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Slow Start Worth The Wait

By:David Layton, Los Angeles, United States
Date:Thursday 24 March 2016
Rating:   8

As part of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Big Finish returns to 1963, when it all began. One of the key facts of British culture at the time was Beatlemania. So, Doctor Who takes on Beatlemania. Sort of. The premise is that the Doctor is taking Nyssa to witness the Beatles' famous arrival to screaming fans. However, it is not The Beatles getting off the plane, but instead a Merseyside trio called The Common Men. No one has heard of "The Beatles." Uh, oh. Someone is playing with time again. Part 1 is a bit slow, being mostly setup. By the end of Part 1, I was not sure whether I was getting into it. However, the story improves as it goes along. Some interesting aspects include separating Nyssa from The Doctor early in the story, so that each gets a separate adventure. Another is the jigsaw narrative that has the pieces scattered over a 13-year period, with quite a bit of jumping around. This might seem a confusing way to tell a story, but it works. There are a few lesser bits. One is some rather dodgy New York accents. Another is that it is hard to determine just what the villain is after and why he goes to such extraordinary lengths to get it. In sum: This story is not deep, but it certainly is entertaining.



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