I Was Churchill’s Double

The third entry in the second volume of The Churchill Years is a story which goes full ‘science-fiction’ in a way some of the others haven’t. We’ve an alien arms dealers, strange beings walking the streets of London; metaphors for depression and a Dalek in Roman times (okay, that last one is pure Doctor Who). I Was Churchill’s Double takes Winston into the realm of alternative histories. This makes sense, of course, for a series rooted in World War Two as the conflict is often the jumping off point for many an alternative history dystopian tale such as The Man in the High Castle, Fatherland and even Doctor Who’s very own Terrance Dicks-penned New Adventure – Timewyrm: Exodus.

That said, this story takes a slightly different track and shifts the ‘branching off point’ back to World War One.

Here, we find ‘our’ Churchill swapping places with an alternate Churchill from a world where Germany prevailed during the Great War and Britain is now part of the Kaiser’s extended Empire. Somehow, the 9th Doctor has ended up in this alternate history and with his usual investigation and Churchill’s help, discovers they have passed into a world created within a Utopia window – and, in actuality, isn’t a true parallel universe in the way we are used to in science fiction. These universes are virtual so the rules are rather different. In this story, the threat is more from the alternate Churchill who, with a far more ruthless streak, could cause trouble in the real world.

The true villain of the piece though, played with aplomb by Roberta Taylor, is Louisa who plans to use her virtual counterpart to get the plans for an atomic bomb, via the alternate Churchill, into the hands of Hitler in the real universe. It all becomes a little convoluted but Taylor is fun in the part.

Rather oddly, as he doesn’t really do very much, this story also features the inventor of the television, John Logie Baird. It is he who stumbles across a broadcast of Churchill from the virtual universe, kickstarting the story, but beyond that he does very little else.

I do enjoy these Churchill adventures but I’m not sure they are stories I’m ever likely to revisit on a regular basis. In a way, now that we have Eccleston and Tennant (and a bunch of audios with Jacob Dudman doing his uncanny 11th Doctor impersonation), the need for Ian McNiece-as Churchill-as the Doctor narrated adventures seems less needed.

But, they exist and they were a means to an end in the early days of Big Finish’s ‘new series’ licence. They’ve been an interesting look into World War Two from Churchill’s perspective and included a wide range of interesting sci-fi ideas. There are two more adventures to come – one set on VE Day and another looking at Churchill’s retirement but the lion’s share have now passed through the marathon and it’s definitely been a fun ride. I look forward to the wrapping up of Churchill’s Years.

It was okay. Only listened cause of the r101 reference (I’m obsessed with Charley pollard)