Perhaps, just perhaps, author of BBC AUDIO's exclusive audio play series, DOCTOR WHO - DEMON QUEST, Paul Magrs had reviewed various fan reviews of the first series (DOCTOR WHO - HORNETS' NEST), digested the comments and wrote accordingly; a less frantic, far less fanciful and an innuendo-free Fourth Doctor.
And it works.
At times HORNETS' NEST became cringingly trite, overtly sexual and did little for either the Fourth Doctor's characterisation arc or its originator, Tom Baker. However, in episode two (of five), the Doctor is more subtly written with an injection of that charismas & wide-eyed charm that is synonymous, and added to that is the setting of 19th century Paris that osmotically defined this bohemian Time Lord over the seven years on-screen.
So the story so far, and as I had not heard the first episode of this new series I did wonder if it would be any sense at all but it did (testament to a professional writer that it all made complete sequential sense);
In the present day, and back home in Nest Cottage, the village "Bring & Buy Sale" organised by the Doctor's Housekeeper, Mrs. Wibbsey, has allowed certain TARDIS Spatial Geometry components to be sold in exchange of four items all bearing an image of the Doctor. Without these components the TARDIS is stranded but only in space not time.
Following an encounter with a demon in the guise of Roman Emperor, Claudius, the trail leads the Time Lord and reluctant companion, Mrs. Wibbsey, onwards to Paris and the renowned painter Toulouse-Lautrec.
The audio play is a hybrid of "drama" and "reading" which, for exponents of the BIG FINISH audio plays, you might find exasperating at time s as the action is punctuated far too often, however your persistence will be rewarded with a truly absorbing if not riveting event. Honestly, the 70-minute adventure does feel like a 25-minute single episode.
Doctor: I don't like people playing with me. Someone is toying with us, Mrs. Wibbsey.
With a murderer scouring the back street of Paris, snatching the unwary & dispossessed prostitutes (more overt in tone & consequence than THE TALONS OF WENG-CHIANG), the Doctor is suspicious of the iconic French painter involvement and as he scrapes away the freshly layers of oils he reveals a bare canvas of truth - the demon alien has laid yet another trap for him.
However, the demon alien is not the only personal threat to Doctor. He has to confront a greater enemy; an enemy that is encouraged by patrons of the Moulin Rouge to possess the Time Lord. Shyness.
Tom Baker's performance is far more restrained and earnest in DEMON QUEST 2 delivering a likeable yet still creatively eccentric persona and is a perfect foil for Susan Jameson's indignantly humorous Mrs. Wibbsey, as are the supporting cast (including a believable performance by Rowena Cooper as the enigmatic La Concierge).
Additionally, the production values are highly polished, in particularly the use of incidental music and atmospheric sound effects create a rich backdrop in crafting 19th century Paris.
DOCTOR WHO - DEMON QUEST: THE DEMON OF PARIS is an engaging episode that capitalises upon the enviable voice talents of Baker and Jameson, under the formidable combined stewardship of Paul Magrs and BBC AUDIO.
Next episode: DEMON QUEST: SHARD OF ICE.
