Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: India Fisher, David Ballie.

Of all the companions to have stepped foot inside the Tardis, arguably one of the most much loved is Charlotte Elspeth Pollard. Having travelled with Paul McGann’s eighth Doctor incarnation from their first meeting in the excellent Storm Warning, through adventures such as Invaders From Mars, the sublime The Chimes of Midnight and to the fitting finale with her time with eighth Doctor The Girl Who Never Was, fans of Big Finish recognised something in her make-up, the way she handled herself when times were grave that placed her with the likes of Jamie, Tegan and Sarah Jane in terms of most admired and valued companions.

Even then she wasn’t finished in the Doctor’s life as she inadvertently found herself in the time stream of Colin Baker’s sixth Doctor. These new stories were both captivating and required listening and India Fisher who portrayed the Edwardian adventurer was on top form throughout. Up until 2010 though Charley Pollard was never given the chance to shine as her own person without the Doctor there to back her to the hilt when times were too tough, all that changed with the Companion Chronicles’ release Solitaire.

Solitaire, written by John Dorney and produced by Big Finish supremo Nicholas Briggs, sees Charley take on the enigmatic Celestial Toymaker in a duel in which minds are sharpened, wits are taken to their extremes and the very essence of reason is questioned. The Celestial Toymaker is one of those rich and well-drawn characters from the long history of the television series that almost to the point of shame has not had the chance to be reprised since the late great Michael Gough portrayed him in 1966, however in the hands of David Bailie, the Toymaker has had now at least two performances in which he shows the menace that is there in those who believe that winning is all that matters.

Whilst David Ballie shines as The Toymaker, his allusion to unknown jeopardy quite illuminating, it is India Fisher who continues to grow ever more one of the most fascinating companions to have been written in the history of Big Finish. Even three years after this particular story was written, the abundance of humanity that she exudes is uppermost in the thoughts of all who listen. She is the typical human, she gets frustrated, angry, logical, forgiving but above all she has the good sense to reason and in this particular story by John Dorney she radiates like a neutron star.

Where the story’s great humour derives from is the imagination, the thought that Paul McGann’s Doctor, “Byron-esque” as Charley would say, is reduced to nothing more than a ventriloquist doll, a sideshow, albeit an important one, of how the tale develops.

Of all the two-hander stories that Big Finish have produced for The Doctor series, both Solitaire and Scherzo stand out as being some of the most complete and most understanding works. It is no accident that Charley Pollard, India Fisher, is in them both.

A great tale, well produced, expertly written and something to revel in before Big Finish bring back Charley Pollard for another round at some point and thorough out time and space it shows that The Doctor chooses his companions well and he is no dummy.

Solitaire is available to purchase from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.

Ian D. Hall