The Curse of the Fugue

"The seventies are rubbish!"

Writer: Alice Cavender

Format: Audio

Released: April 2016

Series: Short Trips 6.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

February 1974 is grimmer than usual for the British. Huddling together by candlelight the nation endures regular power cuts, however the situation is far worse for one old woman. Out of the dark come visitors who know of her terrible burden of wartime secrets. All she fought to save is threatened. Whom can she trust? The troubled ghosts which plague her, a young man who has befriended her, or her new carer Lucie and her strange friend, the Doctor?

Verdict

The Curse of the Fugue was a good little Short Trips adventure! It was more than a good use of time spent on the train following a day at the football and I thought it was terrific to be revisiting the era of the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller. They were such a good pairing in the four series of Eighth Doctor Adventures so it was nice to put some shine on Sheridan Smith in the narration role here. I thought she did an excellent job as a one-hander and it was nice to know that this was her first time reprising the role since To the Death. Her issues away from the audio booth are well documented so it's lovely to hear her on fine form right from the off in this story. I liked that the Doctor was separated from Lucie and was communicating through the phone. The idea of giving Lucie the authentic experience of the 1970s was fantastic and I really liked that idea. It seemed a good kind of test and placing it specifically in 1974 was great. That setting worked really well and the issue of power cuts happening in the country with food shortages as well really established the historical period. That was a lot of fun and it was actually quite unique to visit this setting from some time in the future, rather than during the time of Season 11 where it was (presumably) set. The Doctor being on a mission to track a metal alloy was good and gave him an incentive and something to work towards which I liked. His being unsure of the form was interesting and its connection to Cecile was something I didn't actually expect so that was good. It being something that could actually bring her troubled past back to her was a fun element. Cecile being 73-years-old and having Lucie cater for her was a decent dynamic. Lucie bringing some sort of entertainment to the elderly by telling stories of the future was probably my favourite element of the audio with her spoiling that some countries got independent and the Berlin Wall would come crashing down. That was really fun. Cecile keeping something from the world was a decent element of mysteriousness into the story and I think that could have been deepened. Lucie and the Doctor being suspected agents was also fun and a good use of the period. Learning that the power cuts were when the metal alloy could influence Cecile was great to connect and the subtlety of the influence was something I'd have liked further exploration of. Matt having the other half was a pretty good development and hearing of the connection to the war and how she reported it missing and also burned the file was interesting. In the end, it was quite a simple resolution to loosen the hold it had on Cecile and Matt but it worked well and sometimes in adventures that span just over half an hour, you need simplicity and logic as there just isn't the time to overcomplicate things. Lucie being told to look after the artefact that was the Doctor was a really good way to finish. Overall, a decent listen! 

Rating: 7/10