Originally published on L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
Cast: Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Sarah Sutton, Angus Wright, Rupert Frazer, Felicity Duncan, Daniel Weyman, Daisy Ashford, John Banks, Alex Mallinson.
There are Doctor Who villains who pop up as regular as clockwork, their participation in any adventure much looked forward to and anticipated with the outlook of childhood glee. There are then those who come along every so often, sometimes they contribute greatly to the overall story but you don’t miss them as much, and then there are those that only appear the once, their backstory hinted at but the writers of Doctor Who never revisit them. The listener is devoid of any further knowledge of the foe the Doctor has faced.
Two such characters to have graced the classic series are Magnus Greel in The Talons of Weng-Chiang and Mavic Chen from the William Hartnell era Doctor story The Dalek’s Master Plan. The Butcher of Brisbane, Marc Platt’s latest story for Big Finish concentrates on the former, a man who has sent thousands to their deaths in Earth’s war ridden future in the 51st century and whose mental state shows a clash of minds as his own world starts unravelling, due in part to the fifth Doctors involvement and the heroic nature of Sarah Sutton’s Nyssa of Traken.
Magnus Greel was originally played by Michael Spice and in this new adventure for Peter Davison he is portrayed by the superb Angus Wright. The performance will no doubt have listeners thinking back to the Nazi Doctor Josef Mengele. The sadism and utter conviction in his work will leave a bitter after taste in some people’s throats but it’s this astonishing portrayal which ultimately will have fans of Doctor Who reaching for any copy of The Talons of Weng-Chiang to see where the story finishes and the resolution of a story that is very much back to front and one of the finest that Marc Platt has written for the series.
The last in the latest three part series for the Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and Sarah Sutton partnership is dark, disturbing yet charming, a great nod to an egotistical and deplorable villain last seen battling Tom Baker over thirty years ago. It is this kind of off-beat “Timey Wimey” continuality that is used so well by Big Finish and although it would have been great to see this story on the television version of the show, the scenes written would work just as well on screen, fans will take this story as one that needed to be finally written and poured over.
All three members of Peter Davison’s team have performed well in this series, Janet Fielding proving time and time again why she still is considered one of the great additions to the series, however in this particular audio drama Sarah Sutton shines in the spotlight as the spy in the camp against Magnus Greel and who also develops a semblance of feeling towards the most hated man in the world. It takes a special type of performer to give any type of conviction in their acting ability when confronted with the idea of falling in love with someone who is pure evil.
The Butcher of Brisbane is an excellent high to finish the series on and a high point in the series for Peter Davison’s tenure as the Doctor.
The Butcher of Brisbane is available to buy from World’s Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall