Castrovalva
Castrovalva – Written by Christopher H. Bidmead & Read by Peter Davison – 4xCD (BBC Audiobooks)‘Castrovalva’ will always be inextricably linked to ‘Logopolis’, with the later flowing seamlessly into the former, and even though both are always listed as separate stories, in reality, ad for all intents and purposes, they’re the first and second acts of the same tale. Starting mere moments after the Fourth Doctor’s regeneration at the end of ‘Logopolis’, ‘Castrovalva’ catapults the new Doctor and his companions into whirlwind nightmare of a possible failing regeneration, being destroyed by one of the initial cosmic events, kidnap, treachery, deceit and the destruction of supposed tranquillity whilst trying to outwit and outmanoeuvre the grand scheme that The Master has designed around the previously unheard of retreat known only as Castrovalva. The story really does feel like the second act of a play, moving at a much more frantic pace than ‘Logopolis’, tying threads together, easing the transition from Fourth to Fifth Doctor, passing the torch from one to the other. It’s s strange story, as the Doctor spends most of his time recovering from recent events and only really comes into his own in the final third, the previous two thirds having relied heavily on two, essentially brand new companions, which whilst slightly annoying on screen, works incredibly well here as Nyssa and Tegan become fleshed out, fully rounded characters, with only one purpose. Help the Doctor, which they inevitably do, as the day is, of course, saved (come on, this is Doctor Who, like it was going to end any other way) and the rest button hit, everything ready to begin once more. It’s a nice touch having the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, read his first story, and it makes you feel somehow more involved in the story, and lit a faint glimmer of hope that he’ll be back to read future releases. As a stand alone story, ‘Castrovalva’ doesn’t work, as it relies too heavily on the previous tale, but if picked up, and listened to, in conjunction with ‘Logopolis’, it becomes an entirely different beast, a story to be savoured and one that I’ll keep returning to. Not too bad, not too bad at all…. Tim Mass Movement
