Driving Miss Wells

"I'd stopped believing in the news."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: June 2019

Series: Lives of Captain Jack 2.03

Featuring: Captain Jack

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness – time-travelling con-man, saviour of the Earth, and intergalactic adventurer. He has lived many lives.

Alien inasions, stolen planets and burning skies – Newsreader Trinity Wells used to tell everyone the world was ending. One day she stopped believing it. Will her new chauffeur change her mind?

Verdict

Driving Miss Wells was a good story to conclude the second series of The Lives of Captain Jack! This was a solid second series and I'm glad that there's a third to come which I already have downloaded after purchasing the lot as a bundle. Big Finish is renowned for expanding upon the Doctor Who universe and there aren't too many serials and stories where some element, be that setting or the monster or other supporting characters, haven't made some sort of return. There's spinoffs for the likes of Lady Christina and even New Earth, but having an entire story dedicated to Trinity Wells is right up there with whacky ideas! The news reporter was a common feature on our screens during the Russell T Davies era and referencing her reporting on the events such as The Christmas Invasion, Army of Ghosts and The Sound of Drums was fantastic. It was so fascinating to have her star in her own episode and be the focus. She had written a book about her reports on alien invasions and the world ending every week and despite being on a book tour, the publication hadn't gone down well. The insinuation that the events she reported on were actually mass hallucinations was very fun and it was good to have Jack turn up as her new driver and be there due to the death threats she had received. The idea of her getting appointed to the Board of Directors at Pisco Tech was intriguing and I liked that this company was attempting to revolutionise the broadcast media and create the Real News Network. That appealed to Trinity. The story focusing on smart surveillance was interesting and having this represented by buzzing flies really took me back to the wasp cameras of The Simpsons Hit and Run video game! That was a nostalgic blast from the past. Trinity getting angry that the news she was reporting was being debated was good and she couldn't even believe what she was reporting anymore. I liked that a lot. Trinity meeting with the CEO of the Board, Robert, was intriguing with the concept of him not knowing what his own company was doing in acquiring so many other firms. Trinity poisoning him was a shocking moment though that provided some humour with Jack. Trinity starting to think she was going made with her trying to convince everyone the planet had been invaded by alien flies was fun and the chase with Robert in the back of the car was some good action. Trinity's mum suffering from a stroke provided some good emotion to the episode. Jack starting to believe her about the flies almost before it was too late worked well and the efforts to have her sign a NDA and statement and receive a big settlement from Pisco Tech to avoid having her on tv spilling alien conspiracies was amusing and not entirely logical, but before we could expand upon it Operation Fox ensued with the flies quickly wiped out with some industrial insecticide. It was a slightly anticlimactic finish with Trinity knowing Jack was Torchwood all along and UNIT coming to deal with because of his presence alongside her. It was a little convenient and rushed, but finishing things with Trinity as caretaker CEO of the company was a nice touch. Overall, a decent listen! 

Rating: 7/10