The Five Companions [AUDIO/2011.12.11]

★★★☆☆

  Listen for pure nostalgia; The Five Companions is the kind of Dr. Who adventure that purely exists for the celebration of nostalgic elements and practically nothing else (heck, even the setting of this story is during The Five Doctors). It's unashamedly fanwanky in nature, pitting two popular Dr. Who monsters against each other and throwing in four First Doctor companions into the mix to see how they interact and work with each other to get out of the mess they're in... and that's completely fine. Setting a celebratory story within the confines of Dr. Who's twentieth anniversary story might just be the finest get-out clause to justifying fanwankery in an interesting way I've ever heard -- Eddie Robson's a menace. Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton are dependable as always, and the four First Doctor companion actors bring something very special to the table. I've always considered, out of the classic series Doctors, the fifth incarnation to be the most comparable to the first, and it's a nice touch to see companions of that era call Davison's incarnation the Doctor. It seems even they don't find this young man in an old man's body too unbelievable as a new version of the silver-haired old man they knew from way back. Oh, and the Daleks and Sontarans are here too, and they fight each other and try to set up an alliance and (of course) fail miserably. Good blockbuster action fun in droves can be experienced in The Five Companions (complete with snazzy dinosaur action!), and if you can find it, I guarantee an entertaining ride.