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.

Doctor Who: A Small Semblance of Home

Writer: Paul Phipps
Director: Lisa Bowerman
Script Editor: Ian Atkins
Cover Illustration: Anthony Lamb
Music & Sound Design: David Roocroft
Producer: Ian Atkins

Read by Carole Ann Ford
Released September 2018

A Small Semblance of Home, despite the cumbersome title, is a simple story, simply told and its reach never exceeds its grasp. Designed as a tale for a lazy Sunday, in which Ian tests out a new cardy, the Doctor tries to make tea, Barbara does some adding up and Susan has a tantrum, it fulfills its ambitions perfectly well.

All that said, this forty-minute Short Trip is still more than just an interlude between adventures, with a visit to an alien planet, a bit of capture and escape and some exploration of the dynamics within the original TARDIS line-up. This is a surprisingly gentle ride from Paul Phipps, a writer more often associated with Big Finish's Dark Shadows output. While his prose does not have a particularly distinctive style, this is not a bad thing. He accurately captures each of the four lead characters and their attitudes towards one another, especially at what seems to be an early stage of their travels.

It says something about the reverence Doctor Who fans hold for established fact that even the smallest revelations about the childhood adventures of Ian, one of four leads in a 25-minute children's serial, last seen on TV 55 years ago, feel daring and as if Phipps is pushing the envelope. One unusual thing about the way this story is told is how the prose often switches between past and present tense within the same sentence. It's hard to tell if these are slips on the part of narrator Carole Ann Ford, sounding increasingly frail, or a deliberate choice of the writer.

The Short Trips series often demands a variety of skills from its sound designers and composers, but rarely has such a range been exhibited in a single story. David Roocroft, responsible for both here, uses music to great effect. From Jon Hopkins-style euphoria to tribal drums to distant strings, it's all here. The sound effects used, while serviceable enough in themselves, could perhaps have done with a little more designing, often sounding like they are one inch from the mic while being described as more remote.

In the end, A Small Semblance of Home is a pleasant, refreshingly untaxing story. A good choice for a Sunday afternoon.