The House of Masks [AUDIO/2022.10.6]

★★★☆☆

  Venice has been explored before in Doctor Who; The Vampires of Venice show a wonderful realisation of the city, and Big Finish's own The Stones of Venice is a beautifully realised fairy tale (seriously, give it a listen; you won't find many websites giving it a recommendation but I implore you to do so). I'm not entirely certain The House of Masks holds a candle to them in terms of how the city itself is portrayed, but of course this can be excused to an extent because the main story revolves around a crashed spaceship disguised as a palazzo. 

  Do I think the sound design could have been a bit more imaginative and well-realised? Yes, I suppose so. Am I going to hold it against The House of Masks? Not really, because this is a story from a range (The Doctor Chronicles) that has mostly been quite conservative with evocative and truly out-there sound design. It's a bit of a shame, but with lowered expectations comes more surprising satisfactions. This isn't a story that'll shake the core of Doctor Who, but it's a mildly enjoyable romp. The script itself and the core concept behind it is rather paper-thin, but I'm more interested in the overall experience and how it makes me feel -- and it's a testament to both Jacob Dudman and Safiyya Ingar that their chemistry works so well and entertains with ease. If this range has proved me one thing, it's that Dudman really knows how to adapt his performances for his companion actors; it's a shame to let him go.