Kaleidoscope [AUDIO/2022.10.25]

★★★☆☆

  Alan Barnes reveals in the behind-the-scenes featurette that he made sure not to make the six-parter format feel overdrawn and long for the sake of being long; well, in this case, he created a smash hit. Kaleidoscope, if nothing else, has a razor-sharp pace that refuses to relent to the six-part format. It's more of an anthology than a singular story in a way, with its structure most comparable to three two-parters connected by a thread of mystery. Does that mystery, in the end, hold up as a worthy plot element? In my opinion, it probably sounded cooler in Alan Barnes's head than as a fully executed core plot device of audio drama. All this buildup for something as ten a penny as a brainwashed spy who doesn't know he's a spy? I can't say it wasn't a bit of a letdown.

  Still, this is a pleasant time. Nicholas Briggs directs the hell out of this, and Tim Treloar is audibly fired up with the material he so obviously finds captivating -- and I can't blame him. We've got Soviet rivalry with the West (in typical 1970s style, they're stereotypically villainous and Totally Evil), snowmobile chases, journalistic integrity stomped by the ever-watchful gaze of UNIT, the Brigadier slowly losing his mind over the absense of the Doctor... you can't say Barnes doesn't have an active imagination. Other than my biggest gripe of the Kaleidoscope in question being a bit of a non-entity (seriously, I've never been more disappointed by an intriguing alien turning out to be an unwilling stooge for the Soviets), this is a solid audio drama that captures Season 11's blend of 70s' psychedelic weirdness and Barry Letts political shenanigans.