Review: Meanwhile, Turlough

    As this year's run of The Fifth Doctor Adventures features the Doctor's season 19 companions, Vislor Turlough finds himself left out of the action once more, a situation all too familiar to fans of his television stories, and one that this year's entry into the Interludes series plays into. The Doctor and Tegan are out there saving the day but Meanwhile, Turlough...

 

The cover artwork, designed by Rafe Wallbank.

 

    Written by Jonathan Blum, the story drops you into the deep end of a typical Doctor Who adventure, with the Doctor breathlessly trying to explain the situation - a virus that allows victims to be remotely controlled - to the Over-Secretary, the usual bureaucracy. Unfortunately for Turlough, the Over-Secretary is from his homeworld Trion, from where Turlough is an escaped political prisoner they'd be keen to get back. Turlough has to weasel his way out of being sent home and out of the Over-Secretary's grip, without the Doctor's help.

    The story is entirely from Turlough's point of view and Blum has captured the character perfectly. The way he tries to leverage every situation, willing to say just about anything to save his own skin, the little bursts of frustration and the way he views other characters is authentically the Turlough we see on screen, now an open book.

    Most of the narrative has Turlough and the Over-Secretary in the same room together, with Turlough's back metaphorically against the wall, struggling for a way out of his grip. It's always great when a story expands on Trion and Turlough's past, a difficult thing to make work and feel natural when the Doctor isn't allowed to actually discover anything. The Over-Secretary with his overbearing threat to report Turlough to Trion is great, but where this exploration really shines is when Turlough meets another like himself.

    Gervais is another exile from Trion who Turlough meets along the way, when looking for an ally and met with a mirror you get some really interesting dialogue out of Turlough, trying to get Gervais on-side and venting his frustrations over his own punishment at once. Though without getting into spoilers, the final scenes with Turlough and the Doctor are perhaps my favourite part of the story, coming with some wonderful insight into their relationship, highlighting their common ground and some sombre reflection on how this adventure could've gone, had Turlough been able to take a more spiteful path.

    Dan Starkey provides the narration to the story and does an impressive job in portraying Turlough, successfully capturing the vocal mannerisms Mark Strickson had originally brought to the role, . Despite their more limited role in the story, Starkey gets to show his range with the Fifth Doctor, and a Tegan that isn't half bad either.

Final Thoughts

    Meanwhile, Turlough is an interesting listen and a must for fans of the character, this is his moment to shine. Found packaged in a box set I also view very favourably, you can't go wrong. The Interludes continue to be a sweet extra treat in the Fifth Doctor Adventures range.

If this review has sparked your interest, Meanwhile, Turlough is available as part of The Fifth Doctor Adventures: The Dream Team at https://www.bigfinish.com/