The Monthly Adventures #029 - "The Chimes of Midnight" by Robert Shearman

It's hard to introduce a story like The Chimes of Midnight. How do you discuss a story with such reverence and adoration, how do you accurately review what is commonly cited as a top contender for the greatest Doctor Who story ever, how do you convey the absolute magnificence of such a tightly written and complex piece of fiction? I've already written my review and I don't know. But, I'm more than up for giving it a shot. Listening to The Chimes of Midnight for the first time was the moment I think I went from being a fan of the audios to somebody who'll sink their entire bank account into them and would probably sell their soul for Robert Shearman to come back to Doctor Who. A story that I could never get bored of, that I would recommend to probably anyone, that is very likely my favourite Doctor Who story ever, it's needless to state how utterly perfect The Chimes of Midnight is.

Once again overshooting their destination of Singapore, the Doctor and Charley find themselves in the cellar of an Edwardian manor house, where a murder most foul has taken place, and everybody, including time itself, is a suspect.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

God, where do I start? Well I suppose with the utterly sublime script, which may just be one of my favourite things ever written. Robert Shearman is a genius through and through but I don’t think he’s ever written anything quite like this. From the opening scene to the very final moments, you are utterly enthralled. The dark, unnatural cellars of a manor house on Christmas Eve become the setting of an expertly constructed mystery where a cast of incredible complex and developed characters all act progressively stranger; it’s maddeningly confusing but not infuriating, you are overjoyed by not know what is happening or what is going on. Doctor Who can very often struggle with mysteries but this is definitely one of, if not, the best. Not to mention the atmosphere, which you could probably cut with a knife if you wanted to. Created by the incredible, ghostly sound design and discordant, music box score, this whole audio is a claustrophobic nightmare of surreal dreamlike episodes through which we see a terrifying vision of an intelligent paradox. And despite this tense and unnerving atmosphere, The Chimes of Midnight is also an excellent comedy outing, Robert Shearman is the king of black comedy and some of the lines in The Chimes of Midnight are genuinely laugh out loud funny, whilst still being absurd enough to not destroy the tone and tension. Leading our audio is the always dynamic duo of Eight and Charley, who are likely in their best outing here. The way they bounce off each other, especially in the magnificent part one, is glorious and it’s very clear when McGann is really jiving with a script; he easily becomes one of the Doctor’s best actors when he’s actually bothered with the story. And foil to our heroes is Edward Grove, the house itself which has become intelligent through the paradox of Charley’s death, and how it led to the suicide of the house’s scullery maid. Not only is this a morbid and utterly disturbing twist that nobody could see coming, it also gives way to the final part and third act, which is an incredibly tense extreme of talking somebody off a roof ledge, with Charley trying to convince Edith to not end her own life whilst the Doctor faces off against the sinister and masterfully acted Edward Grove. And I think that’s it, I think I’ve managed to quickly and concisely list off all the things I love about The Chimes of Midnight, that or it was an incoherent ramble that was indecipherable, I really can’t tell anymore.

As for cons, I just can’t do it. Maybe a line doesn’t land every now and again or a performance is overplayed, but it feels like a cardinal sin criticising a story that is as close to perfection as you can get in Doctor Who.

There is no story like Chimes, and I doubt there ever will be again. It is a scary, surreal and dreamlike tale of murder and plum pudding. But then again, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a bit of Mrs’ Baddeley’s plum pudding, is it?

10/10

Pros:

+ Enthralling, genius and expertly constructed script

+ Incredibly funny and allows Shearman’s black comedy to shine beautifully

+ Absolutely dripping in maddening atmosphere

+ A cast of distinct and memorable characters that stick with you well after the final part

+ McGann and Fisher are joyously bouncing off each other and their energy is infectious

+ Brilliant part one that expertly sets the tone

+ Great twist you truly don’t see coming

+ Edward Grove is an incredibly sinister and effective antagonist

+ Emotional and exciting climax

+ Top tier sound design that forms the audio’s distinct moodiness

+ Incredible, disorientating and unique score

Cons:

~ It feels wrong giving this audio any cons, so I’m not going to