Written by: Steve Lyons
Directed by: Gary Russell
Featuring: Seventh Doctor and Ace
Release Date: October 2001
Big Finish Summary
October 1944: As World War II draws towards its conclusion, a Nazi defeat begins to seem almost inevitable. But that might be about to change…
Two intruders are captured in the grounds of Colditz Castle, the most secure POW camp in Germany. At first, the guards think they’re dealing with British spies. But the strangers arrived in an advanced travelling machine, the like of which they’ve never seen before.
With this TARDIS in their hands, the Third Reich might triumph after all.
Introduction
Colditz sees the Seventh Doctor and Ace land in the middle of Colditz Castle during World War II, during its tenure as a prisoner-of-war camp, and are immediately taken prisoner by the Third Reich. This story takes the premise of a prison break thriller, and blends it with a discussion on the morality of travelling back in time. With some excellent character moments, and a plot that keeps listeners on their toes, this is another successful story in Big Finish’s Doctor Who audio adventures series.
Plot
“You will consider yourselves my prisoners. For you, the war is over.”
Feldwebel Kurtz
Colditz has one of the most surprising and effective plots in the series to date. It was an ingenious decision by Big Finish to have the story’s teaser trailer being largely just the opening scene. The story’s opening sees the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) and Ace (Sophie Aldred) land in a misty courtyard. This is revealed to be Oflag IV-C, also known as Colditz Castle, where the Third Reich kept its Allied prisoners who previously escaped. After an all too brief chase sequence, the pair are taken prisoner. The trailer suggests that the story will focus on the pair’s attempts to escape a camp infamous for having many escape attempts (Ace refers to the Escape from Colditz Castle board game). Listeners will be blindsided by the direction this story ultimately takes.
The attempted escape from Colditz Castle is surprisingly the B-plot of this adventure. It is also far less fun than listeners might expect, something which is consistent for the duration of this adventure. The general tone is bleaker and poor oppressive than the usual Doctor Who story, which definitely compliments its setting. Poor Ace in particular faces psychological abuse throughout; this would not have worked as well in a more fantastical location. The Seventh Doctor-Ace era of the TV show is known for having darker stories, including The Curse of Fenric. In this respect, Colditz is definitely consistent with that period. A good comparison can be made with the tone in another audio book adventure featuring this pair, The Fearmonger. This grittier portrayal of WWII Germany ultimately compliments both the core themes and the character development throughout this story.
The plot swiftly moves away from the expected prison break narrative with the introduction of Dr Elizabeth Klein (Tracey Childs). Klein appears out of the blue at the end of the first part and drops a bombshell. At this point, Colditz has a large shift in genre to hard science-fiction in a historical setting. What follows is a nuanced discourse on the dangers and consequences of travelling back in time and changing history. I like it when Doctor Who stories are conscious of these perils. The 1964 TV story The Aztecs is one of my favourite early stories for partially this reason. More recently, the 2005 TV story Father’s Day takes this concept and powerfully adds a more personal and emotional basis. Colditz is ahead of its time by including a character like Klein. You could easily see a plot of this nature being included in a post-2005 Doctor Who TV story.
Having a hard sci-fi plot on the morality of travelling back in time does create issues with the pacing. Notably, in Colditz, there are a lot of scenes of characters just discussing the theoretical, which can get repetitive. For a story with a prison break premise, including more action scenes would have helped to balance these. Two scenes which would have benefited from more action are Ace attempting to escape Colditz Castle and the climax. What strikes me when listening to these scenes is that they are both fairly subdued and finish too soon. For all the build up around planning the escape, the actual attempt is less than five minutes of the runtime. I am not expecting regular gunfire or explosions, but some action would have balanced well against the dialogue-heavy scenes. Overall, I do appreciate both the direction of the plot and how the darker tone compliments the time and place. I just wish that there was more action for a story set during World War II.
Character
“No. Not Ace. Not anymore. Time to grow up remember? It’s Dorothy McShane now.”
Ace
The three lead actors, Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Tracey Childs, all excel in this story. McCoy is particularly outstanding with how his Doctor switches between playful, contemplative and threatening. The Seventh Doctor was known for being one step ahead, so it is a refreshing change to have him be on the back foot. Childs is a terrific scene partner to McCoy in her portrayal of Klein. The character being a multi-layered and somewhat sympathetic villain compliments the story’s nuances well. I am hopeful that she will return in this series, as she provides something unique to this audio book series. The Doctor certainly thinks that he has not seen the last of her! The scenes between Childs and McCoy are extremely dynamic and are a great focal point to progress the story’s plot. The moment where The Doctor loses his cool and tears down Klein’s attitudes to human life is particularly powerful.
Aldred is also terrific at showcasing Ace’s character development throughout the story. Initially fiery and spirited in the face of her dilemma, the events of the story leave her defeated and guilt-ridden. It is telling that the last moments of this story are dedicated to Ace coming full circle as a character. She admits that it is time for her to grow up and go by her birth name of Dorothy McShane. This feels like a natural progression for this character from the audio books I have listened to so far. As time progresses, Ace is learning that being impulsive and reckless leaves her vulnerable and in danger. I am intrigued to see where the character goes after this powerful close to the story.
In terms of side characters, I was relieved that all accents ranged from bearable to good. There were no nails-on-a-chalkboard voices here! David Tennant excels as Feldwebel Kurtz, a full four years before taking on the role of the Tenth Doctor. Kurtz is a nasty piece of work, and is genuinely menacing towards Ace, particularly in his quieter moments. Tennant clearly elevates a character who was intended as a one-note antagonist. The character does become tiresome in the story’s second half, due to the writing rather than the acting. The choice to include a slightly more sympathetic German character in Hauptmann Julius Schäfer (Toby Longworth) was the right one. His contrast to Kurtz compliments the more moralistic parts of the narrative, though the writers could have pushed him further. The British characters, on the other hand, are passable. Ultimately, they suffer from being derivative of characters from previous audio books in this series. Flying Officer Bill Gower (Nicholas Young) is spirited, but feels like a paler version of Tamworth from Storm Warning. McCoy, Aldred and Childs excel in the lead roles, assisted by an excellent guest appearance by Tennant. Their performances both elevate the story’s content and set up changes in character dynamics for the future.
Listening Experience
Big Finish does a solid job at presenting this wartime prison, rather than a spectacular job. The drum-heavy score verges on the stereotypical 1940s/wartime soundtrack, but it adds to the atmosphere rather than being a distraction. It also adds to the oppressive nature of the story for listeners, and therefore perfectly compliments the setting. I liked the inclusion of certain sound effects at key moments to flesh out this setting. For example, the barking of guard dogs chasing escaped prisoners really elevates the tension of that moment. The closing of metal cell doors and the muffled dialogue through stone walls adds to the claustrophobia of being imprisoned. I do think it is lacking a unique audio framing device to make this an excellent listening experience. A similarly toned story, The Fearmonger, has the talk show, which adds to the immersion of this world. Could this story have benefited from something similar, like a wartime news correspondent?
Occasionally, the sound design does fall short, making scenes hard to imagine. Having the medium of sound, I would have expected more exposition dialogue. At times though, dialogue feels awkward and clearly only intended for the benefit of the listener. An example is during the escape sequence, where Ace points out an accomplice is now in the tower. The escapees should be staying as silent as possible, and can definitely all see that their accomplice is in position. The story also uses that effect of having multiple voices muttering in the background to convey a large group. The scenes taking place in the prisoners’ mess hall utilise this to the full. I don’t mind this being used in audio books; The Marian Conspiracy is an example where this technique works. However, that story has a lighter tone, and the muttered crowds in a pub compliment that. In this gritty story, the technique feels too Monty Python, and doesn’t work at all. The story should have had a couple more voice-acted British prisoners or German agents to interact with. Overall, the listening experience of Colditz is pretty standard rather than exceptional. The use of sound neither adds nor detracts much from this story.
Final Thoughts
Colditz is not the audio adventure its teaser trailer suggests, which ultimately proves to be its main strength. Starting as a standard prison break story, it quickly transforms into a discussion on changing the course of time. The three lead voice actors, Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred and Tracey Childs all excel as individuals and in their dynamics. Special mention should also be made to David Tennant, who elevates a one-dimensional villain with an energised performance. The story has its slower moments, and is lacking in suitable action scenes, but is overall engaging. It also sets up a transition in Ace’s character and the potential of a recurring villain in Elizabeth Klein. This is another solid addition to Big Finish’s Doctor Who audio book series.
Ratings
Plot: 4/5
Character: 4/5
Listening Experience: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Colditz is available to listen to on Spotify or Audible. It can also be downloaded for £3.99 from the Big Finish website – the link is below.
https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-colditz-627
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Did this story bring the setting of a World War II prison to life?
Were you surprised with the direction the story took?
Would you like to see the character of Klein return?
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Next Time
Nyssa will die at dawn, and the Doctor doesn’t even know why.
To save her life, he must make a desperate journey to the only place in the universe where a cure might exist.
When even that fails, the Doctor has a choice – let Nyssa die, or make a deal with the devil.
After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions…
Can the Doctor find a cure to save Nyssa’s life, or will this be the end to one of the most seen Doctor-companion duos in the Big Finish series?
The Blogging DJ 