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Publisher's Details |
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Writer: Jonathan Morris | Director: Gary Russell
CD Details (Buy the CD from Big Finish) Published: July 2001 | ISBN: 1-903654-32-7 | RRP: £9.99 (UK) |
| The Cast | |||
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The Doctor:
Evelyn Smythe: Charles Darwin: Captain Fitzroy: |
Colin Baker
Maggie Stables Miles Richardson George Telfer |
Tulok:
Governor Lawson: Shvak: Greta: |
Daniel Hogarth
Julian Harries Helen Goldwyn Jane Goddard |
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Emilio / Lokan:
The Myrka: |
Jez Fielder
Rob Shearman & William Johnson |
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| The Story |
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The Doctor is accompanied by Maggie Stables as Evelyn Smythe, a companion created by Big Finish.
This story bring the TARDIS crew to the Galapagos Islands a good few years back. And then some. Evelyn is using the opportunity that knowing the Doctor has given her in order to meet one of her Idols, Charles Darwin, at the time when he was making the observations that would later lead to a theory that would change the world. But, as an opening scene set even further back in the past reminds us, there have been other species on this planet, that even the most ardent natural historians might not be aware of. The Silurians were once here. Some of them are less tolerant than others. Oh, and they might like their planet back too. (Paul Tapner) |
| Paul Tapner's Review |
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Bloodtide is a rather traditional tale. The Doctor and Evelyn are separated and both get surrogate companions for a few episodes before they come together again. What makes this enjoyable are certain details in the setting.
The uppity colonial governor has a few secrets in his cells. Silurian sea beasts attacks are far better than they did in Warriors of the Deep because this time it’s up to your imagination rather than visual effects.
As usual Big Finish manage excellent sound design that really convinces us of the setting - and how can you not love any story where the monster says "DIE WELL, DOC-TOR!"? I’m sure Mark Gatiss enjoyed that bit.
Everything comes together in a thrilling fourth episode that features daring escapes from cells in secret bases and bombs counting down. Frankly, it could have been a Bond film. Great fun can be had from the way the Doctor bends the rules of time, which he described to Evelyn early on, when it suits him later in the story. Do be careful reading the cast lists in the inlay. In the early days of Big Finish, they would do episode billings á la the Radio Times with cast lists, and, if you look at those, you might notice who will and who won’t survive to the end. There is one rather clunky moment in part four when the Doctor rails against GM crops. It rather sounds as if the writer is speaking through him for a second. But that’s a minor complaint. This is probably not very historically accurate, and not just because the real Darwin never met any Silurians. He took years to study things before publishing, and apparently didn’t quite make the big leaps of faith that he goes through here. But do we look for that kind of accuracy in Doctor Who? No, we look for good stories and great monsters. And that’s what you get here. (Paul Tapner) |