For those of you who aren’t aware, the Thirteenth Doctor is already getting audio dramas, and for once, it isn’t Big Finish that are creating them. This time, it’s a production spearheaded by prominent Doctor Who Youtuber Mr TARDIS, created and performed entirely by fans. Perhaps best known for his reviews of Doctor Who stories, including his 2019 Dalekcember reviews of each Dalek story from 1963-2019 and most recently his Cybercember reviews of every Cyberman story, Mr TARDIS is easily one of the go-to Doctor Who Youtubers for professional reviews delivered in an entertaining way.
Aside from these projects, however, Mr TARDIS has also been hard at work writing, casting and directing his own Thirteenth Doctor audio story, called The Collateral of Ivanhoe. This audio stars Wendy Abrahams who does an exceptional impression of the Thirteenth Doctor, Jonathon Carley as the lovable Graham O’Brien, Duane Gooden as Ryan Sinclair, and Shannon Rewcroft as Yasmin Khan. For a fan-made audio production, this project is ambitious and exciting, and the cast that were chosen for this audio do a great job representing the current Doctor Who cast, and although not all of the impressions are spot-on, each of the cast are still excellent voice actors and it is amazing how good a job the quartet do of representing the Thirteenth Doctor’s TARDIS team.
The Collateral of Ivanhoe has some great moments that showcase the unique writing style of this fan-made production, including some humorous scenes involving the ‘Fam’ discovering the fate of football in the 29th century, as Humankind has decided that the standard football simply isn’t fun enough anymore, as the ball becomes explosive once a goal becomes certain. Moments like these cement The Collateral of Ivanhoe as a genuine Doctor Who story, this story has been lovingly written and produced by all of those involved and it shows. The Collateral of Ivanhoe represents the spirit of Doctor Who at its purest, as despite budgetary and technological limitations the end result is a great story that is elevated thanks to the sheer quality of the writing and dedication of the cast.
The format of this audio is similar to a Companion Chronicles story from Big Finish, in that the performances of the cast are supplemented by a narrator, and the writing style is very reminiscent of the fantastic New Series novels. When listening to this audio, bear in mind that it is an unofficial production, this has been made by fans and does not have the same standard of audio recording as a professional company like Big Finish. One must keep an open mind while listening, because it doesn’t take long before any concerns about the quality of the audio are eclipsed by the quality of the writing and energy from the cast. Again, it is difficult to express just how good a job Wendy Abrahams does as the Thirteenth Doctor, the her voice is uncannily similar and she has the Doctor’s vocal mannerisms down to a tee.
We feel that it is very important to support other Doctor Who content creators in their endeavours, and there is no greater feat that writing, directing, casting and creating a full-blown audio story for a Doctor Who fan. What Mr TARDIS has achieved with The Collateral of Ivanhoe should not be understated, it is a testament to the enduring love that the Doctor Who fanbase has for the series. Mr TARDIS has suggested that a sequel to The Collateral of Ivanhoe is in the works, and whether it is a direct sequel that builds on the story elements of this audio or simply another fan-made Thirteenth Doctor audio it is safe to say that we will be eagerly anticipating the next audio story that Mr TARDIS has in store for us. In the meantime we strongly recommend that you give this audio a listen.
For those interested in listening to The Collateral of Ivanhoe, you can follow this link to listen to the story on Mr TARDIS’s Youtube channel. Alternatively, you can click this link to browse the rest of the videos on Mr TARDIS’s channel, including reviews of every TV Dalek and Cyberman story.
Sacred Icon 