Must-See TV

"I always thought I'd make a great television show."

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Format: Audio

Released: June 2020

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures: Stranded 1.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen, Tania

Synopsis

There are new arrival in Baker Street: Sergeant Andy Davidson, and the helpful Mr Bird.

The Doctor isn't happy that someone else in the house is more useful than him. When the residents' TVs start to malfunction, he suspects foul play.

Someone is watching...

Verdict

Must-See TV was another great little episode to continue my way through the first Stranded series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! I say little because this was noticeably shorter in duration at just forty minutes, but that didn’t really hinder the quality of the story at all which was most welcomed. I thought the concept was really good and there was a lot of information to swallow here. From the cover art I was very excited about the idea of getting Andy involved and it just makes sense with him being a police sergeant now in 2020. Although I must have missed where he got stationed out of Cardiff and into the much inferior capital city of London. That’s beside the point though. The episode didn’t try and hide the fact that Andy knew Tania very well and I really was not expecting her to have Torchwood connections! She seems to be a member of the team which is terribly exciting and equally dangerous given her proximity to the Eighth Doctor here. She had knowledge of the Doctor which means she hasn’t been truthful with Liv and so much so that she recognises that the incarnation present here is at an earlier point than the one who experienced the events of Tooth and Claw that saw Torchwood’s creation. I think it is fun though that the Doctor recognised something was up with Tania and suggested she might be a part of UNIT. I can’t wait for Liv to find out the truth about her new partner. The Doctor’s reaction to their relationship was quite amusing because he was completely out of the know in recognising it and that prompted an understandable sigh from Helen. He really was clueless when it came to this kind of thing! His desire to get back into the swing of his old life is understandable and it’s a great idea to have Torchwood involved with him if he’s stranded on Earth to keep that alien involvement and threat present. The character of Mr Bird here was really interesting and I can’t wait to learn more about him. He seems to be the villain of the series heading into the final and I wonder if he is part of the reasoning of the Curator feeling something coming in Lost Property to start the series. Judging by the cliffhanger finish there’s something more to come from him and I can’t wait to find out what his agenda is! I must admit that I initially thought the alien tech the Doctor was finding attached to the televisions within Baker Street was the doing of Torchwood but alas it was actually part of what brought them there. Andy considering the Doctor, Helen and Liv as targets is interesting too and I do hope there’s more Torchwood involvement as the series goes on. Having them merge with a previous version with the Doctor is a prospect I find hugely exciting! I thought the idea of televisions broadcasting the very people watching them was quite fun and it almost felt like a version of The Simpsons Hit and Run game with aliens broadcasting their own human television show across the galaxy! The Doctor’s line about thinking he’d always make a good television show was just genius and had to be my opening quote. I loved it. It was good to inject some more energy into the Doctor here as there was something to solve and Paul McGann played it beautifully. Mr Bird planning to call a flat meeting of all the Baker Residents to show that the landlord had been spying on his tenants was terrific. Imagine the horror! Getting some glimpses at the residents was good though and I really like the pairing of Ron and Tony were magnificent. The humour that came from them being an older couple was good and I loved the line about not being able to turn him on since 1989. Well done to the television! I think the threat - if that is the right word - of the televisions not turning off and running on their own power was good, but I just don’t think I can rate the episode any higher despite it being terrific because it felt unfinished. It is clearly setting things up moving forward and whilst I want to know more about how Mr Bird can jump around from one location to the next in no time, the television threat just seemed to go away awfully easy. But I did like his confirmation at the end that he was always watching and I look forward to finding out why and how! Overall, a really strong episode that sets up the finale very nicely. A strong listen.

Rating: 8/10