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The Paradise of Death Format Reviewed: CDReview Recorded in 1993 for BBC Radio 4, The Paradise of Death is somewhat of a strange departure for the BBC to take within the confines of the Dr Who universe. The TV series had long been cancelled and had little hope of returning. Quite why the BBC chose to make a radio serial featuring Jon Pertwee as the Doctor is beyond me. I would have thought the logical step to take would be to produce a radio drama leading on from the end of the TV series, not delving deeply into it's past. That said, those of us with a great fondness for the Petwee era should revel in the prospect of additional adventures within the 'Dandy Doctor's' era. Continuity in this story, like Slipback, is provided not only by the cast but also by the author. This time, Barry Letts pens the script having been heavily onvolved in the production of the TV Pertwee era. The cast continuity is provided by Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, and by Elizabeth Sladen and Nicholas COurtney reprising their roles as Sarah-Jane Smith and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart respectively. Peter Miles also features heavily in this story as Vice-Chairman Tregan, and provides a similar performance to that which he gave as Nyder in Genesis of the Daleks. Sladen and Courtney give typical accounts of themselves in character, with Sarah being her usual busy-body self, and the Brigadier giving his usual bluster. Pertwee on the other hand seems to be strangely muted in his performance. Sure, he's twenty or so years older than his TV portrayal of the Doctor, but I might sugegst that he seems to be suffering from a cold or some such affliction as he doesn't appear to have the same gusto as he did on TV. The rest of the cast is largely strong, but is let down by the character of Jeremy Fitzoliver. Fitzoliver is a weak character, and is over-acted to such an extent that it makes some parts of the story somewhat laughable. Incidental music is used very sparingly here, and generally done so in the American way of marking a change of scene. I have never been fond of this in drama or comedy and it seems to let down the production slightly. The sound effects are well realised though, and nothing stands out as not fitting well with the story throughout. The story itself is somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde one, in that there are some excellent parts and some weak ones. The first two episodes are set on Earth in a theme park run by the Paragon corporation. These are only really an introduction to the main part of the story though which is a morality tale set on a far off planet. I would suggest that this could have been accomplished in a better way as the Earth scenes are largely incidental to the whole plot. What would have been better in my view would to have either set the whole thing within the confines of the Earth bound scenario, or to have moved the job lot to the palnet upon which most of the story is actually set. The Paradise of Death is generally seen in a rather negative light amongst the Doctor Who fanbase. Certainly, there are parts of this adventure that I believe could and should have been done rather better, but there are also some very laudable aspects to the story. The whole concept of big business ruining a vast array of planets for profit and their eventual downfall is a worthy plot line. Indeed, this is well realised through the script. The perifery of the story though is somewhat muddled, and that is where I think the negative reaction stems from. Taken purely as a standalone adventure, there is much to like from my perspective here though, and my personal opinion of the adventure is more positive than the general reaction. Rating:  Back to BBC Audio Index |