The Helm of Awe

"I saw myself die."

Writer: Philip Hinchcliffe (Adapted by Marc Platt)

Format: Audio

Released: April 2017

Series: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents 03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela 

Synopsis

The TARDIS arrives on the remote Shetland isle of Bothness and the Doctor and Leela find themselves threatened by Vikings! Only all is not as it seems. The locals are celebrating the old Norse fire festival of Up Helly Aa, so there's nothing to be worried about. Or is there?

For, unknown to the islanders, the TARDIS crew are on the trail of an ancient artefact invested with mysterious power that has recently been stolen and brought to this remote location.

Somewhere on this island lurks something ancient, and evil, and alien. The Doctor and Leela will have to stop it. Only on this occasion time might not be on their side.

Verdict

The Helm of Awe was another great story to continue my way through the Philip Hinchcliffe Presents series of adventures for the Fourth Doctor and Leela! I liked the mystery of starting with the cataloguing of a mysterious Viking item and I enjoyed the continuity of the Brigadier being the one to call the Doctor to Scotland in 1977. Having the Doctor explain to Leela how UNIT was his tribe was just delightful and it would have been so much fun if the Brigadier did appear, but it was nice to include his presence here. Angus was an interesting character and the lights he saw really set the tone, and I was intrigued by his referencing them as Joanna's inheritance. The Shetlands setting was excellent and the isolation worked, especially with history marking the island as uninhabited. The confusion of the signal the Doctor was tracking was good with it seemingly all around amidst a deliberate pattern. The Doctor's challenging of Angus on the Edinburgh artefact and alien device he'd picked up was brilliantly done and he was always in control. Just who might he be protecting? Leela being part of the festival race was fun and the cliffhanger was a dark contrast and twist as she saw warriors and herself burning alive! The robot berserker attack was good and I liked how they seemed to be made up from parts of the Angus collection. Time being fragile is always something I enjoy and the echoes and premonitions were fantastic. Angus pushing the Doctor below to the Barbezzams (sp?) was intriguing and whilst I wasn't a massive fan of theirs, the push added a new threat to Angus. The star tattoo symbol being an image of protector and the titular Awe was decent, as was Leela's kidnapping to Valhalla. Angus questioning himself and the infection he'd brought to the island was nicely done, and I liked the presence of the Wolf's Eye around. Leela being on the burning boat was incredible stuff and the Helm destabilising as the sky was wrong and the sea was boiling was quite the cliffhanger! The Doctor saving her whilst having all of time in his head was admirable and he conveniently moved them backwards in time. The sleeping beauty being below the island was a nice description and their feigning of being inspectors on the boat was fun, especially when the crew didn't believe them! Finlay Renwick being one of those on board was excellent and of course it would be the Shetland Bus! The warrior droid coming after the Doctor was good danger and I liked the links between past and future as the prophecy he'd already been warned about would happen. The emergence of younger Angus was a nice touch whilst Finlay was warned of the Doctor danger and convinced they were spies. Leela supposedly being shot rounded out a strong set of cliff-hangers, but Finlay actually shot himself which I really didn't see coming. I thought it was slight cheating for the Wolf's Eye to just bring the Doctor and Leela back to the present, but it was necessary for the Doctor to be given the relay and then present it to the older present version of Angus as his memory clicked of the past. The Barbezzam ship being described as too big for the sky was great and I liked how they just absorbed the missile strike from UNIT. Nardos emerging as the head of the aliens was a bit late and not that emphatic, and them being described as a U-boat size showed the scale. The barrier sending time into chaos was strong and I thought it was a nice touch of compassion that Leela avoided telling the truth of Finlay to his descendants. The shields failing leaving a volcano was a slightly underwhelming conclusion despite the action, but I was never sure how the Doctor would manage to defeat them. Overall, still a very strong audio!

Rating: 8/10