1 episode. Approx. 34 minutes. Written by: Paul Magrs. Performed by: Nicholas Courtney.
THE PLOT
In 18th century England, the Doctor is saved from drowning by the aging Rector Adams. He recuperates but, as he prepares to return to the TARDIS, he sees something so out of place he can't ignore it: a double-decker bus in the woods.
The bus is actually a TARDIS belonging to Iris Wildthyme, a particularly irresponsible Time Lady. Iris is here with a traveling companion of her own, the young Captain Turner. She has designs on the estate of the reclusive Lady Huntingdon, planning to arrange for Turner to marry Huntingdon's granddaughter, Bella.
But Lady Huntingdon has a secret plan of her own, with designs on a property far more valuable than any mansion: Iris Wildthyme's TARDIS!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: In his fourth incarnation, at least, he rather enjoys Iris' company, reflecting that things are never dull when she is around. In the tradition of Doctors regarding their other incarnations with scorn, he condemns his Third persona as arrogant and far too certain of himself - a strong accusation, given that the Fourth Doctor isn't exactly humble. He is highly observant, and at the crisis point he remembers an important item in Iris' TARDIS that he uses to resolve the situation.
The Doctor: In his fourth incarnation, at least, he rather enjoys Iris' company, reflecting that things are never dull when she is around. In the tradition of Doctors regarding their other incarnations with scorn, he condemns his Third persona as arrogant and far too certain of himself - a strong accusation, given that the Fourth Doctor isn't exactly humble. He is highly observant, and at the crisis point he remembers an important item in Iris' TARDIS that he uses to resolve the situation.
Sarah Jane Smith: Acts more as an observer than a participant in this story. She does act as a buffer between the Doctor and others, apologizing to Rector Adams for his rudeness and observing that he "isn't used to being rescued," as opposed to being the one rescuing others. She also recognizes almost immediately that Turner is out of his proper time, picking up on conversational quirks that belong more to a man of the 20th century than one of the 18th.
Iris Wildthyme: This short story was the first Doctor Who tale featuring Iris. It isn't precisely Iris' debut, however, writer Paul Magrs having used a variation of the character in his otherwise unrelated Phoenix Court novels. This likely explains why she seems so already fully formed as a presence here. Really, this is Iris' story. She is the one with a goal for Lady Huntingdon's estate, and she is the one who attracts Huntingdon's attention. The Doctor spends most of the story observing, only really stepping in at the end to resolve the situation. In a full-length work, this would be a serious weakness - but Iris is an entertainingly offbeat presence, and Magrs doesn't allow her to overshadow the Doctor, filtering her appearances through his viewpoint.
THOUGHTS
Old Flames is a fun little story, a breezy blend of classic Doctor Who elements and Jane Austen trappings. The actual narrative is fairly thin, largely because Magrs doesn't seem that concerned with the story. In a 34 minute story, almost 15 minutes pass before Iris' designs on Lady Huntingdon's estate are made clear. Another 10 have gone by before Huntingdon's agenda is revealed. Magrs seems to be more interested in observing these quirky characters within this setting, letting them interact and banter at length.
It will be up to the listener to decide whether this is a good thing or a bad. I enjoyed the characters and their interactions. The Doctor talking over and around Lady Huntingdon when she decides to ignore him is a funny scene, one that's easy to picture Tom Baker playing, and the Doctor/Iris conversations have just the right mix of amusement and nostalgia. All the characters seem to have a bit of extra life in them, and the dialogue is consistently amusing (the final line is golden).
The audio was originally presented on cassette in the BBC's Short Trips collection, which gathered short stories primarily from BBC Books' first Short Trips publication. It was reissued in the first volume of the BBC's Tales from the TARDIS. It's a very basic audio production - a straight dramatic reading by Nicholas Courtney, with only a few music cues and sound effects.
Courtney's reading is terrific, though. He adds extra enunciation to the Doctor's lines, elongating certain vowel sounds in a way that makes it that little bit easier to picture Tom Baker saying them. His cultured voice is perfectly-suited to the upper class setting, and he has a wryly humorous undercurrent to his delivery that is a fine match to the story.
Overall, this is a thoroughly engaging reading of a story I quite enjoyed. Recommended.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
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