Doctor Who: The Light at the End

Amongst the many gifts given to me by my wonderful wife this Christmas was The Light at the End, Big Finish Productions’ contribution to the Doctor Who Fiftieth Anniversary celebration. This release was eagerly awaited by fans of the Doctor Who audio dramas because it promised to bring together all of the living 'classic' doctors (Tom Baker – Paul McGann).

I finally got a chance to listen to the adventure over the last two nights while doing some painting, and I’ve got to say, I’m rather impressed. Despite having to give time to all five doctors, as well as a few choice companions, and the Doctor’s greatest enemy, The Master, author Nicholas Briggs actually managed to construct and interesting story. Okay, it’s a complex ‘time folding in on itself’ affair, which probably takes an experienced sci-fi fan to really follow, but hey, it’s got to be somewhat complicated to bring five versions of the same person together from different points in their own time line...right?

In fact, my only disappointment about the adventure was the inclusion of the first three doctors. Although they play only a minor role, and I understand the author’s desire to get them in, I found it distracting. The use of voice impersonators meant that I had to really concentrate to try and figure out which Doctor was speaking – not that it really mattered – as the first three doctors basically operate as one unit for the purposes of the story. 

That is a minor quibble though. All in all, The Light at the End is a fun adventure in the spirit of The Five Doctors, and a nice way to wrap up the 50^th Anniversary celebrations.