Storm of Angels

Review: Geoffrey Bayldon's First Doctor lands in trouble.

Beautiful, spell-binding and only a little bit dull, Storm of Angels perfectly captures the feeling of the Hartnell era.

Marc Platt's second adventure for an alternative First Doctor and Susan is even more magical than last time, with Queen Elizabeth as you've never seen her before...

After many magical adventures, an exhausted TARDIS lands them on Sir Frances Drake's space galleon. Only they're not in an alternative dimension - someone has been meddling in Earth's history. The Doctor is adamant it's not him - they only took Da Vinci on a few trips, and the Aztecs were so discreet...

Bayldon is quite superb - perfectly capturing the cosmic curmudgeon of the First Doctor, but adding a surprisingly endearing strain of naivety perfectly matched by Carole Ann Ford's oh-so-smart Susan.

It's a wonderful rapport that just begs for more stories - this is a world in which magical tales like the Masters of Luxor could have happened, and where you get to see just how impish the Doctor and Susan are without dull old schoolteachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Hair.

This time around the story seems straightforward enough (alien jewels invading the Earth), but it's all about desires and deception, and is told in a way that's haunting and scary and poetic and wicked and... well, that whole shiver-down-the-spine thing that you felt when you watched The Daleks for the first time.

The sound design is compelling - beyond a few token appearances by Big Finish Door number 3 - every noise is fresh and different. The sheer effort of creating the soundscape for an Elizabethan space fleet must have been staggering, but to top it off with layers upon layers of period music, and then fabulous monsters dancing madrigals... it's a giddying achievement. You'll also be thrilled to hear that Big Finish have abandoned their Unbound paper-and-comb theme arrangement, and gone back to Delia.

The cast have a wonderful time getting to grips with ersatz Elizabethan. The tone is set by the magnificent Kate Brown (one of the stars of the West End's Round The Horne Revisited) - her Queen Bess is as magnificent as she is ridiculous, and you'll love her to bits.

There's really little else to say about this - it's occasionally heavy-going, but always rewarding, and features the best "feeding of ducks" scene in Doctor Who ever. I keep finding excuses to listen to it again (hence this review being slightly delayed). It really is as wonderful as that.

Oh, and Susan gets to say "ankle".

Andrew East
In response to the 'Gary Russell said they were never going to remake the first 3 Doctor with other actors' comment.... Gary also said they wouldn't do Davros with the Daleks and look what happened... (And the news is that Terror Firma will be a direct follow up to the end of The Next Life (so two D & D stories in the same year hmmmmm) and that David Warner is doing a second audio (back door Pertwee anyone) I love all BF's output but I do wish they'd stop saying they won't do things and then do them. Just don't say anything at all.

Ronnie Silverback the third
This is magical. The best BF in ages. Bayldon is a dream doctor come true. A master stroke. Genius. Brilliant.....are you getting my point here! Dont you dare stop making these stories or i may be forced to ....stuff jelly in all your back pockets and make you sit down, 10 times!

The Psychic Snowman
I love all BF's titles, it's like they spring out the speakers and shout "We love Doctor Who!" at you... The only way this title could have been improved was to have free trifle with it.

Mark Askren
I sent BBCi a message about this, but isn't it Barbara Wright, not Barbara Hair?

BBC Cult Host replies: Of course it's Barbara Hair! Have you seen her barnet? It's the most fabulous thing in sci fi ever. And anyway, we've not been called "BBCi" for ages. This month, we're called "bbc.co.uk"

Grant Mclanaghan
I seem to remember Gary Russell saying that Big Finish would never try to re-create the first three Doctor eras with other actors. Well, now we've had two 'Hartnell' tales with the sublime Geoffrey Bayldon. New first Doctor via the back door? Marc Platt's first script was so good (as was the entire production) and this new tale just flows naturally from it. Magic!

Paul Sandwell
This may be off target but why do all the other cult sites have message boards and this one does not. When it was taken off the moderators made some excuse about having a new chat room, but I think it is just because the BBC wanted to censor the Who fans after the complaint to the Governors!

Cult host adds: The main Cult messageboards are being closed down at the end of this month. The Doctor Who boards were not closed down as a punishment for Doctor Who fans - we were unhappy with the quality of the service.

Dave Farmbrough
Geoffrey Bayldon is supposed to be an 'alternative' Doctor, but to me he IS the first Doctor. Rather than being disrespectful, it is a tribute to the character that William Hartnell successfully created during his four years on screen. Carole Ann Ford defies time herself (you'd never guess that she was now 64!) and although older than the Susan we saw on screen, she is instantly recognisable as the same character. Marc Platt's script is intelligent and understandable, and his race of jewel-encrusted aliens is one of the better ones to be presented on audio. The story trudges along a little slowly, but it's of no importance as we revel in the performances of the two leads. We've got our first Doctor back - hooray! Now let's have some more stories with him, please Big Finish!

Alex
Marc Platt is, in my opinion, Big Finish's finest writer. So naturally I'm biased in my approval of this tale. While I agree that it founders a little in the second half, it still kept me spellbound the whole time and utterly immersed in its setting more than any other Big Finish bar Spare Parts, Loups-Garoux and of course, Auld Mortality. My only real regret is that it ended rather abruptly, but perhaps the magnificent crescendo of its direct predecessor was an impossible act to follow.

Timothy Rogers
Why doesn't Big Finish use Bayldon as the first doctor in their regular series? I would love to hear more first doctor stories, not just an alternative version.

John Eccles
Marvellously reminiscent of those cosy Hartnell tea-times.The characterisations are as sparkling as the bejewelled monsters which threaten Elizabethan Earth. Bayldon just is the First Doctor re-incarnate and Ford echoes a whole universe of possibilities as President Susan. As for the mental gymnastics of the storyline, they'll leave you reeling like a Golden Hind in a meteor shower.

Paul Carrington
Thought it was very good! More sequels hopefully? How about some stories with Geoffrey Bayldon on a proper timeline as the first doctor?

Gareth Stafford
Geoffrey Bayldon is simply the best "First" Doctor we never had - more please!

Andrew Ford
Having, at first, been disappointed that there wasn't to be a sequel featuring David Warner's Unbound Doctor, I was surprised to find myself really enjoying this one. Geoffrey Bayldon is exactly how I imagined the first Doctor to be when I first read the Target novelisations as a child - having been too young to see Hartnell's Doctor on screen. He's crotchety and bad tempered, but also has a child-like mischievious aspect to him - you imagine him with a twinkle in his eye. It's a slow moving plot, but Marc Platt's script has almost a magical, fairytale feel to it that keeps the listener enchanted. Not to mention that Carol Ann Ford just gets better as Susan.

David Lewis Morgan
I've really been a big fan of the unbound range and this title (what is proported to be the last) really caps it off well. The way in which the play captures the imagination is dazzling and I found myself hankering for much more of the Bayldon-doctor. Whilst the story is excellent and cracks along at a nice pace its all the little hints to the new doctor's adventures that raise this story above its peers. In my opinion second only to 'he jests at scars', but then I was always a valeyard fan, and its a tribute to this play that it ranks so high as I've never been the greatest fan of non-dalek first doctor stories. This could even have made an excellent reboot to the tv series!

mike
19 union st *****

BBC Cult Host adds: Dear Mike. Please stop sending us your address every time we put up a new comment on the Dr Who site. What is it you're after? Birthday cards? A free pen? What? Please, please, please stop!

Mike Hickman
I couldn't agree more with the review. Bayldon is simply superb - and a whole series wouldn't go amiss. The four part format is also a bit more accessible than the rather lengthy 70 minute affairs in the first Unbound series. And the original theme tune is always going to be the best (sorry Russell T. Davies and Murray Gold!).

• Big Finish: Storm of Angels
  

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