‘DEGREES OF TRUTH’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

Major Carver and his son with the Third Doctor and the Brigadier

This story called ‘Degrees of Truth’ is by David A. McIntee, and it features the Third Doctor and the Brigadier. It also features a brief cameo of Sergeant Benton. Like ‘Vigil’, ‘Degrees of Truth’ is a story exclusive to the audio version of the 1998 ‘Short Trips’ book anthology.

It was later released in the ‘Tales From The TARDIS: Volume One’ collection. Nicholas Courtney is the reader of ‘Degrees of Truth’, and it’s a story that follows on after ‘Freedom’. This is especially as the Master and the Freedom Corporation are mentioned in the story.

This isn’t the first time I’ve come across David A. McIntee as a ‘Doctor Who’ writer, as he penned ‘Romans Cutaways’ in the ‘More Short Trips’ anthology. ‘Degrees of Truth’ is a story that deals with the death of Private Carver, a U.N.I.T. soldier that got tragically killed.

Apparently, Private Carver was killed during the events of ‘The Dæmons’, as he was one of the victims of the gargoyle called Bok. His father Major Carver visits U.N.I.T. to demand answers from the Doctor and the Brigadier over what happened and how his son was killed.

I found this story quite compelling to listen to, especially as the Doctor and the Brigadier struggle to tell Major Carver the circumstances of his son’s death. They’re bound by the Official Secrets Act, as the truth of what actually occurred might be very hard to swallow.

I liked it when the Brigadier shared to Major Carver that he has a daughter named Kate, confirming she exists in the classic TV series era following ‘Downtime’ and before ‘The Power of Three’. The Yeti, the Cybermen and the Silurians are also mentioned in this story.

‘Degrees of Truth’ rating – 8/10