The latest BBC Audio original remixes a classic Doctor Who in the style of another era, with pleasing results
Circle of Memory is the latest offering in BBC Audio’s range of original Doctor Who audio dramas. In many ways it’s William Hartnell classic The Savages reborn for the Matt Smith age. It begins in the middle, in true Moffat style. Three strangers awake near a mysterious stone circle, with no memory of how they got there. They’re “Amy and her boys, Rory and the Doctor,” according to the Polaroid photo they carry. But beyond that their only clue is a Dictaphone recording explaining the story so far.
As the recording plays out, it becomes clear our heroes are trapped on a planet where something or someone is parasitically living off the vitality of others. They’ve clearly already fallen victim to at least one attack themselves. And since they can no longer even operate the TARDIS, how can they escape? This mystery angle is another way in which Circle of Memory grounds itself firmly in the milieu of 2010s Doctor Who. The Savages may have attempted to subvert expectations with the Elders, in gold makeup and fine clothes, revealed as villains, but that was a skewering of exploitation and colonialism any child would instantly recognize. But Circle of Memory keeps its secrets much closer. The dynamics of the planet’s ecosystem take longer to reveal themselves.(At least if you avoid reading the official blurb which rather gives the final act twist away.)
And when they do, they may not be entirely what listeners expected.
Circle of Memory is a gently untaxing slice of Doctor Who, perfect for departure lounges or road trips
With a resolution also borrowing heavily from The Savages, the various plot twists of Circle of Memory won’t be too jaw dropping to anyone familiar with the earlier story. But there’s still a pleasing novelty to hearing it all play out through the eyes of the Eleventh Doctor and his friends. Dan Starkey reads with a gentle irony, as if with one eyebrow permanently raised. There’s no real attempt at impersonation of our leads, but his diffident Doctor, cautious Rory, and gung ho Amy capture their essences well.
As with most of the BBC Audio originals, the adventure feels all too brief, despite being about half as long again as a television episode of the modern era. But for the next time you’re commuting, or hitting the treadmill, it’s just right for spending that time with the good Doctor and his friends.
Doctor Who: Circle of Memory
“Hello, I’m the Doctor… Doctor someone… can’t remember who at the moment. Hoping it will come back to me.”
On a planet with twin suns, three people wake in the shadow of a crashed spaceship. They don’t know who they are or where they are. All they have to go on is a photograph of themselves marked ‘Amy and her boys: Rory and the Doctor’. It’s obvious who Amy is – but which of them is the Doctor?
A voice recorder in one of their pockets reveals how the TARDIS materialised some days earlier in the centre of a stone circle and the travellers met blue-skinned Sunaya, apparent sole survivor of the crashed ship.
Yet Sunaya isn’t who she claims to be, and she is also far from alone. She and her children have been waiting to feed on the memories and identities of the living.
And as their own memories fade, the Doctor, Amy and Rory are in danger of being left behind for ever…
You can order Circle of Memory now from your preferred retailer, with the links here.
