The Haunting of Thomas Brewster

"They invade the past in order to shape the future."

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Audio
Released: April 2008
Series: Main Range 107

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

Thomas Brewster is haunted by the ghost of his drowned mother. But she is not the only apparition to disturb his dreams. Every few years, he is visited by a mysterious blue box...

Helped by his new assistant, the young Scottish scientist Robert McIntosh, the Fifth Doctor struggles to unravel the twisted knot of temporal implausibilities which hind the TARDIS to Thomas Brewster. Meanwhile, lost in the stews of Victorian London, Nyssa must face a host of special creatures, gathering in the fog.

Verdict

The Haunting of Thomas Brewster was a fantastic audio adventure and got the quality of the Main Range series back on track. Jonathan Morris provided us with a very unique and intriguing tale and I liked how distinct this felt in the range. It really was unique and that's quite rare to come by in Doctor Who with the sheer quantity of stories available. The first part barely even featured the Doctor and Nyssa and it worked well as the context for who exactly Thomas Brewster was came with ease. It was very important to know that his first memory was of his mother's funeral and that must be something he has struggled to live with since he can remember. He wasn't met with much pity as a child and his experience in the workhouse would certainly have shaped the character he came by the time he met the Doctor and Nyssa. I thought this pairing were excellent together and I loved how Nyssa's intelligence was utilised as she so easily understood everything that was happening with the paradoxes. It's difficult to imagine Tegan or Peri, for example, reacting in quite the same way. She had a really strong outing. Brewster himself was a very decent character and he warranted the amount of narration that he provided. I was really glad that it didn't stay as heavy as it did in part one and I think that was actually crucial to my enjoyment of the story. It was given to us in just the perfect quantities. The threat of the mysterious and enigmatic beings within the fog and mist was very good and I loved the prospect of them coming from a possible future, invading the past, and doing everything they could to ensure that their possible future became the one that prevailed. It was a hugely paradoxical concept but I'm a massive fan of the timey-wimey so this worked well for me. The use of the TARDIS was also of particular interest, especially when the Doctor materialised inside an earlier version of his own one! That was unprecedented. The humour when he realised that Nyssa's key had been stolen by Brewster, only for him to casually reveal he had a spare was a lovely moment too. Brewster stopping his past self from believing his 'mother' was good and I liked how it was he who severed the link before it even began. Brewster meeting his mum on the bridge before she committed suicide was an emotional aspect of the story but the thing that shocked me most was the ending! Brewster ended up stealing a version of the TARDIS once again! I certainly didn't see that coming and I'm very excited to know where things go from here. Overall, a brilliant audio!

Rating: 9/10