking into gear and Barnes and Briggs were taking big risks. To have a companion hop Doctors from a later one to an earlier one was unprecedented and the air of mystery and suspense that surrounded the sixth Doctor/Charley relationship meant that things never got boring. On a purely performance level it gave India Fisher a chance to get her teeth into some really juicy material after coasting along endlessly in her latter eighth Doctor stories and she and Colin Baker developed a fine, warm and spiky rapport. Given how tediously long some runs can be on audio it seems almost a shame that these two didn’t have more time together. Always leave them wanting more isn’t a trope I would ascribe to Big Finish but in this case they gave you just enough to be desperate for more. To their credit they have only returned to the pairing twice in the intervening decade. Trust the Doctor to have friends in high places – this time it’s the Chief of Scotland Yard. His reputation precedes him but that is often the case. He’s the living proof that yes he really as wise and wonderful as everybody says. Even if he does say so himself. How the Doctor met Henry Fielding is a long story involving a Draconian Prince. It’s fairly obvious that as soon as Charley reveals the truth about herself that the Doctor will lose his memory of those events.

Edwardian Adventuress: There’s nothing a young lady wants more than to be scandalised and so Charley would read all the texts that her mother warned her away from. Both Charley and Menzies laugh in the face of ye olde gender politics and quite right too. I always loved how Charley refused to conform to what was expected of a young miss of the time. Instead she wanted adventure, excitement and danger. Boy did she get it. It took Charley some time to believe that the sixth Doctor was the same man as the eighth. She’s been at this game long enough to know when to switch into the old prisoner and escort routine. If the Sirens feed on time paradoxes then Charley knows of one very juicy paradox that they might find indigestible. Fielding tries to convince her to let the Doctor die but she refuses to let any man make that decision for her. That’s her Doctor and she’s going to save him no matter what the cost.

DI Menzies: I love the fact that the idea of the 18th Century crashing into her station doesn’t even cause her to batter an eyelid. Menzies isn’t irritated that somebody from the past considers it ridiculous that a member of the ‘weaker’ sex is in charge of the constabulary, she’s more wryly amused. ‘Things have moved on a bit since your day.’ I like the fact that Menzies is running the investigation and not the Doctor, she’s the one taking these huge ideas and trying to put them all in some kind of order.

Standout Performance: Colin and India, what a team. Fisher is especially good in her climactic moment.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Time is not behaving as it should’ ‘And you’ve come to give it a slap on the wrist.’
‘Zagreus!’

Great Ideas: A number of temporal breaches have appeared in 1751, breaches leading to alternative timelines. They are all radiating from the same central point, like the fractures around a bullet hole. Something has shattered the fabric of space/time and has left it in an extremely precarious state. Without sealing the breaches the crack may get worse, or even shatter, which would cause incalculable damage to the timelines. The Sirens are creatures from the legends of Time Lords from the dawn of histry (isn’t that always the way?) and they make their presence felt here by screaming their way out of a paradox.

Isn’t it Odd: I don’t think it has escaped anybody’s attention that this story was originally to have featured Jago & Litefoot and it is a tragedy that circumstances have prevented that from happening. To have two characters step through a breach in time from the 18th century to the current day and for it not to be Jago & Litefoot is a positive crime. But Jonathan Morris is too strong a writer to let that sort of block stifle his creativity and he powers on regardless. However, there is an air of tragedy about the story because of it. The theme music kicks in almost seven minutes into the story – is that a record for a Big Finish? It’s a shame that there is barely any interaction between the Doctor and Menzies.

Standout Scene: ‘You brilliant, wonderful girl. You’ve made me into the biggest paradox of all!’ In a fantastic moment (I had chills) that tears down the pretence between the Doctor and Charley and gloriously celebrates those first few years where Charley travelled with eight, she spills the truth about her history with his future. It’s beautifully played by both parties and once again leaves me gagging for more with them. Damn you Big Finish.

Result: An insane amount of wibbly wobbly timey wimeyness has been chucked at this adventure and the fun comes from stepping back from trying to make logical sense of it and just going with the flow and seeing where the story takes you. It hands you the gorgeous pairing of the sixth Doctor and Charley and the return of DI Menzies for start and those are all reasons to party. Colin Baker and India Fisher are clearly thrilled to be back together and their chemistry is as addictive as ever. We’re offered a peek into a fascinating alternative world where history took a very different path (was the use of Brigade Leader deliberate to suggest that this was the same alternative world as Inferno?) and afforded a glimpse into the relationship between the Doctor another famous historical figure. Is there anybody he doesn’t know? The Avenues of Possibility is the story where we realise just far back this story stretches into Big Finish history and as the saying goes we’re going right back to the beginning (excluding Benny, of course). There’s such a clever use of Charley, a character you would think had been exhausted of possibility but she’s vital to the climax here, the very nature of her continued existence being the very thing that allows them to escape. She’s brilliantly characterised throughout this and Fisher delivers one of her best performances as a result. It's interesting to note that this was directed by Helen Goldwyn and not Ken Bentley and the sound design and music was a lot more memorable than the earlier releases in this set. Over complicated, but massively engaging despite that: 8/10