Big Finish Doctor Who 109 - The Death Collectors

"There is only death"

A virulent disease that killed millions. A missing scientist. An ancient race of salvagers who collect and preserve the dead. The quarantined planet Antikon connects them all.

When the Doctor arrives on a sky station above Antikon, a single accident has already set in motion a chain of events that will mean the death of every living thing.

And the only way he can stop it is to die. Again.

Despite a decent cast (Alastair Cording and The IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson), I was a little bit disappointed with this month’s Big Finish release. Not that it was a terrible release by any means, I just couldn’t get into the story.

This was a solo 7th Doctor story, much like ‘Frozen Time’. But unlike Frozen Time, this story wasn’t as enjoyable. It seemed to be trying too hard to bring out the ‘darkness’ in Sylvester McCoy’s doctor, much like the final television series of his reign.

The story centres on a ship which is researching a planet. The professor onboard thinks he knows how to deify death. We are also introduced to creatures called ‘The Death Collectors’ who ‘collect’ death in trade for something else. It’s a plot which won’t keep you on the edge of your seat.

However there are some nice touches. The ‘Madam Butterfly’ opera song (the song that was playing when The Doctor ‘died’ in the TVM) was constantly used. That, his desperateness for a companion and references to his apparel, suggest that he his nearing the end of his regeneration. I would like to see his doctor with another companion, I’m really surprised that he hasn’t been given any new companions, in the Big Finish range, apart from Hex of course!

The saving grace of this release, is the one-part story ‘Spiders Shadow’. The story, which takes place on a distance planet on the eve of a war and deals with the jealously of a princess, isn’t necessarily told in the right order but I thought it worked really well. It was a very interesting concept that could only have worked in its 30 minutes, any more and it could have been a mess!

I really do like these three part and one part story releases. Although I think this is the weakest one to date, I think the concept has worked really well. ID & Urgent Calls, Exotron & Urban Myths and The Wishing Beast & The Vanity Box, are just some of my favourites from that range. I would strongly suggest you check them out.

2.5/5

Next Time: The 5th Doctor and Nyssa try to find ‘The Boy Who Time Forgot’