Volume 12 (or Series 12 to be more accurate) of the Short Trips is the latest release from Big Finish and to this day there hasn’t been any announcement of future releases. As you can see from the cover, this has more of a focus on the Modern Who Doctors, yet my favourite out the whole set is the Third Doctor’s entry, AWOL.
This particular story drops the narration altogether as it allows Jon Culshaw to carry the entire story by himself with his unparalleled impersonation abilities. Most people will have heard of Jon Culshaw through his uncanny mimicking of Tom Baker’s voice but since joining Big Finish he has brought out more impressive impersonations, mostly as the Brigadier which has allowed Big Finish to bring back to life one of Doctor Who’s most beloved characters with a worthy stand-in for the late Nicholas Courtney. On top of that, for all his talents as a Fourth Doctor impersonator, his Third Doctor impersonation might arguably be better in this two-hander story where the Brigadier has pursued the Doctor all the way to Peru in the aftermath of the Silurian incident. During the events of Season 7 we had the introduction to the Silurians in an epic story with one of Doctor Who’s all-time great endings where the Doctor seems hopeful that he can help the Silurians and the humans co-exist, only to be horrified when the Brigadier orders the destruction of their underground habitat, effectively committing genocide on an intelligent race. This was the kind of ending you almost never get in Doctor Who, particularly having one of the main characters commit such an act that goes against everything the Doctor stands for. An ending that sadly wasn’t well followed up on in the following episode outside of a couple of jibes the Doctor makes at the start.
Big Finish have done a fair few audios that do a better job addressing the Brigadier’s actions and the rift created between him and the Doctor, but none as powerful as AWOL where we finally get the scene of the Doctor properly confronting the Brigadier over his actions and why the latter felt it was the right thing to do. This all leads to a beautiful ending that I won’t dare go into, but it truly showcases how powerful the friendship between the Doctor and the Brigadier is despite all their arguments and conflicts. It reminded me of why I felt one of the worst things Modern Who ever did was make the Doctor’s reaction to the Brigadier’s death in Series 6 one quick throwaway scene. Obviously, Nicholas Courntey’s death wouldn’t allow for a proper final appearance but just the idea of the Doctor learning about his death and coming to terms with losing a friend who was their throughout most of his lives could’ve and should’ve been its own story!
AWOL is a beautifully written and performed tale that demonstrates why I love the Short Trips series so much and I highly recommend this series in general to all fans. You may not enjoy all of them, but you will come across some of the most imaginative, abstract and heartfelt stories in Doctor Who history.
