Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Colin Baker, Tom Baker, Geoffrey Beevers, Sasha Behar, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Nicholas Briggs, Nicola Bryant, Karen Bryson, Seán Carlsen, David Holt, Georgia Mackenzie, Sadie Miller, Christopher Naylor, Rebecca Wright, Rick Warden.
What If?, undoubtedly two of the greatest combined words in the history of language. Where would humanity be without the ability to question alternative history, of being able to conjecture the ways in which Time could be altered, changed, drastically distorted from the moment we understand. If Time and history can be transformed on the single decision taken, so then can we use our imaginations to foresee the outcome of other potential times when our own world’s future can hang in the balance.
One split second in which to be able to change your mind, one brief momentary lapse of judgement in which the universe can alter, can vary off course from where it was headed, to where it is, for good or bad intent, now.
One such moment in the history of the Timelord known as The Doctor is arguably the single most important in which the viewer has bared witness to, and which is a lesson in direct confrontation and compassion, and one that has played out across other films and science-fiction programmes, just to less dramatic effect.
What If? the fourth incarnation of the Doctor had chosen to destroy the Daleks once and for all as he deliberated on the cause and effect of his decision underneath the bowels of Skaro, what if in a split second the doctor changed his mind, left behind reason and walked in the shadow of emotion, what might seem an immediate victory, becomes life changing, becomes the moment when the universe, and the Doctor, are turned on their head.
In an act of sabotage of Time, the end result is the birth of a new timeline, and one in which the doctor’s future is less than predictable, indeed it is damaged, the compassion brought to the soul by the fifth face to wear the mantle of the travelling healer, is replaced by one who is familiar, but also very much alien to the world, and in a heartbeat’s decision becomes the Doctor unbound.
Big Finish’s three-part serial Doctor Who – Unbound: Doctor of War 1: Genesis takes the listener and fan alike back to that pivotal moment in the ruins of Skaro when Davros’ creation was being birthed, where the fourth Doctor grappled with knowledge, historical fact, and compassion and in an unaccustomed action, chose to destroy completely the machine menace that would come to dominate the galaxy and existence.
The Doctor no more, and one that the listener is not prepared for as the sometimes brash and arrogant style of the sixth Doctor is brought forth early, born in the heat of battle, death, destruction, and anger, he is the Doctor of War, and as John Dorney’s Dust Devil, Lou Morgan’s Aftershocks, and James Kettle’s The Difference Office shows with earnest and humility, such is the moment of doubt faced by the fourth doctor that what happens next is chaos, the bringer of death and fear, and in typical Big Finish fashion, is beautifully arranged so that the true meaning is slowly revealed, and all that you have gleaned is shaken, revelation, like reality, requires to be delivered when you are least expecting it.
Colin Baker, as always been the case with Big Finish, steps up to the plate and gives an outstanding performance as the Doctor of War, the self-assuredness of the character is priceless and legitimate, and in a world of What If?, is suited perfectly to the enormous task of portraying the hero in a way that is sobering, affecting, dynamically opposed to the very core of what he should be.
With engaging and intense performances by the likes of Tom Baker, the exceptional Goffrey Beevers, Nicola Bryant, and Sanjeev Bhaskar, Doctor Who – Unbound: Doctor of War 1: Genesis is a treat for the buffs of What If, and a pleasure to have the unbound series so beloved by the fan brought back to the centre stage of Big Finish productions.
The Doctor is unbound, unrestricted, and causing trouble; it is the medicine and the cure for the fan who didn’t know they were missing out on such a luxury of Time.
Ian D. Hall