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| Bang-Bang-a-Boom! by Gareth Roberts & Clayton Hickman |
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The Christmas specials – which
weren’t actually about Christmas which makes them infinitely better than
faking and forcing the British Christmas on a bunch of aliens – were fun.
Actual, real fun. Something a lot of Big Finish plays aren’t. Being able
to look forward to an amusing romp over the festive period is something
they should revive. Big Finish’s output is an endlessly mixed bag. You
never know what you’re going to get next – one month it could be gritty,
the next might be thought provoking or traditional. This is normally a
good thing and helps prevent the staleness which thirteen plays a year,
every year, could produce. I’m all in favour of something like "The King
Maker" being released in April – between the weirdness of "Time Works" and
the grim slaughter of "The Settling". But I’d be even happier if I knew
that mid-December would bring something of the King Maker’s ilk. Or
something like Bang Bang a Boom (to return briefly to the subj in hand).
BBaB (to abbrev it) doesn’t immediately fill you with
optimism. The Intergalactic Song Contest is hardly an original area for
satire. The Goodies – of which the play is blessed with one – could’ve
done an Intergalactic song contest in the 1970s. The Goons might’ve done
on in the 50s if Eurovision hadn’t then been a technical marvel instead of
the garish cliché it is today. Thankfully, Big Finish is audio-only so we
are spared the sight of men in rubber suits doing Brotherhood of Man knockoffs. Even more
thankfully the writers were told they couldn’t include any songs. So we’re
spared the mental image of men in rubber suits doing Brotherhood of Man
knockoffs. Any time I’m spared the mental image of a man in a rubber suit
is time well spent. The contest is the setting for a whodunit murder
mystery adventure and a rather good one at that. They send up the sci fi
genre (Star Trek, Space 1999, Babylon 5 and even that thing with the guy
in the box) but in a way which reassures us that they’re fans and aren’t
resorting to the lazy jibes of the outsider. There is nothing particularly
original about the humour but it is well done, well meaning and funny. The
murderer is sought and unveiled in true Agatha Christie style (this is
officially a good thing), the song contest setting is shockingly revealed
to have an actual storyline purpose rather than being a cheap gag and it
all ties together so neatly that the listener is confused for a moment –
what appeared to be a string of sketches is actually a cleverly written
play in which nothing is wasted. The Christmas specials Russell T Davies produces are no
doubt exactly what the viewing several want after their turkey – big of
spectacle, low on intelligence or wit – but I’d rather have something like
BBaB. I can see David Tennant having a great time at the Intergalactic
Song Contest – the script is even better suited to his Doctor than McCoy’s
– but it isn’t to be. So the next best thing would be one of these every
December please Big Finish. Don't make me write to Santa... CD Facts Part 1 - Tracks 1-8 Part 2 - Tracks 9-18 Part 3 - Tracks 1-8 Part 4 - Tracks 9-19
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It
is a mystery to me why Big Finish stopped their Christmas specials after
doing a couple of them. "The One Doctor" and "Bang Bang a Boom" were both
splendid festive fare – much more satisfying than the television specials
we’ve seen these past two Yuletides. I suppose the boring, real world
reason is that BF’s schedules change and the last thing anyone wants is to
be force-fed tinsel and jollity in January. Well, the last thing anyone
actually wants is to sit through "The Runaway Bride" for a second time but
I’ll leave that as read.