The Doctor and Lucie travel to 21st century London so Lucie can conquer her most dangerous foe yet: her urge to go shopping. But when London changes around them, both of the time travelers are in danger. Lucie finds herself in London at the height of World War I, with zeppelin bombing runs an imminent danger, while the Doctor’s court appearance for a TARDIS parking violation becomes a more deadly affair when he winds up in an 18th century court. What’s even stranger than the time shifts is the fact that the residents of London are not only aware of them, but take them in their stride. With the Doctor sentenced to be hanged, time is running out to find out what’s happened to London, in the past and the present.
written by Pat Mills
directed by Barnaby Edwards
music by Simon RobinsonCast: Paul McGann (The Doctor), Sheridan Smith (Lucie Miller), Rupert Vansittart (Sepulchre), Clare Buckfield (Spring-Heeled Sophie), Richard Laing (Clerk), Katarina Olsson (Yellow Beryl)
Timeline: after Human Resources Part 2 and before Max Warp
LogBook entry and TheatEar review by Earl Green
Review: An intriguing mystery with time travel at its core, Dead London is a nice case of a time-related problem that, at least at first, has the Doctor completely baffled.
The new audio adventure range for the eighth Doctor continues to capitalize on the cheeky humor and fast pacing of the modern TV series, though the villainous Sepulchre is a bit of a throwback to the original show – he’s an unrepentant moustache-twirling, old-school baddie. Far more interesting – and a bit less one-dimensional – is the behavior of some of the other characters, such as a judge who, as the result of a sudden time shift, appears to be sentencing the Doctor to death for a TARDIS parking violation (!). It’s dramatic and yet funny at the same time. The small cast makes the most of their parts, especially the ones who are playing characters who are present across multiple time zones.
Dead London is a good kickoff for the second “season” of eighth Doctor / Lucie adventures: it’s a lot of fun to listen to, and takes Doctor Who’s time-traveling mandate to heart. For someone who was uncertain about leaving the eighth Doctor / Charley era behind, I’m certainly eagerly looking forward to the next outing of the new team.
