Gallery of Ghouls

"There's no such thing as an easy coin."

Writer: Alan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: May 2016

Series: FDA 5.05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II

Synopsis

When the TARDIS lands in Brighton the Doctor and Romana have the chance to spend some time at the seaside. But with it being too early for the opening of the Pavilion, they have to look elsewhere for their entertainment – perhaps Madame Tissot's travelling waxworks, recently arrived in town?

But they're not the only ones interested in her Exposition. When an unusual thief commits an unusual theft, the time travellers are on the case.

What exactly is the sinister secret of Goole's Gallery? Is Tissot's heading for a meltdown? And what does it all have to do with the head of Marie Antoinette?

Verdict

Gallery of Ghouls was an excellent audio in the Fourth Doctor Adventures! This really was so much fun and absolute joy to listen to and something right at home in this range and era. Starting in 1833 and the comments about the Brighton Pavilion not being built until 1851 were wonderful and I loved how the Doctor was willing to wait eighteen years for its opening! The mentions of the randomiser and needing to stay clear of the hunt from the Black Guardian was great continuity and I loved Romana's plan to see history firsthand while they waited for the pavilion to be built. The waxworks were in town though! Madame Tissot was a fun character and her dismay at the fact her exhibitions were getting incredibly low numbers was coupled with the fact there was a competitor in town in the form of Mr Goole. The Doctor's criticising of Tissot's work of Nelson's demise was hilarious because he really didn't hold back! The theft of the sculpt of Marie Antoinette's head was certainly unique and I really enjoyed the Doctor and Romana being accused of it. However, it was Romana who had spotted the real thief who upon her chasing after him he managed to impale himself! While she went to get K9, he just reduced himself to wax and slid away. The efforts to spoil the Royal Patronage of Tissot's display screamed jealousy and I really liked the cliffhanger where it appeared that Goole's mysterious waxer was actually Marie Antoinette! Of course, she turned out to be an over-cranked automaton which was equally as good and I really liked how this android craved acknowledgement. She was also built with sarcasm which was delightful alongside the Fourth Doctor. Her effort's to extract Tissot's eye only to find that it was basically useless was a powerful way to reveal that Tissot was a fraud and actually from Wolverhampton. She had never been to Paris and the French accent was all a ruse to increase her fees. Goole wanting to experience death and record it through the android was really an intriguing concept and the idea of life without feeling for his liquefied species was brilliant. The action that came from the conclusion with the Doctor using a frequency on the sonic that ended up setting the automatons alight and taking the entire works with it was fantastic and the drama that came with Romana being left inside was great. The Doctor would of course return into the blaze to free his companion but it was obvious the moment they entered the TARDIS that she wasn't the real artefact. It was Goole! He didn't bat an eyelid at the Beige Guardian which was amusing. The Doctor believing the real Romana to be in the blaze sparked him into action and I liked how he risked removing the randomiser to save her. It was also fun for him to admit he didn't quite know how to deactivate the HADS! The Doctor essentially turning the TARDIS temperature down to -0.1 fahrenheit was a simple way to be ridded of Goole as he couldn't control himself without internal organs. That was quite graphic but it had to be done. Overall, I thought this was a brilliant audio and just a really fun adventure!

Rating: 9/10