Nevermore [AUDIO/2010.8.12]

★★★☆☆

  The Eighth Doctor and Edgar Allen Poe, such a delicious combination; here we have the most literary, romantic Doctor in a setting heavily inspired by the master's works (a black cat, raven guards shouting "NEVERMORE!", a pit and a pendulum, and lots of more visually interesting set pieces), and Paul McGann seems to be having a heck of a time. It's a surreal, fascinating thing to imagine that the Doctor would be forced to quote The Raven in front of a couple of robot ravens guarding a convicted mass murderer in space -- that's why I love Doctor Who, really. Nowhere else would you find something as bonkers as this.

  Now the important question would be, does Nevermore live up to the insane amount of potential it has? Well, yes and no. I'd argue that Nevermore's premise carries a lot more weight than its presentation implies (a mass murderer locked up in an insane hell of a prison, plus quite a bit more lore dumped on it -- the plot of this story is quite packed), but that the overall result we got is satisfying enough. Sound design works like a charm, the Poe influences are plenty in number and welcome in terms of what they add to the atmosphere and overall fun of the piece (especially as someone who loves his literary works), and the main characters are charming. Tamsin Drew makes an immediate impression, a world apart from Lucie's take on the companion role but just as amazing; Niky Wardley is so good, isn't she? She gels with McGann like nobody's business.

  I think with Nevermore, truth is that the faster you come to terms with the fact that it's quite severely crammed and that a lot of important plot points aren't given the dramatic importance they probably deserve, the better. I found the listening experience tantalising, atmospheric and fun -- and sometimes, when the writer has a million ideas and tries to cram it into one sixty-minute episode... those emotions are enough to take my fancy.