Tuesday, July 5, 2016

The Kingmaker by: Nev Fountain directed by: Gary Russell

The Kingmaker stars Peter Davison as the Doctor with Arthur Smith as Clarrie, Jon Culshaw as Earl Rivers, Stephen Beckett as Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Michael Fenton Stevens as Mister Seyton, Nicola Bryant as Peri and Caroline Morris as Erimem.  It was written by Nev Fountain, directed by Gary Russell and released in April 2006 by Big Finish Productions.

 

Sometimes a story just can feel out of place in its own era of stories.  The Kingmaker is one of those stories which is a light hearted comedy near the end of the Fifth Doctor’s era which was most famous for being hard science fiction as John Nathan-Turner had thought Doctor Who should always be serious drama.  The tonal shift in stories isn’t always a bad thing especially since The Kingmaker has the comedic writings of Nev Fountain who is a writer who knows just how to write the Doctor Who characters in a way that keeps them shining through the tonal differences which is essential to keeping up with a good story and writes an extremely entrancing setting for the characters and the audience to explore that The Kingmaker works well as a story.

 

The plot sees the Doctor be loan sharked into completing the final novel in the Doctor Who Discovers… series which he wrote to earn money during his exile which was to be Doctor Who Discovers Historical Mysteries.  When in his Fourth incarnation he began writing about Richard III and the Princes in the Tower and of course the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem have to investigate.  They of course get themselves separated to add another time travel element to a story that really could have made for a great representation of the Hartnell historical, but of course it really doesn’t make it into that story type as while there isn’t an alien threat, Mr. Seyton being a time traveler and the massive amounts of time travelling featured.  It really is difficult to describe what should really just be a straightforward storyline and honestly I love it.  It cannot be explained but Nev Fountain makes the simple into complex and the complex into the simple in a way that just doesn’t feel contrived.

 

Big Finish of course use a lot of talent on the acting in this release with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy alumni, Michael Fenton Stevens playing the dastardly Mr. Setyon who is just a joy to listen to especially when it is revealed who exactly he is.  The twists involving just how he can be there is also quite hilarious.  The play also guest stars Jon Culshaw who while Earl Rivers, the main character he plays, is completely bland, Big Finish uses his impressionist skills to play the Fourth Doctor in a recorded message which really is just what he’s in this story for.  It’s a great cameo considering that Tom Baker refused to return to the audios until over ten years after they began production.  It’s not like he’s a bad actor, it’s just that Culshaw is a bit wasted on this story as he is a great comedic actor.  It’s really the only problem in the story with the exception of Peter Davison who doesn’t do anything wrong as the Doctor, but doesn’t have as much to do.

 

Nicola Braynt’s Peri and Caroline Morris’ Erimem is really where the story shines as their relationship is one of the funniest.  Erimem is a woman who will take none of anyone’s shit.  She breaks the arms of people who try to touch her royal behind and is completely up to sacrificing someone’s life if it will save the web of time.  Of course Peri is the one who is opposed to violence and is almost at odds with Erimem as they come from completely different times, yet they act very much like two halves to the same whole as they have to survive in a period unfamiliar to both of them.  They know that the Doctor is going to come and get them, but they just don’t know when so are waiting.  The two actresses pull the roles and situations off extremely well and just carry the entire story which is great.

 

To summarize, The Kingmaker is a great story that takes a spin on the Hartnell historical with ease from the brilliant Nev Fountain.  90/100

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