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Big Finish Review: Doctor Who: ‘Blue Forgotten Planet’ (Sixth Doctor audio)

By James Aggas

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In their last adventure together, the Sixth Doctor and Charley arrive on a world ravaged by madness. The Viyrans have come to help.  But is their aid to the ‘Blue Forgotten Planet’ really all it seems?

And so, we come to the end of Charley’s long journey with the Doctor. Eight years after first meeting him in Storm Warning, and almost two years since she met his Sixth incarnation in The Condemned, it was time for her to leave him for good. So how does her story end?

Pretty spectacularly, I’d say. There’s a lot to really enjoy about Blue Forgotten Planet.

Charley versus Charley

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First off, there’s Charley herself. It’s been some time since Paper Cuts, and the Sixth Doctor and Charley have clearly been enjoying many great adventures together. Leaving such a huge gap between the final two stories is an interesting choice. But it’s also nice to know that the two had plenty of happy times together, too. Especially before we get to the heartbreaking ending.

When the Sixth Doctor and Charley arrive on the titular “blue forgotten planet”, they find a world entirely plagued by madness. Literally, in this case. No one knows what caused it, and medication only works temporarily. Along with being an intriguing mystery, it’s also a great post-apocalyptic setting. It feels fitting for a goodbye story as big as this.

But the end of the world scenario is pretty standard stuff when it comes to Doctor Who. So how do you make things big for Charley’s final story? Simple: have two Charleys.

This is an interesting development that began with Patient Zero, and it’s finally resolved here. What’s really fun about this idea is that it gives India Fisher a lot more to work with. Both characters she plays claim to be Charley Pollard. But one’s clearly the original, and one’s simply just pretending to be her.

Hearing Charley argue with herself is amazing to hear. Fisher puts in just the right amount of subtlety in her performance, so that you don’t feel too confused by which one she’s playing.

Return of the Viyrans

Another reason I adore Blue Forgotten Planet is the return of the Viyrans. They had appeared quite a few times before this key story. Until this point, their most significant appearance was single episode Mission of the Viyrans.

But while they had other appearances in full-length serials, including Patient Zero and a brief appearance in Paper Cuts, it’s in Blue Forgotten Planet that they’re really focused on.

What I love about the Viyrans is that they aren’t your typical antagonists. They’re not out to conquer or enslave the universe. In some ways, they’re trying to save the universe.

But they’re incredibly dedicated to their mission. Dangerously so. They will stop at nothing – and I mean nothing – to complete it. The problem is that they’re so single minded, they can cause a lot of damage. How much damage? Well, Blue Forgotten Planet answers that question rather well.

I also have to say that Michael Maloney is perfect as the voice of the Viyrans. He really makes their single mindedness and lack of common sense completely believable. Seriously, there are a few moments when the Viyrans make truly horrific statements, but you still believe that they’re not intentionally malicious, at least. Maloney’s performance really helps to sell that.

The end

The final part that makes Blue Forgotten Planet so great? The true ending of Charley and the Doctor’s story. It’s funny that it ends long before it begins, at least, from the Doctor’s perspective. And yet it feels a lot more final, and even more emotional, than her goodbye to Eight in The Girl Who Never Was.

Blue Forgotten Planet had to resolve a lot of major threads. Particularly of Charley’s journey with the Sixth Doctor. Thankfully, writer Nicholas Briggs does so in a really satisfying way. But more than that, he also brings a huge depth of emotion to the story, too.

Next: Doctor Who Watch Madness: Round of 32 results, updated bracket

When I started reviewing the Eighth Doctor’s stories in order in 2016, I had initially planned to only do that. But as time went on, reviewing Charley’s story as well as Eight’s just made more sense.

Partially, it’s because Charley does have such a great story. Partially, it’s because the cliffhanger to The Girl Who Never Was made reviewing Charley’s next story irresistible.

But also, it’s because one of the stories with Six and Charley has consequences. Consequences that would, in fact, leave a huge impact on the Eighth Doctor. But more on that later…

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