The Thing from the Sea

"We are under a spell."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2018

Series: BBC Audio 01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

In 18th Century coastal Italy, the local fishermen haul in an extraordinary catch: a gigantic serpent. The Doctor identifies it as an alien, but to the ailing locals this fabled sea creature has the capacity to heal them – if only Count Otto will share it with them. When Mrs Wibbsey comes under the influence of the Count, the Doctor finds himself snared by the wicked power of a seemingly immortal magician, the infamous Cagliostro!

Verdict 

The Thing from the Sea was a very strong BBC Audio adventure! I’m always slightly hesitant when it comes to these stories purely because of their format in being a performed story with just one actor. It’s not quite prose but it’s obviously far from being a full cast audio drama. However, this one felt a little more ‘normal’ in the format and I think that’s because of the narrator and lead character. I’ve listened to this immediately after finishing the Serpent Crest series of stories with the Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey, so having the latter in that narrator role was great because that’s the kind of style I’m used to with this pairing. Susan Jameson is really good as the almost companion and she jumps back into the role with ease! It felt natural and right back at home around Nest Cottage. That’s a fun home setting and the idea of her always being on call as the Doctor’s housekeeper is rather fun. He certainly would need to be kept in check! It was really lovely though for him to drop in on Mrs Wibbsey because he knew she was about to face danger. It’s good that he’s looking out for her and that’s what you want from the Doctor for his friends and companions. He would always be there to help. Wibbsey recalling that she’s still haunted by the sound of buzzing going back to the Hornet’s Nest and Demon Quest set of stories was excellent and strong continuity, although with the surprise mention of unrelated serpents in this episode I was expecting more mention of the most recent series. I thought the Doctor whisking her off to 19th century Italy was excellent and that was a setting I really enjoyed. They soon got embroiled in some mysterious fishing as the story’s title might suggest and the thing from the sea was not a typical catch! It was described as being large and tentacled which didn’t sound too unordinary, but the Doctor knew it was extraterrestrial as he locked eyes with it through the netting as it was calmly suffocating. That was a bit disturbing. The enigmatic characters of Count Otto and Cagliostro were brilliant and really sparked up the episode. They felt authentically historical and Italian which was important. It was also good to have an established hierarchy between the pair. The revelation about the serpent thing from the sea was great with it being consumed meaning that human life was extended. I’m always a fan of people trying to extend mortality and if it was feasible scientifically then I think I’d be doing the exact same! The early comment from Otto about fishing up these creatures over the centuries was good and showed right away that there was considerably more to what met the eye. The Doctor cottoned onto that right away! Cagliostro being in the mind of Wibbsey when they wanted to use the TARDIS and go back in time to when the serpents were plentiful was good, and she felt quite guilty about being used again for TARDIS access and information. The concept of the shadow form was good and that being shunned out from Wibbsey’s mental power was terrific, and it almost seemed fitting that Otto was eaten by a serpent in the past. That rounded things out nicely! Overall, a really strong audio adventure.

Rating: 8/10