Doctor Who: A Full Life

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Director: Lisa Bowerman
Script Editor: Ian Atkins
Cover Illustration: Anthony Lamb
Music & Sound Design: Robert Harvey
Producer: Ian Atkins

Read by Matthew Waterhouse
Released September 2016

A story about a man who can't stop giving people who should be dead and long forgotten another chance at life, a chance to realise their potential, A Full Life is an apt commentary on the abilities of its writer. Following in the footsteps of some less obvious candidates for redemption - primarily Peri, Tegan and Jackie - Joseph Lidster now focuses his attentions on Adric, probably the most maligned companion the Doctor has ever had.

Nestled between State of Decay and Warriors' Gate, A Full Life looks at Adric's place alongside the fourth Doctor, the second Romana and the second K9, and how he sees it. Adric was hardly the most amiable or eloquent character during his year or so in the TARDIS back in the early eighties, but thanks to Lidster and a refreshingly self-aware performance from Matthew Waterhouse, this is easily forgotten. Over the course of 45 minutes, the pair look at each of this uneasy team, their relationships and what happens if they're split up. Of course all the toys have to go back in the box at the end but that doesn't mean Waterhouse and particularly Lidster can't have a bit of fun first.

Although released as part of the Short Trips series, this is a Companion Chronicle in all but name - and one of the strongest, too. Waterhouse narrates Adric's long tale in character and the sound effects and music combine to make this an immersive experience, particularly the last ten minutes. There's even a midpoint cliffhanger as we swap sides of the tape. This form is a canny decision from Lidster and by far the best way of telling this story, allowing the listener to be in no doubt of how Adric has matured in the decades since he stowed away in the TARDIS. The steady hand of director Lisa Bowerman ensures a complete production to compound a fullsome script. Waterhouse never misses a beat, and it's a shame to lose this take on the character so soon, but that's rather the point. A Full Life has so many staggering scenes that ricochet the plot in a new direction, yet is still unquestionably a character piece. What a rarity this is.

In going to great lengths to draw parallels between Adric and the Doctor, Lidster instead makes a convincing argument for his own inability to stop enamouring audiences with some of the franchise's less traditionally amiable characters (Master, The Reaping and Broken spring to mind). There is undoubtedly some staggering writing talent at work that transcends the usual Big Finish scale. For so many reasons, A Full Life is an incredible episode of Doctor Who.