It’s a long story with a couple of missing episodes.
Zoe Heriot
Synopsis
The TARDIS has brought the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe to Normandy in France, not in 1066 as intended, but in 1944, three days before the Allies are due to launch the D-Day landings.
Joining forces with French partisans, they learn that the Germans have been conducting secret experiments at a nearby chateau. These experiments form part of a plan that German high command believe will enable them to win the Second World War. The name of that plan? Operation Werewolf.
Review
Operation Werewolf sees the Second Doctor, Zoe and Jamie face off against the Nazis in the lead-up to the Allies’ ultimate D-Day campaign. Whilst Big Finish had released previous stories in this range, it is the first to feature Michael Troughton as the Second Doctor. Of course, he also appeared in Deathworld, but that is primarily a Third Doctor story, and in any event, was released a few weeks after Operation Werewolf.
Oh yes, well done. You’ve taken two humans and turned them into nothing more than goose-stepping robots.
The Second Doctor
Fundamentally, Operation Werewolf is definitely up there with the strongest of Big Finish’s Lost Stories range. That is testament to Jonathan Morris’ adaptation, which makes this espionage and war story really sing with really fluid and solid pacing which means the story does not drag and makes a story that would have undoubtedly featured numerous visual action set pieces work for audio. Morris has also ensured that each part has an effective cliffhanger, which keeps the excitment There is, of course, the matter transference device that the Nazis use to teleport around, however, that is more of a useful plot device to save characters time in travelling between locations. These devices do create effective tension late on in the story when a number of characters intend to use them at the same time, whilst the Doctor helps his companions to ensure that their journey is not successful.
Despite the title, the story does not feature werewolves or in fact much of an extraterrestrial element, but a mind-warping gas that can change an individual’s allegiance. Coupled with a double agent working to undermine the Allies’ war effort, it is more of a spy thriller than a science fiction story. Whilst the gas is more fantastical, the scheming of the Nazis with a British double agent does do a lot to ground the story, and the scenes in London cement how important Sir Aubrey Fanshaw-Smith is to the British war effort, with links to Winston Churchill. It would be all too easy to make the villains cartoonish, but instead, they have well-thought-out plans and execute them in a logical way. Upon learning that the Doctor is a time traveller, they want more information from him, understandably so. They believe that they will be unstoppable with time travel and want to fully understand how it works. Having the villains written properly and acted well makes this a much more compelling story.
There’s a large guest cast in this story, and they all perform admirably. Particular stand outs are Michael Higgs as the turncoat Fanshaw-Smith, who is a lot of fun, and Jordan Loughran as Francoise, a member of the French Resistance. One of the advantages of this story being made now is that the accent work is really good. If this had been on television in the 1960s, we would have probably got some dodgy accents. It’s hard not to put images of The Moonbase‘s cast out of your mind when thinking about it. I suppose that one of the disadvantages of this story not being made for television is that Douglas Camfield, one of the best directors in the classic era, would have likely directed it.
Having been primarily playing a splinter version of the Second Doctor in The Second Doctor Adventures, Michael Troughton gets a chance to portray this incarnation in a Lost Story from his father’s era on television. I am a big fan of Michael Troughton’s interpretation of his father’s role, and this story is no exception. He captures the Second Doctor’s cadence masterfully and there are certainly no moments of this story where I am conscious that I am not listening to Patrick Troughton performing this story.
Equally, we have strong performances from Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury in this Lost Story. It’s mad to think that nearly sixty years have passed since they first played Jamie and Zoe, as they effortlessly step back into those roles in Operation Werewolf. This story sees Jamie meet a possible descendant in the shape of Fergus McCrimmon, played by the director David O’Mahony. That’s an intriguing development for Jamie, given his uncertain fate at the end of The War Games. With the companions getting separated from each other and the Doctor, Zoe does end up being brainwashed, but is able to resist.
Verdict: Operation Werewolf is an unexpected pleasure of a lost story. 9/10
Cast: Michael Troughton (The Doctor), Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot), David O’Mahony (Fergus), Jordan Loughran (Francoise), Al Coppola (Pierre), Raffaello Degruttola (Philippe), Timothy Blore (Schneider), Branko Tomovic (Richter), Leonie Schliesing (Bruckner), Michael Higgs (Aubrey Fanshaw-Smith), Stéphane Cornicard (Jules), Dale Rapley (Kurt Muller/Sheldon Murchison), Ali Bastian (Hilary Marnier) & Dimitri Gripari (Other Parts).
Writer: Robert Kitts and Douglas Camfield, adapted by Jonathan Morris
Director: David O’Mahony
Sound Design and Music: Jamie Robertson
Parts: 6 (The Secret Army, The Chateau of Death, Lair of the Werewolf, Friend or Foe, The Village of Lies & Crossfire)
Release Date: 24 July 2024
Behind the Scenes
- The story was submitted by Douglas Camfield and Robert Kitts to the production office in 1967, however, due to budgetary constraints, story elements and concerns about making a story about the recent Second World War, the story was shelved.
- Camfield and Kitts’ original story would have included Victoria Waterfield. Morris adapted the story to instead include Zoe Heriot.
- Operation Werewolf was a real German strategy during World War II to cause disruption behind enemy lines whilst the Allies and Soviets were advancing.
Cast Notes
- David O’Mahony also played Petroz and the Conservitors in the Third Doctor story The Conservitors.
- Timothy Blore has appeared in a number of Big Finish audio plays, including Warzone, Like and The Quest of the Engineer.
- Leonie Schliesing has also appeared as Zsa Zsa Straus in The Jabari Countdown.
- Stephane Cornichard previously played Daqar Keep in The Next Life.
Best Quote
What made you decide to betray your country?
Because, before this war began, Britain was already set on the wrong path. Giving women the vote, permitting socialists into the House of Commons, granting independence to our colonies. Hard as it may be to believe, I foresee a time when the British Empire will cease to exist.
The Second Doctor and Sir Aubrey Fanshaw-Smith
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