The Monthly Adventures #063 - “Caerdroia" by Lloyd Rose

I think pretty much everybody agrees that the Divergence Arc was wasted. Not only was the base concept of “a universe without time” thrown away in favour of “nobody knows what the word for time is” but every entry bar Scherzo seemed to have nothing in the way of experimentation like the series once promised, a whole, new universe relegated to some, if tolerable, by-the-numbers episodes with really only a couple exceptions: Scherzo in every way, The Natural History of Fear in formula and now, Caerdroia in setting. A pick and mix of various companions’ home mythologies, what is that sets the creatively prolific Caerdroia above its fellow entries of the Divergence Saga?

Finally on the track of the TARDIS, the Doctor forces the group’s omniscient warden - The Kro’ka - to tell them the location of his lost time ship. It’s answer? The mythical world of Caerdroia.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

This type of story is exactly what the Divergence Saga needed. Tonally and narratively unique with a brilliant cast and a plethora of fantastic ideas all working together in a new and unseen way, this is the closest we get to what was promised after Scherzo. It’s a real shame Lloyd Rose hasn’t written more because she’s fantastic here. There is such an interesting voice to this story that manages to feel both realistic and endlessly witty, most reflected in the absolutely fantastic whip-smart dialogue that blazes along the story at a hundred miles an hour, nailing every character. I don’t think I’ve commented on it yet but I love the dynamic between Charley and C’rizz, I think Fisher and Westmaas’ chemistry is often understated and Rose breathes life into them like no other.

As for our other characters, we have McGann giving the performance of a lifetime as three different versions of the Doctor, split apart into separate facets of his identity: the logical, the ruthless and the whimsical. Not only is it a nice exploration of the character highlighted by Rose writing each to suitably feel like the Doctor whilst still being different, but McGann goes from one of his worst performances to one of his absolute best. He was clearly having so much fun with this and masterfully acted out each version of himself in a way where I was never confused as to who was speaking despite them all being voiced by the same person, an astounding feat I’m still struggling to wrap my head around. I had a smile from ear to ear the whole time he was speaking and mostly because I’m sure he did too.

As for plot, it spends a good amount of time exploring the location of Caerdroia and a good thing too because this is a magnificent world we’ve been dropped into. An amalgam of elements drawn from our travellers’ heads sitting atop a winding labyrinth, exploring the quirks and oddities of this realm, like a town hall with a million departments for every little inconvenience, to a cuckoo clock with no hands that plunges into the earth, it’s joyous listening to everything Rose has got to give us. As for conflict, our main antagonist this time around is the Kro’ka, who’s been lurking in the background of the Divergence Arc up until now, finally coming to the forefront as a wonderfully hateable bagman for our mysterious puppet masters, going from smug godlike being to snivelling and petty in a wonderful turning of the tables.

However, for as much fun as this audio is, it’s not without its flaws. For one, the second half is a lot worse than the first for me. We leave behind the exploration for instead, a pretty straight forward plot that leaves the characters running in circles until it eventually meanders towards the end. The pacing, notably, is a lot worse here, Part Three being strangely short and consisting of mostly talking whilst Part Four is nearly double its length. Characters get introduced and dropped, meaningless realisations are made and the final confrontation - of the cold, calculating side of the Doctor confronting the Kro'ka - wasn’t all that exciting. Especially when it ends with the Doctor very easily finding the TARDIS after searching for it the last six episodes, this final moment done in a way that really did not justify all the build up. It’s not terrible, but it's enough to put a damper on the story.

Despite struggling towards the end, Caerdroia is an amazing audio that I never hear enough about. With an electric script and a cast giving some of their best performances, this is a riot that absolutely lives up to everything the Divergence Arc should’ve been. And now, with one unnecessarily long audio to go, we are moments away from finishing the Divergence and moving onto admittedly bigger and better things.

9/10

Pros:

+ Absolute creative wildfire

+ Easily one of McGann’s best performances

+ Incredible and witty dialogue

+ A stand out setting

+ The Kro’ka in an antagonistic role works wonderfully

Cons:

- Loses pacing in the second half

- Somewhat anticlimactic

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

“CAERDROIA: A MAZE OF MINDS AND MULTIPLE DOCTORS”

Caerdroia is a standout entry in the Divergent Universe arc, finally pushing the Doctor closer to the answers he’s been chasing. With a surreal setting, a labyrinthine plot, and Paul McGann delivering a multi-layered performance, this adventure is as mind-bending as it is entertaining.

The long-awaited confrontation between the Doctor and the Kro’ka delivers immediate tension. After spending multiple stories as a cryptic manipulator, the Kro’ka is now backed into a corner, pressured by his masters and struggling to maintain control. The battle of wits between McGann’s Doctor and Stephen Perring’s Kro’ka is electric, with sharp dialogue and superb performances. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching the Doctor finally put his adversary on edge.

THE THREE DOCTORS – A BIZARRE BUT BRILLIANT TWIST

Once the narrative shifts to Caerdroia, the adventure takes a turn for the bizarre—in the best possible way. The Doctor is split into three distinct versions of himself: his usual self, an irritable and impatient incarnation, and a playful, childlike persona. This allows McGann to showcase his versatility, making each version of the Doctor distinct while still feeling like facets of the same man.

The splitting of the Doctor creates fresh dynamics with Charley and C’rizz. The Fun Doctor is erratic and unfocused, forcing C’rizz into the unusual role of being the responsible one. Meanwhile, the Irritable Doctor and Charley are at constant odds, making for a more tense and unpredictable pairing than usual. These altered dynamics add energy to the story, ensuring that the companion roles feel just as crucial as the Doctor’s.

A LABYRINTH OF STRANGE SETTINGS

The setting of Caerdroia itself is as varied as its versions of the Doctor. Each storyline unfolds in a different surreal location:

The Normal Doctor finds himself trapped in an endless, bureaucratic nightmare, navigating an office filled with pointless sections and unhelpful secretaries—a biting satire of corporate culture.

Charley and the Irritable Doctor struggle through a deadly cuckoo clock environment, where their lack of teamwork puts them in constant danger.

C’rizz and the Fun Doctor explore a bizarre park filled with the flora and fauna of their home worlds while being pursued by a Minotaur.

This constant variety keeps the story engaging, shifting tones and challenges while still driving toward the same central mystery. The maze-like nature of the planet is brought to life through creative sound design and imaginative concepts, making it feel like a true puzzle box of a world.

A FINAL SHOWDOWN AND A PLAYFUL FINALE

As the Doctors converge in Part 3, the pieces start to fall into place. The reveal that they’re inside a circular pyramid adds another layer to the mystery, and the looming presence of the Minotaur keeps the stakes high.

Part 4, however, wobbles slightly as the focus shifts to a lengthy “door game” sequence—reminiscent of the Fourteenth Doctor and Donna’s puzzle in The Giggle. While this slows the pacing, it allows for some much-needed character moments. The banter between the reunited characters feels more natural than ever, and there’s a genuine sense that Charley and C’rizz have finally bonded as true friends.

Ultimately, the episode’s greatest strengths lie in its strong character dynamics and inventive storytelling. The final confrontation between the Doctor and the Kro’ka bookends the adventure with the same intensity that it began with, providing one of the best exchanges between these two characters in the arc so far.

📝VERDICT: 8/10

Caerdroia is a clever, layered adventure that takes full advantage of the Doctor Who format’s ability to be surreal, comedic, and unsettling all at once. Paul McGann delivers a phenomenal performance across three versions of the Doctor, and the shifting dynamics between the characters keep the story fresh throughout.

A mind-bending maze, a Minotaur on the hunt, and three Doctors for the price of one—this is Big Finish at its most experimental and entertaining.

I'm once again very impressed with the writer’s ability to explore ideas that they would not dare to in the normal, non-divergent universe.

This one starts well. The Doctor cleverly traps croaker in his mind. We then end up with the Doctor split into three - different representations/ sides of his persona, which is initially very effective. Just before the halfway point though it becomes a comedy runaround which most the time falls flat. It picks back up again when the doctor starts taunting croaker who is doing everything he can to keep the doctor from the TARDIS.

The Doctor is annoyingly flippant in this one. The post-modern noting of all the cliches in the story just made me wonder why so many cliches had been written into the story.

The ending didn't feel rushed as some have said, but didn't feel satisfying either. Regardless - the divergent universe has been an excellent detour and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

MR 063: Caerdroia

I wasn't the biggest fan of this one either, although it certainly has more to it than the previous story. There's definitely some interesting story, but it's mostly pretty vibes based. There's some good vibes though so that's kind of fine.

We've been seeing this border guard the whole time in the Divergent Universe, the Kro'ka. It has been directing them into the different zones of the universe, but now the Doctor has figured out how to get at it. The whole opening sequence involves the Doctor tricking it into trying to go into his mind and then the Doctor traps it there and figures out what's going on. This whole sequence was quite fun and allows Paul McGann to play, essentially. His mind is a twisted web of corridors and he doesn't quite know what all is in there. Indeed, the Kro'ka randomly finds a piece of cheese and the Doctor is like "whoops forgot about that."

The Doctor gets the Kro'ka to tell him about where the Divergence are and what they're doing. They're based in a castle on a planet called Caerdroia. So naturally they go there and somehow the Doctor gets split up into three. There's an irritable/mean Doctor, an easily excitable/giddy Doctor, and the normal Doctor who balances them. So it's just an exercise for Paul McGann to play three different Doctors. Which is quite cute.

So then we go into a bunch of vibes based scenarios. The irritable Doctor goes with Charley and the excitable Doctor goes with C'rizz while the normal Doctor goes by himself. Irritable Doctor and Charley go into a clock and try not to get crushed. C'rizz and excitable Doctor go into a zoo with animals trying to kill them. And normal Doctor goes into a big bureaucratic nightmare world. This is really the only one that's interesting to be fair because there's lots of "not my department" type jokes where he has to register to use a pen and has to travel down corridors to find the right departments. I particularly liked the sincere vs rhetorical questions department.

They all meet again in a labyrinth where they meet a random guy who tells them they need to break into the center. This is where the story kind of lost me because it's a weird idea that some civilization would build a labyrinth around their water and electricity maintenance systems. The Doctors think it's odd too and it's because it's all a construct. The Kro'ka built this world and had them wandering around a maze to try to break into the Doctor's TARDIS at the center of it. He wants to present the TARDIS to the Divergence in the hope that they'll forgive him for stealing a mind probe or whatever.

Then the last part has Charley and C'rizz wandering around the construct city for awhile and they eventually find the TARDIS and leave, the Doctors form back together, the end. Thank goodness.

This is the type of vibes based story that I generally dislike, but there was enough fun stuff here to make it at least an enjoyable listen while it was happening. The main draw is Paul McGann chewing the scenery, which I always enjoy, and the confrontations with the Kro'ka which were fun. Still better than the previous story, I'll grant it. Generally this is pretty forgettable though. Indeed, I'm already forgetting most of it.

This was really good! Three McGann's, Cuckoo clocks, and the Doctor stuck in an infinite maze of offices for every little thing lol. I also enjoyed Charlie in this story, I emphasize with her frustrations with the Doctor, I'm curious how that'll effect their relationship down the road.

Would recommend.

After what has been a stretch of quite boring and run-of-the-mill stories, it's nice to get to one that is just really very good fun, it isn't the deepest of mysteries, but what it sets out to do it achieves quite well. It uses the setting of the divergent universe and The Kro'Ka much better than most other stories set in this universe and it is quite cathartic to see The Doctors and co. finally coming face to face with them.
All together: won't set the world on fire, but was quite an enjoyable listen the whole way through.

8/10

I really enjoyed this story! I thought it was a fun and creative way for the doctor to get their tardis back, and I loved how they got split into the three major facets of their personality (“I’ve got the brains, he’s got the brain damage” was hilarious). Also, the exploration of Kro’ka, who we didn’t really know much about before this, was really well done. Ultimately, I would have given this story a 4.5/5 had it not been for the fact that the author did an absolutely amazing job with Charley! In the last few stories, Charley could have essentially been replaced with a slightly-sad-looking bean bag toy and the story would not have changed in the slightest. The most egregious example of this was the previous story, The Last, where (spoilers) Charley gets paralyzed, which is used as an excuse for her to just be away for the vast majority of the story. Outside of Charley, C’rizz was also well done! I don’t think he had been done as dirty as she was in these last few audios, but it was nice to see him with a well-developed personality. Caerdroia was a very good audio drama, and I think that the way that Lloyd Rose wrote the characters (especially Charley) really made it as good as it was. I am excited to read Rose’s other works!