The Tenth and Sixth Doctors collide for a high-concept, time twisting face-off with the Weeping Angels.
‘Wink’ is the latest in the Out of Time series of doctorly collisions. The range sees David Tennant’s version of the Time Lord meeting his former selves and facing a few famous foes. The title, of course, nods to the enduringly popular ‘Blink’ – the 2008 Doctor-lite episode, starring Carey Mulligan, which introduced the Weeping Angels onscreen.
The action begins with the Tenth Doctor seemingly holding off his inevitable regeneration and still on his grand farewell tour. Drawn in by temporal distortions, he encounters his colourful former self on the planet of Lucidus Silvara; a planet where it is usually impossible to see anything as it is always bathed in light. To that end, the indigenous species have developed without sight – or even the concept of it.
Naturally, this is a perfect environment for the Weeping Angels with no fear of them being quantum locked under observation. However, they are seemingly held at bay thanks to some local geography – until someone decides to move them…
Doctorsplaining
As ever, the relationship between different incarnations of the Doctor is fascinating to explore. Between the Tenth and the Fourth it was sparkling zingers, with the Fifth Doctor there was a mutual respect and cooperation. In ‘Wink’ however, we find tension between the Tenth and the Sixth. The meeting is no love-in, but these two incarnations are more alike than they know.
While the Tenth Doctor seems to genuinely get a kick out of meeting his former self, the Sixth is less impressed and occasionally combative; he contrasts his well-chosen words with the Tenth’s stream of consciousness chatter. To be honest, there are plenty of similarities between the pair – both rather enjoy the sound of their own voice! That said, the Tenth was guilty of some amusing, if helpful (to us), Doctorsplaining on a couple of occasions!
The Weeping Angels themselves work well on audio, as they have before, and Lisa McMullin’s tale hangs on the fact that they are dealing with two incarnations of the same Time Lord. The story was doubtless written and recorded long before their appearance in Flux and doesn’t directly contradict it, but does take a different approach with the idea of being sent back in time twice. Perhaps it’s different for Time Lords anyway?
We loved the Sixth Doctor’s multicoloured coat appearing blue in shadow, a fun meta-reference to the version he donned for the flash animated Real Time from 2002. The Tenth Doctor’s description of “temporal whack-a-mole” provoked a belly-laugh too.
In Summary
‘Wink’ provides a fascinating backdrop for this meeting of Doctors. It is a pleasingly temporal puzzle of an adventure on a world where the Angels should have the ultimate advantage.
As has become the norm, the producers have created another visually exciting trailer for the story…
Big Finish have yet to announce any further Out of Time tales; the three stories published so far came from David Tennant’s mammoth lockdown home recording sessions for the company. We do hope the range continues though, as with new actors playing the earliest Doctors, and Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann active on audio, there are plenty more incarnations for his Doctor to meet.
In the meantime, we heartily recommend this encounter – and there’s more to come from the Tenth Doctor when he meets four classic companions in September. Plus, the War Master this month too.
Doctor Who: Out of Time 3 – Wink is available on CD and download from Big Finish.