Released: January 2013
Range: The Companion Chronicles
Range Number: 7.07
Written by Marc Platt
Directed by Lisa Bowerman
The TARDIS materializes in Spain in the late sixteenth century. The country is at war with England – and the travellers find themselves on the wrong side of the battle lines.
When Ian and his new friend Esteban are captured by the Inquisition, the Doctor, Susan and Barbara plan to rescue them.
But these are dark days in human history. And heretics face certain death...
If I hadn't been mistaken, I would have said that The Flames of Cadiz was a story originally brodcast during that very first year of Doctor Who. Every single element that makes up the story is incredibly reminiscent of the grand historicals of the time, such as The Aztecs or The Crusade, and this is this stories greatest blessing and curse. Unlike those stories, this one really strains under the weight of it's four episodes, and, by the end, it's almost trying to chivy the time along.
The basic plot of this story is an interesting one, because, at times, it feels as if the story could have been transplanted into various different periods of history, such as the Cold War or Nazi Germany. However, placing it in Spain in the sixteenth century means that all the usual cliches are thrown out the window, because, unlike those two time periods, the persecution isn't ideological, but religious. There persecuting people for believing in the 'wrong' thing, and that gives the story a really hard moral edge. Who is right and who is wrong? Well, neither, because both views are correct, but both sides have committed terrible evils. One thing that this story really gets right is that it doesn't just pander to steriotypes. It's not just the 'Spanish bad, English good' cliche that you'd expect if this was a big, blockbuster Hollywood movie, but rather distinct shades of grey. For example, Francis Drake isn't the classic hero, but rather a rough vagabond, who bullies both allies and enemies alike, and we meet a variety of Spaniards who are of a very good nature, prepeared to stand up to the persecution of the Inquisition. Both of these portrayals are much more accurate to real life, rather than the normal portrayals that were all use to. However, two things stop this story from achiving the true greatness it deserves: the first is the immensely slow plot, which troddles along at an increadibly slow speed and the second is the lack of several real cliffhangers. Many moments that could have been a shock don't end up feeling that way, simply because they get mentioned earlier on, so, especially episode 2 & episode 3's cliffhangers, don't have the drive that prehaps they should, because the revelations aren't new to us. And as for the pace that these stories move at, I suppose that that's something that is an almost give-or-take aspect with these stories. You can never be too sure what your going to get, whether it will be a well paced intrigue story, or whether it will be languishing and tedious at times. In that sense, then, it reminds one more of The Reign Of Terror more than The Aztecs, because, in my opinion, this story takes far too long to get anywhere.
The characters in this one are a well defined bunch, with clearly defined motivations and are well voiced by the cast. Father Richard is my favourite, a vicious man who's prepared to kill for his beliefs. But the way the soundscape is built up and the versitility of the actors means that it's very easy to tell each character apart. Talking about the actors, William Russell is utterly exceptional. He may be Doctor Who's elder stasteman, but his work with Big Finish is consistently amazing, and the scene where Ian is willing Barbara and Susan not to watch the burning is emotionally draining, Ian desperate to make the two girls listen. Now, that's powerful listening. People who say Big Finish are running out of steam need to listen to that single scene. His co-stars are good, but nowhere near him. Nabil Elouahabi sounds a little uncertain to begin with, unsure how to make the aural format fit around his voice. However, by the end, he's really strong, really getting into his groove. As for Carole Ann Ford, she sounds lost in a story that's not really about her character. Her Doctor impression, which she sadly has to carry for long stretches of narrative is really off. Mind you, she's not too screechy here, and some interesting things are done with Susan, if not followed up on. Lisa Bowerman is really into her groove as a Companion Chronicle director, really knowing how to get the best performances out of her actors. As for Toby Hyreck-Robinson's score and sound design, he really manages to evoke the Hartnell era, with a score which exudes danger and tension. Really, production wise, there's little to fault this story.
What let's Flames Of Cadiz down in the script, which plods about and never really picks up speed. There are flashes of brilliance throughout the story, but these are muted by the stories weaknesses. Certainly, this story feels artificially extended mearly to fill the runtime, and there are other flaws that let it down. Listening to this is a fustrating experience, because there's so much potential. It's just a shame that it's all sent down the drain by a plodding script and wasted cliffhangers.
Rating - 6/10
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