Shock and Awe: March of the Colossus

"I don't need your kindness."

Writer: Alan Roland

Format: Audio

Released: September 2026

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 11.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

On a beautiful, unspoiled world, the Doctor and Nyssa meet the Dianasa, a primitive tribe who await Arrival Day, when the giant deity that protects them will descend from the sky.

An intriguing myth. Except the Colossus is real, as a ruthless off-worlder has discovered. And he will stop at nothing to exploit this discovery for his own ends.

Verdict

March of the Colossus was a decent story to conclude the Shock and Awe series of Fifth Doctor Adventures. I thought this adventure started pretty strong but took a little bit of a downward spiral towards the end which is a shame as this remained just good instead of great. I think the pairing of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa are great but we don't get enough of them together here. I liked the setting and going to a primitive tribe is exciting because the superiority of the Doctor and Nyssa intellectually can become frustrating for the lead characters. I wouldn't say that was the case here though and it's important to note the distinctions between what we might consider primitive on Earth and in the past compared to a different world. The Dianasa though were really fascinating and whenever you have Samuel Clemens in a role you know you're in for a treat. I never check the cast list prior to listening as to be honest it's not anything I'm really bothered by, but his voice was instantly recognisable. He wasn't quite playing a character on the level of Rassilon here but I enjoyed the presence and power he brought to Drendar as the apparent leader of the tribe. His belief was absolute but it wasn't passed down to his daughter. Arimyne was a really good character and when Nyssa was separated from the Doctor she filled the companion role alongside him rather nicely. Which begs the question though of why the separation even occurred in the first place! Nyssa was rendered a little useless in the possession of Zebek who was a pretty deranged villain. I thought he worked just fine but I can't say I was wholly excited by him and I think that's because I was just much more interested in Drendar who I thought was going to fill that role. Things moved away from deities and superstition which was a shame after setting things up in that direction at the start. He was in the midst of a pretty whacky scheme in creating the Colossus and it rather amused him when Nyssa explained how it had become worshiped by the Dianasa tribe. He didn't even know! That felt a tad too ignorant for my liking. I think the cliffhanger was pretty standard for a story like this with the title but it does the trick. It's not like anyone purchasing this boxset is hindering on the quality of the first part to see if they'll complete the second. Of course they're going to! And they'd be right to because what we got was still really good. I just know it could have been better. I thought Nyssa appealing to the Doctor through the broadcast as Zebek announced there was someone watching the sporting event illegally was quite amusing, but I do feel like this adventure was hindered by trying to do too much with the time it had to hand. Might this have benefitted from more space and padding of a four-parter? I think so. I liked the simplicity and almost ridiculousness of the Doctor needing to calm down the Colossus because it almost feels too easy. But sometimes it is just logical and I wouldn't say that it didn't work so I can't complain too much. I did love Nyssa calling out the Doctor's namedrop of Houdini because crikey is that overused when it comes to getting him out of tight situations! It was also great to touch upon the difference between magic and technology. That's a matter of perspective and time but it was strange for Arimyne to not notice the TARDIS was bigger on the inside! No companion material there then. Overall though, a decent story to conclude the boxset! 

Rating: 7/10