Big Finish Productions releases another welcome Fourth Doctor audio boxset starring Tom Baker. Metamorphosis contains three new audio plays that continue the Doctor’s travels with Harry Sullivan and Naomi Cross, as played by Christopher Naylor and Eleanor Crooks, respectively.
The guest cast includes the vocal talents of Annette Badland. Geoffrey Beevers, Nicholas Briggs, Mark Gatiss, Glen McReady, and Lydia West. As usual, I have no complaints about the casting or the performances.
The first story is entitled Matryoshka by Aurora Fearnley and is directed by Helen Goldwyn. The TARDIS has been forced to land on Earth where the Doctor, Naomi, and Harry encounter a toy inventor searching for his missing daughter. They also meet a supposed psychic who has made contact with a Toymaker of the celestial kind.
Annette Badland has taken on the role of the Toymaker, who was originally played by the late Michael Gough. The Toymaker’s inclusion in this story is rather clever because the role was not really recast as a woman. He is communicating with the voice of the psychic. Anyway, the Doctor squaring off against the Toymaker is always fun, particularly when it’s the Fourth Doctor. The friendship between Harry and Naomi continues to be entertaining. Harry is not as enthusiastic about his continued travels with the Doctor as Naomi, but he still manages to brave his way through the chaotic journey. He’s a bit of a bumbler, but somehow, I would still like to have him at my side in a crisis. I did have a little trouble interpreting some of the events in the story. It’s not really a bad effort from the writer, but it isn’t that easy to follow.
The second episode is written by Matthew Sweet, directed by Nicholas Briggs, and is entitled The Caged Assassin. The Doctor and his companions encounter a radioactive tiger that has somehow gotten into the TARDIS. This story somehow seems a little more confusing than the first one. There are alien wombats involved, and the Doctor and his friends meet a historical dealer in exotic animals named Charles Jamrach. The wombats he has in his possession are a bit more exotic than he expected. I was not that impressed with the story overall, but it still has Tom Baker giving a strong, enthusiastic performance even if the actual plot didn’t quite keep me rivetted.
Finally, Metamorphosis by Lisa McMullin wraps up the trilogy. Jamie Anderson directed this entry and does a good job. Geoffrey Beevers returns to the role of his version of the Master. This is the decaying husk version introduced during the Fourth Doctor’s era. Beevers is older, but the silky malevolence in his voice is as captivating as ever. The TARDIS crew lands on a planet known as Jaxus where some of its denizens are disappearing. There is an abandoned prison nearby, but the Master has made use of it and plans to restore his health at the cost of others’ lives. This is a pretty strong finish for this collection. Beevers’ performance alongside Tom Baker really gives the story an extra punch.
Overall, this set ends up being a bit on the disappointing side compared to some of the previous releases. It isn’t terrible, but the stories were lacking a little. I think there were too many moments where the sound effects or the dialogue didn’t paint an effective or cohesive picture for the imagination. The dynamic between the Doctor, Harry, and Naomi does remain pretty amusing. The main cast is still an enjoyable combination, and no one really tanks here. I will likely return to this one, but probably not as quickly as many of the other Big Finish releases.
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