Leviathan (Doctor Who: The Lost Stories) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Comparisons will be inevitably be drawn between this audio story and the others in the 'Lost season' series - on this note I have to say that I found it to be far more entertaining and well-written than the disappointing Mission to Magnus (Doctor Who: The Lost Stories) but not quite as effective as The excellent The Nightmare Fair (Doctor Who: The Lost Stories). This is based upon its enduring script and great interplay between the actors; whilst well-worn 'Who' themes such as android replicas and the harvesting of human bodies are sufficiently well written and acted to still be welcome, despite the lack of originality. I'd imagine though that a 1985 BBC Doctor Who budget would not have done this story justice - and the impressive setting would also have been tricky to realise in any decent manner. With this in mind it's probably for the best that this has become an audio drama rather than a television serial; as such it's an atmospheric and eerie adventure which has stood the test of time admirably.

The CD has the usual interviews with cast and crew, however this one is particularly illuminating as writer Paul Finch tells how he basically finished and fine-tuned his late father's abandoned script; Finch comes across as an unassuming but personable chap , who is genuinely thrilled to be involved with Doctor Who, and even more delighted that his father's work has now seen the light of day. This makes the production all the more poignant, and suffice to say that Finch Junior (and Senior) can be justifiably proud of what they have created.

Latest in the series of doctor who audio plays that adapts scripts which didnt make it to the screen during colin baker's era in the role on tv.

This follows the format of the two previous ones by having two long episodes, fifty five and fifty nine minutes, with one to a disc. Both discs end with fifteen minutes or so of interviews with cast and crew. And these tell the story of how this script wasn't as well known about as some of the other lost ones, and how the son of the man who wrote it discovered the existence of this range by chance and how he came to adapt it to audio as a result.

And thank goodness he did. Because this is a very pleasant surprise, being a story of high quality.

It begins with the doctor and peri landing in what appears to be medieval england, as a young man from a village is being hunted. Amongst the hunt is the mythical figure Herne. When people of this world reach a certain age, their time is up. And that's what the man is running from.

What follows would appear to be conventional doctor who in many ways. Doctor and companion discovering oppressed people and getting separated and making new friends whilst helping the rebels free themselves. But the pleasure is in the details. The setting is original - some of the plot may remind you of a certain famous science fiction film from the 70's, but it throws in a twist on that - the supporting characters are well written and well played, and the plot does manage some excellent twists and turns. An excellent cliffhanger at the end of part one throws in an interesting new element.

At the heart of it though we have the sixth doctor and peri how they should be written. The former brusque at times but determined and csapable when fighting the moral evil of tyranny, and the latter a more than capable foil who never gives up and tries to do her best. She has one great rabble rousing speech in part two.

Added to which, there's some excellent incidental music, and a final scene that succeeds in getting the mood that it strives for.

We lost something by not getting to see this story on tv - it's unclear why it never happened but it was possibly down to budgetary concerns - but we have gained something by getting to hear it now.

A trailer for the next in this range csn be found at the start of disc one. Hopefully it will be as good as this

Expectations for the Lost Stories may have been high amongst old school fans, however I'd wager few others have been particularly excited. Scripts abandoned from one of the shows shakiest eras? What a terrible idea I hear you say... only here is an absolute gem of a script, abandoned not due to quality of writing, but due to the budget required to produce such an imaginative piece. A budget which would most definitely have been beyond the resources of the show at the time.

The acting was superb, music and sound effects were brilliant, as was the post-process work on the voices, but most of all this was just a wonderfully imaginative script, dare I say it one of the best the show has ever had to it's name, right up there with the work of Robert Holmes and Steven Moffat.
As is stated on the CD extras, we should probably be glad this came to audio instead of TV, the production quality was superb and likely would not have worked so well on a 80s DW budget.
It's simply a shame Brian Finch didn't survive to hear the realisation of his vision, a greater shame still that nothing came of his attempt to become a regular writer for the show. Fortunately his son, Paul Finch, has done a fantastic job adapting it for audio; despite this being a television script the listener is never confused or disoriented, nor is there clumsy dialogue explaining events that can not be seen.

It's not unheard of for Big Finish audios to be adapted for Television (Dalek, Rise of the Cybermen), however there has never before been a story so begging for this treatment, with an absolute minimum of changes. I would dearly like to see that story get a retelling on the new series, if only so that it manages to reach a size of audience it deserves. Not only does the script not share the problems of it's era but much of the dialogue, pacing and ideas would feel very much at home in say Series 6 of NuWho.

The verdict, for those who tend to skip to the end: Absolutely fantastic. Buy it, now.