Review: The Veiled Leopard

In March 2006, Doctor Who Magazine once again offered a free Doctor Who audio adventure from Big Finish Productions. What makes The Veiled Leopard, a two-part romp from Iain McLaughlin and Claire Bartlett, particularly special is that the Doctor doesn't feature at all. Instead, we're given a story starring four of his companions, who have been sent to a Monte Carlo party in the 1960s by their respective Time Lords. Peri and Erimem (Nicola Bryant and Caroline Morris) have been sent by the Fifth Doctor to prevent the theft of the eponymous Veiled Leopard diamond, but Ace and Hex (Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier) have been sent by the Seventh to steal it.

What follows is an interesting and mostly-successful experiment, showing that Big Finish and their lead actors have developed these characters brilliantly. Erimem is arguably the best, as bubbly and loveable as ever; and though her naivety - "What's a Centurion?", "What are skeleton keys?" - grates a little, it does give Peri a chance to take the lead and become more confident and headstrong that she's been before. Similarly, Ace plays Doctor to Hex - literally as well as metaphorically, with a hilarious Sylvester McCoy impersonation from the excellent Sophie Aldred - calmly guiding him through the adventure. All four actors turn in strong performances, carrying the story so well that listeners will soon forget that the Doctor's not around.

But McLaughlin and Bartlett's script contributes to Veiled Leopard's success too, bursting with wit, with the lead characters humorous and playful and the supporting cast larger-than-life and amusingly cliched. The sound design also shines, with David Richardson's score setting the tone beautifully.

The two pairs of companions take one episode each - Peri and Erimem in the first, Ace and Hex in the second - which will disappoint those who looked forward to this as a meeting between the four. The best moments of multi-Doctor episodes came from the interaction between the Time Lord's various incarnations, and meetings of companions have been similarly dramatic (Sarah and Rose in School Reunion spring instantly to mind), so it's a bit of a shame that we're denied the same here. However, the structure is still effective, and it's not too difficult to see how the events fit together chronologically.

The Veiled Leopard is lightweight, funny, and massively enjoyable. If you're expecting a Five Doctors epic, look elsewhere; this is a brilliantly-written and superbly-acted small-scale character adventure that sparkles with life and energy.