The last time I saw Doctor Who on stage was The Ultimate Adventure in 1989 in Wimbledon. Jon Pertwee was still starring, but I was never happy with it as I’m not fond of musicals; especially those with such forgettable songs. I’m just pleased I was able to say that I was there.
Moving on some 35 years (yikes!), I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Sunday afternoon performance of The Stuff of Legend on the 15th September 2024, but it was touch and go whether it was a good idea for me to go. You see, my wife and I were planning to go on holiday in the early hours of the next morning and I’d have to make sure that I had everything ready before I ventured out to the Cadogan Hall. Thankfully, all fell into place and I was grateful that Mrs ColeBox would drop me off at Dartford station.
Only… being a Sunday, the dreaded engineering works monster reared its ugly head so we decided to push onto Abbey Wood to catch the Elizabeth Line line (yeah, that was a bit of a miss-name). Unfortunately, we hit two loads of roadworks but we made it to Abbey Wood by the skin of our teeth to get a train that would deliver me to Sloane Square on time. To cut a long story short, when I finally arrived at Sloane Square station, I only had about 10 minutes to spare (I hate being late) but was relieved to find that the Cadogan Hall was just across the road.
Thus, I followed a queue into a side entrance, completely missing the merchandise stall, and found my seat where I could now appreciate what was in front of me on stage: a police box, a console room set, and a Dalek all behind a row of microphone stands, chairs, and a couple of booths.
I then saw Frank Skinner, comedian and star of Mummy on the Orient Express, and his young son try to find their seats and discovering he was in the wrong row. Would he end up sitting next to me? Would I say hello and tell him that I was going to see him on tour in October? Probably not; I don’t like a fuss. All academic really, as he disappeared somewhere behind me (two rows behind me, directly, as it happens).
I then took in the surroundings. What do Doctor Who fans look like these days (apart from famous comedians)? Are they still the spotty anorak that the old stereotype paints us as?
Somehow, it was quite heartening to see that the type of fan that I’d first encountered at Panopticon V in 1982 was still evident; it was also nice to see parents bringing their small children (invariably waving a replica sonic screwdriver), but there were also a trendier set who should definitely dispel the old anorak stereotype. A handful turned up with a minor cosplay effect and I noticed that the Fourth Doctor long-scarf look is still the go-to identity — even for younger fans.
Presently, Barnaby Edwards appeared on stage, did a little warm up speech, and introduced the cast. Carolyn Seymour – a name not on the advertising – was a nice surprise and it was a delight to see Paul McGann in Eighth Doctor costume. However, it wasn’t the Lord Byron attire associated with the Eighth Doctor/Charley Pollard era. Nonetheless, it was the Eighth Doctor on stage albeit The Night of the Doctor version.
And the play starts…
I have seen radio readings performed on television before – The Last Goon Show of All, The Archers, and the re-imagined Round the Horne – so I knew what to expect, but I always found it fascinating where the sound effects man (or Foley Artist) had to slam mini-doors, shake keys, or walk on a tray of gravel to get sounds to accompany the narrative. I did wonder beforehand if, in the current digital age, it would just be a person with a laptop selecting each sound as required. Happily, this wasn’t the case: shoes were ground, bird feeders were rattled, and biscuit tins were proffered.
It was also very interesting to see the actors carrying out the actions of their characters’ movements: waving arms, climbing down imaginary ladders, or balancing on imaginary planks. But even though the characters are pretty much standing there reading their lines, the audience is still taken into the story. Such is the vivid way that the story unfolds: we feel the bad weather, the claustrophobia, and the darkness of the caves.
There was the fun of spotting the references such as ordering of pints of ginger beer as the Fourth Doctor did in The Android Invasion and being on “holiday by mistake”, making a nod to the Paul McGann and Richard E Grant classic, Withnail and I.
Were the line fluffs for real – such as Alex McQueen losing his place – or were they there to add to the audience participation when we all applauded when the line was properly delivered? Actually, it didn’t matter: the desired effect was there as the audience was made to feel that they were part of the performance albeit a small breaking of the fourth wall (intentional or not).
And as for the story… It had the essence of early Big Finish and, more importantly, that era of Eighth Doctor/Charley Pollard of their first couple of seasons. More of this please.
But the story was inconsequential for the live performance. It was the experience that mattered the most. Here we had, live on stage, the Eighth Doctor and Charley Pollard, Alex McQueen’s excellent Master, a batty professor, Carolyn Seymour, a publican/sailor comedy double act, ancient mythical creatures, and Daleks!
I have to wonder where the success of this could lead. Could this be done again or, for those who don’t live in easy reach of London, a touring version? Would it be possible for Big Finish to put on a proper Doctor Who stage play? Could this be the avenue to get another Eighth Doctor visual adventure out there?
So very quickly, it was all over, bar the shouting: the shouting being the audience auditioning on masse to be drowning Robomen.
Thus, up went the lights and we all had to shuffle out. I headed straight to Sloane Square station and was on a train within minutes. On the way home, I was gleaming at the fact I had seen the Eighth Doctor live; missing this opportunity was not an option, and thank you Mrs ColeBox for letting me go.
