I have so far given a lot of praise to Liz Shaw, but very little mention of her impending departure from the program. Four stories is not the shortest companion tenure we've had so far, but it is still far too short for the likes of Caroline John. It's galling to think that her character was deemed "unsuitable" by incoming producer Barry Letts, and was written out between seasons without a suitable goodbye. As with many actors who've been a part of our little show over the years, however, she at least had the chance to reprise her role for several Big Finish productions.
The Last Post is the last that she contributed to before her unfortunate passing in early 2012, and is certainly one of the finest audios I've had the pleasure of listening to. I was a little worried as it began, hearing the events of Spearhead from Space being discussed, and thinking that I'd misplaced this in my queue. But after a minute, I realized that these bits of narration are episodic, another coming a minute later after Silurians, and then the last after Ambassadors. This, it turns out, is Liz corresponding with her mother, Dame Emily Shaw, about the events of Season 7 so far. Dame Emily is played with class by Rowena Cooper, and the correspondence is very charming, particularly the moment where we discover that Dame Emily is already acquainted with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart through her own work. I also had a good chuckle when she snarks about Madame Tussaud's exhibition of top civil servants.
We also discover that a number of characters who have died this season mysteriously received letters regretfully informing them of the exact time and date of their demise. It seems that someone, or something, is forecasting the deaths of numerous prominent people. And things only get more serious when an envelope arrives on Dame Emily's doorstep...
This story is so brilliant because it not only gives us another much-needed look into a companion's personal life, but also a chance for Liz to have the big hero moment when the Doctor is out of commission. The central idea of the Apocalypse Clock is a fascinating one, too, an AI so powerful and so obsessed with stopping the end of the world that it starts to alter the outcomes of future events to prolong it. Naturally, it soon decides that the only way to prevent it outright is to wipe out humanity, but it's stopped before that can happen. To be fair, if I were a computer in the world of Doctor Who and had to recalculate doomsday every time something insane happens, I'd probably become neurotic too. I doubt the WOTAN circuits helped! As far as a computer gone awry story goes, it's pulled off very well, and Liz and her mother are both just tremendous in it.
The themes of death are certainly appropriate, though a little sad in this context. If there's any story that justified the presence of the Companion Chronicles range, it was this. Do give it a listen if you haven't done so before; it's very beautiful.
Inferno is next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 22 March 2021.)
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