Doctor Who: Upstairs Review

Released in September 2013, Upstairs was the third Doctor Who audio in the eighth season of Big Finish's Companion Chronicles. It stars Maureen O'Brien as Vicki and Peter Purves as Steven. It is written by Mat Coward and directed by Lisa Bowerman.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"When the TARDIS lands in a dilapidated attic, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven discover they are on Earth, in London… in Number 10 Downing Street.
However alien forces are at play here, affecting the very fabric of the building… and adjusting the very essence of history itself."

Believe it or not, this is the first Companion Chronicle I've listened to, seeing as I've always spent a good chunk of my money on main range and Eighth Doctor Adventure audios. Naturally, I became curious about this little range of audio drama-like audiobooks after hearing so many good things about it and I thought that, since Steven is my favourite Hartnell era companion, pre-ordering this release might be a good way to see what all the hype is about. Well, it certainly didn't disappoint me!

Like most Companion Chronicles, the cast is made up of just two actors. A lot of the time, it's one companion and one random actor but this time, it's two companions and no one else. Maureen O'Brien sounds a lot older, but of course, she was (and obviously still is) a little bit younger than Peter. She does a legitimately great job with some of the voices, and I really do like her Hartnell impression. Peter Purves doesn't sound a day older than he did in The Savages - I certainly wouldn't have guessed he was in his 70's now! Excellent performances from both actors!

The setting of 10 Downing Street in 1900 is great, and the more you learn, the creepier it gets. Not the Chimes of Midnight or The Holy Terror kind of creepy, but still, creepy. I bet conspiracy theorists are going to love the setting and the storyline.

I think the villain in Upstairs is one of the most interesting villains of all time although, to some people, it's name is probably a huge spoiler so I won't mention it. It's very wibbly wobbly timey wimey near the start of the story and actually makes you think "How are they going to get out of this one!?" near the end of the story.

My favourite line is "NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET, AHA!" - it doesn't make an amazing quote, but Maureen O'Brien's eccentricity while saying that line was amazing.

There are some good funny moments, such as The Doctor, Steven and Vicki walking in on someone in the washroom. Even if it's not very much, I always appreciate a little humour in sci-fi!

It's nice to hear something about the TARDIS food machine for the first time in a long while. Something I really like is how the story gives us some insight on what was going on in Vicki's head during her travels with The Doctor.

Mat Coward is just one of many new Big Finish writers in recent months, and if his future scripts can live up to this standard, then I know they will all be a joy to hear. Looking forward to more from him.

I highly recommend giving this a listen. Full of great ideas, great characters and great music / sound effects. Excellent stuff.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

You can buy Upstairs for £7.99 download or £8.99 CD here.