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 The Three Companions


I had intended to listen to Sirens of Time Redux after Once and Future Coda, however as it still hadn’t been released I went for the next audio on my list The Companion Chronicles: The Three Companions.

This originally came out as 10 minutes parts, tacked onto the Monthly range, in 20009/10. The three companions being Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster, and consists of three, 40 minute episodes.

Polly writes to the Brig, wanting to find out about the Doctor, having read an article by Mrs Jo Jones that mentions him, and tells a story of when she knew the Doctor.

The thing that got me into the Companion Chronicles was the Mahogany Murder’s, I had tried them before and hadn’t taken to the the narration style. With the Mahogany Murder’s, it was Jago and Litefoot meeting and each recounting their recent events. This takes a similar approach.

Though they are writing/emailing to each other there are interjections, comments from the other, which is a little odd, I feel it would have been better if they’d met.

So Polly’s story She, The Doctor, Ben and Jamie are on world scheduled for destruction, its been used up and the people are leaving but haven’t gone, they’re in suspended animation.

This was ok, some nice ideas and I did find I wasn’t  taking it in. Having said that I feel that it may have been better as a full cast audio.

Part two The Brigadier's Story. He and the Doctor travel in the TARDIS and find themselves in a train station. At first it appears that they haven’t travelled far, however the station is merely a mock up. Whats more Polly is there, but again its just an imitation of her.

As with the first part there is the mystery of what exactly is going on, its a nice setup, and intriguing. There is some tension when The Doctor and the Brig, being on a train with the track running out and nothing beyond. A good build up and adds some excitement to the proceedings.

In the third part, Brewster's Story, Polly and the Brig finally meet up and Thomas Brewster joins them. The main elements of these three stories come together: the coffin loader on the rampage in London and Gerry Lenz/Garry Lendler seemingly at the heart of matters.

With Anneke, Nick Courtney, Russell Floyd, and John Pickard as Brewster, all appearing, it would seem like a full cast audio, but its mostly narration. And a bit boring. As much as I enjoy Brewster I’d of enjoyed a TV companion here more.

I feel the last part let this down. The first two had potential for more.

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