The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Doctor Who

'Fantasy and reality can get confused after a while.'

It seems difficult to believe that Doctor Who And The Pirates is the ninth story to feature Evelyn Smythe alongside the Sixth Doctor. But the fact that she remains such a fresh and spirited character as ever is a credit to the quality of the inception of the character which has been developed over these stories and also to the superior initiation she received in The Marian Conspiracy. Given that, it's a great welcome back to the world of scripting audio Doctor Who adventures for the lady that introduced her then, Jacqueline Rayner, who delivers her second script in the shape of this extremely unusual story.

The title, Doctor Who And The Pirates (Or The Lass Who Lost A Sailor), to give it its full name, is the first indication that something different is going on particularly when factored in with the widely known fact that it features a musical element inspired by the work of Gilbert and Sullivan. While this aspect is ultimately only part of the story, it adds to the richness of the production and because of experimentation within the form and structure of the script, helps to make this one of Big Finish's most remarkable productions to date.

The structure of the story is very important here because it isn't a straightforward linear narrative as heard in most releases. Pre-title music prologues are fairly rare in Doctor Who but Rayner deploys these fairly liberally as it suits the tone of the story (with only the third episode featuring a tradition resumption recap) which is established in the first of these in the opening moments of the play. This sees Evelyn calling on one of her students, Sally, at her accommodation and leads to an awkward scene between them where Evelyn, bursting with joviality, tells Sally, who clearly doesn't want her there, she's been travelling in a time machine and has a tale about pirates to tell her. This prologue puts lots of questions about why the events are unfolding as they are into the mind of the listener. Evelyn seems extremely determined to tell Sally her pirate story, but the question is why? And why is Sally so hesitant about her? It's an effective scene because it puts the listener into the right frame of mind as this is a story where you must question what is happening to gain the best out of it as Rayner chooses deliberately to not spell everything out in terms that are clearly black and white.

Having a character, or in this case two in the Doctor and Evelyn, recounting a story to a different person, here that role is taken by Sally, with that story they are telling becoming the main narrative is not a new method of storytelling (indeed the recently released Dalek War - Chapter Four does something similar) but where Doctor Who And The Pirates differs is that Rayner takes this idea further by intertwining the two elements together through the fact that the main storyline is coloured by the perceptions of those telling it. The pirate story takes the lions share of the action, but it's the story of why Evelyn and the Doctor are telling it to Sally that is the most important part of this adventure. Frequent returns to the accommodation rooms during the first episode emphasises this as Sally, who in relation to the pirate story is very much in the same position as the listener, can point out how Evelyn is influencing the narrative through her own preconceptions, such as the use of typical pirate clichés which if the story were true she wouldn't have likely seen, and any flaws in the plot she's introduced either through elaboration or becoming confused about what she's already told her. This method is fairly pronounced throughout the audio, but Rayner ensures that both elements of the story develop with the right amount of pace for them to remain level in terms of interest and so the mystery of why Sally is so distracted and preoccupied is prolonged into the third episode, the main thrust of the pirate tale is revealed much earlier.

The pirate plot sees the Doctor and Evelyn arriving in the cargo hold of a ship, which has just been attacked by the villainous Red Jasper and his band of cut-throat bandits, who it transpires are seeking someone who knows the whereabouts of hidden treasure on the mysterious Ruby Islands. What's interesting about this element of the story is the fact that it's purely historical which is refreshing as Big Finish haven't done a story like this for a while after featuring them prominently early on in their Doctor Who run - most notably with Rayner's own The Marian Conspiracy. Given that the story is influenced by its narrators, the fact that some of the characters featured here are rather colourful can be attributed to that mixed in with the notions of what pirate stories have become to a modern audience. This part of the plot does suffer a little from being too straightforward but in the context of the story's overall framework, something more complex may have lessened the effectiveness of the contrasting elements.

As Rayner reveals inconsistencies during Evelyn's recount throughout the first episode, it's important to consider the reliability of the Doctor and Evelyn as narrators and how this effects the story. It becomes evident that she is omitting something she doesn't really want to go into and while this eventually does come into the open, the fact that she is so effected emotionally by the impact of this incident may have led to her unconsciously distorting what actually happened. The Doctor on the other hand, is much more clear cut in describing what occurred although by his own characteristics he can't help but effect the narrative, such as by having the pirate king Red Jasper complimenting him as 'stylishly dressed' and to tailor the dialogue to show that Jasper has no idea that he's endangering Evelyn with his desire to burn down the Sea Eagle ship. While these are two of the more readily apparent examples of the Doctor's influence, it works in subtler ways too. Jasper's explanation to the Doctor of why he's hunting the treasure in the Ruby Islands in the first place is rather longwinded but it is an example of the Sixth Doctor's verbosity breaking through into the story and protracting the scene further than it may have been.

An interesting side effect of the structure is that the listener gets a foresight into what is going to happen in the pirate storyline because of the way that the Doctor and Evelyn act. Even before he appears, we know that Jem the cabin boy is going to die and this affects how the listener perceives him as his fate is already drawn. Such foreknowledge does effect some of the dramatic impact of aspects of the piratical storyline but not to the extent where it diminishes the overall drama. The way the pirate part of the story is told also means that some elements of the story can be bypassed either because they are not interesting or because the narrator doesn't want to go through the process of telling that particular part.

The idea of the musical element of the story was a concern as there was a very real danger that it could across as being gimmicky, but because of the way that Jacqueline Rayner uses it as a means to develop the plot, rather than just a way to fit in some musical numbers, it's incredibly successful. Although saying that the opening number, a new Doctor Who version of "I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General" sung by Colin Baker does seem merely an excuse to revel in the past of the Doctor but it's performed with gusto and is fun enough to set the tone of the musical episode. While Sally's remarks throughout the first two episodes form enough clues for the listener to get a hint of why she's so upset and reluctant to talk to the Doctor, it is only through the expression she can get from joining in with the songs that she can open herself up and reveal what happened. It leads to the revelation that Helen Goldwyn, who is playing Sally, has a beautiful singing voice which is extremely powerful. Her solo piece borders on being slightly too melodramatic, but it is another progression of the story as the listener can see what her intentions regarding herself and her life are and as a result we can see why the Doctor and Evelyn are there for her. The remaining songs are usually played for fun with the Doctor's challenge of Red Jasper's first mate, Mr Merryweather, being particularly memorable as well as his praising of the pirate Queen, Evil Evelyn, and I think it is noticeable that Colin Baker seems much stronger in these two songs than he did in the first one where he seems a little unsure of himself and his own abilities. What makes the musical episode so memorable is the way that it concludes because it shows a dramatic change of mood when the madness of Red Jasper shows through and the songs stop being fun and take on sinister overtones. It's a credit to director Barnaby Edwards and musical director Timothy Sutton that Rayner's vision is pulled off so well by such an accomplished cast in this respect. A full story done in this style might be too much to take in one go, but by restricting it to one episode and using it as a means to develop the plot plausibly, its success is assured.

Initially the Doctor's role in the story is fairly minimal - as shown by the fact that Evelyn has to elaborate on the events to give him something to do and the fact that later during the first episode Sally comments that neither he nor Evelyn have 'played any part in the story as yet' - but as the script progress his involvement becomes greater and allows Colin Baker another opportunity to demonstrate his considerable skill at portraying the Doctor superbly. While this is a story more concerned with evolving and exploring Evelyn's character than the Doctors, there is enough material here to demonstrate the depth of the Doctor's care for his companion in that he's always willing to come to her rescue and to comfort her when she needs his strength to carry on. While he does show some of the Sixth Doctor's old callousness at times, such as the way he dismisses Sally's belief that she just wants to be alone when she finally gets the nerve up to say that to her intrusive guests, Baker also shows that his Doctor can be as compassionate and humane as any of the others with a sensitive performance during the final moments of the play where he explains his actions and his reasoning to Sally. This is a moving scene not just for what is said but what is not said too.

This is very much a story that revolves around Evelyn. Her attachments to both Jem and Sally are the fundamental reason for the driving forward of both plots as the story of one unfolds and the listener can hear how it relates to the other. Maggie Stables is one of Big Finish's most consistent performers and this adventure is no exception as her acting is splendid as she goes from the slight eccentric we hear at the start to showing the strength of her compassion. Rayner's flair for dialogue shines through as Evelyn's banter with the Doctor, which has definitely mellowed over their travels, is on fine form and she is extremely convincing at showing her utter abhorrence towards the cruelty of Red Jasper. The scenes that form the catalyst for the change in mood during the third episode are very well played but affect Evelyn in the other plot lie too as she becomes more downhearted herself as she faces the prospect of reliving the events that led to the death of Jem.

Of the characters created for this story, Sally is arguably the most interesting because she's the most realistic as she isn't part of the tale told by the Doctor and Evelyn. The fact that something has happened to her which she doesn't want to talk about is foremost in her characterisation as it's depressing her and causes her to want to be by herself. She sees the presence of Evelyn and the Doctor as an intrusion upon her privacy, yet she's reluctant to tell them to go to their faces. Her veiled remarks merely hint at the nature of the terrible event she's reluctant to talk about and the sense of her mounting frustration with the idiocies of the story she's being forced to listen to eventually spill over as she finds that she can only express her true feelings through song. It's an exceptional performance from Helen Goldwyn who is so full of conviction that the listener cannot help but be moved by her performance, particularly in the final scene which is acutely uplifting.

Bill Oddie is the main guest star where he plays Red Jasper, pirate scourge of the seas. His performance isn't particularly subtle but then pirates didn't really tend to be. Jasper is portrayed initially as a rather clichéd character and Oddie plays to the conventions with delicious relish but he's also adept at showing the madness and the brutality of Jasper's actions as his obsession with getting the treasure gets the better of him at the expense of others lives. In particular, the sinisterness of his song at the conclusion of the third episode really emphasises how the events of the story have moved on from the jollity and jest of the songs which has been prevalent since the beginning of that episode.

Despite the listener knowing what happens to him beforehand, Dan Barratt makes the cabin boy Jem into a very likeable character and it's easy to see why Evelyn forms such a bond with him and is effected by his demise in the manner that she is based on the performance. Nicholas Pegg is excellent as the foppish Captain Swann, whose reluctance to do anything that puts himself out is a rich vein for the humour of the story - particularly during the fourth episode. Mark Siney portrays Jasper's right hand man, Mr Merryweather, with aplomb and succeeds in making him really dislikeable. Siney also proves himself an excellent singer with his vocal battle with the Doctor to prove who is the best sailor being one of the most memorable aspects of the musical episode. Timothy Sutton completes the cast in a variety of roles and because of the nature of the structure, it allows Sally to comment slyly on the fact that it's the same voice for all these different characters which is something recognisable from other Big Finish Doctor Who audios where small parts have been taken by other cast members.

Sutton, as well as acting, served as both the musical director and composer for the story and he succeeds brilliantly in both respects making Doctor Who And The Pirates one of the most musically glorious stories released to date. As well as ensuring that all the individual songs sound fantastic through the accomplished performances of the cast, Sutton reflects the nature of the story with a very nautical score which creates an extraordinary atmosphere for the story. And if that wasn't enough, the story concludes with an excellent thematically appropriate arrangement of the theme music too! David Darlington is on hand for the sound design and his work here shows the consistent standard that he has been reaching for a while now with another exciting and absorbing soundscape which convincingly suggests the appropriate settings for the story, ranging from the decks of a ship to a tropical island all of which are achieved with style.

Doctor Who And The Pirates is a clever story which thanks to the intricacies of Rayner's script coupled with her witty dialogue succeeds brilliantly by balancing the tone between its serious and light-hearted elements. The assured production and excellent direction guarantee that the two disparate elements to the story come together strongly and also secure the success of the musical element. With tremendous performances all round by the cast, it entertains magnificently yet never looses sight of its more serious concern. The ending in particular is moving and heart-warming as it speaks volumes both for Evelyn's compassion and the Doctor's also, as there is a strong implication of the level he's prepared to go to for Evelyn to help Sally. As Doctor Who And The Pirates is a veritable triumph, let's hope that it isn't another three years before Jacqueline Rayner writes another Doctor Who audio script!