We start 2013 with the first of the second series of seven Fourth Doctor Adventures these featuring both Tom Baker and Mary Tamm as Roman I. I hadn’t originally aimed to get these (budget reasons) but cracked when I saw that they would include a Jago & Litefoot tale and two tales drawn from the Audio Visuals back catalogue. Back to the point, January’s tale was Jonathan Morris’s The Auntie Matter, generally summarised as a Wodehousian romp; is it is just a piece of fun or is better than that? Spoilers below - what ho!
The Story
The Doctor and Romana are in 1920s London having left K9 in the TARDIS to go spinning off randomly through history to elude the Black Guardian. The Doctor is making a gadget to locate alien technology whilst Romana goes out to experience Earth and decides to peruse a bookshop to gauge the level of human progress in science.
Meanwhile, Reggie is taking his fiancée to Bassett Hall for his Aunt Florence to meet; we quickly learn that Florence is an alien who jumps bodies to stay alive. Devouring the latest young lady in Reggie’s life she then resets his memory and sends him off to find a ‘bright young girl in London’ - no prizes for guessing who that might be!
The Doctor and Romana are split up and both end up at Bassett Hall - Romana with Reggie and The Doctor with Mabel (a maid) in pursuit of newly detected alien technology.
The first episode ends with almost all of the plot revealed giving plenty of time for a light hearted farce of chases, spaceships and exploding androids.
All ends well, Reggie gets the girl and both our heroes independently save the day without realising the other is involved. All jolly fun, what?!
The Production
Both Mary and Tom are spot on here and I strongly felt Tom was more authentic to the original playing of the character than either the first series of 4DA and the AudioGo works he has done. The idea of having 95% of the plot in the first part threw me initially but I did enjoy the larks in the second part. Julia McKenzie was an inspired choice as Lady Florence but Mabel played by Lucy Griffiths was on the nail as well. Finally Reggie was as much of a duffer as he should be and Robert Portal didn’t let the side down.
After the usual interviews there is also a tribute to Mary Tamm and I have to say Tom’s words were very moving and clearly heartfelt.
Overall
So, one story in and I am already pleased at getting a subscription. A good standard has already been set and I look forward to next month.
Enough of me - did you listen to this? Did you like it or is this not your idea of spiffing fun? Let me know!
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