REVIEW: Doctor Who: Dark Tides

Dark Tides has a haunted ship, a missing crew, and infinite terrors, but also this season’s biggest thrill ride

The Ninth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish have broken free of the Powell Estate at long last. And Dark Tides take full advantage of the widened scope by immediately launching the Doctor and Rose into one of the wildest, darkest, corners of the Doctor Who universe. That’s dark as in creepy, as in morbid, and, for a substantial portion of the drama, as in ‘with the lights off.’ Though not, despite what the Doctor says, as in ‘the dark ages.’ It’s one of Blogtor Who’s pet peeves that we can’t but point out, but only a couple of episodes after getting it right in Cloud Eight (a dark age being a period from which little documentary evidence survives, leaving a gap in the recorded history), the Time Lord’s now using the cliched old error (a dark age being a barbaric, blood drenched period when civilization went backwards.)

Still, leaving such naming conventions aside, it’s a compelling setting. In the distant future, humankind still travels between the stars with the remnants of its old technology. But few now know the science, and even then their comprehension doesn’t extend much further than Jackie Tyler’s mastery of the VCR. Enter the Knights of Atlas, combining feudal manners with space-walks. They’ve entered a volatile region at the edge of space to salvage the Vesterbold. Trapped in the dark tides for centuries, it’s a veritable time capsule of lost knowledge – especially its star maps, which could revitalize space exploration. However, those aren’t the only secret the Vesterbold holds…

Doon Mackichan’s Vivian Rest is a fantastically fun creation

The Knights are an entertaining bunch, with their own motivations and priorities. There’s the arrogant and haughty Sir Carl (Ben Arogundade) determined to reclaim his family legacy. Meanwhile, Mervyn (Sam Stafford) is trying to live down the shame of having more brains that Sir Carl thinks decent for a son of his. And finally David Shaw-Parker as resident ‘scholar’ Holbrook perfectly embodies the energy of that one flatmate who “works with computers” so expected to fix the wifi by poking it with a stick.

But Dark Tides truly belongs to Doon Mackichan as Dr. Vivian Rest, sole survivor of the Vesterbold. She’s plainly having a whale of a time, and her recording booth comes away gloriously chewed. Like John Waters’ Serial Mom in space, Rest’s a perky, chatty, wryly funny lady… who just happens to like winding down at the end of the day with a nice murder or two. She adds a darkly funny edge to a plot that otherwise follows the shame grim outline of Event Horizon, as those here to salvage the derelict behemoth slowly uncover the terrible, grotesque fate of its crew. Though the real terror may be what people will do, then and now, to survive.

Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper bring all their sparky energy to the Doctor Who’s patented ‘screwball horror’ sub-genre

Amid this horror movie vibes, it’s obvious who our Final Girl (and Boy) are. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper embrace the atmosphere and pace of Dark Tides to give some of their most wonderful banter-filled performances yet. Dark Tides gives us the pair in Empty Child mode, zipping witticism back and forth even in the darkness, as they ask all the right questions and run down every wrong corridor. Though the ump scares and creepy atmosphere in Tim Foley’s script are very effective, there’s a real sense of joy too. After some of the recent, comparatively heavy, psychological dramas, this screamfest is basically the Doctor and Rose having fun.

Listeners will have just as much fun aboard the Vesterbold as they do. Dark Tides’ mix of terror, action, and wit, provides another entry in one of Doctor Who’s most successful formulas.

Doctor Who: Dark Tides

A long-lost ship, the Vesterbold, has returned to normal space. And the Knights of Atlas seek her treasure. But two strangers have joined their expedition – the Doctor and Rose, who warn of danger.

For the Vesterbold has drifted free of the Dark Tides at the edge of the universe. And she may have brought something back with her.

Not even the bravest knights are ready for the evil which lies inside…

Doctor Who – The Ninth Doctor Adventures: Dark Tides is now available to purchase for just £9.99 (download to own) or £11.99 (download to own + collector’s edition CD), exclusively here. Please note: the collector’s edition CD is strictly limited to 1,500 copies and will not be re-pressed.