The Kingmaker

Review: A brilliantly funny romp.

Richard III! Robots! Time paradoxes! Ripped Bodices! Murderous Publishers! Lusty Wenches! Intergalactic Copyright Disputes! The Kingmaker has it all in spades.

Nev Fountain, writer of Dead Ringers, brings us a marvellous adventure starring Peter Davison as the Doctor. At first glance a gleeful historical romp, it's actually a dangerously clever bit of writing, mixing bawdy humour with smart discussions on the nature of time travel and ginger beer.

Fountain's banished hey-nonnying and pritheeing, giving all his Elizabethans snippy modern dialogue and current concerns - cheeky, but brilliant - it makes for very funny listening, especially as you start to realise what's really going on.

Nicola Bryant and Caroline Morris delight as the Doctor's faithful companions, and there's a great cameo by Arthur Smith as the filthiest barman in England. The show is stolen by Peter Davison's Doctor and by Stephen Beckett, who plays Richard III as a dour northerner who sounds oddly familiar - especially when he says "fantastic!"

Fans of cliffhangers are in for a treat. Fountain's previous story featured a jaw-dropping episode three cliffhanger, and he's outdone himself with another pippin. It makes such a nice change from "Die, Doctor, Die!"

Send us your comment now. We'll publish the best on this page.

Dale Halsted
Probably one of funniest the yet.Mind you Doctor who always has been good.

Empty Child
Absolutely superb, one of the best audios yet.

CyberScott
What complete tosh, I had the misfortune to listen to this with my wife who is not a fan but suddenly decided to listen to one. I actually squirmed with embarassment with Jon Culshaw' s 4th Doctor impersonation. To have someone mimic him in a canonical piece of Doctor Who fiction is an insult to the great Tom Baker. The worst Big Finish ever. I only wish I'd chosen The Holy Terror for my wife's introduction to audio Who.

Charlie Keeble
It was a good funny one for the subject of the Doctor's literary work. Also I'd like to give a hats off roar to guest star Linzi Matthews. Who as it happens works at Aldwych Theatre where I was on work experience.

Marcus
This was the first Big Finish Radio play I had ever heard and I liked it very much but I thought Bucko was far too unrealistic in the dungeon in the scene with the Doctor and Richard.

Alison B
An hysterical historical. To coin a phrase... Fantastic!

thomas
An enjoyable and undeniably funny adventure

Alan Carter
An enjoyable and undeniably funny adventure, although I do think the writer over complicated things in episodes 3 and 4. Loved where they ended up but over egged getting there. 8/10.

Ashley Nealfuller
Audacious - wait til you've heard it all and sit back and think of how it ended up - mental but brilliant.

Andy Scott
Really enjoyed this release. Very witty - best bit was the letter exchanges between the Doctor and his companians in the future. Glad this kind of Doctor Who can still be made - makes a welcome change from the "five minutes to save the universe!!" type of stories. The review in the magazine wasn't very complementary but I agree wholeheartedly with your review.

paul tapner
Stunningly good story. Funny. dramatic. strong central themes. amazing plot twists. brilliant cliffhangers. superb acting. And a few nice bits of continuity for the fans. I can't recommend it highly enough

Ian (Birmingham)
I creased up laughing when Erinem broke the arm of an over familiar gentleman, saying that 'he is free to try it again if he wishes, he was left with another arm'.

Andrew Kyle
An absolute delight. A twist to kill all preconceptions and a daft script that makes you laugh. But a serious story nonetheless. Can you complain? Methinks not!

Bob
I thought that this was one of the worst Big Finish plays ever. Humour is fine if you share the same sense of it and if you don't......... Big Finish could not even follow their own timeline in this episode and seemed to forget that Shakespere had already met the Doctor as a young boy.

MissJade
Ohhh sounds good! Another radio play to spend the hard-earned student lone on!

Steve
This one is brilliantly fun! And a very, very nice surprise cameo voice appearance by... well, maybe I shouldn't say. This one is clever fun, indeed!

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