Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions
Written By: William Gallagher
RRP: £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download)
Release Date: February 2013
Reviewed by: Matthew Davis for Doctor Who Online
Review Posted: 12th March 2013
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where the tribes of Business and Economy have been at war for all of four hundred years...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where a terrible creature called the Wailer prowls the corridors around the Control Tower, looking to eat the unwary...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where there is one Arrival: a battered blue Police Box containing the time-travelling Doctor and his companion, Mel...
Welcome to Tantane Spaceport – where there are no Departures. Ever.
* * *
Spaceport Fear has an intriguing premise and its opening episode does generate a certain amount of atmosphere, but unfortunately the whole play doesn’t really come together at the end.
In the behind the scenes interviews, we are told that Spaceport Fear was a quick replacement for a story that fell through. Unfortunately it shows, as elements of this play either plod along or feel very rushed. For instance, the peculiar speech of the inhabitants of the Spaceport, such as airport terminology becoming part of everyday slang is never picked up by The Doctor or Mel. They just seem to accept that these two tribes are called Economy and Business without as much as an audible raised eyebrow. This is a shame as it is this rather fun language that provides many of the play’s laughs and it would have been nice for The Doctor to have made some comment on it.
Overall once the central villain of the piece is revealed, a lot of the tension so marvellously set up in the first episode loses some of its momentum. I for one wanted to know how this civilisation and its warring factions came to be and how they existed for over 500 years rather than what was lurking outside the spaceport.
One thing that cannot be faulted is the cast, as Bonnie Langford continues to impress as Mel and guest star Ronald Pickup brings a delightful sinister glee as Elder Bones. The supporting cast is fantastic with Big Finish regular Beth Chalmers doing an excellent job of playing two completely different roles so well you don’t even notice.
Colin Baker’s Doctor is “in a state of transition” as the actor himself chooses to describe the character in the behind the scenes extras. He is not as mellow but not as rude, but one cannot feel, and to which Baker makes very clear, that we are all tired of a brash Sixth Doctor. Yes he does have some withering put downs but the development of the character of the Big Finish team and Baker’s performance has redefined this Doctor and the occasional glimpse of what came before is fine, but I prefer to move on.
Spaceport Fear is a very good idea and with more time to develop, this could have been a very strong play. Sadly it is just an average one.
