The High Price Of Parking review

Right, that's the Dual Story Trilogy over, what's next? Ooooooh, a new Seventh Doctor, Ace and Mel trilogy. This is gonna be fun. What's the first one?

So wait..... they made an entire story out of a planet sized Monopoly square?

JOHN DORNEY, YOU GENIUS!!!!!!

DOCTOR WHO MAIN RANGE REVIEW

227: THE HIGH PRICE OF PARKING

By Jack Ryan

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

SYNOPSIS:

The adventures have begun yet again for the Seventh Doctor and Ace. After recently coming back into paths with Melanie Bush, the three members of the TARDIS team are beginning new journeys and jaunts across time and space. And one such stop is the luxury tourist planet Dashrah. Only, it's proven so popular, that it has its own artificial planetoid for parking your spacecraft. Only, the Doctor has discovered something odd about Parking... maybe it's the robots, the jobsworth Wardens, the hermit inhabitant Free Parkers, the exploding spaceships..... or the deadly secret lying in the depths....

WRITING:

If there is one name in the annals of Big Finish's repertoire of writers that is a byword for utter brilliance each and every time, that name would have to be John Dorney. And this release does nothing to disenchant that claim. Whilst odd, and a bit hard to follow in a small handful of areas, it is still a true belter of a concept and something so mad and outrageous, that Dorney is the only person imaginable who can make it work.... Seriously, why isn't he writing for the TV series by this point?

CAST:

The voices behind Dorney's stellar script are something else to be praised, especially under the direction of regular directing genus, Ken Bentley. Alongside returning regulars McCoy, Aldred and Langford, Messrs and Madames Gabrielle Glaister, Hywel Morgan, Kate Duchene, Leighton Pugh, Jack Monaghan and James Joyce all give everything they've got to their performances, and create some truly memorable characters. And in some cases, utterly hilarious...

SOUND WORK:

Helping to create the futuristic and alienesque sounds of the universe's biggest parking lot, Daniel Burnett gives us an astounding repertoire of sound design, being recognisable and yet utterly unique. And as for the music.... DAMMIT, JAMIE, how many more times are you going to leave me speechless with your soundtracks?!?!

CONCLUSION:

Despite a slightly odd to follow story, every aspect of this release is a truly mad and bonkers delight to hear. Dorney always manages to find something new and original to transform into a script, and this is one of his maddest. But as they say, "a little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men..."

VERDICT: 8/10 A bonkers script where everything tries to, and the vast majority succeeds at, falling into the right place. ;D

Doctor Who: The High Price of Parking is available to purchase on CD and Download from the Big Finish Website here, or from all good stockists.