6️⃣⏹️ = FINE!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“IF HUMPHREY BOGART WAS A PENGUIN!”

Released in 2002 as a subscriber bonus alongside Neverland, The Maltese Penguin brings back Frobisher, the talking private detective penguin (previously heard in The Holy Terror), as he takes on a new mystery to solve. The story is told in a similar vein to a traditional film noir crime mystery, and while it also briefly features Colin Baker’s Doctor it is very much Fobisher’s story.

Frobisher’s tongue-in-cheek narration and the groovy music build a recognisable noir atmosphere, and this is further strengthened by the very typical story structure (the detective presented by the case and then slowly working to solve it, mostly by interrogating people and explaining their thoughts to the listener through the narrated sections). Robert Shearman writes great dialogue, and his descriptive scenes, coupled with a healthy pinch of black humour and witty remarks, carry many scenes beautifully.

Robert Jezek’s swinging accent could feel a bit too much for some, but I quite like it. There are other distracting voices among the guest cast, though, such as Alistar Lock’s Chandler or Jane Goddard in yet another over-the-top performance as Mulholland. Colin Baker appears in all three or four scenes and is hardly relevant to the plot.

The story itself keeps twisting and turning and moving forward but is hardly very memorable. The apt take on a crime noir story makes it somewhat enjoyable, though. Still, some of the comedy and mystery introduced in the first act feel less effective by the third, and the lengthy conversation scenes suck a lot of tension out of the story. The fact that we never explore the characters or the world deeper also means that the entire thing feels flat.