Mass Movement Magazine

Doctor Who: A Thousand Tiny Wings – Sylvester McCoy, Tracey Childs, Ann Bell, Joannah Tincey – Written by Andy Lane – 2xCD / Download (Big Finish) (www.bigfinish.com)
One of the things that Doctor Who has always excelled at, is historical adventure, and by that I mean stories set in a specific period of history where the detail of the period, the what, the why and the how, contribute significantly to the tale that’s about to unfold. You may argue that as the show is partially based around time travel, this fact should be a given, but with all of time and space to play with, the infinite number of planets and infinite number of histories where the writer could be given free reign to make anything up, that it does Earthbound historical, or if you prefer period, adventure as well as it does it testament to the shows writers and creators. Why bog yourself down with detail when you could just as easily make it up? Besides, I’ve always loved stories set in definitive periods of history (maybe that’s why my first degree is in History…albeit split with English Literature – do you now see the all pervasive nature of this show? How’s its influence manifests the destiny of those caught in its thrall), and as such, ‘A Thousand Tiny Wings’ made me smile from the minute I pressed play. Set in 50’s Kenya at the advent of the Mau Mau Uprising, the catalyst that would eventually end Colonial rule in Africa, the Doctor finds himself facing a new enemy and an old adversary after landing in a remote area of the Kenyan jungle, as a group of isolated women worry about the oncoming Mau Mau and the death, destruction and change that they bring in the wake. The setting, the isolated, rural farmhouse, the women trapped through fear of what they know is outside, combined with fear that something unknown is also lurking outside the four walls, creates a real sense of panic, dread and fear, and despite the size of the world outside their windows, claustrophobia as they daren’t venture out into the world they used to both love and rule. Perfect setting, fantastic build-up and the clashing use of known and the unknown as a double edged sword on which to base the story makes for a take that sends a genuine shiver down your spine and makes the hairs on the back of your arms tingle with suspense as it plays out. ‘A Thousand Tiny Wings’ is also my first exposure to Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor in audio form, and I was genuinely surprised by how much I warmed to his portrayal, as he seems colder and harder than previous incarnations, much more serious, and at the end if the day, much more like the kind of man you’d want on your side in a crisis. There’s an air of the soldier about him, a force for good in universe dominated by evil, but a force that needs companionship nonetheless, and as usual, I seem to be joining the party at either just the right (or wrong, depending on your point of view) time, as it’s here, in this story, that The Doctor, once again, gains a new companion. This companion though, is unlike any other the Doctor has had. She’s called Doctor Elizabeth Klein (and she shares a little history with the Doctor, but I’m unfamiliar with that story, so moving swiftly on) and she just happens to be German, and a flag waving member of the National Socialist Party, one of the “true” believers, whom the Doctor has previously thwarted and ends up taking with him purely to prevent her carrying out her nefarious plots and machinations. However, this is where I have a slight problem, as introducing a character with such loathsome, twisted views and beliefs is dangerous at the best of times, and in order for it to work, the character needs a foil whose belief’s are just the opposite, such as the Doctor, and herein lies the rub. Does the Seventh Doctor have the warmth and compassion that’s necessary for him to be an effective foil for Klein? Is pitting steel against steel the best course of action? Its early days yet, so we’ll have to wait and see how everything plays out, but this is an interesting situation, an interesting situation indeed. That said, ‘A Thousand Tiny Wings’ is a little cracker of a tale, with suspense and drama enough to keep the listener guessing and involved right the way through to the final act, and a it’s a story that I’ll be tuning into over and over again…Tim Mass Movement