Psychodrome

"This place makes your fears a reality."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: August 2014

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 1.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

Shortly after surviving the perils of Logopolis, Castrovalva and the machinations of the Master, the new Doctor and his new crew could be forgiven for wanting to take a breather from their tour of the galaxy. But when the TARDIS lands in a strange and unsettling environment, the urge to explore is irresistible... and trouble is only a few steps away.

The world they have found themselves in is populated by a wide variety of the strangest people imaginable – a crashed spacecraft here, a monastery there, even a regal court. And not everyone they meet has their best interests at heart.

With the TARDIS stolen, and the very environment itself out to get them, the travellers face an extremely personal threat. They'll have to work as a team if they want to get out alive... but can you really trust someone you barely know?

Verdict

Psychodrome was an outstanding audio adventure to kick off my listening of the Fifth Doctor Boxset! I didn't realise until after listening that this was the first time Matthew Waterhouse reprised his role as Adric for Big Finish and getting a special release to do it outside of the Main Range shows what a big deal that is! I think it's wonderful to be able to revisit this TARDIS quartet and the story taking place between Castrovalva and Four to Doomsday was so exciting. That period of Doctor Who is one of my all time favourites with it holding a nostalgic and special place in my heart. The New Beginnings boxset that encompasses the Master trilogy starting with The Keeper of Traken was my first foray into the Classic era and I haven't looked back since. It was a sensational introduction and this audio felt like a perfect addition. Tegan feels incredibly new having joined the team during the events of Logopolis and that still felt very fresh in her mind. Why wouldn't it considering it was just a couple of days ago? The simplicity of addressing how her Aunt Vanessa would need a funeral really brought things back down to Earth and that's exactly where she wanted to be. She wasn't interested in travelling the universe, she just wanted to get back to Heathrow. Nyssa was still reeling from what the Master did to her entire planet and people, and the subtle foreshadowing of the events of the Time War to come with the companion wishing that the Doctor would never feel anything like being alone and the last of your kind was brilliant. So soon after a regeneration, it was fun to feel like we were still getting to know the Fifth Doctor here and that was portrayed wonderfully well by Peter Davison. Chronologically, this is the second Fifth Doctor tale and it really did feel that way which is impressive considering it was some thirty-two years later! Adric technically being the most seasoned member of the TARDIS team was a fun dynamic, and his frosty relationship with Tegan was sensational. She was almost goading him about the death of the Fourth Doctor which was quite something! She'd hardly known him, but it was nice that she wasn't blaming him for what happened to her aunt. I loved the Psychodrome setting as the potential there was unrivalled. The amalgamation of recent events for the TARDIS team coming into fruition was fantastic! Spiders reminiscent of what was seen on Alzarius in Full Circle but having the blood sucking ability and desire of the Vampires from State of Decay was so exciting! King Magus was a superb villain and the idea of him being a mix of the Master, Tremas and the Doctor in the appearance of the Logopolitan Monitor really was spectacular! It really was a combination for the ages. I thought things were a little near to Amy's Choice when it came to Magus revealing himself as the Doctor's dark side, but it was done so differently that it didn't feel like it was cheating or repeating which was positive. The threat of the TARDIS being stolen was an added bonus with so much else going on and that's always something I love. The separation just adds a sense of vulnerability for me that just works. The people within the Psychodrome all being created by the companions or even the Doctor was intriguing and I loved the play on their fears. For Tegan it was something as simple as the dark whereas for Adric it was being unable to solve a mathematical problem and the Doctor couldn't face his companions losing faith in him. I thought that was superb and played very well into the conclusion as the link that created those was broken, essentially by the belief in the Doctor. Adric in particular throughout the story was keen to emphasise how lucky he felt to be travelling in the TARDIS which was a lovely touch. Overall, the placement of this story in the timeline of the Fifth Doctor was wonderful and the story itself to go with it was just wonderful. A sublime audio! 

Rating: 10/10