A Journey Of A Thousand Eons...: 45.5 The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance (The Lost Stories: The First Doctor Box Set, Big Finish, 2010)

This is another product line from Big Finish Audio, apparently the brainchild of producer David Richardson, which digs up abandoned scripts, outlines and pitches for Who and adapts them into audio plays.  In this case, it's a dramatized reading of what we now call a Spec Script written by Moris Farhi in the week leading up to his meeting with then script editor David Whittaker.  Based on the strength of this script, Farhi was commissioned to write 'Farewell, Great Macedon,' a six part historical about the last days of Alexander The Great for the first season...which did not make it into production.  As such, it's a fascinating bit of ephemera, a 'proof of concept' from Farhi that was never meant to see production.

On the impossibly colorful and peaceful planet of Fragrance, young Rhythm declares his love for Barbara and asks her to stay.  Barbara politely refuses...not knowing that this is dooming the man to suicide due to the planet's cultural beliefs.  The story examines the reaction of Rhythm's family and the Who Crew as Rhythm goes off to his destiny.

It's an interesting little story, very reminiscent of some of the better Short Trips (like them, it's just under a half hour).  As with Domain of the Voord, William Russell and Carol Ann Ford switch off the narration with John Dorney and Helen Goldwyn providing voices for Rhythm and his sisters.  The production flows well, which is probably helped by its brevity.  But what I like the most is that I get the sense that this story works better in an audio medium, as it's more philosophical than action-adventure-y.

Of course, what's interesting about the Lost Stories concept is that Big Finish is doing something akin to media archaeology, giving life to these never-were and putting them in the context they were intended.  'The Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance' not only feels like a First Doctor story, it feels like it would fit right in with that first season of the show*, where the intention was to do science fiction that wasn't about ray guns and bug-eyed monsters.  In listening to this, I got vibes of literary science fiction of the 60's that focused more on softer sciences like sociology and psychology.

I will admit that I have a weakness for the Lost Stories format as a whole, so I'm somewhat biased.  But even with that bias being acknowledged, it's a pretty decent tale.

*--although you'll notice I placed this just before 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth.'  There's a minor plot element about the Doctor fixing up the Tardis to get Ian and Barbara back to London that made it a natural place to slot the story in.