Creatures of Beauty (Doctor Who) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

"A planetary ecological disaster... An incurable, disfiguring, genetic disease... Aliens, in breach of galactic law...

"Nyssa, under arrest... the TARDIS, inoperable... The Doctor, facing interrogation...

"Another situation of dire peril is unfolding for the Doctor and his companion. However, what if it is not clear who is right and who is wrong? Who is ugly and who is beautiful?

"Where does the story begin, and where does it end?

"Sometimes, it's all a matter of perspective."

"Creatures of Beauty", by Big Finish veteran Nicholas Briggs, is another in a long line of "experimental" Doctor Who audio releases. The key conceit of "Creatures of Beauty" is its storytelling method: instead of setting out the chain of events in a linear fashion as is usual, in "Creaures of Beauty" the narrative is fractured. The story moves seamlessly from the middle, to the beginning, to the end, back to the middle and so on, and the mystery of the events on the planet of Veln unravels gradually in the process. It really is quite masterfully done, for the first three episodes at least.

Unfortunately, the story overreaches itself, having the story's "final scenes" at the end of the third episode, in the process removing the incentive to come back for the fourth and rendering the end of the story itself an anticlimax. The role of episode four is, as it turns out, to reveal a key twist underpinning the whole chain of events. However, the twist is too heavily signposted at too early a stage in the episode, so that when the revelation does come, it is largely predictable.

The majority of the story is structured so cleverly and performed and produced so well that, to begin with, I wanted to give it five stars. However, I consider the disappointing ending to episode three and the subsequent revelation to be a sufficient misfire that I didn't quite feel able to award full marks. None the less, my score for "Creatures of Beauty" is very much at the high end of a four, for daring to do something different and largely succeeding.

This is the forty fourth release from Big Finish in their range of full cast audio adventures starring classic Doctor Whos. It stars Peter Davison as Five and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa. There are four episodes, roughly 25-30 minutes each, complete with original theme music between each, and cliff hanger endings. Two episodes per disc on 2 discs, and a short booklet with some pictures of the cast and production notes.

The last adventure to feature Five and Nyssa was the impressive `Spare Parts', a real rollercoaster of a tale that packed a lot of punch. Something special was required to match it, and that is exactly what the Big Finish team have produced.

It's a clever bit of story telling, where the story unfolds in fractured time rather than a linear fashion. It's also a deeply philosophical tale, musing on the nature of right and wrong, and the difference that people can make in the overall scheme of things. The narrative structure works beautifully. It doesn't feel laboured, and showing the reasons for character' actions after seeing the actual event totally changes the perspective of the event. The tale itself is rather standard for Who, but the telling of the tale really makes it special. And the layers that it adds to the characters of Nyssa and Five, and the relationship between the two are welcome.

Davison and Sutton are on fine form, Davison especially with his philosophical and wise sounding performance. David Daker makes a welcome guest appearance as a security chief, in a performance full of charm, menace and vitriol in just the right quantities.

A thought provoking, interesting, and yet still entertaining tale from the Big Finish team, with some great performances. 5 stars all round from me.

An audio adventure of the 5th Doctor and Nyssa

The story in basic terms is of the doctor landing on a planet that is dying from atmospheric poisoning but the point is more the way it is told than the plot itself.

The story is told in a non-linear format, so can be confusing on a first listen, however after the tale has unfolded all of the points are clear. What I do like is how the story has more than just its non-linear plot as a hook, and also investigates the Doctor's meddling and inability to leave things alone doesnt always make things better, and thoughts on identity.

If listening make sure you are free to concentrate on the tale rather than drift in and out, and it makes this a rewarding listen as the pieces fall into place.