Released: June 2010
Range: The Main Range
Range Number: 135
Starring Colin Baker, Frazer Hines, Wendy Padbury, Steven Kynman, Abigail Hollick, Ian Gelder, Charlie Ross, Alexander Siddig & Nicholas Briggs
Written by Mike Maddox
Directed by Nicholas Briggs
The Cybermen are on the march through the Land of Fiction, killing and converting as they go. Resistance is useless.
Trapped on the outermost fringes of the battle, the Doctor and Jamie are astonished to encounter an old friend: astrophysicist Zoe Heriot.
It's the happiest of reunions. But what hope is there of a happy ending against the unstoppable Cybermen?
Legend Of The Cybermen had a lot to live up to. It had to resolve this whole trilogies arc, provide an exciting conclusion for the older Jamie's story, bring Zoe back into the fold, bring the Land of Fiction back into the fold, and provide a nostalgic thrill ride for all those with hazy memories of the second Doctor's era. All that, and telling an exciting and engaging story at the same time, is difficult to pull off without it seeming like a box ticking excersize. And Legend Of The Cybermen certainly doesn't feel like that at all. Instead, Legend Of The Cybermen must be one of Big Finish's most original stories ever, taking all of the requirements it has been given, and melding them into one of the most engaging narratives that Big Finish has ever come across. This story should be an example to other writers as to how to tell a finale and a nostalgic story without passing on the answers or pandering too much to fan expectations. This all adds up to one of the best Big Finish releases in the past five years, one that pays tribute to the past, but not being slavishly devoted to it.
The plot is increadibly complex, and one that does require intense concentration. So many theories are thrown at the audience, even by the characters within the play, that you're just dying to find out what is actually going on, and that leads to a gripping final episode with twists and turns and revelations left, right and centre. The whole story takes the premise of the Cybermen invading the Land of Fiction, but twists it away from the fiction/fact clash you'd expect. It becomes much more metaphysical and much, much more imaginative than any Doctor Who fan could imagine. Mike Maddox includes so many meta references, it makes the head bleed. Everything is crammed in here, from references to the fan theory that when the Doctor fell asleep in episode 1 of The Mind Robber, he never woke up, to one scene where Nick Briggs ends up playing himself directing Jamie in a sound studio, to Zoe writing Target novels to try and recreate the Doctor in the Land of Fiction. It complicates the plot terribly, but Maddox manages to tie all the elements together, making a strong narrative, as the Doctor is pushed from calamity to calamity. I also really liked the idea that the differing levels of reality that are explored in this story, especially because that's the sort of ideas that should be being explored in a story set within the Land of Fiction. My one regret with this story is that, being in the audio medium, the white void setting isn't portrayed as psydellic as it was in The Mind Robber. Prehaps it's the lack of the visual element that causes the problem, but I just didn't feel that these sections were as memorable as those in The Mind Robber. One element I did really enjoy, however, was the twists and turns that are peppered throughout the story. From the climatic ending of Wreck Of The Titan with the reveal that that (and this) story were set in the Land of Fiction, to the appearance of Zoe, to Jamie regain in his memories, to the reveal it's the Cybermen attacking the Land of Fiction, to the revelations about the black water being ink to create fictional characters, to the reveal that the Jamie that the Doctor has been paired with throughout this trilogy was fictional, to the return of the Karkus, Nemo and Rob Roy, to the reveal that the Zoe that has travelled with Jamie and the Doctor throughout this story is really fictional, and the real Zoe has become mistress of the Land of Fiction, to the discovery that the crew of the Wheel in Space were turned into Cybermen, to the death of Nemo, the Karkus and the fictional Zoe, as well as the believed death of the fictional Jamie and Rob, and the return of Zoe to the Wheel, memories forgotten once more, twists are littered throughout this story, each one building upon the other. By the final episode, the tension is practically at unbearable levels, as the audience gleefully revel in the reveal of the answers. Everything is carefully planted, and it makes this one of Big Finish's most thrilling stories. Added to that is the Cybermen, who this time have converted Whales, Valkyries and Oliver Twists, I want some more's and all. It just gives them more power, and makes them a much more powerful foe.
The characters, however, aren't lost among this. Their all archetypes, but if they weren't, then I don't think this story would be doing it's job. The characters have to stay true to their literary heritage in order to make the story successful, and, while Maddox cuts loose the clever, by limiting, device of having them only speaking the words that their author has seen fit to give them, there still embed with each authors spirit. I loved Dracula especially - a character who, while seemingly evil, has put aside his differences to fight the Cybermen. Despite this Maddox and Ian Gelder allow some levels of evil to brush through, such as his allure when blood is mentioned. The return of Rob Roy and Nemo is a welcome one, although I wish that both Georgina Moffatt and Miranda Raison's characters could have returned, since they both made a great impression on me to begin with. The return of the Karkus is also well handled, but I'm pretty sure Bernard Horsefall's Gulliver could have also been included somewhere. Out of all the fictional characters from The Mind Robber, he and Karkus were proberbly most well remembered. Despite this, however, the story isn't about the guest characters, but rather the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. The best of the character moments happen between these three, particularly one moment between Jamie and the Doctor, where he berets the Doctor for not going to find out what happened to the real Jamie. It's a lovely moment that shows that, while Maddox can deal with the high concept, action packed material, he's also really good with the smaller, more intimate character moments. But what really brings it to life is Colin Baker and Frazer Hines, who give the material some real love and enthusiasm. The brilliance of this pair can hardly be stated again, but the relationship this time is particularly strong. This is added to by the greatness of Wendy Padbury, who gets to play two different Zoe's superbly. The rest of the cast are excellent too, especially Ian Gelder and Alexander Siddig. Both give outstanding performances, as does Charlie Ross, who sounds like he's having enormous fun in every scene. Truth be told, there isn't a weak link in this cast, everyone is superb (even the little cameo from Toby Hyreck-Robinson, sound engineer at the Moat as himself). Nicholas Briggs keeps the pace relenting, never letting up for a second, and makes sure that everything is distinct and understandable. He's ably supported by Jamie Robertson, who gives the composition of his life. His work here is some of his best, with sound design to recreate big battles, but also a movie style score that supports both the large and the small moments superbly. He also helps bleed two Doctor themes together at the end - the Patrick Troughton and the Colin Baker themes meld into one excellently, giving the audience one last nostalgic thrill.
Legend Of The Cybermen is mad, zany and utterly madcap. It brings so much Doctor Who continuity, it feels like an anniversary story. Yet it does all of this while pushing the characters and innovation forwards, meaning that it comes across as a very innovate story, looking to the future, while giving kisses to the past. Some might write this off as fourth wall breaking, continuity ladened nonsense, however I feel that Legend Of The Cybermen is such an enjoyable listen that any plot holes can be ignored. The 'Jamie' trilogy has to be one of Big Finish's success stories, and the whole company has to be proud of it's achievements. And, in Legend Of The Cybermen, they have created an all time classic that will be, in the future, held with the greats like Spare Parts and The Chimes Of Midnight. Mesmerising.
Rating - 10/10
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