Last of the Romanovs

"You will fight to the last man."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: March 2020

Series: First Doctor Adventures 4.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands on Earth near to an eerie and familiar house... with the only witness a regal man watching from inside through a broken window.

Leaving the ship the crew immediately find themselves in trouble – because they have landed in Ekaterinburg early in the twentieth century.

The man inside the house is Nicholas, the last Tsar of Russia, imprisoned with his family... and one of the most notorious crimes in history is just about to happen.

Verdict

Last of the Romanovs was an excellent story to conclude the fourth series of First Doctor Adventures! I have absolutely loved this boxset and it's definitely the best in the range thus far with Return to Skaro complimenting this gem in an incredible way. I liked how things started with Yurovsky talking with the former Tsar Nicholas who was now referred to simply as 'citizen'. That set the scene for the position this powerful historical figure was now in and I loved how he saw the magic of the TARDIS arrival from his window. Ian knowing immediately that the TARDIS hadn't landed in England was good and it seemed like it was the nineteenth century, but Barbara ought to have known better as she recognised the house that was a prison from history. The Doctor's eagerness to explore on every arrival was brilliant and it was quite humorous for Ian to go after him and then pretty much immediately get captured by Russian soldiers. Anastasia being with her dad was nice and I liked how she looked on at the Doctor and Ian and marvelled at them. The threat of the White Army arriving was brilliant and this was right at home with my favourite studies of history, as this era of Russia is incredibly fascinating. The setting of Ekaterinburg was just wonderful and I loved that it was established as being 1918, soon after the two revolutions and now there being a war for freedom not capitalism. The connection between Susan and Anastasia was intriguing and I liked how there was definitely a link of some sort from the window. The TARDIS being lost made for a good first cliffhanger and I was fascinated by Susan's fruitless attempt to sense the ship. Preston's arrival and knowing of the blue box was good and I liked how he turned out to be the British consulate. Makerenkov arriving to the scene alongside the Doctor and Ian was good too and the threat of them being sent to dig trenches didn't seem something the Doctor would be on board with! Preston's plan to infiltrate and gain knowledge of the Romanov prison was terrific with Susan and Barbara set to pretend to be nuns because Nicholas was allowed visitors on religious grounds despite the Bolshevik atheism. The Doctor arriving to help the Tsar wasn't the greatest of cliffhangers, but I really loved how desperate the Doctor was to aid him. Ian and Makerenkov being closed in on by the Whites and Czechs was great and they didn't have any weapons when asked to defend the land. The truth about Makerenkov was a great reveal as his supposed purpose was to get the royal family out of the house before they were murdered as he claimed to be a counter-revolutionary. Ian namedropping Trotsky, Lenin and Stalin was tremendous and the reaction that provided was fantastic. His claim on future knowledge was a lot of fun too. Susan also finding it difficult that she couldn't change history was really well done and I loved how the Doctor was powering on the rules that he abided by in not altering fixed points of time. Barbara returning to Preston with her ability to sketch a rough map of the the house was intriguing with Makerenkov disappearing and then actually shooting the consulate! His arrival at the Romanov prison with the chimney sweep code was fantastic and there really was no ambiguity of the death orders. It was time for the royal family to be no more. The Tsar using his influence to get the TARDIS team as witnesses to escape was great, but Nikulin was sent to kill them. The arrival of the TARDIS from out of nowhere was a surprise and whilst I suspected an early use of the HADS, it seemed even the TARDIS was aware of the fixed point in time and hid itself away until it was needed. That was a little odd I must admit. Susan revealing that she had taught Anastasia meditation was magnificent though and I loved how that fed into the rumours that were abound regarding the daughter and if she did indeed survive. Nicholas being able to face death because of the Doctor's words and knowing what his death would stand for was fitting though. I liked the cliffhanger finish of the TARDIS not working and that's definitely making me want to get started on the next boxset! Overall, a tremendous audio.

Rating: 9/10