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Released:
July 2011
Cast:
The
Doctor – Sylvester McCoy
Liv
Chenka – Nicola Walker
Farel
– Toby Hadoke
Bas
Pellico – William Hazel
Selerat
– Nicholas Pegg
Cravnet
– Dan Starkey
Tal
Karus – Matt Addis
Leebar/Computer
Voice – John Dorney
Main Production Credits
Producer
– David Richardson
Script
Editor – Alan Barnes
Writer
– Nicholas Briggs
Director
– Nicholas Briggs
Incidental
Music and Sound Design – Jamie Robertson
Recording
–Toby Hrycek-Robinson at Moat Studios
Title
Music – Ron Grainer, arranged by Keff McCulloch (Remixed by David Darlington)
TARDIS
Sounds – Brian Hodgson and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Executive
Producers – Nicholas Briggs and Jason Haigh-Ellery
WARNING: All reviews contain SPOILERS!
Story
Summary:
The Doctor finds himself on a Voc Robot supply ship
heading for Ventalis, however before he can properly come to terms with his
surroundings, he finds himself flung into a deadly murder mystery. Members of
the crew are being picked off one by one, and Liv Chenka, the ship’s medical officer,
has fears that history may be repeating itself. Many years ago re-programmed
Voc Robots murdered the crew on a planetary Sandminer, but could it all be
happening again?
The Doctor reveals that a human with robophobia, a
psychological and debilitating fear of robots, is murdering the crew himself
and is making the Voc Robots appear to be the culprits by setting up a fake
disaster, so that human civilisation will do away with them for good. After
drawing the real human perpetrator into the open, the Doctor discovers the
murderer is Farel, the security chief. Farel though, has fixed the supply ship
into a collision course with Ventalis, and tries to depart in the ship’s escape
pod. The Doctor talks the security code out of Farel, which he fixed the ship’s
directional control with, but also discovers that the source of Farel’s
robophobia was the past death of his wife, which he blames the robots for.
Although the spaceship is saved from a collision course with Ventalis, the
controls are too damaged to land, so the Doctor and the robots set the ship for
a collision course with the Sun, and help the humans evacuate to safety. The
Doctor meanwhile asks the Voc Robots to relay the truth of events back to
Ventalis to ensure that the robots place in future human civilisation is
assured.
Story
Placement
Between Lurkers at
Sunlight’s Edge (Big Finish Audio) and The
Doomsday Quatrain (Big Finish Audio).
(Sadly, I cannot explain this as it would spoil the big
twists at the heart of some of the 7th Doctor’s latest Big Finish
audio releases, but suffice to say, the 7th Doctor’s personal audio
chronology is a lot more complex and thought out than some may think.)
Favourite
Lines
Farel
– “We think we’ve found the culprit...a stowaway”.
The Doctor – “Ah, that old chestnut”.
The Doctor – “The real drama isn’t the Robots wiping out
the Humans...it’s the Humans wiping out the Robots”.
The Doctor – “We’re all different. That’s one of the few
certainties I’ve ever come across”.
Review:
The
Robots of Death is rightfully seen as one of the all-time
great Doctor Who television serials.
A tightly plotted thriller, this classic 1978 adventure effortlessly mixes and
pays homage to the story types and fictional writings of both Isaac Asimov and
Agatha Christie. Although, like in many murder mysteries, the audience was
always privy to the main culprit (the robots), in this case even before the
opening titles had played out. The real mystery though, was identity of the controller
of the robots, as well as how long it would take the rest of the characters to
figure them out. In many ways, it’s one of the best examples of one of Doctor Who’s most common story types in
itself, the ‘base under siege’ storyline.
So in light of how both popular and successful The Robots of Death was, Nicholas Briggs’
task of trying to create a sequel must have seemed daunting in the extreme,
even terrifyingly so. Imagine my amazement then when Briggs comes up with a
brilliant sequel that not only matches the quality of the original, but
improves on it and surpasses it completely, without diminishing the value of
its predecessor. In fact, Robophobia
is such a fantastic story and audio release that it’s almost difficult to
believe that this was written by the same person who came up with the clichéd
and troubled mess that was Destination
Nerva just a few months later. Then again, everyone has a bad day, so it’s
easy to overlook it and forgive Nicholas Briggs for any innocent mistakes in
light of such a hectic production schedule, particularly when he can come back
and create works of genius like Robophobia.
Part of Nicholas Briggs’ genius is his skill here in
being able to subvert our expectations. From the outset it appears to be
another straight-forward retelling of The
Robots of Death, where the Voc Robots have seemingly been programmed to
start killing the crew of a Robot supply ship, the programming having been done
by an unknown member of the said crew. However, Briggs springs a fantastic
twist upon us, revealing that an unknown crew member is instead murdering the
other humans disguised as a Voc Robot; their intention being to blame the
crimes on the Robots and get them permanently decommissioned by the supply
company, perhaps even removed from human civilisation altogether. The twist is
all the more effective because both the plot and the dialogue are made to
strongly suggest that the Robots are the real killers, a nice piece of
calculated misdirection by Nicholas Briggs.
The following episode, part three, develops quite
predictably after that twist, because the real culprit to the killings becomes
obvious very quickly. However, the dramatic twist that I, and I’m sure many
others weren’t prepared for was the late reveal in part four that the
murderer’s Robophobia was brought on by the death of his Wife in a Sandminer
accident, where the Robots tried to save her from being killed in the Scoop
during a storm and failed. The cunningly more relaxed pace and plotting of
parts three and four, meant that I was completely floored by the emotional
sucker punch that Nicholas Briggs had up his sleeve, and I was genuinely moved
to tears as the development was slowly told, building towards its powerfully
tragic and sad climax. The episode, and most of the story in general is written
quite subtly too, which makes Briggs’ emotional beats all that more believable
and powerful as a result (New Series Doctor
Who writers, take note).
Yet what I also love about Robophobia is that Nicholas
Briggs ends the story on such a sublime and gloriously positive note. The Voc
Robots sacrifice themselves to save the humans and aid their escape, but the
Doctor makes sure that word of their good work, selfless natures and strong
benefit to humanity are known and spread throughout the Planetary System so
that their true worth can be appreciated by all. The final scene also acts as a
subtle and uplifting reaffirmation of a simple truth that is as important now
as it ever was - that one should always seek the truth, and work to overcome
fear, superstition and ignorance in order to reach a better and brighter future.
The conclusion is a perfect end to a magnificent story and a fantastic script
by Briggs. This is the mark of a greatly talented writer, who has clearly
perfected his craft, and knows exactly where to plot his twists and emotional
beats with pin point accuracy (the other part of Nicholas Briggs’ genius in Robophobia).
Another reason why Briggs’ twists and emotional twists
work so well is because he gives us more recognisably human and down-to-earth
characters to begin with, their relatively mundane lives and natures well
juxtaposed against the story’s extraordinary events and surprising reveals.
This is especially true of Liv Chenka, who is set up as the audience’s window
into the story, as well as someone to relate to; a sweet, shy, brave, clever
and very likeable person with a brilliantly written and complex personality.
Liv represents our conscience and guide to story events as they occur, as well
as our mixed reactions to the clever interweaving plot strands as they unravel
themselves into one big ingenious story arc. Liv Chenka also proves to be a
great foil for the 7th Doctor, following his cryptic hints and
suggestions; challenging him for answers to what takes place, as well as
rebuking him for his clear manipulation of her throughout the story. However, the
Doctor also has a more positive impact on Liv, encouraging her to question the
events taking place around her and not take them for granted; as well as
building up her strength of character so that Liv can challenge and face the
problems and situations they face.
Of course this is as much about the Doctor manipulating
Liv for his own ends as it is about helping her, probably more so, which is why
this is also a fascinating take on the 7th Doctor. He uses Liv
Chenka as an extra pair of eyes and ears, as well as a tool to poke about the
affairs of the Robot supply ship and its crew, until a reaction is provoked
that will tell him more about what is going on, or more to the point who is to
blame. Considering where this seems to take place in the 7th Doctor’s personal chronology, this is a notable development in the colder and
darker side of his nature, casually manipulating and deliberately accelerating
events and people to find out the truth of the situation as quick as he can,
albeit still for benevolent reasons here. Perhaps the latest 7th Doctor Big Finish audio trilogy (Protect
and Survive, Black and White, Gods and Monsters) will set some more light
on this development, as tonally the character moves ever closer to his darker
extremes as shown in the Virgin New
Adventures novels. In contrast, it’s also notable that while travelling
alone, some of the 7th Doctor’s more wacky eccentricities have
returned, which helps put a light spin on what is at times a fairly dark and
earnest script, producing a neat range of emotions and reactions from the Time
Lord, although this is as much to do with Sylvester McCoy’s quirky and
delightfully mad performance as it is Nicholas Briggs’ characterisation. I like
how the Doctor flits around the ship like a ghost, there one minute and gone
the next. It’s also quite amusing how he creeps up on Liv Chenka and interrupts
her reminisces about Tal Karus, telepathically following their train of
thought.
For a character that has only a few fleeting appearances,
Tal Karus is surprisingly well-sketched by Nicholas Briggs. His presence as an
undercover investigator, as well as his murder at the start of the story, is a
neat way of setting the darker tone of the narrative, and raising the dramatic
stakes quickly in one fell swoop, so the plot can progress straight away
without any lengthy exposition, or establishing scenes, and the listener is
thrown straight into the heart of events. I also like the neat way Nicholas
Briggs expands upon his character in flashback so he can structure in character
development, story direction, mood and exposition at just the right moments.
However, Tal Karus’ scenes are far more than just convenient narrative devices,
as we see his cute first meeting with Liv Chenka and how they quickly create
chemistry together in a believably shy and understated way. So even though this
character departs the plot early on, we still get a real sense of who he is,
which is masterful writing if ever I heard it.
Farel the Security Officer also gets an intricately layered
and well-rounded character which is slowly peeled away as the story progresses
us. The script cleverly fools us into thinking at first that Farel is a typical
unimaginative security guard, a harmless and hopeless bumbling fool, who is
tremendously insecure about his extreme incompetence in the role, leaps to
conclusions, and seems to cowardly avoid taking any action whatsoever. However,
the twist revealed at the end of part two also reveals Farel to be a clear
candidate behind the mysterious deaths, even if the script refuses to confirm him
as the real culprit until the end of part three. The twist about a conspiracy
involving a human trying to discredit and destroy the Voc Robots for good, as
does the sudden ‘takeover’ by the Robots that follows, shines a mirror onto
Farel’s actions up to that point, and turns them on their head. Farel’s
bumbling incompetence can actually now be understood as the Security Chief
actively trying to stall and sabotage the investigation through hesitation,
non-action and attempted misdirection, some of which the Doctor encourages
Farel to enact prematurely, by revealing the apparent truth of events and
forcing his hand. I also like the fact of his personal Robophobia being used by
the script to make him initially appear innocent during part two, while at the
same time actually being the source of his motivation for destroying the Robots
and creating this conspiracy in the first place. The truth behind Farel’s
Robophobia and the story behind it of his wife’s death, which although doesn’t
absolve him from being a murderer, wonderfully rounds out his character and
gives him a more human and multi-dimensional appearance that helps the audience
to empathise with him. Have no doubt, Farel is still the villain of the piece,
but he’s also a tragic figure, an emotional victim of an industrial accident
that killed his wife; full of sorrow, wracked with guilt, and turned into an
unstable wreck. It is such a breath of fresh air to encounter a villain who is
not written in black and white, and it makes the final twist all that more
meaningful and powerful, because most, if not all of us can relate to emotional
trauma, even if we haven’t necessarily experienced it to the same level as
others.
The other supporting characters, Cravnet and Selerat,
while being entertaining foils for the more central characters, as well as the
script’s jokes, add little extra depth or value to the story as a whole, except
as useful plot devices to ask the right questions at the right moments, or
offer misdirection to the audience when the script requires it. Cravnet though
is particularly likeable and endearing as an innocent, sweet and bumbling
security guard, who while not being the sharpest mind on board, often finds
himself closer to the truth of events by the virtue of not having the arrogance
and lack of humility as his superiors. Selerat on the other hand is merely the
typical clueless fool in charge, and only succeeds in being the lesser light
comic relief of the story.
However, none of the characters would be quite as
enjoyable without the production’s stellar cast. Sylvester McCoy wonderfully
plays on his Doctor’s more eccentric elements, while making sure they don’t
dominate his performance. I would also say that Robophobia also features one of McCoy’s most assured and varied
performances, ranging from mysterious and quiet pensive mumblings to subtle
mischievous wit and wisecracks to weary deliveries of the Doctor’s age-old
wisdom to occasional flashes of lunacy, and back again. Without a doubt, Sylvester
McCoy is on top form, and this is definitely one of his best Big Finish audios
to date.
Nicola Walker is one of those stellar British actors of
modern times that I’ve been eager to see star in Doctor Who for a while now, so it’s great to hear her in as strong
a production as this. Walker brings out the shy sweetness and vulnerability of
Liv Chenka to the fore, while delivering the most naturalistic and believable
performance of the cast, which really successfully encourages the audience to
root for her in a way that makes you wish that the character would be a future
companion. However, Nicola Walker makes sure that Liv is certainly no reluctant
lightweight though, by neatly making sure that her vulnerability and the trauma
Liv goes through emotionally makes her stronger, and more steely determined in
her aim to find the truth and prevent any further deaths. The Doctor, through
his manipulations also helps Liv to believe in herself and her own abilities,
and Walker also deftly shows this braver and more assertive Liv growing
throughout the story.
Toby Hadoke was the real surprise of the cast though.
He’s cemented a successful reputation for himself as a comedian and an engaging
and delightful presenter, as well as very genial and friendly Doctor Who fan in general. I had no
doubt that he could act well, but I had no idea that he had the talent to pull
off the huge dramatic and emotional denouement that was required of Farel’s
character at the end of the story. In fact, Farel’s earlier persona and misdirection
seemed explicitly written to show off Hadoke’s well known comedic talents, but
his flawless depiction of Farel’s emotional breakdown was so well judged it
helped to pull off that moving scene brilliantly. The rest of the cast also
performed well, with Dan Starkey getting a rare opportunity away from
portraying monsters to delve into a more comedic role for a change, and
relishing it enormously; while Nicholas Pegg delivered another amusing
variation on the bemused and hopeless spaceship captain stereotype.
Praise though also has to go to Nicholas Briggs again for
direction, allowing Sylvester McCoy to have more fun with the role of the Doctor,
while reigning in any potential excesses of eccentricity. At the same time,
Briggs has also kept the cast performances as natural and believable as
possible, and the results are superlative, and keep on giving on multiple
listens, particularly on the twists and more emotional scenes. There was only
one slip up I noticed, where Nicola Walker over emphasises Liv’s warning to
Farel about the Robots in episode two, but I’m clearly nitpicking here, as
everything else is so brilliantly done.
However, what is even more wonderfully done on Robophobia is the post-production. After
listening to a production from over 12 years ago, one of the big things that
blew me away on listening to this was, 11 years later, how far Big Finish has
come in their overall sound production, something which has always been good
from the start, but here in Robophobia
was simply amazing. From the roaring engine of the supply spaceship to exciting
stereo explosions to little things like the quiet rumble of the engine aboard
the ship interior, the little bleeps and door sounds, and the change of EQ on
the spaceship computer audio readouts.
The other big thing that blew me away from the start was
the quality of the music soundtrack by Jamie Robertson. From the first plucked
guitar strings I knew we were in for something special. Robertson is
beautifully subtle and menacing when called for, but equally creates large and
powerful orchestral themes just where the story needs it and never goes too
far. I particularly enjoyed the little string section when Liv was reminiscing
about Tal Karus, and the powerful section underscoring the reveal about Farel’s
deceased wife, but I liked everything about the music. It was so good and
professional I would easy rate it as being good enough to be used on a big
worldwide feature film, and I say that as a passionate film soundtrack music
lover. At times the score reminded me of The
Matrix in scope, originality and tone. In fact it was such a joy to listen
to that I took great enjoyment from listening to the small section of
soundtrack put as a separate track on the end of Discs 1 & 2 (which as a
great little CD extra I can’t recommend to Big Finish enough that they should
keep doing for us music fans, so thank you for that). Plus I loved that great
final big orchestral music statement at the end of Robophobia, which reinforced the story’s final positive note and left
me feeling very happy indeed.
The
Robots of Death may have been a brilliantly-produced and
executed thriller, but Robophobia,
its sequel, is so much more than that. Robophobia
is a great examination of what it means to be human, in terms of both life and
loss, but it’s also a great examination in how we should never take anything at
face value and reminds us of an important teaching to always appreciate what we
have, however common or mundane it appears to be. Furthermore, the audio is a
completely first class production on all counts, and one that I’m sure I’ll
revisit on multiple occasions in the future. Plus, to top it all off, Robophobia is a fantastic thriller in
its own right.
Score:
10/10
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