Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Seán Carlsen, Rachel Handshaw, Safiyya Ingar, Jay Reum, Holly Ashman, Helen Bang, Edwin Flay, Nicholas McArdle, Fiona McClure, Glen McCready, Peter Rae, Flavie Ravenhill, Vitas Varnas.
There are many examples of cult American television series that have undergone the rounds of constant possible adaption for the modern eye, and most have failed to deliver upon the story first laid down in stone, instead deciding that the story had to be told again from the beginning with a brasher, edgier, and dare it be said, a more idealised portrayal when it comes to the relationships and the body of the self within the parameters of the narrative.
The past, so it seems, needs to either be forgiven, forgotten, or erased, they knew not how to make a compelling drama in the bright future of early colour television…or so the producers of modern retellings will dictate to the boards and shareholders when the notion of remake rears its commercially viable head.
Big Finish, the audio drama experts of bringing science fiction classics judiciously into the modern era, have taken arguably one of the biggest steps ever by adding to, and not replacing, the exceptional adventure series from Irwin Allen, The Time Tunnel, and from the start of the first box set, the three part series brings new and intriguing life to the much loved American tale of scientists lost in time.
In The Nightmare Begins, rather than see the opportunity to renew, the courageous and positive path is the one the writers and production team have taken by following through from the apparent end of Project Tic-Toc and the authorities hopes of retrieving Tony Newman and Doug Phillips lost to Time itself.
The writing of Big Finish mainstays and regulars Gary Russell, Marc Platt, and Martin Platt take up the titanic task of creating life into a series that was never given its proper resolution, one of most lauded shows of the 1960s that somehow tantalisingly didn’t go beyond its original 30 episode run, and these three writers magnificently pick up the flag and ride into the future with three enthralling tales as their weapon of choice.
History as we know it has changed, the ripples of an action altered has caused a colossal shift in the geo-political structure of the world and the enemy of reason has become the once tiny state of Rakervia; and as Captain Lewis Haworth and MB are thrown together with Clare McGregor and Cole Smith to solve the puzzle through history, and perhaps find the elusive Doug Phillips and Tony Newman in the process.
With sharp and insightful writing, The Shudder, Too Close To The Sun, and The World, The Flesh And The Devil exemplify the beauty of the exposition of Time travel and its consequences, and given Big Finish’s expertise in the said genre, it hardly comes a surprise just how blessed the listener feels when immersing themselves into this first collection of the continuing story of Project Tic-Toc and The Time Tunnel.
Ian D. Hall