The Devil's Armada

"There is a madness that has taken the village."

Writer: Philip Hinchcliffe (Adapted by Marc Platt)

Format: Audio

Released: September 2014

Series: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents 1.02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands in Sissenden Village in the sixteenth century. Catholic priests are hunted, so-called witches are drowned in the ducking stool, and in the shadows, the Vituperon are watching... and waiting...

Verdict

The Devil's Armada was a great adventure to conclude the first volume of Philip Hinchcliffe Presents stories for the Fourth Doctor and Leela! I thought this followed up The Ghosts of Gralstead strong and I was pleased that there was immediate follow on from that adventure with Leela still adorning her Victorian attire as they now headed for the Elizabethan era. It started intriguingly with Meg seeing an imp and the devilish implications of that would be felt very quickly with Mistress Pitcham forced to partake in a witch test notorious for being damaged to the innocent. The Doctor and Leela got involved in local affairs immediately with them providing cover for D'Arcy, a Catholic priest on the run from persecution. The accent put on by the Doctor to pass as a local was very amusing and a standout moment for Tom Baker. I enjoyed the setting of Sisseden Village in 1588 and it worked very well with the political tension at play. Leela had a strong story and her seeing the something out of sight that was stalking on fear was terrific. Ned Bones was a fun villain and his outrage at the Doctor interrupting the Pincham dunking was good stuff. He wanted everyone hanged which showed his human qualities. Sir Robert Harney was another strong character and his initial anger at the Doctor and Leela being visitors soon changed after some amusing degrading of the Spanish, and we were introduced to Nicholas as Robert's son who was an enjoyable character. Anne as his sister also complimented the family well. Redcliffe was another fantastic villain acting as the Catholic hunter and the search of the Harney household was good tension. The devil supposedly being in the small room where the Doctor and co were hiding was a decent first cliffhanger.  I was surprised that D'Arcy gave himself up after all the efforts to protect him, but I did like that there was a hidden chapel inside the Harney house. Anne's brief moment of possession was very good where she was forced to think the Doctor was actually Redcliffe and out to get her family. The Doctor not being able to see the imp meant he had to rely on Leela which I really enjoyed, and the Vinegar Tom comment sparking the devil to show itself from the other dimension of a dark world was terrific. Pincham having the ability to see the imps was fun and I liked that the Doctor wanted to be taught how, he felt like he was missing out! The confessional being a portal to the other realm was excellent and I liked how the Doctor and Nicholas headed after Redcliffe and we were introduced to Lady Jane who was a good character. Redcliffe exerting physical and mental control over the Doctor was nicely done and the cliffhanger of the Doctor having the devil literally inside his head was sublime! I was less a fan of the Vituperon being the embodiment of the Devil and taking advantage of that role in human society, and I'd have liked more knowledge on them as the first and being the Old One. I did thought really like that they only let humanity see them when they wanted to be seen owing to their psychic shield. That was very good stuff. The concept of a slow invasion was one I enjoyed, particularly on the patient scale at hand here. They only reproduced through binary fission and that took a long time so they were really ready to take Earth by now. The Doctor being stitched up and questioned on his visit to Cadiz was good political positioning and a nice reference to The Flames of Cadiz whether intended or not. The Doctor was actually asked for help though which was a refreshing twist but attentions soon shifted once Jane was revealed to have been the one to give up the position to Redcliffe. The final cliffhanger with the Doctor and Leela being adrift on a ship set to blaze the Armada was nicely done as the boats burned amidst the war. The little change in historical fact with the English actually losing ships but them disappearing and a cover up ensuing was fun. The helplessness of the Doctor when the TARDIS was taken was brilliant and I loved that Leela was fighting on his behalf and keen to do so, but he was adamant he didn't need defending. The Doctor's desperation to get the TARDIS back was a story highlight and the portal opening to the Vituperon reality was a tense moment worthy of a cliffhanger with the Doctor's fall, and they now had a legion ready to take Earth. And it seemed the Doctor had awoken them which he was aghast by the suggestion. The threat of losing the TARDIS suddenly became very real and the description of it being his key to the universe was quite beautiful. The realm was dying though and the Doctor did indeed sacrifice the TARDIS to ensure the Devil was defeated which as admirable. Leela not wanting to leave him was great and Redcliffe being there to finally see the truth of the Devil was a nice touch. He became the victim and sacrificial lamb that saw the Vituperons trapped behind. The Doctor's comment about being left with nothing was a little sad given that Leela was with him and it just felt off, but the euphoria of the last scrap of power seeing them to safety was lovely. Overall, a very good story that could easily have fitted into the Fourth Doctor and Leela's era on television. 

Rating: 8/10