Review: The Beast of Orlok
The Beast of Orlok is a really, really good story. Seriously. I’ve had a busy week, and when Orlok turned up unexpectedly, I was worried I might not have enough time to listen to it before its official download debut this evening, but I ended devouring it four times over the last couple of days. And each time, I love it a little bit more.
Yes, Orbis and Hothouse were strong enough stories, but it’s with the third adventure of the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller’s new season that you really get that feeling of listening to something special. The story sees the Doctor (Paul McGann) and Lucie (Sheridan Smith) missing Alton Towers by a fair few miles (not to mention decades) and turning up in the town of Orlok, where a nightmarish creature from legends of the past seems to have returned, and is once again dismembering its victims.
Barnaby Edwards, who both writes and directs this play, has done a bloody good job (no pun intended). There’s a wonderful dark and gothic feel to this story, like some sort of twisted Brothers Grimm fairy-tale but with a dash of gritty realism (if such a thing is possible in a show whose lead character lives in a phone box), and there’s a fair dollop of horror to boot. Tonally, it's reminiscent of the later Fourth Doctor TV stories, making an excellent contrast to the previous two adventures. The opening sequence of Episode One, for example, is unexpectedly violent and chilling, and it sets the tone brilliantly for what’s to come. (Unfortunately, the strength of that pre-titles cliffhanger is suddenly undermined by the brain-melting awfulness of the theme music, but I’ll try not to get started on that again . . .)
It’s not all death and darkness, though; the characteristic humour of this series is present and correct. Highlights include a cheeky reference to Voyage of the Damned (no, really!) and a lovely moment where the Doctor and Lucie independently make the same wisecrack without missing a beat. Despite having been involved with Big Finish in various capacities for years, this is only Edwards’ second Doctor Who writing credit, and it’s impressive how quickly he’s gotten a handle on the format and delivered such a strong script.
On the downside (and you thought this was going to be one big sickly love-in! Hard luck) not everything about this story is good.
It’s set in Germany. How do I know this? Because its cast includes characters called “Hans” and “Greta”, and cos I checked the blurb on the Big Finish website just now. Presumably, it’ll say so on the back of the CD as well, but the story itself never explicitly says as much, and the decision to go with English accents for native characters muddies the waters somewhat. This isn’t some sort of glaring disaster which affects the quality of the story, nor is it anything new. Doctor Who’s very own The Girl in the Fireplace, for instance, had Madame de Pompadour and chums speaking proper BBC English throughout. That, however, was a television story, where the French setting was sold by the costumes and makeup and locations. In the audio medium, it’s impossible to make a village sound quintessentially German, so the sound design delivers Non-Specific Town and the cast give us Non-Specific Townspeople (which, in fairness, was the director’s choice) and it’s all a bit Spectre of Lanyon Moor. For all we know, this could be set in flippin’ Ashbourne.
Having written that down, I feel a bit silly, so we’ll return to discussing the good things. Guest stars include Miriam Margolyes (Miriam Margolyes!) who is wonderful as Frau Tod. Her performance is a highlight of the play, and it’s just fantastic to hear her distinctive voice in Doctor Who at last. However, it’s a little too distinctive to blend in when it’s also used in wildtracks – apparently, half the female population of Orlok are Miriam-clones, which could be a story all its own – but that’s something likely only to bother more attentive listeners.
Samuel Barnett also impresses, playing the role of Hans – a name which Edwards exploits to its full comedic potential – and elsewhere, Nick Wilton is very strong as Otto Pausbacken.
The bonus interviews on the full release of the story are fun, with the only downside being that we never get to hear any of the Sheridan Smith/Samuel Barnett mischief which is discussed on a couple of occasions. Everyone’s enthusiasm for their parts and for the story itself shines through, though, and the extras are a decent listen.
All in all, then, The Beast of Orlok is another good’un, boasting excellent writing and strong performances all round. Definitely the best of this season so far, raising the bar a little higher for Wirrn Dawn later this month, and one that’s well worth listening to more than once.
