The Angel of Scutari (Doctor Who) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

This is a decent Big Finish audio play; an informative pure historical. Unfortunately this is not as satisfying as it should be. The convoluted story-telling whizzes back and forward in time and between storylines, demanding close attention and a repeat listen to be followed (although for some this may be a strength). However, this means that on first listening "The Angel of Scutari" is not as engaging as it should be. I generally prefer a straighter storytelling and a slightly less "knowing" Doctor. The story is driven by those overly used and tedious "rules of time" and "causality" hinderances. For this reason I dropped one star. However apart from this there is a decent story here with some strong performances, so I don't regret the purchase.

latest doctor who audio play, featuring the seventh doctor and his companions ace and hex. this one follows on from the events in the preceding play Doctor Who: Enemy of the Daleks (Dr Who Big Finish) but it fills in enough detail so that those who havent heard that one should be able to get into this easily.

running for four twenty five minute episodes spread over two discs, this story sees the tardis arrive in a british military hospital during the crimean war. florence nightingale is on her way, but in the meantime hex, a trained nurse, takes the chance to do some good. which he needs, after what he went through in enemy of the daleks.

Thing is, some of the people at the hospital already know the doctor. and when he and ace go back a little further in time to find why, they get themselves into a lot of trouble. can hex survive meeting his idol, the lady of the lamp? and will the tardis crew survive possible execution and spies and be reunited?

the only science fiction elements in this are the tardis and the time travelling. the rest is a straight historical and character drama. and in that respect it works superbly. full of believable and well acted characters who have very human reactions to the events that go on around them, and also well researched historical details, this is a strong piece of character drama and it grips superbly as a result. the non linear nature of the story may be slightly difficult to get to grips with at first but it rewards listener effort in the end.

and you will not forget the end of episode four in a hurry.

There's a scene after the final credits which doesnt add anything to the plot but it's another well acted strong character moment, so it's worth a listen to.

As is the whole story. It's a quality piece of drama.

disc one ends with fourteen minutes worth of interviews with cast and crew. this is half the length of some they've done on previous releases but frankly less is more here.

The end of disc two contains episode three of the three companions, a story being told in thirteen eleven minute long episodes, one to each monthly big finish release. this story is progressing now those who haven't heard parts one and two may not be able to get into this instalment.

but if you have, then it's a story that is progressing quite well. former companion polly is telling a story of how she and the doctor and friends ran into trouble on a nightmare planet. which is a superbly original and well realised setting. at the same time former fifth doctor audio companion thomas brewster is waiting for contact from a man. And you'll start to see how the stories will tie together. all in all, this one is progressing nicely.

And all in all, another strong release from big finish, who have really been on top of their game so far this year.

Back cover blurb:
October 1854: As the British Army charges into catastrophe in the Crimea, the Minister for War sends Miss Florence Nightingale to take charge of the field hospital at Scutari.

But there's already an angel of mercy working with the sounded at Scutari. A first-rate felow who's turned up out of the blue. Goes by the name of Schofield; Thomas Hector Schofield...

With the Doctor and Ace lost in the siege of Sebastopol, Hex has rediscovered his calling. But there's cannon to the left of him, cannon to the right of him - and a deranged spycatcher-in-chief on his case...

The third in a loose three story arc, this audio adventure sees The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), and his companions Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Hex (Philip Olivier) travel back in Earth's history to the infamous Scutari Barracks, the Turkish military hospital in which Florence Nightingale drastically improved sanitary conditions and famously saved the lives of many British soldiers injured in the Crimean conflict.

Seeming at first to be a straightforward `historical' story, we soon learn that The Doctor has been here before, and has to go back along his own timeline to ensure there are no repercussions.
Jeany Spark plays the famous `Lady with the Lamp' as a necessarily hard-nosed and ballsy character, rather than the soft gentle angel of history, and this is refreshing as you know that she'd have had to be tough to thrive in such a hellhole.

The Doctor's spunky teenage companion Ace is separated from her friends early on and this gives actress Sophie Aldred a rare opportunity to plough another furrow for the character, finding love in an unlikely place. Liverpudlian nurse Hex also gets the chance to play to his character's strengths, as he rolls up his sleeves and mucks in.

Overall this is a powerful historical war drama - with a bit of time travel thrown in for good measure. An engaging and intelligent story that is the equal of anything in the Big Finish range.