Wrath of the Ice Warriors

I will not be Empress of a dead planet!

Zelenda

Synopsis

Plunged into the middle of a desperate mission by his new masters, the Doctor is delighted to be reunited with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT near Cape Wrath, Scotland. The Doctor’s arrival coincides with the sighting of black cylinders in the sky and an attack on a trawler by a ‘creature o’ the sea.’

The Doctor quickly realises he is dealing with Ice Warriors and investigates with the help of the Brigadier and local crofter Sheena Flynn. With a space fleet lurking in the vicinity of Jupiter, the Doctor believes the Martians are planning a new invasion of Earth – but who is the true enemy?

Battle lines are drawn and the Doctor races against time to prevent Earth being caught in the crossfire.

Review

Following The FInal Beginning, Wrath of the Ice Warriors does feel like a more conventional Doctor Who adventure rather than the element of something new that the first story promised. That is not necessarily a bad thing; those who have followed this blog for a while will know that I, for one, will never be sorry to see more of the Brigadier. In that sense, this story feels more like a sign of where the show would go following the departure of the Second Doctor than the new direction that Big Finish are trying to take The Second Doctor Adventures. All that being said, Andrew Smith does write a good story, which is quite a lot of fun, and is well thought out. He sets this story around Cape Wrath, which is isolated enough to be a logical place for fugitive Ice Warriors to hide out, and provides a neat explanation to reunite the Doctor with the Brigadier with the military shooting range also being based there. I do really like Smith’s writing in general and this story is no exception; he knows how to write a good Doctor Who story.

The Ice Warriors are one of the more succesful alien races to come out of Patrick Troughton’s era, reappearing in the original era, then going on to reappear in the Pertwee era, before returning in the revived series, both with Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi. Following on from the Cybermen, they are probably the most iconic foe to come out of this era of the show in the absence of the Daleks It does make sense to have them come back here, with their original Doctor, not least because of the line in Castrovalva, but because he has more experience of them than any other Doctor on television. We have two factions of Ice Warriors here, the ones supporting Lady Zelanda and those who oppose her, of whom Skaar is the sole survivor. Zelanda is, rather oddly, played by Katy Manning, but this does work quite well, with Manning’s gravelly interpretation being quite threatening and sinister. Zelanda is seeking to take up the throne of Mars from the Grand Marshall, however, does not realise quite how long she has been in stasis for, and ultimately finds that her race have moved on from Mars. Zelanda is ruthless and manipulative, prepared to dispose of the Brigadier for being surplus to requirements and prepared to manipulate Sheena to achieve her goals. We also have Mark Elstob joining Nicholas Briggs in playing other Ice Warrior roles in this story and all three of these do really good work in providing definition so that there is no doubt that they are all Ice Warriors, but also clarity in which characters are speaking.

The Second Doctor is given a defacto companion for this story in the shape of Sheena, who is really nicely played by Lucy Goldie. Sheena is a character who could come across as gullible in the wrong hands, as she is perfectly prepared to accept and support Zelanda’s schemes, however, both Andrew Smith and Goldie make her feel quite sympathetic. She has real world experience of conflict and refugees, having assisted in the Israel-Palestine war, and that makes her more disposed to accepting of these fugitive Ice Warriors in the first place. Combined with the fact that they saved her life, albeit also being the reason why her life was endangered in the first place, makes her motivations in assisting them more understandable. Goldie does a good job with the character and she does eventually realise the extent of Zelanda’s manipulation.

I really think that Big Finish have pulled off a masterstroke with their casting of Michael Troughton to play the part originally played by his late father. Whilst there are moments where you can tell that it is not Patrick, these are few and far between, and I really feel that Michael Troughton brings a lot of his father’s warmth and energy to the role. He is mischievous and suitably serious when he needs to be and I continue to be impressed with this interpretation of the Second Doctor as I hear it. This is the Second Doctor travelling alone and, as he states at the end of the story, not exactly a free agent, something which this incarnation is definitely not used to, but he certainly seems pleased to be reunited with the Brigadier and is suitably understanding of Sheena’s betrayal. It is delightful to hear Troughton’s voice twinkle as he pokes fun at the Brigadier’s call sign on the radio, which certainly raised a smile from me.

Of course, this story does also reunite the Second Doctor with the Brigadier, and I think that Troughton and Jon Culshaw are able to recreate the dynamic that Patrick Troughton and Nicholas Courtney had in their stories together. It is interesting having recently reviewed and listened to his encounters with the Ninth Doctor that the relationship is still at a formative stage, but the Doctor none the less relies on the Brigadier. Culshaw’s performance as the Brigadier is good, and I really think that it is a good impression of Courtney, and whilst the Brigadier does not have as much to do as he does in other stories, I feel that the character does get enough moments to shine.

Verdict: Wrath of the Ice Warriors is a more conventional adventure but no less fun. 8/10

Cast: Michael Troughton (The Doctor), Jon Culshaw (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Katy Manning (Zelanda), Lucy Goldie (Sheena Flynn), Mark Elstob (Skaar/Tam Walsh/Dougie), Nicholas Briggs (Idnal/Ice Warriors) & Emma Noakes (Raven).

Writer: Andrew Smith

Director: Nicholas Briggs

Producer: Mark Wright

Music: Benji Clifford and Nicholas Briggs

Sound: Steve Foxon

Original Release Date: 6 July 2022

Cast Notes

• Katy Manning is best known for playing the Third Doctor’s companion Jo Grant. She has also played Iris Wildthyme for Big Finish.
• Mark Elstob has played numerous roles for Big Finish. In this story, he is uncredited for playing Sergeant Major Roach, a role which he has also played in The Annihilators and Kaleidoscope.
• Lucy Goldie has appeared in a number of Big Finish productions, including The Children of the Future, The Curse of Lady Macbeth and The Grey Man of the Mountain.

Best Quote

IF this turns nasty, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with to get us out if it.

Yes, well, as compliments go, it’s a rum one.

The Second Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart

Previous Second Doctor review: The Final Beginning

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