20.09.2021

Yeah, decent. I love the designs throwing you back into the era - the music, the intermissions, the simpler dialogue, even the story itself is structured similarly. Except it's, you know, good.

The villain was a surprise, sure, but a welcome one. Their dynamic with the Doctor is about what you'd expect. It knows what it's doing and it's doing it well. 3.5/5

Doctor Who – The First Doctor Adventures (Bradley)

#1.01. The Destination Wars ~ 6/10

◆ An Introduction

Following the recent announcement that David Bradley and friends would be returning to their roles, in a special series of ‘Unbound’ adventures, I decided that now would be a perfect time to revisit his original run of stories.

Most people in the fandom will remember Christmas 2017 for the Twelfth Doctor’s rather lacklustre final outing, but it was also when BigFinish decided to release this box set. I remember my Nanna getting it for my birthday the following year, and I must have relistened to it at least a hundred times since! The whole format of the range was something I appreciated too: it was guaranteed that we would get one science fiction romp, packaged alongside an intricately crafted pure historical. This was the beginning of something really special.

This review will actually be the first I’ve written exclusively for TARDIS Guide – rather than a TimeScales hand-me-down from when I abandoned that site – so I hope you’ll join me as we journey to the planet Destination!

◆ Publisher’s Summary

The TARDIS arrives in a gleaming utopia in the Space Year 2003. Has the Doctor truly brought Ian and Barbara home, to glimpse their future?

The world owes much to its legendary Inventor, and Susan finds herself face to face with the great benefactor. But soon, the time travellers are in a world at war and the Doctor must confront his past.

◆ DISCLAIMER

This adventure features James Dreyfus: a transphobic cretin who has continued to hurl abuse at the trans community since at least October 2018.

Any comments made about his performance in this review – good or bad – should not be seen as me condoning his actions. I’m simply separating the art from the artist.

It should hopefully go without saying that I absolutely condemn his behaviour.

#TransRightsAreHumanRights

◆ The First Doctor

There’s a moment during part four where the Doctor seriously considers using the Master’s platform to move forward in time: if they reached a point where Destination’s technology had become sufficiently advanced, then maybes they could use it to leave. It’s only thanks to Susan and Reena that he sees sense: a good reminder that these adventures take place very early into the Doctor’s travels.

David Bradley delivered an excellent performance for his debut adventure, though he does seem a little bit stiff. Luckily, this’ll improve as the range progresses, and he gets more comfortable within his role.

Recalibrating his ship is a very delicate procedure, and he’d thank Chesterton not to mock. The Doctor informs Robac that they are travellers, and they are always curious to learn more about the places they find themselves. He is simply observing: he doesn’t feel the need to commentate on every little thing he sees, and suggests that Chesterton might try it sometime! The Master describes the Doctor as a reckless criminal… which is a bit rich coming from him.

◆ Susan Foreman

Aside from smashing a couple of the Master’s server robots, Susan really didn’t do much in ‘The Destination Wars’.

Claudia Grant is the only member of this team that I’m really worried about. The histrionics are certainly in character, but she really needs to knock it down an octave or two: it just grates on the ears.

Susan doesn’t go to school, but Mr. Chesterton and Miss. Wright are sort of her tutors. Earth isn’t exactly where she’s from. The Master recalls that Susan is prone to hysterics.

◆ Ian Chesterton

Ian has always been written as the action hero; someone who was forced into hand-to-hand combat with an Aztec warrior, and who did everything in his power to save Barbara from danger. Hearing someone so intelligent and strong-willed be manipulated by the Master was genuinely disturbing.

Shall we acknowledge the elephant in the room? Jamie Glover sounds absolutely nothing like the original Ian, which takes some getting used to. He also doesn’t have much range as an actor: speaking as a long-time fan of Casualty, and as someone that grew up watching Waterloo Road, this isn’t what you’d call a revelation. Glover’s performance in ‘The Destination Wars’ was alright, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

The Master believes that Ian is clearly a prime example of his species; intelligent, strong-willed… but non unassailably so.

◆ Barbara Wright

Truth be told, I barely remember her doing anything in this adventure, except for sticking a sack over the Master’s head to stop him hypnotising Ian. An incredible shame, as Barbara is my favourite member of the original TARDIS team.

Jemma Powell doesn’t get the chance to make an impression, as she barely receives any material to work with: here’s hoping that changes with the next story!

◆ Father of the Atomic Bomb

The Master has been influencing the people of Destination to develop technology that would split the atom, as he requires nuclear fission to restart the dimensional engines in his TARDIS. This can be achieved by setting off a massive atomic warhead, likely causing untold casualties for both the native Dalmari and the humanoid colonists.

The Master has essentially become a time-travelling Oppenheimer that’s lacking a moral compass, and I seriously remember this script being a lot more interesting than it actually was. The plot is wafer thin, which begs the question of why couldn’t Fitton be bothered with giving the TARDIS team some interesting material? He seemingly forgot that Barbara existed, which I’m still quite miffed about. There’s more than enough padding in ‘The Destination Wars’ to make a luxury mattress factory giddy!

◆ Sound Design

Destination is a gleaming utopia filled with skyscrapers and hovering cars. Unfortunately, that description could apply to any number of futuristic cities. Howard Carter usually brings a degree of finesse to his soundscapes, so generic is the last word I ever thought I’d use to describe his work. I’m genuinely quite disappointed.

Hovering cars humming through the streets of Destination. Reptilian creatures scuttle through tunnels beneath the city, gurgling like Sil. Adoring crowds gather around the main square to witness the Inventor’s first public address in years. Tanna and her associates fire disruptor guns at the swarming Dalmari. As the Master’s platform accelerates through time, the humanoid colonists go to war with the Dalmari.

◆ Conclusion

“It is the march of time, nothing more sinister.”

Influencing a society for generations, the Master waits patiently for the people of Destination to split the atom. With the power of nuclear fission, he can restart the engines in his badly damaged TARDIS.

Matt Fitton has always been something of a meat and potatoes writer; often churning out a high volume of decent scripts, which don’t bother attempting anything risky or new. That honestly sums up this adventure pretty nicely.

Fitton has done the bare bones when it comes to characterisation, but still manages to forget that Barbara exists. I cannot even say that the performances make up for this shortfall, because they’re all pretty standard… except for Claudia Grant, who deafens me every time she shrieks!

I cannot recommend listening to ‘The Destination Wars’. It features a wafer-thin plot, a frankly boring soundscape, and more than enough padding to make Sofology giddy!

Very solidly written story on itself. Though to be fair, I would probably like everything with this TARDIS team. There are quite a few lines that I don’t vibe as much with, but overall, not too many problems with the dialogue. The ideas are clever, and the story gives off some good early Doctor Who vibes.

I’m not a fan of how this works for the grander totality of the Master’s story and lore, but in a vacuüm I think he works well.

I find that none of the cast members really sound like the original actors, but they are all able to (mostly) evoke the spirit of their characters in their own new way. Bradley for example, doesn’t at all feel like Hartnell, but absolutely feels like the first Doctor.
Then there is Dreyfus as the ‘new’ Master. Aside from him being nuts irl, I think he performs the Master a bit weird. Like i couldn’t not primarily focus on the funny way he says any word with a T. I can’t be the only one right?

Oh well. I like The Destination Wars. Nothing crazy (even though it’s first Doctor meets the Master), but it’s a nice, chill story. And it helped me with falling asleep a few times so that was nice.

The Destination Wars is quite a bit of fun and something I would recommend. It's a good, clean story in how it executes a very early interaction between the Master and the Doctor. Ian and Barbara getting manipulated by the Master was quite a memorable moment. This was my first taste of this cast doing a Big Finish production, and they were pretty good overall, but I definitely didn't enjoy Jamie Glover as Ian as much as I do with Russels. Barbara and Susan don't sound all that great to me either and it can be distracting. David Bradley, however, is pretty spot on and it was delightful to hear him just being the First Doctor like this.

I don't care for Dreyfus' political views to say the least but he was entertaining as the Master here. All told, this audio is probably worth listening to for the novelty of it but it kind of piddles out story-wise after a while.

Really let’s it’s self down with the casting of the master I won’t lie probably the worst choice

The first story of the formal “First Doctor Adventures”. It is quite a good one. It combines modern sensibilities with the old form storytelling, which works wonders.

This is particularly noteworthy for being the first story where the doctor feels like a hero instead of a observer. This is a risky take, considering interfering is something this doctor is vehemently against. However, it is done well by making it necessary through the plot of the master.

Introducing the master before his later appearance is a risky choice, but a worthwhile one. It allows, as mentioned, for the doctor to take a clearer stance against an oppressing force. The dialogue makes sure this never feels out of place, as all characters are written well and act like they would’ve on TV.

This early master is also performed very well (f**k transphobes, but that is out of the bounds of this story). It might come across as a bit generic, but he is menacing in a way that feels at home in this era. I was hoping to see more of him, but well….

This story also gives me a clearer outline of Susan, which has been building throughout the different stories. She’s a sociable optimist, which gets along with people easily and trusts easily. This help suppress the otherwise negative tone the adventures may have had with a grumpy lead and 2 kidnapped teachers.

As for the actual plot, the doctor enters a city controlled by the master, who speeds up time in waves, so he can control their progress. It is a simple concept, which fits. The town is established well before being ruined, with several interesting side-characters and locations. The actual consequences of the masters action are pretty lacking, however. The war is shown only shortly, the manipulations he has done are at times ridiculously simple, and while playing 2 sides against each other, we only truly see how it works on one. Also, the doctor and Susan are eventually abandoned for 2 years, and everything is fixed, which was a bit too minimal for my liking.

Still, the overall story is coherent and the characters are great. It’s a great way to tell the doctors beginnings as a hero and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s a good time.