It’s time to take a short break from the Classic Doctors New Monsters reviews, as Big Finish has released a brand-spanking-new February adventure for the 3^rd Doctor.

Set during season 11, The Imposters is the 17^th instalment in the Third Doctor Adventures range and sees The Doctor, Sarah Jane, Liz Shaw and The Brigadier fight an alien incursion operating right under their noses.

The Doctor and the Brigadier are on the trail of stolen, advanced technology. Sarah Jane Smith is convinced an informant is leading her to a top-secret space tracking station. And Dr Elizabeth Shaw is wearing a metal helmet, covered in tin foil.

It’s a deadly puzzle, involving a precocious schoolgirl, a Saturday night all-in wrestling star and a high-ranking military officer. There’s a plot to control the Earth’s weather and somewhere in all this, there’s a connection to the constellation of Centaurus.

To defeat an enemy with no regard for human life, the Doctor must battle on all fronts, but not before a lethal encounter with the Venusian karate Downward K-klak!


Big Finish Synopsis

I’ve always had a strained relationship with the Third Doctor Adventures range. Never being the biggest fan of the era’s television run has meant I’ve only ever dipped into their extended universe series whenever I find a story that takes my fancy. So, imagine how my curiosity piqued when it was announced that there would be a team-up involving two companions who never met on screen – Sarah and Liz. Unfortunately, The Imposters is an adventure with a clear case of ‘offering something that it never manages to deliver’.

The adventure begins interestingly enough, with each of the story’s main characters being led down different mystery strands revolving around alien technology. There are wrestlers with alien fighting styles to investigate, a precocious teenager to interrogate, and a secret space-tracking station, all involved in something nefarious. Hinting at how they converge throughout, these strands help create an engaging start to the narrative. However, these strands end up being the most interesting part of the story, as things get shakier the further we get through its six parts.

As the adventure progresses, we learn that two different alien species have come to Earth, created a TV show, and are fighting against one another for supremacy over their galaxy’s resources. While these developments are commendable as an idea, it quickly becomes clear that nobody knew which direction this idea should take, and everything gets a little bit muddled in the process. This uncertainty takes its toll on all aspects of the story, but perhaps none more so than the two alien antagonist species. Neither the Sinoshaw (?) nor the Echelons show any signs of complex motivations or character beyond their need to win the contest. Consequently, both species are completely forgettable, and at times it is difficult to differentiate the two.

There’s also no let-up for this story’s problems in the much-anticipated interactions between Sarah Jane and Liz Shaw. Despite the story being six parts, the two never spend much time interacting with one another, and from what I can tell, there’s no particular reason to have these two in this story together beyond advertising purposes. This smells of a cheap Big Finish gimmick!