Doctor Who - The Lost Stories: Crime Of The Century
Doctor Who – The Lost Stories: Crime Of The Century – Starring Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Beth Chalmers, Ricky Groves, Derek Carlyle, John Albasiny & Written by Andrew Cartmel – 2xCD / Download (Big Finish Productions www.bigfinish.com)
I was once told that I should always follow one rule above all others which was, and is, admit to nothing and accept everything, which in itself is a fancy way of saying “Keep your head down and don’t make a fuss”. I thought it was nonsense then, and I’m convinced that it’s nonsense now, and to illustrate just how ridiculous I think it is, I’m about to break it yet again. I admit it, I’m a space opera freak, I love linking tales and continuing story arcs, especially in Sci-Fi, and with the Seventh Doctor’s series of Lost Stories, that’s exactly what you get. Or more accurately at the moment, what we’re getting. ‘Crime Of The Century’ follows on from ‘Thin Ice’, utilising some of the same characters, most of them a little older (it’s set in 1989, twenty two years after the events of ‘Thin Ice’) , and is centred around left over Martian technology from ‘Thin Ice’, technology that the Doctor is determined to track down before it falls into the wrong hands. It’s a quest that takes Ace and The Doctor from London to the furthest reaches of the ever increasing Soviet Empire and back the Scottish Borders, and along the way they run into and old friend, Markus Creavey and a new companion, expert safe cracker Rain Creavey and a warlord prince, and fall foul of, the Soviet Army, insectoid Alien mercenaries, government ministers and robot kill squads. It’s just like the old days, just the way it was, and is, meant to be. You know, classic Doctor Who. ‘Crime Of The Century’ utilises it’s characters brilliantly, especially the returning baddie Felnikov who adds a taste of the of the cold war to proceedings, and serves as a focal point that helps establish the relationship between Ace and new companion Rain, one that so far, seems to be built around a weird form of one-upmanship, which in turn is fuelled by an almost sibling rivalry. A perfect middle segment to a series that’s progressing wonderfully and just keeps getting better and better and better. Next part please… Tim Mass Movement
