5th Doctor - Short Trips: The Second Oldest Question

Narrator: Sarah Sutton; Cover Artist: Mark Plastow
Director: Lisa Bowerman; Producer: Alfie Shaw
Writer: Carrie Thompson; Script Editor: Alfie Shaw
Executive Producers:Jason Haigh-Ellery & Nicholas Briggs Sound Design: Richard Fox @ FoxYason Studios

The oldest question in the universe has haunted the Doctor ever since he left Gallifrey. A question that only a few know the answer to. A question that must never be answered.

This isn’t the story of that question. This is the story of the second oldest question. A question that has plagued humanity for millennia. A question which determines whether someone can live or die. A question that must be answered.

So, Carrie Thompson's Short Trips debut is about a chicken on trial for arson in medieval England. Mostly. Sadly this tale is about as exciting as it sounds. 

I found the story to be plodding, which is bad, as being a Short Trip, it's runtime is only forty minutes. Sarah Sutton is great as Nyssa, but I struggled telling her character and the fifth Doctor apart when the dialogue was bouncing between the two. Also the decision to give the simple locals a West Country accent is unimaginative, bordering on offensive - and for Big Finish rather repetitive (I say this as a proud Bristol bloke).

Apart from the interesting play on words in the title, I really didn't care about the answer to The Second Oldest Question. To download the story, please click here.