The Harvest

You have been a singular opponent of Cyberkind.

Subject One

Synopsis

On the morning of October 12th, 2021 Hex woke up. He was expecting to go to work at St Gart’s in London as normal and, that evening, have a great time in the bar of the White Rabbit, celebrating his 23rd birthday.

But after his ex-flatmate is wheeled into A&E following a bike accident, and the strange young woman from Human Resources tries to chat him up and an eight-foot tall guy in a Merc tries to run him down, Hex realises things are not going quite as he expected.

Then in a Shoreditch car park he meets the enigmatic Doctor who explains that he’s an extra-terrestrial investigator and something very strange is going on up on the thirty-first floor of St Garts.

Therefore, aided and abetted by the Doctor and his other new friend ‘Just McShane’, Hex decides to investigate. Trouble is, everything that goes on at the hospital is being observed and noted by the occupants of the thirty-first floor. Occupants who are none too pleased that people are poking their noses into business that doesn’t concern them. Occupants who will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that no one discovers the truth.

Review

The Harvest really feels as though it brings the Seventh Doctor and Ace into the Big Finish fold. We finally are introduced to a new companion, Hex, who feels at home instantly, and have a really good Cyberman story on our hands here too.

The story has messages about shadowy government groups and the price of doing a deal with an unknown. The Cybermen have made a deal with the European Combine to exchange their cyber parts for being restored to their previous forms prior to conversion. There’s a lot going on in The Harvest, but writer Dan Abnett makes it feel really quite simple to follow. There are a few moments where perhaps his inexperience in writing for audio show through, like writing a few too many descriptions of rooms, but otherwise, the story flows quite nicely, and builds towards each part’s cliffhanger really well. There is a sense of impending dread the closer we get to the heart of the mystery of The Harvest, however, this is also a story that has the time to give Hex, a new character, time to show his character. This is someone who has found that a close friend has died, something which has a horrific payoff in the end. The story is bolstered by really good sound design, which bring home the horror of what is unfolding at St Gart’s Hospital, and the potential serious stakes for the rest of the planet. We are quickly established as being in London from the opening moments, with Big Ben and the sound of a busy city in our ears before we’ve met anyone.

The Cybermen in The Harvest were certainly not what I was expecting. Whilst the ultimate end goal is the same Unusual Cyberman story, the way that they go about achieving that goal feels unusual. They have convinced the humans at St Gart’s Hospital that they need their conversions to be reversed, whilst waiting to be in a position to take over the world. It’s so compelling a tale to spin that it even has the Doctor fooled, much to his chagrin when he finds out that he has been duped. Then, there’s the obvious: these Cybermen are not voiced by Nicholas Briggs. Nick Briggs does a really good job at voicing the Cybermen, so this isn’t meant as a dig at him, more that it sets it apart from other Big Finish stories. These are Cybermen seemingly want to regain their previous forms, so it makes sense that they would have individual voices.

The Harvest also serves as our introduction to a new companion for the Seventh Doctor, Hex, played by Philip Olivier. Hex comes in as a breath of fresh air for the Doctor and Ace. Whilst I have broadly enjoyed the Seventh Doctor’s audio adventures thus far, at this relatively early stage, the relationship between the Doctor and Ace feels rather tired. Bringing a new companion into the mix does certainly seem to give the dynamic something new to play with. Hex is another companion who works in the medical profession, although he predates Martha and Belinda), and that certainly adds something to a character. Hex here tries to help the wounded Farrer, despite the fact that he has been aiding the Cybermen, something which pays off when Hex gets the password to his computer. I like the prospect of a TARDIS team of three – a lot of my favourite teams are threes – and this one gets off to a promising start.

This story also benefits from writing that really benefits Ace and Sophie Aldred. A lot of the Main Range stories have not seemed to know what to do with a post-Survival Ace, but Dan Abnett makes her calmer and more mature. It’s certainly more mature than rebranding herself as McShane, something that did not make me cringe as much here as it has done since she adopted the name, but I cannot wait for her to realise that this was a weird step. Aldred and Olivier make a formidable team together as they do a lot of the legwork in the hospital for the Doctor, and I really look forward to seeing how this TARDIS team progress as they have more adventures together.

The Seventh Doctor takes a bit of a backseat in this story, but as is his wont, he is controlling things from behind the scenes as the Machiavellian schemer. It seems as though McCoy has settled back into the role now, and he feels much more assured than in some previous releases – maybe Master helped him get back to grips with the Doctor. McCoy is brilliant with the hospital’s computer system, manipulating it so easily to do what he wants. It’s nice to see this Doctor, who is so often so many steps ahead, actually blindsided by someone else’s scheme. It’s ultimately a reminder that the Doctor is still fallible, and wants to see the best in the universe.

Verdict: The Harvest is a gripping and entertaining slice of audio Who. 8/10

Cast: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hex), William Boyde (Subject One), Richard Derrington (Doctor Farrer), David Warwick (David Garnier), Paul Lacoux (Doctor Mathias), Janie Booth (System) & Mark Donovan (Polk).

Writer: Dan Abnett

Director: Gary Russell

Music and Sound: David Darlington

Main Range Release Number: 58

Release Date: 26 June 2004

Behind the Scenes

• Hex is the first companion created by Big Finish for the Seventh Doctor.
• The story takes place on Hex’s 23rd birthday, 12th October 2021. Coincidentally, the preceding story in this loose Cybermen trilogy takes place on Tegan’s 46th birthday, 22nd September 2006.

Cast Notes

• Richard Derrington has also played Landscar in The Last and Commander Burton in Storm of the Horofax.
• David Warwick appeared in The Pirate Planet as Kimus and a Police Commissioner in Army of Ghosts. He has also appeared in the Big Finish stories Power Play and Temmosus.
• Janie Booth also appeared in Medicinal Purposes and The Gathering.
• Mark Donovan has appeared in a number of Big Finish audio plays, including Dust Breeding, The Sandman and The Wormery.

Best Quote

Just as a point of principle, it’s never a good idea for a culture to get hands on technology more advanced than itself.

Why?

Because it leads to dabbling, which leads to meddling, which leads to reverse engineering, unforeseen capabilities, unpredictable consequences…

The Seventh Doctor and Hex

Previous Seventh Doctor story: Master

For more Seventh Doctor reviews, click here.