Doctor Who review: The Shattered Hourglass features the Tenth Doctor against the Time Agency
By James Aggas
The Tenth Doctor faces the Time Agency to free a whole galaxy in this month’s short story, Doctor Who: The Shattered Hourglass.
The Time Agency has been mentioned a few times in Doctor Who over the years. But it’s rarely been explored, even in the expanded universe. One of the rare examples that give us a clear depiction of the agency is Month 25 from The Lives of Captain Jack, an audio story where Captain Jack Harkness (or as he was initially known, Javic Piotr Thane) finds out about the missing two years of his life.
So it’s nice to get another glimpse of the agency, this time from the Doctor’s perspective, in the short story The Shattered Hourglass. Written by Robert Napton and read by Neve McIntosh, The Shattered Hourglass sees the Tenth Doctor meeting Time Marshal Helen Barnes. The Time Marshal has decided to remove an entire galaxy from the timeline. Can the Doctor change her mind regarding the galaxy’s fate and free it?
This is a rather interesting little story. The first thing that stands out is Napton’s handling of the Tenth Doctor. You can hear David Tennant’s Doctor clearly in this story, and that’s down to Napton’s writing as much as it is to McIntosh’s reading.
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Tying continuity
Speaking of which, Neve McIntosh once again shows off just how good she is as a narrator. There are a number of different characters that she has to voice in this one, and she performs all of them with ease, all the while narrating the story with the energy it needs.
As for the story itself, for a Short Trip, there’s a surprising amount of continuity tied together in this one. Along with the Time Agency, there are also clear references to several major Tenth Doctor episodes, too.
This isn’t Robert Napton just having fun, though. The Shattered Hourglass takes place at an extremely clear point in the Tenth Doctor’s life, and it works all the better for it. In fact, the Tenth Doctor trying to change someone’s mind over such a huge and dangerous decision makes even more sense when you find out exactly what he’s only recently done.
The Shattered Hourglass is a fascinating look at an area of the Doctor Who universe that’s only been briefly explored in the past. More than that, it’s a solid Tenth Doctor story set at an important part of his life. Certainly, a recommended listen.
Next. Free short story Free Speech is out now. dark
Have you listened to The Shattered Hourglass? What are your thoughts on it? Do you think when it was set for the Doctor worked well for the story? Let us know in the comments below.