Doctor Who review: The Screaming Skull brings UNIT into The Worlds of Doctor Who
By James Aggas
UNIT faces the murderous Rees in The Screaming Skull, the third episode of Big Finish’s epic crossover, The Worlds of Doctor Who.
Out of all four episodes of The Worlds of Doctor Who, The Screaming Skull is quite possibly the least stand-alone. Unlike Mind Games and The Reesinger Process, it’s not exactly an episode set inside a spin-off. Instead, it focuses on The Vault – a place where UNIT stores some of its most dangerous items.
The Vault had previously featured in two Companion Chronicles: Tales from the Vault and Mastermind. Both audios starred Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso as Captain Ruth Matheson and Warrant Officer Charlie Sato.
Mastermind was particularly significant, especially with its major cliffhanger. One of the items in the Vault turned out to be the Master himself. Of course, he seemed to be perfectly trapped inside it, but after hypnotizing both Ruth and Charlie, he was able to escape – leaving them imprisoned inside the Vault…
Ruth and Charlie had previously appeared in Mastermind, where they had both been hypnotized by the Master. Will they be able to find redemption in this story?
(Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions)
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What happened next
The Screaming Skull takes place sometime after that. Ruth and Charlie are in disgrace. They need redemption. Fortunately, that’s where Mike Yates comes along with a mission…
Resolving the huge cliffhanger of Mastermind as part of an epic four-part box set is a bold move. However, thanks to the inclusion of Captain Mike Yates, there’s enough of an introduction to the audience to let newcomers know exactly what the Vault is and why it’s so dangerous – and why its sudden lockdown could mean disaster. But who or what is behind it?
One tiny problem with this box set is that, after the first episode, we know exactly who’s behind each story, so there’s not much suspense or mystery there. There’s also the fact that, while he’s great in Mind Games, Rees doesn’t come across as a particularly standout villain in this episode.
Despite a decent performance by Jamie Glover (who also plays Ian Chesterton in The First Doctor Adventures), there’s little about Rees that makes him particularly memorable. So while we get a claustrophobic story inside the Vault, the story isn’t quite as gripping as Mind Games (which slowly introduced the villain) or The Reesinger Process (which kept him to the shadows).
That’s not to say that The Screaming Skull is a bad story. It’s nice to hear Ruth and Charlie meet Mike for the first time and hear them return to the Vault. It also has a great cliffhanger, too. But honestly, it’s a bit of a step down after the previous two episodes.
The Worlds of Doctor Who: The Reesinger Process. dark. Next
Are you a fan of the Vault audios? Do you think The Screaming Skull is a strong example of these stories? Let us know in the comments below.