The Peterloo Massacre

 

The Peterloo Massacre by Paul Magrs

Visceral, Traumatic and very very real, The Peterloo Massacre is definitive proof in the pure historical as a format that can be as affecting, intelligently written and atmospheric as a original sci-fi tale. The Peterloo Massacre is a story that is real, and it's raw, and bloody. The Peterloo Massacre happened, and The Peterloo Massacre doesn't skirt around the horrors of it to make it more palatable for a happy Doctor Who tale. The story is a story of real people, and the story makes sure to tell that - while Paul Magrs paints a picture of a historical institution of evil, he also tells a three dimensional portrait. It would be easy to make Hurley a psychopathic cliched hollywood villain to pin it all on, but even he is portrayed far more in depth than that, and it makes all of the brutalities even stronger. This level of realism in storytelling, this level of maturity in storytelling is rare, even for Big Finish. The story feels geniunely unrestrained. It doesn't want to coddle you at any point - even the relatively light-hearted episode one makes it clear what you're in for. The Peterloo Massacre is dark as hell, and it's up-front with it from very early on. Even the music is melancholic, and gothic. It's hard to review a story like this, because on one hand, there are very few flaws to focus on, and on the other, it was just so oppressive you almost don't want to compliment it. That's not to say that the Peterloo Massacre is only good as a torture experiment, but it paints the era so evocatively, and the guest stars are so well characterized and fully formed, that even ignoring the latter bleakness, I would still sing it's praises. Peter Davison puts in his best performance that I've ever heard him pull in an audio - where many Doctor's performances fall apart when they have to do righteous rage, Davison knocks it out of the park. Tegan and Nyssa are perfect for this too, and they're incredible, and dear lord is this just immaculate. The story is just really damn effective at whatever it puts it's hand to. The Peterloo Massacre is just so real, and I keep saying that, but the humans are the most important part of it, not our time travellers. Where some pure historicals flounder for me by making the historical drama uninteresting, and others fail by not making me attatched to the characters before awful things happen, The Peterloo Massacre comes alive. Honestly an incredible one, although probably not good for you if you want to have a happy day, because Paul Magrs will shatter your collarbone with one swift depressing punch. Although you'd probably thank him. A brilliant end to a legitimately perfect trilogy. 10/10