Iron Bright
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Big Finish Productions Iron Bright |
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| Written by | Chris Chapman |  |
| Format | Compact Disc | |
| Released | 2018 |
| Starring Colin Baker |
| Synopsis: It's London, 1828, and the father-and-son team of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel are masterminding a dangerous project - the digging of the Thames Tunnel. There's just one problem: every night, a spectral blue lady walks the excavation. Now, the 22-year-old Isambard, eager to step out of his famous father's shadow, finds himself dealing with not only the supposed supernatural, but a second unexpected guest: a colourful trespasser who calls himself 'the Doctor'. Isambard would like to know a great deal more about this strange man and his mysterious blue box... |
A Review by Thomas Tiley 18/1/26
The sixth Doctor arrives in 1828 and helps Isambard Brunel investigate the ghost-infested Thames Tunnel.
There are some effective imagery and ideas in this tale: ghostly scarred women emerging from the tunnels, the ghosts sabotaging the tunnel, the banquet held in the half-constructed tunnel, the Doctor almost getting swept away in the flood, a woman dropping out of the sky, windows to other worlds, gleaming cities with windows to Earth. The idea that the other world watches London through the windows like television or a zoo is a nice idea. When Tan runs into Flo, it's treated like she is a fan meeting her favorite actor. The explanation of the ghosts, people in pods being projected like holograms and used as weapons, is another one.
James MacCallum effectively plays Brunel, who acts as the Doctor's sort-of companion in this story. There are some funny parts where the Doctor tries to stop him getting into his TARDIS or from being influenced by the world he stumbles into (telling him not to pay attention or look away from all the gleaming metal and glass buildings), or when the Doctor lets slip the term Industrial Revolution. Christopher Fairbanks plays Brunel's father with a truly bizarre French accent (Brunel's father was from France originally, something the audio doesn't mention) who gets the Doctor to help and then ignores his advice and ends up causing trouble. The audio explores the strained relationship between father and son. Becky Wright plays Flo the maid who steps up to help them, making another interesting pseudo-companion character. I liked her interactions with Tan (played by Catherine Bailey), the woman from another world who befriends her, makes her feel important and inspires her to be more than a maid. Imogen Church plays Rispa, the leader of the other world, and gets a few funny moments of sarcasm, playing her in a casual and amusing way; not playing her for laughs exactly but in that light manner/style.
The dilemma of how London/Earth is leaking through and polluting/affecting the other world's health to the point that they have to carry personal forcefield bubbles around them is an interesting one, even if it's a little odd that people capable of killer holograms and transmat cannot build/think of a way to block out the pollution save invading and destroying all the factories. Not to mention their extreme reaction to the smoke: despite looking human, their skin is extremely sensitive, coming out in scars and blisters. If they are that sensitive, it's a surprise that the tea that Tan drinks doesn't give her an allergic reaction and kill her. Still, it is miles better than something like Orphan 55. Come to think of it, this isn't the first time Colin Baker has had trouble with pollution (The Airzone Solution).
My favorite moments are Brunel nicking the Doctor's TARDIS key and the Doctor complaining about swallowing Thames water, only for Brunel to tell him he wouldn't have that trouble if he kept his mouth shut.
This is a pretty good story, slightly predicable and similar to the celebrity historical of the modern Doctor Who with a strong anti-pollution message and a few Mark of the Rani references. 9/10