Review: Doctor Who – The Time Machine / Author: Matt Fitton / Publisher: AudioGO, Big Finish Productions / Starring: Jenna Coleman, Michael Cochrane, Nicholas Briggs / Release Date: Out Now
Having been delayed by AudioGO entering administration, the final instalment of the Destiny of the Doctor series, The Time Machine, has been released. Not only does this need to be an entertaining Eleventh Doctor story, it also has to bring together threads from the previous ten. A tall order, particularly in the anniversary month of Doctor Who when everything gets subject to extra scrutiny.
Alice Watson (Coleman) is a scientist in Oxford working with Professor Chivers (Cochrane) who is in the process of building a time machine. The date is, naturally, November 23rd 2013. She nearly hits a young man dressed in tweeds and mistakes him for a Cambridge scientist here to witness history being made. The Doctor tries to stop them as they are inadvertently allowing the Creevix (Briggs) to entire our universe to consume it. The Creevix have perfect knowledge of the future and have trapped the Doctor in a paradox.
Not content with saving the universe and tying together ten other stories, author Matt Fitton also shows his love of Oxford and even drops in a bit of Bob Dylan. The Creevix are sinister insectoid aliens who appear unstoppable as they are the ones manipulating history to their advantage. Will even eleven Doctors be able to collaborate through history and save the universe? Needless to say, the answer is yes!
Despite the fact that she isn’t playing Clara here, the presence of Jenna Coleman as narrator and star creates a feeling of continuity with the TV show, and the story brings a few tears to the eyes at just the right moments. A decent way to end what has been a tremendous series.
