Originally published by L.S. Media. January 24th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Raquel Cassidy, Tim Bentinck, Sam Graham, Tilly Gaunt, Kim Wall, Tim Treloar.

Destination: Nerva is the brand new Doctor Who audio from Big Finish that requires a fanfare so loud and devastatingly proud as it finally brings the much loved and much missed Tom Baker back into the realm of original adventures. However, it also requires a discretion, the will to give this new series a chance to grow and for Mr. Baker to find his feet at Big Finish whilst immersing himself back as one of the premier Doctor incarnations.

It’s not to say that Destination: Nerva is not enjoyable, as debuts go, it’s good. What’s not to like, Louise Jameson as the Savage Leela is, as always a delight. Her take on the role 30 plus years after she first stepped onto the B.B.C. treadmill is as polished and wild as it was then. It’s easy to see why in this audio adventure she was one of the favourite companions of the fourth Doctor, she possesses the attitude and experience of one who can match the Doctor for absolute bravery, in similar vein to that of Tegan Jovanka, Sarah Jane Smith, Rose Tyler and Amy Pond.

The trouble starts with the main man, the reason for the fanfare, for the sheer delight of having Tom Baker reprise his role and unfortunately it doesn’t quite live up to the expected image that fans of the series and especially of the possessor of the best scarf in the universe could have hoped for.

In this though, slack is needed. Tom Baker does sound as though he is reading a script, which of course he is, it’s the fact the script is almost evident. The listener usually is able to imagine anybody in the studio delivering their lines with such calibre and consideration to the performance; that it comes as a bit of a shock when confronted with the great man and the thought of him peering at the words typed lovingly onto the paper. It detracts from a performance that every Doctor Who fan is crying out for. This is the man who almost defines the role for those of a certain age and it is hoped that before the end of the series, the sheer guile that drove him forward in the role all those years ago, returns. That episode will be greeted with more than a fanfare; the Doctor will truly be back!

Writer, producer and all round Demi-God Nicholas Briggs takes the Doctor, as he writes in his notes, back home. Space station Nerva is where it all began for the Doctor in the classic story The Ark in Space. This time though the Doctor is not battling the Wirrn, last heard of in the excellent Wirrn Dawn with Paul McGann’s Doctor. It is a creature that seems to have more in common with another of Paul McGann’s foes from the audio play Hothouse, the rather creepy Krynoids and their equivalent in Destination: Nerva, the Drelleran. In an audio play that seems to repeat large themes it’s surprising that is comes across as good, not excellent, not fan loving but a very happy good.

Aside from the return of Louise Jameson, the other reason to be cheerful is the addition of Raquel Cassidy to the production for this particular play. Last seen in The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People with the current Doctor, she is fast becoming one of the often mooted best non-companions there ever was alongside Sally Sparrow. A class addition!

It is Tom Baker’s first reappearance as the much loved Doctor for Big Finish and for that reason alone, it’s a must to own and cherish for ever but the listeners needs the sparkle in the eye that was always in evidence on the show to transfer somehow to the audio performances. Welcome back though Doctor, it’s about time!

Big Finish’s production of the Doctor Who audio story Nerva can be purchased at Worlds Apart, Lime Street, Liverpool.

Ian D. Hall