The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Doctor Who

"History isn't the past Evelyn, it's a version of the past we choose to remember."

Robert Shearman's first two full-length Doctor Who plays were typified by a unique blend of black comedy and outright horror, and while his last audio, The Maltese Penguin, was an outright comedy played for laughs, his latest, the appropriately titled Jubilee sees him return to more familiar dramatic ground. But here the horror is of a much more disturbing nature as Shearman, who also co-directed the story with Big Finish's resident Dalek expert Nicholas Briggs, examines the nature of totalitarianism on the eve of the jubilee to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the English Empire...

As the opening few minutes memorably show, this audio also features the Doctor's deadliest enemies - the Daleks! Although given how they are portrayed in the trailer for the film "Daleks - the Ultimate Adventure", it is immediately apparent that this is not going to a conventional Dalek romp yet while it may seem to herald a tongue-in-cheek approach to their depiction, in actuality Jubilee may be the most thoughtful and thought-provoking story that the Daleks have ever appeared in.

After the Dominic Glynn arrangement of the theme music, making its first audio appearance here, dies down, Shearman throws the listener straight into a fierce debate between Evelyn and the Doctor on the nature of history and its perception. The Doctor's belief that it is "a version of the past that we choose to remember" is an idea that goes right to the heart of Jubilee as the foundations of belief that the English Empire is based upon are all formed through the version of history they have allowed, which is demonstrated perfectly through how both the Daleks and the Doctor are perceived by its people.

The preceding Sixth Doctor release, The Sandman, centred around the consequences of the Doctor's actions from the point of view of the enemy force he fought to defeat, whereas Jubilee does something similar but this time it is the viewpoint of those he worked to help fight off their would be oppressors, and here this has become the English Empire. In 1903 the Daleks attempted to invade London, but thanks to the Doctor's assistance this was repelled and out of the conflict a new Empire, an English Empire, grew. On the anniversary of the Daleks' defeat, the President of the Empire, Nigel Rochester, plans to execute the sole surviving Dalek, who has been imprisoned for the past one hundred years, to commemorate the event.

Throughout the story there are examples of how history is remembered by the victors rather than how it really happened, and perhaps the most interesting of this is in the way the Doctor's involvement is remembered. Rather than the truthful version, the statue of the Doctor that is displayed in Nelson's place at Trafalgar Square wears the uniform of an English Empire stormtrooper and sports a more idealistic physique, just as he is portrayed as the chiselled jawed hero in the Dalek film. Rochester's wife, Miriam, at one point tells Evelyn that their Doctor is the perfect hero whereas the belittling of the Daleks enforces the idea that they were inferior to the power of the humans, which is why they were defeated in the first place.

The society of the 2003 that the Doctor and Evelyn arrive in is so radically different to what they were expecting that it is immediately apparent that something has gone drastically wrong with the timelines. As it turns out, the Doctor's victory over the Daleks has proven highly influential to such an extent that the jubilee is to be held in honour of the Doctor and their enemies have become merchandised to such an extent that anything with a picture of a Dalek on sells millions, as the English people revel in their bloodthirsty history while reminding them of the superiority of their race at the same time by emphasising their victory over the Daleks. Evelyn's disgust at this when she considers the implications of this action is palpable. But there is a greater motivation behind the preponderance of merchandise and that is propaganda.

Shearman puts forward an interesting idea that the leaders of the English Empire have firmly embraced that the Doctor and the Daleks are the same, just two sides of the same coin. Both have their places in the maintaining the balance of power as the threat of the Daleks is used to frighten people into compliance while the image of the Doctor that is projected gives the people their inspiration. It is the combination of these two forces that has led to the English Empire achieving total power over the world.

The approach that Shearman has taken to the story is very clever in its dualistic nature. While the scenario takes place in both 1903 and 2003, only the actions of the later time period are realised in the audio, for the most part, which gives the story a natural focus. Apart from this, there is also a sense of duality in many of the scenes that parallel other aspects of the story. The way that Rochester views the Doctor ("we shall soon see whether he is just another fake we have to execute, or the saviour of us all") is matched by the views of the prisoner Dalek's superiors in the concluding episode, where it puts itself forward as either a traitor or the saviour of the Dalek race is a good example and there are many more throughout the audio all of which tend to emphasise the idea that the Doctor and the Daleks are the same and should be treated in the same manner.

Rochester and Miriam also parallel each other in their approach to accomplishing their aims. Both take one of their historical figures, namely the Doctor and Evelyn, and try and persuade them to come around to their way of thinking. Rochester tries to convince the Doctor that the Dalek is somehow behind everything that is happening and he has been forced to go along with it, while Miriam shows that she is playing along with Rochester's ideals in order to put herself in a position to remove him from power.

In approaching the Daleks, Shearman takes inspiration from their current perception by the general public as a figure of fun, fit for placing into amusing adverts and such. By mixing this with the mania for Daleks which greeted their first appearance back in the early Sixties, a convincing background is created which shapes the characters attitudes towards the Dalek that is being held prisoner in the Tower, shown by the fact that few of them really fear the Daleks anymore. Farrow, who is his chief torturer, sees little to threaten him in the Dalek yet his subordinate Lamb knows that the Dalek is still dangerous despite its condition.

This Dalek, whom is the primary one heard throughout the story, is indicative of Shearman's approach and it shows the depth of his imagination in the way that it is portrayed. While the humans treat it as if they have a very important prisoner, the Dalek knows that it is merely a soldier and its function is purely to obey orders from its superiors. The Daleks instincts have always been shown as a need to conquer and destroy; yet a question hardly ever posed is why? In the case of this Dalek, it does not know why the Daleks seek conquest as it only follows orders. It has no insights into the Dalek mind because it is merely a drone, a soldier, and without commands to obey, it is nothing. The fact that it knows its own status helps to shape its actions, as it seems to gain a degree of trust and concern with Evelyn, whom it recognises as a fellow soldier, but for the enemy side. While this conclusion, that Evelyn (and indeed previous companions) obey the commands of the Doctor to go to war with the Daleks (or indeed any of the adversaries he faces), is a very straightforward interpretation of the traditional Doctor/companion relationship, from the viewpoint of a Dalek, it makes sense and gives a degree of plausibility to the scenes where Evelyn seems to come to an understanding with it. By contrasting this battered and isolated Dalek against a harsh display humanity, the combination of Shearman's script and an incredibly sensitive performance from Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Dalek, manages to cast this Dalek in a more sympathetic light than seen previously, making the listener really care what happens to it as we hear it coming to terms with ideas like self-determinism and the ability to make its own choices and we feel for the madness and confusion it encounters as it is so utterly unprepared to deal with these concepts. And yet it still remains a Dalek in its attitudes throughout.

Possibly the most startling aspect of Jubilee is the realisation that the English Empire has effectively become the Daleks. They have learnt from their defeated foe and used their inspiration to go forward and create their own Empire. A lot of hints about this are layered throughout the early episodes from comments regarding racial purity to the disturbing trend of the English Empire to order individuals exterminated, using that particular word. It is a very disturbing possibility as it is shown so plausibly, and Shearman utilises this to the fullest to create an undercurrent of tension running through the story as it builds towards this shocking revelation. As it is written in such a devious way, from the oppressive attitude towards women that has been imposed by the Empire ("a good wife is a docile wife") and the way that even language has restrictions, which must be obeyed, the idea is sown into the fabric of the society Shearman presents that when understanding comes, it is very credible.

The script for this story is just superb. As well as layering a multitude of imaginative ideas into the drama successfully, Shearman's flair for dialogue shines through with some wonderfully memorable lines that drive it forward. Jubilee develops in an unpredictable fashion, but Shearman clearly enjoys being able to experiment with the structure of the story by introducing elements that do not sit easily within the linear narrative, and he demonstrates his mastery of storytelling by ensuring that everything builds logically and plausibly to its inevitable conclusion. As with all of Shearman's scripts, there is a fair dose of humour, almost all of it black in nature, which plays both on the lunacy of the characters' actions and on the Daleks themselves. The opening few moments with the film trailer are hysterical, yet demonstrates perfectly how the Daleks have been subverted into almost pantomime-esque villains, resorting to maniacal laughter at their own evil plans, and given the stereotypical image of the Doctor as the hero here, the scene also sets the tone for the society Jubilee is based in. Shearman does this a lot throughout the story, using humour, not simply to amuse, but as a purposeful tool to help explore the concepts central to the drama.

Possibly the only disappointing aspect of the plot is the way in which the cliffhanger to the second episode is a tad predictable. Shearman leads the listener to concluding that the prisoner in the bloody tower in one individual, but it is done too obviously and as such the astute listener will realise the true identity of the prisoner in spite of this misleading information, lessening the dramatic impact and the effect of the implications of this scene. The conclusion of the story threatens to veer into The Mutant Phase territory for a few moments too but Shearman avoids the unsatisfying way that story ended by coming up with a touching scene, perfectly in keeping with the tone of the rest of the play, which makes for a poignant outcome for an astounding drama.

While the plot of Jubilee is intricate, it is very much a character based drama overall with Shearman's ability to create believable individuals brought to the fore, with the President of the Empire, Rochester and his wife Miriam (played brilliantly by husband and wife team Martin Jarvis and Rosalind Ayres) being the most memorable although they are pushed hard for honours by the prisoner Dalek.

Rochester is initially portrayed as a decadent leader, who thinks little of his subjects (witness the way he treats the American Prime Minister for instance) and is only concerned with keeping the English race pure, which is an early emphasis of how the humans have become akin to the Daleks with their need to keep their own racial purity above all. As the story progress, Rochester's madness becomes clear but because of the way this is revealed it adds to the disturbing nature. His frivolity towards the forthcoming celebrations, and his ability to take delight in simple things is wonderfully conveyed by Jarvis and the turn around in his character as his unbalanced nature shows with moves to vicious violence is shocking, particularly in the way that he treats one of his "toys" during episode three. Yet he puts it all down to the fact that he wants to be a good man, but he cannot be allowed to be because of his situation

Miriam is also a character with different sides to her aspect. Her initial fa�ade of being just a "silly little woman" interested to the point of obsession with make up and the coloured bunting for the jubilee festivities is so extreme that the listener knows she either deeply disturbed and delusional or there is more to her than meets the eye. Rochester suspects this too, but he is unable to see through the illusion Miriam creates. Ayres certainly plays Miriam with aplomb and her level of excitement is contagious. Keeping with the idea of parallels running throughout the story, her story is very much the opposite of Rochester's - she hides her lucidity behind a mask of madness whereas he becomes more deluded as the story proceeds after appearing saner initially. Ayres shows her versatility by convincingly depicting these differing facets believably so that it is credible that Miriam can go from talking about political assassinations to beauty makeovers in just a few scenes.

Shearman's use of the Doctor and Evelyn combination is exceptional, and the sparkling dialogue that has so often typified their relationship is back despite the fact they spend a considerable amount of the audio separated from each other. Colin Baker is in fine form here as he gets to display the Sixth Doctor's full range of emotions from the more introspective side to him in full-blown abhorrence of what has happened, and he shows great fervour too. While Baker is not exactly doubling up on his roles here, he does get the opportunity to display a different side to his acting range through one of the plot elements of Jubilee during the third episode, and he does so magnificently with the scene between him and the prisoner Dalek which is incredible drama both from the point of view of how underplayed it is and in what it actually does, before coming to an astonishing and unpretentious halt.

This is almost certainly Evelyn's best story, in terms of what she has to deal with and go through, since her introduction in The Marian Conspiracy. While the Doctor retains an air of detachment and the ability to keep things in perspective, Evelyn becomes really involved with the story and in particular the prisoner Dalek. Given her background is a deep-rooted interest in history Evelyn is the perfect companion for this story, and Shearman exploits this perfectly. Maggie Stables' performance is particularly strong throughout, with her demonstrating depth through her relationship with the Dalek that develops because they can understand each other's positions as enemy soldiers. She shows strength in her confrontations through it, yet while she has encountered the Daleks before and is afraid of them, this fear is something she can almost put aside as she realises this Dalek may not be as utterly unredeemable as the rest of his race, due to his exposure to a power and threat equal to that the Dalek race possesses.

Steven Elder and Kai Simmons complete the principal cast as Farrow and Lamb respectively and both deliver good performances. Elder's Farrow is the chief torturer of the prisoner Dalek, and from his first appearance he is strongly characterised as a sadist, positively relishing the opportunity to make the prisoner talk. As the story progresses Farrow's motivations are made clearer as his allegiances are brought to the fore, and Elder's performance benefits from the quality of Shearman's script where even in one of the more supporting roles, Farrow is fully rounded and three dimensional. Ultimately, the scene where Farrow gets to learn first hand about the nature of power from the prisoner Dalek is Elder's best moments, where Farrow's supreme confidence deserts him as he confronts the harsh realities of murder. Simmons' Lamb is another character whose role is that of a soldier. He sees himself as that, and tells the Doctor this at one point because the image of the Doctor as an English Empire soldier was an inspiration to him. His story mirrors that of some of the other characters as he begins thinking for himself and not just slavishly following the orders his superiors give him, resulting in a memorable scene towards the end with Miriam. Jack Gallagher and Georgina Carter deserve special mention for their cameo roles as the film stars of the trailer at the beginning, which while brief, start the story in style whilst simultaneously tapping into the unconscious fear of what could happen should Doctor Who be ever given the big screen Hollywood feature film treatment!

As (almost) always for Dalek stories, co-director Nicholas Briggs takes charge of the post-production duties. His score for this story is quite dynamic, adding to the drama when necessary yet also showing subtly also to ensure it remains incidental. Most of Briggs' Dalek sound design work has lots of familiar elements which has given Big Finish's Dalek stories a degree of consistency but because of the nature of the plot of Jubilee most of these effects cannot be used in the same way and Briggs succeeds in creating a great deal of atmosphere as a result, particularly in the scenes of the jubilee celebrations in the final part. The new policy of utilising the television version of the Doctor Who theme continues here with the aforementioned Dominic Glynn arrangement, but because it is a much more subtle version of the theme it does lack the resonance of the more dramatic ones, lessening its impact.

The sheer wealth of ideas and concepts running through Jubilee takes its toll as there is a lot to the story that is being told, and the result is another release that runs to over two hours twenty minutes long. This length allows Shearman to take his time and give the story a slow pace that heightens the conflict and anticipation of what is to come and also enables him to explore his themes with passion and clarity. This, coupled with superb performances from its cast and a brilliantly inventive and an extremely thought provoking script, ensure that Jubilee is a veritable triumph and reaffirms Robert Shearman's place as a master storyteller as well as starting Big Finish's own celebrations of Doctor Who's fortieth anniversary in first-class style.