REVIEW: Doctor Who: ‘Criss-Cross’ (Audio)

Back in August, we got to hear a brand new companion for the Sixth Doctor, Constance Clarke, in Big Finish’s epic box set, ‘The Sixth Doctor – The Last Adventure’. What was interesting was that, chronologically, it wasn’t her first adventure with Six. The Sixth Doctor’s latest Big Finish season begins with his first meeting of “Mrs Clarke” in ‘Criss-Cross’.

That’s one thing that immediately stands out about this companion – it’s not often that a companion who’s already married is travelling with the Doctor, and certainly not one who’s not brought her husband along with her. That’s partly because of what Mr Clarke does, which I won’t give away here. It’s been a long time since she’s heard from her husband, and it’s clear that whatever he’s involved in, he’s in deep.

Already, it’s pretty clear that Big Finish are setting up another major arc, as they have done with previous companions such as Hex and Lucie. Not that I can complain – when it comes to arcs, whether due to plot or character development (or, as is usually the case, both), Big Finish’s usually pay off really well.

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As for Constance herself, she works as a WREN at Bletchley Park in World War II, a place devoted to code breaking enemy transmissions. She comes across as a rather strong character from her first scene, as she gives newcomer “Dr. John Smith” a good scalding when one of her WRENs collapses from working too hard under his request.

It’s clear that she’d make a good companion for the Doctor, as he remains so focused on a particular task that he still finds it easy to forget simple, basic things when it comes to human beings. Why the Doctor is working at Bletchley Park isn’t made immediately clear, and it draws the attention of a very suspicious member of MI5…

One thing I really loved about this audio is that, in terms of genre, it isn’t just science-fiction. Mixed in is a World War 2 spy thriller, filled with Nazi villains, double agents and shady characters. There’s also a nice pulpy feel to the story as well, keeping things flowing at a fast pace. I think Doctor Who is at its strongest when it avoids being pure science-fiction, perhaps even better if the science-fiction element is only a small part of it, and this story is a great example of how versatile the series can be.

In fact, the science-fiction part of the story doesn’t fully emerge until halfway through. During that time, the characters, relationships and mystery nicely builds up over the first two episodes, before fleshing out both the alien race and their plans before racing towards a climax in its second half. Sometimes, two hours can seem pretty long for some Doctor Who stories, but when paced just right, it can really fly by, and ‘Criss-Cross’ is another great example of the format being done right.

With an impressive performance from Miranda Raison, Constance Clarke is a great new companion for the Sixth Doctor, and ‘Criss-Cross’ is a fantastic introduction story for her, setting up both her relationship with the Doctor as well as one or two fresh arcs while still being a great story in its own right.

Next: Maisie Williams to Return in 'Face the Raven'

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