Old Sixie stars in three new adventures, accompanied by his redoubtable companion, Mrs Constance Clarke.
Last year, Big Finish celebrated Colin Baker’s Doctor with a pair of 40th anniversary tales. Both drew on elements of his onscreen adventures, bringing his television companions along for the ride.
However, the Sixth Doctor’s adventures in audio drama have been wider and far more varied. He’s enjoyed the company of many other companions too – from history professor Evelyn Smythe to the streetwise Flip. He’s even travelled with an errant Charley Pollard.
First introduced in 2015’s era-spanning The Last Adventure, Mrs Constance Clarke has now become a regular companion. A Leading Wren from Bletchley Park during WWII, she provides a unique perspective from his present-day friends. In this latest trio of stories, we hear her and the Doctor encountering different aspects of storytelling…
The Story Demon
Julian Richards spins a tale on a planet of monsters and crashed spaceships, beginning with a Dalek voice telling a children’s story.
On arrival there, the Doctor and Constance encounter alien creatures who repeatedly besiege a struggling human encampment. On these occasions, while the invaders are repelled, a colonist dies inside the compound in mysterious circumstances.
Befriending a young spirited local named Birch (Carly Day), the Doctor is soon on the case, seeking to solve the puzzle. So too is Constance, who’s introduced to the story demon of the title – an empty Dalek shell – and soon finds herself in danger.
Richards’ tale cleverly uses the Daleks and offers Nicholas Briggs the chance to give another new spin on that familiar voice. We also loved the moment when the Doctor, giddy with excitement at the spaceship wrecks, receives a dressing down for breaking the golden rule of not wandering off!
The Key to Many Worlds
Paul Magrs’ tale finds the Doctor in old Bagdad, keen to reacquaint himself with Marco Polo. However, he finds the elderly merchant disenchanted with his life and planning one final journey. It’s a trip back to Venice with a devious criminal in tow – Iris Wildthyme.
What follows is a body swap romp, where Colin Baker breaks out a Lancastrian accent and Katy Manning is let loose in the Doctor’s body! With this seemingly offers plenty of opportunity for the pair to have some fun, we don’t hear much of it. Frustratingly, diary entries and the characters themselves refer to exciting exploits on the long desert passage and the sea voyage, but we don’t actually hear them take place.
It’s a broad comedy in places, but there’s also an underlying love-letter to ‘Marco Polo’ and the 60s. The story ends touchingly with a trip in the Doctor’s “flying caravan,” allowing Polo to relive his life’s highlights.
Terry Molloy plays the elderly explorer, and the Antony Townsend sparkles in the role of Tonio, his companion and lover.
Inconstancy
The final tale sees the Doctor and Constance both reflecting on a traumatic recent adventure. Together, they fill us in on a visit to the world of Hoi which keeps its population under strict regulation.
Finding their way into the planet’s city, the pair are soon separated. The authorities capture the Doctor, while Constance encounters an amorphous creature which seeks purpose. Soon, she’s surrounded by an army of mini-mes and finds herself reluctantly part of a revolution.
A smart and involving tale, ‘Inconstancy’ prompts Constance to reflect on her adventures to this point. It also gives Miranda Raison a vocal work out too! Additionally, the dual framing narrative, which sees the Doctor disturb a reader (Lara Lemon) while Connie seeks out a native Sky-Teller (Oliver Senton), provides an added dimension too.
In Summary
Doctor Who has always come in different flavours, and lighter tales have their place in the show’s long history as much as gothic horror does. This set provides a mix of styles, but shining through them is Miranda Raison performance as Constance, and her dynamic with Colin Baker’s Doctor.
Doctor Who – The Sixth Doctor Adventures: The Cosmos and Mrs Clarke is out now. It’s available to purchase on Collector’s Edition CD (+ download), or download to own, from Big Finish.