"GO ON, I KNOW THAT FACE. HOW'S THE WORLD GOING TO END THIS TIME?"
This go round we head into the fog with Doctor number Ten(nant) and Donna Noble. While I'm no novice the the Doctor Who audio adventures, this is actually the very first Big Finish 10th Doctor audio I've listened to so this was something of an event! Of course, knowing me, I chose death amidst the creepy London fog as my starting point. Big Finish synopsis:
"London, 1952, and a deadly smog envelops the capital.
But something even more dangerous - and alien - is hiding within the mists.
When the Doctor and Donna get lost in the fog, they find a motley group of Londoners trying to make their way home.
Very soon, the stakes are raised, as death creeps along fume-choked streets, and not everyone will make it out alive..."
The Doctor and Donna pile out of the TARDIS in swinging sixties London where Donna wants to snag herself a Beatle. Only it's not. It's actually 1952 London and the streets are enveloped in a filthy thick fog. When they finally discover what year it is, Donna's realization that her Gramps is out there somewhere and it's a really lovely moment. I can just picture the young Bernard Cribbins running around . . . but sadly imagine it is all we get to do. Still, it's a really nice, human touch from Roy Gill's script. Before they can think, the Doctor and Donna hear a woman screaming for help deep inside the fog. Soon separated, cinema usherette Ivy Clark (Lauren Cornelius) asks for the Doctor's help; all the customers are slumped dead in their theatre seats and 'something' is in there with them -- swarming insect-like. Meanwhile, Donna stumbles into Terry Hopkins (Theo Stevenson) who mistakes her for a bloke (Ooo, the cheek!) on his way to meet his boyfriend Richard -- (which, you'll remember is actually illegal in 1952 Britain! Two blokes and all). This is also a nice bit of characterisation that's not crowbarred into the script but emerges naturally through the writing. Meanwhile, the Doctor tries to convince Ivy to leave the macabre cinema scene for her own safety. Ivy resists running away and, even if she did, she'd have to pick up her maybe boyfriend -- if she plays her cards right -- first. His name is Richard. Then we have pompous actress Alice Aitken (Helen Goldwyn) and old codger Malcolm Wishart (Stephen Critchlow) who are involved in an accident when her Bentley crashes into a bus. All our characters meet up in the garage where Richard works. The Doctor takes Donna aside and tells her this is the deadly 1952 London smog which was the worst on record and resulted in up to 12,000 deaths! Meanwhile, the Doctor has determined that there is something alien out there in the smog!
David Tennant and Catherine Tate slip back into their characters like they never left. Actually, the entire ensemble cast is superb with Helen Goldwyn particularly wonderful in her OTT diva performance; particularly sparring with Catherine Tate. Here's a nice idea of their repartee:
"ALICE: Does no one appreciate the pickle I'm in?!? I'm due on stage in half an hour!
DONNA: Oh, you mean you're an . . .
ALICE: Alice Aitken. Star of the West End stage.
DONNA: Never heard of ya!
ALICE: Well, really!
DONNA: Do you know who she is? Miss High and Mighty!
RICHARD: I prefer the movies.
DONNA: What about you, Tezzer?
TERRY: I only go to pantos.
DONNA: That'd work cuz right now I'm seeing her as the wicked stepmother.
ALICE: (LONG, LOUD GASP) I'm FAR too young for character work!!! I've never been so insulted in my life!
DONNA: That's good, Baby Jane, cuz I'm only just getting started! So pipe down!"
Stellar acting combined with a cracking script and deft direction by Ken Bentley make this audio adventure a perfect way for me to venture into the 10th Doctor audios. This was a wonderful time! Oh yes, and apparently there was a limited edition vinyl LP which I'm totally lusting after!
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