Three's a Crowd

"We've forgotten what it is to be human."

Writer: Colin Brake

Format: Audio

Released: May 2005

Series: Main Range 69

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis 

On an almost lifeless planet in a remote star system, Earth Colony Phoenix is struggling to survive. The colonists, utterly dependent on transmat technology and unable to leave the security of their Habitat Domes, have developed severe agoraphobia... not to mention an inability to deal with visitors... 

The TARDIS crew arrives on an apparently abandoned space station in orbit above the planet and soon discover that they and the remaining colonists are in the gravest danger.

To survive, the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem must uncover the colony's darkest secrets before it's too late.

Something inhuman is stalking the colony...

...and it's hungry!

Verdict 

Three's a Crowd was another very good Main Range audio from Big Finish and really explored the character of Erimem which was something I was very pleased with, especially after the most recent story to feature her. The Roof of the World was heavily referenced at the start of the audio with Peri hoping to comfort Erimem following those emotional events in Tibet. The name of the story was very ambiguous and that was good. I must admit I thought this might have been the end for Erimem and although it did refer to the current TARDIS team, it was more so referring to the colonists and their inability to deal with being in a room with more than one person. I really loved Bellip and I thought Lucy Beresford gave an absolutely wonderful performance in capturing the shock and fear that her character had when meeting other people and entering large spaces. Her thoughts on going outside were initially quite funny but when we realised how scared she was I felt genuinely concerned for her. Peri was doing her best to comfort her but was growing impatient with the speed that she was walking. They did get along nicely though which was a positive. Erimem being alone for a large portion of the story was good and it allowed for further character development which is always a bonus with what is still a relatively new character. The Eye of the Scorpion was referenced which was very good and it is interesting to see how far Erimem has come since then. She's learning a lot more but she's still some distance off from being as knowledgeable as Peri when it comes to time and space travel despite her recent arrival in Planet of Fire. Peri was by far the most mature of the companions and you could really see that maturity shine through in the story which was good as we didn't see that much in the television stories. Peter Davison gave another good performance as the Fifth Doctor and I'm very happy with that as some of the reviews concerning his audios have been critical of him but I've had no qualms in the recent stories. It was fantastic to hear Deborah Watling back in a Doctor Who story and although she wasn't playing Victoria, she played the character of Auntie very well. Her relationship with the Doctor was good and I thought the dialogue they shared together was great. Butler was quite a humorous character and he worked terrifically. Bellip's relationship with Laroq was intriguing and the moment they met in the flesh for the first time was a really nice scene. I thought the Phoenix was a good setting and the fact that simple corridors were considered wonders by the colonists was really good. The simple things really did amaze them and that was excellent. The Khellians were an interesting race and the truth behind their presence on the ship was quite disturbing. The Doctor was displeased with that and would soon put a stop to it and I liked how the resolution involved getting rid of the atmosphere. It was pretty much as simple as that. The plot itself was good and I liked the cliffhangers  as they definitely helped the pace of the story which is obviously a good thing. The TARDIS scene at the end was interesting as the Doctor still doesn't seem absolutely at home with Erimem travelling with him. Peri pushed his thoughts but to him three was a crew and I liked that comment to finish. Overall, a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10