Colston Burghley – a quaint village in the English countryside is being plagued by some very strange occurrences. A giant medieval monument stands tall in the middle of the village green, post boxes and dustbins have gone missing. It isn’t long before Meredith Bright finds trouble in her garden…
THE THIRD DOCTOR RETURNS
‘Gardeners’ Worlds’, written by George Mann and read by Tim Treloar is a great look at what made the early seventies a great time for Doctor Who. Trouble in the English County, UNIT and a homely feel. You can almost feel the seventies sunshine beating down on you.
Treloar is a great narrator and he really helps to drive this brilliantly written story. Treloar was a figure who divided fans when he first appeared in the first volume of ‘The Third Doctor Adventures’. But here, he really comes off well, not only doing justice to Jon Pertwee’s performance but also to those from Katy Manning and Richard Franklin. He picks up on the small things off their performances and incorporates them into his own, making each character stand out.
THE MULTIVERSE
The story, from the pen of George Mann, is an interesting one about the idea of parallel universes. The Multiverse – the idea that a single decision can cause a parallel universe to be created. You chose to read this review – in doing so, you created a universe where you didn’t. Well, that’s the idea anyway. It is quite a modern theory that Mann has decided to focus the story on, something that would be truly timey wimey if done in the modern series. But here, to fit in with the half-hour format, the basis is toned down, making it easy for casual listeners and hardcore fans to understand in the limited time frame.
REVISITING THE SEVENTIES
The story evokes the seventies era beautifully, particularly, stories like ‘The Daemons’ and ‘Last of the Gaderene’. The direction from Lisa Bowerman is great, the story rattles along at a great pace, the musical scores fitting in perfectly with what we recognise from those seventies adventures. Through Treloar’s performance, Jon Pertwee is alive once more – even if he isn’t throwing himself around with Venusian Aikido or reversing the polarity of the neutron flow. Also, enjoyable is the little notion that there was something between Jo Grant and Mike Yates, something which was supposed to happen in the original series. Equally pleasing, is that this factor doesn’t take over the story. Instead, we get a few nice moments between Jo and Mike, where he offers her a rose.
Enjoyable Trip To The Seventies
‘Gardeners’ Worlds’ is an enjoyable way to spend half-an-hour, especially if you want a quick trip back to the seventies! This story is quaint, like the village it is set in but quaint isn’t a word to describe the ideas behind it. Gardeners’ Worlds really is a must and at a price of £2.99 – you could almost say, essential…
BLOGTOR RATING 9/10
SYNOPSIS
Strange occurrences plague the village of Colston Burghley – a mediaeval monument has appeared on the village green, postboxes have disappeared…and there’s trouble in Meredith Bright’s back garden. When Mike Yates finds himself at a loss, it’s down to the Doctor and Jo Grant to get to the root of the trouble…
- Narrated By: Tim Treloar
- Written By: George Mann
- Directed By: Lisa Bowerman
- Produced By: Ian Atkins
- Script Editor Ian Atkins
- Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
