What do you think?
Big Finish: Monthly Range #231
Doctor Who: The Behemoth
Bath, 1756 – and a very dashing gentleman known only as the Doctor is newly arrived in town, accompanied by his lady friends Mrs Clarke and Mrs Ramon. He’s created a stir among the gentlefolk of Georgian high society – and a stir in the heart of merry widow Mrs Theodosia Middlemint, rumour has it.
They are not the only strangers from abroad causing tongues to wag, however. The mysterious Lady Clara, come from Amsterdam in the company of the noble Captain Van Der Meer, has the whole of Bath agog. Who is she, really? What is she, really?
But there’s something terrible beneath the veneer of Georgian gentility. As awful a horror as the Doctor has ever exposed, hidden inside Balsam’s Brassworks. Something that needs to be brought to light, for the sake of all humanity.
They are not the only strangers from abroad causing tongues to wag, however. The mysterious Lady Clara, come from Amsterdam in the company of the noble Captain Van Der Meer, has the whole of Bath agog. Who is she, really? What is she, really?
But there’s something terrible beneath the veneer of Georgian gentility. As awful a horror as the Doctor has ever exposed, hidden inside Balsam’s Brassworks. Something that needs to be brought to light, for the sake of all humanity.
- GenresDoctor Who
Audiobook
First published November 15, 2017
About the author
Marc Platt
109 books48 followersMarc Platt is a British writer. He is most known for his work with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 3, 2021
What starts off as a ripping Georgian comedy of manners (also featuring the esteemed Lady Clara!) quickly veers into darker waters and is all the better for it. The team find themselves peeling away the polite veneer of English society life to reveal the dark underbelly of slavery, abduction, and torture. Timely indeed, given the recent movement against Bristol's "celebrated" slavers such as Colston, and a drama that will have prim hypocritical conservatives up in arms over "forced wokeness" in Doctor Who. To which I can only say: get in the sea, and stay there, you idiots.
Great, and necessarily uncomfortable, drama.
Great, and necessarily uncomfortable, drama.
July 14, 2025
Doctor Who tackles both the slave trade and sexism. It is a strong story that tackles both elements respectfully.
However, it is a bit slow, and they perhaps don't go as far as they could with exploring the full horrors of the slave trade. Doctor Who certainly needs to have another story set around the slave trade and perhaps go one step further.
Still, what they do tackle is great and shows the British involvement in it by setting it in Bath and Bristol. The music especially is very good.
Planet of the Ood is probably still the best story that tackles slavery. Planet of the Ood, of course, is taking a sci-fi approach to tackling a problem that sadly still has its roots in the present day.
However, it is a bit slow, and they perhaps don't go as far as they could with exploring the full horrors of the slave trade. Doctor Who certainly needs to have another story set around the slave trade and perhaps go one step further.
Still, what they do tackle is great and shows the British involvement in it by setting it in Bath and Bristol. The music especially is very good.
Planet of the Ood is probably still the best story that tackles slavery. Planet of the Ood, of course, is taking a sci-fi approach to tackling a problem that sadly still has its roots in the present day.
September 5, 2020
A straight historical set in 18th century Somerset, this is very much a story of two halves. The first half is, for the most part, a fun romp through Georgian England, with Constance and Flip trying to fit in as they take the waters and attend a high society ball. Certainly, there is action involved, not least from the titular "behemoth" causing havoc. But there are also humorous elements with an errant lap dog and the Doctor's apparent romantic interest in a wealthy widow. Other than that, it's fairly serious, poking at the restrictions of the society of the time, but not really bringing them centre stage - the focus is more on low-stakes adventure and on introducing some of the key characters.
And then, in the second half, as we move from Bath to Bristol, the theme changes radically. A much darker thread that's been bubbling away in the background comes to the fore as the villain makes his move and places Flip in danger. As is probably clear from the picture on the cover, the theme here is slavery. The story is set some years before Mansfield's judgement in the Somersett case, let alone the Abolition Act, so slavery was perfectly legal at the time, if uncommon in mainland Britain. But the Empire was a very different matter, and people like the villains here clearly did exist.
Of course, it's easy to dislike these villains, slave traders being up there with Nazis in that regard. (Indeed, I write this less than three months after the statue of real-life slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into Bristol Harbour, where some of this story is set). And you're not going to get a detailed analysis of the transatlantic slave trade in a Doctor Who story, although this does go over many of the basics. It does, however, draw parallels with the situations of some of its other characters, including the one in the title, showing them as well-treated in comparison, but still lacking in freedom and at the mercy of their captors' whims.
Arguably, that does reduce Flip's role in the final 30 minutes, although she has been fairly active up until that point. And, while there are some speeches against slavery, it's a point that's sufficiently obvious that Platt doesn't bother belabouring it; it reminds me a little of the way that 4th Doctor TV story The Sunmakers rails against the taxman. But, still, it's a worthy topic to visit, and, being a historical rather than a story of slaves on some alien planet, puts the Doctor in the situation of not being able to put the world to rights, just save a few individuals.
And then, in the second half, as we move from Bath to Bristol, the theme changes radically. A much darker thread that's been bubbling away in the background comes to the fore as the villain makes his move and places Flip in danger. As is probably clear from the picture on the cover, the theme here is slavery. The story is set some years before Mansfield's judgement in the Somersett case, let alone the Abolition Act, so slavery was perfectly legal at the time, if uncommon in mainland Britain. But the Empire was a very different matter, and people like the villains here clearly did exist.
Of course, it's easy to dislike these villains, slave traders being up there with Nazis in that regard. (Indeed, I write this less than three months after the statue of real-life slave trader Edward Colston was toppled and thrown into Bristol Harbour, where some of this story is set). And you're not going to get a detailed analysis of the transatlantic slave trade in a Doctor Who story, although this does go over many of the basics. It does, however, draw parallels with the situations of some of its other characters, including the one in the title, showing them as well-treated in comparison, but still lacking in freedom and at the mercy of their captors' whims.
Arguably, that does reduce Flip's role in the final 30 minutes, although she has been fairly active up until that point. And, while there are some speeches against slavery, it's a point that's sufficiently obvious that Platt doesn't bother belabouring it; it reminds me a little of the way that 4th Doctor TV story The Sunmakers rails against the taxman. But, still, it's a worthy topic to visit, and, being a historical rather than a story of slaves on some alien planet, puts the Doctor in the situation of not being able to put the world to rights, just save a few individuals.
March 2, 2018
The Doctor, Flip and Mrs. Clark land in Bath in the 1800 during the time of the slave trade.
November 18, 2024
Felt kinda weird hearing a different Doctor say "Clara."
February 18, 2025
If I had to rate this story on episodes, the first 2 were great. No problems with them, I had so much fun listening to them... however this one fell flat in the second half and became a mess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews