Slipback by Eric Saward
25 July - 8 August 1985
So, in the absence of the
originally planned Season 23, what did fans get during that hiatus in
its place? Encouragingly enough, fans of the Sixth Doctor could get
their fix in the form of a full-cast audio drama on BBC Radio 4. So we
stay in the audio realm, but slip back (ha, ha) to an earlier point in
time, well before Big Finish, or BBV for that matter.
We also fall back into the hands of a writer who is fundamentally sort
of disinterested in the Sixth Doctor and in Peri, which is a bit of a
shame. There were obvious touches of 21st century character writing in
the audios I just finished, and losing that feels like a bit of a
downer. If this was like Revelation, where there was a strong
cast of side characters and a strong core story to distract from this,
then I wouldn't mind. Unfortunately, Slipback is only an hour long and doesn't have any idea how to pace itself. Even if it did, there's just not very much there.
Sure, there's the comic duo of Snatch and Seedle, who are a bit of fun,
and the whole concept of the computer with competing personalities
working toward different goals, but what else, really? Another lecherous
alien perving after Peri? The story doesn't lack in incident, per se,
but it doesn't have the time (or the good pacing) to make use of it.
The most unforgivable thing in my eyes is the ending of the story. A
Time Lord Skype calls in from Gallifrey and tells the Doctor to stop
trying to save the ship, because it's about to go back in time and cause
the Big Bang. The Doctor slaps himself on the forehead, saying oops,
silly me! All but calling himself a fool for trying to help others. Just
another example of Saward's dislike for the character coming out, more
blatant the last.
It's nice that there was Doctor Who being released during the hiatus at
all, but I can't say that I'm glad to have listened to it now in the
21st century. But, enough of that. I've just received my summons for
jury duty, and The Mysterious Planet is (finally!) next.
(Modified from the original posted at Gallifrey Base on 3 June 2024.)
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