Memory Lane

The TARDIS has been stolen by an ice cream van!

The Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

No summer can ever quite be as glorious as the ones you remember from when you were young, when a sunny afternoon seemed to last forever and all there was to do was ride your bike, eat ice-lollies and play with Lego. Tom Braudy is enjoying just such an afternoon when the TARDIS lands in his Nan’s living room and interrupts her in the middle of the snooker.

After they’ve apologised, the Doctor and his friends soon discover matters of far greater concern than the fact that their time machine is blocking Mrs Braudy’s view of a thrilling century break. The street which Tom happily cycles up and down appears to have no beginning or end, and every single house on it is identical.

Is this the future of suburbia, or something even more sinister? Why doesn’t Tom look as young as he behaves? And can anybody remember which house the TARDIS is in?

Review

Memory Lane is the second Eighth Doctor in a story in a row to be set within a prison, but is in many ways, far superior to Something Inside.It represents something of a calm before the storm in many ways, as the following two stories will see the Doctor’s travelling companions leave. In many ways, it can be compared to the end of the Fifth Doctor’s tenure, save for the fact that the Eighth Doctor does not regenerate at the end of that run of stories, although his involvement in the Main Range does start to change.

Eddie Robson’s first full length audio story does not disappoint. It has a concept at its core, a prison that allows you to have the illusion of a perfect time in your life, that is simple and, with the initial set up of a suburbia where all the houses are actually identical, works really well for an audio story. It feels as though it wouldn’t be out of place in either the original or revived show, as it has a relatively small cast and would not need a lot of sets. I really enjoyed the concept of the prison and the reveal of why Tom is being held; he is the first alien visitor the planet of Lucentra had and despite their technological advancements, they do not have the ability to tape record the original landing and so are forced to recreate them. Lest and Argot are not altogether evil and their intentions aren’t the most nefarious – they are looking to make money from the recreation of first contact with an alien. They are certainly sadistic in their treatment of the Doctor later on in the story, giving him a cell that repeatedly gives him the joy of defeating Mawfik, before seeing his TARDIS destroyed

The idea of the black box footage bleeding through as a television programme is a good idea. It especially works well when it is revealed that this is the black box footage from Kim and Tom’s ship that Kim is trying to use to get Kim to remember. I think that the performances of both Sara Carver and Neil Redman are really strong here, even if Carver is mostly there for exposition, but she does do it well, and has a nice spiky relationship with C’rizz. Redman has a harder job, having to try and play a ten year old version of his character whilst in fact being older, but he does this well.

I think that the three leads are on good form here and they all seem to be having a lot of fun making this story. Paul McGann seems like a different Doctor from the last few stories in his range, full of enthusiasm and joy as he arrives in this suburban street, chasing after ice cream vans and watching science fiction on the television. It’s a nice approach to the Eighth Doctor, who has still seemed out of sorts in some stories since the return to the main universe. Whilst this isn’t to say that McGann’s performances haven’t been good, it is nice to hear that spark back within him again, especially when the Doctor laughs at the bad joke on the lolly stick, or takes a principled stand. The Doctor is unwilling to break Tom out of his prison without knowing why he was put there in the first place is a standout in a strong performance by the Doctor.

I didn’t realise that peace was out of season.

Lady Louisa Pollard

Charley has felt a bit like an afterthought in some of the Eighth Doctor stories following Zagreus and the Divergent Universe arc, and Memory Lane also seems to be following in that path, right up to the point at which her house, and indeed her mother, suddenly appear in the street. Whilst Louisa Pollard has a minimal role in the story, Anneke Wills makes every moment count, which serves as a reminder that Charley has left her family behind to go travelling with the Doctor. Charley is later able to contribute towards resolving this situation, changing the cell to her family home when Tom is taken. India Fisher is good in this story, and seizes the opportunity to do something a bit different to do.

Whilst C’rizz probably has the least to do in Memory Lane, he does receive a lot of the exposition from Kim, which reveals the truth about the apparent science fiction programme disrupting the snooker in the Braudy household. C’rizz is crucial to the resolution of this story, using the personalities of those he has murdered in order to save the Doctor from the torture he is suffering at the hands of Lest. Doing something different with the character is welcome and I am pleased that Robson has expanded on the concept at the heart of the character. Westmaas is solid here, and I particularly enjoyed how unpleasant he is to Mrs Braudy and his justification for being rude to Kim.

Verdict: Memory Lane is a gripping and compelling story, which gives all three of the leads something strong to do. 8/10

Cast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), India Fisher (Charley Pollard), Conrad Westmaas (C’rizz), Nina Baden-Semper (Mrs Braudy), Sara Carver (Kim Kronotska), Finlay Glen (Mawvik), Neil Reidman (Tom Braudy), Charlie Ross (Lest), Neville Watchurst (Argot) & Anneke Wills (Lady Louisa Pollard).

Writer: Eddie Robson

Director: Gary Russell

Music & Sound: David Darlington

Release Date: October 2006

Main Range Release Number: 88

Behind the Scenes

• This story features the last regular use of the second version of David Arnold’s theme. It would be used again for Doom Coalition 2.

Cast Lists

• Sara Carver played the Khellian Queen in Three’s A Crowd.
• Neil Reidman played Atillo opposite David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in Utopia.
• Charlie Ross would go on to play Rob Roy MacGregor in City of Spires and Legend of the Cybermen.
• Neville Watchurst played Manus and Stennar in The Song of Megaptera
• Anneke Wills is best known in Doctor Who for playing Polly, a companion to the First and Second Doctors.

Best Quote

I shall find out by using my Super Time Lord powers of looking out of the window!

The Eighth Doctor

Previous Eighth Doctor review: Something Inside

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