The Lifeboat and the Deathboat

"I'm a survivor."

Writer: Eddie Robson

Format: Audio

Released: January 2019

Series: The Diary of River Song 5.03

Featuring: River Song, The Master

Synopsis

Stranded in the Vortex, a father and daughter do their best to survive, living on salvage in a ramshackle vessel.

Elsewhere, an obsessive ship's captain hunts down a vengeful monster, whatever the cost. And River is caught between them, uncovering an old enemy in the most unexpected new guise.

Verdict

The Lifeboat and the Deathboat was another great story to continue along the fifth series of The Diary of River Song very nicely! One thing I have been wondering ever since this release was announced was just how River would be able to encounter the Eric Roberts incarnation of the Master. I was still none the wiser for the most part of the audio, but when the obvious reveal came that Daniel was in fact the Master, all was explained. I loved that we didn't meet this Master during the events of The Movie, as I expected, but instead we followed on from him falling into the Eye of Harmony itself and how that led him to being drifting in the Time Vortex as was referenced here. Eric Roberts was fantastic as the Master, but despite this I can't help but feel like there should have been more of him outside of his disguise. We have seen very limited time of Roberts as the Master so I felt this was a slightly missed opportunity despite the story being good for the Master as a character exclusive of each incarnation. Setting an adventure within the Time Vortex is always good as there is just so much potential there. That obviously becomes more so the case with time and having a story based around the timey-wimey nature of Doctor Who is something I really like. So I enjoyed those elements big time. The character of Alison was really interesting and I was quite fascinated to discover what her connection would be with the Master. She obviously wasn't his daughter, but I didn't expect her to actually be the daughter of the Vortex creature (that I am not going to begin to attempt to spell). Her being based from a film from the 1980s was quite amusing once it was revealed, especially when the VHS of that film was found by the Master in the Doctor's TARDIS amongst the junk. River realising that the fragment of the TARDIS that they were in was actually her husband's was a great moment and that led her to know who she was face to face with. One line in particular that I found interesting was River's claim that she had met all of the Master's bodies. Well, this body wasn't his of course, so does that sentiment also apply to Anthony Ainley's incarnation? I like how that leaves room open for her to meet the likes of Alex Macqueen's incarnation, who I am yet to encounter, along with a very exciting prospect of her meeting John Simm's version. One thing I also liked about this story was how it gave longevity to Eric Robert's incarnation beyond the 1996 TV movie and the potential for him to survive and live on, as he always does, and perhaps encounter the Eighth Doctor again. The guest cast in this one were good and I felt the background for this story would have been more than efficient for a two-parter. They didn't get as much time as they perhaps deserved, but the focus was never going to be away from River and the Master for long. The ending was quite simplistic and whilst this was probably the weakest plot of the three in the series so far (only by a smidge), it was still very enjoyable! Just hearing Roberts as the Master again was fantastic, if only it was brief behind the disguise. Overall, another very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10