Doctor Who: Bloodtide (2001)
Jonathan Morris
Starring: Colin Baker & Maggie Stables
Big Finish #22
After a prologue in which a Silurian scientist is banished to earth with his ‘creations’, The Doctor and Evelyn arrive on an island; a deliberate trip so Evelyn came meet on of heroes: Charles Darwin. They are on the Galapagos, and wouldn’t you know it, this is exactly where the Silurian scientist was banished and he and his companion have awoken, and are ready to wipe the foolish apes off the planet…
Jonathan Morris’s historical romp plays fast and loose with Charles Darwin, whilst at the same time nodding to historical fact in a joyfully playful fashion. Evelyn can barely hold her tongue from revealing all to this man, but the one time she does: survival of the fittest, Darwin shoots her down. This is emblematic of Morris’s script; it mixes comedy with terror, and as a consequence does what Doctor Who does best: entertain.
The Silurians were always one of those villains from the old series that never really got the blood pumping; they always seemed so ineffectual. A race dedicated to science they nevertheless believe they should hold dominion over the earth simply because they were here first. By contrasting their beliefs with those of Charles Darwin – the theory of evolution – and contrasting them again with strong religious beliefs – predestination, God’s plan et al – Morris creates a great argument at the core of his story that powers it along. Lest this sound too academic for Doctor Who, there happen to be some wonderful set pieces – a Myrka attacking The Beagle, as one.
The story, however, does outstay its welcome. I think constrained by the belief that every story must have four parts, there is some padding in episodes three and four that should have been excised: I believe that if this had been a two parter, or perhaps a three parter, then Bloodtide would have been a much stronger story. Nevertheless it is a fun, inconsequential romp through history, with its tongue firmly in its cheek – and what’s not to like with that?
