House of Cards is a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions which takes place during the early days of the Second Doctor’s era. It is written by Steve Lyons and directed bu Lisa Bowerman. Anneke Wills and Frazer Hines return as Polly and Jamie, respectively and also provide narration. This is also an episode in the range known as The Companion Chronicles.
The TARDIS has brought the Doctor, Polly, Jamie, and Ben to a casino in space in the far future. Gangsters with heads resembling snakes are a menacing presence and represent the Sidewinder Syndicate. The local crime boss is a woman named Fortune, and the Doctor plays for the highest of stakes.
It’s a fairly interesting story and setting. Wills and Hines play well together here. It is interesting to note that Wills actually says the Doctor’s lines even though Hines really can conjure up a pretty uncanny impression of the late Patrick Troughton. Ben kind of lets his taste for gambling get the better of him, which I thought was an interesting addition to his character.
Steve Lyons has written for Doctor Who in various forms for a lot of years. I sort of thought his snake creature was a bit of a repeat of the race known as the Selachians, which he created many years ago. I found that a little distracting, but the story itself was actually pretty decent. The sound effects and the energy Hines and Wills mustered for their performance are compelling enough for me to still find more than acceptable amount of enjoyment.
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