Concluding my re-listens of the Lost Stories range’s first series, the climactic chapter is an adventure based on a conspiracy classic. Written by Ingrid Pitt and Tony Rudlin, the final outing finds The Doctor and Peri on board the USS Eldridge, whose crew has found themselves at the mercy of the Philadelphia Experiment.

The TARDIS materialises on the USS Eldridge, after the Philadelphia Experiment has gone disastrously wrong. Most of the crew are dead, the ship is disintegrating, and the Doctor soon realizes that the problem comes from another dimension…

As they attempt to find a way to get the ship home, the Doctor and Peri visit the distant planet Capron and meet its tyrannical ruler Osloo. But the search for a possible solution only creates increasingly dire problems. Osloo’s horizons have been widened – and Space and Time are hers for the taking...

Big Finish Synopsis

Much like its predecessor, The Macros centres itself around an interesting initial premise. Getting the Doctor and Peri mixed up in the Whoniverse’s imagining of the Philadelphia Experiment has all the hallmarks necessary for a compelling and engaging science-fiction adventure. There are vanishing ships, strange and dangerous technology and an eerie timey-wimey mystery that forces The Doctor to try every single option available. Unfortunately, what we get with this story is not as good as it sounds, and Pitt and Rudlin’s interpretation of this conspiracy never lives up to the rip-roaring adventure it’s meant to be.

The problem I have with this story stems from the micro-universe that causes the USS Eldridge to become stuck between universes. The planet Capron, ruled by the tyrannical Osloo, is a victim of a lack of interesting ideas. Once The Doctor and Peri reach this world, the plotline surrounding it becomes generic, as they yet again become embroiled in an oppressor vs oppressed revolution. Although this is something that comes part and parcel with the series, there really isn’t anything about this one that makes it stand out. From its characters to its set pieces, there’s nothing about these elements that can’t be found elsewhere.

Perhaps what makes these more generic moments sting all the more, however, is that there are sparks of potential to be found elsewhere. The scenes focusing on the USS Eldridge and its surviving crew are one such example. Their plight of having to navigate the constantly decaying wreckage, and the idea that getting them home becomes more impossible as the story progresses, adds a great deal of tension. Had these scenes taken more of the story’s focus, there’s no doubt that it would’ve had a positive effect.

Moreover, an expanded focus on the 1940s scenes would also have made a welcome addition. Within the story, these moments are short-lived, which is a shame because there are plenty of intriguing angles that could be covered regarding Professor Tessler’s superiors and their decision to continue the experiment despite the Doctor’s equations.