The Cannibalists

"I've never met a robot who wrote poetry."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: August 2009

Series: EDA 3.06

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

The Haven hangs in space. A vast star city, devoid of life. Organic life, that is.

From their high spire, looking out over silent streets and empty plazas, the Assemblers are waiting for the day when the humans arrive. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting...

When the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Lucie to the Haven, it seems like the Assemblers' long wait might be over. Living beings! Without batteries! Protocol be praised!

Except – they're headed for the lower levels. They don't want to do that. That's where the Cannibalists live. And if the Cannibalists catch them – well, they won't be living much longer...

Verdict

The Cannibalists was a really good audio to continue along the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This series has been different in that there doesn't appear to be any kind of story arc spanning the series as we head into the two-part finale and I think that has actually worked well. It's nice to have some standalone stories with the Eighth Doctor and Lucie and I feel that has definitely benefitted their relationship. They really are a wonderful pairing and that was fully on display once again here. Both Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are just terrific together and their chemistry is fantastic to listen to. I think it's fair to say that I'm loving the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish - and I'm barely started. This one was quite a whacky and barmy story and to be honest I wouldn't expect anything less from Jonathan Morris! I liked how things started as we were brutally introduced to the Cannibalists, but their voice and persona didn't quite seem to fit their name which made for a very fun dynamic. Somehow, fun was probably the best way to describe this adventure which actually had a deep and emotional heart! It was quite the contrast which made for a compelling and yet chilled and light-hearted listen. It was all a bit strange and that was definitely working in its favour. I liked the distinction between the different robot types with the Assemblers being a lot more friendly of the Cannibalists. I mean, the names alone could probably tell you that. The former were scared of the latter and I just loved the concept of robot cannibalists. It works well and if there is one life form that could be used as essentially spare parts and for extraction then it is definitely the non-organic! The Doctor and Lucie arriving and initially thinking that they there was no life was good. I liked the subtle tease of continuation from The Movie with the suggestion that the Doctor contained human genetics and I found the difference between parts one and two very noticeable once Minerva was introduced. I thought she was excellent and I loved how she adhered to the Doctor's orders regarding Servo and how he was able to retain his memory at the conclusion. That was a really nice moment. I thought Titus made for a humorous and decent villain as the head of the Cannibalists, and their initial meeting with the Doctor and not thinking he could be anything other than a robot was brilliant. Their reaction to his liquid interior was wonderful. The idea of a robot inundated with poetry was intriguing and I loved that when the Doctor asked for an example, it was all in numbers and letters. The Doctor could understand the translation though which was magnificent. I thought Servo was just a really likeable character as a robot and the sacrifice he was willing to make towards the end was commendable. I thought the concept of the Reset worked very well for a story all about robots and finding out about the myth and the emptiness beyond was a bit of a shock, but it was a very good twist. One thing I should also mention that was a lot of fun was the interaction between Cannibalists and Lucie where they couldn't comprehend that there were also female humans and referred to her pointy bits and physical extrusions. That was so much fun and Lucie was the perfect companion for that moment. She was quite devastated when the emptiness was revealed and the sacrifice was in vain, and for all her boisterousness there have been some good reminders this series of what kind of character she is deep down. She really is a marvellous companion. Overall, a great audio story!

Rating: 8/10