The Primeval Design

"Humanity didn't always rule the Earth."

Writer: Helen Goldwyn

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 10.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

Dorset, 1830. The Doctor has taken Leela to meet Mary Anning, the noted palaeontologist, but the duo immediately stumble into trouble. 

A body has been found in unusual circumstances. Attacked by an animal... but one of a size unknown in the area. It turns out some things might be better off staying buried.

Verdict

The Primeval Design was a decent story to conclude the tenth series of Fourth Doctor Adventures! Considering that Tom Baker didn't initially join the Classic Doctor party at Big Finish until much later than a number of his predecessors, it's incredible that we now have ten series and beyond of his own Doctor's series. I must admit that I hope moving forward we get something more like a modern television series with something of a story arc, and I would certainly welcome a return to one hour stories split into two parts rather than the double that we have at the moment. But that's more the series direction as a whole and not this adventure. It didn't feel like much of a finale which is testament to the series as basically being four standalone adventures other than a small reference to The World Traders with Leela having previously encountered dinosaurs. I thought the first half of this adventure was actually a whole lot better than the second as the real world history and exploration was much better than when the designed creatures emerged. I thought the voice for them was slightly off-putting and not exactly something I could take seriously as a means to destroy everything on Earth whilst maintaining its environment. That's a shame because the concept is actually something I adore as it is destruction but with a purpose, The idea of them wanting to come and claim the planet was bold and I enjoyed the Doctor correcting them on their statement of reclaiming it. It had to have been theirs in the first place for them to reclaim it. Alas, that wasn't the case. The TARDIS being in the past not by chance was nice and I liked the aim of the Doctor to introduce Leela to Mary Anning. I must admit that she was a figure in history that I had not heard about prior to listening to this story, but I felt they did a good job in explaining her significance in the palaeontology field. That kind of history is a little out of my remit and knowledge, but it worked well and her rivalry with Numan was fascinating. He was a bit of a git and typical of the nineteenth century with his sexist views. The moment he told Leela to know her place when she didn't want him snooping about Mary's shop was tremendous. I do enjoy placing Leela in the past where women are not viewed as equal as that's something she doesn't take kindly too. I liked how that was contrasted with showing how powerful of a woman Lizzie was in being able to give birth on the beach. I've been there alongside my partner giving birth and it's not something to take lightly by any means, so to go basically unaided on the medical side is extraordinary. Jim's relationship with her and his desire to keep his job and support Lizzie and their son was lovely and he was just a really nice guy. A fine character. The Squire was an intriguing element to the story and his demise certainly served a purpose. I liked the Queen of the designed species and the Doctor focusing on that word of design was excellent as he realised that there could be a weakness in their makeup. He of course found it with the fake calcium that made up the bones and a wall of fire was soon orchestrated to send them packing. They would not be claiming Earth today. The rivalry between Mary and Numan should have been more of the focus for me and honestly if the whole adventure was centred on their battle for the atlas bone I'd have been happy. Overall though, still a strong listen with a really intriguing concept at its heart! 

Rating: 7/10