Max Warp

"War is easy... Peace is much more difficult."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Audio
Released: February 2008
Series: EDA 2.02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

Welcome to Max Warp! Broadcast live from the Sirius Inter-G Cruiser Show. Hosted by outspoken columnist and media personality Geoffrey Vantage, with spaceship-guru-extraordinaire O'Reilley and daredevil pilot Timbo 'the Ferret'.

When a test flight of the new Kith Sunstorm ends in disaster, the Sirius Exhibition Station is plunged into a web of murder and intrigue. Someone – or something – is trying to reignite a war between the Varlon Empire and the Kith Oligarchy.

As the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance, only two investigators, the Doctor and Lucie, can hope to uncover the truth.

So strap yourself in, engage thrust, and preparer... Max Warp! 

Verdict

Max Warp was a great continuation of the second series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! This was a really fun tale from Jonathan Morris and definitely recognisable as being his work. I thought the galactic setting worked well and I really enjoyed the adverts that were inserted across this story. It was never too much or too frequent and did serve as a good addition to the ongoing plot. Things got going quite quickly once the Doctor and Lucie arrived to see Timbo 'the Ferret' have his accident that would go on to spark political tension between long-time rivals the Varlon and the Kith Oligarchy. I thought there could have been a tad more on the background behind that conflict, but it was nice to just have the Doctor and Lucie thrown in at the deep end as it looked like war would resume between the two parties once again. I thought the premise was good and upon further research after I completed listening, I was surprised to find that it bore incredible resemblances to Top Gear. Now, I'm not a fan of that longtime British show so I didn't quite hear the similarities, but I did like the idea of the show on a galactic and spaceship scale here. However, I definitely won't be going back and watching the present day, or even the 2008, versions. It just isn't for me but I still really liked how things went here! The Doctor and Lucie were terrific together in this adventure and it was nice that they were by each other's sides for most of it. Their taking on the role of the investigators for the supposed murder of Timbo was excellent and they both played the role pretty well. Lucie still needed some physical nudging in the right direction when it came to their positions and their being there getting questioned. That was quite humorous as she didn't seem to fully grasp why she couldn't be honest. Her mocking of the TARDIS also provided a comical element and you just know that the Doctor would be quite saddened by her likening it to a shed. Her own version of the TARDIS acronym would not be welcomed by the Doctor. Whilst this was very much a whodunnit kind of story, I was glad that it wasn't wholly an investigation in the same form of my recent listening of Whodunnit? There was more going on and more to explore and that came with the prospect of war. President Varlon was a good character and I thought the use of her spindroid was very good. Lucie thinking she had all the answers was another good element of the story, particularly because she was saying so with very little confidence. Her attempt at advertising was also good but I was a little annoyed by Vantage's inability to broaden things out and refuse to be politically correct. Now, political correctness is a shaky concept in my eyes but this story was released 11 years ago and things have changed a lot since then! He wasn't a very likeable character, but then I guess that was the point. The Doctor's summary of events with all of the guest characters together at the end of the story was decent and I liked how the clue of the Doctor and Lucie's experience in the simulator came full circle and Timbo was actually alive and disguised as the President's spindroid replacement. I wasn't overly surprised by that, but I did quite like how the Doctor had worked it out. I do sometimes wish he would let Lucie in on his knowledge sometimes, but might take away from the enigma that is the Doctor. The ending was nice with another peace treaty enacted and all seemed to be well. Overall, a fantastic little adventure!

Rating: 8/10