Something Inside (2006)

Something Inside is one of my favourite Eighth Doctor adventures. After a run of hit and miss adventures, this was the first one that I loved from start to finish. From the opening moment where the Doctor doesn’t know what’s going on there is a lot of mystery going on. Trevor Baxendale wrote the very dark and grim The Dark Flame back in 2003 and manages to keep the dark tones in Something Inside but to a lesser extent.

The Doctor we get in this story has had his memory wiped so he doesn’t know who he is which allows for some interesting moments and we get to see a different McGann Doctor to what we are used to. There is a ‘Lost’ feel to it with the Doctor’s interrogation taking place in the present and the bits with Charley and C’Rizz taking place in the past. What we have is knowing what happens to the Doctor but we are then told in a agonisingly slow way how he got there. All the action takes place in The Cube which is a prison for telepaths. The prisoners have been genetically engineered to be telepathic who can kill with a single thought. Once they had served their purpose they were chucked in the Cube.

It’s very rare that real life events make it into a Doctor Who but I thought it was very strange how the Doctor whilst trying to spur on Charley and C’Rizz mentions how Liverpool Football Captain Steven Gerrard inspired his team to win the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final against AC Milan when they were 3-0 down. Possibly the most surreal moment in DW history. The music is also something that I found slightly odd. To start off with I found it very different and unusual but by part three it was starting to grate on me.

C’Rizz is on brilliant form in this story. Since they have left the divergent universe C’Rizz has gone on a different journey. Conrad Westmaas has really stepped up a gear over the last few stories. In this story C’Rizz almost goes mad due to being in the cube. India Fisher takes a back seat out of the three main actors. I think that whilst she did her bit in this story she wasn’t really given much to do like the Doctor and C’Rizz. John Killoran was probably one of the best guest stars in this story as Gordon Latch. The character was slightly unnerving which suited the setting of this story.

Trevor Baxendale has written a story that is better than The Dark Flame and will probably be difficult to beat if he writes story number 3. Nicholas Briggs was the director of this story which doesn’t really surprise me. Briggs is one of the best directors Big Finish has and did a brilliant job. Something Inside is a very strong script with well designed characters that are brilliantly acted. The cliffhangers are slightly below par but because the story is so good that its merely a blip. Nothing could ruin my enjoyment of this fine fine piece of sci-fi drama.

The Dark Flame (2003)

The Dark Flame is the second story to feature Bernice Summerfield in the main range. Following on from The Shadow of the Scourge I had high hopes of this one. Trevor Baxendale pens his first script. Like The Shadow of the Scourge this story has links to the Virgin New Adventures and as a result this story feels like a special as it doesn’t have the natural tone of a regular story.

The story would sit very well in the last season as it has dark tones throughout create a grim feel to the whole thing. The relationship between the Doctor, Ace and Benny seems better structured that in Scourge. Lisa Bowerman is wasted in my opinion in her own series and should do more in the main range. The way she is with the other two actors is a joy to listen to.

Thankfully the story is helped due to the strong performances that Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Lisa Bowerman give. In particular Aldred’s Ace is more grown up than we have ever witnessed. She always seemed to be more grown-up than previous companions and that has continued with Big Finish. The whole feel of the story isn’t quite right. There are loads of things going for it such as the dark feel to it. There are some great pieces of dialogue which help carry the story along. Michael Praed was also very good as Slyde and was another good piece of casting.

When the whole thing had ended I felt that it was a far better effort than Scourge. The characters, the plot and more importantly the feel of the whole product was far better. Baxendale should be given the opportunity to write another story at some point down the road.