Doctor Who - 027 - The One Doctor
Big Finish Productions Audio Book

The combination of the Sixth Doctor and his assistant Mel was one that was never really allowed to come to fruition in the Doctor’s on-screen adventures. However, thanks to the audiobooks on MP3 and CD from Big Finish Productions, we finally get to see just how this mismatched pair’s friendship develops.

The Tardis picks up on a distress signal from the very distant future, which doesn’t please the Doctor at all. He describes it as the ‘vulgar end of time’ - a period in which practically everything has been commercialised and financially exploited. However, when they trace the signal to the planet of Generios One, the Doctor and Mel find themselves the centre of a huge celebration in his honour; the Doctor has apparently saved this world. Which also doesn’t please the Doctor, because he has no memory of ever going there before and doesn’t sense the presence of any of his future selves…

This story is a delightfully witty sideswipe at the world of commercialism and the hunger for money. Colin Baker is on his usual brash and irritable form as the Sixth Doctor, barely tempered by Mel, who is a much more sensitive spirit. For fans of Classic Who, it’s refreshing to see their relationship explored more fully, while New Who fans will get a glimpse of how the Doctor was when he was only a young man of about 600 or so. A clever romp, this CD audiobook is a must for all fans of the time-travelling Gallifreyan.