The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

"You can turn people into diamonds!"

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: January 2011

Series: Monthly Adventures 143

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

Sent down south to assist the Metropolitan Police in their efforts to investigate the gangland kingpin known only as 'the Doctor', Detective-Inspector Patricia Menzies finds herself up to her neck in laser-armed robot mosquitoes, gun-running criminal overlords, vanishing Tube trains... and not one, but two Doctors.

Meanwhile, the real Doctor and his academic assistant Professor Evelyn Smythe have become ensnared in the machinations of an old acquaintance – time-travelling Victorian guttersnipe Thomas Brewster. But what's Brewster's connection to the rapacious robot Terravores? And can anyone contain the gathering swarm?

Verdict

The Crimes of Thomas Brewster was an excellent Monthly Adventure to kick off a new trilogy of adventures for the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn! I loved the action-packed start with the pair being chased by robotic mosquitos and the speedboat getaway was a lot of fun. The use of the Doctor's coat as an overload of visual stimulation was amusing and a great way to incorporate his attire into the adventure. The return of DI Menzies was a welcomed surprise and I loved how the Doctor had no knowledge of her as his adventures with Charley were yet to take place so it was brilliant for Menzies to know all about him. Her efforts to feign knowledge were less than impressive, but she was terrific from start to finish and a welcomed addition to the story. The idea of a 'Doctor' heading a gang was amusing as that so obviously would not be our Time Lord hero, and Menzies being on secondment from Manchester because of her past Doctor experiences was nicely done. Mr Gallagher's driver hijacking the transport of the Doctor and Evelyn was terrific and I liked how they thought the Doctor was the gang head, but misidentification was rampant in this adventure. To keep them quiet, Evelyn was tasked with doing Gallagher a favour by getting on the inside with a wire of the gang Doctor. The emergence of Thomas Brewster returning and being the gang Doctor was completely expected given the story title, but it worked well and having Evelyn believe him to be another incarnation of her Doctor was nicely done. He claimed to be a Time Lord but she name dropped the Daleks to confirm that Brewster was far from the real article. That was great stuff. Mick being killed by the Terravores was brutal and their ability to turn people into diamonds was outstanding! Quite the offer there. Menzies stepping foot in the TARDIS was really nice and her immediate question of wondering where the chairs were was magnificent. Proper Bill Potts vibes there. The Doctor detecting another time machine was good and Evelyn being chased on the Underground and actually ending up on another planet really escalated things quickly! Brewster revealing that he was trying to save this alien planet of Symbios was intriguing as this was where the Terravores were out to ravage, but they needed to eliminate the Doctor who'd stopped them and another case of misidentification ensued. The shooting cliffhanger was good action and I also enjoyed the video file of the Terravores being created thanks to an email from Andromeda by Neville! The focus of Great Portland Street as the breach was really good and I liked the continuity of the Doctor feeling like he'd been there before. Brewster taking the Doctor and Menzies was delightful with the former pretending not to know his old companion, but he knew after the escape that the Doctor was indeed around. However, Menzies quickly interrupting to claim she was the Doctor was marvellous! I was a huge fan of her and I hope this isn't the last of her. Brewster asked for the Doctor's help after the issues with the Locus who the Doctor had apparently assisted before in saving Symbios from the Drahvin! Now that's a story I want to hear. It was quite disturbing for Evelyn to have her form taken by the Locus, and the emergence of the Terravore Queen as the signal worked well. Brewster announcing the Doctor has failed was another decent cliffhanger and finding out about Thomas losing Connie was a solid injection of emotion. She was brain dead after a hit and run and wanted to retrieve his time machine and go back and save her, but that's where the Locus came in to make contact. The Doctor's comments about Symbios deserving to be saved more than Earth was a clear trick, but it was required to convince the listening Terravores and allow Brewster to close the wormhole. With the Terravore being a hive mind, the signal was lost to the Queen and their directive was closed. The cliffhanger finish with Brewster hijacking the TARDIS and demanding being taken back to his own time was brilliant as well! Overall, an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10