Doctor Who: The Widow’s Assassin by Nev Fountain (CD review).
Frustrated by ‘Trial Of A Time Lord’ and the outcome for Perpigiliam Brown, then ‘The Widow’s Assassin’ will put things right for you. In time, all things can be changed and it’s about time the Sixth Doctor found out what happened to Peri who was such a loyal companion to him. This is an interesting concept as we are reintroducing Peri after a long absence. Set after the Time Lord’s abstraction of the Doctor to his spurious trial, we have been used to him travelling with many other companions but not post-Trial Peri.
Tracking Peri to the home planet of the King Ycarnos, he finds he’s not a welcome guest at the soon-to-be-wed Peri. He did, after all, leave her for dead on the planet of Thorus Beta after her mind was destroyed by that of Lord Kiv Though this is later proved to be the Valeyard fictional version of events, this was a shock to the Doctor. When it was revealed that Peri left with Ycarnos to get wed, this was an even bigger shock for the Doc!
So Peri is about to marry King Ycarnos after that whirlwind courtship on the operating table and she refuses to see the Doctor. He persists and prepares for a long wait, in the dungeon. Five years later, Peri is ready to get his help to investigate a royal murder but can they ever be friends again?
This story plays with our idea of continuity and has a little chuckle at the fans desire for closure. The fate of Peri has been the object of speculation for some years. After all, she was a modern a girl and Ycarnos was…Brian Blessed. The marriage was never going to be a success. It seems to effectively pick up the tone of the 1980s drama and the court setting is almost familiar from other dramas like ‘The Curse Of Peladon’. There are some great supporting characters in this audio written by Nev Fountain including Harcross The Ever Patient (Glynn Sweet) and Constable Wolsey (Tim Chipping). Guard 1 (Andrew Dickens) and Guard 2 (John Banks) also have some amusing dialogue but this audio play is not afraid to offer real drama and not just comedy asides.
It is good to hear Peri and the Doctor again as she is the companion who was with the Fifth Doctor when he died to save her and saw the regeneration into the mildly psychotic Sixth Doctor who starts off their friendship by trying to kill her! Their relationship was difficult and it means that her refusal to see him actually makes sense in that context, which leads very nicely into the plot which made my head ache a bit at the end. It goes a little bit crazy but in a good way and, again, it does hark back to ‘The Trial Of A Time Lord’ series.
Nev Fountain has come up with an explanation of what happened to Peri and that should sort the fans. Of course, you may have a different take on it.
If you like this I recommend the Companion Chronicle Peri and the Piscon Paradox also by Nev Fountain (http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/articles/books/2011/Peri-And-The-Piscon-Paradox-by-Nev-Fountain-15957.php).
Sue Davies
November 2014
(pub: Big Finish. 2 CDs 120 minute story. Price: CD: £14.99 (UK), Download: £12.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-78178-333-7)
cast: Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Tim Chipping, John Banks, Andrew Dickens, FIona Sheehan and Glynn Sweet
check out website: www.bigfinish.com
