The Charge of the Night Brigade

Tweflth Doctor Chronicles #1.1

Released: 13 February 2020

Listened: 1/6/23

Let’s get this bit out of the way: Jacob Dudman’s Twelfth Doctor isn’t as good as his Eleventh Doctor. He does get the cadence right, and the mannerisms, but the voice still sounds a bit like he has a head cold. Which is fine; I don’t think anybody expected a pitch-perfect Capaldi impersonation. This story takes place during the Crimean War, around 1855, and features Mary Seacole and her British Hotel, which conflicts with the Thirteenth Doctor story “War of the Sontarans,” but that takes place in an alternate timeline, so you can make it OK. (There’s also no mention of the fact that the Seventh Doctor, Ace, and Hex are nearby in Scutari, but there’s no reason to mention it.) The pacing of this story is a bit slower than previous new-series stories, in keeping with the pace of Season 8. The Doctor is described as wearing his white shirt and frock coat, and knows who Clara is, so it’s still early days for him, but he’s not nearly as spiky as one would expect from this era. Maybe without Clara to snark at, he’s a little kinder. He’s certainly kind to Mary Seacole, and acknowledges her place in history. He doesn’t show his normal contempt for soldiers either, even though he’s in the middle of a very bloody war with no proper medicine. There are a few snide remarks, but nothing beyond what any of the Doctors might usually say. As for the monster, it’s nothing much to write home about. Potentially a bit scary, but really not all that threatening.