The Innocent

Over the past few years I have collected a random selection of Big Finish audio stories, from freebies to sale items, and I'm gradually working my way through them. Whilst I will be discussing most of them on my Who Catch Up blog some just don't fit into a particular category so I'll be discussing them here.

Today I will be discussing The Innocent which is the first story in Only the Monstrous, a boxset of War Doctor stories starring John Hurt. This story was free with Doctor Who Magazine #500.

This story opens with a fairly typical pre-credits sequence. The Doctor has just been declared dead. We all know it's obviously not true but it's an intriguing start and we are then given the War Doctor's Doctor Who theme which keeps the basic tune but gives a more militaristic style. 

Nicholas Briggs makes great use of Doctor Who lore as we flashback to what actually happened. The Doctor (but don't call him that) takes the place of two Time Lords to activate the Time Destructor on the dalek fleet- last seen way back in The Dalek's Master Plan. It's a tricky doing a War Doctor boxset when you have to try and be in keeping with fifty years of Time Lord and dalek lore. 

Much of the story is set on the planet Keska where the Doctor (don't call him that) ends up. There he meets Rejoice who is proper companion material. She looks after 'her alien' as he recovers but when he wakes the Doctor finds himself in the midst of another war as the Taalyens attack. It's swiftly dealt with though when we see this version of the Doctor at his most Doctor-ish so far. It shows us that the personality of this incarnation is entirely due to the awful situation he finds himself in and actually the Doctor is still there somewhere. 

This story is almost an alternative new companions story. Traditionally the Doctor would meet his new companion, save the day with their help and take them with him on his travels. It's the last bit he knows he can't do here as he obviously can't risk taking Rejoice into the Time War. There's a long, brilliant sequence where the Doctor tries to convince Rejoice and probably himself too that he is no longer a hero. Rejoice never falls for it but sadly the Time Lords turn up and Rejoice is forced to remain on Keska. We've seen it in the TV show a few times but it's heart-breaking when a would-be-companion misses out on the best opportunity of their lives. 

I really enjoyed this story and will consider forking out for the rest of the box set in the not too distant future. 

John Hurt

It was really sad this morning to wake up to the news that John Hurt has died aged 77. Doctor Who fans know him best as the War Doctor of course but he's been a popular British actor since the 70s. I thought it would be nice to consider some of the roles I personally know him for.

In Alien he played Kane, a.k.a as the unfortunate crew member who has an alien burst through his chest. That scene was voted one of the more memorable movie moments of all time. We're perhaps more familiar with this kind of horror in 2017 but in 1979 it was more surprising. On paper it sounds like it could be awful, but it really works. I think the visuals are fairly good but it's the acting that really makes that scene work. John Hurt was the only actor in the scene who knew what was going to happen so the reaction of the rest of the cast is hardly surprising. Hurt had to really lead that scene then and he did so fantastically.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone he plays wand-maker Ollivander. This was the first time I saw John Hurt in anything and he really shines despite the little time he appears. Up until this point Harry Potter has not spent any real time with a wizard and so John Hurt has the unenviable job of being the actor has to make wizards look good. And boy does he do it! He's funny and enigmatic and owns one of the most memorable scenes in the film. "The wand choose the wizard Mr. Potter- it's not always clear why."

He then returned to the role of Ollivander in The Deathly Hallows (towards the end of Part 1 and at the start of Part 2). Here the character has been tortured by Voldemort and the Death Eaters so Ollivander is something of a broken man. And you really believe that in Hurt's performance- you can almost see the fear and self-loathing in his eyes. Ollivander is another of the film's representations of loss of innocence- he's the first proper wizard Harry meets and gives him magic through a wand and later the tables are turned and Harry has to save his life.

Hurt has a small role in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the fourth and later film in the series. Let's face it, it's not a patch on the original trilogy. But I think Hurt's character, Oxley, is one of the few characters who really works in that film. Oxley has been driven mad by the crystal skull but was once an eminent archaeologist. Hurt's performance is a complicated one- he has to play for laughs, come across harrowed and still convince as once having been intelligent and with it. I think he somehow manages it too- there's a hint of tortured Ollivander but as if he was broken even further.

Let's not forget his wonderful voice work, including Hazel in the Watership Down film and General Woundwort in the Watership Down TV series, Aragorn in the animated Lord of the Rings, the Narrator in The Tigger Movie, the Owl in The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's Child and memorably the mostly unhelpful dragon in Merlin. What a voice that man had, perfect for a wise and friendly mentor.

And finally, let's talk about Doctor Who. Hurt played the War Doctor in The Day of the Doctor, the incarnation that fought in the Time War and ended it (although that was sort of re-written). Hurt may only have played the Doctor for a short time but he really nailed it. He's very Doctor-ish- funny, a little arrogant and really compassionate. But he takes the dark side of the Doctor further than ever, so far it's broken him. My favorite scene is when he talks with Clara in the Black Archive, when you really understand the dilemma he's in.

Doctor Who was lucky to get an actor of Hurt's stature to appear in the 50th anniversary special and Hurt embraced it. He took it seriously and asked Steven Moffat if he counted as a proper Doctor. I really believe he does. Technically he's a regeneration and we can't ignore that but he also proves himself to be one of the very best actors to have played the Doctor. Since the special he reprised the role with Big Finish in audio, giving us a Doctor deep in the Time War. This shows how much he enjoyed the role- I havn't heard any of his audio stories yet but I am definitely going to seek them out.

The other thing that's worth mentioning about John Hurt is what a nice man he was. The Doctor Who network online has been full of praise for him, not just an actor but as a person. It seems everyone who's met him has a similar anecdote to share about how friendly and warm he was.

John Hurt's death then sad but at least he will always be remembered for his many fantastic roles, not least as the War Doctor.

My Top 10 New Who Episodes

This week sees the 10th anniversary of Doctor Who returning to our screens. A lot of people seem to have done a list like this and I thought it would be fun to do one too. So, here are my top 10 favourite new series Doctor Who episodes.

10: Blink (2007- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring David Tennant and Freema Agyeman)

Many people regard this as the best Doctor Who episode ever. I wouldn’t quite go that far but I have to agree that it is excellent. I think the big reason this idea is so good is the villains, the Weeping Angels. Statues that move but only when you are not looking. It’s a terrifying idea. It’s also notable for the fact that the Doctor barely appears so it’s a case of him solving things from afar. Guest star Carey Mulligan, now quite the famous actress, is superb as Sally Sparrow here too. A real joy.

9: Turn Left (2009- Written by Russell T. Davies, Starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate)

Another Doctor-lite episode, this one is a sort of celebration of New Who up to this point. Thanks to Donna not saving the Doctor’s life in a parallel timeline, this sees what happens to Earth when the Doctor is not around to save it. Basically, things don’t go well. It’s a great idea and there are some really deep emotional moments, like when Wilf realises history is repeating itself.

8: The Parting of the Ways (2005-Written by Russell T. Davies, Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper)

This was the Ninth Doctor’s last stand. I adore the Ninth Doctor and this is his greatest moment. The companion/Doctor relationship is shown to be perhaps the strongest it has ever been- the Doctor saves Rose by sending her home but then Rose stubbornly returns and saves the Doctor by looking into the time vortex. The Ninth Doctor’s recorded message is incredible, there are loads of daleks and there’s the wonderful first appearance of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor.

7: Father’s Day (2005- Written by Paul Cornell, Starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper)

An episode all about a companion, this one. Rose asks the Doctor to take her back to the day her Dad died and proceeds to save his life, thus changing history. Monsters happen. It displays the daughter/father relationship beautifully and in a way conventional drama can’t do. The monsters are pretty good, in my opinion anyway, the Doctor sacrifices himself and the resolution is heart-breaking.

6: The Doctor’s Wife (2011- Written by Neil Gaiman, Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill)

Neil Gaiman gave the TARDIS a voice in this wonderful episode. That’s a great idea in itself but the whole idea of a sentient asteroid is brilliant and there’s some terrifying scenes in the TARDIS corridors featuring Amy and Rory. For me, those are perhaps the scariest scenes Doctor Who has ever had. Suranne Jones is brilliant as the TARDIS and there’s also an Ood there too to make things more fun.

5: The Girl in the Fireplace (2006- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring David Tennant, Billie Piper and Noel Clarke)

I would adore this episode simply for the scene where the Tenth Doctor stumbles into a spaceship, apparently drunk, and tells the monsters they are thick. That is my favourite scene in all of New Who. The whole premise of this episode is wonderful, Sophia Myles makes a wonderful Madame de Pompadour and the pay-off at the end of the episode revealing the connection between the spaceship and 18th century France is a staggering silent reveal.

4: Asylum of the Daleks (2012- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill)

I’m not quite sure why I like this episode so much. In terms of a dalek story, it’s not great but it is a brilliant story in terms of the show’s main characters. The Doctor having to solve a typical Doctor-ish problem whilst trying to save Amy and Rory’s marriage is a wonderful idea. It leads to Rory being at his sarcastic best and some really touching relationship drama. Not to mention the whole Oswin being a dalek thing and a gorgeous soundtrack!

3: School Reunion (2006- Written by Toby Whithouse, Starring David Tennant, Billie Piper and Elisabeth Sladen)

I’ve never liked this episode because it saw the return of Sarah-Jane and K9. That’s like an additional bonus. Sarah-Jane’s return shows us the best of Rose Tyler and her relationship with the Doctor. I love the scene where Rose and Sarah-Jane try and compete with each other and the Doctor having to defend the way he treated Sarah-Jane. I also think the Krillitane are the best aliens created for New Who and would really, really like to see them return.

2: The Day of the Doctor (2013- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt)

How could I not include this celebration of fifty years of Doctor Who? For a start there’s two brilliant Doctors, Smith and Tennant, together. Plus a whole new one, John Hurt, who turned out to make a truly wonderful Doctor. A heart-breaking decision for the Doctor and the pure triumph of him being able to fix his greatest regret. It’s a great celebration, topped by the presence of Tom Baker as the Curator.

1: The Eleventh Hour (2010- Written by Steven Moffat, Starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan)

Only two episodes in New Who had to completely reinvent the show. The first was Rose, which whilst excellent has some truly awful bits in it (plastic Mickey, that wheely bin). This though sees a hilarious introduction to a new Doctor and a sad one for a new companion. The fairly tale feel of it is really something special- there’s no way this story would have felt the same in a London suburb. Apart from the whole thing of introducing all the new stuff, the standalone plot is superb. I still think the line “the human residence will be incinerated” meaning the whole world rather than a house is so very clever and so sinister. In my eyes, this was an hour of perfect Doctor Who.

This list is of course simply my own opinion. I’m quite pleased that I’ve got quite a range of Doctors and surprised that as many as half of my favourites were written by Steven Moffat. I haven’t deliberately left out the Twelfth Doctor but I feel for an episode to be a true favourite it needs time and repeated viewings. It’s always fun to discuss these things so if you agree or, God forbid, disagree with my list then please do let me know with a comment!

Oh, and to celebrate ten years of New Who over on my blog Classic Who Catch Up I am about to start looking at the Ninth Doctor era. Please do take a look!

Seasons of War: Tales from a Time War

This is an unofficial Doctor Who short story anthology, created to raise money for a charity called Caudwell Children. You can find out all about the charity and the project here. The stories focus on the Time War and the War Doctor, played by John Hurt on screen. 

It would be tempting to say you should donate and get this book just because it's a great cause. But actually the book itself is really rather good. Here's a little bit on each story:

Epilogue- Warsmiths by Matt Fitton: In typical timey-wimey fashion the prologue and epilogue are the wrong way round here. This story sees the War Doctor confront someone trying to stop the daleks from ever existing. It's set just before we meet the War Doctor in "The Day of the Doctor" and is an excellent start. 

Karn: This tells the story of the War Doctor's first moments of life after his regeneration in "The Night of the Doctor". It's a bit bleak but pretty wonderful.

Crowsnest Past by Warren Frey: Not very war-y, this is the War Doctor doing a typical Doctor Who story involving banking-based monsters set in Canada. I wasn't too keen on this story. It's fine but I felt any Doctor could have been involved here, and the book is focusing on the War Doctor.

The Eight Minute War by Lee Rawlings: The War Doctor assembles an army on board his TARDIS but things don't work out too well. This is one of my favourites of the collection and is a story that only feature this incarnation of the Doctor.

Everything in its Right Place by J.R. Southall: A weird land of fiction type story that features Alice from Alice in Wonderland. I fear this type of story has been overdone in the written world of Doctor Who and there's little that makes this particular story any better than others.

Corsair: The War Doctor works alongside fellow Time Lord the Corsair. It's fun to see more of a character only mentioned in the actual show. 

The Ambassador From Wolf-Rayet 134 by Kate Orman: An ambassador for an alien species that is time-sensitive visits Gallifrey. The War Doctor is on hand to ensure things run smoothly. An interesting alien species and interesting to see the War Doctor be war-like without having to be violent. 

The Amber Room by Simon Brett and John Davies: A new room in the TARDIS! And a human soldier meeting the War Doctor. A really enjoyable tale. 

Review: Engines of War by George Mann

This book focuses on the War Doctor, that mysterious older Doctor who protested about the name and was played by John Hurt on TV. From his perspective it is set shortly before The Day of the Doctor, the 50th anniversary special. The Time War is raging on as the Doctor accidentally rescues human refugee Cinder. The pair discover the daleks have a devastating new weapon that could wipe out Gallifrey. He tells the Time Lords of the discovery but their solution involves genocide of the local human population. Can the Doctor save the humans and prevent the daleks from destroying Gallifrey?

This starts rather slowly and generically as it essentially tells of how the Doctor meets Cinder. Cinder is a great companion, made tough by the Time War but discovering a better life with the Doctor. She fitted the companion role really well and it was a good tactic to see this little explored Doctor through her eyes. 

The second act of the book is the best one, as the Doctor goes to Gallifrey. I don't think I've ever read a Doctor Who book as stepped in continuity as this one. It follows on from the Fourth Doctor Gallifrey based adventures and quite a lot of time is spent in the Death Zone from The Five Doctors. There's also a reference to that climactic scene in Genesis of the Daleks ("do I have the right?") and of course it serves as a prelude to The Day of the Doctor. Not only that though is it sets up The End of Time really well too, how the Time Lords became the Doctor's enemy. Whilst the daleks are great monsters their lack of personality makes them limited for story-telling, especially when you can't see them like you can on TV. So what Mann does is make the Time Lords the main enemy with the daleks an additional threat. For me it worked perfectly, acting as the perfect bridge between the Time Lord stories of the classic series to The End of Time. 

It would have been nice to see how the War Doctor differs from the other Doctors a little more. There are moments when he does things the others just wouldn't but they are few and far between. I would probably let this go if it was addressed in a future novel but for me his character was just too Doctor-ish for the "one who broke the promise". 

Overall though a really enjoyable book from George Mann, a fitting debut in novel form for the War Doctor. My only hope now is that he gets some more! 

The Name of the Doctor

Wow! I am still recovering from the dramatic finale to series 7 of Doctor Who and scratching my head trying to work out what is going to come next. Join me as I discuss the episode and try to work some things out. If you haven't seen the episode yet (er, why not) then do not read on…

The finale begins with a sort of montage of Clara meeting the classic Doctors. We see the First Doctor about to steal the TARDIS, the Third Doctor driving in Bessie and many more. Clara tells us she was born to save the Doctor, but how? Well we now know that she followed the Great Intelligence into the Doctor’s time stream and continually tried to save him. I found this a satisfactory explanation to the mystery of Clara and it was great to see classic Doctors properly appearing in the show- I particularly liked a version of Clara telling the First Doctor which TARDIS to steal.

This was another episode where the Doctor didn’t make an appearance until a good ten minutes into the episode. Instead we see the Paternoster Gang joined by Clara and River Song in a “conference call”.  According to Vastra “time travel has always been possible in dreams”. I was once again convinced that the Paternoster Gang need their own spin-off show. One day perhaps? The highlight of this great scene was the chilling line from Jenny saying “I think I’ve been murdered”. Fortunately all three of the Paternoster Gang survived the episode so the spin-off series can still happen.

Once Clara told the Doctor what she had seen, he knew he had to go to his grave at Trenzalore. The TARDIS wasn’t too keen on this and the Doctor could only get there by using the planet’s gravity, cracking a TARDIS window in the process. I feel that the crack may well be an important clue because when we see the Doctor’s grave, the TADIS having grown to a huge size, the same window has a crack in! Does this mean the Doctor is going to die soon, before the window can be repaired?

The finale saw the return of River Song, after her death in Forest of the Dead. It’s the latest in her timeline we’ve seen and she is effectively a ghost, saved to the database of the library. Her appearance here is fairly understated, her role mostly being as an assistant to Clara, still connected through the conference call. There is a great scene though where the Doctor reveals he is connected to her and hasn’t contacted her since the library because he felt it would hurt him too much. Very emotional.

I feel that we have now come to the big talking point of the episode, the ending. The Doctor goes to get Clara from inside his timeline but before the two of them can leave they see a shadowy figure, who turns out to be legendary actor John Hurt and, as the caption said, “The Doctor”. But how can John Hurt be the Doctor? Well some rumours suggest he is a Doctor that fits between the Eighth and the Ninth Doctors. This seems most likely as we have very little idea of what happened between the TV Movie and Rose. Perhaps what this new Doctor said can give us a clue:

John Hurt’s Doctor: What I did, I did without choice in the name of peace and sanity.

Matt Smith’s Doctor: But not in the name of the Doctor!

Well all we can know is that this new Doctor did something bad and didn’t have a choice. Time war? Seems the most likely. If this is the case and John Hurt is technically the Ninth Doctor our naming system is going to be messed up. Fingers crossed that he’ll be given a new name so we don’t get too confused.

Other possibilities? Well maybe he is the First Doctor, coming before William Hartnell, although this doesn’t feel right to me. Or perhaps he is the next Doctor, coming after Matt Smith. Possible but the fact that the Eleventh Doctor knows what he has done and the fact that it seems Matt Smith will probably be around for at least another series, this too seems unlikely. So I’m going for my first theory.

Still, even if that is the case there are still so many questions. What exactly did JH Doctor do? What has he got to do with the 50th anniversary special? And what about the Tenth Doctor? And the Zygons? Well I guess we will have to wait until the 23rd November to find out! How are we going to cope? This feature will be back on the 24th November to analyse the special but stay tuned as there might be the odd other thing before then too! Thanks for reading!