The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Doctor Who

'Now there's a question! What exactly is "the right thing?"'

A month after the climactic conclusion of Nicholas Briggs' epic Dalek War saga, he returns to the writer's chair of Big Finish's Doctor Who range with his fifth full script, Creatures Of Beauty. Briggs' previous stories for the Doctor have often been criticised for their conservative nature, and while on one level the same concern can be raised against Creatures Of Beauty (Briggs even admits as such in his author's notes, saying that it "doesn't change the essentials of Doctor Who") what is interesting about this release, and what lifts it from being a straight-forward run-around into something wholly more thoughtful, is it's presentation which emphasises its status as a morality tale.

Creatures Of Beauty's rather generic blurb gives hints about the true intentions of the story within its final lines - "Where does the story begin, and where does it end?" and "Sometimes, it is all a matter of perspective" both clue the listener into the fact this isn't going to be a typical adventure and that the perspective used will be of crucial importance to understanding the events of the story. Briggs also emphasises the idea of perspective right at the start of the story with a veiled conversation between the Doctor and Nyssa about the situation they have encountered between the Veln and the Koteem. This veers towards being a bit too heavy-handed in introducing the central theme of the audio but by including this scene very early on, it ensures that the listener is thinking about perspective and how different groups can view the same thing in different ways. What's less clear, at least initially during the first episode, is the fact that this story is presented in a non-linear narrative, meaning the conventional structure of a typical Doctor Who story is effectively subverted. This has the consequence of keeping the sequential and logical development of the story in place, but the order in which they are presented is shifted deliberately so that while the listener is experiencing the drama, the emphasis is not on what is happening but why.

The idea of piecing together fragments of story to form the whole picture is something Briggs explored in his Dalek War series and with Creatures Of Beauty we see that applied in the context of a Doctor Who adventure, which presents the listener with small portions which in due course develop the larger picture as each individual element adds to the perspective of what the true situation the story is exploring is. This isn't an original technique, but it hasn't been done in a performed Doctor Who context previously, and as such it gives this audio drama a unique tone. As a consequence of this though, the story is one that is best digested in one go with each single episode, when taken out of context, lacking the coherence to be individually satisfying. Indeed, without realisation of the approach that Briggs is taking to the story, the first episode of Creatures Of Beauty may come off as particularly bewildering because it lacks the requisite information to inform the listener sufficiently about the situation, as it merely hints obliquely about the nature of the story without giving a deep enough insight to understand what that is. By rearranging the order into the non-linear manner used here, Briggs can show and emphasise the reasoning behind each of the groups of characters and their motivations can be shown starkly, offering the listener the chance to put it all together themselves so they can gain a true appreciation of what is happening.

While this technique is effective in raising issues of morality and making the listener reflect upon these, it does render the four part episodic structure rather redundant with each episode ending at almost arbitrary points. Without the conventional organisation, Creatures Of Beauty is robbed of much of the tension that otherwise could have been created but this is intentional by Briggs because he recognises the limitations that the use of past Doctors and companions, such as the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa, have in that the audience for the drama knows they will survive to fight another day, because these stories are designed to fit in-between the existing Doctor Who television stories they are set between. Given this, it's a credit to the quality of Briggs' writing that the story is as compelling as it is because he draws the listener into this mysterious situation he has created and the style of the narrative ensures undivided attention. Given the experimental level of storytelling technique on offer here, it's a shame that there doesn't seem to have been any consideration of going further and dropping the episodic format entirely. Four parts give the typical Doctor Who story an effective and definite structure (which is why Big Finish adopted this established television format for their stories in the first place) but with Creatures Of Beauty challenging these conventions, it wasn't needed here. As it is, the way that each episode is set out means that the exploration of each different perspective, and it is essentially one per episode, gives each one the feel of being compartmentalised. Had there been more of an assortment and intermingling of each group's view it may have confused the listener more than the structure given, but it could have accentuated the compulsion of the drama.

This idea of constraint and limitation which 'past' Doctor audios have seems to have inspired Briggs further in the consideration of the scope of the story. On a basic level, Creatures Of Beauty is an ordinary Doctor Who story where the Doctor and Nyssa turn up, try to get involved and then depart. What makes it more appealing is the different use of perspective to show how they are perceived by those that they are trying to help. The society of the planet Veln consists of different factions and because of this we get three different perspectives on the Doctor's actions.

Veln has suffered a catastrophe which has left its people the victims of a disfiguring genetic disease and in the hundred years since this occurred, the subsequent generations have accepted their ugliness which has become the norm. The catastrophe was caused by the Koteem, an alien race who admitted their fault but has found their attempts to make reparations rebuffed by the Veln who want nothing to do with them. Then there are those in the Veln society who have seemingly turned to cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance, and those who have undergone this are now seen as 'beauties' but are despised by the rest of the population for having the money to indulge their vanity. There is more to these three groups than there appears, as it is all a matter of perspective, but it is the dynamics of these which drives the story forward as Briggs examines their relationship to each other through various individual characters, principally Gilbrook of the security forces and the 'beauty' named Lady Forleon who has her own agenda. It is because Briggs chooses to make the motivations of the characters ambiguous, something which the structure of the play stresses significantly early on, that the development of the story puts their actions under the microscope and reveals the clarity of their decisions.

Veln's society is fascinating because of the divisions the catastrophe which polluted their world creates, although it is not one that Briggs explores fully as beyond the groups of characters established, nothing is really seen of the ordinary people of the world but to compensate for this there are differing viewpoints presented within the subsets. Gilbrook provides the focus of the security forces of the planet and it becomes clear that he is driven by hatred of the Koteem for what they have done and is obsessed to the point of paranoia in rooting out any possible incursions by the aliens, leading him to harbour deep suspicions about Forleon. Contrasting his approach is the chief psychiatric interrogator Brodlik who is more open minded to new possibilities than Gilbrook but still has deep feelings about the effect that the Koteem have had on Veln, as shown by the intensity of his anger towards Nyssa when she professes to know nothing of them. Lady Forleon and her followers have been working covertly with the Koteem, as Gilbrook suspects, to ensure the future of their race by finding a way to defeat the debilitating disease that effects the whole Veln race.

The Doctor and Nyssa's part in the story is less developed than it could have been. Superficially, they arrive, become involved and then depart without really influencing what is happening in the plot for the most part, but this comes back to Briggs' intention that this story will go against the conventions of the series. While both characters are unable to change anything on Veln, the Doctor and Nyssa are instruments to illuminate the morality of the groups involved on the planet, drawing out their reasoning for the situation that Creatures Of Beauty examines.

The characters' morality is a central issue to the story. Briggs uses the structure to deliberately muddy the waters of their moral stance, layering them in shades of grey which means the situation is not as clear as it may have been. The way this is done is another example of the script forcing the listener to really think about why these characters are behaving in the way that they are. Gilbrook is a prime example, as he is influenced by the events around him, making him believe that he is doing what's right for the Veln by seeking out those that collaborate with the Koteem and trying to stem the tide of alien incursion for the good of the planet. While his paranoia over this may lead him to extreme action in the pursuit of this goal, given the fact that the Koteem were responsible for the polluting of his world, his course of action is understandable even if his methods are somewhat dubious. Lady Forleon has a solution to the Veln people's problem but is it ethical? How far should someone go to preserve the sanctity of life? What's interesting about Briggs approach is that he isn't judgemental about this, and rather than using the Doctor to decry the state of affairs, he chooses to leave this to the listener so they can decide whose perspective they agree with.

In many ways, Creatures Of Beauty feels like the equivalent of a short story because of the fact that it is less eventful and more interested in exploring character than the plot itself, even down to the sting in the tale ending which coerces the listener to re-evaluate what they've just heard. This is one of the best aspects of the story as although it is telegraphed slightly, it adds irony to the Doctor's assertion that they haven't really influenced events at all and it casts another new perspective on the storyline itself.

Peter Davison's performance as the Doctor is marked by the philosophical spin that he injects into the character throughout which makes him much more reflective than usual during the story. He also brings out the Doctor's curiosity well, showing how his desire to help the people of Veln leads him into a potentially dangerous situation, but there are also hints of depth to the Doctor's character, exemplified by the sudden flash of anger the Doctor shows when he hears that it is likely that Nyssa has been beaten by the security forces. On television was never particularly convincing at demonstrating anger, with it often seeming rather petulant, but here, as it was in Spare Parts, Davison makes it sound believable and it is very impressive.

As Nyssa, Sarah Sutton gets some good material to work with and her best scene is Brodlik's interrogation in the first episode. There has always been an air of innocence about Nyssa and despite the fact that Sutton is over twenty years older than when she originally played the part, she still brings this out through the nuances of her voice and it is very effective in the context of the interrogation and it is easy to accept that her protestations of blamelessness in the murder and lack of knowledge regarding the Koteem can provoke the unease in Brodlik that he does, given the impressions of her he has formed based on his existing knowledge of the aliens.

Of the guest cast, easily the most impressive performance is that of David Dakar who has considerable presence as Gilbrook. He makes his character a very unsettling individual, who you can sense will do all he can to achieve his aims, but he is constrained by the boundaries of the law. He conveys both Gilbrook's paranoia and his need to seek out any alien incursion to the Veln society brilliantly, and in doing so he adds strength to the evolution of the character because as the story progresses and the full picture is revealed, the listener can get a more sympathetic view of him as we can see that he is a victim of circumstance. He has been born into a dying world and he sees those who made that so still trying to interfere with their evolution and he wants it stopped so the Veln can determine what's left of their own future for themselves. As a character, Gilbrook is quite reminiscent of Commander Harlon from the previous Fifth Doctor story Nekromanteia, as he's a fairly loathsome character but where Briggs and Dakar succeed where Atkinson and Owen failed is by being able to bring this sympathetic streak out despite his viciousness. His final speech is very poignantly played by Dakar and results in one of the drama's most emotionally stirring moments.

Providing an interesting contrast, is David Mallinson's Brodlik, who is the closest representation of the general public of Veln in his views and attitudes. As one of Gilbrook's psychiatric investigators, his questioning of Nyssa during the first episode goes a good way to showing how the alien incursion is thought of by the people of Veln. Mallinson and Sutton strike up a good rapport which makes their scenes together quite taut and helps to illustrate the mistrust that Veln has of the Koteem, and indeed, all outsiders including those who are rich enough to be able to change their appearance - to return themselves to what the Veln once were. Mallinson's performance is fairly edgy which conveys well the idea that Brodlik is a man with his own problems and his duties for Gilbrook are compounding them.

As the mysterious Lady Forleon, Jemma Churchill is outstanding. She plays up to the ambiguousness of the script by asserting Forleon's forcefulness but as the story progresses and the listener can see the true perspective of her character, we can see what a tragic figure she really is. Possibly the weakest performance in the play is Nigel Hastings' Quain who lacks the depth of some of the other characters. Hastings portrays him very confidently and because of the way that the role is written, as Lady Forleon's general 'problem solver', he comes over too clich�d. Hastings isn't bad, per se, but in a story filled with complex characters, Quain does stand out as the least interesting.

Michael Smiley and Philip Wolff have small, but significant, roles as two of Forleon's guards, Seedleson and Murone. The importance of their part in the play is to show how Lady Forleon has trusted people with some of what she's doing to make a better future for the Veln, but they don't know the full details and despite this, they still harbour resentment towards the Koteem but the fact that a better future is promised is enough for them. When they see the Doctor for the first time, they believe he must be a Koteem, and Murone wonders whether he should just kill him as some sort of payback for everything they have done to the Veln. Both actors perform well with Wolff's casual indifference being very disturbing and Smiley's Irish tones help give Seedleon's sardonic wit extra bite. Emma Manton has an even smaller part as Veline but she impresses greatly as she is extremely convincing during the conclusion of the second episode at conveying that something traumatic is happening to her and then during the third episode she is involved in a horrifying scene with Nyssa but because of the conviction in Manton's performance the effect is much more shocking. Briggs himself takes on the role of voicing the Koteem and as someone who specialises in lending his voice to assorted alien roles, it's unsurprising to learn that he is very effective here in bringing out both sides of the Koteem depending on the perspective that they are being viewed by.

As usual for his own stories, as well as writing and directing, Briggs has provided both the score and the sound design here. The advantage of this is that he already knows the story so well by the time these post-production aspects are applied, that he identify exactly what is needed to make them suitable for the story. His music here is both dramatic and inspiring, with it deployed in such a way that it enhances the effectiveness of certain scenes and emphasises the points that the script is making in regard to the plot. His sound design is as ever top notch, with it signifying the events of the script without being too heavy-handed. A lot of the environments of the setting don't require complicated soundscapes but given the non-linear nature of the script, the sound help to form a continuous background for the story which helps to ensure the listener doesn't get distracted and loose the thread of the story. He also uses the sound design in such a way that it prompts the listener to work out the locations of the settings before the dialogue makes it clear. For example, the background hurly burly of phones constantly ringing when Gilbrook first appears gives the impression of a busy office, which we later discover is the security centre.

Creatures Of Beauty is a straightforward tale in terms of what actually happens, but because of the complex manner in which these are presented it becomes something altogether more stimulating. Its real delight for the listener is discovering how all the perspectives fit together and making their own assessment of how they feel about the story they've just heard. While it's perhaps true that had there been a more complicated account at its heart, the effect of this narrative approach may have been even more spectacular, Creatures Of Beauty is a successful attempt at achieving something different which goes against the conventions and customs of a regular Doctor Who adventure and as such, it marks another significant entry into Big Finish's increasingly experimental range. Creatures Of Beauty is an offbeat, but rewarding, story which will gain increased stature with repeated listening.