REVIEW: Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 6.01 - Tales From The Vault

Steven, Zoe, Jo Grant, and Romana I

Cast:

Captain Ruth Matheson - Daphne Ashbrook
Warrant Officer Charlie Sato - Yee Jee Tso
Steven Taylor - Peter Purves
Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
Jo Grant - Katy Manning
Romana - Mary Tamm

Synopsis:

Welcome to The Vault - jokingly known as 'The Museum of Terrors' - a high security establishment where UNIT keeps all of its alien artifacts.

New recruit Warrant Officer Charlie Sato is given a guided tour by Captain Ruth Matheson, and the archive reveals some dark secrets. An army jacket, a painting, crystal and a wax cylinder all hold a grave significance, and their stories are told by the Doctor's companions: Steven Taylor, Zoe Heriot, Jo Grant and Romana...



This is slightly different from your usual Companion Chronicle in that the main story isn't centered around any of the companions. On a tour around UNIT's vault, a new recruit is introduced to various artifacts that are themselves introduced by various companions with a short accompanying story.

The stories themeselves aren't amazing or anything but what is interesting is the main story of the new recruit and the function of the vault. How all the companions stories link together is quite good too into a satisfying conclusion.

My only downside of this is, as mentioned earlier, the companions' stories. The whole thing could have been done without the need for the companions and it's like they were there for the gimmick. None of this spoils the audio at all though and I did enjoy Romanadvoratrelundar and Jo's parts - they were both amusing and very in character.

Because it was different and not really a companion chronicle as such, I'm tempted to mark it down a little but given the good performances and a good story, I think I'll err on the side of generosity.

Score:

0/7 - Non-existant
1/7 - As bad as you can get
2/7 - Poor
3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it
3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided
4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it
5/7 - Good
6/7 - As good as you can get
7/7 - Impossible perfection


Written by: Johnathan Morris
Directed by: Lisa Bowerman
Produced by: Big Finish
Released: July 2011