Doctor Who review: The First Doctor and his companions find strange things on An Ideal World

In An Ideal World, the TARDIS crew explore a strange new planet and become involved in a very complex situation in this Doctor Who audio.

Following on from The Dalek Occupation of Winter, An Ideal World is a very strange Doctor Who story. Particularly in its mix of genre. There’s a strong element of horror here, but there’s also hard sci-fi and even something of a political drama thrown in. Honestly, it’s difficult to know where to begin when reviewing this one.

Like the previous audio, this is a story that really plays with listener’s expectations. You think you know what to expect from the alien threat. And, while the first episode is keen to focus more on world building and fleshing out the society than on introducing the main threat, when the monster does eventually emerge, it is definitely a horrifying one.

But it subverts some of the things that you’d usually expect from such a story, too. Particularly the origin of the creature. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that part three’s cliffhanger gave us a simply brilliant twist, and quite possibly one of my favorite cliffhangers of the year.

Opposing sides

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There’s also an interesting exploration of ethics versus practicality. I mentioned earlier that there’s a strong political element in this story, but perhaps not in the way you might expect. Ian Potter doesn’t just want to tell a story with easy answers.

Instead, An Ideal World gives us a very complex situation that escalates when two key characters become involved. Kay and Traherne have very opposing views when it comes to colonizing a brand new world. Both of them are strong characters, but they’re also very flawed.

It’s refreshing to have a story with two clear opposing sides, but neither feels like a good or evil character. It’s nice to get a little more complexity in a Doctor Who story like this.

Overall, An Ideal World is another strong entry in The Early Adventures. It’s original and imaginative, while creating some very interesting moral situations. Another easy story to recommend, especially if you’re looking for a Doctor Who story that’s a little darker and more complex than usual.

Have you been enjoying this year’s season of The Early Adventures? Which stories do you enjoy that raise interesting questions with difficult answers? Let us know in the comments below.