I always tell people that I am not a fan of Doctor Who historicals. Some may sing the praises of 'The Romans', 'The Aztec' and 'Myth Makers' but they are lost on me. I quite enjoy 'The Highlanders', but I think that's mainly because it has the novelty value of it being the Second Doctor's only historical outing.
However, these proclamations are proving to be increasingly hollow. Big Finish has proven that such tales need not be uninvolving or dull. Stories such as this, 'Fires of Vulcan' and the currently recent 'Council of Nicaea' are exceptional and riveting in their story telling - and are, just as importantly, a lot of fun.
In the Big Finish book, 'The Inside Story', Peter Davison is asked if he would like his own 'camp comedy' story like Colin Baker's 'The One Doctor' or Sylvester's 'Bang Bang a Boom'. In response, Davison is not enthusiastic - and I think he is right.
This story is definitely a drama, but unusually for the writing team responsible for 'Project: Twilight', there is a thread of humorous banter running through it. Humour arising from the drama is much more effective than a comedy for the sake of comedy.
The story is undemanding and enjoyable. It is clear who is who - which is ironic, as it gives the wonderful Nicola Bryant the chance to play twin roles. She plays Peri of course, twinned for the most part with new companion Erimem, appealingly played by Caroline Morris. These two characters have a sisterly quality about them, playfully ganging up on the Fifth Doctor, giving him further opportunity to be bullied in his own TARDIS, much has he was on television. The difference is, they bully him because they love him and enjoy teasing him, and atmosphere amongst the crew is more attractive because of this.
Bryant also plays Queen Anne, a tempestuous woman with a great deal to tolerate, not least a husband whom she clearly despises. Peri and Queen Anne occasionally have scenes together, scenes in which Bryant plays both parts with no audio 'magic' to aid her performance. She excels.
There are many funny moments here - the Musketeers swapping idle banter whilst indulging in death-defying swordplay, Blind Maurice becoming a Leper because there's more money to be made begging, and best of all, the Doctor trying to teach the Musketeers what will become their catch-phrases ("All for one, and - oh, never mind!"). It is all good fun.
I would be tempted to describe this as a 'romp', if that word had not become so overused. Hang it, I will describe it as a romp, and one that I would recommend to anyone who, like me, is usually put off by the word 'historical!' One of the main reasons for the longevity and success of Doctor Who is undoubtedly the sheer variety of stories it is able to tell. Of its very nature, DW presents a format that can go anywhere - nowhere is out of bounds, nowhere is beyond the realms of the imagination. Doctor Who has constantly shifted between story types - it's a reason it is notoriously difficult to label the show as any one genre type. Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, Fantasy - take your pick - it's Doctor Who to me, and I love it! Witness, or rather lend an ear to, the last few releases from Big Finish. We have had a story taken straight from the mythos of DW itself. We have had a verbacious confined story set in a College. We've had a Modern Day Depression related, Dance infested voyage to Ibiza. We've had a Futuristic Monster story set in Deep Space. Now we have an Fantasy Historical, with plenty of humour! If Big Finish wants to achieve the most varied set of DW stories in its history, then 2002 has achieved just that.
DW can, by its very nature, be any story type. Just insert our favourite Doctors and Companions in there (and there's enough of them too), and with a great deal of skill from accomplished writers and production crew, run with it. This is what has happened here. Mark Wright and Cavan Scott have taken the Swashbuckling Musketeering of 17th Century France, as popularized by Alexander Dumas, and woven a fabulous adventure story round it.
Characters are taken straight from this genre, both fictional and factual, and a huge lot of fun is had by all, especially the listener. It really does feel like we are in one of those romantic, fantasy adventure yarns, and I can only count on one hand how many times DW has gone even close to this story type before. The story is familiar, because we are used to the genre, but wonderfully entertaining and quite different because of the TARDIS crews involvement.
This TARDIS Crew have only just come together. The story is set directly after Eye of the Scorpion, and Erimem, the Egyptian Pharoah is onboard. Her character is superbly appropriate to this battle of wits between the Church and the Crown. She is familiar with the conventions of royalty, and also the interference and importance of Religion. Paris is another world for her, but the Royal Court and its contrasting personalities is right up her street. The wonder she shows throughout is infectious - Big Finish have done it again and created a fabulous new Companion for the Doctor. Full credit to Caroline Morris who brings the character alive.
Peri continues to be much better written in the Audio Medium than on TV. Here Nicola Bryant has a dual role, and she excels in both. She makes the 2 parts sufficiently different for the listener, but we still know it is the same actress doing both. You have to admire the audacity of the writers and production team creating a lookalike, where there is nothing to look at! I was very pleased to see a friendship developing between Peri and Erimem. They giggle their way through scenes together, bouncing off one another with their love of adventure and life. Peri never had a foil on TV, and it's refreshing that the audios have introduced this new angle to her character. She's better for having a friend to join her in her TARDIS travels.
As well as the companions are written, the star of the show - THE DOCTOR - is not neglected. Whilst this is not the most dominant Doctor Story ever produced, Davisons Doctor is always around. Davisons comic timing comes to the fore, and his heroic personae gets an airing. He gets tortured, gets to Sword fight with the best, and gets an unwelcome honour bestowed upon him. I am fed up of hearing that the 5th Doctor was lacking in Personality. In this drama he gets to show all his character traits, and as a result this Great Doctor is totally brilliant throughout. All the TARDIS crew are excellent in this drama, and their interplay between each other is some of the best we have heard. They really get on, and after a stream of 80s Dr/Companion teams that didn't that is wonderful to see.
The supporting cast is a fine one. Each actor and actress throws themselves into their respective roles with gusto. My personal favourite was Delmarre, played by Peter John. Ably supported by Andy Coleman as Rouffet, they are both the epitome of dashing, musketeering ebullience. Storming in to each situation, they provide both the best action, and the best humour, of the story. The 2 Leaders of the Church and the Crown, Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis, are also impressive. It took a little while to warm to Louis, but then the idea was to make him unlikeable I presume. This spoilt King was played with just the right enthusiasm. Richelieu came across as quite creepy at first, but over the 4 episodes you rethought his role in all this. The obvious baddie from the start was less so, as the play developed. Behind the scenes, scheming his own plot, is Buckingham. A splendid performance from Marcus Hutton (especially in the final episode) brought this character alive.
This audio drama is full of very good players, right through the ranks. They are characters that are not set, with perceptions changing towards them throughout. It's one of the best casts Big Finish has assembled.
As an Historical Drama The Church and the Crown is great entertainment. It made me laugh, it drew me into its fantastic world. It's not a production that is out to teach a great deal, but it's one that will always be welcome. That it exists in a romantic world that was legendary, rather than factual, provides charms of its own. It has its moments of seriousness, but they never stay around too long. The Humour results naturally from the situations, and each character has their own moments of wit and wisdom. It's a polished script from Wright and Scott, their best one to date.
The Church and the Crown is brilliant entertainment. Listen to it, you'll enjoy it, it will put a smile on your face! Another hit! 9/10 ‘The Church and the Crown’ is what is sometimes called a “pure historical”, a Doctor Who adventure set in a distinct period setting with no science fiction elements except for the TARDIS and its crew. Long since abandoned by the television series, historical are considered by some fans to be boring, an accusation that can scarcely be leveled at this particular adventure.
‘The Church and the Crown’ is enormous fun. It was originally entitled ‘The Swashbucklers’, a name that is very apt; despite the Doctor’s disparaging comments about Alexander Dumas, ‘The Church and the Crown’ is a full blown homage to The Three Musketeers, or at least some of its celluloid interpretations. It has court intrigue aplenty, Musketeers, Cardinal Richelieu, and a several duels, including one between the Doctor and the Duke and Buckingham. The script’s flowery dialogue helps to evoke the necessary feel, and also allows writers Cavan Scott and Mark Wright to get away with some expository dialogue; during the King’s first meeting in the audio with Madame De Chevreuse, he is able to great her using her full name and in the third person, which lets the listener know who she is whilst still managing to sound perfectly natural.
‘The Church and the Crown’ also benefits from a great deal of wit. Davison never really got the chance to tackle humour during his tenure on screen, but ‘The Church and the Crown’ rectifies that admirably. It is by no means an outright comedy like ‘The Romans’, ‘The Myth Makers’ or ‘The Gunfighters’, using humour with considerably more restraint. This is obvious from the opening TARDIS scene, during which the Doctor attempts to negotiate with Erimem’s foul-tempered cat, “sentient life form to sentient life form”, and ultimately surrenders to the fact that he won’t be able to get at the console until it chooses to move; he’s reduced to sulkily bemoaning the fact that he no longer has K9. This is picked up on again at the end as a vicious “meow” is heard from the dematerializing TARDIS, accompanied by some muttering from the Doctor. Then there is Blind Maurice, a beggar-come-confidence trickster, who switches ailments depending on the market. My personal favourite moment is when Peri rescues the Doctor; he remarks that Rouffet and Delmarre are probably having the time of their lives, whereupon the scene cuts briefly to the sound of frantic sword fighting before returning to the Doctor and Peri. And of course in a blatant homage to the stories’ main influence, we have the Doctor trying to teach the Musketeers the slogan “One for all… …and all for one!”, which Delmarre doubts will ever catch on. I should perhaps also mention Russell Stone’s incidental score which captures the period feel perfectly, and also includes non-intrusive but effective whimsical stings at appropriate moments.
The characterisation is key to the success of ‘The Church and the Crown’, which of course revolves largely around the antagonistic relationship between the humourless Cardinal Richelieu and the vain, arrogant, and self-centered King Louis. Both are at times unlikable, both at other times sympathetic; when it finally comes to the crunch, both of them put aside their differences for the sake of France, even if it does take the Doctor and his companions to persuade them to stop bickering. Michael Shallard is very good as the often-bitter Richelieu, whose dream of a unified France is regularly frustrated by Louis’ egocentricity. As for Louis, Andrew Mackay is perfect in the role, capturing the personality of a man whose arrogance and overriding desire for his own entertainment means that he fails to realize his full potential as Monarch with ease. Equally memorable are the two Musketeers, Delmarre and Rouffet, well played by Peter John and Andy Coleman, respectively. They are almost reminiscent of a so-called “Robert Holmes double act”, both slightly roguish and used to provide an amusingly cynical commentary on what is taking place. Their increasing respect for the Doctor reaches its peak when he outfights Buckingham (with a reversal of the “he’s the finest swordsman in France” “…we’re in England” joke from ‘The King’s Demons’), during which Delmarre reflects that he’s glad he didn’t succeed in challenging the Doctor to a duel when they first met.
The regulars are equally well served by ‘The Church and the Crown’. Davison sounds like he’s having fun throughout, and the Doctor’s duel with Buckingham is a marvellous moment, but it is the companions who steal the show here. Nicola Bryant is excellent in two roles; the doppelganger plot is an old cliché, but one that Doctor Who always does well, and as in ‘The Androids of Tara’ the general atmosphere allows it to be carried off with great confidence. Queen Anne sounds completely different from Peri. Bryant also benefits from the fact that Anne is another great character, her love/hate relationship with her husband (minus the love), resulting in a great deal of bickering, insults, and tantrums between the pair. As for Peri herself, she comes across very well, continuing to enjoy her travels, and proving as plucky as she did in ‘The Eye of Scorpion’; she doesn’t seem remotely intimidated by Buckingham, addressing him with casual contempt and escaping from him twice.
As for Erimem, she more than lives up to the promise of ‘The Eye of the Scorpion’; she is clearly fascinated by Paris, and her joy at being invited to remain on board the TARDIS at the end rings very true. Caroline Morris is perfect in the role, switching with ease from a child-like delight at everything new that she discovers, to the easy authority that might be expected of a Pharaoh. Erimem proves crucial in getting the Doctor an audience with the King and bluffs her way into hiscourt with tremendous confidence, claiming to be Princess Erimem of Carthok and claiming to have met Louis before and thanking him for a non-existent invitation, knowing that he’ll be too embarrassed to admit that he can’t remember her. In addition, Erimem’s lecturing of Louis and Anne as to their responsibilities is a great moment, which leaves them both momentarily speechless and makes them both stop bickering. Her skills in battle are also not forgotten; the Doctor sends her off with Rouffet, knowing that she is a more than competent warrior, and her leadership skills prove essential in uniting the Musketeers and the Cardinal’s guards. Her suggestion that Buckingham be tortured and executed at the end, which takes the Doctor rather aback, is also a nice acknowledgement of her origins. Finally, the rapport between the Doctor, Peri, and Erimem remains strong; Peri wants Erimem to stay on board the TARDIS from the start, consistent with their friendship in ‘The Eye of the Scorpion’, and by the end, the Doctor too has grown sufficiently attached to her that he offers a place in the TARDIS. The result of which is one of the closest TARDIS crews of the Fifth Doctor’s era.
In summary, ‘The Church and the Crown’ is a triumph, proving that historical Doctor Who stories can still work just as well as they did during the Hartnell era, and continuing to make great use of Big Finish’s surprise new companion. After a slightly disappointing run of stories (…ish, sandman, rapture) comes the astonishing The Church & the Crown. I say astonishing because I found Project Twilight a highly regarded (by some) piece of old tosh, with some fine moments surrounded with some rotten characterisations and plot devices. Despite this less than promising debut, C&tC; is absolutely splendid. The plot is simple enough but allows this purely historical story to barrel along at a cracking pace with not a single wasted moment. Although the setting is 17th century Paris, we are spared a cast of comedy French accents as the decision to ignore the language barrier allows everyone to play their parts in normal English tone. The beggar, Blind Maurice, speaks as though he has just been serving tomatoes in Camden Market and Madame De Chevreuse, more often than not, delivers her lines as if torn between RSC and Carry On. Coupled with the inclusion of modern words (“You might wait until I’ve killed your husband before you dump me, Anne.”) this lends the atmosphere of the piece a slightly anachronistic feel similar to that of the movie The Three Musketeers. Interestingly, this decision also steers the audience away from Erimem’s obvious lack of an Egyptian accent.
Erimem herself, shines in this story which was always going to make or break the character. After such a strong debut, the possibility she might meander into familiar companion territory was worrying, if unlikely given BFs track record. Fortunately, the writers have taken her heritage and, presumably, the strength of Caroline Morris’ delightful performance and re-inforced the strength of character shown in her debut (The Eye of the Scorpion). Caroline Morris throws herself into this with such admirable enthusiasm she has the potential to be one of the strongest 5th Doctor companions and his faith in her abilities allows him to let her go into battle, something he would never sanction for Peri!
Enthusiasm is something this production never lacks. Nicola Bryant gets to show her acting skills in a dual role as Peri and Queen Anne, the former given a new lease of life by Erimem’s presence, the latter a weary, bitter woman, trapped in a loveless marriage. The rest of the cast perform just as energetically, standouts being Peter John as the Oliver Reed-esque Delmarre and the superb Michael Shallard as Richelieu. He MUST reappear in a BF production as a real villain…
Finally, kudos must go to Peter Davison for continuing to breathe new life into the Fifth Doctor. He was always my favourite but it just goes to show that actors perform their best when given good material to work with in the first place. I don’t think there has been a bad Davison story in Big Finish’s run but recent tales like Spare Parts and C&tC; merely cement the fact that he is the Doctor. Interestingly, I find that his portrayal, now he is older, is slightly different to his performances in the Eighties but all the better for it. Indeed, it is almost the natural progression from the carefree Doctor pre-Earthshock to the slightly tired and weary, yet determinedly heroic Doctor of The Caves of Androzani.
Highly enjoyable, thoroughly entertaining and very exciting, this is what Doctor Who is all about! "For the unity between the Church and the Crown to survive this night, the madness must stop!"
The dramatically titled The Church And The Crown sees the return of the writing team of Cavan Scott and Mark Wright to Big Finish's Doctor Who audio line with a very different story to their debut, the dark Project: Twilight. It also has the distinction of being the first story to follow up last year's The Eye Of The Scorpion which introduced the Fifth Doctor's newest companion, former Egyptian Pharaoh Erimem, played by Caroline Morris to the listening audience.
From the moment the first episode begins, as two of the King's Musketeers find themselves confronted by a mob of the Cardinal's Guards it's readily apparent that The Church And The Crown is intended as a rip-roaring, swashbuckling adventure. Given the brutality of the writers' previous story, it was difficult to conceive how they would tackle a much more unashamedly 'fun' story but after hearing it, the answer is with style and panache leading to a supremely confident and entertaining escapade.
Despite the early success of stories such as The Marian Conspiracy and The Fires Of Vulcan, Big Finish has tended to shy away from purely historical stories, preferring the much more familiar realm of the pseudo-historicals instead. With The Church And The Crown this is redressed with a trip to Seventeenth Century Paris where the peace is threatened by deep divisions between Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis XIII, demonstrated concisely by the underlying tension of their chess game in the first scene they appear in, and no alien invaders waiting to turn up either. The historical context really gives this drama a fresh feel which is helped by the fact that the production is steeped in atmosphere from it's sound design to Russell Stone's music and the richness of it's performances. Director Gary Russell wisely elects not to let the cast attempt French accents but encourages them into delivering spirited performances and the sense of fun that the script possesses in abundance pervades it's way into their acting with the result a joy to hear.
The plot itself revolves around the breakdown of the relationship between Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis, and how the country has become divided between the two factions that they represent, namely the Church and the Crown, giving the story's title far more dramatic impact than it's original title of The Swashbucklers. While there are echoes of 1973's Doctor Who story Frontier In Space in the crux of the plot, Scott and Wright take the basic premise of two sides manipulated into battle by an outside source and weave it into a twisting and exciting tale full of adventure, deceit and sword-fighting! History is all a matter of interpretation and here Scott and Wright give an interesting spin on the period in question with the historical figures not fitting exactly into their traditional roles within the story, which subverts expectations of how they will act. The best example of this is Richelieu, who is portrayed as a principled man determined to stand up for the France he believes in at any cost, rather than a devious plotter out to challenge and garner power for himself as he so often is depicted. This gives the play an extra layer of mystery as there are plenty of candidates who could be the play's overall villain and prolongs the suspense as our heroes race to discover the truth before it's too late.
The Church And The Crown is impeccably paced with the first episode in particular introducing the elements of the mystery at the centre of the plot incredibly shrewdly, and while the surprise at this episode's cliffhanger may be hinted at a little too much, it's still surprisingly effective even if it's expected. Little time is wasted and given the tightness of the plotting the story has almost no padding and most scenes advance the plot in someway. Scott and Wright admit their influence from The Three Musketeers in their 'Author's Notes' section of the CD's booklet, and some of the conventions of this type of swashbuckling story feature here - most notably the Doctor's first meeting with the story's hero Musketeers causing misunderstanding which leads, inevitably, to a challenge to a duel. The best thing about the script though is definitely the dialogue which is sparkling and drives the story forward. The authors' approach is to make the story very light-hearted, but with a serious edge underneath making this hugely entertaining and also allowing them to throw in a massive amount of witty one-liners which contribute to the sense of fun this story possesses in profuse amounts whilst still having enough weighty scenes for good drama to happen too.
Peter Davison continues the fine run of performances he's been delivering in his audios recently with an assured display that shows him on top form. His performance is very much energised by the humour in the script which gives him an opportunity to show both his comedic skills and his Doctor's harder side too. The fact that he seems to have really enjoyed himself during the recording of the play is evident as it shows through his display. While the fact that the Fifth Doctor now finds himself with two travelling companions gives this story a common element with his television stories, in that the vast majority of them saw him travelling with more than just one person, the difference is quite astounding because there is no trace of the bickering and petulance that tended to dominate these crowded TARDIS stories and for once there is a truly harmonious atmosphere aboard which Davison really seems to appreciate.
While the last Fifth Doctor and Peri story was notable for the fact that it deliberately gave Peri a larger role in the story than usual, The Church And The Crown similarly gives Nicola Bryant a more weighty role in that she gets to play an unannounced second part, and an important one at that, in the form of Queen Anne. The fact that Bryant uses an American accent to play Peri makes this plausible as she can use her regular voice for the Queen making both characters sound distinct and separate, which is emphasised clearly by the differences in the characters afforded by the script. While her performance as Peri is very good, it's as Queen Anne that she garners the most attention as she gets to show a wealth of emotions, mainly against King Louis. In particular one scene where he enters her chamber against her wishes, the anger that Bryant demonstrates is so powerful that it's something you could never imagine her achieving when playing Peri that this is a prime example of the versatility of her acting.
As the first story for Erimem as a companion proper, Scott and Wright have the task of both reminding the listener who she is, particularly given that it's well over a year since her debut story, and to begin to expand and develop her character. In both these aspects the writers succeed but it's the development where Erimem really begins to shine as combined with Caroline Morris' bright and vigorous performance, which infuses her scenes with an infectious energy, there is a great sense of the depth of her character and given her natural likeability she quickly endears herself not only to the Doctor and Peri, but also to the listener. There's a wonderful scene towards the end of part one where the Doctor is telling Erimem how envious he is that she's sampling all the new experiences of time travel for the first time, but she turns it around to say that she envies his and Peri's ability to take the change in their stride. Her sense of amazement at something as simple as a glass windowpane is beautifully conveyed by Morris who also gets to show the more devious side of a former Egyptian Pharaoh whether it's in battle or in using her deeply instilled supreme confidence in herself to fool the King of France into believing he's met her before. In the Doctor Who television series, there was a tendency for companions with a historical background to have these brushed over and thus their viewpoint becomes closer to what the contemporary companions had anyway. With this story, Scott and Wright make sure they keep Erimem's Egyptian background firmly in mind while writing for her character which helps to cement the impact she makes with this appearance as it shows she continues to hold the views of her civilisation which haven't been watered down to make her attitude in certain matters more palatable. Erimem's arrival also significantly alters the dynamic of the TARDIS team, in a good way. There is a warmth to the banter between her, Peri and the Doctor, which was often missing from the frequently crowded TARDIS of Peter Davison's time on television, that shows they enjoy travelling with each other and want it to continue. If Caroline Morris can continue to perform as well as she does here in her future stories, and if there is a greater frequency to the release of stories featuring her character, I have no doubt she will eventually become as popular as Big Finish's other original companions, Evelyn Smythe and Charley Pollard.
At the centre of the story are the differing characters of Cardinal Richelieu and King Louis, both of whom are brilliantly realised by Michael Shallard and Andrew MacKay respectively. Shallard develops Richelieu into an individual the listener can almost empathise with as he shows real passion as he strives to achieve what's best for France, irrespective of whether his King approves or not. The sense of frustration he feels at Louis' indifference to the plight of their people as events of the story unfold is palpably played by Shallard, who also gets to show Richelieu's steel and ruthlessness as his conflict with Louis reaches it's most serious point. MacKay is superb as King Louis giving him both a regal bearing yet demonstrating his petulance and arrogance with perfect clarity, typified by the one-upmanship that dominates his relationship with Richelieu and the manner which he treats Queen Anne. MacKay's performance begins subtly but as events escalate significantly, he becomes almost a force of nature with Louis' instability really showing through well.
In a play where there are so many good performances, the ones that perhaps standout the most are those of Peter John and Andy Coleman as the two Musketeers, Delmarre and Rouffet. Doctor Who has often had successful double-act guest characters throughout it's history and these two provide The Church And The Crown with some of it's finest moments. John's deep tones give him the edge of experience that the script requires from Delmarre and he is very convincing as the confident Musketeer who's seen it all before while Coleman's Rouffet is obviously a more youthful one but still skilled in the art of combat. Both actors strike up an immediate rapport with each other which makes their scenes together all the more effective and while there is a kind of arrogant swagger about them, these King's Musketeers come across very favourably.
Marcus Hutton depicts the Duke Of Buckingham as a very malicious and cunning individual, but it's also balanced against a sense that he's a character on the edge too, ably shown by the paranoia his suspicion of the Doctor incites. He has confidence in his own abilities to achieve his goals at any cost, but Hutton conveys Buckingham's overconfidence perfectly. Robert Curbishely's Captain Morand of the Cardinal's Guards provides a good counterpoint to the jollity of the story's Musketeers by representing their opposing force and showing why there is the antagonism between the two groups. Wendy Albiston is perhaps the only slightly disappointing member of the cast. While her character, Madame De Chevreuse, is set up as a seductive manipulator and spy, Albiston doesn't really inject the sensuality needed to convey this successfully and despite a good scene where she tries to tempt the Queen with the possibilities if the King was to be disposed of, her performance here is slightly forgettable.
It's a credit to Gareth Jenkins' sound design that the sword fights sound as convincing as they do here. While the script ensures that in the best tradition of the genre the fighters are insulting each other as they duel for the most part, the fact that there are battles of a grander scale later in the audio are really effectively conveyed. The Church And The Crown also has an unusual atmosphere throughout which Jenkins' sound work creates and Russell Stone's score emphasises. Stone chooses to underplay the French influences making the score evocative without being overblown and the finished piece effectively matches the tone of the drama on the whole. In particular the music for the story's final battle during episode four is very fitting as it's both dramatic and awe inspiring.
There is much to enjoy in The Church And The Crown, whether it's the delightful performances of the cast or the marvellously memorable dialogue. What's more, it proves once again just how versatile the concept of Doctor Who can be by showing that while it can be serious, dramatic, horrifying it can also be incredibly fun and that's the overriding impression The Church And The Crown makes - wonderful entertainment.
Simon Catlow's website is located at www.tertiary.consoleroom.btinternet.co.uk. Coming in just near the end of the race comes another contender for best audio of 2002, the latest from Big Finish THE CHURCH AND THE CROWN. After months of experimental WHO , BF returns us to solid ground with a fun filled historical adventure in the mold of classic DOCTOR WHO adventure. That's not to say that it's a dry history lesson with some fighting in it, no sir.
The story's authors ( Cavan Scott and Mark Wright) list the 70s film THE THREE MUSKETEERS as the primary influence, and it shows in the broadly funny action. Much like MUSKETEERS, the story revolves around the struggles between King Louis and Cardinal Richelieu in 17th century France. Attempting to get the latest TARDIS inhabitant to her outer space destination, The Doctor becomes involved in plots and counterplots within the court. British invasion, a very familiar looking Queen Anne and dangerous swordplay get in the way of The Doctor's best intentions. Can The Doctor put things right in France? Or will the struggles between The Church and the Crown rip Europe apart?
This feels like a classic Peter Davison story in so many little ways. Davison turns in a relaxed and forthright performance filled with familiar WHO-ey tics.Caroline Morris is an absolute delight in her first formal story as a companion. The crown goes to Nicola Bryant , in a stunning duel role , who impresses with the story she always should have gotten on tv.
Nothing could remove the grin from my face as the TARDIS left at the end of the story . This is the kind of DOCTOR WHO I can't get enough of. Majestic. |
