The Light at the End

"Is this some kind of Doctors afterlife?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: November 2013

Series: 50th Anniversary Special

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, Seventh Doctor, Ace, Sixth Doctor, Peri, Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough, Fourth Doctor, Leela, Third Doctor, Jo, Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie, Zoe, First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara, Steven, Sara, Vicki

Synopsis 

November 23rd 1963 proves to be a significant day in the lives of all eight Doctors...

It is the day that Bob Dovie's life is ripped apart...

It's also the day that sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events which forces the first eight incarnations of the Doctor the fight for their very own existence. As a mysterious, insidious chaos unfolds within the TARDIS, the barriers of time break apart...

From suburban England through war-torn alien landscapes and info a deadly artificial dimension, all these Doctors and their companions must struggle against the power of an unfathomable, a alien technology. From the very beginning, it is clear that the Master is somehow involved.

By the end, for the Doctors, there may only be darkness 

Verdict 

The Light at the End was a fantastic audio story to celebrate the landmark 50th anniversary! And it's no coincidence that I've listened to this story exactly one year on from The Day of the Doctor. So, happy 51st birthday to Doctor Who and I think I've adequately celebrated with this much praised audio adventure. The plot was really good and like the numerous Christmas stories, I like how the story has an inadvertent link with the theme of the story. Here, the story was centred around the broadcast date and time of Doctor Who's very first episode, An Unearthly Child. I really liked how things were kept current with Big Finish with the latest Doctor and companion combination seemingly being the lead pairing in the story. The Eighth Doctor and Charley were brilliant throughout and I loved how they were centrefold at the start of the story. The use of the mysterious red light in the TARDIS for all eight incarnations was good and I like how the absence of the time stream and the events of this story being erased from memory meant each Doctor was seeing the light for the very first time, or so they believed. The echoes were very intriguing but they were the reason this spectacular and landmark story didn't get full marks from me. They seemed to be all over the place sadly and not explained enough. I mean we heard remnants of Ben, Polly, Sara, Tegan and Turlough but nothing was really made of it. It just seemed like they were there to get a very small part in the story. I did love Polly talking to the Doctor just shortly after his regeneration in the excellently referenced The Tenth Planet. I also loved the reference to Charley's debut in Storm Warning! The relationship between the Eighth Doctor & Charley and the Fourth Doctor & Leela was a highlight of the story. Charley's reaction to meeting the Fourth Doctor in a much different TARDIS interior to what she's used to was wonderful. The numerous tellings of regeneration to companions were terrific throughout! The relationship between the Sixth Doctor & Peri and the Seventh Doctor & Ace was brilliant too. There really was some great Doctor and companion pairing pairings (if that makes sense). The Fifth Doctor's relationship with Bob Dovie was an interesting one and I'm a tad surprised he was the Doctor chosen to walk into the TARDIS with him. Peter Davison's Doctor isn't the greatest in audio so I think having some multi-Doctor action for him would have been better served. The depiction of the TARDIS crashing into the Dovie household was pretty funny and I loved that Kevin thought it was Santa! The Master's efforts in destroying the time stream of the Doctor and causing time to bend around the TARDIS was as devious a plan as ever from the madman! Now, I'm not keen on Geoffrey Beavers' take on the Master. He doesn't seem to carry the infamous villain trait well enough. In audio, you need something that stands out and I just don't think he does. But the plan of the Master was just incredible! He wanted to make the TARDIS that the Doctor stole to never have existed. It's like Turn Left but with incredibly higher stakes! Everything the Doctor had ever done would be wiped from history. The direct references to The Dalek Invasion of Earth and The War Games as events that weren't stopped by the Doctor. The Dalek occupation long lived and the War Lord's armies raged across the galaxy. The climax was done very well I thought with all the echoes joining well. The way the first three incarnations were written out of being able to fully materialise was excellently explained and put in. It actually made sense which was much better than them just not appearing. The resolution was admirable with eight Doctors coming together against the Master. Did he stand a chance? The time streams were so mucked up now that the Doctors would go back and prevent the Master from stealing whatever weapon he did from the Vess. The use of distraction from the Fourth and Eighth Doctors was wonderful! The way Bob was prevented from imploding was cleverly done and I just loved his comments at the end after being visited by eight different versions of the Doctor to check if he was okay! Outstanding! Overall, a wonderful celebration but some slight flaws that prevent full marks. 

Rating: 9/10