Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Colin Baker, Lisa Greenwood, Nicola Sian, Tori Hart, Chris Overton, Brian Shelley, Glynn Sweet.
Every child feels the need to eventually pull away from their parent, to make their own mistakes, to discover the world by themselves and place their own very big personal stamp in the dust.
For Flip Jackson and The Doctor materialising in a unknown segment of space to do some routine maintenance work on the Tardis has its repercussions as Flip Jackson learns the hard way that sometimes you should not open the door to the creature at your door, no matter if they look benign and childlike, for the parent will certainly bear down upon you with big teeth.
The overall feel of The Brood of Erys is one of quiet contemplation, the thought of the previous four stories in which Flip Jackson has appeared in, The Crimes of Thomas Brewster, The Curse of Davros, The Fourth Wall, Antidote to Oblivion and Wirrn Isle, all in some way or another making her a very enjoyable companion. The Brood of Erys though is one that takes away all the good work that Lisa Greenwood has bought to the character and makes her seem superfluous, an almost backward step and unfortunately forgettable character.
The contemplation is of how the travelling companions of the sixth Doctor’s past would have coped in a similar situation or even the great Anna Hope as D.I. Menzies, the one person in the Colin Baker’s illustrious audio career who so far has got away from being regarded as an essential companion, would surely have bought more to the story. It is a shame as Lisa Greenwood is so very obviously passionate about her role as Flip Jackson but it seems just this once the voice was not allowed to be heard.
As always it is a huge pleasure to have Colin Baker back in his New Year slot, the gravitas he brings to the role is one that has surely the majority of Big Finish fans riveted and eager for more and away from the nagging doubt of what has happened to Lisa Greenwood in this story, the tale is a pleasant reminder of early Doctor Who episodes, one in which the mystery is all, not as some precursor to a greater threat. It is good to have some of these more down to earth stories being produced but it is always is with a heavy burden to the sixth Doctor that like Paul McGann, the more demanding the plot, the more exceptional the performance.
With the 15th Anniversary of the first release by Big Finish of the new Doctor Who audio dramas just a few months away, these are exciting times yet again for the followers, fans and family.
Doctor Who: The Brood of Erys is available from Worlds Apart on Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ian D. Hall