Why You Need to be Listening to Doom Coalition
Big Finish are currently offering a number of stories free from their back catalogue to enjoy. So, over the next few weeks, I'll give you a review of the individual episode in question, as well as some reasons why you should be listening to the range or series the story hails from in full. We continue the series with - Doom Coalition…
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| The CD cover for "The Eleven", designed by Tom Webster. |
5 years ago this month, Big Finish launched perhaps the most ambitious arc in Doctor Who history: Doom Coalition was a sixteen episode 'season', divided up into four box sets. Featuring Paul McGann, Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan, along with Mark Bonnar, Emma Cunniffe, Robert Bathurst and Alex Kingston, this huge arc took the Eighth Doctor across time and space, in an effort to disrupt the plans of a cabal of Time Lords intent on destroying the universe, in order to further their agenda. Following in the wake of Dark Eyes, this was a huge project, and Big Finish threw everything at this series. And, while not perfect, Doom Coalition is one of the most exciting, most surprising and most well-planned collection of releases in Big Finish history. With a clever central idea, some amazing individual stories and a wonderful story arc with an actually great resolution for a Doctor Who story arc, Doom Coalition is one of my favourite Eighth Doctor 'eras' and is absolutely a great starting point for fans new to the adventures of the Eighth Doctor.
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| The box set cover for "Doom Coalition 1", designed by Tom Webster. |
The opening story, "The Eleven", sees the Doctor and Liv Chenka recalled to Gallifrey by the Time Lords, when one of their most dangerous criminals, the Eleven, escapes from prison. It is up to the Doctor to find him before all hell breaks loose. But, in doing so, the Doctor will find himself caught up in a vast conspiracy that could have serious repercussions for the whole universe... "The Eleven" launches Doom Coalition with a confident, self-assured story that knows which pieces it is putting on the table, and which twists it needs to keep hidden. Part political thriller, part action epic, this has all the feel of something like "The Deadly Assassin", only ramped up to the same pace as an episode of modern Doctor Who. The Doctor is on the back foot right from the beginning, desperately trying to stop the Eleven any way he can. Right from the very first scene (which features a guest appearance from Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor), the Eleven is one of the most dangerous of all the Doctor's foes, and he is a force to be reckoned with. The idea of a Time Lord who has all the voices of his past incarnations inside his head, all vying for control, is a wonderful idea, and its actually amazing no one has thought to do it before. What makes the concept such a success, though, is the performance of Mark Bonnar, who brings the character to life in a way I don't think anyone else could have done. He does a brilliant job of playing the Eleven: who wants to look like he's in control, but really he's falling apart at the seams; and of playing his other incarnations, all of whom have distinct personalities and voices. Honestly, it's amazing how Bonnar actually manages to achieve that performance, as it seems, to mere mortals, amazing. Here, the Eleven is the scheming mastermind, who is several steps ahead of the Doctor right from the very beginning, and his plan will genuinely surprise you. There are a number of incredibly brutal moments as well, that reinforce how dangerous this character is, and how powerful he is. His scenes with the Doctor's companion, Liv, are wonderful, not just because he's a great villain, but because Liv is a great companion. Wonderfully played by Nicola Walker, you don't need to have heard her appearances in "Robophobia", and the preceding Eighth Doctor series Dark Eyes, to listen to this. You just need to know that Liv has been travelling with the Doctor for some time. She's used wonderfully here, as she gets to explore the world of Gallifrey, and see the Doctor's people without a filter. Together with Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, they make for a killer TARDIS team, and that is put to great use here. "The Eleven" starts Doom Coalition off in confident style, and is an absolute must listen. I actually can't imagine a better opening episode to a huge sixteen episode arc, to be honest, and this episode has everything you would want from a great set-up.
And, if you enjoyed "The Eleven", then here is a list of 3 reasons why you need to be listening to the rest of Doom Coalition:
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| The box set cover for "Doom Coalition 2", designed by Tom Webster. |
1. A Well-Thought Out Arc:
Whereas Dark Eyes started out as one single four-part story that was expanded to sixteen episodes, Doom Coalition was always planned to be one huge epic right from the very beginning. And this shows in the confidence of the storytelling, as it is clear, right from the beginning, that this has been meticulously planned. There's elements in each story that add to the greater whole, to varying degrees, and each episode has a clear place in the wider arc. Some of these are quite small, allowing for more standalone stories, while others are very tied into the arc, and advance the main story in major ways. There are even some episodes that, at first, seem inconsequential, but, once you have listened to the full story, will change you view on them. However, everything works with what the arc is trying to do, and it actually allows for some incredibly varied styles of storytelling, while all fitting under the umbrella tone and style Doom Coalition is going for. There are little elements in the first few stories that are paid off in the final box set, and the whole story is resolved satisfactorily at the end. Where a lot of Doctor Who arcs fall down is in the resolution, but, because Doom Coalition was planned out from the beginning, the conclusion actually works on drawing together all the different elements that have come together over the course of the box sets. And even elements that may have been added at a later date, like River Song or the Weeping Angels, feel organically integrated into the story, and end up enhancing it, without making it feel over cluttered or overcomplicated.
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| The CD cover for the award-winning "The Red Lady", designed by Tom Webster. |
2. A Good Mix of Episodes:
I touched upon this in the previous point, but I find one of Doom Coalition's strengths is the total variety of stories this series encompasses. From the small-scale emotional stories like "The Galileo Trap", "Scenes From Her Life" and the heart-breaking "Absent Friends" (seriously, just get Doom Coalition for "Absent Friends", its brilliant!), to more epic stories like "The Eleven", "The Sonomancer", "The Crucible of Souls" and "The Side of the Angels", there is so much more variety than Dark Eyes, and it really adds to that feeling of this being one big season of Doctor Who. There's horror stories ("The Red Lady"), political thrillers ("The Eleven", "Songs of Love"), black comedies ("Scenes From Her Life"), tight bottle episodes ("Ship in a Bottle") and heartfelt emotional pieces ("Absent Friends"), amongst others. The sheer variety is something to be admired, and its wonderful that you can go from something like "The Red Lady" to "The Galileo Trap", and get two completely different experiences, while still fitting together into a cohesive experience. And some of Doom Coalition's individual episodes are some of the finest audio Doctor Who experiences you will ever have. Both "The Red Lady" and "Absent Friends" have won awards for how good they are: "The Red Lady" won the Scribe Awards for Tie-In Media in 2016, while "Absent Friends" won the prestigious BBC Audio Award in 2017. Doom Coalition has, quite rightly had praise and acclaim from many quarters, and its stories are some of the most highly-regarded in the Big Finish back catalogue. While all the stories feel a part of the same cohesive arc, they all have their own individual identity, and you can enjoy (or maybe, in some cases, not enjoy) a story on its own terms, without it interfering in your opinions of the arc. These box sets all have a good mix of stories as well, something that I think is vital to any good season of Doctor Who. Whatever you enjoy the most, there will be something here for you.
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| The box set cover for "Doom Coalition 3", designed by Tom Webster. |
3. A Strong Set of Regulars:
Doctor Who has had many notable TARDIS teams down the years: from the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe, to the Fourth Doctor and Sarah; and from the Seventh Doctor and Ace to the Tenth Doctor and Donna, there are a lot of TARDIS teams that really stick in the memory. My personal favourite Eighth Doctor companion is Lucie Miller, as played by the wonderful Sheridan Smith. However, the Doom Coalition team of the Eighth Doctor, Liv and Helen is very much a favourite of mine, and, together with the extended characters that populate these stories, they make for one of the most exciting teams in recent times. With amazing actors like Paul McGann, Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan, it's no wonder though, as the three of them together are utterly wonderful. Somehow, the three of them have such an easy chemistry with each other, helped by the fact that each member of the TARDIS crew has an important role to play in the dynamic, that makes each player valuable and never does anyone end up feeling like a spare part. And then, added into the mix is Alex Kingston as River Song, who slots into the Eighth Doctor era like a glove. Kingston and Paul McGann have a chemistry together that, I would say, is even better than her chemistry with Matt Smith *ducks for cover*. But seriously, River Song's presence is absolutely right for these stories, and she slots into the TARDIS team very well. Added to that recurring villains like Mark Bonnar's Eleven, Emma Cunniffe's Caleera and Robert Bathurst's Padrac, and you have a regular group of characters who are genuinely interesting to listen to, and it makes the stories so enjoyable as a result.
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| The box set cover for "Doom Coalition 4", designed by Tom Webster. |
Doom Coalition is one of Big Finish's greatest achievements, in my honest opinion. Arc-driven storytelling is often impossible to pull off in Doctor Who, yet Doom Coalition somehow manages to pull it off. Each episode has its own distinct identity, but all feed into the overall story, while the main story itself is gripping, and twists in so many different directions. It is incredibly rare you will find as cohesive an experience as Doom Coalition, and I honestly believe that everyone will find something to enjoy somewhere in this series. Doom Coalition is an absolute must - you won't regret it, I promise you that.
Until the 19th of October 2020, you can get "The Eleven", the first episode in Doom Coalition 1, from Big Finish completely free. You can find it here:
You can also save up to 55% on Doom Coalition 1-4 until the 19th of October 2020 too. You can find a full list of the titles here:
Happy listening!
All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading.
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