Catastrophe Theory

Oh dear. I think it’s too late.

The Second Doctor

Synopsis

When the Doctor comes face to face with Zoe, can he be sure it really is his old friend? Jamie is lost somewhere in the cosmos, and the Doctor must find him. From a pleasure cruiser on course for destruction, to an alien world invaded by savage warriors, the Doctor faces catastrophe at every turn – but what has become of Raven?

Review

The middle story of audio anthologies can tend to struggle with the nature of treading water. Unfortunately, Catastrophe Theory does struggle with that to some extent. It does see the reunion of the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, which does give it something to help it stand out a little bit more from the crowd. Ultimately, though, it does feel weirdly transcendent and as though it doesn’t really have a plot of its own.

What it lacks in plot, it makes up for in terms of character development. By the end of the story, we have the Season 6 team reunited once more. There lies Catastrophe Theory’s true strength, in the performances of Wendy Padbury, Frazer Hines and Michael Troughton. This trio shine together and the reunion of the Doctor and an older Zoe who remembers their adventures together is a real highlight. Frazer Hines spends a lot of time isolated from those two, but Padbury and Troughton do have great chemistry together. The two characters are a great fit, and yet again, this allows Michael Troughton to fit into his father’s shoes. There are some wonderfully Second Doctor moments working their way into his performance, which I think has been pretty solid to begin with, but continues to grow with every performance. Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury are good here too, and recapture the chemistry between those two characters really well.

The plot is rather glacial and feels very much like the quintessential middle part of a three-part story. Writer Mark Wright strands Raven, a character who has been quite important to the Second Doctor Adventures thus far, to watching the Doctor and his companions on a screen. If watching someone watch a screen is uninspiring, that’s nothing compared to listening to someone watch a screen! It’s a shame, because there are some nice ideas here. We get the first hints that Raven is not working for the Time Lords here, and the Kippers introduced in the previous story seem to be even more important that possibly hinted before. The Doctor realises that the Time Lords would not interfere with a fixed point in time like the destruction of a planet.

The story is essentially chasing Jamie through time and space as a carrot on a stick for the Doctor and Zoe, but the plot feels surprisingly lightweight and devoid of tension. I think that the sound design was an important part of making Kippers feel tense and scary, the plot also contributed to that feeling. Here, whilst the music tries to evoke the same atmosphere, but the plot isn’t really comparable. There’s a distinct lack of tension in this story, which did make it suffer for me. The crashing pleasure liner never really felt in any peril to me, and when the Doctor and Zoe are at the mercy of the Chinzok’s, Jamie coming to their rescue was predictable. Perhaps I expected too much from this story having enjoyed Kippers, but it just felt underwhelming.

Verdict: Catastrophe Theory is a middling story that will hopefully lead to a more satisfying conclusion. 5/10

Cast: Michael Troughton (The Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot), Emma Noakes (Raven), Susan Harrison (Magrit/Chinzok Commander) & Gary Turner (Chinzok Pack Leader/Chinzok Warrior/Sorana Flight Controller)

Writer: Mark Wright

Director: Nicholas Briggs

Music: Toby Hyrcek-Robinson

Sound: David Roocroft

Release Date: 9 July 2024

Cast Notes

• Susan Harrison has also appeared in Doctor Who and the Brain Drain, playing Dr Fiona Lynch and June Wellesley.
• Gary Turner has appeared in a number of Big Finish stories, including Fugitive of the Daleks, The Quintessence and With the Angels.

Best Quote

It seems I can’t leave you and Jamie alone for five minutes without you landing yourselves in trouble.

Yes, we do seem to have a knack for it, don’t we?

Zoe and the Second Doctor

Previous Second Doctor review: Kippers

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