Crossover Media Productions, 29 March 2012
Although not a great fan of the Doctor Who series, I have to admit a
passing likeness for the various actors who have essayed the title role. From whiskery William Hartnell to dashing David
Tennant, the character has changed over the years, yet retains an endearing eccentricity. Despite the numerous hazards endured
in his adventures, we always know he will come out on top.
This radio version had Aron Toman playing the role, with Kara Dennison as his high-pitched
voice sidekick Computer. They take the Tardis to mid-Victorian London, where they hear the first chimes of Big Ben,
but their enjoyment is affected by mysterious happenings: why does the bell's designer Edmund Denison (Daniel Hansen) act
so strangely, and why does he worry so much that the chimes should occur at midnight exactly? There is also a gypsy woman
(Wendy Robinson) claiming to foretell the future.
Eventually the Doctor and Computer foil a plot to destroy the entire world,
while ensuring that all potential threatening forces are successfully eliminated. Exactly how that happens is cleverly resolved
in just over twnty-five minutes in Aron Toman's script.
Engagingly performed in suitably tongue-in-cheek style by the seven-strong
cast, with a suitably mysterious-sounding score (by HardWire), this was an entertaining addition to the ever-expanding Doctor
Who canon.
