Tales from the Vault
Story 6.01
Written by Jonathan Morris, directed by Lisa Bowerman
Released July 2011
Warrant Officer Charlie Sato has been welcomed into a top security installation called The Vault, where U.N.I.T. stores a number of rare artifacts from alien invasions thwarted by the Doctor. Taking him on a tour of the Vault's holdings is Captain Ruth Matheson who shows Charlie that each alien object has its own story, and in some cases they can even speak for themselves.
One of the more innovative adventures from Big Finish, Tales from the Vault is an anthology story featuring tales from the First, Second, Third and Fourth Doctor's eras. It's an incredibly interesting way to utilize the vast mythology of Doctor Who and put it all into perspective. Reuniting the companion team from the 1996 TV Movie, Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso, large portions of Tales from the Vault was recorded in installments during other sessions with Peter Purves narrating a story from the time of Steven Taylor and the First Doctor via an old wax cylinder, Katy Manning's voice as Jo Grant through an old cassette recording about a strangely possessed military uniform and Wendy Padbury as Zoe Heriot who weaves a yarn about a weird crystal that can store one's mind and more. It was a real treat to hear the late Mary Tamm as Romana interrogated by U.N.I.T. about a painting that can show your death.
There are all of these little nods to the classic series and it is hilarious to hear Charlie and Ruth spin through much of Joe's recording as she natters on about frivolities or makes tea for the Doctor. In essence, Tales from the Vault is a very charming celebration of the many different eras of Doctor Who.
All of the individual stories come together as Charlie and Ruth must fight off a bizarre invasion centuries in the making. Luckily they are armed with carefully placed clues left by the Doctor over the years, narrowly defeating a deadly threat from beyond. Daphne Ashbrook has of course starred in a previous Big Finish tale with Paul McGann, and it is always strange to hear an American in one of these audios. Yee Jee Tso is a bit awkward in my opinion as a voice actor, instilling some enthusiasm that I imagine would translate better in live action. Nevertheless, the reunion of these two is a welcome one and the concept has legs, as they say.
Doctor Who -Tales from the Vault can be ordered from The Book Depository with free shipping worldwide by clicking on the link below:
The sequel to Tales from the Vault, Mastermind, is available for pre-order.
8.01 Mastermind
OUT IN JULY
Synopsis: The Vault – an archive of alien artifacts securely stored deep beneath the Angel of the North.
There's also a prisoner in the Vault. An extraterrestrial known as the Master. He has been on Earth for some time, but now he's under lock and key.
This is his story.
Or, as Captain Ruth Matheson and Warrant Officer Charlie Sato discover… perhaps it is theirs.
Written By: Jonathan Morris
Directed By: Ken Bentley
Cast: Geoffrey Beevers (The Master), Daphne Ashbrook (Ruth Matheson), Yee Jee Tso (Charlie Sato)
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