The Paradise of Death

BBC Radio

Released: 27 August 1993 - 24 September 1993

Listened: 2/12/22

This story, along with “The Ghosts of N-Space” was produced by BBC Radio in 1993, which means it stars Jon Pertwee, Elisabeth Sladen, and Nicholas Courtney in their respective roles, which Big Finish, sadly, cannot claim. Listening to this really brings into focus how good a job Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller, and John Culshaw are doing. It’s written by Barry Letts, and…well, it’s kinda disappointing for a Barry Letts story. Yes, there’s a political message, not particularly subtle, but the plot has some questionable turns, and a lot of the secondary characters are little more than caricatures. Bonus companion Jeremy Fitzoliver is particularly odious; he’s like a parody of a fan. He can’t seem to do anything right, and is constantly exclaiming “Oh, I say!” and other insipid drivel. You get the impression that not even Sarah likes him very much; the Doctor and the Brig are clearly just tolerating him. There’s rather a lot made of a planet that makes extensive use of VR to keep the populace placated. There’s a cool opening scene at a new amusement park that really goes nowhere, just an excuse to get UNIT involved. Unfortunately, the story seems to know that it’s on audio, and fights against the limitations: the single-user VR rigs mean that characters have to describe what they’re seeing out loud, and a climactic arena fight is described by onlookers rather than being “shown.” One gets the feeling that modern Big Finish could overcome those problems, but we’re a few years too early for that. But still, hearing the classic actors again is worth the price of admission.