Their Finest Hour

Ravenous 1.1

Released: 10 April 2018

Listened: 12/20/21

It’s the beginning of a brand new boxed set, and that means it’s time for the John Dorney story unrelated to the overall theme. That’s a little odd for the first story of a new series, but this one starts more slowly than the previous two. After the events of Doom Coalition, Helen is missing, possibly dead, and Liv is feeling pretty bad about that. The Doctor gets a lead that could help them track her down, but the TARDIS has to do some calculating first. So it’s an interesting time to get a call from Winston Churchill. Just before the Battle of Britain really kicks off, the RAF is having some trouble with invisible bogeys that fire heat rays. Of course it’s aliens, but they’re not really the focus of this story. That’s the pair of Polish pilots who help Liv and the Doctor with their investigations. They fled Poland before the invasion, and want to join with the RAF, but regulations have them stuck on non-combat duty. So there’s a good bit about feeling useless and sidelined, and wanting to fight for your country, which Liv sympathizes with. There’s also some rather good banter between Liv and the Doctor, showing how deep their friendship has become. And of course there’s Ian McNeice as Churchill, somewhat nonplussed that Liv doesn’t know who he is, and trying actively to get clues about the future from the Doctor. And watch out for Big Finish regulars Beth Chalmers, Tracy Wiles, and James Joyce, all fairly recognizable. It’s a lovely story, even though it has nothing to do with the overall plot, and that’s intentional.