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WHO HOME | BIG FINISH AUDIOS
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VERDIGRIS aside, I haven't really been a fan of Paul Magrs's previous DOCTOR WHO work, so it was with a degree of caution that I slipped THE STONES OF VENICE into the CD player. However, since part of my reservation was due to Magrs' obsession with Iris Wildthyme, a glance at the cast list saw me feeling more confident about the story. Unfortunately, despite the absence of the annoying Iris, THE STONES OF VENICE is the least successful Eighth Doctor audio so far. After being chased back to the TARDIS, the Doctor and Charley decide to get away from it with a trip to Venice. But instead of visiting the city during the Renaissance, they arrive just as the city is about to disappear beneath the sea. This event is eagerly awaited by some within the city, while others believe that the beautiful Countess Estella (Magrs' sleeve notes mention GREAT EXPECTATIONS as one of the "favourite things" he wanted to put into the story) will return one hundred years after cursing Duke Orsino. However, Estella's "secret" identity is about as secret as the Master's is when he poses as someone whose name just happens to be "master" in another language. Plot-wise, THE STONES OF VENICE is a bit dull and predictable, with the surprise revelation not really being a surprise at all, which means that after an interesting couple of opening episodes, things tail in parts three and four. Production-wise, things are fine, and there are some fine performances, notably from India Fisher as Charley, TV WHO veteran Michael Sheard and Mark Gatiss. Since the story was the first to be recorded out of the four initial Eighth Doctor stories, Paul McGann takes some time to find his feet. Reasonably enjoyable, but something of a disapointment after the two previous Eighth Doctor stories. BACK TO THE TOP |
THE STONES
OF VENICE |
