Horrors of War

"There will be four years of hell."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: July 2018

Series: BBC Audio 03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

"Somewhere in this hospital there is a man, or a woman, who has been possessed by the raw energy of time."

The year is 1914, and the Great War is just getting started. In a field hospital in Ypres, Belgium, Nurse Annie Grantham receives two visitors: a distinguished doctor and his administrative assistant, Miss Grant. They have many questions to ask of Annie, and of her distressed and wounded charges. 

The Doctor is returning to a scenario he encountered long ago: a version of the First World War where the Archduke Ferdinand wasn't murdered, leading to changes all along the subsequent timeline. He now suspects that someone is at large in 1914, intervening in events with some unknown purpose. 

What force is causing injured soldiers to disappear into the night? Does the answer to the mystery lie in Sarajevo, six months earlier, at the scene of that assassination attempt? With the help of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends are about to find out.

Verdict

Horrors of War was a very good story to continue my way through the BBC Worldwide audio trilogy set during the First World War! It’s such a good idea and I didn’t even realise when listening to the opening instalment that it was actually to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the First World War. That’s such a lovely idea and I think it works well to have the same author for a trilogy like this. Justin Richards is a really great writer and he’s able to really flesh out an idea here which I’m enthralled by and really intrigued in. Of course, the First World War has such historical significance so playing around with changing crucial aspects of it is excellent. I was fascinated that we came to the very start of the War in 1914 considering that the opener was two years later so those events technically hadn’t happened yet in a purely linear perspective. That was an interesting move but one that I enjoyed. I thought the Doctor could have perhaps realised the significance of the War a little earlier but I guess when the first story’s events were two lifetimes ago memory can become a sketchy thing! Katy Manning was tremendous in the narrator role and I thought she was terrific in differentiating between her character of Jo and the narration of Annie. Her impression of Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor was also fantastic and a lot better than some of her counterparts which is impressive! I’m such a Manning fan and she really did make this audio a breeze to listen to. The First World War setting is so good and has a lot of potential no matter when or where that takes place. Ypres was just great from a field hospital and the arrival of the Doctor and Jo worked very well indeed. Annie was a strong character and no surprise that she was suited to be the narrator. Her connection with Men of War was great in being there when the Arch Duke wasn’t assassinated as history should have happened. I liked how it was established that events here weren’t quite as dangerous as the opener in the trilogy given that history was only off course by a week here, whereas in 1916 it was by a month. That was good stuff. Some of the other characters here were strong and I liked the enigmatic nature of both Dr Penrose and Private Taylor in being two of only three that were exposed to the victims. The continuation of time trying to fix itself and taking soldiers was nicely done. I really like the idea of Time as something to try and tackle as it can’t be considered a villain and is a very severe natural force. It’s a phenomenon that is very difficult to stop. The way the story fitted into the era of the Third Doctor was impressive with the Time Lords taking an interest in events here, and Jo also mentioning that the Master could be responsible for what was happening. They were a long way from the 1970s though! The significance of Caxton was an unexpected development considering his position beneath Haig in the previous story, but it was good continuity. I thought the exploration of war as a theme was strong stuff. The time energy revelled with a voice in the pointlessness of war but the retort from the Doctor was a highlight for me when he emotionally said how there was always hope, there was always love, and there was always life. That was really strong stuff. I thought the conclusion was done well and paced nicely throughout as Private Campbell was spared by time and should’ve died two weeks back, but hope from Annie kept him going. Things are still ambiguous with regards to solving this issue, but a finale awaits! Overall, a really great listen. 

Rating: 8/10