Now the 60th Anniversary stuff is out of the way it’s time to catch up with the Big Finish audio releases, and thankfully there isn’t actually that much to catch up on! “Audacity” was advertised as a fresh start for the Eighth Doctor, back in his younger velvet coat days with a new companion, and while this is true only until the end of the last episode of the set I can say that “The Devouring” is still a fun companion introduction story, if nothing else. Let’s take a look!
The story focuses on our new companion-to-be, Audacity Montague (Jaye Griffiths) as she gets annoyed at the Prince Regent’s refusal to enact reform and then she holds up a ball full of rich people for their money in order to then give it to the poor, being helped but her long-suffering but absolutely devoted husband Ignatius (Joseph Milson) During the ball the spoiled brat running it, Clementine Inglewood (Emily Woodward) mysteriously vanishes in front of everyone’s eyes, clearly in pain while doing so, causing everyone to run apart from a mysterious man called The Doctor (Paul McGann). He instead runs to Audacity’s room and sees she has been using her telescope to do some stargazing and she soon confirms that she’s been looking at a shooting star recently, leading to The Doctor informing her that it wasn’t a shooting star but instead an alien spaceship containing a being known simply as “The Devouring” (eventually voiced by Richard Reed) who now they’ve made eye contact will hunt her down and kill all those she loves before, well, devouring her.
Obviously she finds this hard to believe but after her favourite maid is similarly devoured she meets back up with The Doctor just as her beloved husband and many more of her staff all disappear, though The Doctor finds out that they’re not dead yet, merely on the Devouring’s ship waiting to be consumed so sets the TARDIS on course with the craft, but Audacity insists on joining him on his journey…
Like I said it’s a fun, quick one-hour story that has the goal of establishing a new companion, and it does that well.
The Continuity:
A great cover, especially seeing the Eighth Doctor in his DWM comic book blue jacket!
Beyond the next story following on from this (obviously!) there isn’t any continuity to speak of…
Overall Thoughts:
“The Devouring” is a short but perfectly fine companion introductory story that does its job well and even creates some fun side characters / main enemy. Not really substantial enough to get a 5 but it certainly deserves to be praised.
Not a lot to say here really! The Doctor and Audacity face off with the Devouring, who can’t consume the latter due to The Doctor’s Time Lord biology interfering with his equipment. Audacity offers herself in exchange for all her friends and husband and the creature agrees, sending all of them back down to Earth, but a short while after The Doctor leaves Audacity to her fate the TARDIS materialises around her. The Doctor says she’s safe but if she returned to her own time she’d be devoured so she now had to go somewhere else, promising he’ll find her a new home. Audacity risks one quick visit to say goodbye to Ignatius before heading off into time and space.
Hogan Reviews 