England in the 1920s. Whilst K9 is off in the TARDIS leading the Black Guardian on a wild goose chase, the Doctor and Romana are enjoying a leisurely lifestyle as the Lord and Lady of a London townhouse. But trouble never stays away from them for long, and before they know it a chance discovery of alien technology leads them deep into the heart of the English countryside where a malign presence lurks. As the Doctor dodges deadly butlers and ferocious gamekeepers, Romana is faced with a malevolent Aunt and an even deadlier peril - marriage.

The first run of Fourth Doctor Adventures from Big Finish was largely a success, reuniting Tom Baker and Louise Jameson (Leela) for some adventures set during the middle of their short but memorable run from the 1970s.  The second “season” takes a slightly different direction by focusing on the Doctor’s adventures with the first Romana (played by the late Mary Tamm).

The first Romana was only with The Doctor for a single season, and that season was dominated by the “Key to Time” arc.  It wouldn’t make a great deal of sense to set a series of audiodramas in the midst of that story, but there is a pleasant little gap between “The Armageddon Factor” and “Destiny of the Daleks”, during which there is plenty of room for maneuvering.

Picking up on the very end of “The Armageddon Factor”, The Doctor decides that the best way to hide from the Black Guardian is to send the TARDIS, along with K-9, on a random jaunt through time and space.  Meanwhile, he and Romana are hiding out in 1920s England, enjoying the post-war sense of prosperity.  As one would expect, things take a turn before long.

As the beginning of a new story arc, this is an odd choice.  Essentially a play on the very British P.G. Wodehouse novels (primarily the Jeeves and Blandings Castle stories), there is a certain dry satirical humor underlying the production.  While The Doctor investigates an alien signal close to London, Romana is sent to go experience more of Earth.  She runs into a hapless aristocrat who is being controlled by his very alien “auntie”, who sends him to “find a young wife” regularly, so she can inhabit on ongoing string of healthy bodies.

If one doesn’t pick up on the metaphor of the aristocracy as controlling aliens with servants that are literally identical robots, or enjoy the humor of Reginald and his utter lack of awareness or intelligence, it’s simply not going to seem like a very deep story.  In keeping with British plays with a comic flair, The Doctor and Romana end up dealing with the murderous “Auntie Florence” separately, more or less unaware that the other is caught up in the same situation.  Nor is it particularly shocking that The Doctor’s maid, Mabel, takes a fancy for the marriage-focused Reginald.

It all adds up to a particularly British production, which is true of Doctor Who much of the time anyway, but is more relevant in this case.  Without the literary touchstones to add the layers to the narrative, the story seems a bit spare and obvious.  I imagine the majority of American listeners will be less than impressed.

Baker and Tamm do a capable job as The Doctor and Romana, as one would expect.  Baker has been prolific with Fourth Doctor audiodramas in recent years, and his involvement in the creative process is evident.  The energy is there on his end.  The guest cast is largely fine, though I was distracted by how often Robert Portal forgot to maintain his accent for Reginald.

“The Auntie Matter” doesn’t overstay its welcome, as it only lasts an hour, and it parses out at a predictable pace.  That said, I’m looking forward to seeing if the story is a bit more intriguing in the next episode.  This may have gotten the second season of the Fourth Doctor Adventures off to a start, but it’s also a distressingly average one.

Released: January 2013
Price: $8.99 (download version)
Acquisition method: Big Finish website