Doctor Who's narrative frequently takes the listener on a journey through time, past, present and future. However in more recent times audio series chronicling The Doctor's untelevised adventures have succeeded in taking the listener on their own personal journey through space and time.
In the case of Big Finish's Destination: Nerva release, the first in a new series starring televisions fourth Doctor Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as television companion Leela, the listener is transported right back to Saturday evening tea times in 1977.
Destination: Nerva slips neatly into the Doctor Who canon continuing directly after the television adventure The Talons of Weng-Chiang. Destination: Nerva not only contains references to The Talons of Weng-Chiang but also features an important throwback to the setting of the Nerva space station which previously featured in two early Doctor Who television adventures The Ark in Space and Revenge of the Cybermen.
Destination: Nerva - A Brief Synopsis
Following their adventure in Victorian England with Professor Litefoot and Mr. Jago, the Doctor and Leela say their good-byes and return to the TARDIS only to discover that alien distress signal is been beamed from only a few years in the future.
The Doctor and Leela discover the signal has been sent to them from an alien known as a Drelleran whose spacecraft has apparently been commandeered by a member of the British Empire.
The adventure ultimately leads the Doctor to the newly built Space Dock Nerva, a place he is only too familiar with. The Doctor soon discovers that Nerva is awaiting the imminent arrival of a long overdue homecoming that could have serious repercussions on the human race.
Destination: Nerva Features A Masterstroke in Doctor Who Audio Drama History
Nicholas Briggs' plot immediately hits the ground running, with edge of the seat action defined via an alien running riot in a Victorian house and The Doctor and Leela in pursuit of a stolen spaceship possessed by a stalwart of the British Empire.
Reuniting Tom Baker and Louise Jameson on audio is a masterstroke in Doctor Who audio history. Both put their all into recreating their roles and the magical relationship of The Doctor acting as teacher educating Leela the sometimes unruly but still keen to learn student is absolute perfection.
The format of Destination: Nerva succeeds in recreating the essence of 1970s Doctor Who by supplementing the two 25-minute instalments with fast paced scenes, which are both dramatic and claustrophobic. Nicholas Briggs has opted to write primarily for the characters rather than the narrative approach of other Doctor Who audios and this works well within this format allowing the listener to paint brighter visions of the ongoing action with their minds eye.
There are also further throwbacks to the 1970s with suitably attired audio effects from the era reflective incidental music to the Blakes 7 style electronic voices of the robotic security drudger's.
Download Doctor Who - Destination: Nerva From Big Finish
Destination: Nerva also features a strong supporting cast. Raquel Cassidy successfully builds up a defining presence as Dr Alison Foster in both episodes and would make a brilliant recurring character. Tilly Gaunt turns out a fabulous performance as Nerva technician Laura Craske whom when making a grave error of judgement; the listener compelled to tell her to run!
Tim Treloar, Tim Bentick, Kim Wall and Sam Graham take on multiple roles, which add further to the depth of the story, making Destination: Nerva a worthy Big Finish debut for the Fourth Doctor and Leela.
In addition to the two part drama there are also nearly ten minutes worth of interviews with cast and writers giving an insight into the making of Destination: Nerva.
With a total running time of 60 minutes, Destination: Nerva is available on Compact Disc and audio download from Big Finish. For further information on this and other Fourth Doctor releases starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson visit Big Finish’ Doctor Who website.
