Doctor Who review: Memories of a Tyrant raises intriguing questions about identity
By James Aggas
When a man with no memory doesn’t know if he’s guilty of horrific war crimes or not, interesting moral questions are raised in this month’s Doctor Who story, Memories of a Tyrant.
Memories of a Tyrant begins the latest season of Doctor Who audio stories to feature Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri. This is actually a pretty major release, as it’s the first time that we’ve heard from this wonderful pairing since 2014’s The Rani Elite. While that story was set after Peri had reunited with the Doctor after the events of The Trial of a Time Lord, Memories of a Tyrant is set before her original departure.
This is a bit of a shame, as their previous trilogy had some major loose ends that still haven’t been tied up. But it’s still wonderful to hear this pairing again. Especially in a story as good as Memories of a Tyrant.
The story begins with a rather interesting problem. At the Memory Farm, an old man is being interrogated. He has no idea of who he really is. But the people investigating him do. They believe that he’s a man responsible for the deaths of billions of people. A war criminal who had escaped justice. Is Garius Moro really a mass-murderer? Or is he a harmless, innocent man who’s just unlucky?
The opening scene alone gets this story off to such a strong start. In fact, it’s the only scene used for the trailer for this story, and it was enough to make me incredibly intrigued. You can listen for yourself in the teaser below.
A matter of memory
It’s a really interesting and complex situation that’s explored in this story, particularly during the first half. So many others want Moro to be guilty or innocent, and not always for the best of reasons. You’re constantly left guessing whether Moro really is a mass murderer or not. You also feel sorry for him, because even he doesn’t know what kind of person he really was.
Another interesting layer is added to the story when someone tries to assassinate Moro. Because not only do you have to wonder who’s behind it. You also have to wonder if Moro even deserves it, even if he was guilty of the crime he was accused of.
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The second half of the story adds another layer to the complex issue of memory. There are some interesting ideas explored here, ideas that have been explored in truly great science-fiction stories such as Ghost in the Shell. How important is memory to who you are now? How strongly does it make you who you are?
Peri is also brilliantly used in the second half of the story. When something happens to the Doctor, it’s up to her to save the day. She’s put in a truly difficult situation though, and she has to do everything she can to resolve it. It’s stories like this that show us just how brilliant Peri can be, especially when a great writer like Roland Moore handles the character well.
Memories of a Tyrant is an extremely strong start to the latest Sixth Doctor trilogy. There are some extremely strong performances, the characters are handled brilliantly, and there are some genuinely interesting themes and questions that add so much to the story. I’m already looking forward to what the next story in the trilogy will bring – particularly as Emissary of the Daleks promises to raise equally intriguing moral questions…
Next. The ten best stories of The Eighth Doctor Adventures with Lucie Miller. dark
Have you listened to Memories of a Tyrant? Did you enjoy the story? Are you a fan of the Sixth Doctor and Peri? Let us know in the comments below.