The Subject is In

Now for a real Saturday on Setsuled's Blog--I have Doctor Who related things to talk about. I finally had time to listen to an audio play, 2006's The Reaping. A Sixth Doctor story, it's a rare one for teaming him with Peri, his onscreen companion for the bulk of his television run with whom he had infamously bad chemistry. Individually, Colin Baker as Six is shrill and overblown, Nicola Bryant as Peri is shrill and whiny, together they're like an S&M rap battle between two people with no rhythm. And yet I actually found The Reaping kind of interesting.

Written by Joseph Lidster, who also wrote for Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, the story brings the two back to Peri's home year and place and she's reunited with her family and friends. I must be a hard core Doctor Who fan that I was actually curious to hear more about Peri's family who were introduced as a sort of Dallas trashy, wealthy American family in Planet of Fire. Peri's mother wasn't introduced on television so Big Finish Audio took the opportunity of casting Claudia Christian.

She's best known for her role on Babylon 5--a series I still haven't gotten around to watching--I'm more familiar with her for appearing in nearly every video game I've played in the past five years--which, mind you, isn't many--Skyrim, Guild Wars 2, and Fallout 4. I don't think I've actually seen her in anything, I just hear her.

Casting a real American as Peri's mother further emphasises Bryant's bad accent but it was an interesting story, a Cybermen story with a few genuinely creepy moments. Though a scene where Peri's father somehow passes a message through time on a VHS tape of a party is never quite explained. But it was still kind of neat.

Speaking of audio plays, the trailer for the Tenth Doctor's upcoming audio adventures has been released:

I'm glad they went with Donna, she's my favourite of Ten's companions. David Tennant's exuberance seems likely to make the things enjoyable even if they end up being badly written.