Leviathan [AUDIO/2010.1.21]

★★★★☆

  Although I'm very much a fan of Season 23 as it turned out (Trial of a Time Lord, what a treat!), I don't think I'd have minded too much if these planned stories had been commissioned instead.

  Leviathan is a script brimming with ideas, delightfully building atmosphere and mystery throughout the majority of Episode 1 before slowly peeling away the facade of a seemingly middle-age village into something a bit more science-fiction orientated. With a fired up duo of leads (both Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant are evidently having fun running around and getting into dangerous scrapes, with the former even getting to enact a heated swordfight), the first part flows along swimmingly until it hits a memorable climax. I'd say the second part falters a bit in terms of sheer energy, but only when compared to the sheer powerhouse that is Episode 1; besides, it's only barely less confident. Part 2 is still a joyride, introducing new characters and conflicts that allow listeners to stay tuned until the very end.

  I imagine if this had been made as a TV serial, old Sixie would've become much more popular with the general crowd; he's an action adventure protagonist with morals through and through, using his cunning mind to sneak out of the enemy lair unharmed and unveil the android oppressors of a faux village as they truly are. Leviathan is not only a high-concept science fiction joyride with gigantic spaceships housing full worldspaces, it's also another example of Doctor Who inspiring the underdogs to overthrow their masters (except this time, cloned teenagers are the ones fighting) and, in the process, a tale of societal control. In other words, excellent stuff.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  The first series of The Lost Stories has quite a few gems, and Leviathan shines like the best of 'em. It's confident, it's smartly constructed and it's not afraid to have some good old-fashioned fun amongst all the technobabble.