The Miniaturist

"There's no sound, and yet there is."

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: April 2022

Series: First Doctor Adventures 1.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Dodo

Synopsis

Coulton Salt Mine: a rare environment for geological exploration on the North Yorkshire coast. The Doctor is fascinated by the experiments of Professor Media on the Zechstein seabed, but Dodo is distracted. Didn't her family settle in this part of Yorkshire?

As the Doctor delves deeper into the work of Professor Medra, Dodo is helped by security guard Mick Huff, who is concerned about the strange happenings in recent weeks. Who are the children that keep appearing around the mine workings? Why are local landmarks vanishing? And how can the bedrock of a geological 'quiet place' be screaming?

Verdict

The Miniaturist was a sublime story to conclude the opening instalment of the brand new First Doctor Adventures! I thought this was a stellar adventure and it had a feeling of being entirely different which was really impressive considering the mass of Doctor Who content out there. It's really good to explore the travels of the First Doctor and Dodo on screen and playing with the companion's family history is excellent as that's something that was rarely touched upon on screen during this era. I do hope that continues in future releases within this range as there is a great deal of potential. I liked the setting of the Coulton Salt Mine and Mick Huff was a good character for the Doctor and Dodo to encounter from the off, especially when he'd seen the TARDIS arrive which is a surprisingly rare phenomenon. The atmosphere in the North Yorkshire town was uneasy with not just people going missing, but landmarks and even post boxes. I thought that set an eery tone and it was well placed in revealing the truth behind that. Having the TARDIS join the items and people in being missing was outstanding and I thought the Doctor's outraged reaction when wanting to leave but finding he was stranded was tremendous. I continue to be impressed by Stephen Noonan's take on the First Doctor and whilst it is far from being perfect, this was another very good outing. I thought the intentional mistake on his behalf for Mick Huff's name when calling him Mr Mick was so simple but so effective in feeling genuinely like William Hartnell was around. I enjoyed Dodo in this one and playing with the idea of her accepting that the Miniaturist was at first a future version of herself was terrific. That was great. The concept behind the titular villain turned emotional creature was excellent and it being a pan-dimensional being was brilliant. I enjoyed the Doctor being tempted by the opportunity to travel in more than just time and space, and his reaction and will to be able to see the true form of the Miniaturist was really well done. You could hear the awe. Professor Medra was also a fantastic character and I really enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor. She was keen to challenge him on his credentials and the Doctor's calm retort of it being mutual that she'd never heard of him was very amusing. Her knowledge that the disappearances were linked to the mine wasn't a surprise but I did really like that she sought the thrill of finding the rarest of finds, and the Miniaturist was right up there! I thought the booming eery voice of the Miniaturist in her own dimension was sublime stuff and really gave the audio that unique feel and atmosphere. I really liked that and it was just a riveting conversation with the Doctor. Dodo referencing the events of The Ark in particular was a nice touch and I also liked the similarities mentioned referencing The Celestial Toymaker. As a whole, I thought this was a really strong audio and any adventure that takes the TARDIS and shrinks it but maintains its weight is always going to be good in my book. Overall, a simply brilliant audio!

Rating: 10/10