Memory Lane

"The TARDIS has been stolen... by an ice cream man!"

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Audio
Released: October 2006
Series: Main Range 88

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis

No summer can ever quite be as glorious as the ones you remember from when you were young, when a sunny afternoon seemed to last forever and all there was to do was ride your bike, eat ice-lollies and play with Lego. Tom Braudy is enjoying just such an afternoon when the TARDIS lands in his Nan's living room and interrupts her in the middle of the snooker.

After they've apologised, the Doctor and his friends soon discover matters of far greater concern than the fact that their time machine is blocking Mrs Braudy's view of a thrilling century break. The street which Tom happily cycles up and down appears to have no beginning or end, and every single house on it is identical.

Is this the future of suburbia, or something even more sinister? Why doesn't Tom look as young as he behaves? And can anybody remember which house the TARDIS is in?

Verdict

Memory Lane was an excellent audio adventure that continued my listening of the Main Range from Big Finish. It was another brilliant story in what has been a great set of releases for the Eighth Doctor recently. It started off with confusion and intrigue but that was part of the appeal and the enigma that was the street and the identical people and houses really was superb. The TARDIS materialising in a grandma's living room during the middle of a snooker game was quite a change to what we're used to which was good and I loved that the Doctor took an interest in who was contesting the match. Paul McGann was fantastic as the Eighth Doctor once again but as is often the case with the adventures featuring his incarnation, Charley stole the show. She's such a terrific companion and I liked how we got an idea of her childhood and we also got to meet her mother, albeit in an imagined form. It took a little bit for some revelations but once Kim kidnapped C'rizz, she gave us a lot of interesting information that set up the rest of the audio very nicely. Tom was a good character and the mystery surrounding the failed correlation between his voice and his age was excellent. Something wasn't right and I really liked that. Mrs Braudy was a humorous character and the ebullience of her personality was quite infectious. She just merrily lived her life and answered everything with a simple smile and chuckle. The TV footage actually being black box footage of the accident that caused Tom to create his own little bubble world. Charley then getting sucked into things and recreating her own childhood house was good and I liked how that ended up contributing to the audio's resolution. The Cellscape setting was fantastic and it provided a lot of opportunities for Lest and the Governor to cause havoc. Their plan was intriguing as was their relationship. The reference to Something Inside was good and I also liked the relationship between Charley and C'rizz. The background noise of the ice cream van was terrific and I thought the cliffhanger to part one was staggeringly good! It was wonderfully barmy. I did think part four was a little confusing and things maybe advanced a little too quickly or without clarity which meant I couldn't quite give the story full marks but I still loved it. The ending then seemed to come a little suddenly but after finding out that Lest and the Governor were just making their livelihood, the black box could be used as a substitute for their imagination bubbles. Overall, a great audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10