Destiny of the Doctor: Shadow of Death

This review is based on the CD release from AudioGo, and contains minor spoilers.

“You do know that you’re breaking all of the laws of time, yes?”

Hot on the heels of January’s 50th Anniversary Destiny Of The Doctor debut adventure Hunters Of Earth, Simon Guerrier has provided us with a base-under-siege style Second Doctor tale in Shadow Of Death which once again is sure to trigger the nostalgic tendencies in any fans of the classic era. If this growing franchise of audio adventures can maintain its splendid tonal and narrative variety in the nine releases still to come, then it’s a done deal that Destiny will be one of the greatest highlights of Doctor Who’s big year by far.

In terms of relating the reasoning for Shadow being such a successful endeavour for AudioGo and Big Finish, it all comes down to one man at the heart of the production: Frazer Hines. For obvious reasons, it would be unlikely that the star who once played Jamie McCrimmon could then double as Patrick Troughton’s Time Lord in any 50th Anniversary productions due to continuity restrictions. Yet here we have perhaps the perfect rendition of Troughton’s impulsive and cheeky incarnation of the character, the closest we’ll get to ever seeing that Doctor in action again after the tragic passing of his portrayer. Hines’ Second Doctor is everything the character was in 1966-1969, and it’s testament to the actor’s abilities that he can balance this alongside his crisp-clear reprisal of his role as McCrimmon and a realistic interpretation of Wendy Padbury’s Zoe in tandem.

As with Hunters, Hines is supported by an actress from outside the show’s continuity, in this case Evie Dawnay. Evie effortlessly inhabits her role as a suspicious researcher on the space base which the TARDIS crew find themselves exploring, echoing many of the Troughton era tales in refusing to believe the Doctor’s innocence until he had proved his intelligence in a dangerous situation. It would be easy for some to argue that Guerrier has simply played to the tropes of Troughton’s time on the show, yet given the adverse reaction that Eoin Colfer received for his 50th eBook A Big Hand For The Doctor when it gleefully deviated from the tones of the First Doctor era, it’s safe to say that this was probably a wise move on the writer’s part.

Besides, in terms of the history of the Whoniverse, who doesn’t love a good space base under threat from an alien menace? There’s a shadow plaguing the lost city of the Quiet Ones, a race whose planet orbits an exploding star, shifting timelines to the point where different areas move through time faster than others. You have to wonder if Guerrier took any cues from the likes of Silence In The Library/Forest Of The Dead and/or The Girl Who Waited in these regards, and yet either way it’s thus a true credit that the writer can integrate these seemingly New Series-riffing elements into a Troughton tale with such ease and seamless effect.

One question that will undoubtedly be a major deciding factor for the Destiny range’s success is just how well individual releases would have fared without its overarching plot elements that will tie into later instalments. Indeed, much of the second half of this base-under-siege romp relies upon the influence of a Doctor who will soon be returning for another season of adventures on BBC1, and this will perhaps be seen as a detrimental point for some. Essentially, it’s a ‘get-out’ clause that saves the day without any of the help of the Second Doctor’s own intelligence, seemingly allowing the Eleventh Doctor to acquire information that’s vital for a future battle to come. The second incarnation of the character seems none too pleased about his future self’s meddling in days gone by, and the hints of the danger this meddling could enable are clear through dialogue such as the line I’ve opened this review with. One thing is certain- the final adventure, The Time Machine, will have a lot to deal with when it places Matt Smith’s Doctor at the forefront of proceedings come November.

All the same, once you ignore the rather convenient climax and look at this second Destiny release as a whole, the picture (or ‘painting’, an image which Matt has said will become crucial in the 50th Special) becomes a lot clearer and more positive. Frazer Hines in particular is a shining beacon of auditory excellence here, and the backing by some superbly rendered audio cues and atmospheric effects really does a good job of strengthening that Troughton era atmosphere. This reviewer cannot fault the attention to detail and immersion that’s been afforded to both entries in the Destiny range so far, and it’ll certainly be exciting to see how other writers and production teams deal with the remaining nine Doctor releases to come in terms of this reverence. Shadow Of Death may stumble at times in its narrative, yet its cast and atmosphere remain finely handled to the point of pure excellence, combining to form a gripping listen that should more than sate fans’ appetites until the next entry.