Peter Davison's Doctor Who has a rather special place in my affections as he's my first "new" Doctor. I was blessed to have a public television station dedicated to getting new episodes as soon as possible, so when the fall of 1983 rolled around, I sat goggle-eyed as my funny friend Doctor Who fell off a radio telescope and changed into a much different man. I was a little put out, frankly, and thought about giving the program up. After the first 25 minutes of "Castrovalva", I found out that I was a fan of Doctor Who and not just of Tom Baker.

Thus, I've greeted Big Finish's 5th Doctor stories like welcoming in an old friend. Under-appreciated by fans, I find the 5th Doctor to be a special creation and look forward to the releases of new audios. The problem is, of the four Doctors who record for Big Finish, Peter Davison has the least distinctive voice. Early releases found me fighting to maintain a mental picture. Now, at two-plus years of audios, Davison's performance is at its strongest and his character and personality shine through.

Now if he could only get sharper scripts.

Primeval has nothing really wrong with it, per se . . it just doesn't have a lot that's right with it, either. I found myself saying aloud by part two, "I hope this is going somewhere". Sadly, this was not to be. Once I found myself back on Traken, the story's end came screaming out at me (so the Doctor is the first keeper, eh? Didn't see that coming. ) I don't know. . maybe lots of fans feel like going back for a second helping. I just know I didn't.

Steven Greif (also known as the first, best Space Commander Travis on "Blakes'7") plays our villain. Great choice, but unfortunately much of his dialog was obscured by heavy audio effects. I couldn't understand what he was saying half the time, and for an audio-only baddie, that's the kiss of death. Special mention must go to Sarah Sutton, who has taken the rather two-dimensional character of Nyssa a step closer to real. This is no slap to Peri or Turlough, but I think the Doctor/Nyssa pairing has been working out best. Davison and Sutton convey a breezy friendship and its fun to be in their company. Having said that, I really miss Janet Fielding's Tegan. I know she has her problems with Who, but it just doesn't feel like the 5th Doctor era without her. Maybe by the anniversary season. . .

In the end, I'm afraid Primeval just doesn't make the grade. Like last years Winter for the Adept, the story is too slight for four episodes. The music is rushed and the sound mix is garbled at times, which is unforgivable in audio drama. It comes off as one of those middle-of-the-season, budget-stretched-too-thin type stories Peter Davison dealt with during his run of the show.

The Fifth Doctor deserves better.