Synopsis: In The Last Queen of the Nile, the Brigadier enlists the Doctor’s help to solve a mystery on an oil rig. He and Leela uncover a situation they would rather forget.
After that conundrum, the TARDIS crew travels back in time to ancient Egypt, where they encounter one of history’s most memorable romances.
Review: Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 14: The Last Queen of the Nile was an excellent character driven box set. Both stories made particularly good use of Leela and K9.
Story
Both authors demonstrated masterful grasps of characterization and internal logic. Despite rigid story requirements, they managed to craft engaging and surprising tales.
“Conspiracy of Silence” by Jonathan Morris worked, because he remembered K9’s strengths. Morris also relied heavily on splitting the Tardis Team up to create multiple points of view.
In the process, listeners got an extremely effective bait and switch. For their parts, Leela and the Brigadier got atmospheric frights and chances to improvise in the field.
“The Last Queen of the Nile” by David K Barnes was a tour de force showcase of characterization and themes. The storytelling was so affecting, because there could only be one ending.
Like Morris, Barnes made incredibly good use of Leela and K9. Their dynamics with Cleopatra were riveting from beginning to end.
Additionally, the Fourth Doctor’s dynamic with Mark Antony was incredibly compelling. The role of the Fourth Doctor’s scarf was worth the price alone.
Acting
The entire cast was superb. That said, there were several stand out performances.
Pippa Bennett-Warner was pitch perfect as Cleopatra. Most importantly, she made the role her own.
For his part, Michael Lumsden imbued Mark Antony with hubris, humanity, and humor. Throughout, he had the perfect foil in Blake Ritson as Octavian Caesar.
Ritson embraced old school theatricality to counter Bennett-Warner and Lumsden’s more layered approaches. He was clearly having the time of his life.
Overall
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 14: The Last Queen of the Nile was by turns harrowing and heartfelt. I can’t wait to hear what the next set has in store.
You can purchase Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 14: The Last Queen of the Nile here.
- Story8.5
- Performances10
- Audio Production10
I wonder if Big Finish would ever do a Shalka Doctor series? It might be interesting as Richard E. Grant’s Doctor is now (arguably) canon to the TV show.