Technophobia

22.09.2021

God, I miss Ten and Donna. Best TARDIS team until I change my mind again. The story cleverly surprised me with its premise, didn't overstay its welcome and gave me more high-quality Ten/Donna banter. 3.5/5

Very good, I won't write anything else so as not to spoil it.

I had a great deal of fun with Technophobia. Sure, part of that is just how great it is to hear the Doctor and Donna again, but it is a pretty fun Doctor Who story that feels right in line with Series Four of the reboot series. The Koggnossenti and their means to quietly make humans afraid of technology is a very serviceable plot that works well to showcase the return of a beloved TARDIS crew, and I do love the ending with them. I also like the touches in writing around Donna's character, as she has to act like she isn't in Earth's near distant future. I like how she takes this seriously but also is into the modern tech of the time, pairing neatly with the larger plot of this audio play.

One thing that does bother me a bit is how Big Finish seems to really push the Tenth Doctor, to the point where David Tennant really is pushing his acting more than he ever generally did for the show. I also found the music and sound effects more average than impressive. That sort of stuff holds back Technophobia, but only so slightly to the point I feel like I'm nit picking something I thoroughly enjoyed on the whole.

Series four was a highpoint for Doctor Who. In 2008, David Tennant and Catherine Tate's run as the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble saw some of the show's highest viewing figures. Now, eight years later they have finally returned via the medium of audio. And boy was it worth the wait.

Technophobia follows the Doctor and Donna arriving in our modern day (but Donna's near future given that she is from 2008) at the National Technology Museum, where technology starts to turn against the people of London. It feels like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, especially when the characters start to turn paranoid about machines because they can no longer understand them (one notable scene sees the population confused over a cash machine, something which we have considered commonplace but these characters believe could be a threat). In fact, if Alfred Hitchcock was here in the modern day and was asked to direct a Doctor Who episode, this is how I would imagine it being. The Hitchcockian method on playing on the psychology of people's minds and how it can affect our behaviour as a source of fear is extremely powerful stuff and works brilliantly for a Doctor Who episode (especially on audio).

So who's causing all this? A new threat called the Koggnossenti; an absolutely terrifying creation by writer Matt Fritton that definitely rivals monsters created for the new series. Hitchcock would be very impressed with their plan as it involves delving into the human mind: what would happen if we all technologically regressed and became less knowledgable to the point of being stupid? How would we react? The Koggnossenti's plan is basically to de-evolve our knowledge to a much earlier state and there is something decidedly chilling about seeing Meadow Digital (technology company) CEO Jill Meadows reduced to the point of not even knowing what a pencil is; this isn't played for laughs but more as a kind of tragic event that the Doctor of course sets out to solve.

And that brings me onto something else I love about this release, something that I love seeing Doctor Who stories do: when the Doctor ends up infected. That's what truly makes a Doctor Who villain great, because if the Doctor is affected by the plans then you know the other characters are in trouble. It's great hearing him stripped of his Time Lord knowledge, essentially made powerless against the new threat. Yet he still wins, he still manages to save the day...but he has to struggle to do so. For the Doctor, this is like Superman faced with Kryptonite or Tony Stark stripped of his Iron Man suit. It's always refreshing to see heroes have their powers removed.

The cast is a big highlight of this audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are perfect; their friendship is exactly as it was during series four: best friends travelling together having the time of their life. Then there's the amazing Rory Keenan, who plays a very likeable train driver called Kevin Jones whom I would love to see return in a future Big Finish release. I also loved temp 'Bex with an X' - a nice callback to Linda with a Y - played by Niky Wardley. She seemed like somebody who could be a future companion for the 10th Doctor maybe for a release between Journey's End and the Specials. Big Finish often feature brilliant casts with a variety of memorable characters and it's nice to see this continue with the 10th Doctor.

Overall, Technophobia is a perfect start for the 10th Doctor's run on audio. David Tennant and Catherine Tate are on top-form as one of the best Doctor-companion partnerships the show has ever seen and writer Matt Fritton provides a wonderful Hitchcockian vibe to this thriller about technology turning against us. Don't be surprised if you come away feeling a bit paranoid about your tablet though.