You speak like the Doctor. You swagger like him…but the Doctor is a lithe fellow in a bow tie or an angry weathered biped with a strange intonation or a cheery boy with yellow hair.
Strax
This review contains spoilers. If you have not listened to Doctor Who: Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 yet, go away and listen to it, and return once you have!
Synopsis
The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. But he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears…
Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation – the Tenth – but he is not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. The Paternoster Gang – Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax – are also here to assist. But can they offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?
Review
I know that the approach of bringing seemingly random characters together to make a story has its critics, however, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t have a whole lot of fun listening to this. Perhaps the reason why this works better than the two stories immediately preceding it is because this meeting of characters feels as though it could happen organically.
Jonathan Barnes adapts H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds and puts a Doctor Who spin on it. I have not read The War of the Worlds but have seen the Tom Cruise movie adaptation so am familiar with some of the elements of the story, including the red weeds and Martian tripods. Even with a limited knowledge of the story, Barnes has made The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 into an accessible and fun adaptation of the story, and adapts it. Perhaps one of the most abrupt parts of Wells’ story is that the invading aliens are taken down by the common cold, which is something that Barnes is quick to dismiss as a quick solution to the story, with Missy’s Tissue Compression Eliminator being crucial to this story’s conclusion. I understand from reading around the story that the Paternoster Gang also take up roles in the original story. Barnes manages to evoke the horror of the devastated London, but it doesn’t tonally jar with some of the funnier moments, which are provided by Strax and Missy, and balances the plot and character moments nicely.
I know what’s happened to you, Doctor. I can relate, I can. You know, because it’s happened to me.
Missy
Michelle Gomez brings her chaotic incarnation of the Master to Once and Future, and is the mastermind behind this homage to this book, going so far as to genetically engineer the Martians in order to complete the homage. Gomez is a great actor and effectively brings her brand of chaos to audio, and I understand from the behind the scenes that she was improvising quite a lot, but she is certainly key to most of the funny moments. We learn that this homage to War of the Worlds is a way of the Master trying to control their own degeneration crisis, having been hit by the same weapon as the Doctor, and we finally have a name for who might be responsible: the Union!
The Paternoster Gang are integrated into this story well, and I think that the dynamics between the trio of Vastra, Strax and Jenny work so well thanks to the performances of Neve McIntosh, Caitrin Stewart and Dan Starkey. Strax, in particular has a great rapport with Jessamy Moore, the journalist who we meet at the beginning of the story. As the outsider to scenarios like this, being a normal human, Jessamy brings an important perspective here, and whilst she may not have a lot to contribute to the story, she represents the listener in a story which features two Time Lords, a Silurian and a Sontaran.
David Tennant brings his usual charm and charisma to the role of the Doctor and does a great job. He has great chemistry with both Missy, who is a different incarnation to the ones he encountered on television, and the Paternoster Gang. His performance is the one that this story ultimately hangs on, and Tennant fulfills that role really well. His Doctor has a very different relationship with Missy than the Twelfth Doctor, perhaps due to his incarnations experiences with both the Jacobi and Saxon incarnations, and is much more confrontational with her. The fact that his relationship with this incarnation of the Master is so different makes the dynamic feel fresh and different, as well as a whole lot of fun.
Tennant isn’t the only Doctor in this story though. We have cameos from both the First Doctor played by Stephen Noonan and Tim Treloar, played by the Third Doctor, who frame this story with the ongoing degeneration crisis arc. Treloar is the most established of Big Finish’s recast Doctors, and does a solid job. I’m a big fan of the Third Doctor range, and Treloar continues to go from strength to strength, with his cameo here solidifying him as a good replacement for Jon Pertwee. Noonan is a bit fresher and it’s safe to say that I’m not quite there with his performance, but the more I hear him, the more I come to terms with it. Given time, I’m sure that his performance will reach a similar level to Treloar’s. No one can replace the original actors, but both cannot be said to be trying their best to embody the spirit of their respective Doctors. One thing that puzzles me about Once and Future is whether Michael Troughton is going to get a bit more to do as the Second Doctor, as both Noonan and Treloar have had slightly larger roles.
Verdict: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50 is one of the strongest entries into the Once and Future range and a great, fun story. Tennant and Gomez shine through this story. I’m off to read The War of the Worlds! 9/10
Cast: David Tennant (The Doctor), Michelle Gomez (Missy), Neve McIntosh (Vastra), Dan Starkey (Strax), Catrin Stewart (Jenny), Hannah Genesius (Jessamy Moore), Stephen Noonan (The First Doctor) & Tim Treloar (The Third Doctor).
Writer: Jonathan Barnes
Director: Ken Bentley
Producer: David Richardson
Music: Howard Carter
Release Date: 12th September 2023
Behind the Scenes
- This was the first story to be recorded for Once and Future.
- The story pays homage to H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds. The Sixth Doctor met H.G. Wells in Timelash, and the Big Finish story Invaders from Mars, starring Paul McGann’s Eighth Doctor, was set around the infamous radio broadcast of that story.
Cast Notes
- Outside of her recurring role as Missy, which Michelle Gomez has reprised for Big Finish, she also played Jevvan in Valhalla.
- Neve McIntosh has played other roles including Gruach in The Curse of Lady Macbeth (The Ninth Doctor Adventures), Lara Zannis in The Shadow Vortex (The War Doctor) and various Silurians on both television and for Big Finish.
- Dan Starkey has played numerous Sontarans, both on television and Big Finish, as well as appearing in Last Christmas.
- Hannah Genesius has previously played Trave in Enemy Lines (Gallifrey), Ana Janz in The Genesis Chamber (Philip Hinchcliffe Presents) and Milla in Flight to Calandra (The Twelfth Doctor Chronicles).
Best Quote
Are you giving me orders? Because I’m not one of your companions.
Oooh, no, you wouldn’t get an interview.
Missy and the Tenth Doctor
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