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| Image (c) Big Finish Productions Ltd |
When the Doctor tries to eject his unwanted passengers, Ian and Barbara, the resulting misunderstanding leaves Barbara and Susan trapped in the TARDIS and thrown overboard, while Ian and the Doctor are taken aboard the Endeavour, bound for the southern oceans under the command of Captain James Cook. But Ian begins to suspect that all is not right, as the ship's scientist, Joseph Banks, begins acting strangely.
The Transit of Venus is the first Companion Chronicle to feature a purely historical story - although it teases at the pseudo-historical - with no science fictional elements apart from the TARDIS travelers themselves. It casts Ian out of his element - in order to provide access to the stories, Barbara was the historian and Ian the scientist, but Ian is lost without Barbara to give him context - and also focuses - as did Here There Be Monsters, although that to a lesser degree - on the relationship between the two teachers, which has become the OTP of early Who.
Russell provides another splendid First Doctor, an Ian Hallard's Banks is by turns warm and creepy, as required. The story is an oddly minimalist one, and with no chases or fights and a wealth of historical detail, it belongs squarely in that very early era of Who when the remit to inform was still a driving force.
Now, if I am honest I am not a huge fan of 'celebrity' historicals; I find that the story ends up constrained by the need to preserve historical adherence. As it goes, however, this is a good example of the subgenre, focusing on the historical second-fiddle Banks instead of the more famous Cook. I was also, and remain, disappointed that the ship sailing to Australia for the transit of Venus wasn't the one that carried my great-great grandfather a century and a half later, but that's not really anyone's fault.
Hardcore SF next time, with a Seventh Doctor story featuring Sophie Aldred as Ace in The Prisoner's Dilemma.
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