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Doctor Who

Doctor Who: Here There Be Monsters

2008

Ratings1

Average rating4

15
JKRevell
Jamie RevellSupporter

A First Doctor story told from the perspective of Susan.

This is one of the better Companion Chronicles, to my mind, and does a good job of bringing out the flavour of the 1st Doctor's era. That does mean that it's rather slow, and it's quite a while before the protagonists actually meet someone (which is rather a common trope in the Hartnell era, when you think about it).

As a result it may not be to everyone's taste, especially since it riffs off the sci-fi stories of the era, rather than the historicals, which, along with the dalek stories, seem to be what it's best remembered for. Nonetheless, I found this a good homage to the style of the era, and actually hard not to imagine in black-and-white.

Although the focus is naturally on Susan, both Ian and Barbara are also recognisably themselves, and the main characters are kept apart less than one might expect. As with many Chronicles, it is somewhat constrained by its format, but Carol Ann Ford does a good job with it. It's probably not something you'd want to re-listen to very often, but it's nicely done for what it is.


September 28, 2015Report this review