Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Alex Kingston, Michelle Gomez, Geoffrey Beevers, Eric Roberts, Derek Jacobi, Delroy Atkinson, Sasha Behar, Orion Ben, Timothy Blore, Richenda Carey, Eleanor Crooks, Andrew Fettes, Fiona Hampton, Lucy Heath, Laurence Kennedy, Jaqueline King, Christopher Naylor, Himesh Patel, Tom Price, Vineeta Rishi, Emily Woodward.
Moriarty only ever had one true face, but it was one that was kept in the shadows, playing his hand behind the wealth of evil he had at his disposal, the Napoleon of crime may have been the epitome of earthly evil, but he was not, and surely can never claim to be as malevolent, as terrifyingly malignant or as malicious as The Master. If ever such proof was needed of the wickedness of the rogue Timelord’s intent, then the fifth series of The Diary of River Song is the right place in which to delve between the sheets of not just one or two Master’s in your timeline, but four.
It was perhaps always leading to this for River Song, you can play with as many Doctors as you like, even if they don’t recognise you but to cross swords with The Master is the cause and effect made insanely real, one that encompasses such depravity and cunning is not something you can easily walk away from and live to tell the tale.
Through the four tales of cruel intentions, The Bekdel Test, Animal Instinct, The Lifeboat and the Deathboat and A Concealed Weapon, River Song unwillingly confronts four of the incarnations of the shadow that has always dogged The Doctor since the character’s introduction during the Jon Pertwee era. You cannot defeat evil easily, however River Song, performed as always by the impeccable Alex Kingston, at least manages to come out of the traps laid and the fury surrounding The Master, with notable draws, with her own soul kept clean.
It is perhaps to the presence of the great Geoffrey Beevers, the sublime Michelle Gomez, the undervalued Eric Roberts and the force of nature that is Derek Jacobi, that the four part drama is as good as it is, and for many fans the chance to hear the difference between the incarnations will be a prospect that they will barely be able to contain, from seething rage and conflicted mischief, through to wicked and cunning rivalry, these are the moments to which have been the dark pleasure of many a Doctor Who devotee, and in the fifth series, evil knows no bounds.
A welcome side journey for River Song, bringing a different dimension to Alex Kingston’s undoubted skill in the role, for who better to learn from, to take valuable lessons from, but The Master.
Excellently weaved together, many complicated strands of Time placed in subtle and dramatic pieces of writing, the fifth in the series of The Diary of River Song is a treasure ready to be devoured!
Ian D. Hall