The Circus of Doom

"Evil has entered our town."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: November 2009

Series: Hornet's Nest 03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

The circus has come to town – and so has the Doctor! Watching the parade pass by in 1832, he finds the people of Blandford strangely drawn towards the garish big top. He knows something is terribly wrong. The only thing to do is pay a visit. Meanwhile Adam Farrow finds his sister caught up with the circus and its sinister ringmaster. What is behind Antonio's almost hypnotic power, and how is it connected with an event in the Doctor's future? Seized by clowns and forced into the centre of the ring, the Doctor encounters the fiercest of all circus acts. Yet something much more terrifying lurks in the wings – and the sound it makes is horribly familiar. Lives will be lost before the circus moves on – and the Doctor will face his own doom on the high wire.

Verdict

The Circus of Doom was a great audio adventure to continue my listening of Hornet's Nest! This was definitely the best of the anthology series so far and was a real joy to listen to. I liked the setting of Blandford in 1832 and whilst it wasn't too much of a surprise with what we got thanks to the information garnered in The Dead Shoes, this was a really enjoyable tale. The scene was set from the off with Sally describing how the whole town had been out to the Circus of Delights and now it was all very quiet which was eery. Sally's fear of the circus was intriguing and I liked how the gossip had travelled about it being a truly amazing spectacle. Of course, the Doctor's interest was peaked and that was heightened when he felt the presence of the Hornets nearby, even if they were laying know. That was something that interested me as well and with five days of shows for the circus, there was plenty of time to explore. The lure of the town to the circus was fantastic and it was good that everyone wanted to attend, and it wasn't entirely down to their choice of entertainment. Antonio as the Ringmaster along with Francesca the bearded tightrope performer made for quite the act and I just really enjoyed the whole Greatest Showman vibe. The exotic nature worked well and Antonio being a dwarf with the hornets inside him was very good and intriguing. The Doctor taking in the circus performance and being enthralled by the show was wonderful and Tom Baker was definitely allowed to shine as the Fourth Doctor once again. Discovering that the Hornets fed on raw negative feelings was great and I found the Doctor's venture with the hallow lion very amusing! Antonio revelling in the audience being invoked with the fear of death was very good and I also enjoyed Farrow's character and him knowing that the circus was evil. He was a man of science and the dynamic that brought with the Doctor's revelations was terrific. Antonio having told Francesca all about the Doctor was good despite being predictable and I like how we are already setting up the next instalment of the series, especially with the Doctor being referred to as the ancient enemy! It worked well for Farrow to be Francesca's brother as she was far from the sister he knew by this point. The connection with the slippers, despite their ludicrous nature, was really good and the Doctor describing how he'd seen the remains was quite chilling. Sally and the others having disappeared was a good plot development and the Doctor's venture inside Antonio's trailer and hearing the buzzing within was very well done.  I really enjoyed Antonio's description of the history he had with the Hornets and telling of how he was 13 and living in Venice consumed by murder. His love of trickery and magic being provided from an appearance of the TARDIS was superb and something I didn't expect. I also didn't foresee the Hornets emerging from within! This was 1768, but the prospect of the Doctor being responsible and to blame for all that the Hornets do and have done was excellent. I thought that was a lot of fun and presents the Doctor with quite the conundrum moving forward as he can't change the future that he's lived through. The Hornets leaving Antonio and stinging the Doctor seemed quick and I was a little confused that we didn't know where they were headed. Sally being found in the cell with the others was good and I liked how she was to rally an evacuation and prevent the town from attending the Circus of Delights. Farrow's hopes that there was something left of Francesca was sad because she didn't last long before being subsumed and going reckless and mad. The Doctor luring her up high to the tightrope was fantastic and the lack of safety net provided tension. The Hornets making Francesca dance perilously was interesting, and I loved how through her the Hornets challenged the Doctor and claimed he was the cause of all they do. Francesca's death was very sudden and impactful and now the Hornets were left with a new nest to lead us into the previous episode from their perspective. The Doctor only turned for a second and it was costly, but he'd brought Antonio's corpse to the future protected by the shield and was actually the gnome that Yates had seen which was pretty disturbing. Now, there was just one more tale to go and it will take us back a millennium. Overall, a great audio story! 

Rating: 8/10