Domain of the Voord [AUDIO/2014.9.4]

★★★☆☆

  There are times when you can definitely tell someone's an executive producer of Big Finish with any random audio drama, whether it be Gary Russell or Nicholas Briggs. Domain of the Voord really feels like a Briggs idea under the pen of a different writer, with war film homages popping up left, right and centre. Not to say that's a bad thing -- war film homages can be really fun, and I'm glad to say that Andrew Smith delivers a solid four-parter with the return of the vicious Voord. I wouldn't have dreamed of the Voord of all alien races getting an expansion of their culture, with the 'selection ceremony' with the helmet being a really fascinating and terrifying idea. This one may be guilty of locking the Doctor and Barbara out of the story (something I am slowly getting sick of) for what I suspect is an easy way to make an adventure longer, there's at least a baseline form of tension and excitement to keep things going at all times.

  Whether it be in the narrative, the performances or the production value, something has to keep my attention afloat, and Domain has that baseline enjoyment in the form of William Russell and Carole Ann Ford dishing out superb performances as always. I have a particular soft spot for Russell's rendition of William Hartnell's First Doctor, a much gruffer and more headstrong co-star portrayal than the equally iconic and yet vastly different Peter Purves one; it shows the development the character's had on telly, and Russell's delivery is excellent in and of itself. I would say that Domain of the Voord is perfect for the kind of night you have when you get the particular Hartnell era bite, when you need your fix of patient (read: slow) science fiction; turn it on, lean back leisurely, and let the authentic soundscape take you over.