A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 36.2.1 The Floating City (Domain of the Voord Episode One , Big Finish, 2014)

This serial is from the time after Nicholas Briggs and David Richardson became inspired to do new full cast audios about the First Doctor after viewing Adventures in Space and Time and before they were able to get David Bradley's schedule in order.  As such, it's a strange fish--it's partially a dramatized reading where Carol Ann Ford and William Russell switch off narrating duties and partially an actual audio drama with a very limited guest cast doing multiple roles.

The Tardis finds itself in a cargo ship on what they will learn is the planet of Hydra, which is submerged in water save for the single land mass Predora.  Predora's entire fleet is abroad, fighting a battle with invaders who are picking off their ships one by one.  Not surprisingly, given the title of the serial, the invaders are the Voord, and they manage to sink the cargo ship with the Tardis still in it.  Ian volunteers to help retrieve the time ship, only to find himself attacked by the Voord fleet of submersibles.

One of the things I really appreciate about this serial is how writer Andrew Smith takes full advantage of audio drama to do things that simply couldn't be done by the series back in 1963.  The bulk of the episode's later half is taken up by a naval battle between the Hydrans and the Voord with the Tardis crew stuck in between.  Smith gives this set piece a grandness and a gravitas that gives the listener a greater sense of scope.

I also like how the Russell and Ford switch off pretty rapidly, which takes the edge off the 'dramatised reading' formatting.  By going back and forth, Smith's script avoids the problems I have with many of the Companion Chronicles even though I wonder if this started out as one.

I'm actually very pleased with this serial.  Even though it is working at a disadvantage--two of the main cast not being around and a limited cast of three guest actors doing multiple voices--it manages to tell a compelling story that feels like it belongs in the era it was made in.  I am anxious to see how this develops.