February 01, 2010

The Natural History of Fear (2004)

The Natural History of Fear is the third story of the third series for the EightH Doctor series and also the third story in the Divergent Universe. What is quite unusual for this story is that there is a list of actors on the back of the CD but no credit for the characters they play. Obviously we know the roles that Paul McGann, India Fisher and Conrad Westmaas play but unless you know the actors personally you wouldn’t be able to attach their voices to a name. This is also the first story to come from Jim Mortimore who also does a Nicholas Briggs and does the Music and Sound Effects.

You know how the Philip Hinchliffe Era was essentially an homage/rip off of all the horror genre that be recreated on a modest BBC TV budget? Well it seems the Jim Morimore read George Orwell’s 1984. The setting is Light City and the Doctor, Charley and C’Rizz are in trouble for daring to ask question which is a crime according to the city laws. This is C’Rizz’s second story as a companion and he has to play a different side to the character. I don’t know how smart this was as it’s the first few stories that determines how successful the character is going to be.

I do have a problem with the choice of when this story has been used. The thing about Scherzo and Creed of the Kromon is that they could only really have been set in the Deivergent Universe but with this story it could quite easily have been set in a futuristic Earth or something similar. Also the story didn’t really do much with progressing the story arc very much. Apart from the beginning we are not treating to anything new. That said as a story its darn good.

As a part of the divergent universe it probably wont be up there because of how little it moves that particular story arc along but as a single stand alone story then its wonderful with a great plot really great characters and music and sound effects (done by the writer remember) that help create a wonderful atmosphere which falls under the should have been made for TV category.

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