Iterations of I [AUDIO/2014.8.12]

★★★★☆

  John Dorney was on fire at this point in his writing career, and Iterations of I is what I'd consider (retrospectively, of course) a great showcase of what made him so special back in the day. From the release of Solitaire to roughly about 2015-ish, I distinctly remember him as the golden boy of Big Finish; he could do no wrong, and every release of his was lapped up by reviewers. I don't blame them; these adventures are genuinely inspired, so fun to listen to, and filled to the brim with goodies and thinkpieces.

  Iterations of I is no different. Dorney utilises an interesting mathematical concept and turns it into a complex living being with its own rules and species characteristics. It allows us to care for the incidental characters, make us actually pay attention to the goings-on in the off chance that we might pick up on a seemingly trivial element becoming vital to the plot after. Most importantly, it both captures the feeling of Season 19 so effortlessly and makes a completely unique atmosphere of dread. It's not creaking doors or spooky ghosts that amp up the spook factor, it's the sound of whirring calculators, beeps and clanks of mathematical calculation and the buzz of incorporeal numbers. It's the horrifiyng prospect that unlike alien monsters or mad scientists, an impossible math concept cannot physically be challenged or "won". This is the kind of adventure that pushes the Doctor's intellect to the limit, and Peter Davison is more than up to the task of portraying a genuinely fear-stricken but steadfast and wildly determined Fifth Doctor. Full props to the regulars in general, but he is a particular standout (as always). Matthew Waterhouse also seems to relish the chance to play Adric the math whiz again, and his matured voice actually fits very well with the teenage character. 

  I guarantee that you'll have fun with this one. It's the kind of Dr. Who John Nathan-Turner would've salivated at the prospect of, a hard sci-fi thriller that's economical in scale but activates the imagination and makes the audience realise, slowly, just how high-stakes a story it is. I had great fun.