Invaders from Mars

Main Range #28

Released: 28 January 2002

Listened: 7/28/21

We're out of the boxed-set insertions now and back into the original run of Main Range stories. After the first set of stories made a favorable impression, this second “season” was created, with six Main Range stories in a row, although there are a number of later inserts into this run. This first story is a return trip to America, specifically New York, on Halloween, 1938, which means Orson Wells is busy broadcasting his famous radio adaptation of War of the Worlds. The plot itself is quite convoluted, with gangsters and Russian spies both chasing alien tech to keep it out of the hands of the Nazis, actual aliens scouting for an invasion, and all against the background of the radio show stirring up the populace. It’s a pretty short story for the Main Range, and all the plot going on means Charley is largely absent from the story while the Doctor runs around with spies. Simon Pegg appears as the villain, but you can’t really tell because almost everybody is using New York accents. They’re effective for the 1930s, but still pretty stereotyped; the actors attempting more neutral American accents don’t sound as good. Special mention must be made of David Benson, who does a pretty good job playing Orson Wells, which isn’t an easy trick. On a less good note, some of the language used is rather rougher than I’d expect from Big Finish, even if it is appropriate to the period, and the portrayal of a flamboyant gay entertainer is pretty offensive. Finally, there’s a slightly different theme tune for the Eighth Doctor this time, and this version will stick around. It’s a rather lighter story than the previous set; neither the Doctor nor Charley seem to be taking it very seriously, which makes for a nice break.