I am Zaphiel Ixon, the final survivor of Earth.
Zaphiel Ixon
Synopsis
After being dragged through a rip in the time vortex, the TARDIS returns the Doctor, Sarah and Harry to Earth. They are in medieval times, but something strange is afoot.
The villagers live in fear of the sinister Brotherhood, an order of monks that upholds the sacred laws. Then there’s Faustus Black, with his troupe of travelling players. What connects them is a terrible secret hidden in the Forbidden Forest… a cave from which nobody has ever returned…
Review
The Curse of Time feels like a bit of an anomaly amongst recent Big Finish anniversary celebrations. They have recently brought out stories like Forty, The Quin Dilemma and Trials of a Time Lord which saw the Fifth and Sixth Doctors reunited with both old friends and foes. The Curse of Time is instead a rather more restrained celebration of the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Fourth Doctor in Robot.
Believe me, Sarah, I think they would like me to find out why they died, don’t you? That’s how I’ll show them my respect.
The Fourth Doctor
Jonathan Morris has written a sixth part to conclude Season 12, fitting in between Revenge of the Cybermen and Terror of the Zygons. Going into the future of the Earth and picking up on what has happened to humanity since the Ark in Space. The stories of Noah, the Ark and the Doctor, Sarah and Harry have become mythologised, and part of Faustus Black’s plays. The Doctor, Sarah and Harry are believed to have disappeared to the mists of time. The mythical status serves as a parallel to the deemed golden age of Doctor Who of the Tom Baker era. Perhaps the biggest flaw of the story is that it is not the most inventive, and follows the classic series pattern of capture, escape, capture, but that is part of this story’s charm. It feels cosy as a result, which helps it organically feel like a final story in Season 12. The fact that locations like the bunker in which the dead human colonists are found resembles the Ark adds to and aids the listener in visualising some of the sets. The idea of walking through the bodies of the humans who have been murdered by Zaphiel Ixod is a horrifying one. Equally, this society of post-solar flare and technology-fearing humans have retreated into medieval times. There are cults around Faustus Black who seek to return to an age of science and technology, and have fallen under the thrall of the criminal Zaphiel Ixon. Ixon is a scientist who was supposed to be left to die before the solar flares, but sabotaged the cryogenic technology of the humans who remained behind on Earth. Now trapped due to a malfunctioning time machine, he seeks a new body to inhabit.
The guest cast are all on fine form here. Of particular note are the performances of Terence Wilton, Rosemary Ashe and Andrew French. Terence Wilton is really good as the villainous Zaphiel Ixon, playing him with a real sense of menace and threat. It’s a really enjoyable performance from him. Ixon is not a new type of villain for Doctor Who, seeking a new body and warped from trying to achieve time travel, but Wilton’s performance makes him memorable. Rosemary Ashe is equally strong as Mother Casava, who is the leader of the monks who seek to keep order in this medieval society, but knows more than she lets on about the events on the Ark and the Doctor, Harry and Sarah’s roles in that time. She is greatly enjoyable and adversarial at times. Brother Voss, played by Andrew French, is the stoic lead monk and also makes a powerful performance.
I always like to know why I am being executed.
The Fourth Doctor
There is no denying that Tom Baker sounds his age in this story, but it is something that becomes less noticeable the longer you listen to this story. Baker’s age is not something which prevents him from playing the Doctor; his heart and his soul are still very much there in Baker’s voice and I found myself visualising the Fourth Doctor in his pomp throughout this story. Tom Baker’s performance certainly helps to evoke that, full of wit, charm and fire.
Recasting beloved roles is always a controversial in some aspects of fandom, however, the casting of Sadie Miller in her late mother’s role of Sarah Jane Smith and Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan has really helped Big Finish to explore the Fourth Doctor’s era further. Both are extremely good in these roles; Miller perhaps gets slightly more to do here, but this story does start to pave the way for Harry’s departure in Terror of the Zygons. Naylor does also have to pull double duty here, playing Zaphiel Ixon when he inhabits Harry’s body. The TARDIS team are split up for a lot of this story, and it certainly works much better when the main three are together. With Tom Baker, Miller and Naylor are able to recapture the chemistry that makes the Fourth Doctor, Harry and Sarah such a good TARDIS team. Miller captures a lot of her mother’s passion and principles, stating that she has never held her tongue and isn’t about to start soon. Naylor is good too at capturing that old-fashioned nature of Harry’s, which could feel uncomfortable and unlikeable in actors less capable than Ian Marter and Christopher Naylor.
Verdict: The Curse of Time is a nostalgic piece that celebrates all that works well about Tom Baker’s first season as the Doctor. 8/10
Cast: Tom Baker (The Doctor), Sadie Miller (Sarah Jane Smith), Christopher Naylor (Harry Sullivan), Rosemary Ashe (Mother Casava), Scarlett Courtney (Arnica), Angus Dunican (Faustus Black), Andrew Voss (Brother Voss) & Terence Wilton (Zaphiel Ixon).
Writer: Jonathan Morris
Director: Helen Goldwyn
Producer: David Richardson
Music and Sound Design: Howard Carter
Parts: 4
Release Date: 28 December 2024
Behind the Scenes
- The Curse of Time was released to mark the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the Fourth Doctor.
Cast Notes
- Rosemary Ashe played Vassa in The Big Blue Book (The Eighth of March).
- Scarlett Courtney also played Jessica and Kathy Kelly in Splinters (Tenth Doctor Classic Companions).
- Angus Dunican also appeared in A Theatre of Cruelty (The Ninth Doctor Adventures).
- Andrew French has appeared in a number of Big Finish stories, including The Eternity Cage (The War Doctor), The Butler Did It (The Ninth Doctor Adventures) and Empire of the Racnoss (Classic Doctors, New Monsters).
- George Naylor has also appeared in Conflict Theory, The Trials of a Time Lord and The Colour of Terror.
- Terence Wilton played Mark in Invasion of the Dinosaurs.
Best Quote
Makes me feel like Alice, going down the rabbit hole. Or a Womble…
Sarah Jane Smith
Previous Fourth Doctor review: The Pirate Planet
Season 12:
For more Fourth Doctor reviews, click here.
The Impossible Blog 
One thought on “The Curse of Time”