Audio Review: Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction

(AudioGo �12.99)

BY the late 1980s, Target Books’ ongoing series of novelisations of classic Doctor Who adventures was coming to its inevitable conclusion. An adaptation of the third ever Who story was therefore long-overdue by this point, but nobody had seemed keen to adapt a two-part tale set entirely in the TARDIS and starring only the Doctor and his companions. Enter Nigel Robinson, who managed to develop and expand upon the on-screen episodes to produce one of the stand-out books in the Target run.

Now sadly out of print, this audio reading of the original novel is a welcome addition to AudioGo’s collection of Target titles, with the added bonus of having original TARDIS companion William (Ian Chesterton) Russell narrating the story…

After leaving Skaro, home planet of the Daleks, the Doctor strives to regain control of his ship’s faulty control system by experimenting with a dangerous untried procedure, resulting in a violent explosion which traps the crew onboard the TARDIS.

With paranoia mounting, and increasingly weird events taking place in the time machine’s dark and gloomy corridors, it is up to the Doctor, his granddaughter Susan, and fellow travellers Ian and Barbara to put aside their suspicions and work together in order to resolve the crisis before it’s too late for all of them…

Making the most of atmospheric music and sound effects to capture the sense of impending doom which builds throughout this story, and with Russell admirably stepping back into Ian’s shoes after almost 50 years, this is a remarkably successful adaptation, one which probably succeeds better in this format than it ever did in the original budget-conscious, black and white TV serial. Highly recommended.