Doctor Who overview: How the Kamelion trilogy fleshed out an overlooked companion

The Kamelion trilogy offered a great look at an underused companion, starting with Devil in the Mist.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

This year, Big Finish gave us three Doctor Who stories that focused on Kamelion’s travels with the Fifth Doctor and his crew. How well did the trilogy explore one of the show’s most underused companions?

From January to March this year, Big Finish released a trilogy of stories that explored a highly underused companion: Kamelion. The character only had two stories in Doctor Who on television: The King’s Demons and Planet of Fire. And yes, they were literally his introduction and exit stories. Unlike Katarina – who was literally killed off in her second story, The Daleks’ Master Plan – they weren’t consecutive, either.

But if you watched the stories in between, you would literally have no idea that this character was a part of the TARDIS crew. I genuinely mean it, the TARDIS crew don’t even mention him in the stories in between! (There was originally a filmed scene for The Awakening featuring the character, but of course, that got deleted.)

So I was really excited when I found out that Big Finish were going to tell stories featuring the forgotten companion this year. Not that I was a huge fan of the character, but Big Finish have been fantastic at fleshing out companions and even Doctors that hadn’t been handled at their best in the TV series. (The fact that the Eighth Doctor is my favorite speaks volumes, really.)

So how was the Kamelion trilogy? Was it a satisfying look at a lost companion? Did it add more depth to the character? And did it offer a decent explanation as to why we didn’t see him again until Planet of Fire?

Black Thursday / Power Game gave us two very different Fifth Doctor stories, and explored Kamelion in a different way.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Distrust between friends

Devil in the Mist started the trilogy off really well. It put the TARDIS crew in a desperate situation, and then just focused on telling a fast-paced survival story from there. It was also incredibly subversive, and went in directions that you didn’t expect it to take.

Best of all, it explored the new relationship between Kamelion and the rest of the TARDIS team. The Doctor and Turlough seem to trust him enough but, following on from her reaction to him at the end of The King’s Demons, Tegan doesn’t feel remotely comfortable with him. Devil in the Mist is particularly keen to ask the question: is Tegan right not to trust Kamelion?

That’s a question that’s asked of the remaining stories, in fact. While Kamelion means well, he is, in the Master’s words, “highly susceptible”. It’s not just because of the Master’s strong hypnotic influence, either – anyone with a strong enough will can make Kamelion do their bidding. Even if they don’t realize they’re doing it.

Kamelion’s susceptibility – the ongoing problem

This was explored in the first story of the second release, Black Thursday / Power Game. Essentially, Black Thursday was a pure historical tale about a mining disaster that results in tragedy. Well, a pure historical except, of course, Kamelion’s presence there. And, intentionally or not, he risks making a bad situation much, much worse…

The second story of that release, Power Game, was considerably lighter, and acted as a great tribute to Eighties game shows. A little basic and throwaway compared to the other stories, but still entertaining. And again, it also highlighted the ongoing problem with Kamelion.

Essentially, that was the problem that the trilogy kept coming back to: how susceptible Kamelion really was. Every story offered their own take on it, but it all amounted to the same thing. Is this a criticism of the trilogy? Not at all, in fact, it helped to make a lot more sense about what happened to the companion in the first place. Of course, it was with the final story that everything became fully clear.

The trilogy concluded with this month’s The Kamelion Empire. Was it an effective resolution to the trilogy?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Bittersweet ending

The Kamelion Empire ensured to do two things. First, the story explored Kamelion’s origins. Where he came from, what he was, and why he’s the only one we’ve seen of his kind. It did this while telling a very entertaining story, one that was fun to listen to while also having an epic edge, even while it only really focused on the four regulars.

However, the second thing it made sure to do was to give an answer of what happened to Kamelion. When we eventually see him again in Planet of Fire, he is shown to have his own room in the TARDIS. But why didn’t he ever join the rest of the TARDIS crew when they landed? Why didn’t they even mention him?

The answers given in The Kamelion Empire are not only satisfying. They also end the trilogy on a very bittersweet note, and help to make Kamelion’s story feel much more tragic as a result. Especially if you know Kamelion’s ultimate fate in Planet of Fire.

A faithful recreation

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As for Kamelion himself, he’s written in a way that’s very faithful to what we saw in his two TV stories. One where the robot form is emotionally distant in some ways, but constantly learning and adapting. In some ways, he’s like a child – innocent and eager to learn more about the universe and his new friends.

Jon Culshaw also gives a great performance in the role. He captures enough of original actor Gerald Flood’s mannerisms, but still makes the part his own. The Kamelion trilogy really needed someone who could bring the character back in an effective way, and Culshaw did that really well.

Overall, the first Big Finish trilogy of the year was a strong and effective one. Big Finish is great at not just telling strong Doctor Who stories with past Doctors, but expanding their eras and answering questions that the show left unanswered. The Kamelion trilogy was, overall, an excellent example of that, and I can’t wait for the next trilogy of the year to begin.

Next. Classic moments: “It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for…”. dark

Have you listened to any of the stories in the Kamelion trilogy this year? What did you think of it? Do you think the stories handled the character well? Let us know in the comments below.

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