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Big Finish Monthly Range #137
Doctor Who: The Whispering Forest
The TARDIS arrives in alien woodlands, where a small group of humans hold tight against the the menace of the Takers – strange creatures who come by night to spirit away members of their settlement.
But if there’s one thing that the inhabitants of Purity Bay fear more than the Takers, it’s the dirt and disease spread by strangers. Strangers like the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa...
The fanatical Sister Mertil and her hygiene-obsessed acolytes are victims of a terrible corruption – but not in the way they think. Only the whispering forest knows the truth...
But if there’s one thing that the inhabitants of Purity Bay fear more than the Takers, it’s the dirt and disease spread by strangers. Strangers like the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa...
The fanatical Sister Mertil and her hygiene-obsessed acolytes are victims of a terrible corruption – but not in the way they think. Only the whispering forest knows the truth...
Audio CD
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Stephen Cole
212 books140 followersSee also: Steve Cole.
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.
Stephen Cole (born 1971) is an English author of children's books and science fiction. He was also in charge of BBC Worldwide's merchandising of the BBC Television series Doctor Who between 1997 and 1999: this was a role which found him deciding on which stories should be released on video, commissioning and editing a range of fiction and non-fiction titles, producing audiobooks and acting as executive producer on the Big Finish Productions range of Doctor Who audio dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 18, 2010
In the CD extras, writer Stephen Cole says that the 5th Doctor/Tegan/Turlough/Nyssa lineup was really "his" TARDIS team when he was younger, and that affection shows in this story. Even more so than the average Big Finish story, this has the vibe of the era in which its set. It really feels like a story that could have been filmed by this team in the 80s.
If it had been filmed in the 80s, though, I think it would be remembered as a good solid story, but not a classic. The story starts with a venerable Doctor Who set-up: the descendants of the survivors of a crashed spaceship, clinging cargo-cult fashion to the technology and lifeways of their ancestors, having kept the form of various practices long past the point where they lost all understanding. It's a device that makes for a good story, but it's no longer as surprising as it was back when I was 9 years old and seeing "The Face of Evil" for the first time.
Cole elaborates a bit on the basic concept by adding in some mysterious Shades haunting the planet, and linking the story in a tenuous way to Nyssa's quest from the previous story. I didn't think that this fully paid off - by the time we get the revelation of what the Shades really are, so much else is happening that we don't really get the full impact.
Still, there's something to be said for being able to slip on a pair of headphones and be transported back into 1983.
If it had been filmed in the 80s, though, I think it would be remembered as a good solid story, but not a classic. The story starts with a venerable Doctor Who set-up: the descendants of the survivors of a crashed spaceship, clinging cargo-cult fashion to the technology and lifeways of their ancestors, having kept the form of various practices long past the point where they lost all understanding. It's a device that makes for a good story, but it's no longer as surprising as it was back when I was 9 years old and seeing "The Face of Evil" for the first time.
Cole elaborates a bit on the basic concept by adding in some mysterious Shades haunting the planet, and linking the story in a tenuous way to Nyssa's quest from the previous story. I didn't think that this fully paid off - by the time we get the revelation of what the Shades really are, so much else is happening that we don't really get the full impact.
Still, there's something to be said for being able to slip on a pair of headphones and be transported back into 1983.
February 21, 2022
The Whispering Forest follows on from Doctor Who: Cobwebs, the previous story in the trilogy with the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, having just reunited with a much older Nyssa, searching for more information on Richter's Syndrome. This brings them to a forested world were unknown entities whisper in the night. The story revolves around the inhabitants of Purity Bay whosse leader has just been taken by the "takers" and the power struggle that ensues. The inhabitants are obbsessed with cleanliness to the point of it almost being religious. I won't spoil the mystery, but I found the reasoning behind the colony interesting. It's a good story that gives all the leads something to do and stars Haley Atwell (Peggy Carter from the MCU) as one of the main guest stars. The ending then leads into the last story of the trilogy Doctor Who: The Cradle of the Snake.
January 27, 2023
An interesting continuation from Cobwebs. This story is a bit like The Face of Evil but heavily surrounded with medical terms/continues that virus storyline from Cobwebs. I really liked the tribe's politics with Mertil who stopped at nothing (murdering or severely wounding anyone in her way) to have absolute power over the people of Purity.
The Mara cliffhanger leading into the next story has me really excited.
The Mara cliffhanger leading into the next story has me really excited.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2023
A likeable story with an interesting variety of perils (death by cleaning anyone?) This came out in 2010 and listening in 2023 to a group of people who have got their religion/disease prevention gospel a bit skewed for the actual threat adds an extra layer. I was particularly delighted by the strictures of Sir John, and Mertil is a suitably hand scrubbing, manipulating, Lady Macbeth of a wrong 'un.
April 6, 2024
It was nice hearing Hayley Atwell, at least.
September 14, 2014
Nachdem Nyssas Schiff im vorherigen Abenteuer (Cobwebs) zerstört wurde, reist sie nun also als dritter Companion neben Tegan und Turlough mit Doktor Nr. 5. Diesmal landen sie auf einem Planeten, dessen Bewohner von Hygiene besessen sind. Sie schrubben und schrubben sich und je rauer und geschundener die Haut, desto reiner die Seele. Wer krank wird, der wird von seltsamen Wesen entführt und taucht nie wieder auf.
Wie kamen diese Menschen auf diesen Planeten und warum ist ihre Siedlung Purity Bay komplett aus alten Teilen eines Raumschiffes erbaut? Weshalb folgen sie Regeln, die an jene erinnern, die man auf Quarantänestationen befolgt, die aber nun religiöse Bedeutung haben und ihren eigentlichen Sinn vollkommen eingebüßt haben. Wer holt die Kranken fort und wohin? Und zu guter Letzt, welche Machtspielchen laufen im Hintergrund, um die religiöse Führung über Purity Bay zu erlangen.
Statt Cargo Cult hier also Hygienekult ohne Verständnis. Eine nette Geschichte darüber, was passiert, wenn man nur noch Verhaltensregeln hat, die einmal sinnvoll waren, die aber nun den Sinn verloren haben, aber man sich immer noch daran hält, weil man nicht mehr weiß, warum und wofür diese Regeln einmal aufgestellt wurden. Dazu gibt es auch einige nette Experimente mit Affen, die man mit Wasser bespritzt, wenn sie versuchen eine Leiter zu erklimmen, um sich Bananen zu holen. Wenn man nach und nach alle Affen austauscht, bleibt doch die Regel bestehen, dass keiner die Leiter besteigen darf um Bananen zu holen, sonst wird er von der Gruppe verprügelt, weil man das schon immer so gemacht hat, aber keiner mehr weiß warum.
Dazu noch sehr gute Sprecher und perfekte, professionelle Umsetzung. Man muss die vorherige Folge Cobwebs nicht unbedingt kennen, es gibt keine direkten Bezüge, wenn man einfach akzeptiert, dass da Nr. 5 eben mit drei Companions reist.
Wie kamen diese Menschen auf diesen Planeten und warum ist ihre Siedlung Purity Bay komplett aus alten Teilen eines Raumschiffes erbaut? Weshalb folgen sie Regeln, die an jene erinnern, die man auf Quarantänestationen befolgt, die aber nun religiöse Bedeutung haben und ihren eigentlichen Sinn vollkommen eingebüßt haben. Wer holt die Kranken fort und wohin? Und zu guter Letzt, welche Machtspielchen laufen im Hintergrund, um die religiöse Führung über Purity Bay zu erlangen.
Statt Cargo Cult hier also Hygienekult ohne Verständnis. Eine nette Geschichte darüber, was passiert, wenn man nur noch Verhaltensregeln hat, die einmal sinnvoll waren, die aber nun den Sinn verloren haben, aber man sich immer noch daran hält, weil man nicht mehr weiß, warum und wofür diese Regeln einmal aufgestellt wurden. Dazu gibt es auch einige nette Experimente mit Affen, die man mit Wasser bespritzt, wenn sie versuchen eine Leiter zu erklimmen, um sich Bananen zu holen. Wenn man nach und nach alle Affen austauscht, bleibt doch die Regel bestehen, dass keiner die Leiter besteigen darf um Bananen zu holen, sonst wird er von der Gruppe verprügelt, weil man das schon immer so gemacht hat, aber keiner mehr weiß warum.
Dazu noch sehr gute Sprecher und perfekte, professionelle Umsetzung. Man muss die vorherige Folge Cobwebs nicht unbedingt kennen, es gibt keine direkten Bezüge, wenn man einfach akzeptiert, dass da Nr. 5 eben mit drei Companions reist.
November 18, 2017
While this follows on more or less directly from Cobwebs, and ends on a cliffhanger that leads into Cradle of the Snake, the three stories don't really form a trilogy, with the connections being largely incidental. Here, the Doctor, once again with a full TARDIS complement of three companions, arrives on a lost colony world where the inhabitants have become obsessed with disease, and the ghosts of the departed whisper in the forest.
It's quite atmospheric, and has obvious parallels to the TV story The Face of Evil. Considering the larger than usual core cast, all the main characters do get something to do, even if their early separation from one another is a bit arbitrary. There's quite a good core mystery to what's going on on the colony world, and while some parts of that seem a bit tacked on, there are a few twists and turns along the way.
On the downside, the similarity to The Face of Evil is perhaps rather too strong, but it very much feels like a story of its era, evoking that mid-80s feel, and doing a good job with the portrayal of the various companions. I enjoyed it, but those who are less keen on that era of the show's history will likely feel differently.
It's quite atmospheric, and has obvious parallels to the TV story The Face of Evil. Considering the larger than usual core cast, all the main characters do get something to do, even if their early separation from one another is a bit arbitrary. There's quite a good core mystery to what's going on on the colony world, and while some parts of that seem a bit tacked on, there are a few twists and turns along the way.
On the downside, the similarity to The Face of Evil is perhaps rather too strong, but it very much feels like a story of its era, evoking that mid-80s feel, and doing a good job with the portrayal of the various companions. I enjoyed it, but those who are less keen on that era of the show's history will likely feel differently.
December 4, 2010
The Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Turlough, reunited with Nyssa in Cobwebs, find themselves in a mysterious human colony where the original settlers have forgotten what they are there for and are now the prey of mysterious forces. To be honest the plot isn't the strong point here, but Lyon is rather good at catching the dynamics of Team Tardis of 1983, and Hayley Attwell turns in a notable guest performance as the potential young leader of the locals. A decent enough sf play which would engage but not fascinate the non-Who fan; sometimes that is enough.
January 21, 2016
The Doctor and his companions land on a settlement called Purity where the people are afraid of sickness. They are creatures who are healing people in secret but can the doctor help the two sides come together.
August 30, 2014
On the alien world of Purity, the weakest are spirited away by the mysterious Takers.
March 17, 2014
and Hayley Atwell too!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews