3-c. Pop-Up.

1 episode. Running Time: Approx. 16 minutes. Written by: Dave Curan. Directed by: Nicholas Briggs, Ken Bentley. Produced by: David Richardson. Performed by: Katy Manning.


THE PLOT:

After attending a peace conference, the Doctor is in a hurry to leave the asteroid Epsilon Gamma. Jo is confused by the rush - until she notices the flood of advertising everywhere, so pervasive that the TARDIS has been literally buried under billboards planted by Micro Server Robots.

The Doctor shoes the robots away... most of them, at least. Jo notices one with a crippled leg and, out of misplaced compassion, tucks it away in her pocket when they leave in the TARDIS. She is able to repair it, which leaves her quite pleased with herself.

Then the robot taps into the TARDIS systems and begins flooding the time/space vehicle with ads, leading the Doctor desperate to stop the promotional deluge!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: He has fond memories of Epsilon Gamma as it was before it was consumed by advertising. He abhors the current state of it, observing to Jo that people have long stopped paying attention to the ads, but that hasn't stopped the corporations. He reacts with weary disapproval to Jo's sympathy for the tiny robot, but he quickly gives up on trying to get her to see that the robot isn't alive and therefore can't be in pain. By this point, he's realized that he's not going to change her nature (nor does he particularly want to).

Jo Grant: When she notices the injured robot, she can't help herself from trying to rescue it, which leads to the entire situation in the story. We see again that underneath her surface ditziness, she's rather capable. She's able to repair the robot without any help in a matter of minutes. This time, that ends up not being such a good thing. Though the Doctor doesn't berate her for creating the mess, she feels enough sense of responsibility to take it on herself to organize afterwards.


THOUGHTS:

Like most of the early Big Finish Short Trips, Pop-Up is a trifle. Fortunately, it's a fun trifle.

Writer Dave Curan works within the 16-minute running time by keeping his structure simple and precise: The advertising robots are introduced creating minor mayhem by covering the TARDIS exterior with ads, setting up the larger mayhem created when one manages to tap into the interior systems. The Doctor tries to resolve the problem, only for the situation to keep escalating. It's small scale, but it works because there aren't any deviations. There's some minor and obvious commentary about pervasive advertising, but everything is here to advance the base story.

The piece benefits from a splendid reading by Katy Manning. As usual, she does an equally fine job of capturing the Third Doctor's voice and of recapturing her old, early 1970s performance as Jo. She's also extremely good with the advertising voices, putting on an inauthentically chirpy tone for the promos, which adds to the humor while at the same time conveying how annoying it would be to be stuck in the center of this.


OVERALL:

Pop-Up is a tiny diversion; but within that stricture, it's expertly turned. It's meticulously structured and benefits from an outstanding performance by Katy Manning - and it's also quite a bit of fun. A good listen, though it probably won't linger long in the mind afterwards.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Set during: Season Ten

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1-a. Rise and Fall.

1 episode. Approx. 25 minutes. Written by: George Mann. Directed by: Nicholas Briggs, Ken Bentley. Produced by: David Richardson. Performed by: William Russell.


THE PLOT

Deciding that they need a rest after their recent ordeal in Paris, the Doctor brings the TARDIS to an idyllic hillside on a distant world, a place where the only life is vegetation and the low-orbiting moon is visible even in the day. While Barbara and Susan linger in the TARDIS, the Doctor and Ian step outside and enjoy the unspoiled landscape. After a few minutes, Ian notices strange, alien faces appearing and disappearing in front of them. The landscape begins changing before their eyes in a rush of images. The Doctor cannot explain it, but studies the phenomenon, truly fascinated.

Meanwhile, a society rises, evolving from an animal state to a tribal society to a modern one. The process takes thousands of years. This society has one constant throughout its history: Two unmoving figures on a hillside, standing near a tall, blue, box-like structure...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: Manages control of the TARDIS to reach this planet, something Ian notices right away. He does not specifically indicate that this is a place with which he's familiar, but he does state that he's looking for a place where they can rest. He is intent in studying the phenomenon he and Ian witness, and is suitably thoughtful as he figures out the truth of what they've witnessed at the end. As in Transit of Venus, William Russell recreates William Hartnell's vocal mannerisms quite well, even slipping in an amusing beat in which the Doctor botches Ian's last name.

Ian: Suspects that the Doctor's solicitous turn, finding a spot for them to rest, is motivated by a desire to convince him and Barbara to stay. His sharp eyes make him the first to notice the phenomenon. He grapples with the implications of what he and the Doctor witness, and he and the Doctor seem to make a silent agreement not to discuss it with the others. Despite his age, William Russell recaptures Ian's voice with seemingly little effort. Even moreso than in Transit of Venus, I had no difficulty picturing Ian as he was in the television series, as Russell sheds the years from his voice for Ian's lines.


THOUGHTS

The first story of the first release of Big Finish's Short Trips audio series (following a couple of well-received "subscriber freebies" on the website). It's an auspicious start, as writer George Mann crafts a thoughtful story with a tremendous sweep, all while fitting snugly into a very short running time. William Russell's reading is outstanding, both in character dialogue and in narration, and the sparing sound effects are expertly applied in a way that complements both the story and the era of the show in which it's set. All told, I can't imagine a better short story that could fit into a 20-odd minute running time.

The story itself is an almost ideal template for a "Doctor-lite" story. The Doctor and Ian really aren't in that much of the story, their actions mainly confined to bookends at the beginning and end. But in the details of the society that rises and falls around them, the writer shows the impact the time travellers have. The story could be seen as an extended example of the observer effect: simply by being present, the Doctor and Ian have a tremendous impact on the society they observe.

This is borne out by the scenes we are shown of the society. Their entire evolution is represented by four short scenes. The scenes effectively convey the evolution of the society, which mirrors the evolution of human society from tribal to modern times. But the scenes also tie this civilization very strongly to the Doctor, Ian, and the TARDIS, whose importance to these people is shown in ways both explicit (a father's talk with his son about what they've learned from "the strangers") and not (the shapes of the buildings, a child's dolls). Each scene is short, a necessity of the story's length, but each is vivid enough to make an impression. Audio transitions between these scenes make it clear that we are "moving on," without lasting so long as to be annoyances.

The overall effect is thoughtful and more than a little haunting. As a note to start the Big Finish audio Short Trips, the only problem is that it may just be impossible to top within this format. An outstanding story.


Rating: 10/10.

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