A Town Called Fortune

"I'll see this Doctor fella is hanged at dawn."

Writer: Paul Sutton

Format: Audio

Released: November 2010

Series: Companion Chronicles 5.05

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

"Wanted dead or alive for the murder of... William Donovan!"

Problems beset the Doctor and Evelyn Smythe as they travel by train to the Wild West town of Fortune. A young woman is investigating the murder of her father nine years earlier, and a wanted poster indicates that the Doctor is the killer!

With the TARDIS lost to them and the law on their tail, can the travellers unravel the mystery – or will Rachel Ann Donovan take her revenge first?

Verdict

A Town Called Fortune was a great little Companion Chronicle audio adventure! It was definitely worth the £2.99 download sale price to go alongside the recent airing of the sixth episode in Series 12, but I have to admit that I was a little trepidatious about purchasing this story because of its Wild West setting. I don’t think I’ve hidden from the fact before that I do not enjoy this period and location in American history so I was understandably sceptical. The story starting with Evelyn in a jail with Sam was interesting and I liked that the Doctor was saying his goodbyes in a saloon. Starting the adventure at the chronological conclusion was good and I liked how it was told in flashbacks which suited the Companion Chronicle format very well. The TARDIS landing on a train headed towards Fortune was good and I found the interaction with the woman we would learn to be Rachel Ann Donovan was terrific. She had simply fallen asleep on the train and didn’t want to miss her destination of Fortune. Her purpose of going there to find the man that killed her father some nine years previous was excellent and really peaked my interest in the story. Evelyn realised that she was doubting herself and seemed to want answers rather than revenge which was an intriguing dynamic. The little family background of how her dad went to Fortune for his family to try and find gold to support them was good and it was quite heartbreaking to find that he’d never written back to them. The revelation that the Doctor was a wanted man in Fortune was brilliant and had me really interested and I thought the scene where he and Evelyn jumped off the train was excellent! I liked that bit of action but I was surprised to find that they still headed to a Fortune on foot. The gold mine between them and the town was good, but Evelyn didn’t like seeing the slave labour and shanty town nature of its makeup. The characterisation of the Sixth Doctor in this audio was very impressive and I particularly liked Maggie Stables and her impression. She performed the whole adventure very admirably. Meeting Jed in the mine was enjoyable and finding out that the Mayor, Sullivan, was working everyone to death again furthered the interesting dynamic of the story. Sullivan’s men coming to capture the Doctor was good and I liked that he was split from Evelyn in unfamiliar surroundings. Finding out that Sam was the Sheriff of Fortune was a little unexpected and I liked the thought that the Doctor was supposed to be on the train alone. He was on wanted posters for the past 12 months which was strange considering William Donovan was murdered 9 years ago. Maisie was a fantastic little character and her introduction of Sullivan to the adventure was really well done. He wasn’t just the Mayor, he was also the owner. Finding out that Maisie was in love with William was interesting and it was nice that she’d named the saloon after him. The fight scene was actually excellent and considering the Wild West stereotype, I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. Maybe it was the lack of visuals? That fight calling all of the town out and meaning that the Doctor’s cell in the jail was unguarded and that provided a tremendous cliffhanger with it being proclaimed that he’d been shot by Rachel Ann. I really enjoyed that. Evelyn’s mind was racing at the start of part two but the Doctor was safe and gone. Evelyn eventually found the Doctor and Rachel Ann, the latter of who was pointing a gun at her face! It turned out that Rachel had paid off a few cowboys for some distractions to help the Doctor escape. I thought it was great that Sam displayed his power and wouldn’t let Sullivan immediately take the Doctor for hanging. Maisie claiming to know who had killed William was good and her claim seemed quite obvious. She knew it was Sullivan, but she just didn’t quite have enough proof. That set Evelyn into proper historian mode which was wonderful and her journeys to the archives to try and find some proof was fantastic and something I could relate to as I am days away from graduating from my History Master’s. She would stifle through every newspaper to try and incriminate him which seemed an unenviable task! Finding out from the storytelling perspective that Sullivan was in jail was very good and I liked that Evelyn seemed to have found a story regarding Sam from 9 years ago. His current perspective with Evelyn telling us that he was once the West’s premier law man. A former outlaw. Evelyn putting together a theory to prove Sullivan’s guilt was good and I really enjoyed the mystery of her trying to piece things together. Before she could finish her puzzle, the whole archive was barricaded and the library was set on fire! This audio definitely didn’t lack excitement. Sam saved them and heard a delirious Evelyn mentioning a different town. A clue? The image of the Doctor and Maisie being tied together was really good and I was fascinated that Evelyn woke up in the gold mine after the archival events. Her use of the cat brooch to cut the Doctor and Maisie free was great. The efforts to blow up the mine with dynamite continued the excitement but Sullivan was there to stop them before Rachel confronted him somewhat emotionally. Sam being able to arrest Sullivan for the blowing up of the mine and the attempted murders was very good along with finding out that he had illegally acquired the mine from William Donovan some nine years ago. There was the connection. Sullivan had changed the name of the town before William could fully acquire he mine was interesting and it had been registered under the town’s previous name of Dry Creek. Only a man in power could pull off a registration loophole coup, and that’s precisely what Sullivan was. Donovan’s registration had got lost and his death meant that Sullivan got what he wanted. The Doctor’s boasting to Evelyn about his efforts to uncover the town’s river and irrigate the land once again was magnificent. Typical Sixth Doctor there which I loved. What I didn’t like was the revelation and truth about the wanted posters for the Doctor. I’m glad they were addressed, but it didn’t make much sense as just being a ploy considering how quickly they’d sprung up after the Doctor’s arrival. I didn’t get it nor like it which was a big shame. Sullivan being arrested but not for the murder of Donovan was great and I loved finding out that Sam was the one who’d done it and that meant Sullivan had all the leverage over him. Sam was in love with Maisie which made things worse given that she’d had an affair with William. That was a strong way to end what was still a terrific story despite that one revelation irking me. 

Rating: 8/10