DESTINATION: NERVA

The first of the Fourth Doctor Adventures, from 2012, is a whole different affair to The Sirens of Time, the most recent Big Finish story I listened to.  More self-assured than the their early days, this Big Finish product is quite enjoyable from the first moment.

I’ve just listened to the first episode so far.  The story takes place directly after the televised adventure of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, but you really don’t need to know anything about that story.  The only references are (i) the Doctor explaining to Leela about “the important thing is just warming the pot” (his final words before the TARDIS leaves in the televised story), and (ii) the reference that they’re still wearing their Victorian clothes (the period that story was set).  Other than that, there are no real references beyond name-dropping Jago & Litefoot.

The TARDIS picks up a distress call from just three years in the future (still Victorian times), which leads them to a house and a stolen spaceship.  On leaving, the TARDIS (apparently not under the Doctor’s control – as was the case in those days), they arrive a few hundred years in the future when Nerva (from The Ark in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen) was just a space dock, and still under construction.

What follows is a story of contagion (not too dissimilar to Revenge of the Cybermen, only without the Cybermats, I’m guessing).

Unlike regular four-part stories, this one lasts for 75 minutes.  I’m not sure if that stretches to 3 episodes, or if the second part is just extended in some way.  My guess is two half-hour episodes plus some behind-the-scenes after the second one, but I’ll confirm this later.

For a fan of The Talons of Weng-Chiang, it’s great to have a story following straight on from that one.  It features, as per that story, the 4th Doctor and Leela.  Both Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are obviously older now and, though they both manage to reprise their original voices, there is a difference.  Tom Baker’s Doctor feels far less energetic, and far more thoughtful, than he was at his prime during Talons, and Louise Jameson’s Leela doesn’t sound quite as “savage” as she did at that time (although there are a couple of good “kneejerk” reaction scenes with a knife that help her get back into character and, by the end of the first episode, she’s sounding far more Leela-ish).

Really, though, their voices are a minor quibble, and I’m sure they’ll improve as I hear more of the adventure.  I’m certainly enjoying it more than the last story.  There have been some complaints with the Fourth Doctor adventures being just two episodes, given that he didn’t have much in the way of two-parters during his time.  For me, however, if the story doesn’t justify four episodes then it shouldn’t be dragged out to such.  After all, the TV adventures benefited from visuals – sets, locations, people, etc – which helped fill in some of the time.  On audio, you don’t get that.  I’d rather it be trimmed up a bit to avoid much of the “what’s that noise?, what’s going on?” feel that some adventures suffer from.