Monsters in Metropolis

Now, does that seem like a puppet to you? Do puppets often scream?

The Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

Berlin, 1927. The making of a science fiction legend. But death stalks the film set and history is not what the Doctor expects it to be. And this new ‘Machine Man’ is a more terrifying vision of humanity’s future than Fritz Lang had in mind…

Review

In his one season run as the Doctor, Christopher Eccleston did not face off against the Cybermen, and the closest he came was a small easter egg in Henry Van Statten’s museum in Dalek. So it was perhaps inevitable that when Eccleston returned to Big Finish that a Cyberman story would follow.

Monsters in Metropolis is set around the production of the 1927 film Metropolis and it is clear that writer John Dorney has done his homework around production of the film. Dorney cites it as being the starting point for science fiction on screen in his script and it is easy to see that a story with a mechanical man element is ripe for a Doctor Who twist. I will state that I have not seen Metropolis, however, this fact did not impact on my enjoyment of the story, and I am sure that there are references in the story to the finished film for fans to catch. The story is really enjoyable and just a really lovely and inventive Doctor Who story. John Dorney is amongst the strongest and most consistent writers that Big Finish frequently use, and Monsters in Metropolis is an example of him at his very best.

You think I should forgive those who killed my friends and family? Those who punish us still, after all this death, they’re not satisfied, they want me dead too. They want everyone in Germany dead too.

Dieter Jovanovic

Dorney doesn’t ignore the context in which Metropolis was being made. Interwar Berlin was suffering the impact of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, which required Germany to pay reparations to the Allied countries as part of the Armstice and would be one of the contributing factors in the cause of the Second World War. This would in turn lead to hyperinflation in Germany due to the Wall Street Crash in 1929 and the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in the 1930s. Dorney gives the true villain of the piece, Jovanovic, motivations inspired by this and draws the parallel that the film was released in the same year that Mein Kampf was too. In fact, Jovanovic even cites to the Doctor that his reasons for doing this were his struggles, the translation of Hitler’s book. Whilst his motivations may not be subtle, and obviously John Dorney is writing with the benefit of hindsight, it does at least serve to make Jovanovic’s motivations seem relatively grounded and even sympathetic. This is someone who has lost everyone he has loved to war, and believes that the only recourse is revenge, therefore stopping a movie whose message is about the importance of peace made in his homeland makes a certain degree of sense. It is helped by a good performance from Peter Bankolé.

There are certainly some similarities between this story and Robert Shearman’s Dalek, which reintroduced the Doctor’s infamous foes in Series One. The Cyberman in this story is alone, not part of a bigger army and both it and the titular Dalek are ultimately affected by their emotions. The stories set up the villains for a return later on in the series, which the Cybermen will do at the end of this first series of audio adventures for the Ninth Doctor. However, the Cyberman is damaged and it’s emotions are ever present, which gives Nick Briggs something different to play with in his role as the voice of the Cyberman in this story. It’s rare to see the Cyberman controlled as the one in this story is by Jovanovic, which helps to make this story feel fresh and original. Ultimately, the Cyberman ends up being destroyed by the Doctor for fear of being manipulated by other malevolent forces. The story does effectively build up tension and fear around the Cyberman’s appearance through the use of a simple but effective musical sting.

It speaks to my soul. The mediator between the mind and the hands must be the heart.

Cyberman

The other members of the guest cast are Helen Goldwyn and Nick Wilton, who do really good work as Anna Dreyfus and Fritz Lang. Dorney makes sure that his guest cast all get something to do, and it really works to the credit of the story as a whole. Dreyfus is the pseudo-companion for the piece, and comes across as likeable and resourceful, and is suitably suspicious when following the events of the story, production of Metropolis follows the route that the Doctor told her at the start of the story. Wilton plays the spiky Lang really well, sparring with Olaf Richter, a difficult actor who ultimately ends up as the Cyberman’s first victim, and is played well by Raj Ghatak.

Eccleston is on fine form here for what is probably the strongest of his audio stories to date. He captures the Doctor’s emotions perfectly, from his enthusiasm and excitement at being on the set of Metropolis and meeting Fritz Lang, to his horror at coming face to face with the Cybermen. Eccleston gets a chance to be in equal parts authorative and funny, especially in the scenes with his four-coloured pen, which is something that sounds as though it’s just a throwaway joke and I was surprised when it came back later. Moreover, the reasons for the Doctor wanting to visit the production of Metropolis feel utterly logical. This is a Doctor fresh off the back of the Time War; of course he would want to see the making of a film whose predominant message is one of peace not war. Whilst this fits the Doctor’s ethos throughout their incarnations, the Ninth Doctor feels perfect for it. The final scene of the piece, between Anna and the Doctor is perhaps one of the most moving of the story.

Verdict: Monsters in Metropolis brings the Ninth Doctor together with one of the true icons of the show, the Cybermen. It is well written and well acted, with the performances of Christopher Eccleston and Nicholas Briggs particularly standing out. 10/10

Cast: Christopher Eccleston (The Doctor), Nick Wilton (Fritz Lang), Helen Goldwyn (Anna Dreyfus), Peter Bankolé (Dieter Jovanovic), Raj Ghatak (Olaf Richter) & Nicholas Briggs (Cyberman).

Writer: John Dorney

Director: Barnaby Edwards

Producer: David Richardson

Composer: Howard Carter

Release Date: 23rd November 2021

Behind the Scenes

• The first meeting of the Ninth Doctor and the Cybermen in a performed medium. They have met in print in the comics Supremacy of the Cybermen and The Bidding War, as well as in the short story The Patchwork Pierrot.

Cast Notes

• Nick Wilton has also appeared in Brave New Town, The Beast of Orlok and Deimos/The Resurrection of Mars (The Eighth Doctor Adventures).
• Helen Goldwyn has appeared in a number of Big Finish stories, including The Spectre of Lanyon Moor, Sword of Orion and The Crimes of Thomas Brewster.
• Peter Bankolé has also appeared in The Moons of Vulpana as Issak.
• Raj Ghatak has also appeared in Madquake, The Blazing Hour and The Mind of the Hodiac.

Best Quote

You must die.

Well, sure, eventually but not just now, thanks.

Cyberman and the Ninth Doctor

Previous Ninth Doctor review: The Curse of Lady Macbeth

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