The Shoreditch Intervention

Susan's War #1.4

Released: 16 April 2020

Listened: 1/16/22

The Short Trip "All Hands on Deck" inspired Big Finish to create a sequel series starting in 2020, explaining exactly what Susan was up to during the war. Which I'm not sure was a crucial question to answer, but Carole Ann Ford was available and willing, and remains an excellent voice actress, so I think it was justified. But this project follow's the Doctor's timeline, and for him, he skips over most of the first boxed set to appear in the last story. It's presumably been a while for him since "All Hands on Deck," but maybe not so long for Susan. She's sent back to Shoreditch, 1963, and we know what that means. Alan Barnes fills this story with continuity, both Susan’s personal history with the Daleks, and remembering Alex, as well as broader references to “Unearthly Child” and also “Remembrance of the Daleks.” There’s even a tiny cameo from David Bradley as the First Doctor. Everybody is clearly after the Hand of Omega, so it’s a bit odd that it never gets mentioned by name, but whatever. There’s a fair bit of timey-wimey going on, as you might expect, although we do finally learn that Earth was time-locked during the war, presumably for its own protection. It’s fun to see Susan getting nostalgic for 1963, but also seeing the teenagers through adult eyes. The references continue even up to the end, in which we learn where this series falls in relation to Gallifrey: Time War. I’m not sure all of these machinations were strictly necessary, but sometimes it’s fun to have a good continuity wallow, so long as it’s entertaining, which this one is.