The Fires of Vulcan

"I've seen the future Mel. I've seen what will happen, what must happen. In the year 1980, the TARDIS will be discovered, dug out of the ash that will reign upon this city tomorrow."

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: September 2000
Series: Main Range 12

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Mel

Synopsis

Two thousand years ago, a cataclysmic volcanic eruption wiped the Roman city of Pompeii from the face of the Earth. It also buried the Doctor's TARDIS...

Arriving in Pompeii one day before the disaster, the Seventh Doctor and Mel find themselves separated from their ship and entangled in local politics. With time running out, they fight to escape the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. But how can they succeed when history itself is working against them?

Verdict

The Fires of Vulcan is a fantastic audio adventure and sees Mel arrive in audio for the first time. My favourite companion of the Seventh Doctor, I was looking forward to hear Bonnie Longford's performance and she was excellent! The plot was very enjoyable and the fact that history itself was going against the Doctor and Mel was just great! I really liked the Seventh Doctor recalling his time in his fifth body when his TARDIS, from the future, was found in Pompeii. He didn't want to know anything from the future, knowing that foreknowledge can be a deadly weapon. I liked how he wanted to take the future as it came. The guest cast in the audio were brilliant and I really liked the characters of Aglae, Tibernus and Murranus. The Pompeii setting was fantastic and I think the story here bettered that of The Fires of Pompeii. It's interesting to think that there were two different Doctors, each with a redhead companion, in Pompeii on the day Vesuvius erupted. Each fighting a different battle. With the Tenth Doctor battling the Pyroviles, the Seventh Doctor had to deal with his TARDIS being stolen by Eumachia which was worked out wonderfully by Mel. She was outstanding in this audio and was probably her best showing as companion thus far, for what I've watched/lsitened/read in the Doctor Who world thus far. The climax was really good and the Doctor's way of changing the future but not the events for his past incarnation was very clever and somewhat genius cheating. There was a time during part three that the story seemed to be just filling time but on the whole scale it didn't affect the story's greatness in which was a very good plot! Great audio!

Rating: 9/10