Doctor Who review: Interstitial is a very strange sci-fi story for the new companion

New Doctor Who audio story Interstitial explores some interesting ideas with the Fifth Doctor, but how well does it explore his companions?

The first of this month’s Doctor Who double bill, Interstitial, is a bit of a strange one. It’s a story that plays with time, but it’s not exactly a timey-wimey story. There isn’t anything like the effect coming before the cause or anything like that. Instead, Carl Rowens’s story explores the nature of time in a rather different way.

Some of these ideas – such as evolution and the chase for perfection – are interesting to explore. And the way the story uses these ideas almost reminds me of the First Doctor’s pure science-fiction stories – stories that were a harder exploration of science and some interesting key ideas. But the plot comes across as a little dense, and it may benefit from another listen in order to absorb it all. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

What really stood out to me with this one – more than the ideas themselves – were the regular characters. Especially the new companion, Marc. At the end of the previous story Tartarus, he was a Roman slave who joined the TARDIS crew. He had proved himself to be highly intelligent and brave. But does he make ideal companion material?

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The new guy

George Watkins continues to do a good job playing Marc. He plays it just right, giving the character a sense a strong sense of innocence as he looks at the universe with wonder. Some of the most basic concepts that we’re familiar with go right over his head, while he’s able to grasp more complicated ones in his own way.

This is a great story that establishes exactly how dangerous traveling with the Doctor can be. Marc is eager to see the universe, but he’s also deeply unsettled by his new life, and it’ll take a lot to get used to. What’s especially interesting is the fact that Marc was raised to be a slave, and he’s still struggling to deal with the fact that he’s actually a free man now.

On top of that, Carl Rowens also does a great job of writing for Tegan and Nyssa. Both companions are handled really well here. Not only does Nyssa get to use her intelligence when she is separated from the Doctor. But even Tegan is handled just right. She’s strong and always ready to argue, as always. But this time, she actually gets to put those confrontational skills to good use.

Interstitial is a story that’s more interesting for its exploration of the regular characters than for its exploration of time. Still, it’s a promising start for Carl Rowens, who makes his Big Finish debut with his story, and I look forward to hearing more from him soon.

Which do you prefer? Exploration of hard science-fiction ideas? Or interesting and fresh exploration of established characters? Let us know in the comments below. Expect our review for the second story in this release, Feast of Fear, later this week.