‘SECRETS OF TELOS’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

Cybermen and Professor Parry with the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan

Tim Bradley’s ‘Forty’ CD box set cover signed by Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Matthew Waterhouse

Sarah Sutton and Tim Bradley at ‘Popcorn TV, Film and Comic Con Sheffield 2023’, September 2023

Peter Davison and Tim Bradley at ‘Popcorn TV, Film and Comic Con Sheffield 2023’, September 2023

Peter Davison and Tim Bradley at ‘Popcorn TV, Film and Comic Con Sheffield 2023’, September 2023

Sarah Sutton, Tim Bradley and Peter Davison at ‘Popcorn TV, Film and Comic Con Sheffield 2023’, September 2023

Sarah Sutton and Tim Bradley at ‘Popcorn TV, Film and Comic Con Sheffield 2023’, September 2023

Tim Bradley with Matthew Waterhouse at the ‘London Film & Comic Con’, Olympia, July 2017

I’ve greatly enjoyed the two stories in the first ‘Forty’ box set of ‘Doctor Who’ by Big Finish. 🙂

They have been engaging stories to listen to. The ‘Forty’ box sets of ‘Doctor Who’ by Big Finish are to celebrate 40 years of Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor in the classic TV series and in the Big Finish audios. We all have had our very own unique ways to celebrate Peter Davison’s era of ‘Doctor Who’.

In January 2022, I celebrated Peter Davison’s era of ‘Doctor Who’ by sharing the eight-episode anthology called ‘The Coins of Deno’, featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Billy, on ‘Bradley’s Basement’. It wasn’t planned that way, but it was good timing to share the anthology in that month.

I also wanted to express my love and appreciation of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa in ‘Doctor Who’. With the ‘Forty’ box sets being Big Finish’s way of celebrating 40 years of the Fifth Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’, it has been very interesting to experience how Big Finish celebrated the momentous occasion.

After listening to the first ‘Forty’ box set in January 2022, I was looking forward to hearing the second ‘Forty’ box set, which was released in September of that year. This is especially with the storyline going on about the Fifth Doctor being displaced throughout his timeline, which is intriguing.

The two stories featured in the first ‘Forty’ box set are as follows. There’s the four-part adventure called ‘Secrets of Telos’ by Matt Fitton and the two-part adventure called ‘God of War’ by Sarah Grochala. The two stories are directed by Ken Bentley. He’s directed many Big Finish audio dramas. 😀

Of course, Peter Davison stars as the Fifth Doctor in the first ‘Forty’ box set. He’s joined by Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Janet Fielding as Tegan and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. It was very fascinating to hear the two audio stories and how they fitted in with the very respective timelines of our heroes.

Matthew Waterhouse, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison in ‘Secrets of Telos’.

In the first story called ‘Secrets of Telos’, we begin with the end of ‘Four to Doomsday’ where Nyssa fainted at the end of that certain TV story. The Doctor, Tegan and Adric are very concerned about her.

I like how Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding and Matthew Waterhouse recreated the final scene of ‘Four to Doomsday’ in ‘Secrets of Telos’. It feels like a direct continuation in the TV series. 🙂

Very soon however, the Doctor starts to feel unwell. Just when he is about to revive Nyssa from her slumbers, he soon finds himself being propelled forwards into the future, which is so unexpected. 😐

Peter Davison in ‘Secrets of Telos’.

In the future, the Doctor is with Nyssa and Tegan, except they look different. They’re wearing different clothes compared to how the Doctor last saw them, especially with Tegan in her boob tube.

For Nyssa and Tegan, the events of ‘Secrets of Telos’ take place between ‘Arc of Infinity’ and ‘Snakedance’. The Doctor is puzzled by what’s happening and why he’s walking in his own future. 😐

At this point, I wondered if Kwundaar from ‘Primeval’ or another of his kind was causing what was happening to the Fifth Doctor, especially with him jumping in and out of various parts of his timeline.

I’m very certain that Kwundaar caused what had happened to Nyssa when she fainted at the end of ‘Four to Doomsday’. I was keen to find out more as I progressed with the rest of the ‘Forty’ story arc.

‘Secrets of Telos’ is of course a sequel to ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’, which featured Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor in it. And of course, this adventure features the Telosian Cybermen.

I enjoyed Nicholas Briggs as the Telosian Cybermen in this story, compared to seeing and hearing the ‘Earthshock’ Cybermen. The Telosian Cybermen sound way more robotic than the ‘Earthshock’ ones.

I know I’ve made my criticisms about the ‘Earthshock’ Cybermen many times in other reviews, but it’s easier for me to enjoy the 1960s and more recent Cybermen than the 1970s and 1980s versions.

Christopher Timothy in ‘Secrets of Telos’.

The story’s special guest stars are as follows. There’s Christopher Timothy, who worked with Peter Davison in the original ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ BBC TV series where he played James Herriot.

Here, Chris plays Professor Parry from ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’, which is a nice casting choice. It was great to hear Chris Timothy in a Big Finish audio of ‘Doctor Who’ with Peter Davison’s Doctor. 🙂

It also fits, considering Chris Timothy is a Welsh actor, and the original actor who played Professor Parry in ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’ – Aubrey Richards – was Welsh. For me, it made a lot of sense.

It made me wonder who would have played Professor Parry in the original ‘Tombs of the Cybermen’ if he were Scottish. This is especially since Nicholas Ralph in the new ‘All Creatures’ series is Scottish.

Barbara Flynn in ‘Secrets of Telos’.

There’s also Barbara Flynn, who worked with Peter Davison in ‘A Very Peculiar Practice’. She plays Professor Vansom in this audio story. I really like Barbara Flynn’s performance in this ‘Doctor Who’ story.

It’s interesting Vansom ended up as a villain in this and was a rival of Professor Parry’s. Mind you, I can’t help wonder if Vansom was actually Tecteun from ‘Flux’ in disguise throughout this audio adventure.

The guest cast also includes Tamzin Outhwaite as Morton, an engineer aboard Captain Hopper’s rocket. Tamzin Outhwaite has also been in ‘Nightmare In Silver’. That story also featured the Cybermen. 😀

Ronan Summers, who was in ‘Spyfall’, is Captain Hopper in this story. Hopper was originally played by George Roubicek in ‘The Tomb of the Cybermen’. I found Ronan Summers very good as Hopper. 🙂

I must admit, upon revisiting this audio story, I did feel the climax was rather confusing, especially with so much happening. But that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the characters featured throughout.

Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton and Janet Fielding also shine as the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan. This is especially when the young Fifth Doctor is interacting with Nyssa and Tegan as experienced travellers.

The Doctor is surprised to see Nyssa and Tegan as experienced travellers compared to when he last saw them. Nyssa and Tegan also struggle to keep secrets from the Doctor concerning his own future.

This is especially when the Doctor notices Adric’s absence. At the story’s end, the Doctor learns from Nyssa and Tegan that Adric died because of the Cybermen. I’m surprised Nyssa and Tegan told him that.

‘Secrets of Telos’ has been an enjoyable audio story to listen to. It was great to hear Peter, Sarah and Janet as their characters and I enjoyed Christopher Timothy and Barbara Flynn’s appearances in this.

At the end of Discs 1 and 2 of the first ‘Forty’ box set, there are behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, including Peter Davison, Sarah Sutton, Janet Fielding, Christopher Timothy, Barbara Flynn, Tamzin Outhwaite, director Ken Bentley, etc.

‘Secrets of Telos’ rating – 8/10