“This is a warning. Your aggression cannot go unchecked. The West must disarm. We will make you disarm.”
‘When an assassination follows the first demonstration of a deadly new weapon, it appears that an alien race has fired the opening salvo in a new war – a war… for peace. But is that truly their intent? The Doctor is unsure. The answer lies deep in the heart of a distant country. A place where a man might be a hero or a traitor. Where a man has to face the menace… of the Mega.’
The Mega reunites the charming Richard Franklin (Capt. Mike Yates) and the gorgeous Katy Manning (Jo Grant) in the first reprisal of their roles together since 1973’s The Green Death. At a running time of over 3 hours, The Mega is a behemoth of a story. The plot involves a tin-pot ruler of the fake nation Golbostan demanding that the western nations disarm or face the wrath of his alien allies, the Mega. Like most ‘evil’ alien races, they want to control the Earth but their motives are shrouded in mystery.
The central theme in the original script by Bill Strutton and adapted by Simon Guerrier addresses the global concern over the use of weapons of mass destruction. In this story, the British military have developed a new type of nerve gas to use against its enemies. During a demonstration to explain its capabilities, an army general poses the idea that it could be used against local protestors. Aghast at the thought, the Doctor strongly protests. News of the potential use of this WMD reaches Prince Cassie and is a catalyst for his threats against ‘warmongering nations.’
It is interesting that The Mega was chosen by Big Finish as the final in their ‘Lost Stories’ line. Weapons of mass destruction are as relevant now as they were in the 1970’s. The story would doubt have worked in Doctor Who’s eight season had it been commissioned for production.
I enjoyed the split narration by Katy Manning and Richard Franklin. It deftly split the story in two – one following the Doctor and Jo and the other following Mike Yates and Unit. Both Manning and Franklin voice their characters well given that 40 years has passed since they were in a Doctor Who story together.
Ken Bentley does a good job directing the cast and is complemented by an intriguing script from Simon Guerrier. Guerrier perfectly captures the Third Doctor. He also mixes in some interesting bits of dialogue. One narration scene caught my eye. I’m not sure if it was intended as a double-entendre but it can certainly be interpreted as such. In this particular scene, the Doctor and Jo are escorted by an alien Mega to a nearby castle. They use a vintage car as a means of transportation. The Doctor and Jo get into the front, while the Mega takes up the entirety of the back seat.
“A Mega filled up the space in the back. As they set off, Jo knew she should’ve felt glad and excited, the Doctor’s plan was working, but it was hard to feel positive with a pulsating Mega so close behind her.”
After this little nugget, my vision of what a Mega looked like changed considerably. So maybe, the ‘Mega’ is probably not the best name for an alien species. Not that I mind. It gave me a good chuckle.
Cast
Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Bo Poraj (Wiley/Cassie/Prime Minister/Man), Derek Carlyle (Magee/Laurence/The Mega/Chap)
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Written By: |
Bill Strutton, adapted by Simon Guerrier |
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Director: |
Ken Bentley |
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Sound Design: |
Richard Fox and Lauren Yason |
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Music: |
Richard Fox and Lauren Yason |
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Cover Art: |
Damien May |
Recorded at Moat Studios 14, 15 and 16 November 2012
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