Final Doctor Who of 2024! This is nothing special as a story, but I do love the conceit of making this a realistic final four episodes for Season 12. I liked the performances and the guest cast, but the overall plot was standard. Still fun to get to the Season 12 gang back together as best we can fifty years later.

I’m ready for another day of 4th doing mediocre

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

“The Curse of Time: A Mixed Tribute to the Fourth Doctor’s Legacy”

Big Finish’s The Curse of Time attempts to celebrate 50 years of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor by slotting an additional adventure seamlessly into Season 12. While it achieves some success in recreating the era's aesthetic and tone, the story itself ultimately feels underwhelming for such a landmark occasion.

The story starts intriguingly enough, with the TARDIS materialising in what appears to be a mediaeval village, complete with a troupe of travelling entertainers and a sinister brotherhood led by the commanding Brother Voss (Andrew French). The blend of mediaeval and sci-fi elements, reminiscent of The Androids of Tara and The Masque of Mandragora, gives the setting a nostalgic charm. The revelation that this is a post-solar flare Earth, regressed to a feudal-like society, is an excellent tie-in to Season 12’s The Ark in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen.

However, while the setting and premise are promising, the story struggles to capitalise on them. The first two episodes spend too much time separating the TARDIS crew and having them chase after one another, creating a sense of aimlessness despite the vivid world-building.

The cast does an admirable job bringing the characters to life. Tom Baker is as charming and commanding as ever, effortlessly embodying the Fourth Doctor’s eccentricity and wisdom. Sadie Millor and Christopher Naylor offer strong portrayals of Sarah Jane and Harry, though Harry’s bumbling nature feels slightly overplayed at times.

Among the supporting cast, Andrew French’s Brother Voss stands out with a formidable and menacing presence. Rosemary Ashe’s Holy Mother Cassava is a wonderfully creepy mix of wisdom and malevolence, evoking The Old Mother in An Unearthly Child or Maren from The Brain of Morbius. Angus Dunican as Faustus Black and Terence Wilton as Zaphiel Ixon both deliver solid performances, though Ixon’s villainy leans heavily on tropes familiar to the Baker era.

The story’s pacing is one of its biggest weaknesses. While the early episodes establish an intriguing mystery, they fail to progress meaningfully, with much of the runtime devoted to repetitive scenes of separation and pursuit. The villain’s reveal at the end of Part 3 injects some much-needed momentum, but the climax in the final episode feels rushed and anticlimactic.

Ixon’s possession of Harry provides a brief moment of drama, but it’s underutilised, leaving the resolution flat and uninspired. The narrative lacks the sense of urgency and creativity needed to elevate it to a truly celebratory adventure.

📝Verdict: 6.7/10

As a tribute to the Fourth Doctor’s legacy, The Curse of Time hits some nostalgic notes but doesn’t quite live up to its potential. While the setting and characters evoke the spirit of Season 12, the story itself feels generic and uninspired, failing to deliver the excitement or innovation expected from a milestone release.

For longtime fans of the Fourth Doctor, there’s some enjoyment to be found in the performances and the era-appropriate atmosphere. However, as a standalone story and a celebration of Tom Baker’s iconic Doctor, it leaves much to be desired.

This is very disappointing for a "50th Anniversary Special" for the Fourth Doctor. Nothing about it is special in anyway. The main characters are, as usual, the only good thing, but that's because of the actors, because the writing is very generic. There is no actual character development, at all. Jonny Morris, I'm sorry, but this is not good.