Doctor Who - Valhalla (Big Finish Adventures) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Marc Platt has written some of the best Big Finish audios for Doctor Who, usually displaying incredible wit and invention, so it's odd that 'Valhalla' is so traditional and uninspired. The story features a human colony under attack from giant termites and for all intents and purposes might as well be a 2nd Doctor 'base under seige' tale. We get a few allusions to capitalism, but these are very much an afterthought, and the genuinely interesting ideas (such as organised ticketed riots) are very few and far between. One of the more interesting aspects is the 7th Doctor travelling without any companions this time, and the first episode where he seems to have retired is by far the strongest, though this turns out to be something of a red herring. The performances are often stilted, and the expositionary dialogue ('look - a giant termite!') doesn't help.

'Valhalla' isn't a terrible story, it's just a by-the-numbers 'Doctor Who vs Monster of the Week' play, which for Marc Platt is a huge dissapointment. Not awful, just very, very average.

This is the ninety sixth release from Big Finish in their range of full cast audio adventures starring classic Doctor Whos. It stars Sylvester McCoy as a companionless Seven, and has welcome guest appearances from Philip Jackson (who really should do more of these!) and Susannah Yorke. Episodes are 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. There are also some excerpts of the music track on the end of disc one, and interviews with cast and crew at the end of disc 2.

This is an excellent production from Big Finish. It's a tale that just keeps you slightly off balance for the whole run time, just as soon as you think you have a handle on it, it changes again. A companionless Seventh Doctor arrives in Valhalla, an earth colony on Jupiter's moon Callisto. The Doctor is feeling his years (I get the feeling it is set well after his association with Ace and Hex, towards the end of this regeneration) and appears to be looking to settle down and retire from his peripatetic life. But Valhalla has problems, and it seems that only the Doctor can help. But was it his plan all along?

I love this characterisation of the older, weary Doctor. So far removed from the pratfalling twerp who emerged in Time and the Rani. McCoy plays it with just the right note of seen it all, done it all melancholia coupled with a menacing and dark undercurrent. When called upon to give the Doctor depth rather than just bellowing `Haaaaace' all the time he can really deliver, and gives one of his top ten performances here. Of especial note is a scene where he observes someone finding the body of a friend, and he has to convince himself to care and help. It's dark, and works very well.

There's a cracking story here, fleshed out by star turns by Philip Jackson and Susannah Yorke among others. The direction is tight, and the audio production really excellent. Right up there with the production of the Gathering. There is always something going on, more often than not just a constant slight scratching that suggests insects scuttling around in the skirting boards. It's really well done.

In all 5 stars for this excellent production. Dark, unsettling, with a great performance from McCoy. It's a joy.

As is Big Finish's now established custom, there are bonus interviews with cast and crew at the end of the second disc. There are some musical cues at the end of the first disc. To be honest these don't do much for me, but some might enjoy them. The interviews are better than those on earlier releases as both interviewer and interviewees get the hang of it.

Yes I agree that this Big Finish audio is a big disappointment. After Colin Baker I find Sylvester to be the best served of all the audio Doctors in terms of the quality of the stories and the performances of the actor himself. This is however a bland and generic Doctor Who story; having said that, I have listened to all 117 Big Finish monthly Doctor Who releases and there are only a handful of duds, so perhaps we can forgive Nick Briggs et al and hope that this is only a brief dip.