Athens, 421 BC. An ancient civilisation of philosophers and poets and the birthplace of theatre. The Doctor has decided to show Ace and Hector how it all began, with help from the great comedian Aristophanes. But life in Athens is no laughing matter. There’s the ever-present threat of invasion from the Spartan horde. The plague that turns people into the walking dead. The slavery. The tyrannical rule of the paranoid, malicious Cleon and his network of informers. And the giant flying beetle with knives for wings that stalks the city streets at night.
What Athens needs is a hero. And who better to be a hero in ancient Greece than a man called Hector?
Mask of Tragedy by James Goss is #190 in the Big Finish main series
The history of ancient Greece is a rich and fertile one for writers everywhere. Which is why it’s something of a surprise that Doctor Who hasn’t gone there much. I don’t recall the series ever visiting there on TV, and maybe only once or twice in the spin-off materials. It’s a shame, because as this audio story shows, you can get a good result with the time period.
The story concerns the Doctor, Ace and Hector (not Hex, and not spelled Hektor, no matter how much the Hellenist in me thinks it should be), arriving in Athens just a bit before the Spartans are set to invade. They run into the Doctor’s friend, Aristophanes, who is about to stage his latest comedy.
“[The Spartans] are like the Daleks, but with better hair. All rings and curls. Like Wham. Or is it One Direction?” - The Doctor
Naturally, things aren’t what they appear. It turns out that Athens in this time has become something of a tourist spot for time travelers from all over the place; many of whom show up in elaborate disguises. This has started to really annoy the local king, Cleon, who is also very unhappy with Aristophanes. And not surprisingly, Ace does her usual great job of making friends and influencing people.
“Ace, keep an eye on Aristophanes.”
“Why, in case he does something funny?”
“Not much chance of that.” - The Doctor and Ace
I very much liked this story. Hector is continuing to develop as a distinct and different person from Hex, and that says a lot about Olivier’s acting ability. The acting from McCoy and Aldred was at its usual great level as well, of course, and I very much liked West and Simpson guest starring as Aristophanes and Cleon, respectively. Other guest actors did fine with their somewhat more limited roles.
The writing was also top-notch. The story flowed smoothly, with none of the pacing issues that can occasionally effect the audios. There was also some specially crisp dialogue, which I appreciated, and, again, more development of Hector as a character, which is always welcome.
This is the first of two main range audios for the month. Given the way this one ended, I’m very happy indeed that the next one is already on my MP3 player, all ready to go!
Written By: James Goss
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Philip Olivier (Hector), Samuel West (Aristophanes), Alisdair Simpson (Cleon), Russell Bentley (Tyrgius/Slave Trader/Boy), Tim Treloar (Telephus, Cisyphus/Old Man), Emily Tucker (Adonia/Lysistrata)
Mask of Tragedy is available now from BigFinish.com and via the Amazon link below.
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