by David Evans-Powell

Obverse Books, out now

 

 

Obverse Books’ ongoing series of monographs focusing on a Doctor Who serial or story hits 1984’s Season 21 two-parter The Awakening.

In his analysis of Eric Pringle’s folk horror story, David Evans-Powell observes the isolation of the fictional village Little Hodcombe from the outside world. Indeed, when I recently visited the Dorset village of Shapwick, which was one of three locations used for the exteriors, it felt like it was stuck in a time-warp, although it was less than a mile from a main A-road. A theme that Evans-Powell explores here in great detail.

Like me, the author sees The Awakening as less a retread of The Daemons, but rather that it shares the same influences such as M R James’ ghost stories and 70s folk horror. The quiet, rural village with its secrets just below the surface has served British media for years, a microcosm of the wider world, yet more dangerous because of the local power hierarchy and isolated from immediate help.

In his analysis, Evans-Powell makes frequent reference to the screenwriter Eric Pringle’s Target novelisation of his scripts, giving us a greater insight into the village and its denizens. But more than that, the author shares his own research into the traditions of the Queen of the May, the Green Man (clearly an inspiration for the Malus), anachronisms and the emergence of historical re-enactment societies like the Sealed Knot.

Verdict: As with the village where it’s set, on the surface of it there’s not a lot going on in The Awakening. But peel away the rural idyll veneer and there’s plenty to occupy you, and David Evans-Powell is the ideal guide to lead you down the country lanes. 8/10

Nick Joy

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