The Axis of Insanity
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Big Finish Productions The Axis of Insanity |
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| Written by | Simon Furman |  |
| Format | Compact Disc | |
| Released | 2004 | |
| Continuity | Between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani |
| Starring Peter Davison, Nicola Bryant and Caroline Morris |
| Synopsis: For the Doctor and his travelling companions, Peri and Erimem, the Axis is a twisted playground, where reality, morality and sanity no longer apply. Stranded within a dimensional nexus, beset by the molten fury of the Firedbreed, they must unwrap a terrifying mystery of damaged timelines and dark science... before the corruption of the Axis spreads and reality itself crumbles. |
A Review by Richard Radcliffe 22/5/04
It seems ages since we have had a stand alone, un-celebratory, story from Big Finish. With the 8th Doctor Season, 40th Anniversary special, villain trilogy - everything kind of ran together. The audios of 2003 were largely experimental, not traditional. And I think the range has suffered as a result. There doesn't seem to be the same excitement around anymore for DW audios. I suppose it is inevitable that the focus now shifts to the new TV series (which affected the 8th Dr audio stories recently negatively). I also suppose it is inevitable that after so many releases interest would wane slightly.
For my part I still think they are the best Who ever, with a brilliant story constantly emerging much more regularly than any other medium. The range thrived on standalone stories - that is what launched and sustained it in 1999-2000. I am glad that (for a few months at least) that is where we are at again. It kind of feels like a re-launch, but that is probably only within my own mind. Whichever way you look at it, it was time to press forward to great stories, with great actors (who are still wonderfully the Doctor).
Axis of Insanity is by Simon Furman. I knew I recognized the name, and it didn't take me long to remember where. I am a big fan of the DWM comic strips - and he wrote a handful of these back in 1986-1988. He was the writer who launched the 7th Doctor in the comic medium in Cold Day in Hell. Maybe because his comic strip writing credentials were on my mind, I couldn't help but imagine this in comic format throughout.
There is also the overwhelming shadow cast by Tides of Time, a 5th Doctor strip set memorably in a fairground. It all therefore got merged in my mind, and with comic strip writer, 5th Doctor, and Tides of Time locale - I felt I knew this kind of Doctor Who Story. This is a fantasy Doctor Who story, in the style and atmosphere of comic strip classics, such as Tides of Time, Voyager - and a few other Steve Parkhouse strips around that time. It is thanks to John Ridgway and Dave Gibbons that I could visualize this sound-only story so well.
I just love this audio TARDIS team of 5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem. Big Finish have yet to create a bad companion (they are fairly racking them up too), and Erimem is slowly emerging as an incredible and brilliant long lasting traveller with the Doctor. Caroline Morris is brilliant again, especially in the last half, when she is alone with the Jester/Jarra To. Peri remains a fascinating character, if a little different from her TV character. She benefits tremendously, for having a mate - someone to interact with, and be all older-sisterly with. Many times here though I felt I was listening to Cordelia Chase out of Angel - and I liked that. Peter Davison is uniformally good in most things. His character is strong enough to stand on his own - but I would wager that Peri and Erimem are his ideal partners now - I can't recall any set of companions working better with the 5th Doctor.
Axis of Insanity features a monumentally manic performance from Garrick Hagon. What could have been a silly, over the top character, was a joy to listen to. The Jester, so much a feature of Carnival, holds the whole production together. Big Finish sound wizards also delve into their toybox of trickery, to produce a mass of sound - I was there, I was amongst the stalls, smelling the candy floss.
There are actually not too many characters in Axis of Insanity, but enough for the story presented. Apart from the Jester, only Jarra To and Tog are worthy of mention. Jarra To is a female Jester character - and Liza Ross tries to capture the Jester's madness - but I wished that Garrick Hagon was speaking those lines instead. Tog is one of many DW supporting heroes, someone harmed by the events taking place, someone willing to go the extra mile - to save the TARDIS characters.
It's the highest accolade I can give to Axis of Insanity, to compare it to the Steve Parkhouse, John Ridgway, Dave Gibbons Comic Strips in DWM. I had been waiting for this genre to appear in other types of Doctor Who. I didn't expect it on audio, but am totally entranced with how they pulled it off. It wipes the floor with the so-called superior stories of the 40th anniversary period, and stands as the best Big Finish audio, probably since Chimes of Midnight. Excellent in every department. 10/10
Bizarre brilliance... by Joe Ford 25/5/04
Big Finish and I have been having a rather precarious relationship recently owing to the fact that I have been unimpressed with much of their output for well over a year. With the climax of the latest McGann season sealing off any positive comment, I was prepared to stop buying the things all together. It would take something pretty bloody spectacular to win back this fan's devotion...
Balls and bugger it! The Axis of Insanity is just that, a near perfect Big Finish tale that echoes the glories of the past. It is certainly the best Davison tale to escape the audio company, edging past Spare Parts and Creatures of Beauty and being a damn sight more entertaining than much of his television tenure too. I mention words like flawless and perfect too often, I know, but stories of this quality encourage you to do so.
Simon Furman writes a rather nervous message in the CD cover but he should fear not, this is one of the best scripts ever written for Big Finish. It has all the elements that make Doctor Who work, an imaginative setting, a genuinely scary malevolent force, perfectly captured regulars, lots of wit and humour that mixes imperceptivity with the spooky stuff... the story flows easily thanks to the instantly quotable dialogue, just listen to any minute snatch of the story and I promise you will want to hear more.
I LOVE the idea of the Axis, as soon as the Doctor revealed the purpose
of the place, a space where the Time Lords discard all their fucked up
timelines (or as Peri beautifully puts it, their mistakes); I knew I would
like the story. Just what horrors could exist in this axis of crapped on
timelines? How much of accepted history have the Time Lords created,
nudging all the bad stuff into their dustbin of mistakes? Of course all
these negated realities have to regulated and maintained, the people made
to believe that they are still living in the 'real' reality. For this
important task we have the Overseer but his early death in the story leads
to a new member of management to take his place, the hideously insane
Jester who took his life...
Well I feel a little sheepish about criticizing the fifth Doctor, Peri
and Erimem after listening to this. Mind you their last story together was
that dreadful space opera Nekromentia which pushed
them all into cliched roles. Under Furman's control this trio shines, I
can really see the sisterly relationship Gary Russell was trying to build
work and how brilliant they are at ganging up on the Doctor and getting
their own way. They push a little too hard at times and he snaps
uncontrollably, the real fifth Doctor asserting himself as the man in
charge. The real coup is how well they all seem to get on; despite their
giant cultural differences this is a TARDIS crew who actually enjoy each
other's company and it helps no end to plant you in the story. They are
genuinely fun to be around, in this story Erimem and Peri bicker amiably
like real friends do and they learn much from each other, the Doctor the
big know-all who shows off his knowledge of everything, Peri teaching
Erimem to write and the Egyptian Priestess ready with her sword arm to
protect her friends.
It is good to see such an engaging set of regulars because the story
relies on their importance, unlike the companions during Davison's turn on
TV who were often neglected, these three are at the head of the plotlines.
As they explore the twisted world of the Jester we see each of them pushed
to the edge and their true colours emerge.
Peri is not used nearly enough by Big Finish, Nicola Bryant is a
vibrant performer and brings the plucky American to life with addictable
vigour. There are some priceless Peri moments throughout Axis of
Insanity, she is constantly on the run and her typically negative
reactions as the dangers stack up are hysterical (at one crucial point she
screams out "I hate my life!"). I like how she has taken it upon herself
to be in charge when the Doctor is not about, Erimem is still very green
when it comes to time travel and the young American slips from childish
tantrums into a much more mature role. Peri shines with an assertiveness
she never really possessed on TV.
It's another ace turn from Peter Davison who is blossoming into a fine
audio Doctor given the right material. Just as Mike Morris has recently
been given cause to rethink his opinion of Colin Baker's Doctor thanks to
the audios, I too have had second thoughts about what I thought was a
certainty, that Peter Davison is not suited to playing the Doctor. Give
him some juicy dialogue, a real bad ass to fight against and let him lose
his composure every now and again and blimey; there is a damn entertaining
hero there! When the Jester needlessly kills the Overseer you really pay
attention as the Doctor screams, "Damn you!" and his outrage at being lead
a merry dance around the Jester's domain springs out of nowhere. Best of
all is his speech about the Time Lords at the story's close, it is about
time the Doctor (and a writer) addressed the issue of their fallibility,
yeah they make mistakes but so does everybody and the universe would be a
damn sight worse without them. His passion during this defence of his
people, a race he too has condemned in the past, is the highlight of the
story.
I wasn't sure about Caroline Morris at the beginning; despite her
wonderful performances I wasn't sure where she could take this tricky
character. Fortunately Furman diverts her from the Leela-clone she was
becoming and gives her a powerful voice of her own. Whereas Leela was an
unwilling pupil, eager for action you sense a stronger feeling of
intelligence from Erimem, attempting to read (despite the lack of
pictures!), cleverly duping the Jester and solely responsible for the
happy outcome, brilliantly taking what scraps of information she was given
early on and hunting out the second TARDIS. The whole issue of the Doctor
treating her like a pet was very funny.
The story manages to hold a feeling of twisted reality throughout, a
lot of stories try to delve into the surreal but are stunted thanks to a
lack of imagination but Furman has been in the comic business too long for
this to be a problem. He thinks up one fucked up situation after another
(Peri should never have mentioned frying pans and fires!) and sustains the
atmosphere of a deadly fairground to the climax. I very much enjoyed the
fire breed monsters hounding the regulars' steps and how the setting fell
apart chaotically, making things that bit more dramatic.
Tying up the story beautifully is the final twist of what the Jester is
really after and all the answers surrounding that. There are hints of
another story with other Time Lords that I would very much like to have
heard. If the story feels a little anti-climatic it is only because so
much of what has come before was so gripping.
It's the best release since Scherzo but given
how different they were in tone I am willing to go as far back as The Wormery. Gary Russell's direction returns to
form, lacking the tired nonchalance that has infected so many other of his
recent productions and paired with Andy Hardwick's urgent music the
production reminds me of the heights that Big Finish can stretch to when
they pull out all the stops.
A twisted masterpiece.
A Review by Stuart Gutteridge
18/6/04
The main basis for The Axis Of Insanity seems to come from the
realms of fantasy, a concept that when Doctor Who has indulged in
the past it has been lagely successful. The basic storyline is that of
damaged timelines, controlled in the Axis; however an escapee from one of
these timelines breaks through bringing chaos with it. And it is here that
the fantasy elements creep in, from the Jester to to nightmarish funfairs.
Simon Furman`s script may be cliched in this respect, but it does
deliver on the characterisation, particularly of Erimem and the story also
delivers on the acting front. There are nice touches such as Erimem
learning to read here, however what makes the play truly memorable is
Garrick Hagon`s portrayal of the Jester; a character so malign without
being over the top that his presence makes the story enjoyable in its own
right - a tale of order versus chaos. A new slant on a traditional story
and one that succeeds on all counts.
Even if you don't prefer fantasy... by Mekel Rogers
23/7/04
...you'll still enjoy this one. I must admit to purchasing this one
with apprehension as I've never really enjoyed the fantasy-based stories
(Mind Robber, Celestial
Toymaker, Greatest Show in the Galaxy), and
although Axis of Insanity is a very different story, it is most
assuredly told in that same style.
But it is rather good.
Firstly, its nice to finally have a standalone adventure that we all
can enjoy without having to link the plot to three other prior releases.
Secondly, the guest cast is fantastic, particularly Garrick Hagon as the
evil Jester. Thirdly, the concept of the Axis is brilliant, adding a
unique element to the cliche' carnival setting, and finally, the regulars
are all on top form, blending together nicely to make an effective TARDIS
team.
Several dialogue triumphs are peppered throughout the story, including
the Jester explaining to Erimem that the Doctor's companions are all pets,
Peri's stressed out "I hate my life!" line, and the WONDERFUL, MAGICAL,
BEAUTIFUL speech by Peter Davison in episode four about what it means to
be a Time Lord. It reminded me fondly of Harnell's speech in episode four
of The Massacre. Great stuff.
Oh, and the explicative "Damn you!" at the end of episode one?!?!?
Yes, it was well acted by Davison, but someone remind me where in the
entire 26 year run of Doctor Who did ANY Time Lord, much less the
Doctor, use profanity. Okay, okay, if we want to make Who more
adult, fine, but it just seems out of character.
The speech in episode four more than makes up for it.
Bottom Line: Even if you don't like fantasy, give this one a chance.
A Review by John Seavey
7/3/06
Entertaining, but insubstantial. Large chunks of the story are given
over to the "Insanity" part of the title, as the villain and his remaking
of the Axis achieve a sort of generic "woob woob woob look we're KA-RAZY!"
sensibility that you only see every three weeks or so in comics. (For the
most part, the Jester himself comes across as a sort of Joker-wannabe done
in the voice of Futurama's Robot Devil.) In between all that, there's a
decent enough plot, although there's still no real explanation of how
Jarra To broke out of her dimensional prison, and why she decided to
unleash her inner Joker clone. Both actors who play the male/female
aspects ham it up pretty equally, which is at times fun and at times
irritating.
The regulars vary from "excellent" (Peter Davison, who recognizes a
great speech towards the end when he gets it and nails the material
spot-on) to "average" (Caroline Morris, who does her usual Erimem schtick)
to "woeful" (Nicola Bryant, who over-emotes every line, perhaps in the
hopes that we won't notice that her American accent is slipping pretty
badly the entire time.)
On the whole, it's a sort of workmanlike piece of Doctor Who
entertainment.
Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Na-Na Doc-tor! by Jacob Licklider
17/12/19
Isn't it odd how The Axis of Insanity is a story that essentially sees the Fifth Doctor and company taken out of the normal universe and placed in an Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-type surrounding released immediately after The Twilight Kingdom which is supposed to take place in a setting like that, but comes across more as your traditional Doctor Who story. The plot sees the Doctor, Peri and Erimem pulled into the Axis, which is where the Web of Time compensates for the Time Lords' actions whenever they interfere with time, which is a fascinating idea. The Axis is usually looked after by the Overseer, who has asked for the Doctor's help, as he is dead and his position has been taken over by the Jester, who is basically the Joker from Batman but in a Doctor Who setting. The story is simply finding a way to defeat the Jester and discover who it is (I say "it", as the gender is constantly changing) all the while escaping its traps and trying their hardest to survive. The odd thing about this plot is that it feels like it should be placed in the Divergent Universe with the Eighth Doctor while The Twilight Kingdom would have worked a lot better as a story for the Fifth Doctor. The story also feels a lot like a comic book, which feels like a breath of fresh air, as we get to see some silly situations in all their silly glory actually come across in a good manner.
The performance by Peter Davison as the Doctor and the Jester at certain points is just sublime, as he is giving it his all to make a triumphant return after Nekromanteia was just a total and complete failure of a story; he is having a ball with a script. His turn as the Jester is extremely creepy, as he preys on Erimem, whom the Jester doesn't understand to be from a different time, which is a great way for him to reveal himself. The scene with Caroline Morris is just sublime in every way, as it is like a game of cat and mouse. This may as well be Caroline Morris' best performance as Erimem, as from the start she is trying to learn how to read English. It is a silly language to her, as there are no pictures in the way English works, contrasting the hieroglyphs of Ancient Egyptian. She can think on her feet, even if her intelligence is low, which is great as she is put in danger multiple times in this story by the Jester. Morris also has some great chemistry with Nicola Bryant's Peri, who is the weaker link here as she acts as the standard companion. This isn't that bad, as Bryant is obviously having a lot of fun making the story easy to listen to, but other than that there isn't much else to the performance.
The Jester is just a fascinating character, as it is an all-powerful being obsessed with gains and wants the Doctor's TARDIS so it can escape this reality. The performances by Garrick Hagon and Liza Ross are some of the best from a supporting cast in a while, as there is this sense of comedy but also a sense of insanity and danger as the Jester is a child with a hand grenade. It is eventually going to throw it, and there is going to be an almighty explosion, which no one is going to be left unscathed from. It is the Joker from Batman in everything but name, as it wants to create chaos in the universe and needs the TARDIS to do so - and its eventual defeat is in a very clever way, which I just love. The rest of the supporting cast doesn't matter, as they all don't really exist and are just lapses in the Web of Time, which is a cause of some of this story's flaws, as there is no one else to get invested in. When supporting people die, there really is no suspense as if one of the main cast were to die.
The direction by Gary Russell is just feeling very samey, as he has directed every story since Creatures of Beauty. That isn't a problem, as he can direct, but here he feels like he is losing steam, as he is taking care of every story in the range until John Ainsworth gives him respite in release 70, Unregenerate!. This is just a big problem, as the pace just doesn't feel right with a stop-start style story that happens.
To summarize, The Axis of Insanity is a breath of fresh air after The Twilight Kingdom felt like a lot of problems rolled into one. The plot feels wholly original, and most of the acting actually feels like the actors were giving it their all. Sadly, the direction is completely lackluster, and any suspense from supporting characters are just nonexistent. It seems to be highly underrated, and, while it isn't a great story, it is still a pretty good addition to the Doctor Who range coming highly recommended for some fun storytelling. 75/100