The Nightmare Fair

Lost Stories #1.1

Released: 12 November 2009

Listened: 3/31/20

This is the first series of “lost stories,” most of which were salvaged from what would have been Season 23, had the show not been put on hiatus. The definition is stretched a bit -- some, like “The Nightmare Fair” were fairly far along when the season was canceled, but other stories were just plot sketches, and Big Finish substituted for some that they couldn’t get permission to re-make. The Doctor and Peri arrive in Blackpool, but dialog implies that’s not where they were aiming for, so that’s not what he meant to say at the end of “Revelation.” They take in the sights, and ride a roller coaster (sounds like it’s supposed to be The Big One, but that wasn’t yet built in 1985), which amuses me, as a coaster enthusiast. Eventually, they discover that the Celestial Toymaker is kidnapping people and generally up to no good here on Earth. His plan seems to involve building the “ultimate” video game, which creates monsters when people play it? That’s never quite clear. The Doctor is forced to play, and although it sounds like he’s not doing as well as he thinks he should, he wins anyway, which is an odd lack of plot twist. The climax is just kind of odd, as the Doctor seems to win through luck, and then traps the Toymaker in a prison cell that he himself admits is “horrific,” but he does it anyway. And they leave behind a couple of imprisoned aliens who helped them, without even checking to see if they’re OK. It’s all very scattered, which I guess is appropriate for the original story, but isn’t what I expect from Big Finish. As is appropriate for this point in their history, the Doctor is somewhat abrasive, but he and Peri are shown having fun together, sometimes. It seems like they’re softening the relationship, without actually softening the Doctor.