The Flywheel Revolution
These new series of download only, bite size releases are proving very popular in recent years. With the Confessions of Dorian Grey setting the mould, Dark Shadows soon followed, and now the Doctor Who Short Trips range moving in line as well. And who can argue with it. For only £2.99, you are provided with half an hour of drama, with no drop in quality as some budget ranges may experience.
The first of these is the First Doctor release, The Flywheel Revolution read by Peter Purves. Working its way neatly into the first season, this interesting little tale gives us a rare view into the native life of the people the Doctor so often gets involved with. Told from the point of view of Frankie, a robot consigned to a scrapheap with an impenetrable wall. The writer, Dale Smith, manages to craft Frankie’s world so meticulously it becomes fascinating. Robots being anthropomorphised has been done many times before, but Frankie and his friend Ian are made so human that you really begin to care about them. On top of this, this incarnation of the Doctor, is used at his best, when he is unknown. If this were made in the 1960’s, then it wouldn’t be unusual that he may be considered a monster to strangers, he barely knew himself then. Of course, we know he isn’t, but this is an exploration of a man who is far from our time travelling hero, and how he is viewed at this time.
There are nice little touches for the Who fans as well. Whenever a scrapyard is mentioned, it feels like the show is returning to its roots, but even more so for a William Hartnell story. Keen eyed listeners may also hear a familiar name in Frankie’s list of friends, and, despite being a different character altogether, her fate is particularly heart breaking, given her namesake.
Peter Purves is on fine form, providing an engrossing voice on which to launch the story. It may seem weird that his character doesn’t even appear, but you soon forget that, as his characterisation of Hartnell is faultless, perfect for conjuring him in the mind’s eye.
The Flywheel Revolution is a fantastic and promising start to a new range of stories. If the rest of the releases end up being even as half as good as this, Big Finish are on to a winner. Heartily recommended if you have a few pence to spare.
