Reviews

…St. Neot’s Refuge was founded in 3016 for the education of young men to the service of empire and state. In the quiet shade of Diaz’ world, each boy can develop that true sense of self-worth which will enable him to stand up for himself, and for a purpose greater than himself and, in doing so, to be of value to society; to be a man…’ School Prospectus.

 

‘Want to change the future, Turlough? Use a school,’ The Doctor.

 

I loved Davison's era, so I was quite excited to see that this month's Short Trips would be set in his era. The Doctor and Turlough are travelling in a not so crowded TARDIS, so that would set this story in quite a precise point in the fifth Doctor's timeline. Well, exactly between the televised stories of Resurrection of the Daleks and Planet of Fire to be precise.

 

The story opens with Turlough at school, but not at Brendon Public School, this time Turlough is at St Neot's Refuge, an off world public school. The Doctor is posing as a groundsman,. the TARDIS his hut. Turlough at first thinks that this is the Doctor's idea of some sick punishment, but it soon becomes evident that other, more sinister powers are at work.

 

Mark Strickson's narration is top notch. Not only does he slip back into the quite surly Turlough with ease, but his take on the fifth Doctor is nearly perfect. 

 

The Short Trips stories are nearly always ‘Doctor lite', which sometimes can be a bit of a disappointment. This is not in the case of Trap For Fools. Yes, the Doctor is flitting about in the background, keeping the schools cricket pitch in check, but this really is Turlough's story.

 

The monster in this is a fantastic creation. Writer Stephen Fewell (a Big Finish regular cast member) has outdone himself with the Entitlement. A race that just take what they want. And here the stakes are high. Not only are they slowly taking over the faculty, but they have also claimed the TARDIS. The climax to this story is a fantastic set piece, and very rewarding to listen to.

 

Trap For Fools is a very strong entry into the Short Trips range. I'll be eagerly looking out for more from Stephen Fewell.

 

A Trap For Fools is available from Big Finish here.