Doctor Who writer spotlight: Nev Fountain – a master of the comic and the tragic
By James Aggas
Today, we look at the work of Nev Fountain, a writer who not only balances comedy and tragedy, but is probably one of Doctor Who’s greatest writers on audio.
I’m looking forward to the upcoming Doctor Who spin-off series Missy for many reasons. One is that I’m always a big fan of stories that explore the Master away from the Doctor. There also seems to be a strong team working on it, and we’ve also got Rufus Hound’s interpretation of the Monk meeting the Master. For this Big Finish fan, that’s a lot to look forward.
But perhaps one of the biggest reasons why I’m looking forward to it is the fact that we’re getting a brand new story from Nev Fountain. Now, Fountain might not be one of the more prolific writers for Big Finish, such as John Dorney or Matt Fitton. But, like Robert Shearman, he is quite possibly one of the best.
If I had to sum up what Nev Fountain’s Doctor Who stories are like, it would be bonkers. There really isn’t another word I can think of to describe it. In every story he writes, he crams in so many bizarre and yet brilliant ideas.
The Kingmaker is a classic example of this. The story is super-meta in so many ways. The main plot is the Doctor investigating who killed the Princes in the Tower, one of England’s most famous historical mysteries.
But it also features so many other ideas, too. There’s time travel hijinks (more so than usual, anyway); Jon Culshaw guest starring as the Fourth Doctor, and even a strongly hinted cameo of the Ninth Doctor!
A perfect balance
And yet, despite how much Nev Fountain crams in, it’s still an incredibly enjoyable story. Nothing is rushed, and the story flows at a natural pace. That’s a balance that’s incredibly rare to find. But it’s something that’s common throughout Nev Fountain’s work.
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Peri and the Piscon Paradox is another perfect example of this. One of my favorite audio stories ever, it’s an absolutely essential listen that packs in a lot of ideas. Two Doctors, two Peris, major retcons and giant fish – it’s a lot to include in one story. Especially when the story is essentially told twice!
But Fountain’s writing is more than just a great balance between clever ideas and storytelling. It’s also an excellent balance between comedy and tragedy. Peri and the Piscon Paradox is an absolutely hilarious story, but it also has a moment towards the end that’s brutal. It’s an incredibly strong emotional moment that you don’t see coming because of all the humor beforehand.
And that’s common for a lot of Nev Fountain’s Doctor Who stories. Piscon Paradox, The Widow’s Assassin, even his River Song episode The Lady in the Lake – all filled with plenty of clever ideas and quirky humor, but they’ve also got the best emotional moments that hit you hard.
And that’s the mark of any great writer, really. Any writer that makes you laugh or cry is always a good storyteller. Anyone who can do both while telling a fantastic story is nothing short of brilliant. Because of this, I genuinely think Nev Fountain is one of Doctor Who‘s very best writers on audio, and his stories are definitely worth checking out for any fan.
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Have you listened to any of Nev Fountain’s stories for Doctor Who, or even one of its spin-offs? Which writers do you think handle comedy and tragedy best for the series? Let us know in the comments below.