The Tertiary Console Room: Review - Doctor Who

"Up, down. Everything's relative. I like it, reality can be so humdrum. Altered perspectives. Different strokes. That's what punches my ticket! Shall we dance?"

Pure fantasy and Doctor Who don't tend to mix that well together, and this is shown by the fact that forays into the genre have been few and far between in all its media for the series. The Celestial Toymaker and The Mind Robber are perhaps the most obvious and best examples, and Simon Furman's first script for Big Finish, The Axis Of Insanity, is stylistically drawn very much from the same vein, plunging the Doctor, Peri and Erimem into an unreal environment where a sinister and malign presence named the Jester calls all the shots, exhibiting powers of creation and destruction over all so nothing is what it appears…

This environment is the Axis, a dimensional nexus where all the failed realities are convened and held in equilibrium in perpetuity, under the guidance of the Overseer. It is a place the Doctor is wary of, given that it is his people who are responsible for ending many of these doomed realities, but the corruption of the Axis into something far more dangerous shocks even him. Furman opens the story in engaging style with a last, desperate attempt on the part of the Overseer to bring in help to combat the threat of chaos and disorder the Jester brings with him. What makes the Jester such a formidable foe is the fact that his clownish countenance hides an inherent sinisterness which manifests itself as a demented and uncontrollable insanity, brilliantly conveyed by the excellent Garrick Hagon.

The distortion of the Axis is representative of the main theme of the play, namely the battle between order and chaos, two forces represented here by their avatars the Doctor and the Jester respectively. The corruption allows Furman to indulge in the fantasy elements as the Axis is a subversion of reality which causes the underlying sinisterness of ordinary occurrences, such as a simple funfair, to be revealed. Furman's use of concepts such as a maniacal Jester or the twisting of a funfair into something terrifying are hardly original concepts in either Doctor Who or fiction generally, but while they remain clichés the lack of invention is compensated by the sheer energy of the production.

Furman's writing background is in visual media, mainly comic strips and television animation, and he brings their typically fast paced style to his script for The Axis Of Insanity. Running to just under the duration of a standard four part original series Doctor Who story, this is considerably shorter than the recent Big Finish average and Furman wastes little time, relentlessly propelling the drama towards its denouement. This concision is both a strength and a weakness, for it ensures the urgency of the drama but it doesn't allow for much depth to be developed within the plot, which is shown by the fact that halfway through the adventure the surrealistic setting of the Axis gives way to the more conventional planet of Pangorum and with it a much more conventional plot revolving around a race against time for the Doctor to stop the villain's destructive plans. Even though this is a marked change in direction for the drama, Furman's script ensures this is a logical extension of its beginning but it is disappointing that a drama that starts off so promisingly devolves into what is in effect the archetypal Doctor Who scenario.

Given that it was the Time Lords who were responsible for many of the timelines collected in the Axis, it seems appropriate that Furman should also use the story to explore their nature. The idea behind the Axis is intriguing, even if the notion that the Time Lords have the ability to simply shut down aspects of uncontrollable and dangerous timelines contradicts all the other Doctor Who stories revolving around a palpable threat to the web of time (such as Neverland or Gallifrey: Weapon Of Choice) but this incongruity between strands of continuity is ultimately irrelevant to the success of this particular story. Furman's take on the Time Lords is much more civilised than usual, with the Doctor's defence of their attitude ensuring they come across as far nobler beings than many contemporary Doctor Who writers take. The idea that the Time Lords serve time and would willingly lay down they life to preserve it is a far grander and worthier sentiment than the petty backbiting that indubitably comes with other Time Lord stories. It is a refreshing attitude and one that deserves further exploration.

While the plot to The Axis Of Insanity is ultimately disappointing, Furman compensates with the dialogue and characterisation. His author notes show a keen awareness of the danger of overly descriptive dialogue and this comes across well throughout the actual drama as Furman recognises the need to allow Gareth Jenkins' sound design to take control when necessary and has tailored the dialogue accordingly. A perfect example comes when Peri and Erimem rescue Tog from the Firebreeds. The reactions of Bryant and Morris convey the sense of terror the beasts instil within them while the effects used to realise the scale are impressively effective. It isn't until they reach the sanctuary of the TARDIS that anyone actually thinks to describe what these creatures actually look like, and even then it's done in a believable manner.

With strong direction from Gary Russell, the wit of Furman's script comes alive to give the regular characters a real sense of definition. As the fourth full story to feature this team, the relationship between the Doctor, Peri and Erimem is becoming more comfortable all the time. The Doctor feels more secure in his belief in his young companions, while the sisterly relationship between Peri and Erimem is more prevalent and very appropriate. That said, there is one specific instance here which seems very out of place as while Peri might shoulder the responsibility to "play the older sister," it seems strange that this should dampen her own natural curiosity and sense of decency, so much so that she has to prevaricate between the Doctor's warning not to let anyone into the TARDIS or choosing to help someone in dire trouble. Ironically her reluctance to help and Erimem's impassioned pleas that they must do something is almost the direct opposite of a scene that featured in their previous audio play, Nekromanteia, where Peri felt she had to help Yal Rom while Erimem accepted his fate as inevitable. The situation is different here, but the shift in character doesn't quite ring true regardless.

Hagon's performance as the Jester is perhaps the most memorable element of The Axis Of Insanity. Portraying this kind of twisted, psychotic madness takes great skill to do it convincingly without it becoming a caricature and Hagon accomplishes this so well that the Jester's acerbic taunts become so powerful that he dominates every scene he features in, quickly establishing himself as one of the best Big Finish villains for a long time. What diminishes this slightly is the reduced level of involvement of the Jester during the latter phases of the drama, where the character of Jarra To becomes the main villainous force. The connection between the two characters is clever, even if perhaps not explained as fully as it could have been, but what lets Jarra To down is the rather pedestrian motivation assigned to her that she just craves to experience something new. Hagon's real life wife Liza Ross gives Jarra To a remarkable presence. Her exchanges with Erimem, particularly as the Egyptian is taunted about her deficiencies such as the inability to read, provide many memorable moments of drama. Ross is not as consistent though and so her frenzied ravings sometimes venture into the realms of the melodramatic - her delivery of the line "It's just the two of us until the end of the world!" during the last episode is right up there with Joseph Furst's infamous proclamation from The Underwater Menace (1967). But despite occasional lapses, the cruel force of Hagon and Ross provide worthy adversaries for the Doctor.

The regulars fare well, although Nicola Bryant's performance as Peri starts off poorly and improves considerably as the story progresses. She seems to have trouble getting back into the rhythm of her American accent, which leads to the overplaying of some of her earlier lines, making them sound stilted and unconvincing. Happily she quickly regards her usual composure and ultimately relishes the part Furman's script affords her. Caroline Morris delivers a much more down-to-earth version of Erimem here, making her a touch less haughty and a lot more vulnerable but still possessing the inner strength of someone raised to believe they were a living god. This development, particularly in her relationship with Peri, shows how accepted she feels amongst the TARDIS team. Despite occasionally fading into the background - particularly during the second episode where for the majority of it she remains unheard in the TARDIS - Furman's focus on how Erimem is adapting to simple everyday matters, like reading English, allows Morris to show her willingness to learn whilst still maintaining the determination and optimism that has made Erimem's characterisation such a delight. There isn't really much here to challenge Peter Davison, but he responds with his typical consummate performance instilling his Doctor's world-weariness admirably and delivering his defence of the Time Lord way in a particularly rousing manner. He also achieves one of the scripts little twists splendidly with the subtlest change in mannerism

While the Overseer's appearance is all too brief, Roy North persuasively expresses his terror at the prospect of the Jester's plans and this helps to establish the credibility of the threat right from the beginning. The only other character of significant note is Tog, a native of Pangorum, played by Marc Danbury. Furman misses a trick with this character as he seems to be constantly warning Peri to be on guard as no-one is whom they seem, and yet Tog is exactly what he appears: a noble man from a race who were not particularly technologically aware. It therefore comes as no surprise to discover the nature of his function in the story's conclusion as its something of a Doctor Who cliché.

Despite the deficiencies of the plot, The Axis Of Insanity succeeds because of the strength of characterisation and its vivacious performance. Furman's notes state his hope that this isn't his last audio drama and on the basis of his debut, that would be a welcome prospect. With this script, he shows a flair for character, embodied by the Jester's status as one of the most memorable Big Finish villains for some time, but with greater confidence in his abilities in this medium inevitably leading towards stronger plotting, Furman clearly has the potential to produce something spectacular. As it is, The Axis Of Insanity remains an entertaining but somewhat insubstantial escapade redeemed by its dynamic performances.