The Crowmarsh Experiment [AUDIO/2018.1.18]

★★★☆☆

  For the longest time, I've found many of the Fourth Doctor Adventures entries lesser than what they could have been. Maybe it's because the range started around the time Big Finish as a whole started to play it safe with ideas, maybe it's because I don't think the two-part format fits the Fourth Doctor's stories. The Crowmarsh Experiment is pretty good representation of these elements in the Fourth Doctor Adventures: an hour of easy entertainment, most of them treading familiar territory.

  If there's one thing I commend the FDAs for, it's their constant push to expand on the character of Leela. Louise Jameson always sounds energised, engaged with the material as if excited to see where her character would go next, and it's a testament to her acting abilities that the energy is infectious. She's glorious whenever she's on the scene, our huntress trying to unravel the mysterious facility surrounding her. Would you let go of a fabricated but comforting world with loved ones back from the dead, in favor of a reality with no end of dangers to accout for? It's a nice touch that the adventure uses characters from previous Fourth Doctor/Leela audio dramas, giving it a sense of continuity and making this emotional journey for Leela feel like a full circle after many seasons.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  David Llewellyn is always a dependable writer, and the script for The Crowmarsh Experiment gets another stamp of approval from me. It's not the most novel take on a tried-and-true lost memory format, but it provides enough emotional moments to warrant a listen from anyone interested in the range and the TARDIS duo. Plus, Tom Baker is always a delight, even when he's a voice inside a radio throughout almost the entire duration.