Doctor Who: Why Peri and the Piscon Paradox is one of the most bonkers stories ever (and why you should check it out)
By James Aggas
One of the most bonkers Doctor Who stories ever written has to be Peri and the Piscon Paradox by Nev Fountain. It also might be one of the best.
I absolutely adore Peri and the Piscon Paradox. It’s one of my top ten favorite Doctor Who audios. Now, considering the title it has, you may be thinking that this story is more than a little silly. That’s because it is. But, like a story written by Douglas Adams himself, it’s also utter genius.
The clever thing about Peri and the Piscon Paradox is that it’s essentially the same story told twice. That story, primarily, is Fifth Doctor companion Peri meeting her older self. And vice versa. Because Piscon Paradox is told first from the younger Peri’s point of view, and then the older Peri’s. While they also encounter a giant fish trying to kill itself.
Now, hearing the same story twice doesn’t initially sound interesting. But what Nev Fountain achieved with Peri and the Piscon Paradox is nothing short of amazing in terms of storytelling. In some ways, it is the exact same story. But it’s also completely different, too.
Naturally, this is hard to explain without spoiling it too much. But there is one more element that makes Peri and the Piscon Paradox so enjoyable, and makes for a great framing device. Namely, the fact that it’s a multi-Doctor story. Well, technically.
The Sixth Doctor and Peri had a very unique relationship on television. And that’s explored in Peri and the Piscon Paradox.
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
A very special guest appearance
Peri and the Piscon Paradox is a story told in The Companion Chronicles range of audios. Normally, these are tales primarily told by the companion and, while the Doctor is a major character in the story itself, traditionally, the original actor doesn’t make an appearance. And that’s true of the Fifth Doctor’s role in this story, as Nicola Bryant narrates his portion.
However, for the Sixth Doctor’s side of the story, Big Finish did something very different: they actually featured Colin Baker himself as a guest star in the story. While Big Finish does this regularly with their main range series of audios, it was incredibly rare for a Doctor to actually feature in a Companion Chronicle, except in narrated form.
Yet, in its own way, it does make sense. Especially in terms of the story. In some ways, Fountain romanticizes the relationship that Six and Peri had. Five and Peri (despite having a few audio adventures, at least) hardly knew each other.
But Six and Peri were close. Oh, they would snipe at one another and constantly make jokes at each other’s expense. But they also seemed to genuinely like each other, too. Perhaps even love each other. Not in a romantic sense, but the Sixth Doctor certainly cared for her. You only need to see his reaction to her “death” in The Trial of a Time Lord to see that.
An unexpected reunion
In fact, that’s actually something that’s wonderfully explored in this story. Trial was the story that separated them for good, and Piscon Paradox is a way for the two to reunite. (Well, it’s one way. Another way entirely is also presented in The Widow’s Assassin, also written by Fountain.)
So while the Sixth Doctor and Peri get to have so much fun trying to resolve a major paradox, there’s also strong emotional content in the story, too. Especially when you get to the final moments. Seriously, it’s a gut-punch that comes out of nowhere, but it’s handled so brilliantly.
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There’s one more thing I need to comment on: Nicola Bryant’s performance. She’s not given an easy task with this release. Along with narrating a great deal of the story, and therefore voicing a large number of characters, she also has to voice two distinct versions of her iconic role of Peri: one younger, one older. There are many great moments when Peri essentially has arguments with herself. That’s quite a job for any actor to do, and yet Bryant handles it perfectly.
Peri and the Piscon Paradox is an absolutely bonkers Doctor Who story, but it’s also so much more. Yes, Fountain includes a great deal of humor throughout. But he also includes drama, tragedy, and some of the best explanations and Doctor Who retcons I’ve ever heard. It’s a combination that works brilliantly well, and it’s wonderfully brought to life by Nicola Bryant. An absolutely essential listen.
Next. How Steven Moffat gave us exactly the same cliffhanger twice. dark
Have you listened to Peri and the Piscon Paradox? Is it one of your favorite Doctor Who audios? Or are you instead more intrigued to check it out? Let us know in the comments below.