Circular Time is generally regarded as "a bit of classic" among Big Finish's varied stable of Doctor Who full-cast audio plays - and with good reason.Starring Peter Davison's Doctor and assistant Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), the CD is four short stories linked only by the theme of the passage of time.
The cycle opens with its weakest link, Spring, which is a very typical Dr Who tale of a rogue Timelord setting himself up as a "false god" for an interesting race of avian aliens. On its own merits, this is a good yarn, but in such august company it appears slightly tame.
The next chapter is Summer, where the time travelling duo fall foul of Sir Isaac Newton, in his role as warden of the royal mint, after accidentally using coins the Doctor has accumulated in his galactic travels in a pub where a disguised Sir Isaac is drinking. David Warner steals the show as Sir Isaac, at one point extrapolating the future history of Earth from the markings on the coins. Genius!
In Autumn, Nyssa and the Doctor are holidaying in modern, rural England, so the Doctor can indulge his passion for cricket and Nyssa, while trying to write a novel about her homeworld, embarks on her first romance. The Doctor's love of this idyllic lifestyle is slightly soiled by encounters with contemporary prejudices, but sadly that story falls foul of a cliched twist ending, while Nyssa's romance blossoms delightfully.
The collection wraps up with an experimentally weird story called Winter, where, years after leaving the Doctor, Nyssa and her husband become trapped in the Timelord's dreaming mind.
All these stories are wonderful, although Summer is the most memorable, with Warner's Sir Isaac deserving an appearance on the new television incarnation of the long-running show.
0 minions have something to say about this!:
Post a Comment