Blogtor Who: AUDIO REVIEW: Gallifrey VII Intervention Earth

Romana has regenerated (into Juliet Landau of Buffy The Vampire Slayer fame) and is nearing the final term of office as Gallifrey’s President. After her time with The Doctor, Ace is now a sort of Time Lord in training and an agent of the CIA - the Celestial Intervention Agency. An ancient force is stirring, and an infamous figure from Gallifrey’s past is returning.

It had been decided to end the ongoing spin off series Gallifrey, but here it returns with an almost entirely new cast. The power of regeneration is used much as it was in Doctor Who to refresh the series and allow it to continue in a new light. It’s great to see the character of Ace given a new direction as a CIA agent. It’s no real spoiler to say that we see the return of Omega (he is on the cover, after all), the Time Lord who engineered a black hole whilst simultaneously giving his people their mastery of time-travel and also trapping himself in the event horizon itself. It’s a joy to hear the voice of Stephen Thorne, who portrayed him so many years ago in The Three Doctors, as the malevolent Time Lord.

There are some references to past Gallifrey series, Remembrance of the Daleks, and The Three Doctors that will make loyal fans feel rewarded. The story is easy to follow, it finds a good balance of simplicity and complexity. Each of the four parts feels varied but not overlong and the ending is pleasing in its familiarity.

The vocal work by Stephen Thorne as Omega brilliantly replicates his original performance. Juliet Landau’s performance as Romana comes across as a little undefined, her interpretation isn’t as strong and familiar as Lalla Ward. As time goes on hopefully we will see the performance develop further.

Gallifrey Intervention Earth feels like the overture to an exciting new direction for the spin-off series, it does feel like things are just getting started when the story comes to an end, but it certainly whets the appetite for what’s to come next.