What if . . .? It’s been the basic premise of every science fiction story since the earliest days of the genre.
In the case of the latest Doctor Who Short Trips story A Full Life, writer Joseph Lidster asks, “What if the fourth and fifth Doctor’s companion, Adric, hadn’t died in the television story Earthshock but instead lived a full life?”
The ninth story in the sixth Short Trips series answers that question in a 43-minute story read by Matthew Waterhouse, who played Adric on television all those years ago.
His life story is told through a recording, in diary form. At first, it’s familiar to anyone who has seen his adventures with the fourth Doctor, but the recording is fast forwarded time and again until it settles down into a consistent narrative.
No One Dies
The TARDIS crew of the fourth Doctor, Romana, K9 and Adric, arrive on Veridis. It’s a world where no one has died in months, thanks to the interference of a mad scientist type following the loss of his granddaughter. But the grief of one extends to the whole population. No one wants their nearest and dearest to die and the population explodes. When you mess with mother nature there are always consequences.
Adric
Adric, too many, was an unlikeable character but this story may make you re-think, as Matthew Waterhouse allows the obnoxious teen to grow into a well-rounded adult. His excellent narration also enables the Doctor and Romana to shine. Bringing in personality traits that all will recognise.
This heartbreaking story of loss and sorrow is a clever addition the ‘Short Trip’ series brought together by excellent production values that we always experience from Big Finish.
Blogtor Rating: 9/10
Synopsis
Adric’s life is full of death. His parents died when he was a child. His brother died a few months ago. Now, travelling with the Doctor and Romana, everywhere he visits, people die. But now they have arrived on Veridis. And on Veridis, the dead come back…
Producer Ian Atkins
Script Editor Ian Atkins
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs
Written By: Joseph Lidster
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman
Cast
Matthew Waterhouse (Narrator)
Short Trips – A Full Life is now available to buy as CD or download, direct from Big Finish
