Fallen Angels

"You are gazing on the Angel..."

Writer: Phil Mulryne 

Format: Audio

Released: 28th July 2016

Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 1.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis 

2015: When sightseers Joel and Gabby Finch encounter a strange man in cricket whites in the Sistine Chapel, their honeymoon suddenly takes a terrifying turn.

1511: Michelangelo is commissioned to create some very special sculptures by a mysterious sect. But as he carves, angels seem to emerge fully-former from the rock. Almost as if they are alive...

From Michelangelo's workshop to the catacombs of Rome, the Fifth Doctor must keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open as he confronts the Weeping Angels.

Verdict 

Fallen Angels was a brilliant audio adventure which kicked off the very exciting Classic Doctors, New Monsters boxset in wonderful style! It's a collection of stories that just shouldn't happen but now with the beauty that is the audio format and the fact that Big Finish are now licensed for anything up to the end of the Eleventh Doctor's tenure, incredible things like this can be realised. I would exclude the Eighth Doctor's story in this boxset from my comments about things that shouldn't happen as the Time War is a difficult concept and acts as the breach between eras, but I'm sure I'll talk more about that when it comes to listening to that particular story. But for now, this was all about the Weeping Angels and their earliest chronological appearance in Doctor Who. I must admit I was expecting it to be the Doctor's first encounter with them and I guess that wasn't confirmed in the story but I was surprised to hear that the Fifth Doctor knew all about them already. That was absolutely fine but I was quite surprised by that fact. I'm now intrigued to see how the later stories in the boxset deal with the Doctor meeting foes from his future. When it comes to thinking of new series monsters to return alongside Classic Doctors, the Weeping Angels were probably top of the list but it must have been quire difficult to bring the silent killers to audio. The format just wasn't made for them because they don't speak but the way that obstacle was overcome was really great. Never before have I been so interested in the sound effects of a story but I loved them in this story. Joel and Gabby were a good literal couple of characters and their honeymoon ended up being a little more eventful than they had envisioned. It started in 21st century Rome and ended in 16th century Florence. That's certainly unique. I found it intriguing that the touch of an Angel zapped the pair back to a time of importance for the Weeping Angels and the idea of the Order of Three Angels was brilliant. The Weeping Angels had their own cult which was very interesting indeed! The 1511 setting was superb and I liked that Michelangelo appeared. I don't know too much about his life but I have obviously heard of him and I knew that he was quite the artist and sculptor. A sculptor just fits perfectly for a Weeping Angel story and I liked how horrified when what he thought was his creation turned out to be quite horrifying and even have fangs. The references to The Time Monster, The Visitation and Time-Flight were very good and I also loved the ridiculousness behind the Doctor claiming to have invented the sandwich! Piero was a great character and the story behind him was actually quite a sad one as we saw him both young and old and the story of the Order was told through him which was terrific. The Priest who served the Angels was also good and I liked how his reward turned out to be a deadly touch. It was intriguing that Joel and Gabby had actually briefly met the Doctor before he'd met them and that really did create some timey-wimey problems and it would inevitably mean that Joel and Gabby would have to stay in 1511 once the Weeping Angels were defeated. The use of Venetian mirrors to achieve that was brilliant and I liked how they were simply trapped looking at endless reflections of themselves down in the catacombs below the Sistine Chapel. The Doctor had to complete the loop by sending Joel and Gabby on their way to the Weeping Angel and to ensure that he met them in his past. Overall, a fantastic audio adventure! 

Rating: 9/10