Don't worry, we won't hold up your time, we just need half an hour...

Or rather, four half hours. But four half hours of pure delight. Well, that's what I'm told anyhow....

DOCTOR WHO MAIN RANGE REVIEW

217: THE MEMORY BANK AND OTHER STORIES

By Jack Ryan

BEWARE: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Ah, the annual anthology release. Being a staple of the Doctor Who main range since 2007 (save for 2013), this is a release that showcases connectivity, experimentation and pristine script-writing and acting, all in the space of half an hour. The general gist for one of these releases is a designated Doctor, a designated companion, and four half hour, single episode stories, each it's own unique entity whilst being connected via a particular theme. This year we have the Fifth Doctor, Turlough, and the concept of memory, and what stems from it....

Memory is a fickle thing, isn't it? It can be created, forgotten and changed by a single person. Memory is also a very important thing, especially when it  is given more importance than is needed, as the Doctor and Turlough have discovered. From a world where to be forgotten is to cease to be, to a village awaiting a storyteller, to an investigation where memories are recorded and can be damning evidence, and a tribal world where someone is searching for their destiny, but something is on their tail, and it's hungry, both for knowledge, and for meat....

So what can we stem from this "half a boxset" release? That if done well, half an hour is all you need to tell a good and compelling narrative. Even more so if it's your first script for the company. Taken under the direction of regular Big Finish acting aficionado Helen Goldwyn (The Prisoner's Voice of The Village), our first story is the titular The Memory Bank by Chris Chapman, whose name should be familiar to fans of the Classic DVD range, especially the release of the Ice Warriors. The Doctor and Turlough find themselves in a world where a single archivist keeps everyone alive by living the memories of the population. But when Turlough accidentally takes over from the elderly librarian of memories, things begin to spiral out of control. Following is Paul Magrs' The Last Fairy Tale where the time-travellers arrive in a medieval village awaiting the coming of a legendary storyteller. But a case of mistaken identity and an angry mob might spell the end for the storyteller, or as he calls himself, The Doctor... Then we have Repeat Offender by Eddie Robson, as the Doctor and Turlough chase down a malevolent entity set on killing him. But as he gets embroiled in a trespassing charge, he realises he might already be too late.... several times over.... Finishing off is Ian Potter's The Becoming, where, after landing on a jungle planet, the travellers discover a tribal girl with the ability to talk with the memories of others. But as they try to make their way to the tribe's ceremony, they discover something in the dark. Something large, something feral and something very, very hungry... The four stories here prove that you don't need a long drawn out plot arc to tell a good story. All that's needed are some good characters and some good writing. And this showcases some of Big Finish's best and even newest talent. All four stories are good, but my favourite has to be the release's namesake, The Memory Bank, because when I heard that Chris Chapman was writing for BF, I had high expectations and OH did he deliver!!

But as always, good writing is only one element of a good story... To complement it, one needs a good cast. And we have a good cast here. Joining Peter Davison and Mark Strickson are a handful of new acting talents and regular BF masters of vocal performance, with Suzanne McLean, Ian Brooker, Mandi Symonds, Duncan Wibsey and Kae Alexander, all performing multiple roles across the four tales. The half-dozen members of guest cast showcase the heights of their talents in this set and, along with our two regulars, are just a treat to listen to. On top of that, the sound design and music of the combined efforts of Richard Fox and Lauren Yason are spot on. The music is a delight to listen to and heightens the mood of every episode, and the sound design is just brilliant.

The anthology release is something I look forward to every year now. And with good reason. They truly allow a platform for unique and experimental storytelling in Doctor Who that's unlike any other iteration, save for probably the Short Trips series.As for this release itself, it's a well written and well done entry in the range and is perfect for listening to in short bursts, like the eight-episode series boxsets of Dorian Gray and Terrahawks. Simply this is a brilliant experiment gone right and is most definitely worth your while listening to it.

VERDICT: 5/5 I shall remember this one always! ;D






Also, expect some news on this soon.....