Doctor Who – Short Trips

#8.06. The Siege of Big Ben ~ 8/10

◆ An Introduction

I’d never really taken the plunge into the ‘Short Trips’, but seeing that two of them were narrated by Camille Coduri encouraged me to make an impulse purchase; discovering they were both penned by one of my favourite writers was just the icing on the cake!

◆ Publisher’s Summary

Jackie Tyler has everything she's ever wanted: a loving husband and, two children. But a terrible, far-reaching plan is underway, and only Jackie and a single friend stand in the way of it.

But the Doctor isn't the man he was…

◆ Jackie Tyler

I absolutely love that the framing device for this episode is just Jackie necking a bottle of wine and having a natter with one of her mates: you cannot tell me that’s not in character. She’s taken to life in the parallel universe like a duck to water, and I’m sure that has nothing to do with the multi-million pound mansion she’s currently living in! Joseph Lidster scripts are always going to be showered in praise from me, but I would honestly adore a whole Jackie box set written by him. I don't think that’s asking too much, BigFinish!

Camille Coduri has spent the last couple of years becoming one of the most adored performers amongst fans, and for good reason. She brings this boundless enthusiasm into any script she is given, and that is most definitely true of ‘The Siege of Big Ben’. Honestly, I had the biggest grin on my face throughout.

Jackie thinks it seems silly chatting in the kitchen when they have all this space, but she likes it in there. Beryl should have seen her old flat, back in her universe: it was tiny compared to the Tyler Mansion, and you could’ve fit the whole flat into her downstairs loo! She’s not sure if they had Del Boy in this universe. It’s funny, even after all this time, Jackie keeps finding things that are different: not just the big things – like Zeppelins, and what this lot did to the Royal Family – it’s the little things, like how they play football backwards and how they don’t have EastEnders; she misses EastEnders. Only last week, she was telling Veronica of Reykjavík how much she prefers French wine to Spanish wine. Guess who went and saved the world on Tuesday? It was her: Jackie Tyler saved the world! One thing that’s the same in any universe: you can’t beat a packet of dry roasted peanuts. She works for a top-secret organisation that stops aliens invading, called UNIT; she proceeds to tell Beryl this classified information… twice! People think she is a lady of leisure, but actually, she helps defend the Earth! There has only ever been Pete for her, even when he was dead. Jackie is head of food distribution for UNIT, which basically means she’s a glorified dinner lady with a fancy title. Last time she had a job, she nearly caused the end of the world with Glubby Glubs! She doesn’t like to go on about it, but she’s a martyr to her feet. She has to wear these expensive shoes when they all have these fancy functions: they look lovely, but they’re not made for comfort. Give her her trainers any day. UNIT operates out of Big Ben: the canteen is right behind the big clock. Jackie has to sit there covering her ears like she’s Mary Poppins, and if they haven’t got Mary Poppins in this universe, she’s off home! Jackie completely understands Krista’s motivations: she would do exactly the same thing if it had been Rose, nothing would’ve stopped her! But she also knows, cause of the Doctor, that we can’t change what’s happened. Jackie has got this amazing house, and she’s got her family back, but she didn’t choose this. The Doctor turned up in her life, and one day he just took her away from it: she knows it wasn't really his fault, but it’s true! She didn’t choose any of this, she’s just had to make the best of it. Jackie misses her home, she misses the estate, she misses her Uncle Tony, and she even misses flipping Trisha Delaney! She misses Mickey so much, but she can never see any of them ever again, and she can’t change that. All she can do is think about the good stuff: we just have to accept that bad stuff happens, but once it’s happened, we can’t change it. Jackie needs to see the Doctor again tomorrow, needs to see if they can find a way through this: she misses him being her friend.

◆ The Clock Tower

Joseph Lidster has expanded on the already established lore surrounding this universe, by introducing us to their version of UNIT. The taskforce was formed following the merger of Torchwood and the Preachers, with the majority of the Tyler family being employed there.

I find it quite amusing that their headquarters is based within Big Ben: they must provide all personnel with complimentary packets of Nurofen, given their constant proximity to the loudest bells in the capital! I can only imagine how stunning the view would be from the Doctor’s laboratory though, situated at the clock tower’s summit. Here’s hoping nobody crashes a spaceship through it, like they did in our reality…

◆ Conclusion

“Jackie Tyler saved the world!”

Krista Lateef was deeply affected by the death of her daughter – one of the many Londoners controlled by their EarPods and converted into a Cyberman – but what if she discovered a way to save her? Someone has been growing a time machine in UNIT headquarters, but Jackie knows more than most that you can’t change the past.

Camille Coduri steps into the hot-seat for this episode, and her narration is simply glorious. I absolutely love that the framing device for this episode is just Jackie necking a bottle of wine and having a natter with one of her mates: you cannot tell me that’s not in character. Almost her entire family are going on missions for UNIT, whilst she has been installed as head of food distribution: essentially a glorified dinner lady with a poncy title!

My review is going to seem somewhat sparse, but what do you expect from a range of thirty-minute long adventures? I had the biggest grin on my face whilst listening to ‘The Siege of Big Ben’, and cannot wait to hear the other half of this Meta-Crisis duology.