Una McCormack takes football as her theme for this month’s Big Finish Short Trips story This Sporting Life. Set in March 1966, it’s World Cup Fever in London, but somebody has stolen the cup itself!
Enter the first Doctor, Dodo and Steven Taylor in a story read by Peter Purves. There’s much interplay between Steven and the others as he tries to understand why something as banal as a game of football should be so important. It makes a change to have the Doctor extol the virtues of something other than cricket, even if it isn’t clear where he gets his knowledge from. The landscape is nicely drawn with some simple strokes, such as the inevitably London bobby who helps flesh out the start of the mystery.
Of course, Steven and the others are soon drawn into the hunt for the missing trophy and there Una fits in a tale with much humour and some credible motives driving the trophy theft. History tells us all ended well, and now we know how (at least in the Doctor Who universe).
Purves turns in a sterling reading and the London setting gives him plenty of opportunity to play up Dodo’s roots and the trio of characters feels nicely balanced.
At around thirty minutes, it is another excellent advertisement for the range of low-priced readings and well worth the investment for the punchline alone!
THIS SPORTING LIFE (DOCTOR WHO) / AUTHOR: UNA MCCORMACK / PUBLISHER: BIG FINISH / STARRING: PETER PURVES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
