Masters of War (and Sympathy for the Devil)
Masters of War is the latest in the BF Doctor Who Unbound series of audios, featuring David Warner as an alternate Third Doctor. I decided that before listening to it I would give the first Warner!Doctor story, Sympathy for the Devil, another go. I must say I appreciated its strengths even more two years on, with the Warner!Doctor / Gatiss!Master relationship sonewhat eerily mirrored by that between Nicholas Courtney's failed Brigadier and his arrogant successor (played by David Tennant).
Unfortunately I didn't think Masters of War matched up. There are some excellent performances - Terry Molloy as Davros, Courtney as the Brigadier, Briggs as the Daleks, Amy Pemberton as one of the Thals - but there's a bit of a gap at the centre as Warner doesn't quite seem to know what hs Doctor is really doing. The plot, too, disappointed - it's a great idea, taking the Doctor and Brigadier to a post-Genesis Skaro where Davros parted from the Daleks on his own terms - but the key to the story turns out to be some rather dull all-powerful aliens manipulating Thals, Kaleds and now Daleks, and the plot has a lot of standing around getting bombed or shot at. It's not actually awful, but it is average where it could have been excellent.
Unfortunately I didn't think Masters of War matched up. There are some excellent performances - Terry Molloy as Davros, Courtney as the Brigadier, Briggs as the Daleks, Amy Pemberton as one of the Thals - but there's a bit of a gap at the centre as Warner doesn't quite seem to know what hs Doctor is really doing. The plot, too, disappointed - it's a great idea, taking the Doctor and Brigadier to a post-Genesis Skaro where Davros parted from the Daleks on his own terms - but the key to the story turns out to be some rather dull all-powerful aliens manipulating Thals, Kaleds and now Daleks, and the plot has a lot of standing around getting bombed or shot at. It's not actually awful, but it is average where it could have been excellent.