The Top of the Tree

"We've climbed for miles."

Writer: Simon Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: August 2018

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 1.02

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Kazran

Synopsis

On one of their annual jaunts, young Kazran Sardick and the Doctor find themselves in trouble when the TARDIS is tangled in the branches of a very strange, very large tree.

They emerge into a habitat where myriad species fight for survival; an ecosystem of deadly flora and fauna, along with a tribe of primitive humans.

This is a mystery which can only be solved by climbing. But what will they find at the top of the tree?

Verdict

The Top of the Tree was a very decent continuation of the Eleventh Doctor Chronicles and an incredibly intriguing listen! I love the idea of giving us a full tale for the Eleventh Doctor and Kazran Sardick in the midst of the annual visits to Abigail that we would see during A Christmas Carol and bringing things back to that Christmas Special episode was very good throughout. Given what happened at the end here with the Doctor's sacrifice and the months he spent healing before returning to save Kazran and the rest of the tribe, that episode takes place over an incredibly long time for our resident Time Lord! I thought the concept of this audio was interesting and the idea of the TARDIS landing on top of. tree was delightful, especially with the Doctor exiting and simply plummeting below. There was no geronimo on this occasion! Kazran following suit was humorous and I have to say that I quite enjoyed their pairing. I wouldn't be surprised if we got at least a couple more adventures with Kazran alongside the Doctor for their annual adventure and the fact that we even got this one just shows the potential of Big Finish audios and that they can do pretty much anything! I mean, we already had Kazran with Churchill in Living History so having him here for a full outing with the Doctor was definitely a positive move in my eyes. It was clear that he was learning over then course of his travels and the fact that they had encountered the Draconians together is just an audio begging to be made! Jacob Dudman continues to impress with his take on Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor here incredible. He really is a tremendous talent and it's just lovely to be able to get audio stories with the new series Doctors when the actors aren't available to reprise their lead roles. He shines. Learning more about the ecosystem of the trees and their giganticness was very good and I liked how they were so big that they couldn't possibly be on Earth. It's a little strange to think an entire audio took place amongst the trees and whilst I thought the setting was brilliant initially, it didn't quite have the ability to sustain my interest for the whole hour. There was excitement and tension though when it came to the climb up the trees to escape the impending oil-like sap that was on the rise and it really was a chilling moment when Awkward revealed that the old had a purpose. The Doctor didn't quite realise what that was at first despite it being painfully obvious, but it meant that they stayed behind and fell victims to the oil and insects while the mothers and children and so on climbed ahead in the hope of safety. That was the highlight for me. It was also good to have the Doctor utterly defeated and hopeless as insect bites meant members of Awkward's tribe were literally falling to their death in the terrible substance below. One thing I wasn't overly fussed on was the use of the TARDIS in that surely it should have been impossible for the Doctor to have found it after he sacrificed himself by dropping below the deadly oil to find the old girl and eventually return to save Kazran and everyone else. That was a bit too much for me, but I did love the comment when he opened the TARDIS doors of asking if it was raining. He was so proud of what he'd done and arriving at the last gasp. The revelation that spatially the trees were close to his home planet and that Awkward's tribe would be provided safe rescue there and actually become his people's ancestors was terrific! Imagine having a hand in the formation of your own society! That's quite the feat for Kazran. His love of Abigail shone through in such simplicity with a smile at the mention of her name and that was good keeping with the continuity of the Christmas Special. Overall, a decent little audio! 

Rating: 7/10