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“CATCH-1782 – MEL’S FAMILY TREE MEETS THE GRANDFATHER PARADOX”

Catch-1782 is a refreshingly personal story for Melanie Bush, whose backstory was barely touched upon during her time on screen. Big Finish, as ever, takes the opportunity to fill in those gaps, presenting a story that weaves familial history, memory loss, and the complications of time travel into a surprisingly sombre character piece.

We find Mel and the Sixth Doctor arriving at the centenary celebration of the National Foundation for Scientific Research – the same institution where her beloved Uncle John Hallam works. Mel is hoping for a reunion, but fate has other plans. As the past creeps in, both literally and figuratively, she’s pulled into the 18th century and forced to confront ghosts of her family’s past—possibly quite literally.

THE HALLAMS OF HISTORY

Dr John Hallam, Mel’s absent-minded, well-meaning uncle, is a charming addition. He feels like the kind of character the classic series would have made a secondary companion for a serial or two – full of enthusiasm, a keen intellect, and just enough befuddlement to make him endearing. He even becomes something of a time-travelling Watson to the Doctor’s Holmes, helping him piece together the mystery of Mel’s disappearance in a period he’s obsessed with. His knowledge of family history makes him the perfect person to assist the Doctor, while also gradually revealing the extent of the paradox they’ve become embroiled in.

GHOSTS IN THE MANOR

The story’s gothic trappings help it stand out. From the opening whispers of a ghostly woman haunting the Foundation’s grounds to the eventual reveal that this spectre may be someone much closer to Mel than she realises, there’s a gentle but persistent sense of dread running through the audio. The haunting atmosphere is accentuated by some excellent sound design – howling winter winds, crackling fireplaces, and creaking floorboards paint a vivid picture of the house in both its modern and historical forms.

The setting shifts between the snowy, contemporary Foundation grounds and the manor house that once stood there in 1782. These dual timelines provide the backdrop for a classic Doctor Who conceit: the time traveller caught up in their own family history, unknowingly becoming a vital piece of the puzzle. It’s an elegant spin on the grandfather paradox, one where the threat isn’t a Dalek invasion or temporal collapse, but the fear that meddling in time could erase someone’s own future.

A STORY OF TALKING HEADS

While the premise is strong and the themes are compelling, Catch-1782 is a fairly sedate affair for most of its runtime. Much of the plot revolves around characters discussing their situation, with Mel suffering from memory loss and the people of 1782 trying to deduce her origins. The tension is more emotional than dramatic, and the pacing occasionally suffers as a result. Despite being a four-parter, the middle episodes do feel like they tread water, with scenes that circle the same ground repeatedly without major developments.

The Doctor pretending to be Mel’s physician to gain access to her in the past brings a brief spark of action, but it’s not until Part Four that the stakes finally come into focus. When Henry Hallam – one of Mel’s own ancestors – proposes marriage, the full scale of the paradox becomes clear. Could Mel become a permanent part of the very lineage that birthed her? And would removing her from 1782 break the chain of history?

A QUIET RESOLUTION

The resolution doesn’t involve any grand spectacle. Instead, it’s a small-scale, emotionally grounded solution that fits the tone of the story. The Doctor, with Hallam’s help, works out a way to extract Mel without damaging the timeline, and all the pieces click into place neatly. There’s something quite old-fashioned and lovely about a story that places so much importance on heritage, memory, and the quiet terror of being forgotten—or becoming someone else entirely.

This isn’t a tale of monsters or cosmic threats. Instead, the enemy here is time itself – and the implications of its careful, inescapable web. In that sense, Catch-1782 feels like a spiritual successor to the Hartnell-era historicals, where drama is rooted in human dilemmas and temporal entanglements rather than alien invasions.

📝 VERDICT: 6️⃣7️⃣/1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

Catch-1782 is a quietly compelling character piece that gives Mel Bush a rare and welcome moment in the spotlight. While its middle stretch drags slightly, the story thrives on atmosphere, emotional stakes, and a thoughtful exploration of personal history entangled in time. Colin Baker is solid as ever, and Bonnie Langford rises to the occasion with a nuanced performance that gives Mel more depth than she ever received on television. It may not be thrilling, but it’s gently haunting, and occasionally quite moving – a story about legacy, identity, and the fragile dance of family across centuries.