Past Forward, the latest instalment of the Seventh Doctor’s audio adventures from Big Finish, is an ambitious three-episode box set that feels like a turning point for this Doctor’s travels. Alongside multiple timelines and a fan-favourite monster, at the centre of this three-episode box set is an emotional story that sees the (apparent!) end of companions Harry Sullivan (Christopher Naylor) and Naomi Cross’s (Eleanor Crooks) time in the TARDIS.
John Dorney’s With The Angels Part 1 opens the set with a high-concept thriller involving a terrifying new form of Weeping Angel. When the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy, delivering the mix of mischief and melancholy that has come to define his take on the Time Lord) fails yet again to return Harry and Naomi home to the correct time, the three find themselves unexpectedly recruited by UNIT to help combat this angelic threat. This first instalment is somewhat dense with exposition and could perhaps have used slightly tighter pacing, but it sets the stage well and the atmosphere builds nicely – alongside the creeping horror of the damage the Angels could do in the wrong hands, there is a real sense of claustrophobia.
The second story, Catastrophix by Lizzie Hopley, is the emotional tipping point of the narrative. The team are separated – Harry zapped back to the 1970s with UNIT, while Naomi battles an apocalyptic future at sea – and the Earth is seemingly about to meet a premature end. The Doctor needs a miracle to find his way out of this one, and he gets it in the reintroduction of an old friend: Ray (Sara Griffiths), the motorbike-riding mechanic from Delta and the Bannermen. Hopley’s writing is poignant, particularly when exploring Naomi’s dread and Harry’s charmingly steadfast optimism. While the complicated timelines occasionally make the story a little hard to follow, the payoff – particularly the Doctor and Ray’s reunion – is worth it. Griffiths slips back into the role with enthusiasm and confidence, breathing fresh life into a character many had long hoped to see return.
In With The Angels Part 2, billionaire Max Bladukas’s birthday party aboard a super-yacht becomes the opulent setting for a terrifying final battle with the Angels. Josh Cowdery shines as Max’s jealous son and the villain of the story, Irving Bladukas. Cold, calculating and seemingly without mercy as he is blinded by his own ambition, Irving has no idea how dangerous the Angels are. The realisation that the Angels could be used as the ultimate weapon is chilling and it’s up to the Doctor to prevent the birthday celebration from turning into a tragedy.
The sound design by Leon Parris creates a cinematic experience, while director Samuel Clemens ensures a tight, character-driven story despite the scale of the plot. Though there are certainly moments where the story’s ambition starts to detract from the coherence, Past Forward sticks the landing emotionally. In all, this is a fitting swansong for Harry and Naomi and a welcome new beginning for Ray.
The Seventh Doctor Adventures – Past Forward is available now from Big Finish Productions.
