Doctor Who Unbound Masters of War CD (Dr Who Big Finish) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

just over five years ago now, big finish audios released a series of plays under the banner: doctor who unbound. these were audio doctor who stories that stories that had no connection to established doctor who continuity whatsoever. they could tell whatever stories they liked, often twisting the past of the show to tell new tales, and allowing actors who never played the doctor before to get a chance to take on the role.

one of them was called doctor who: sympathy for the devil. this had david warner playing the third doctor. the scenario was that after he was forced to regenerate and exiled to earth by the time lords, he didn't land in the 1970's [or whenever those stories were set] and end up working with UNIT, rather he landed in hong kong in 1999, there meeting up with retired UNIT head alistair gordon lethbridge-stewart. at the end of that tale alistair and the doctor, who had regained control of his tardis from the time lords, set off travelling around the universe.

It's been a long wait, but finally the third doctor who never was is back!

david warner would always be top of my lists for actors who would have been great in the role of the doctor on tv. the doctor he plays here is smart, impatient, always eager to cut to the heart of the problem, and has a feeling that he's got lost time to make up for. he also has a quiet but determined sense of moral authority. this version of the brigadier is a man looking for a change in life, but still a consummate soldier.

the story is spread across two discs. the first disc starts with a trailer for the forthcoming third season of eighth doctor and lucie miller audios, and ends with a track containing twelve minutes of the score for the story.

in the middle of all that on disc one is part one of the story, which runs for roughly one hour and four minutes.

disc two contains part two, which runs for one hour and twenty minutes. so these are very long episodes, but they do manage to justify the length and keep you hooked.

so what's the story about?

the tardis lands on skaro. homeworld of the daleks. but a very different skaro from anything we've seen before. the thals, the other native race of the planet, live in a city and are slaves to dalek control. some of the thals are plotting rebellion, and thus the doctor is soon caught up in their plans. the daleks though have an agenda that is only gradually revealed as the episode goes on, and it's really quite surprising. they broadcast film of their long lost creator davros teaching people moral lessons. but what happened to davros?

and what deadly threat lurks nearby?

skaro soon becomes a battleground, and everyone involved has difficult moral choices to make. especially the daleks.

the first episode sets up the plot, keeping surprises coming right up to the excellent cliffhanger. and the second is best described as being a war movie, with different factions vying for control of the planet. and having to make the difficult choices mentioned.

in the middle of all this is action, food for thought, and some superb moments for the main characters, the doctor and the brigadier in particular having powerful moments when they stand up for what is right and do the right thing. these are scenes that will make you want to stand up and cheer.

a very long audio, and one that will doubtless repay repeated listenings.

and you probably wont have much trouble getting into it if you don't want to worry about continuity, and just enjoy a good story.

I loved the way David Warner played the Doctor in the previous play, and he's taken it to the next level. The Third Doctor's dedication to pacifism is shown right at the start, berating the ex-Brigadier for causing insult to their meglomaniac host, while admiting that he had neutralised a dangerous weapon. Equally, his ability to fight his oldest foes with great virulence are also displayed. Warner's Third Doctor comes over as being more combative than Pertwee's. The skewing of the show's timeline is defeated by making Davros a mythical creature at first, then making him the saviour of the Thals, but only so that he can as ever gain control over the Dalek's. Terry Molloy's portrayal of Davros is always at it's best when rational and logical. That is so here. The nazification elements of ''Genesis'' come out in the destruction of 'defective' Thals, the Dalek occupation of Skaro, curfews, resistance cells and such like. Nicholas Courtney never lets the side down, he's the perfect companion, while also being able to drive the plot when seperated from the Doctor. Hopefully Big Finish will bring the pairing back in the future.

David Warners unbound alternative 3rd Doctor and the retired Lethbridge-Stewart return to take on the Daleks - the moment I heard of this story I was so up for it. This version of the 3rd Doctor was a favourite from the original unbound season, seeing his reaction to the Daleks as he takes his contempt out on them early in the story and to see him regain composure as the story moves on is a treat.

Where the original series was pretty much single CD's lasting an hour to 70 mins this is a full length story of a couple of hours (thats not counting the 8th Doctor season trailer and music score on the first CD). This gives the story plenty of time to breath with the first episode being full of twists and curve ball - the cliffhanger is outstanding. The second episode features more a tactical war story plus the debut of an unbound pivotal character.