Type of bind: Audio CD
EAN num: 9781903654620
Format: Audiobook
ISBN number: 1903654629
Label: Big Finish Productions Ltd
Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions Ltd
Page Count: 110
Printing Date: June 01, 2002
Publishing house: Big Finish Productions Ltd
Sale Popularity Level: 1381319
Studio: Big Finish Productions Ltd
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"Neverland" was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated of the "Doctor Who" audios released so far by Big Finish because it marked the climax of a storyline that had extended over all nine previous audios with Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor. Would Charley Pollard, perhaps the Doctor's most lovable companion ever, die to preserve the course of history?
Perhaps no story could have lived up to the expectations for "Neverland," but the story does resolve the Charley storyline -- perhaps not completely satisfyingly, but certainly in a more cogent manner than "The Armageddon Factor" and "The Ultimate Foe" (or whatever its title is) resolved the Key to Time and Trial story arcs. My slight disappointment with "Neverland" comes not from this element, but from the talkiness of the story and, more than anything else, its huge number of references to past "Doctor Who" stories.
When "Storm Warning," Big Finish's very first McGann audio, which, like "Neverland," was written by Alan Barnes, was released, much of the exhilaration with which fans greeted it came from the fact that it would have made a great storyline for "Doctor Who"'s return to BBC1. There were indeed references which only "Who" fans would get, but these were sprinkled lightly throughout the story without interfering with it. "Storm Warning" could have been followed by anyone with the vague knowledge of "Doctor Who"'s format shared by most British citizens over a certain age and many sci-fi fans worldwide; and its surprise ending, forboding the "Charley" story arc, might well have hooked non-fans into listening to subsequent stories. Indeed, except for occasional hiccups like the "surprise old enemy" in "Seasons of Fear," the whole series of McGann audios could have been an effective introduction to "Who" for non-fans -- until "Neverland".
Much of the plot and dialogue of "Neverland" is woven out of continuity references. When Vansell refers to the entrance into the Matrix on the Time Station as "an Eighth Door, if you will," "Who" fans will know instantly what he means but no one else will. In recent years there has been something of a back-backlash in "Who" fandom against the criticism of continuity references in new "Who" in various formats, since those who make such criticisms may simply be ashamed of their obsession with the show and thus dislike elements of new "Who" that cater to this obsession. Nonetheless, I fear that "Neverland" may mark the point when the creators and fans of new "Who" acknowledge, consciously or otherwise, that "Doctor Who" may well never return to television or movie theaters and that it is, therefore, entirely legitimate to write new "Who" in other formats to appeal as much as possible to its only remaining audience: adults obsessed with "Doctor Who".
"Neverland" is actually an enjoyable story; like "Storm Warning," it's one of those Big Finish audios a "Doctor Who" fan won't tire of hearing over and over again. The acting by regulars and guest stars alike is phenomenal, especially that by India Fisher as Charley, Anthony Keetch as Vansell and very special guest stars Lalla Ward as President Romana and Don Warrington as a mystery character. The script is filled with great moments, including, ironically, the most powerful obscure continuity reference in "Who" history (the line "Please, have pity"). The line I have quoted as the title of my review seems in context to be an interesting and timely homage to "The Fellowship of the Ring". The cliffhanger with which the story closes (surprisingly, the only really strong cliffhanger with which a "season" of "Who" has ever ended) is rather unoriginal, even within the "Who" universe, but is certainly suspenseful; it's going to be a long wait for its resolution in Big Finish's Fortieth Anniversary "Doctor Who" story, "Zagreus," due out in November 2003. But I can't help but be disappointed by the fact that in this story the most fresh and exciting form of new "Who," Big Finish's series of McGann audios, loses its accessibility to the general public, and by the long-overdue realization that "Doctor Who" may never be of major interest to the general public again.
Update: Well, I was too pessimistic. We now know that "Doctor Who" will be returning to BBC1 in 2005, and thus stories like "Neverland" suddenly seem much more appropriate as a way for fans to entertain themselves while waiting for the new series, which will probably content itself with a light dusting of continuity.
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