The Holy Terror is as subtle comedy. What do I mean by that? Well it has a serious plot to it but it has sprinkles of humour. This is Robert Shearman’s first contribution to the audio series. It’s the first use of a companion that I was not familiar with but was well known to the Doctor Who fans. Frobisher is a shape shifting alien called a Whifferdill who preferred to stay as a penguin. He previously appeared in Doctor Who Magazine several times over the years but since I was never a fan of the comic strips I knew nothing of him.
I have to admit I liked Frobisher, I think that a prolonged tenure in the range would make me dislike him. He is a 1930’s style American private detective so he is thankfully something different from what we have had in Doctor Who. In this story he is rather amusingly seen as a god but there is a slight dig at organised religions as people are rushed into making the talking penguin this god as opposed to just thinking about it.
There isnt really much of a plot here but the story still manages to move along at quite a pace and is highly enjoyable. Colin Baker seems to be having fun alongside Rober Jezek’s Frobisher. Two big names are in this story in the form of Roberta Taylor (formerly of Eastenders) and Sam Kelly (Allo Allo). Both their characters are very good and very entertaining.
This is one of those stories that would never have worked on TV. The production values would have been poor and talked about in the same breath as The Happiness Patrol (1987) and Delta and the Bannermen (1987). Fortunately with this being radio it allows the listener to use their imagination to create this planet. The Holy Terror is an example of how Big Finish have taken a gamble on a different type of story and it working.
I have to admit I liked Frobisher, I think that a prolonged tenure in the range would make me dislike him. He is a 1930’s style American private detective so he is thankfully something different from what we have had in Doctor Who. In this story he is rather amusingly seen as a god but there is a slight dig at organised religions as people are rushed into making the talking penguin this god as opposed to just thinking about it.
There isnt really much of a plot here but the story still manages to move along at quite a pace and is highly enjoyable. Colin Baker seems to be having fun alongside Rober Jezek’s Frobisher. Two big names are in this story in the form of Roberta Taylor (formerly of Eastenders) and Sam Kelly (Allo Allo). Both their characters are very good and very entertaining.
This is one of those stories that would never have worked on TV. The production values would have been poor and talked about in the same breath as The Happiness Patrol (1987) and Delta and the Bannermen (1987). Fortunately with this being radio it allows the listener to use their imagination to create this planet. The Holy Terror is an example of how Big Finish have taken a gamble on a different type of story and it working.
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