Babblesphere (2013)

The fourth in the series features the Fourth Doctor and Romana. The action takes place on Hephastos which is quite a creative place but there is something that allows them to connect with each other. It’s called the Babble Network which started off good but as with most thing soon became addictive and got out of control. The title isn’t the most exciting that there has ever been but about 51 minutes in, it suddenly becomes quite clever. There seems to be a pop taken at social media where everyone become addicted and daren’t be left out.

There’s a nice moment when the Doctor and Romana have both left their sonic screwdrivers in the TARDIS, assuming that the other would have bought it. The bit about the sonic screwdriver being charged is something that I must admit I was confused with. In all the years that I have been a fan I have never thought about the Sonic Screwdriver being something that you charge up like an iPod or a mobile phone. I did find myself chuckling with Zagreus was mentioned late in the story. Thought that was a nice bit of continuity.

The story moves along really well and I thought that the sound/music effects were rather well done but it’s the performances of both Lalla Ward and Roger Parrott. It’s refreshing to hear Ward’s Romana that isn’t trying to prevent political overthrow. We don’t get a stressed sounding Romana but a Romana from the TV which helped the story seem a bit more fun. Roger Parrott is also good as Aurelius. It was a nice character and Parrott seemed to enjoy playing it. It’s fun to think that the best way to stop someone is by thinking pointless babble and stuff that is so mindnumbing that only someone who watches The Only Way is Essex would consider it intellectual.

Jonathan Morris is a writer that you can trust to come up with an entertaining story. His credits include ‘The Haunting of Thomas Brewster’ which won the Best Story Prize at the 2008 Toms Tardis Awards. He has managed to write a fun story which felt very much of its time and you could easily believe it was a late 1970’s Doctor Who story.  

One of my favourite ‘Destiny’ stories so far.