Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Alexander Siddig, Nadim Sawalha, Malcolm Tierney, Teddy Kemper, Kim Ismay, Debbie Leigh-Simmons, Christopher Luscombe, Oliver Coopersmith.
1001 nights, a little under three years, and in the realm of Doctor Who, a wonderful twist on an old story and the basis of may tales. The thing is with the Doctor, no matter the incarnation, there are a lot of tales to tell about the wandering detective, the man who makes things better. So many stories that can be woven into the fabric of the Big Finish stories that sometimes one writer is not enough, nor it seems is one tale per C.D. release.
Taking the title from a popular collection of Middle East and Eastern culture stories in which the Sultan’s wife Scheherazade relates tales to her husband in a bid to stall and bewilder him, the four narratives on offer to the listener within Big Finish’s latest release of 1001 Nights strike a balance between Doctor Who mythology and good old fashioned tale telling.
Whilst four story tellers peddling their wares might be off putting to some, 1001 Nights is well worth persevering with, not only for the four seemingly disparate stories by Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie and Catherine Harvey but for the actors that have made their way through the catacombs and into the tales. When you have the incredible talent of Nadim Sawalha and the imposing figure of Alexander Siddig, who last appeared alongside Peter Davison in the superb audio story The Son of the Dragon, playing alongside a splendid Kim Ismay and spine-chilling Teddy Kemper then it is possible to believe that the notion of splitting a story four ways is not only possible but impressive.
It has been done before but in the anniversary edition celebrating the 100th release by Big Finish, the weird but wonderful 100, it didn’t have the overall story line to consider. It was more a question of giving the faithful an anniversary to remember, in 1001 Nights there is a point; Nyssa, portrayed as usual by Sarah Sutton, shows the Sultan that the Doctor is more than just a man to be trifled with and that no matter what he thinks, the Doctor will prevail.
Amongst the integrated stories though there is a gem that should have been allowed to develop further, the idea of a despotic ruler with major split-personality issues who finds himself in jail for his crimes against his people, guarded by a brutal guard but with a delicious twist at its very heart. A shame that it forms part of the overall structure of the narrative as it is a tale that really could have stood on its own feet.
1001 Nights is the final release of 2012 by Big Finish and a strong set of combined stories that strengthen the cause of the company to bring good quality productions to the loyal fans of old.
1001 Nights is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall