2009 TOMS TARDIS AWARD WINNER
Whereas the Judgement of Isskar took a long time to get started, this story got off very quickly. The immediate resolution of the cliffhanger was well completed and was a believable conclusion. This is always a potential banana skin because expectations are so high that the writer could have written something so out of the ordinary and so bizarre that it would have been a disappointment but in this case it wasn’t. Liked the link to the Black Guardian Trilogy from 1983 and mentions of Turlough and how the Black Guardian forced him to try and kill the Doctor and the tracking device that was put in Tegan’s Tiara in the story Enlightenment. It was nice lump of nostalgia that might be confusing to new fans but for older fans like myself it was expected and Clements didn’t go overboard but just stated the bear facts. The story paints the Guardians not as the mighty and powerful figures that we have previously known them as but as weak and not at all mighty. There was a comedy feel to the way that the characters have been written. By the end of the story we get the point that they are a bickering couple that are just waiting for the Doctor the save the day, just sitting in the background waiting just like they did in the original Key to Time series. There was a slightly uncomfortable scene where Amy is slapped and wondered what the relevance of this was and whether it was suitable with this being a story that could be listened to by children. It was the only time that there was such an uncomfortable moment in this story which take a bit of the shine out of the story.
Peter Davison puts in another good performance. He had a good opening scene with the Black Guardian and also an enjoyable scene with the White Guardian. He carries to story along well buts it is his moments with the Guardians was the highlight of this story. The Guardians have always been portrayed as mighty and powerful but it was different to see them in this powerless situation. David Troughton was a superb as the Black Guardian and his performance was superb from start to finish. . His version of the Black Guardian was completely different to what Valentine Dyall portrayed between 1978 and 1983 but then this should have been and was the case. There was certainly a comedy element to the role. The idea that the Black Guardian who was playing Lord Cassim was hoarding all the gold so that he could leave that planet was quite a smart idea. Jason Watkins was also good as The White Guardian and as Legate of the Caliph though he was better as the White Guardian. He worked very well against Troughton and their rivalry was well acted out between the two. Ciara Janson was very good as Amy in this story. Amy continues to develop well showing some nice human emotions and her lack of knowing what they are and how to deal with them. Despite there being no Zara in this story for the character to bounce against she still put in a good performance. There is still a feeling that she is a more intelligent version of Erimem I do wish they had included Zara in this story in some way as it does give the impression that her character isn’t as important as we were led to believe. I think that if Zara was so important then they could have found something for her and that would have helped add to the drama in the story.
All the guest stars performed well in this story and none really stood out but then that’s probably the best thing because with everything going on it was always going to rely on the strong main characters and not really digress to lower and less important characters. I think Bryan Pilkington played a nice character in the form of Prince Omar, the character created enough of a drama for Lord Cassim to create some entertainment for us to enjoy.
Jonathan Clements has written a good story that continues the Key 2 Time story strand going well and it is a clear and simple (ish) story that as we know that the collecting of the segments isn’t going to be quite like what it was in the original series. This is probably Clements best story so far, it has everything you would want from a story and whilst it takes a while to really get into it, once you do then it totally grips you. Lisa Bowerman did a good job as Director. She has really started to develop well as a director and whilst at times the story is hit and miss she has proved herself to be a competent director and this is perhaps her best work. The story kept a consistent speed once it get into its stride and never slowed down even at the end. The twists were well done and came totally out of left field. This was an improvement on The Judgement of Isskar but to me the setting could have been changed.
The Destroyer of Delights did exactly what it was supposed to do and that is to maintain interest in the story until The Chaos Pool. It was a better story than Judgement of Isskar.
- Best Guest Star (David Troughton as The Black Guardian)
Whereas the Judgement of Isskar took a long time to get started, this story got off very quickly. The immediate resolution of the cliffhanger was well completed and was a believable conclusion. This is always a potential banana skin because expectations are so high that the writer could have written something so out of the ordinary and so bizarre that it would have been a disappointment but in this case it wasn’t. Liked the link to the Black Guardian Trilogy from 1983 and mentions of Turlough and how the Black Guardian forced him to try and kill the Doctor and the tracking device that was put in Tegan’s Tiara in the story Enlightenment. It was nice lump of nostalgia that might be confusing to new fans but for older fans like myself it was expected and Clements didn’t go overboard but just stated the bear facts. The story paints the Guardians not as the mighty and powerful figures that we have previously known them as but as weak and not at all mighty. There was a comedy feel to the way that the characters have been written. By the end of the story we get the point that they are a bickering couple that are just waiting for the Doctor the save the day, just sitting in the background waiting just like they did in the original Key to Time series. There was a slightly uncomfortable scene where Amy is slapped and wondered what the relevance of this was and whether it was suitable with this being a story that could be listened to by children. It was the only time that there was such an uncomfortable moment in this story which take a bit of the shine out of the story.
Peter Davison puts in another good performance. He had a good opening scene with the Black Guardian and also an enjoyable scene with the White Guardian. He carries to story along well buts it is his moments with the Guardians was the highlight of this story. The Guardians have always been portrayed as mighty and powerful but it was different to see them in this powerless situation. David Troughton was a superb as the Black Guardian and his performance was superb from start to finish. . His version of the Black Guardian was completely different to what Valentine Dyall portrayed between 1978 and 1983 but then this should have been and was the case. There was certainly a comedy element to the role. The idea that the Black Guardian who was playing Lord Cassim was hoarding all the gold so that he could leave that planet was quite a smart idea. Jason Watkins was also good as The White Guardian and as Legate of the Caliph though he was better as the White Guardian. He worked very well against Troughton and their rivalry was well acted out between the two. Ciara Janson was very good as Amy in this story. Amy continues to develop well showing some nice human emotions and her lack of knowing what they are and how to deal with them. Despite there being no Zara in this story for the character to bounce against she still put in a good performance. There is still a feeling that she is a more intelligent version of Erimem I do wish they had included Zara in this story in some way as it does give the impression that her character isn’t as important as we were led to believe. I think that if Zara was so important then they could have found something for her and that would have helped add to the drama in the story.
All the guest stars performed well in this story and none really stood out but then that’s probably the best thing because with everything going on it was always going to rely on the strong main characters and not really digress to lower and less important characters. I think Bryan Pilkington played a nice character in the form of Prince Omar, the character created enough of a drama for Lord Cassim to create some entertainment for us to enjoy.
Jonathan Clements has written a good story that continues the Key 2 Time story strand going well and it is a clear and simple (ish) story that as we know that the collecting of the segments isn’t going to be quite like what it was in the original series. This is probably Clements best story so far, it has everything you would want from a story and whilst it takes a while to really get into it, once you do then it totally grips you. Lisa Bowerman did a good job as Director. She has really started to develop well as a director and whilst at times the story is hit and miss she has proved herself to be a competent director and this is perhaps her best work. The story kept a consistent speed once it get into its stride and never slowed down even at the end. The twists were well done and came totally out of left field. This was an improvement on The Judgement of Isskar but to me the setting could have been changed.
The Destroyer of Delights did exactly what it was supposed to do and that is to maintain interest in the story until The Chaos Pool. It was a better story than Judgement of Isskar.
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