Doctor Who - A Thousand Tiny Wings - Review

It's surprising just how entertaining this play is, given how little there is to the story. A group of women stuck in a Kenyan farmhouse in the middle of the Mau Mau uprising discover an excessively jointed ape dying a death of a thousand cuts and are beset by a number of tribulations. Oh, and Colditz baddie Klein is among them.

This isn't a thrill-paced action story, nor a mind-bending conceptual piece. The plot throws up little in the way of spectacle and events are mostly taken in isolation, rather than building into an elaborate contrivance. That's not to say it's boring, though; there is a degree of slow-burning tension from the besieged farmhouse setting - one that is actually magnified by the absence of any visible threat.

To an extent the plot feels more lightweight than it is because of the seperation of story and background. The uprising thread has no real connection to the scifi elements, and so scenes which further one feel isolated from the other, giving the sense of a sequence of events which are not building on one another. On the other hand, the story is genuinely quite slender - an abortive escape sequence that occupies much of part three has a definite feel of padding and a rather quick and easy resolution compounds the effect.

This all sounds rather negative, but in fact it's not such a detraction as the play is never centered on the action, being more concerned with the characters. In this light the events of the story seem much stronger; whilst not building toward a grand climax, each one serves as the catalyst for another beat of character interaction.

And of course, the character we're all interested in is Klein. Returning nine years after her first appearance is pretty unusual by itself, but pairing the Doctor with a companion whose previous appearance was as a nazi villain willing to kill Ace to capture him is more than a little odd. I had a fear going in that Big Finish wouldn't stay completely true to the set-up and the character, and Klein would have devolved into the 'nice nazi' cliché. Quite apart from her peculiar role, it's been a long time since Colditz, and there was no guarantee they'd be able to capture the same character.

Thankfully, I'd say they've succeeded, with a few provisions. Klein's certainly a mellower, more pleasant character, but that's not exactly unreasonable: Last time we saw her she had power and desperation, pretty much a cocktail for ruthlessness. This time around she's got neither power nor any agenda she needs to achieve. On top of that, it's been ten years since Colditz. She's had to find a life and adapt. There's really only two ways she could have gone - deep into brooding dysfunctionality, or a measure of acceptance and crafting a new life for herself. As it happens, she's become a doctor, which suggests some interesting things happening in her mind. On the other hand, it could be leading down the path to 'She's a nice person really,' which would be terrible. Ultimately, it'll be up to the rest of the series to decide.

In fact, this is true of her character in general: She's perfectly good for this audio, but could end up working or not working, depending on where the series takes her. Much of the play is taken up with Klein discussing nazism with both the Doctor and Sylvia (another British nazi). These sections are decent, but the depth of the views espoused is fairly elementary. It's the sort of stuff you'd expect of any story trying to give a rounded portrayal of a nazi character. There's no niche facets or nuances unique to Klein's viewpoint; nothing unexpected or challenging. As a result the discussions aren't as interesting as they could be, though there's plenty there to fill this story. For Klein to really succeed she'll need to get deeper in later stories though, otherwise the series will have been a but pointless.

Sylvia is similarly unremarkable. In fact, rather more could have been done to differentiate her from Klein. As it is, they spend the play in near complete agreement on all matters, which seems to rather lack potential. Still, she has some interest value because she's British, and unlike Klein, doesn't come from a Nazi Britain, but the real one. The moments when she laments being unable to mention German friends and relations are her most intriguing and she's not a bad character. Ann Bell is well cast and plays her well, particularly in the later half of the play when she gets some really good moments.

Sylvia also serves as the main portrayal of the colonial attitude, but some of the impact is robbed from this by her nazi sympathies. More effective would have been a warts and all portrayal of a colonist who was an ordinary Brit; as it is you can write off her colonial arrogance as being due to her nazism. Denise provides an alternative portrayal - and she's also well played by Abigail McKern - but because she spends much of the play sick she doesn't get to participate in as many of the discussions as Sylvia or Klein.

Last of the women is Lucy, who I found a bit charicature, and doesn't add a great deal. (Also, slightly odd name choice given the recent companion of the Eighth Doctor.) Finally, Chuk Iwuji plays the sole African, Joshua. It's a decent character and a decent portrayal, but he only gets a few scenes, so once again, only the well-trodden issues are raised.

Yet for all that the plot is simple and straightforward, and the ideologies only textbook standards, it all manages to be rather an enjoyable piece. Like the recent Eternal Summer the presence of a strong ensemble cast ensures the interactions are all pleasing to listen to, and the breezy plot feels more like a lighthearted and easy-to-follow relief than something underwhelming. There is enough material here to make the play work perfectly well, and it's all so solid it comes off as very enjoyable despite not being anything revolutionary. A few deft touches of poetic imagery (not least the play's title) are the finishing touch on a good 8/10.

As for the rest of the series, it remains to be scene if Big Finish will really dig into the material Klein brings, or if they'll shy away. It could go either way, but this is a perfectly acceptable start.

Image property of Big Finish Productions.