The Doctor and Turlough arrive at the source of human power – as it’s about to go catastrophically wrong.

James Kettle’s tale for the Fifth Doctor and Turlough (set in that short period between Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire) is one of those stories where there aren’t that many characters that you can really empathise with, providing some interesting shades of grey.

We hear one character go through a nervous breakdown, and at the story’s heart is one of the most morally questionable people that has turned up in the Big Finish main range. The Doctor spends a lot of time trying to figure Violet Hardaker out, from their very first meeting to the very end – just what does drive her? Is she as selfish/self-centred as she appears? Is the pursuit of money all that she’s after? Rakie Ayola gives a nicely nuanced performance, keeping listeners and characters guessing.

It’s a tale of institutional incompetence and errors rather than there being a “villain” carrying out some evil plan – there’s echoes of the Chernobyl disaster, and the CYA activities that followed that (something that director Ken Bentley comments on in the extras). And there’s no guarantee that those who’ve worked for the “right” side are going to survive…

Verdict: A darker tale for the penultimate monthly release. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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