"The Apocalypse Element"
by Stephen Cole

The adventures of the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe have, so far, been fairly run-of-the-mill. Both The Marian Conspiracy and The Spectre of Lanyon Moor were good stories, and they both had notable "selling points" (the introduction of a new companion and the return of the Brigadier, respectively), but neither consciously aimed to be a big "event" story in the way that, say, The Stolen Earth did.

In contrast, The Apocalypse Element looks ostensibly like one of those indulgent chuck-everything-into-the-pot adventures which polarise fandom. Written by Stephen Cole, the story is a return to Gallifrey. Also featuring the Daleks. Who are planning to invade said planet. Oh, and Lalla Ward's back as as ex-companion Romana. Who's now president of the Time Lords.

From the very beginning, there's an ambitious feel to this story. Whilst the basic plot is simple, it develops in a complex (and sometimes confusing) way. This adventure has got a broader scope to it than normal, and it certainly feels bigger and meatier than the previous two serials. To an extent, this is one of the story's failings, as the focus is so much on plot that there's little room for anything else; possible character moments are sometimes sacrificed in favour of lines which serve only to move the story forward, for example, and I found myself getting lost on a couple of occasions.

There's a decent-sized cast, but Cole's decision to aim for a fast-paced romp means none of them gets enough attention, and the play suffers as a result. It's hard to care about the guest stars, because the audience doesn't get to spend much time in their company, which is a particular shame because most of the performances are excellent. Anthony Keetch as Coordinator Vansell, and James Campell's short-lived role as Ensac, are especially good, but there's a consistently high standard amongst the supporting actors and actresses which not all of Big Finish's output has benefited from.

Despite these plot and character problems, though, there's some fun to be had listening to The Apocalypse Element. What gives this story a little bit of life is the lead cast: Maggie Stables and Colin Baker are, once again, terrific, and Lalla Ward gets to play with a different side of Romana's personality, adding some nice new touches to a character she clearly knows very well and enjoys playing. All three main stars are exemplary, taking a weak story and making it pass more comfortably, but they feel slightly underused on the whole.

Ultimately, it's probably best to give this one a miss. The cinematic feel that the cast and crew are aiming for is great in theory, and trying to break the confines of audio with something as epic as this is admirable, but the end result is a story that relies too much on the visual side of things. The scenes of Dalek mutants floating around in zero-gravity are the perfect example - it's a fantastic idea, but no amount of squidgy sound effects, high-pitched squeals and imagination will sell it without images. Instead of something that could potentially work on a movie screen, this is something that would only work on a movie screen; as an audio play, it's a bit of a disappointment.