Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: India Fisher, Paul McGann, Rakia Ayola, John Banks, Shiloh Coke, Mark Elstob, Chris Jarman, Lara Lemon, Michelle Livingstone, Yasmin Mwanza, Cyril Nri, Rhoda Ofori-Attah, Theo Solomon. Andrew James Spooner.
For the majority who don’t delve deep into the mythos and background of Doctor Who, the name Charley Pollard is possibly a whispered name only vaguely caught as reference when Paul McGann’s incarnation of the man in the blue box from Gallifrey lamented those he had lost along the way as he faced the unknown in a forced regeneration as the Time War raged, as the War Doctor waited in the shadows.
Charley Pollard is a explosion in time, a whisper arguably is insulting to a character, who along Evelyn Smythe, became one of the first long standing companions to be heard and loved by the Big Finish fandom, and through her adventures alongside the eighth, the sixth, and her own first recorded adventures after leaving Colin Baker’s embodiment of the Doctor, that explosion has roared onwards, and whilst she has missing from the main range for a while, in Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventures, that resonating explosion in the heart of Time continues to send tsunamis out into the universe, and into the hearts of the listener.
To have four new explorations into the experiences of the Edwardian adventuress is a bonus delivered by the minds of Big Finish, not least because many fans of the character, and of the superb India Fisher who portrays her, who gives her very essence, had perhaps given up hope of hearing more from the charismatic soul.
Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventures brings stories from Alan Barnes, Lisa McMullin, Eddie Robson, and Nicholas Briggs to the listener’s delight, and reaffirms the lofty position held by the companion who first appeared on the Airship R101 dressed as a young lad as she searched for the thrill of the quest, and who ended up seeing the stars.
From the streets of Paris as the eighth Doctor and Charley search for a murderess relic from a long since gone empire in The Mummy Speaks!, and through tales such as Eclipse, the Slaying Of The Writhing Mass, and a perfectly detailed sequel to a story that first appeared over twenty years ago, the tantalising Heart Of Orion, the listener is returned to the days when Charlotte Pollard was first introduced to the extended audio world of Doctor Who. It is these stories that add flesh to the bone of a woman who arguably ranks in the top ten of companions of the Doctor as the 60th anniversary of the long running science fiction programme approaches.
With tremendous support from the gravity of voices such as Cyril Nri, Michelle Livingstone, Lara Lemon, Rakie Ayola, and with the sincere pleasure of hearing India Fisher and Paul McGann reunited in their respective roles, Charlotte Pollard: The Further Adventures is a welcome return, a long-awaited resumption of familiarity, and one that can only be hoped will continue.
Ian D. Hall