‘Doctor Who: Broken Memories’ Review – Classic Doctors Meet Monsters From The Modern Series In A Collection Of Thrilling Stories

One of the joys of Doctor Who is the sheer number of characters and villains that have appeared throughout its 60+ year history. Nowadays, you’ve got villains that the classic era’s writers could only dream about. But what if those classic Doctors could meet some of the new era’s monsters? That’s the question at the heart of Big Finish Productions’ ongoing “Classic Doctors New Monsters” line. Their latest release, Doctor Who: Broken Memories takes the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Doctors and pairs them with a trio of the new era’s most iconic yet underused villains. The result? An immensely enjoyable romp through Doctor Who‘s past and present combined with a reexamination and recontextualization of these underexplored villains.

Invasion of the Body Stealers by Jonathan Morris

When the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane Smith (Sadie Miller) encounter a crashed spaceship on a colony world, they soon discover a body-snatching conspiracy of deadly proportions. With the mysterious Harmony Shoal planning an invasion, can the Doctor and Sarah Jane prevent certain catastrophe? Or is the entire crew of this expedition doomed to be assimilated? Jonathan Morris’ Invasion of the Body Stealers is an equal parts tense thriller and traditional base-under-siege story. On paper, that sounds like the perfect combination for a Doctor Who story. But in execution, it’s a bit middle-of-the-road; always caught somewhere between tense paranoia and the restraints of a more traditional Doctor Who romp. It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it never quite feels as good as it could be.

Harmony Shoal are a great Doctor Who villain – and part of a massive pantheon of villains that were greatly underserved in their few TV appearances. Here, Morris leans into their potential. Harmony Shoal could be any person, at any time. And there’s a natural amount of paranoia that goes along with that kind of premise; a potential that Invasion of the Body Stealers explores quite entertainingly. Sure, it never reaches the sheer paranoia of films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but Morris’ script has a lot of fun with the villains. And the story itself feels exactly like a season 13 episode, dripping in mystique and gothic horror. Baker’s performance is exactly as spot on as always, and while Miller doesn’t necessarily sound like Sarah Jane, she captures the character’s essence well and plays off Baker perfectly.

At the end of the day, Invasion of the Body Stealers doesn’t quite live up to its potential, but it never fails to be anything less than entertaining. (7.5/10)

The Queen of Clocks by Jacqueline Rayner

When the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and Mel (Bonnie Langford) stumble upon a castle under siege, they race against the clock to save Queen Catherine (Finty Williams) and her subjects from the wrath of the Clockwork Droids. But everything is not as it seems, of course, as the Doctor and Mel uncover the secrets behind the Clockwork Droids’ plan. Jacqueline Rayner’s The Queen of Clocks is one of those stories that seems like it’s heading in one direction before suddenly careening off in an entirely different, far more interesting one two-thirds into the story. Because of that, the less said about the story’s specifics, the better. It’s a tale best experienced fresh, without any spoilers. But needless to say, whatever you’re expecting – think again.

Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford give truly great performances – comedic, heartfelt, and utterly heartbreaking all at the same time. The Sixth Doctor so often bursts into the room with outsized bravado and unearned confidence, and Rayner’s script makes great use of the dramatic tension that comes with him fundamentally misunderstanding the situation. Mel doesn’t get as much to do, but her scenes in the episode’s latter half are breathtakingly gripping. And the guest cast all do an incredible job – especially Patterson Joseph’s scene-stealing turn as Harbolt. If there’s one complaint, it’s that the episode doesn’t do much with the Clockwork Droids. They mostly exist in the story’s peripherals but not as fully-fledged characters. It works very well for the story Rayner’s telling, to be fair, but it still might’ve been nice to give them a bit more characterization.

The Queen of Clocks is one of those stories where the less you know about it, the better your experience will be. But expect a thrilling, emotional, and genuinely shocking listen – in the best way possible. (8.5/10)

The Silent Priest by David K Barnes

When the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann) lands in the city of Sunset, he finds a paradise in turmoil. Besieged by a turf war between rival gangs, this once prosperous city has turned into a haven of mayhem and mischief. And hidden away in the town’s church is an otherworldly priest (Nicholas Briggs) who wants to end the violence. But what role does the Doctor play in this priest’s plan? And why can’t anyone remember what happens inside the church? David K Barnes’ The Silent Priest leans into the mystique of the Silence, adding a new layer to this often underserved villain. Sure, the story doesn’t stand on its own very much, acting mostly as set up for the box set’s concluding story. But what a barnstormer of a first act it is.

McGann’s war-traumatized Eighth Doctor is on full display here. He’s feeling beaten, worn down, and desperate to help anyone he can in the face of all of this unspeakable destruction. So, it’s only natural he might turn to a friendly face. But what’s interesting about this dynamic is the way that Barnes uses the Eighth Doctor’s sense of justice in parallel with this Silent Priest’s. In a way, this Silent seems inspired by the Doctor rather than antagonistic to him, and that makes quite an intriguing change from the way the Silence is usually portrayed. McGann and Briggs deliver great performances, so good that their rapport easily propels the narrative. There’s a lot going on, but The Silent Priest primarily revolves around the Doctor and the Silent Priest in a genuinely captivating way.

The Silent Priest may not stand very well on its own, but as the first part of a two-part story, it gets everything right. (9/10)

The Silent City by David K Barnes

Two years later, the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) visits Sunset City to look into the unexpected success of its premiere casino. But there’s something funny about the casino’s business model and the sudden redistribution of Sunset’s wealth. As the Doctor digs into the city’s mysteries, he faces the consequences of actions he’s yet to take when the casino’s mysterious manager enters the spotlight. David K Barnes’ The Silent City takes everything set up in The Silent Priest and cranks it to an eleven – for better or worse. If The Silent Priest was the quiet, mysterious calm before the storm, then The Silent City is the blockbuster conclusion. And as a conclusion, it’s solid enough – though it lacks a lot of what made its opening half so compelling.

This time, Barnes’ script feels much more like a traditional episode of Doctor Who. Here, the Doctor’s investigation takes center stage – both to the story’s benefit and its detriment. McCoy’s Doctor has always been one of the most mischievous and manipulative Doctors to date, and Barnes’ script makes great use of that moral grayness McCoy’s incarnation lives in. Unfortunately, the Silent Priest (or Silent Manager, as he’s now known) practically disappears in this episode. The Silent Priest was his story while The Silent City is primarily about the consequences of his actions. And, to be fair, that’s a very solid setup for a two-part story. It’s just that Barnes’ script doesn’t do much with that idea and, instead, falls back on more traditional depictions of the Silence.

While never reaching the heights of its predecessor, The Silent City delivers an entertaining, barnstormer of a conclusion to this two-part story. Action-packed, full of intrigue, and surprisingly emotional, it offers a great example of how varied the Silence can be as villains. (8/10)

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, Doctor Who: Broken Memories does exactly what it sets out to do. It delivers a collection of stories that combine classic Doctors with villains from the show’s modern era. What makes this particular set so enjoyable, though, is the way each story recontextualizes those villains, either by digging deeper into why they act the way they do or by shining a new light on them. With the exception of its two-part finale, this is one of those box sets where you could easily listen to whichever story you wanted, in any order you wanted to. And that’s honestly the joy of it. It’s a simple, entertaining romp through Doctor Who‘s past and present in the most enjoyable way possible.

Doctor Who: Broken Memories is available now from Big Finish Productions.