Doctor Who And The Visitation (Classic Novel) by Eric Saward (CD review).
‘The Visitation’ is the full-length audio book of the original novelisation of his own script by Eric Seward. Originally published in 1982, this is a newly recorded audio which includes music and sound effects.
This adventure of the Fifth Doctor is read with great spirit by Matthew Waterhouse, who played the companion Adric in the series. The story features the other companions, Nyssa and Tegan, and suffers from the age old what do we do with all these people milling about?
In the middle of a grim time for the country of England, the great plague, a house owned by the local gentry suffers an invasion of aliens who massacre the inhabitants. All goes quiet but this is simply the beginning as the TARDIS sets down in the local woods.
The Doctor manages to bring Tegan back a few hundred or so years to the possible site of Heathrow Airport. She will be a little early for her flight but at least the air quality is good. Along with Adric and Nyssa, they encounter some locals who are not at all friendly and a travelling player who has fallen on hard times. This character Richard Mace is exceptionally good value and pretty much carries a lot of the story. There is actually quite a bit of story and it does ramble in places. There seems to be a plot of being chased by the villagers just to give them something to do.
One of the best things that happens is the destruction of the sonic screwdriver. If only this could happen again we could have some proper plots.
Sue Davies
(pub: Audio Go/BBC. 3 CDs 184 minute story. Price: CD: £ 8.35 (UK), Download: £ 5.49 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-44582-620-2)
reader: Matthew Waterhouse
check out website: www.audiogo.co.uk