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The Russian summer is an idyllic time and place - or so Steven
Taylor thought - somewhere that he, Dodo and the Doctor could
take a well-earned holiday. But it’s 1812. Winter is
coming. The French, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, are marching
upon Moscow. And that’s not the only invasion the travellers
will have to deal with. An alien spaceship has crash-landed
in the woods nearby. Suddenly Steven isn’t sure who he
can trust - or even who he really is...
In
my review of the previous First Doctor Companion Chronicles
story, Frostfire,
I expressed my hope that Peter Purves and Frazer Hines would
be persuaded to narrate for the series, based on the strength
of their voice-over work for BBC Audio’s Doctor Who
soundtrack releases. Well, my wish has come true, because
both actors have contributed to the second season of tales.
As
expected, Purves does a good reading, although, contrary to
the enthusiastic opinion of director Nigel Fairs, who interviews
the narrator at the end of this CD, his impersonation of the
First Doctor isn’t all that convincing. In fact, the
supporting voice artist, Tony Millan, who plays the enigmatic
Interrogator, sounds more like Hartnell to my ear, so perhaps
he should have performed the Doctor’s dialogue.
As
with Frostfire, the writer of this First Doctor adventure
is Marc Platt, who taps into the nature of Steven Taylor as
a loner. For once, its appears that Steven may have found
somewhere he can fit in - though his relaxation proves to
be short-lived. His readiness to settle down can be interpreted
as a precursor to his departure in The
Savages
(this story takes place immediately after The
Gunfighters).
The
plot, which involves an evil doppelganger of the Doctor, covers
some ground already trodden in another Steven story, The
Massacre, and so I found certain revelations
rather predictable. However, Platt keeps things lively and
interesting by presenting the time-travellers with a double
danger: an invasion by French forces in addition to an alien
menace. A further plot strand is the mystery surrounding the
Interrogator - who is he, and what kind of hold does he have
on Steven?
In
the interview at the end of the disc, Purves reveals that
would like to return to acting if only someone would make
him a decent offer. Hopefully Big Finish will find a part
for him in an audio drama before too long... For now, though,
Steven fans have good reason to go Russian to the shops to
obtain this CD.
Richard
McGinlay
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