Big Finish: The Diary of River Song - Series 1 Review

The box-set cover for "The Diary of River Song: Series 1", designed by Tom Webster.

Starring Alex Kingston, Paul McGann, Samuel West, Alexander Vlahos & Alexander Siddig.

Written by Jenny T Colgan, Justin Richards, James Goss & Matt Fitton.

Directed by Ken Bentley. 

One of Big Finish's earliest foray's into New Series Doctor Who territory, the first series of The Diary of River Song had its work cut out for it. After all, it had to prove that not only could the character of River Song be spurned out into a series on her own, away from the Doctor, but that writers other than Steven Moffat could write for River, and give her the same level of complexity, depth and emotional resonance that he had imbued the character with in all of her previous TV appearances. And I think that, for the most part, "The Diary of River Song: Series 1" succeeds in these aims. The character of River Song translates well across to audio, while the writers have come up with compelling and interesting situations for her character in inhabit, as well as a complex series arc that unfolds well across the four episodes.

The CD cover for "The Boundless Sea", designed
by Tom Webster.

The first story is "The Boundless Sea" written by new series novelist Jenny T Colgan, and is very much a low-key affair, and not the story you'd expect to start a series all about the exploits of River Song with. We start with River in self-imposed exile, working in academia away from the world. However, strange goings on in a Surene tomb draw River away from her studies, and into danger. As I mentioned above, this is not quite the story you'd expect Big Finish to open the very first River Song box-set with, and that may be the reason why, in some ways, its a little hard to get onboard with this story. While placing River in an archaeological setting is a great idea (of course, its how we're introduced to River in "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead"), this story ends up feeling less like an exciting, Indiana Jones-type story, and more like a fairly standard, run-of-the-mill New Series Doctor Who story. As such, it does little to really mark itself out amongst the many Doctor Who spin-offs out there, and it means this series does start on a little bit of a duffer. I wouldn't say "The Boundless Sea" was a bad story, but it, to this reviewer at least, did little to capture the imagination, and, as such, there were points where I did struggle with it. When you've listened to as many Big Finish audios as I have, you get a feeling for where a story like this might go, or what the production team might do. As such, there's nothing really original here, and you may find your interest rapidly waning. It's also never really explained why River is in so-called 'self-imposed exile', and, as such, we're never quite sure why she's acting the way she is throughout this story. I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping such details oblique (it isn't really central to the story at hand anyway), but some hints would have been nice, as this cold version of River is at deep contrast with the character we usually know and love. That being said, writer Jenny T Colgan does at least get some nice period detail into the story, and the character of Prim is quite interesting, and makes for a good contrasting character with River herself. Her bitterness and twisted nature makes sense, and it does allow us to touch upon River's backstory, without suddenly finding ourselves drowning in it. However, "The Boundless Sea" is still just a mediocre piece, that starts The Diary of River Song in a rather perfunctory fashion. I enjoyed it for what it was, but I don't think that its a really notable story, even in the grand scheme of things. It's not bad, but, for me, its one of the weakest openers to a Big Finish box-set.

The CD cover for "I Went to a Marvellous Party",
designed by Tom Webster.

The second story, "I Went to a Marvellous Party", is a step-up in quality, although it once again plays out exactly as you'd expect. Invited to a party in space, River is drawn into a murder mystery where it isn't clear who the killer is, nor even who the good guys are... Writer Justin Richards is clearly having a lot of fun with the murder-mystery tropes here, as this script is chock full of them. There are red herrings, suspicious characters and a clever solution to tie everything together. In fact, the only thing this episode is missing is the big reveal at the end, which makes sense in the context of the story. As I said before, there's nothing here that you haven't seen before, but, unlike "The Boundless Sea", "I Went to a Marvellous Party" doesn't drag, and at least does maintain a certain tongue-in-cheek-ness about itself. Aside from the murder-mystery aspects of the plot, there are several arc elements which are introduced here, and these add to the story and give it some much needed colour. The idea of a secret society manipulating whole planets going up against River Song is a great idea, and plays out as well as you'd expect. Bertie Potts reappears here, after seemingly being dealt with in the previous story, and is certainly much more interesting here than in that story, moving from P.G. Woodhouse stereotype to slightly more of a insufferable underling with a sadistic streak. The rest of the cast are better fleshed out than in "Boundless Sea", although I would argue that, once again, they are little more than a collection of stereotypes and cliches. But that basically sums up the whole of "I Went to a Marvellous Party": a collection of cliches, strung together to form an interesting bit of world building and arc set-up. This may be disposable on its own, but does at least function as a good set-up episode for the series arc, and doesn't outstay its welcome. Disposable, but fun, this is where the first series of The Diary of River Song really gets going.

The CD cover for "Signs", designed by Tom
Webster.

Episode three, "Signs" is something very different from the previous two episodes in the box-set. Functioning as a two-hander between River and the mysterious Mr Song, this is a much more experimental piece than "Boundless Sea" and "Marvellous Party". Taking its cues from stories like "Heaven Sent" and episodes of Sherlock like "The Lying Detective", this is an episode that is pieced together from fragments of narrative, dreams and unreal events. Like River piecing together the mystery of the SporeShips, the listener has to piece together the narrative thread from the scenes presented by writer James Goss, and this makes the story one of the most narratively challenging Big Finish releases in recent times. In many ways, its very similar to stories like "Scherzo" and "Creatures of Beauty", which feature similar tricks, though "Signs" manages to avoid simply copying those stories, and forges its own unique identity. While saying too much about the story will give it away (and this is one you really want to go into knowing as little as possible), what I will say is that this is one of the finest Big Finish stories in many a year, and is easily the best episode in the first Diary of River Song box-set. Using its two-handed nature and its hour-long run-time to its full advantage, "Signs" is led much more by the characters than the other stories in this set, where character is secondary to the plot. While the first two stories were big and bold (at least in intention) and contained exciting set-pieces, this is much more reflective and ruminative. This change of pace is welcome, and demonstrates more of Big Finish's strengths I feel. That's not to say that "Signs" doesn't have some impressive set-pieces: on the contrary, this story's scale and scope is greater than any of the other stories in the box-set. However, this never forgets what its central purpose is, and the relationship between River and 'Mr Song' is both sparky and sinister, sometimes even at the same time. There's a friction between the two that never quite goes away, so, throughout the story, you're waiting for the moment when that tension breaks. And rest assured, reader, that when it does, it provides all the answers you could want. This explains itself at the end, so you aren't left puzzled as to how certain things have happened, or what the significance of a particular moment might have been. "Signs" does certainly reward repeat listens, however, as you can look at the events in a completely different light. Together with some great character work, complex plotting and an offbeat structure, "Signs" stands out considerably from the other stories in the first series of The Diary of River Song, and is easily my favourite of the four. If you're a fan of the Doctor and River Song, you owe it to yourself to listen to this.

The CD cover for "The Rulers of the Universe",
designed by Tom Webster.

And so we come to the grand finale, ominously titled "The Rulers of the Universe". Both the story that people were waiting for, and the story on which this box-set hinges, the onus was on this one to deliver. And, for the most part, it does - provided you don't expect the Eighth Doctor and River to physically meet. Bringing together the various story strands that have run throughout the set to this point, it sees River flung into a confrontation with both the Rulers and the ancient creators of the SporeShips from "Signs", all the while trying to keep the Eighth Doctor alive and from discovering her true identity. Now, as I mentioned above, the Eighth Doctor and River are kept very much at arms length throughout this story, due that thorny issue of continuity. I won't go into the details of the workaround that writer Matt Fitton comes up with (for fear of spoilers), but it does allow, at least, for some slightly hampered interplay between the two characters, even if you're always conscious of the trick being pulled. The other problem this creates is that it means River isn't really physically active in the resolution of the saga, which somehow feels wrong, considering that this is her box-set. However, in Fitton's defence, thanks to the conceit of the narrative, River is at least there in voice, if not in a 'physical' presence. The rest of the story, however, is great, and a superb conclusion to the events of the series. River's take down of the Rulers is one of the cleverest and most sadistic in Doctor Who history, and shows a real understand of what motivates the character, and of her modus operandi in dealing with a problem. She's much more sadistic than the Doctor ever has been, and much more willing to play the long game too, that's all I'll say. It helps to remind the audience that, despite the obvious similarities, River and the Doctor aren't quite the same, and won't necessarily make the same choices, something that, occasionally, this set has forgotten a little. The rest of the story isn't necessarily exceptional, but it does bring the events of the set to a great conclusion. The Sanakuma are a great new race of world creators and builders, and they give the title of the episode an added meaning, functioning as a kind of judge and jury to the universe. Sure, there are a number of races introduced previously in the show that fulfill a similar function to the Sanakuma, but what's interesting about them is that they're mostly kept in the shadows, as a kind of Lovecraftian-type of ancient force, which is far more interesting than another race of aliens with delusions of grandeur. The Eighth Doctor, too, has a great role in the story, being written as much more of the fun adventurer than some of the more recent Big Finish releases have allowed him to be. Of course, the bite of the Time War is very much present, as seen in "The Night of the Doctor", but the Doctor's interactions with River do allow a lightness to come through in the character. Overall, while "Rulers of the Universe" is pretty standard as far as finales go, it is a good end to the box-set, with River and the Eighth Doctor coming together in a fun fashion, that promises more for their future relationship. It isn't anything we haven't seen before, but it does at least provide a satisfactory conclusion, and that's all you can really ask for.

The pack-shot for "The Diary of River Song: Series
1", showing all four CD's and the slipcover box-set.

In terms of production, this is a superb example of Big Finish bringing their A-game. Across the board, from acting and directing to sound design and music, Big Finish have pulled out all the stops, so, even if the script may not have been the best it could have been, the production is rich and sumptuous. Alex Kingston is absolutely the standout star throughout the box-set, translating River from the visual medium to the audio one with ease. No matter what your opinion on the River Song character is, one thing you cannot deny is Alex Kingston's undeniable talent, and that shines in this box-set, as she gets the chance to let River loose from the Doctor, and show how exciting the character always was, your opinion on where her story went not withstanding. Aided by great actors like Alexander Vlahos, Samuel West (who is perfect as the mysterious 'Mr Song') and, of course, Paul McGann, this is one of the strongest collections of actors Big Finish have ever assembled, with not even a duff line or problematic choice tripping this lot up. As for the post-production, well, the amazing work from Steve Foxon and Howard Carter creates a believable and immersive soundscape that brings the various story worlds to life. And Carter's brassy and bombastic score is perfectly in keeping with the brassy and bombastic tone of the stories, with his amazing theme tune for the series being the perfect embodiment of that. If you were introducing someone who was new to Big Finish with this release, they would have no problem following the story, because the production brings these scripts to life with consummate belivability and technical prowess.

A picture taken during the recording of "I Went to a Marvellous Party", the second story in "The Diary of River Song: Series 1". From left to right: John Voce (Actor: Jenkins/Technician 1/Sanakuma 1), John Banks (Actor: Professor Straiton/Technician 2/Sanakuma 2), Alexander Vlahos (Actor: Bertie Potts), Justin Richards (Writer), Alexander Siddig (Actor: Marcus Gifford), Ken Bentley (Director), Alex Kingston (Actor: River Song), Matt Fitton (Script Editor & Writer) & Letty Butler (Actor: Spritz).

Overall then, "The Diary of River Song: Series 1" is a pretty decent start to the adventures of River Song on audio. The stories are, for the most part, exciting, with imaginative concepts and interesting characters, and the production is insanely brilliant, no matter the story. It is by no means perfect, and the set does take its time to get going, however, when it does, the listener is rewarded by some great stories that more than prove The Diary of River Song has the power to last. If you're new to Big Finish, then this is definietly a release I recommend, as you'll get a lot out of it. If your a seasoned Big Finish veteran like me, you may find there's less in there for you, however I'm sure you'll get something out of it, especially episode 3, "Signs". Therefore, "The Diary of River Song: Series 1" is well worth picking up, for both old and new Big Finish fans.

You can get "The Diary of River Song: Series 1" from Big Finish Productions' website here:

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-diary-of-river-song-series-01-1313

All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. The last picture is copyright to Ken Bentley. Thank you very much for reading. You can subscribe by clicking the link at the top of the page.