Released: January 2012
Range: The Fourth Doctor Adventures
Range Number: 1.01
Starring Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Raquel Cassidy, Tim Bentinck, Sam Graham, Tilly Gaunt, Kim Wall & Tim Treloar
Written and Directed by Nicholas Briggs
After saying their goodbyes to Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, the Doctor and Leela respond to an alien distress call beamed direct from Victorian England. It is the beginning of a journey that will take them to the newly built Space Dock Nerva... where a long overdue homecoming is expected.
A homecoming that could bring about the end of the human race.
Destination: Nerva is a story that has divided opinion. Yes, it certainly isn't the most innovative story ever, most can acknowledge that, but opinion is split regarding whether it's just the right side of traditional, giving Tom Baker a solid slice of traditional Who, or that it's a story that's been done to death so many times and it gives Tom Baker a poor introduction to the world of Big Finish. And, despite a couple of flaws, I sit very much in the camp where it's a solid story, if a little unremarkable. For the very first story to feature Tom Baker, I think that it's a story written very much in the mould of the classic series.
What is clear from this story, however, is that the two part format isn't such a killer as many believed it would be. Many thought that this would lead to the stories suffering the same problems as the 45 minute TV episodes being forced to condense so much plot into a short space of time. However, Big Finish have used there experience with the BBC Radio 7 Eighth Doctor Adventures to ensure that Destination: Nerva's plot fits in with it's time limit perfectly, and unlike a lot of the TV episodes that I mentioned earlier. I suppose that 60 minutes falls in there favour, mind you, but Big Finish here manages to create a story that really fits in with the tone of the era that it's trying to emulate. Despite the lack of two episodes, I could really see Destination: Nerva being put on television in the same time period as The Face Of Evil or The Talons Of Weng Chiang, it's so distinctive. It positively reeks of that era, despite the fact that it's now nearly 40 years old. Some of the ideas in this one are still really pertinent, especially Briggs' comments on the British Empire and it's corrupted morals. There's certainly a moral message underneath this one, but it isn't the whole story, and this allows it to have some good old science fiction elements as well, rather than a story bogged down in morals and morality. The idea of humans taking the British Empire into space feels so right for Doctor Who and that means that this story already has a solid grounding from which it can launch it's story. Now, while all of this does fall in Destination: Nerva's favour, some of the story does suffer a little bit from elements which we have very much seen before. For example, very little guesswork will be needed to work out who is going to be infected before the story ends, nor is it going to take a genius to work put who gave Lord Jack and his cronies the virus (which nicely alluded the events of Briggs' own Patient Zero). This very small flaws sadly have to bring the plot down a couple of points.
The characters aren't massively deep, however that doesn't really affect the story in this instance. Because it doesn't aspire to greatness, it means that it can be a little more relaxed with it's characters. However, that doesn't mean that they're simply plot cyphers. Doctor Foster, in particular, is someone who, while slightly predictable, has a touchingly real character arc, with her grief for her deceased child being portrayed as very real. Acting wise, however, there are a couple of problems. Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, however, certainly aren't the problem, putting in two very strong performances. Now despite what many say, here Tom is really allowed to take his performance back to how it was pitched back in the 70's, unlike the AudioGo 'Nest Cottage' audios, and Louise Jameson perfectly recreates Leela with the same gusto as in the Companion Chronicles, Jago and Litefoot and Gallifrey. However, some of the other cast members don't quite pitch there performances as well as they should. In particular, supporting actors Kim Wall and Tilly Gaunt just don't sound quite right, sound off with the material at hand, Tilly in particular. I also didn't think too much to Tim Treloar, especially considering his strong work in Return Of The Rocket Men and The Light At The End, which was a shame. Never the less, both Tim Bentinck and Raquel Cassidy are excellent, Cassidy bring Foster to life with some real strength and Bentinck is brilliant as the Commodore, a man who's world quickly falls apart when The Doctor and Leela arrive. The rest of the cast were good, but not altogether investing enough interest in their characters. The music and sound design, however, are perfect, really transporting the listener back to 1977. The sound effects for Nerva are especially apposite, and I really would like to congratulate Jamie Robertson for really helping to sell this as a story that could have been brodcast back in Tom's third season.
Destination: Nerva May be too traditional for some people's tastes, however I feel that it's a solid, if unremarkable slice of classic Who. Tom and Louise slip really easily into there roles again, and, despite some issues with this installment, on the whole Destination: Nerva does little but impress.
Rating - 7/10
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