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The Doctor and Mel rush to the aid of the people of the Generios
system, who face attack by the evil Skelloids. When the TARDIS
arrives, however, the time-travellers discover that Generios
has already been saved - by someone who calls himself "the
Doctor"...
An
illustrious cast list that includes Christopher Biggins, 2
Point 4 Children's Clare Buckfield, Shooting Stars
star Matt Lucas and one half of The Adam and Joe Show,
Adam Buxton, might tip you off to the fact that this production
is not to be taken too seriously. But then, what else would
you expect from Gareth Roberts - the author of so many humorous
Who novels, short stories and articles - and Clayton
Hickman, his collaborator in the fiction anthology Short
Trips and Side-Steps?
The
plot is reminiscent of the Live Fast and Prosper episode
of Star Trek: Voyager, in which con artists masquerade
as Captain Janeway and her crew. I'm not really giving the
plot away, though, because the presence of a phoney Doctor
is merely the starting point for this wacky, festive adventure.
Biggins
plays the impostor, Banto Zame, to perfection, and the same
can be said of Buckfield in her role as his companion, Sally-Anne.
Whilst "in character" as the Doctor and his assistant, this
duo mercilessly mocks the most risible moments of the Doctor
Who television series. Banto overacts; Sally-Anne wears
a leotard and impractical high heels; and both of them spout
meaningless jargon (as in the similarly on-the-nail sketch
written by Victoria Wood that appeared on the Curse of
Fatal Death video). By contrast, the true personalities
of Banto and Sally-Anne illustrate Doctor Who's uniqueness
by demonstrating what the Doctor and his companions are not:
self-centred characters with dubious morals and rampant sexual
appetites.
Neither
Colin Baker nor Bonnie Langford shy away from sending themselves
up in the name of good fun. During the opening moments, Baker
all but reprises his over-the-top performance as the evil
Editor in MJTV's Soldiers of Love. The shape and sound
of Banto's fake TARDIS are also on a par with the (ahem) toilet
humour of SOL! Other comedic highlights include Jane
Goddard's excellent impersonation of Anne Robinson, while
fans of Lee and Herring will appreciate Citizen Sokkery's
(Nicholas Pegg) pronunciation of the word "skeleton".
The
quest format of the story runs out of steam by the final episode,
but jokes such as the aforementioned should keep you entertained
right up to the end. Make sure you continue listening after
the last track has apparently finished...
Richard
McGinlay
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