In the vein of the early Who’s more serious historical adventures, this full-bloodied tale brings the First Doctor, with Ian, Barbara and Vicki, to a dangerous England at the turn of the 15th Century.
Only months prior to their arrival, the throne was snatched by Henry Bolingbroke, now crowned Henry IV, and his predecessor Richard II lays imprisoned. Meanwhile, the usurped King’s young French queen is a prisoner at Sonning Palace, close to where the TARDIS arrives.
Initially posing as pilgrims, the Doctor soon becomes embroiled in events offering his services as tutor to the spirited young Queen Isabella, who her guardians are finding difficult to control. She is a similar age to Vicki and the two soon become friends.
Meanwhile a visiting Knight, Sir Thomas de Wensley, befriends Ian (who is using his title of Sir Ian of Jaffa from ‘The Crusade’) and shows more than a passing interest in the Lady Barbara.
When the Doctor and Barbara head towards London, hoping to meet Geoffrey Chaucer, and Vicki stays with Isabella, Ian finds himself on the run and courted by those who would restore Richard to his throne.
Weaving its way through historical events, mixing with both commoners and Kings, it soon becomes clear that rather than worrying about tampering with history, the TARDIS crew will be lucky to survive it. The new King’s murderous Archbishop seeks to root out both heretics and Richard’s supporters in order to sure up his master’s position.
Using short bursts of scene-setting narration, along with a full cast, ‘The Doctor’s Tale’ is an immersive adventure from the outset and uses some wonderful period music cues. Many of the cast take on multiple roles, with William Russell voicing both Ian and the Doctor, while Maureen O’Brien doubles as Vicki and Barbara, as well as also supplying the narration.
The guest cast impress too; John Banks’ Thomas Arundel is a truly monstrous zealot who seeks to purge the rebellion with blood, while Alice Haig brings life to the feisty Isabella, pairing with Vicki for an entertaining double-act.
While the odd detail such as Queen Isabella’s age seems to have been tweaked for dramatic effect, as it might well have been on the television, this is a wonderfully involving story from Marc Platt that can sit confidently alongside the historical offerings of the Hartnell era.
Extras: The story comes with a short interview where William Russell and Maureen O’Brien discuss their time on the show and the recording process for these audio tales.
Released in October 2014 by Big Finish Productions Ltd.
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