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STORY PLACEMENT THIS STORY TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE BIG FINISH AUDIO DRAMAS "MINUET IN HELL" AND "THE CHIMES OF MIDNIGHT."
PRODUCTION CODE 8F
WRITTEN BY MARK GATISS
DIRECTED BY MARK GATISS
WORKING TITLE WAR OF THE WORLDS
RECOMMENDED PURCHASE BIG FINISH CD#28 (ISBN 1-903654-57-2) RELEASED IN JANUARY 2002.
BLURB Hallowe'en 1938.
A year after aN ODD meteorite lit up the skies of New York state, MartianS laid waste to the nation. At least, according to Orson Welles they did.
But what if some of the panicked listeners to the legendary War of the Worlds RADIO broadcast weren't just imagining things? |
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Invaders From Mars JANUARY 2002 (4 EPISODES)
Because it is so very different to any Doctor Who that I’ve ever seen or heard, it is extremely difficult to analyse Invaders from Mars beyond the fundamental ‘did I enjoy it or not?’ Well, I did. And very much so.
Not only is the concept of Mark Gatiss’ story absolutely inspired – the blurb explains it more succinctly than I ever could – but it is executed so very proficiently. Through his writing and direction here, The League of Gentlemen star creates an animated, sepia-tinted America populated by gangsters, scientists, and even textbook 1930s stereotypical (albeit hirsute) aliens. The latter really steal the show with their cosmic protection racket; their lampooned, absurdly synthesised voices; and, of course, their constant bickering. Their antics are laugh out loud funny throughout - their showdown with the Doctor and the camp, traitorous ‘Scum’ Devine is particularly hilarious.
The Doctor and Charley are as impressive as ever – in Part 1 where they discover Halliday’s body and the Doctor decides to impersonate him, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the old ‘holodeck’ episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Dixon Hill anyone?
I was also
impressed with the performances of Spaced crew. Simon Pegg’s
Don Chaney and Jessica Stevenson’s Glory Bee were two such overstated
characters that it was an absolute delight to hear the actors having so
much fun playing them – and playing them
A far cry from traditional Doctor Who, this light-hearted B-movie pastiche is a real testament to the flexibility of the show’s format, even on audio. I don’t know whether it was the ham Yankee accents or the atomic bomb, but after listening to this one I found myself with a burning desire to dust off my copy of
the
classic Peter Sellars movie, Doctor Strangelove…
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Copyright © E.G. Wolverson 2006
E.G. Wolverson has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
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Unless otherwise stated, all images on this site are copyrighted to the BBC and are used solely for promotional purposes. ‘Doctor Who’ is copyright © by the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. |
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so convincingly, I should add;
accents and all.