Quinnis is a story that is quite an important one. Quinnis was first mentioned in ‘Inside the Spaceship’ back in 1964, it’s technically the prequel to Doctor Who (if like me you don’t consider books or comics as canon). It’s the first time that Big Finish has done anything set before the known history of Doctor Who. It also has a loose connection with the Relative Dimensions story that I listened to before this. Marc Platt is the writer of this story and I think he has had a bit of a mixed run of stories recently. It seems quite odd to have a First Doctor story with just Susan and not with Ian and Barbara but this story does manage to work without them. The story takes place on the planet Quinnis (duh) and the Doctor makes the claim that he can make it rain on a planet which has suffered a drought for two years. It’s similar to the situation that the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara will find themselves in when they have to make fire in ‘An Unearthly Child. Whilst the Doctor is trying to make it rain, Susan befriends Meedla who starts off as someone who we are supposed to like but its not long before her true colours are shown and she is someone who wants to use the TARDIS. The first part of the story sees the Doctor trying to make it rain and then the second half is the aftermath and the business with Meedla. This could easily have made a four part adventure. You have to give credit to Marc Platt for managing to make everything tie in to the classic series. They loose the TARDIS which ties in with the line that Susan gives in Inside the Spaceship when she says they lost the TARDIS “four or five journeys ago”. Also as the TARDIS stays as a Police Box after this story, the TARDIS isn’t a Police Box but a kiosk made of wood with awnings red and white.
What I do like is how well it ties into the TV series. It gives a sensible answer as to why the Doctor and Susan end up on Earth in an Unearthly Child. Carole Ann Ford puts in a better performance that her previous Companion Chronicle ‘Here There Be Monsters’ which I felt was a little lacklustre. In this she delivers the story in a more upbeat and lively way and as we have had quite a lot of Ford over the last month, its good to say that I don’t think she puts in a dud performance. Likewise to her co-star who is actually her real life daughter. Tara-Louise Kaye plays the Meedla character brilliantly and when she shows what she really is that is when I thought that Kaye was best.
Quinnis is the final Companion Chronicle story of 2010 and whilst its not the best its certainly a very good one. There is enough of a plot to keep the listener interested and it’s the right side of intellectual to not baffle people like myself who wont grace the stage on University Challenge. However, and more importantly for someone like me, it ties in well with the known history of the Doctor and neither Marc Platt or Big Finish take liberties with the show and just make some up that is ludicrous
What I do like is how well it ties into the TV series. It gives a sensible answer as to why the Doctor and Susan end up on Earth in an Unearthly Child. Carole Ann Ford puts in a better performance that her previous Companion Chronicle ‘Here There Be Monsters’ which I felt was a little lacklustre. In this she delivers the story in a more upbeat and lively way and as we have had quite a lot of Ford over the last month, its good to say that I don’t think she puts in a dud performance. Likewise to her co-star who is actually her real life daughter. Tara-Louise Kaye plays the Meedla character brilliantly and when she shows what she really is that is when I thought that Kaye was best.
Quinnis is the final Companion Chronicle story of 2010 and whilst its not the best its certainly a very good one. There is enough of a plot to keep the listener interested and it’s the right side of intellectual to not baffle people like myself who wont grace the stage on University Challenge. However, and more importantly for someone like me, it ties in well with the known history of the Doctor and neither Marc Platt or Big Finish take liberties with the show and just make some up that is ludicrous
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