Big Finish: The Lost Stories - The Mega Review

The Doctor, Jo and UNIT go up against an enemy that has the power to destroy the world, unless their demands for peace are met...

The CD cover for "The Mega", designed by Damien May.

Starring Katy Manning, Richard Franklin, Bo Poraj & Derek Carlyle.

Written by Bill Strutton.

Adapted by Simon Guerrier.

Directed by Ken Bentley.

Unlike a lot of Doctors in the show's history, the Third Doctor doesn't really have a lot of scripts that didn't get made during his era. Often, script editor Terrance Dicks worked on many seemingly unworkable scripts, "The Claws of Axos" being a notable example. And, even those stories which were rejected often have very little known about them, as they were rejected so early into their development. As such, "The Mega", the final story in the fourth series of Lost Stories from Big Finish is a bit of an oddity. Its the only Third Doctor story in the range, a situation not helped by the large hole that Jon Pertwee left in this team (this was released pre-Tim Treloar, comments section), meaning that any story would acutely struggle to feel a part of this era. It is surprising, therefore, that "The Mega" is actually a pretty decent story, one that manages to feel as much a part of Season 8 as "Terror of the Autons" or "The Daemons". While it does feel a little unlike Doctor Who in some respects, and it seems a little broad for the kind of stories they would have told at the time, it is still a good story that combines some extraordinary set-pieces and some wonderful performances to make a story that will make any Third Doctor fan delighted.

Jon Pertwee and Katy Manning, aka the Doctor
and Jo, in a promotional photo for "The Daemons".

Of course, we should address the elephant in the room first, before continuing. Yes, this story is written by Bill Strutton, who is probably most (in)famous to Doctor Who fans as the one who wrote "The Web Planet". However, "The Mega" is a massive step-up from his previous work, as it is bursting with ideas. After the demonstration of a new type of gas, the British government receive a message telling them if the West don't disarm, a number of senior government and army figures will be killed. As panic starts to spread, and the government comes under increasing pressure, the Doctor whisks Jo off to another country, seemingly on a wild goose chase. Has the Doctor really defected to the enemy? The closest story this comes to is "The Mind of Evil", as it is a hybrid of two different types of Doctor Who. It combines the hard-nose, adult style of Season 7, with the slightly more relaxed, family dynamic of Season 8 and the rest of the Jon Pertwee era. Simon Guerrier has been very careful with the adaptation, attempting to keep a lot of the tone and the flavour of the original outline, while at the same time making changes that, not only would the script have gone through at the time, but also changes to make it work as a piece of storytelling today. All this while making sure that it doesn't end feeling like a mashed up hybrid is a tall order, and Guerrier pulls it off. The whole story has the vibe of a thriller, with lots of double crossing, clandestine meetings and trips across borders into foreign, hostile countries. The tone of the whole story makes it feel more like one of the ITC shows of the time: The Saint, The Champions, even The Persuaders all spring to mind. It even mimics the shape of the Sean Connery James Bond movies, to a degree, in its forward motion and large scale blackmail plot. "The Mega"'s only real concession to being a Doctor Who story, outside of the regular characters, is the use of aliens. The Mega are certainly an interesting creation, although I imagine the production team at the time would have torn their hair out trying to realise them. The idea that, because so much energy is pouring through them, anyone that touches them is killed is an interesting concept, although, even with the narrative description, its kind of hard to visualise them properly. There's something that is difficult to grasp about them, as there's a lot going on there. As such, they are pretty much kept in the background, with Prince Cassie acting as a figurehead for the monsters. Its an established format that works well, and was common in this season with the character of the Master. Of course, this is a Pertwee-era six-parter, so, of course, it is filled with plenty of capture and escape, perhaps too much capture and escape. After the first two brisk episodes, which quickly establish the set-up and what's going on, the whole thing slows down considerably, to the point where you wonder if it is ever going to get started again. I think you could have easily condensed the two middle episodes down to one, and it probably would have been a better paced story, although one could argue that the padding is actually authentic to the era. Certainly, the Doctor and Jo's thread of the story feels less essential than the UNIT thread (which is actually pretty dark, and at times makes for pretty grim listening), and, as that dominates episodes 3 and 4, they end up feeling longer than they need to be. The narration I think may be part of the problem: because we're having to have a lot of things explained to us, it does occasionally mean the story is long-winded and complicated. It's a shame, because if this was a bit brisker, it might have been a bit punchier and a bit more successful.

The late Nicholas Courtney as the
Brigadier, in a promo photo for "The Mind
of Evil".

The characters are written in the same vein as those guest characters who made a huge impact in Season 7. They're morally complex, driven by flaws and insecurities, and make for a contrast with the slightly more broad characters that would define the later Pertwee era. Prince Cassie is probably the most interesting of the guest cast, as, while we find him and his actions morally reprehensible, we can understand where he is coming from, and his desire for peace between nations. His discussions with the Doctor do help lift the middle episodes, and actor Bo Poraj brings the right levels of sympathy and malice to the part. When he loses his temper, he really goes for it, however, and his ranting is almost as scary and intimidating as any Dalek. Both Poraj and Derek Caryle play a number of parts (Caryle's biggest role is probably the Mega themselves, which he gives a suitable menacing growl to), and they  throw themselves at these very different roles with aplomb. In terms of characters, this has to be one of the largest casts in a Big Finish production, with multiple characters played by the very small cast. It's amazing how well the actors acquit themselves to this huge task, especially considering how some of the roles are little more than bit parts. Both Richard Franklin and Katy Manning also have the huge task of not just playing Jo and Mike, but also conveying the narration, and bringing those members of the regular cast not present for the production to life. Katy, particularly, has to try and convey Jon Pertwee, which she actually does incredibly well, considering the obvious differences. There's a lot of warm affection in the portrayal of Pertwee, so, despite the fact that, if we were being honest, Manning doesn't really sound a lot like him, it doesn't matter, because we somehow get a sense of him in the story. The same is true for Franklin's take on Courtney's Brigadier and Levene's Benton, which is affectionate enough to carry you through, while not really sounding anything like (although Franklin's Brigadier isn't actually half bad, to be honest). The actors are well supported by director Ken Bentley, who works wonders to get some great performances out of them. The music and sound design is also pretty strong, although I would argue that Richard Fox and Lauren Yason's efforts aren't particularly reminiscent of the era, something the Lost Stories is famous for. However, it is effective at telling the story, which is ultimately the most important thing, so any dissimilarity to the era can be forgiven. It at least makes it punchy and exciting, and gives some of the middle sections a much needed boost.

The Doctor, Jo and Mike, in a photo taken during the recording of the two companion's first story, "Terror of the Autons".

Overall, then, "The Mega" is a pretty enjoyable story that, even though it wasn't made at the time, feels very much a part of Season 8. Its a nice hybrid mix of the hardened edge of Pertwee's first year with the softer tone of the rest of the era, and it works well at telling a gripping and involving story of aliens planning to destroy the world if peace is not achieved. There are a couple of issues, but they don't unduly get in the way of a great story, and, as such, "The Mega" is a fine addition to the Lost Stories range. If it had been made at the time, I think this might have struggled, but, on audio, this has very much found a home. I hope one day Big Finish can resurrect some more unused scripts from the Pertwee era, as, if they're anything like this, then we'd be in for a treat. 

You can get "The Mega" from Big Finish Productions' website:

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-mega-823

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