"Jumbo!" - The Wondrous Box Review

Performed by Louise Jameson

Written by Juliet Boyd

Directed by Nicholas Briggs & Ken Bentley

The Doctor and Sarah Jane pay an ill-timed visit to PT Barnum and The Greatest Show on Earth.

I certainly think that Juliet Boyd's first story is an interestingly written story, with a period of history I'm really not familiar with. It's quite a sad story, especially seeing the events of when the story is set. It's not about any almighty alien plot to invade Earth or something: it's just about one sad event in the history of the human race. It's pretty much divided into two stories: the first is essentially the TARDIS being stolen, while the second is about the tragic death of the original Jumbo. The first thread is sadly one which has been seen done better before and nothing new or original is presented to us. It's a shame, because this does deal with the physical horror of entering the TARDIS and realising that it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. The latter side of the story deals with the tragic death of Jumbo the elephant, a rather more obscure piece of history. I had no knowledge of the events that had occured here, so to learn about them was incredibly interesting and to have these events caused by The Doctor gives them a Visitation-style feel to it.

Obviously nobody could knock Louise Jameson's reading of the story, but Daniel Brett's music is slightly too Keff McCulloch rather than Dudley Simpson. It's a pity really, but makes the story a bit of an earworm to listen to. There's really not much more I can say about this story. It's a nice, diverting Short Trip, quite good, but sadly not really profound or leaving a deep impact. It's a pity, but that's what the best of these Short Trips should do.

TARDIS Rating - 5/10

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