England, 1400. Winter. Blood in the snow. Henry IV has usurped the throne, and deposed King Richard II languishes in Pomfret Castle. Meanwhile the Doctor and his companions preside over New Year revels at Sonning Palace. But Sonning is a prison, treachery is in the air and murderous Archbishop Thomas Arundel will stop at nothing to crush the rebellion. As the Doctor and Barbara take the road to Canterbury, Vicki finds a royal friend and Ian is dragged into a dark web of conspiracy at whose heart sits that teller of tales, Geoffrey Chaucer.
As we highlighted in our Story by Story article Four Big Finish Audios Set Before An Unearthly Child Marc Platt has become something of a First Doctor specialist, his Flames of Cadiz (referenced here) being a personal favourite amongst the former Companion Chronicles range and the likes of Quinnis and The Beginning bringing high hopes for this, our second release in the new Early Adventures range.
Set during Henry IV’s turbulent rise to power and the death of Richard II, our travellers arrive in Sonning at the Bishop’s palace on the Thames and despite the Doctor promising to be discretion itself, soon (of course) become embroiled in intrigue, conspiracy and plot!
Being the welcome return of the pure historical, there is a very typical Hartnell-era educational aspect to the drama, teaching real history while never descending into being forced or a lecture, the history serving to drive the plot as those who know the era know what tragedy must transpire, the play taking delightful sidelines into the works and life Chaucer and John Wycliffe’s Lollardism movement. It seems an era which Marc Platt has a genuine love an interest, represented here with some authenticity.
The Doctor’s Tale is subtle in it’s approach but underneath has much to say on the Church and religion’s propensity to conservatism and unwillingness to enact change, on the dangers of religious zeal and the power of both the common man and the written word, in this respect it acts as a companion piece of sorts to The Flames of Cadiz and brings echoes of The Massacre to mind.
Our regulars continue to be in fine form, William Russell once more the highlight of the audio as he continues to find a familiar yet new voice for Ian Chesterton, 51 one years after his debut. Russell’s impression of the Doctor, complete with Hartnell’s trademark “hmm?” continues to equally delight, while Maureen O’Brien makes her Barbara significantly different to excellently realised Vicky to stand-out. Archbishop Thomas Arundel meanwhile makes a fine villain for the piece, infused with a believable zeal and motivation, making a well-rounded bullying foe for our heroes, played with scene-stealing relish by John Banks.
As with our opening Early Adventure, Domain of the Voord, the feel of the piece in both terms of scripting and sound design is totally evocative of the period in which it is placed, The Doctor’s Tale sitting comfortably alongside the likes of The Crusade, the TV story that is perhaps most brought to mind (complete with reference to Sir Ian of Jaffa!) Like with Domain, The Doctor’s Tale continues the conceit of having the Doctor and Barbara split from Ian and Vicki/Susan as part of the main narrative and while it does lessen the noticeable absence of William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill, it remains to be seen how long the same concept can be used in the series.
With two Early Adventures now released and two genuine highlights of the year, the new range has gotten off to possibly the strongest start of any of Big Finish’s ranges. With an excellent script, beautiful sound design and quite wonderful performances, The Doctor’s Tale is another stand-out First Doctor adventure from Marc Platt, an essential purchase for all fans of the era, the historicals or those who simply love great Doctor Who.
Written By: Marc Platt
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Sound Design: Toby Hrycek-Robinson
Music: Toby Hrycek-Robinson
Cover Art: Tom Webster
Cast: William Russell (Ian Chesterton/The Doctor), Maureen O’Brien (Vicki/Barbara Wright/Narrator)
With: Gareth Armstrong (Geoffrey Chaucer), Joseph Kloska (Sir Thomas de Wensley), Alice Haig (Isabella), John Banks (Thomas Arundel)
The Doctor’s Tale is available now from BigFinish.com and Amazon.
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