Doctor Who: The Iron Legion

Adapted by: Alan Barnes
Director: Nicholas Briggs
Script Editor: Nicholas Briggs
Cover Illustration: Will Brooks
Music & Sound Design: Alistair Lock
Producer: Jamie Anderson

Starring Tom Baker
Released March 2019

The first half of a prestige set taking comic strips published in Doctor Who Weekly's fledgling issues and turning them into full-cast audio dramas, The Iron Legion is something of a disappointment. In the year or so since its release, this story has received a swathe of glowing reviews so discovering it was quite so lacking was something of a surprise.

The basic premise is that an army of robot Roman legionaries has invaded the town of Stockbridge and after swiftly sending them packing, the Doctor follows them back through time - and, as it turns out, space. The bulk of the story takes place in Rome, 79AD, but in a parallel dimension where the empire is ruled over by a boy and aliens and robots are a fact of life. Setting The Iron Legion almost entirely in another dimension rids it of some of its mystery, as the clashing iconography is purely for its own sake, rather than there being an internal reason for interference in history. This is not exactly the end of the world, just unexpected.

The four episodes are essentially a jaunt from one outlandish character or set piece to another, and while it is a well-realised production, with a very consistent tone and strong performances (particularly Esther Hall and Joseph Kloska), the material itself is relatively unengaging. Pitched - and, to be fair, received - as a highly witty tale, The Iron Legion did seem to be wanting. The original strips were the very first published in Doctor Who Weekly in autumn 1979, spanning the broadcast of City of Death, The Creature from the Pit and Nightmare of Eden. Big Finish have experimented with the reputed Season 17 tone of wit and whimsy before, most notably with their adaptations of Gareth Roberts' nineties Missing Adventures novels (including the superb The Romance of Crime). The Iron Legion is not a patch on past efforts, although there were some aspects and additions that were very much appreciated, such as the fourth wall-breaking sound effects as we explore the Doctor's mind.

To adapter Alan Barnes' credit, as someone unfamiliar with the original story, it is hard to tell where the comic strip ends and the new material begins. But overall, this was not a particularly enjoyable experience and after the first episode, this set of eight felt like a waste of money. The story did improve, and is carried by a broad performance from Tom Baker, but ultimately it inspires no urgency to listen to The Star Beast, the other story of the set.