Big Finish: Time Lord Victorious - Mutually Assured Destruction Review

Big Finish bring their Time Lord Victorious trilogy to a close with the Doctor going head to head with the Dalek Time Squad - Die Hard-style...

The CD cover for "Mutually Assured Destruction", designed by Lee Binding.

Starring Paul McGann & Nicholas Briggs.

Written by Lizzie Hopley.

Directed by Scott Handcock.

As Time Lord Victorious begins to wind down following the release of the seminal novel "All Flesh is Grass", it was up to Big Finish to pick up from the end of that book for the Eighth Doctor, and detail what happened to him and the Dalek Time Squad as they exited the Dark Times. The so-called elevator pitch for this story was 'Die Hard with Daleks' and that so clearly shows in the story, as this turns the familiar concept of the Daleks hunting the Doctor on its head, and instead turns the Daleks into the hunted. And, like the first two stories in this trilogy, this shows off all the strengths of the audio medium for new listeners, as well as providing an exciting story for those of us well versed in Big Finish to know how strong the company is at telling Doctor Who stories.

A piece of artwork showing the
Eighth Doctor, painted by Alice
X Zhang.

One thing I will say about this story right from the beginning is that, without having read "All Flesh is Grass", you may find yourself jumping a bit into the deep end with this story. This very much follows on from the end of that novel, and, without the context of that story, you may find yourself, initially, a little lost, especially if you've just come off the back of the previous story in the trilogy "The Enemy of My Enemy". However, there is just enough of an explanation for listeners who may not have picked up the book to get the gist of the story, although I can only imagine that it might feel like you were missing something if you hadn't. Of course, I have read the book, so I knew what happened to the Eighth Doctor and the Daleks, and, as such, it was nice to see what happened after the cataclysmic events of "All Flesh is Grass". Writer Lizzie Hopley takes the obvious route of following the 'Die Hard with Daleks' premise to its natural conclusion, without the need to bolt on unnecessary or superfluous elements to the set-up. This gives the story a razor sharp focus; it knows what is wants to do, and it doesn't clutter the story with too many extra elements that distract from that central idea. Having the Doctor run rings around the Daleks is something that, honestly, should be done more often, because here, it is joyous to listen to. Most Doctor Who stories simply see the Doctor run into the Daleks, and have to rapidly defeat their scheme, before it can come to fruition. Here, however, the Daleks are simply interested in survival, as they try to repair their broken and battered ship, while the Doctor is working to a plan to get his TARDIS back, and using the Daleks to his advantage. Out of the three stories in this trilogy, this one feels the most like we're breaking new ground in terms of doing something unusual with both the Doctor and the Daleks' roles in a story. In fact, it feels very much like an inverse of the traditional role they both play in a story, with Hopley's focused much more on the Daleks, and their attempts to save the ship, while the Doctor runs around in the background, causing chaos and havoc as part of his plan. The interplay between the Doctor and the Daleks drives this story, as, bar two guest characters who only really show up in the second half, it is just these two forces throughout the story, each trying to outwit the other. Of course, what also helps to make this story special (and probably why the limited guest cast work so well) is that the Daleks here have distinct personalities. Each Dalek fulfills a different role in the story, and this is where the different Dalek characters really helps the story. If this was just the usual legions of Dalek drones, this story wouldn't be half as effective as it is. But the distinct personalities mean that this story has loads of interesting avenues to explore, be it the fracturing relationship between the Commander and the Strategist, the panicking nature of the Scientist or the crazed megalomania of the Executioner.  Each individual Dalek character contributes something different, and the Doctor's interactions with each one are different as a result. While you could argue the story is a little plot less, in this instance it actually helps, because what is interesting is the clash of characters, and their machinations drive the story, not external factors that the characters just react to.

A moody promo photo of the Daleks, designed to
promote their appearances in Series 3's "Daleks in
Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks".

As I mentioned above, other than the Doctor and the Daleks, there are only two other guest characters, who only really appear in the second half. However, they do add some much needed variety into the piece, and help to keep it from running out of steam. Tiska is definitely the most interesting of the two, as she is a scientist from a race who take the best bits of the people they conquer and adapt them into themselves, whether that be weapons, culture or biology. There's a kind of misguided pride to her that makes the fact that Tiska is the only member of her race left even more tragic. It's clear she has a genuine interest in people, however, and her relationship with the Doctor could be quite interesting, if it was decided to develop this in future stories. I certainly think she's got the makings of a great companion, and Samantha Beart (known by Doctor Who fans for playing Orr in Torchwood Series 5 and 6) has a wonderful chemistry with Paul McGann. The other character, Groth, is slightly more standard fare, being a hot-headed military man who comes unstuck facing off against the Dalek Executioner. However, Wilf Scolding plays him with just enough pathos and believability to make him seem more than a stereotype, and this does make his death scene emotionally effective. Added to that the ever-reliable Paul McGann and the multi-talented Nicholas Briggs playing all the Daleks, and you have a great cast, made all the greater by the fact there's only four of them. Scott Handcock's direction is once again interesting, bringing out some fantastic performances from his cast, as well as touching upon elements in the script that may have gone unnoticed by a different director. This, coupled with Peter Doggart's sound design and Ioan Morris' music, makes for an interesting production on a technical level. Throughout these three stories in this Paul McGann trilogy, different directors, sound designers and musicians have made the stories sound incredibly different and unique, and have helped to make the stories standout. I love the regulars who work on the Eighth Doctor line (Ken Bentley, Benji Clifford and Jamie Robertson), but a bit of variety can often produce something new and fresh, and I think this trilogy of stories have done that for the Eighth Doctor audios, which have, perhaps, been in danger of sounding a bit same-y of late.

Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, together with some of the Dalek characters from the Time Lord Victorious event.

While this trilogy has been incredibly strong, I think that "Mutually Assured Destruction" might easily be my favourite story of the three. The simple premise alone was enough to hook me in, and the fact that it is so well done is a credit to all involved. I have loved Big Finish's contributions to Time Lord Victorious, and this central trilogy, telling key parts of the story, and working with such exciting story props hasn't been a let down. All three stories have shown off how exciting the world of audio Doctor Who is for new fans, while giving long-term fans like myself the chance to enjoy three great stories with a fan-favourite Doctor. Even if you don't pick up the wider Time Lord Victorious material, this trilogy is an absolute must. And "Mutually Assured Destruction" brings it to a perfect close. 

You can get "Mutually Assured Destruction" from Big Finish Productions' website:

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-time-lord-victorious-mutually-assured-destruction-2259

All pictures copyright to the BBC/Big Finish Productions. Thank you very much for reading. You can subscribe by clicking the link at the top of the page to be notified of new content.