‘BODIES OF EVIDENCE’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Rakhee Thakrar, David Calder, Trevor Cooper, Linda Newton, Philip Olivier, Sarah Borges and director Helen Goldwyn in ‘Bodies of Evidence’.
The mystery on Mars thickens for the Star Cops! 😐
We come to the second set of ‘Mars’ audios in what is arguably the third season of ‘Star Cops’ had it been on shown on TV in the late 1980s. I’m really getting into these ‘Star Cops’ audios. I’m greatly enjoying hearing the audios as downloads on the Big Finish app as opposed to hearing them on CD. 🙂
In the first ‘Mars’ box set of ‘Star Cops’, we focused on Nathan, Colin and Pal’s adventures on Mars and how they tried to establish a Star Cop base on the red planet where crime is quite rampant. Here, in this second ‘Mars’ box set, Priya Basu and Paul Bailey join Nathan, Colin and Pal on Mars. 😀
Apparently, Priya and Paul have been on Mars ever since Nathan, Colin and Pal came to the red planet in the first episode of the ‘Mars’ saga. There’s also more of the mystery unravelled about the dodgy Lachman Research and Innovation (LRI) on Mars and the Ganymede Incident that occurred. 😐
The ‘Mars’ saga of ‘Star Cops’ continues with David Calder back as Nathan Spring, Trevor Cooper as Colin Devis and Linda Newton as Pal Kenzy, who are now joined by Philip Olivier as Paul Bailey and Rakhee Thakrar as Priya Basu. I was so intrigued about what was going to happen in this ‘Mars’ set. 🙂
The last three episodes of the second ‘Mars’ box set are as follows. There’s ‘Bodies of Evidence’ by script editor Andrew Smith, ‘Human Kind’ by director Helen Goldwyn and ‘The Highest Ground’ by script editor Andrew Smith. The last three episodes of this ‘Mars’ box set are directed by Helen Goldwyn.
Philip Olivier and Linda Newton in ‘Bodies of Evidence’.
In the fourth episode of the ‘Mars’ saga – ‘Bodies of Evidence’ by Andrew Smith – we go back in time to when the Mars mission for the Star Cops actually began. Very interesting how we go back in time!
We begin on the Earth moon itself where Nathan and Colin visit a scientist and her team. The scientist is Sarah Borges as Professor Amy Bell who is looking forward to investigating life on Mars. 🙂
However, disaster strikes when the shuttle Ganymede crash-lands onto the lunar surface. Thankfully Nathan and Colin survive, although the tragedy’s far more sinister as the Star Cops begin to realise. 🙁
As Nathan, Colin, Pal and Priya investigate inside the crashed shuttle; Priya finds dismembered bodies hidden inside. Trouble’s caused when the shuttle’s reactor gets sabotaged and it explodes. 😮
Incidentally, Oliver Dimsdale, who played Jean Arnaud in ‘The New World’, plays Jude Molina, the leader of the group who may have sabotaged the shuttle’s reactor. I believe they belong to the LRI.
We also meet Mark Elstob as Byron Lachman, who’s in charge of the LRI. Lachman makes it clear to Nathan via video channel that the Star Cops are not to investigate any LRI activities occurring on Mars. 😐
The Star Cops’ attempts to investigate the Ganymede incident are obstructed by higher authorities on Earth. But Nathan isn’t going to give up easily since he is determined to get to the bottom of this.
Before he departs for Mars with Colin and Pal, Nathan instructs Priya and Paul to investigate the Ganymede crash by going undercover to Mars. This is in defiance against Nathan’s superiors’ orders.
It is nice how in the second half of the episode, we get to have Priya and Paul come into the spotlight more with their investigations. We also learn how Priya and Paul’s journey ties in to everything else.
Priya and Paul accompany Professor Amy Bell’s team when going to Mars undercover. Professor Bell is happy to help Nathan out, but becomes fretful once Priya and Paul are doing their investigating. 😐
When on Mars, Priya and Paul find the LRI base which is run by Mark Oosterveen as Lewis Reynolds. Reynolds is an unsavoury character, especially when he is inhospitable before Priya, Paul and Bell. 😐
Priya and Paul also spot Colin Devis being taken inside the LRI base during the events of ‘The Shadow of This Red Rock’. It turns out how Paul was the one who rescued Colin from being inside the base. 🙂
I like how Andrew Smith ties these things together by having Priya and Paul’s journey coinciding with them meeting up with Nathan, Colin and Pal at the climax of ‘Whatever Happened to Gary Rice?’ 😀
Unfortunately, Priya passed out when she refused to give a memory stick that contained vital information about what is going on at the LRI once Reynolds threatened her in a ruthless manner. 😐
The dismembered bodies that our heroes find happen to have had their organs removed. I don’t know what the LRI are up to with their activities on Mars, but it sounds pretty sinister and inhuman.
Whilst Priya and Paul may have lost the memory stick, they still have the body which Priya wanted to do an autopsy on. This is hoped to be achieved when they get to the Barack Obama base on Mars. 🙂
Paul reunites with Nathan, Colin and Pal whilst Priya remains unconscious. I wonder what information Priya had found and what she was going to tell Paul as it seems pretty disturbing indeed.
Unfortunately, when the Star Cops are about to conduct the autopsy, Issy Van Randwyck as Barbara Holmberg reveals to them that the body is gone. Paul is baffled as the body should be on the shuttle.
Barbara Holmberg seems to be in cahoots with Bryan Lachman, especially when he comes to visit her on Mars. I don’t know what her angle is in the episode. It can’t be good as far as I’m concerned.
Nathan meets with Bryan Lachman in Barbara’s office, who warns him of his continuing interference in LRI operations which puts his career on the line. Nathan is helpless as the Star Cops have no authority.
Philip Olivier in ‘Bodies of Evidence’.
‘Bodies of Evidence’ is a compelling audio episode! I wonder how the ‘Mars’ saga is going to turn out in the last two episodes. Will the Star Cops’ careers become jeopardised with visiting the red planet?
The CD extras are as follows. At the end of ‘Bodies of Evidence’, there are behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew including David Calder, Trevor Cooper, Linda Newton, Philip Olivier, Rakhee Thakrar, Sarah Borges, director Helen Goldwyn, writer/script editor Andrew Smith, etc.
‘Bodies of Evidence’ rating – 9/10
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