Released February 2002
Hallowe'en 1938. 'Twas the night
before Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring...
But
something must be stirring. Something hidden in the shadows. Something which
kills the servants of an old Edwardian mansion in the most brutal and macabre
manner possible. Exactly on the chiming of the hour, every hour, as the
grandfather clock ticks on towards midnight.
Trapped and
afraid, the Doctor and Charley are forced to play detective to murders with no
motive, where even the victims don't stay dead. Time is running out.
This story,
that arrives just about half way into the 8th Doctor and Charley Pollard's
adventures together, is unusual. Part detective story, part horror, part
personal tragedy, its unconventional formula allows it to hit the story sweet
spot of keeping you on your toes and wanting to listen to more. In fact the
first time I listened to it, I was so engrossed I completely forgot I was meant
to be going out for a meeting with someone!
The Doctor
and Charley land in the servant’s part of an old Edwardian mansion, populated
by the staff of the master upstairs. Drawn by a blood curdling scream they dash
to help, only to find it's too late. As the hours move to midnight, one by one
the staff all die. Then it all starts again...
As such,
it's a break from the usual murder mystery fable – the Doctor and Charley are
aware they are trapped in a story that re-writes itself on the fly to account
for any interruptions, so they have to figure out the cause and the real
culprit fast, before they become a part of the act.
The Chimes
of Midnight keeps air fraught with tension at all times by being lean and mean.
Nothing is wasted in the script and as soon as one part of the solution of the
mystery is unearthed and threatens to turn things stale, it metamorphoses to
catch the Doctor and Charley (and us, the listener) off guard.
Constantly
on the back foot and forced to try and work within ill defined and every
changing rules, things are kept unpredictable. It was one of those rare tales
that kept me (a longtime Who fan) feeling like I didn't know what would happen
next. Things are kept tense by a soundtrack that enforces how everything feels
unstoppable, always containing a tick of a clock one way or another, as a
reminder of that fateful countdown to midnight.
What's most
surprising is the emotional core at the centre of the story, that not only
plays into Charley and the Doctor's larger arc, but also covers the fate of
those 'downstairs', revealing a life that isn't that great if you don't happen
to fit into the working life of servitude and what happens when the only person
who cares about you is snatched from your grasp.
All in all,
it's a great story. Perhaps more low key than many would expect from Doctor
Who, but it reaps the rewards of that. Complex, gripping and all over a superb
production, it's one of the high points of the 8th Doctors travels with
Charley. Perhaps one of the best of the 8th’s and, dare I say it, all time
Doctor Who stories. If you have any interest in the show, you owe it to
yourself to buy this.
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