| BANG-BANG-A-BOOM! by Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman |
| Story 39 Synopsis: The Doctor and Mel arrive on board a cargo ship shortly before it's blown to pieces. Luckily, they are transmatted to nearby Dark Space 8, where they are mistaken for Commander John Ballard and his Pilot. DS8 is hosting the 309th Intergalactic Song Contest, where singers from Silcitor, Gholos and Earth are amongst the competitors. But there is trouble between Angvia and Gholos, whose races have been at war for yonks. When one of the other competitors is poisoned, things look serious. The commentator is stabbed in the back, and the technical officer, Professor Fassbinder, also dies, but not before admitting his drinking problem. The Doctor is seduced by Angvia, and nearly fails to pull himself together again. He realises the peace conference supposedly taking place in parallel to the Contest is just a smokescreen, and the singers are really hosting a telepathic conference. He realises that Gholos' spokesman, Mr Loozly, is behind the murders, trying to frame Angvia for them to prevent a possible conciliation of their races. When Gholos saves Angvia from death, their rapprochement begins in earnest. After foiling one last big plan, the Doctor is able to own up to not really being the Commander after all, but by then he's won the Contest for Earth anyway. |
| Review:- The second Big Finish 'pantomime' is, once again, nothing of the sort, being a parody of the Eurovision Song Contest crossed with a whodunnit? The Doctor and Mel arrive on the scene and are swiftly forced to assume false identities to save time and keep the peace. They find a space station which is staffed by a lot of sillies, and host to a catalogue of alien life purporting to be musical. Then, as if things can't get worse, people start to die. Meant as a bit of fun, it's worth starting by saying that there is fun to be had here. The commentator, Logan, is a warm and generous parody, and quite the most accurate part of the Eurovision homage. The fact that the singers we meet are either bloodthirsty maniacs who hate each other, or narcissistic pretty boys doesn't really do much for the attention span. Some interest comes with the idea that the science officer is really a raging drunk who can't do his job properly, and the medical officer is a fraud who... can't do her job properly. So, pretence is the name of the game, and the Doctor and Mel fit in with this a treat. Whilst the gaseous Gholos provides some strange interest, the OTT Angvia is quite the nadir of the whole story. It's perhaps intentional that the murderer's motive should be so obvious, but it leaves a sensation of waiting for a surprise twist conclusion that never comes. The closest the story gets to a twist is when Nicky misses his big moment, and the Doctor fills in, winning the contest in the process. And even that is predictable! There are some amusing aural touches, and usages of dramatic stings at relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) moments. This sort of thing is great fun, although when Mel complains that she thinks the Doctor's resolution is too easy, a listener might agree but be grateful. Instead, the story plods off for yet more minutes of nonsense, and the running time gallops into the distance with not a care in the world. This story could easily have borne to be cut back mightily. In the final analysis, however much a listener enjoys this story, it can't possibly be as much as its writers clearly did. Which, to me, misses the point. |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |