Prime Winner

"A space casino!"

Writer: Nigel Fairs

Format: Audio

Released: February 2016

Series: Short Trips 6.02

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The TARDIS makes a forced landing in a lavish room looking very much like the foyer to a 1930s casino. But the games being played in the halls are unlike anything they would find on Earth, and the players are far from human. And then Peri sees her stepfather...

Verdict

Prime Winner was a great little Short Trips audio adventure! I really enjoyed the concept behind the space casino and I liked how the Doctor and Peri were clearly following on from an eventful outing in Paris. I would really like to hear that one as upon research after completing the story, it doesn't seem to relate to any story currently available across any format! The time storm that followed on from their Paris outing was good and I liked how the Doctor was less than pleased with the situation. It was quite fun to have some continuation from Revelation of the Daleks with the Doctor being in that famed blue coat and Peri didn't think it was too fashionably appeasing which was amusing! The treatment of Peri by the Doctor was a little harsh at the start but that made me think this was quite close in proximity to the end of Season 22 on television with this attitude of the Sixth Doctor. It was brilliant to have Peri stand up to him though and I thought that really allowed Nicola Bryant to shine with the narration. It was intriguing for Peri to think she saw her stepfather Howard at the casino after the TARDIS landed in tumultuous circumstances, and the cruise itself was a tremendous setting. I loved that the Doctor pondered on whether the version of Howard was actually Kamelion prior to them actually meeting him, and the potential of an encounter with the Master was exciting! It didn't come though unfortunately. The Doctor not quite intending to arrive on the cruiser was fun as he's not a fan of getting things wrong in this incarnation. The prime win at the casino being the jackpot was good and the fact it was happening frequently rightfully raised suspicions. The Doctor having second thoughts on what Peri thought was her stepfather actually being the true article was interesting and it seemed that it would have some connection with the temporal disturbances that had happened. The Doctor and Peri being on the hunt for the source of that was a decent basis for the plot and I liked how the cruiser had also experienced turbulence as a result. Peri finding a second version of what she supposed was Howard really intrigued me as that was surely more than coincidence, and the Collector was getting suspicious about there being more than one prime win. It was unprecedented! Especially in the same game session. The TARDIS being taken is always something I like because of the jeopardy it provides. Peri taking on the guise as the princess from the Fourth Quadrant was a lot of fun and it was something she really embraced! The man who wasn't actually Howard, but Quenning, possessing a time manipulator was excellent and I liked the confusion of all of the events duplicating. It could have been presented a little smoother, but it worked very well. I really liked how even the TARDIS controls were immobile as that is very much not ideal for the Doctor, but the manual override through a roundel was wonderful. The Doctor confronting Quenning strongly was good and I liked the timey-wimey nature of stopping him before he actually enacted the first manipulation. It was neat and simple which I always expect from Short Trips. The Doctor using Maxil as an example of the coincidence of what she thought was her stepfather was lovely stuff, although I do think a bit more of an explanation was warranted. Still, a very fun audio adventure! 

Rating: 8/10