The Doctor and Yaz find themselves embroiled in deadly psychic shenanigans.
The latest outing for The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures is another historical tale. In London’s East End, circa 1926, the pair look into the mysterious death of a local medium.
The Violet Hour
The story begins with a Colonel Maltravers who seeks irrefutable proof of being able to commune with the dead. However, his experiment comes at the price of the life of its subject, a medium named Esther Shine.
The TARDIS was bound for a rather more glamorous destination, but Wapping in the twenties is far from the world of flapper girls and high society. This is London after a World War and the outbreak of the Spanish Flu, where everybody has lost someone. And grief is what drives Maltravers, who’s desperate to be reunited with his lost wife and daughter.
With Esther’s burnt body discovered, plus a psychic paper tip off, the time travellers find themselves on the case. It’s all incredibly fertile territory – Doctor Who is no stranger to tales involving psychic research. However, they commonly involve willing participants, so Maltravers’ callous disregard for his subjects make for a much darker affair. The show also loves onstage theatrics, and there’s an element of that at play here too.
The script delivers some brilliant quips, notably on the limited horizons of Londoners through the ages. Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor doesn’t miss a trick, while Mandip Gill’s Yaz delivers witty asides and holds her own when the Doctor is indisposed.
As well as providing terrific material for the two regulars, guests David Robb and Joseph Arkley make an interesting pair as the dastardly Colonel and his weak and cowardly accomplice, the superbly monikered Dr Kidney. Olivia Marcus stands out as the spirited Miriam, with Liv Andrusier as the doomed Esther and Anna Crichlow as Nellie.
The inherent sexism of the age is also addressed, not just with the villain’s warped moral compass, but when the Doctor in her current form faces the accusation of meddling. As she points out, it’s something she’s been doing all her lives!
In Summary
Writer Rafella Marcus brings us a tale of love and loss, with a science fiction element in the mix. It is strongest with its period detail and believable characters, and it was fun to see Yaz using her policing skills. We also loved the Doctor’s new setting for her sonic screwdriver and its ability to stop Kidney in his tracks.
However, the alien threat was the less compelling element, and we wonder if you could have forgone it entirely? Fundamentally, the story was at its strongest when exploring grief, how we cope with it and how it can change us – for good or ill.
In its final stages, the time travellers also join the dots from previous adventures as they acknowledge that they’re being followed. This set the stage for a confrontation next time with the Doctor on the front foot…
Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: The Violet Hour is out now from Big Finish. It’s available as a digital download to own, or as a download to own with Collector’s Edition CD.
You can find reviews of the previous stories in the series here, along with our recent Jodie Whittaker interview.
Next Time: Aegis
The adventures continue in May with ‘Aegis’ from writer/series producer Noga Flaison.
The Doctor and Yaz must infiltrate the Aegis Protectorate interplanetary defence expo in search of someone who has been dogging their travels.
As the Doctor digs into the company’s main export – the sinister Trojan Program, Yaz faces a battle of her own. Will they finally uncover the truth about the Tourist?
Joining Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill are Juliet Aubrey as Aegis COO Athena Nikos, Maddison Bulleyment as the Tourist, Shogo Miyakita as Aegis’s mech soldiers. Plus, Jason Forbes returning as Prospero (from ‘Ride or Die’).
Doctor Who – The Thirteenth Doctor Adventures: Aegis is available to pre order from Big Finish now.