You can go a long way with no talent, but you can’t get anywhere without a pencil.
The Sixth Doctor
Synopsis
In a desolate Cornish landscape littered with relics of prehistoric man, the Doctor and Evelyn uncover a catalogue of mysteries.
What is the secret of the fog? Can the moor be haunted by a demonic host of imps? And what is Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart doing in Pengriffen?
Teaming up with his old friend, the Doctor realises that an ancient conflict is nearing its conclusion – and Lanyon Moor is set to be the final battleground.
Review
If it comes to a choice between the whole world or just you, me and this ship, Sancreda, I’m very clear where my duty lies.
Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
The headline here is, of course, the return of Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier. Those who read my blog regularly will know that I am extremely fond of the character, perhaps as fond as the Doctor is of him, and this gives a chance for the Sixth Doctor to have a full adventure with him. Had the hiatus at the end of Season 22 not happened, then they may well have met in the Robert Holmes penned story Yellow Fever and How to Cure It, a story that Big Finish would use to create the story The Auton Infinity. The Brig is called out of retirement to investigate the odd goings on at Lanyon Moor. I particularly liked the fact that he could recognise the Doctor straight away, based on his dress sense and knack for turning up when strange things are going on. He does get a hero moment, culminating in the destruction of Sancreda and his ship. He also bemoans the fact that UNIT are unprepared for a disaster, monitoring the major airports for Mrs Moynihan, overlooking the more local and provincial airports, allowing her to slip through the net.
Are you telling me that my housekeeper has fallen into a Faustian pact with a pixie from outer space?
Professor Morgan
The standout character, however, is Mrs Moynihan, who is an associate of Sancreda. The Doctor describes her late in the story as being a sad old woman; indeed, she has been abandoned by her husband and her daughter, leaving her with only her dogs for company. That has left her seeking revenge on a world that she feels has done her wrong, something she shares with Sancreda. Sancreda’s betrayal, whilst inevitable, is tragic as he gets her dogs to eat her. It’s notable for being only one of two deaths the listener witnesses. It is a delightfully unhinged performance from Susan Jameson, who imbues her with that sense of being an eccentric. Part of the effectiveness is down to Nicholas Pegg writing the character out at the beginning of the story, as she is going on holiday to Greece, which seems rather innocuous at first, however, becomes of greater significance once we reach Part 3.
The rest of the guest cast are pretty solid, and do excellent work with what they are given. The guests that we spend the majority of the story with are all killed off. James Bolam plays the sinister Sir Archibald Flint, who is trying to tap into Sancreda’s power. There is a really nice moment where Bolam uses the psionic field to break and restore a window in his house, which put me in mind of a moment from Pyramids from Mars. I was only really familiar with Bolam from his role in New Tricks, a detective drama, where he doesn’t seem particularly dangerous, so hearing him in a villainous role was certainly a novelty. Barnaby Edwards is solid as ever, and Toby Longworth is also good as Professor Morgan. I particularly enjoyed his relationship with the Doctor, with both of them bemoaning how infuriating the other is. Longworth is also suitably menacing as Sancreda. Helen Goldwyn has a couple of bit part roles, which I did not recognise until reading the cast list. Whilst Nikki sounds like Goldwyn, the other two were distinctly different.
Nicholas Pegg has written a broadly strong story here, and helped along by his direction and the sound design, it has a real clarity. There was never any doubt whilst listening as to where the characters were or what time of day it was, as the story subtly tells you with distinct soundscapes and wildlife noises whilst outdoors. If I do have one criticism, it is that the second part does drag rather. There is a lot of talking in this part, and there is no sense of urgency, which is surprising considering that Evelyn has just seen a girl brutally murdered by an imp or goblin on the moor. Fortunately, the story does pick up the pace again in Part 3, partially helped by the sojourn to Greece, and doesn’t really look back. I’ve seen other reviewers criticise the conclusion, stating that it is underwhelming. I did not find this to be true. I found the ending to be satisfying – Chekhov’s bronze wire saves the day, and the Brigadier gets a great moment in defeating Sancreda. It also made me realise how pointless all the deaths in the story were. Nikki, Sir Archibald, Philip, Mrs Moniyhan and Professor Morgan all died because of an inadvertent stray shot from Sancreda and a mistaken belief by him that Scryfan had abandoned him.
You…know who I am?
To judge by the clothes, the unexpected arrival and the manner of your greeting, I can only conclude that I know exactly who you are.
The Sixth Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart
The Sixth Doctor continues his arc of softening his character in this story, whilst losing none of the better parts of his character. Colin Baker is a positively soothing presence at times, when creating devices out of knick-knacks in his pockets. There is a point in which Evelyn encourages the Doctor to apologise to Professor Morgan for being rude to him, which he accordingly does. That’s something you couldn’t imagine the Sixth Docctor ever doing on television. Here, he is resourceful and charming when he wants to be.
Despite spending most of the story apart, his relationship with Evelyn Smythe, played by the fantastic Maggie Stables, is progressing positively. Evelyn does not stand for any of his nonsense, especially when the Doctor takes a shot at the state of her handbag. Evelyn spends much of this story bouncing off of Philip Ludgate, another member of Professor Morgan’s archaeological survey team, and Sir Archibald Flint. Stables more than holds her own against these two actors, and it seems in keeping with Evelyn’s character that she may well be a little bit more worldly than the younger companions the Doctor travels with. Even so, it did seem out of character to me for her to be so willing to return to Pengriffen Manor after she had narrowly escaped having her eyeballs melted by Flint.
Verdict: A strong story, with some pacing issues and moments that seemed out of character for Evelyn at one point. Thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. 8/10
Cast: Colin Baker (The Doctor), Maggie Stables (Evelyn Smythe), Nicholas Courtney (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Susan Jameson (Mrs Moynihan), Barnaby Edwards (Philip Ludgate/Scryfan), Toby Longworth (Professor Morgan/Sancreda/UNIT Sentry), James Bolam (Sir Archibald Flint), Helen Goldwyn (Nikki Hunter/Pelagia Stamatis/Corporal Croft) & Nicholas Pegg (Captain Ashforde).
Writer: Nicholas Pegg
Director: Nicholas Pegg
Music and Sound: Alistair Lock
Parts: 4
Main Range Release Number: 9
Original Release Date: 12 June 2000
Behind the Scenes
- The story marks the first official meeting of the Sixth Doctor and the Brigadier. They did briefly spend time on screen together in Dimensions in Time.
- The working title for the story was For Fear of Little Men.
- The story was originally pitched to Tom Baker, however, was reworked following him turning it down. The role of the Brigadier was increased, replacing an original character called Leamington-Smith.
Cast Notes
- Barnaby Edwards is best known as a Dalek operator in the revived series. He has written, directed and appeared in numerous Big Finish productions.
- Toby Longworth has appeared in a number of Big Finish audio plays, including The Fires of Vulcan, The Nightmare Fair and The Chaos Pool.
- Helen Goldwyn is a writer, director and performer for Big Finish. She has also appeared in Monsters in Metropolis, The Creeping Death and Gallery of Ghouls.
- Nicholas Pegg is a Dalek operator, as well as being a writer, director and actor for Big Finish.
Best Quote
I think, on reflection, this has to be one of the least sensible things I’ve ever done. But I have no choice, Brigadier.
The Sixth Doctor
Previous Sixth Doctor review: The Marian Conspiracy
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