Doctor Who - Destiny of The Doctor: Shadow of Death Review

Doctor Who
Destiny of the Doctor:
Shadow of Death
By Simon Guerrier
Performed By Frazer Hines & Evie Dawnay

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe have appeared to have landed on outpost on a planet that is orbiting a pulsar star.  The scientists there are studying an ancient city that appears to have been abandoned.   What makes its interesting is that they appear to be in a type of time field where time is going differently for those at the outpost.  It appears that there is a being also on the outpost that is killing the crew members.  The Doctor discovers that if the being touches you it makes you age rapidly and die instantly.  So its up to The Doctor and a very peculiar message to help save the day and make sure no one else dies.

I really enjoyed this release in the Destiny of the Doctor series that Big Finish and Audio Go have made for the 50^th Anniversary.    Shadow of Death was a really well written and very enjoyable to listen to as it held my interest throughout and I was very intrigued to find out what would happen next.  I also liked the mystery of what the aliens wanted and why they were doing what they were doing what they were doing. 

What was really cool and a nod for us fans was the message that the 11^th Doctor gave the 2^nd.  In the first story Hunters of Earth The Doctor received a message from a DJ over the radio.  This time The Doctor receives his message from the psychic paper that was left like a note on the window of the outpost.  It was a pretty cool moment as the 2^nd Doctor and 11^th Doctor meet very briefly.  Definitely the best part of the entire story.

One of the highlights of this CD is the performance of Frazer Hines.  His performance as Patrick Troughton is spot on and is one of the best impersonations I have heard.  It actually sounded like I was listening to the Second Doctor on this CD and not Frazer Hines acting as him.  It was a really good performance and worth the price alone to listen to Frazer Hines as The Second Doctor. 

So far the Destiny of The Doctor series has been really good and spot on in recreating the eras of The Doctor the story pertains to.  Even though the story is under 90 minutes on one disc it doesn’t feel like it is short as the action moves briskly. I have really enjoyed the first two entries in this series and am looking forward to hearing the story unfold in the coming months.

Grade A

Synopsis For Destiny of The Doctor - Shadow of Death

The next part in the 11 part Destiny of The Doctor is The Shadow of Death and features a 2nd Doctor story performed by Frazer Hines.  Frazer Hines does a great Patrick Troughton impersonation so this one should be pretty good to listen to. You can order it at the link below.
 http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/shadow-of-death-849


Following an emergency landing, the TARDIS arrives on a remote world orbiting a peculiar star – a pulsar which exerts an enormous gravitational force, strong enough to warp time.

On further exploration the Doctor and his friends, Jamie and Zoe, discover a human outpost on the planet surface, inhabited by scientists who are there to study an ancient city. The city is apparently abandoned, but the scientists are at a loss to explain what happened to its sophisticated alien architects.

The Doctor discovers that something dark, silent and deadly is also present on the world - and it is slowly closing in on the human intruders...

Written By: Simon Guerrier
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Evie Dawnay (Sophie)