I.D.

"Do you really want to die?"

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Audio
Released: April 2007
Series: Main Range 94

Featuring: Sixth Doctor

Synopsis

In the 32nd century, the Doctor finds himself on a planet piled high with discarded computer technology. Picking over these remains are an army of Scandroids, a collection of unsavoury, illegal Data Pirates and a team of researchers from the mysterious Lonway Clinic. This is a world of organic-digital transfer and 'personality surgery' which the Doctor finds disturbing enough, until something far more deadly starts to emerge.

Verdict

I.D. was an interesting little story but one that definitely could have been improved upon. I thought it had quality but it was lacking a little something special to reach a higher rating. I'm not sure why there was a lack of companion and I think that might have had somewhat of an effect on things as the Doctor was the only familiar character. Colin Baker gave a very good performance as the Sixth Doctor which is pretty much a norm on audio and his incarnation really doesn't get the credit it deserves. I thought his relationship here with Claudia Bridge was very good and she really was the standout of the guest cast. She quickly developed a working understanding with the Doctor and that would leave them in good stead. The Scandroids were an intriguing enemy and whilst they were only doing what they were programmed to, their continued use of unauthorised personnel got a little tedious at times and the repetition was a little too much by the end of the story. The 32nd century was not utilised as much as I had hoped it might have been but with the method of talking to a computer being antiquated, along with the Doctor's telescope, it was clear that things had certainly advanced this far in the future. The idea of altering someone's personality is intriguing and one I definitely like. However, I was left feeling a little shortchanged by the whole story surrounding Ms Tevez. Was it her, was it him? Who knew. It got a little confusing and whilst it sold the whole concept of the programmes taking effect and personalities altering, I didn't think it was overly brilliant. Gabe was a decent character and I liked how he was the one who was not using the advancements in technology. His way of gaining money by renting out the antiquated computer was good. The Doctor's refusal to accept creating one monster to destroy another was excellent and his reaction to that occurrence was probably the highlight of the audio. It was a good story but it was just lacking that special moment. The three-part format was quite different and I'm intrigued to see how a one-part story fares. The Main Range certainly seems to be experimenting with the format now and change seems inevitable. I'm not sure why but I did think the cliffhangers in this story were of a very high quality. The conclusion was pretty good and logical but it didn't feel like anything huge had been avoided or happened. Overall, this was a good story but it was just lacking that something special. Still a good one though!

Rating: 7/10