A Wisp of Thought

Doctor Who: THE LOST STORIES - Season 2
The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy), Ace (Sophie Aldred) & Raine Creevy (Beth Chalmers)

Doctor Who: THE LOST STORIES - Season 1
The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) & Peri Brown (Nicola Bryant)

The Fifth Doctor Lost Stories were, quite frankly, a real treat - mainly because it’s just listening to Tegan and Nyssa as Five’s companions (nice breath of fresh air from the current Team Five stories). It’s also interesting that none of these were made into TV episodes for Season 20! I would have loved to have seen any of them made just so we could had a bit more time before Turlough joined the TARDIS while Nyssa left.

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• The Elite (a.k.a. The Hidden Enemy)

Quite a dreary and thriller-ish story filled with what you would expect in a post-war world/totalitarian state. Five and Nyssa’s reactions to Tegan’s return to the TARDIS is quite hilarious in it’s own little ways (also explaining why Tegan never got a chance to switch out of her white outfit until The Five Doctors!), especially for long-time Big Finish listeners who have been following Five/Nyssa for years. And Tegan is just great in this, but poor Nyssa gets sidelined (and brainwashed!) for plot-wise reasons. The enemy reveal was quite unexpected, along with the ending.

Definitely one of the stories for the hardcore fans of drama and hardcore mystery episodes of Doctor Who (and also fans of the enemy featured in this story. No spoiling anyone here!). Highly recommended.

• Hexagora (a.k.a. Awkward Fivey is Awkward)

For what it’s worth, Hexagora is like the Black Orchid episode of the Lost Stories trilogy: it’s fun and silly but keeps you entertained until the end. The proposal scene made me laugh, the dashing about in Act 3 is pure silliness and Five’s attempts to stall the wedding in Act 4 are deliciously cute and awkward. (Also, trying to imagine Five wearing THIS just makes me go ‘PFFT’.) Tegan gets some time with her…boyfriend(?!) but sadly, Nyssa doesn’t have much to do in this episode but playing along with a Lord’s unsuccessful plan to overthrow the throne.

It’s a light hearted episode, so enjoy it for what it’s worth but don’t expect too much from the plot. (It’s kind of light on that as well.) Hearing Peter Davison back in the role of the naive, sword-fighting, polite ‘English’ Time Lord is something of a treat for fans of the actor or the incarnation. Jaqueline Pierce is also a fun guest star in this too as the regal sounding Queen Zafira.

• The Children of Seth (a.k.a. Enter The Matrix)

Now THIS is what I want to see made into an episode! Dark and suspenseful, this story (written by Christopher Bailey of Kinda and Snakedance!)does tend to drag and, at some times, confuse you with the number of characters (also trying to pick out which character David Warner is playing). Nonetheless, this is a big accomplishment as the writers pieced this gem together from a short original pitch for this unmade episode that was originally supposed to be a trilogy!

In terms of all 3 Lost Stories episodes go, Tegan does A LOT in this one - what with running around and going undercover as a Queen’s consort. The Doctor gets a heavy obstacle to overcome as Five becomes vulnerable when he is ‘blinded’ by numbers after hacking into a security drone BY PLUGGING IT INTO HIS BRAIN. (Think seeing images in binary in “The Matrix” films). But alas, Nyssa once again is shoved on the sidelines as her mind is wiped and walks around claiming to be The Doctor like a blank slate. (Seriously, Sarah Sutton got the butt end of these stories. Imagine if they were real TV episodes!)

The villain (played by David Warner) is great, the enemy is quite expected yet unexpected, and the secondary characters are all great. Peter Davison is at his finest playing a very weakened Five - which seems to be a common fault for this version of The Doctor. Highly recommended.

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Also check out the extras. They’re pretty awesome when it comes to figuring out how to adapt TV scripts and episode pitches into audio dramas!