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Doctor Who Unbound
Doctor Who Unbound: Sympathy for the Devil
What if...
the Doctor had not been UNIT's scientific advisor?
1997… and a lone exile arrives on Earth, years later than planned.
On the eve of the Handover, an advanced Chinese stealth bomber crashes in the hills above Hong Kong. The discredited United Nations Intelligence Taskforce has just 24 hours to steal the technology, rescue the passenger and flee to international waters.
Down by the harbour, there's big trouble in Little England - a bar owned by an old soldier, who simply wants to forget the past. But an ancient evil is stirring in a place of peace.
The Doctor finds a world on the brink of terror. A world that has lived without him for years. A world that is frighteningly like our own…
the Doctor had not been UNIT's scientific advisor?
1997… and a lone exile arrives on Earth, years later than planned.
On the eve of the Handover, an advanced Chinese stealth bomber crashes in the hills above Hong Kong. The discredited United Nations Intelligence Taskforce has just 24 hours to steal the technology, rescue the passenger and flee to international waters.
Down by the harbour, there's big trouble in Little England - a bar owned by an old soldier, who simply wants to forget the past. But an ancient evil is stirring in a place of peace.
The Doctor finds a world on the brink of terror. A world that has lived without him for years. A world that is frighteningly like our own…
Audio Play
First published June 6, 2003
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About the author
Jonathan Clements
154 books125 followersJonathan Clements is an author, translator, biographer and scriptwriter. His non-fiction works include biographies of Confucius, Marco Polo, Mao Zedong, Koxinga and Qin Shihuangdi. He also writes for NEO magazine and is the co-author of encyclopedias of anime and Japanese television dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
January 2, 2011
This audio had quite a tough job to do - it had to create an alternate 3rd Doctor and then posit a new set of adventures for him based on the premise that he began his exile on earth in 1997 rather than 1970-ish, thus arriving in a world that had had to cope with any number of alien threats without his assistance. Jon Pertwee's Doctor was so iconic, and his stories so much of their time, that I really wasn't sure that this alternate imagining would be anything more than a cute thought experiment. It ended up being far more effective than I'd anticipated.
David Warner makes an utterly convincing Doctor. He's not playing Pertwee here, but he has some of the prickliness and the haughtiness of Pertwee's Doctor, and he very effectively conveys the melancholy of being an exile. He seems like a less flamboyant Doctor - I don't picture him in velvet smoking jackets. (I can't remember if the audio says anything at all about his mode of dress.)
Nicholas Courtney, as the only returning actor from the TV series, has a very important role in selling us on this new Doctor, and he does it very well. It's a bit hard, at first, to see this bitter, apparently washed-up version of the Brig, but it's wonderful to see the character come to trust the Doctor and, by the end of the story, have a chance at all the adventures he missed out on.
Mark Gatiss is also great as the Master.
The plot pays homage to the motifs of the Pertwee era (even including a Buddhist temple), while feeling contemporary. David Tennant turns in a great performance as a UNIT colonel with an antagonistic relationship to the Brigadier. There's some snappy dialogue.
If Big Finish were to make a whole season of audios with this lineup, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. With stories this good, who cares if they're canonical?
David Warner makes an utterly convincing Doctor. He's not playing Pertwee here, but he has some of the prickliness and the haughtiness of Pertwee's Doctor, and he very effectively conveys the melancholy of being an exile. He seems like a less flamboyant Doctor - I don't picture him in velvet smoking jackets. (I can't remember if the audio says anything at all about his mode of dress.)
Nicholas Courtney, as the only returning actor from the TV series, has a very important role in selling us on this new Doctor, and he does it very well. It's a bit hard, at first, to see this bitter, apparently washed-up version of the Brig, but it's wonderful to see the character come to trust the Doctor and, by the end of the story, have a chance at all the adventures he missed out on.
Mark Gatiss is also great as the Master.
The plot pays homage to the motifs of the Pertwee era (even including a Buddhist temple), while feeling contemporary. David Tennant turns in a great performance as a UNIT colonel with an antagonistic relationship to the Brigadier. There's some snappy dialogue.
If Big Finish were to make a whole season of audios with this lineup, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. With stories this good, who cares if they're canonical?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2022
DOCTOR WHO UNBOUND: SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
〰〰〰〰
9 POINTS AWARDED FOR:
That memorable introduction:
Wasted people singing Rule Britannia and stumbling into the TARDIS - now that's a start!
David Tennant:
It's weird and wonderful at the same time to hear a pre-Doctor (by two years, no less!) David Tennant in this story with his lovely Scottish accent! In addition, he's such a commanding personality, almost to a fault. This is Tennant better than I've ever heard or seen him, save for his role as the Doctor.
David Warner & Nicholas Courtney:
David Warner is surprisingly likable as a Doctor that is very different from all other known incarnations, yet still recognizable. He works seamlessly with the good old Brigadier, as played by the beloved Nicholas Courtney.
A thrilling spy story template:
The political and military intrigue with Chinese rockets crashing, UNIT going on a secret operation and a monastery being up to no good make this adventure feel like a real spy thriller!
A mix of the familiar and the reimagined:
Just like the first Unbound story, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ expertly mixes existing ‘Doctor Who’ canon with real-world history and an imagined past, much darker and more depressing than the one we got.
Chinese culture and language:
The Hong Kong setting and Chinese culture featured throughout really give this story an interesting edge.
A palpably dark and chaotic atmosphere:
The chaos and sinister state of this alternate 1997 are palpable through the dialogue and sound design. The impeccable sound design and music build one of the strongest atmospheres I’ve ever heard in a BF production. The plot slowly unravels, but the characters, setting, and dialogue keeps it endlessly engaging. This is essentially a much more atmospheric and effective ‘The Mind of Evil’ (1971).
Strong tension that keeps growing:
It’s incredible how everything is tense all the time, yet the tension keeps growing and growing until the climax and the explosive finale.
〰〰〰〰
0 POINTS AWARDED OR RETRACTED FOR: N/A
〰〰〰〰
0 POINTS RETRACTED FOR: N/A
〰〰〰〰
9 plus/minus 0 minus 0 = 9/10
〰〰〰〰
9 POINTS AWARDED FOR:
That memorable introduction:
Wasted people singing Rule Britannia and stumbling into the TARDIS - now that's a start!
David Tennant:
It's weird and wonderful at the same time to hear a pre-Doctor (by two years, no less!) David Tennant in this story with his lovely Scottish accent! In addition, he's such a commanding personality, almost to a fault. This is Tennant better than I've ever heard or seen him, save for his role as the Doctor.
David Warner & Nicholas Courtney:
David Warner is surprisingly likable as a Doctor that is very different from all other known incarnations, yet still recognizable. He works seamlessly with the good old Brigadier, as played by the beloved Nicholas Courtney.
A thrilling spy story template:
The political and military intrigue with Chinese rockets crashing, UNIT going on a secret operation and a monastery being up to no good make this adventure feel like a real spy thriller!
A mix of the familiar and the reimagined:
Just like the first Unbound story, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ expertly mixes existing ‘Doctor Who’ canon with real-world history and an imagined past, much darker and more depressing than the one we got.
Chinese culture and language:
The Hong Kong setting and Chinese culture featured throughout really give this story an interesting edge.
A palpably dark and chaotic atmosphere:
The chaos and sinister state of this alternate 1997 are palpable through the dialogue and sound design. The impeccable sound design and music build one of the strongest atmospheres I’ve ever heard in a BF production. The plot slowly unravels, but the characters, setting, and dialogue keeps it endlessly engaging. This is essentially a much more atmospheric and effective ‘The Mind of Evil’ (1971).
Strong tension that keeps growing:
It’s incredible how everything is tense all the time, yet the tension keeps growing and growing until the climax and the explosive finale.
〰〰〰〰
0 POINTS AWARDED OR RETRACTED FOR: N/A
〰〰〰〰
0 POINTS RETRACTED FOR: N/A
〰〰〰〰
9 plus/minus 0 minus 0 = 9/10
March 19, 2009
To celebrate 40 years of "Doctor Who," Big Finish decided to look at some of foundations that make "Doctor Who," well, "Doctor Who." What if you changed or tweaked some things--what would happen. One audio asked what if the Doctor hadn't left Gallifrey while another looked at what if the Doctor really did decide the ends justified the means?
Then, you have "Sympathy for the Devil" that looks at what would have happened in the third Doctor hadn't been exiled to Earth during the UNIT era? (I won't even try to open up the debate on when the UNIT stories took place because that could go on for hours).
The answer is--the world of the "Doctor Who" universe would be a lot different. Without the Doctor around, the Brigadier wasn't as easily able to cope with an onslaught of alien invasions (both from within and outside the planet) and was forced to retire in disgrace. He's retired to Shanghai and as events open up here, the country is about to revert back to Chinese control. Enter the Doctor, starting his exile and coming across the Brigadier.
The story finds an experimental plane crashing nearby and UNIT becoming involved. Being a Pertwee-era story, there are a lot of homages and call-backs to that era, including two central pieces that are vital to the story's outcome. It also won't take you long to guess the villain behind the entire plot if you are familiar with the third Doctor era.
From the point of view of asking what might happen if the Doctor weren't around in the UNIT time frame we saw on TV, this story works marvellously well. It's a single disc story and that may help things a great deal. Homages and call-backs to the past are fun, but the story keeps moving on at a nice enough pace that you never have a chance to get too bored or think too much about some of the contradictions that crop up. And hearing David Warner as the Doctor is a nice treat, even if he plays the character as a bit aloof.
One more interesting thing hearing this story again now is the role played by David Tennant. Back then, who knew that he'd someday get to bring the Doctor to life on screens?
Then, you have "Sympathy for the Devil" that looks at what would have happened in the third Doctor hadn't been exiled to Earth during the UNIT era? (I won't even try to open up the debate on when the UNIT stories took place because that could go on for hours).
The answer is--the world of the "Doctor Who" universe would be a lot different. Without the Doctor around, the Brigadier wasn't as easily able to cope with an onslaught of alien invasions (both from within and outside the planet) and was forced to retire in disgrace. He's retired to Shanghai and as events open up here, the country is about to revert back to Chinese control. Enter the Doctor, starting his exile and coming across the Brigadier.
The story finds an experimental plane crashing nearby and UNIT becoming involved. Being a Pertwee-era story, there are a lot of homages and call-backs to that era, including two central pieces that are vital to the story's outcome. It also won't take you long to guess the villain behind the entire plot if you are familiar with the third Doctor era.
From the point of view of asking what might happen if the Doctor weren't around in the UNIT time frame we saw on TV, this story works marvellously well. It's a single disc story and that may help things a great deal. Homages and call-backs to the past are fun, but the story keeps moving on at a nice enough pace that you never have a chance to get too bored or think too much about some of the contradictions that crop up. And hearing David Warner as the Doctor is a nice treat, even if he plays the character as a bit aloof.
One more interesting thing hearing this story again now is the role played by David Tennant. Back then, who knew that he'd someday get to bring the Doctor to life on screens?
September 1, 2023
An alternate reality? A variant history? An incarnation of the Doctor and/or a timeline that was erased by effects of the Time War?
David Warner
as the Doctor!? I MUST be dreaming! It can’t be true! But wait ... Big Finish delivers! This was absolutely outstanding! David Warner as the Doctor. That’s it. I’m sold. Brilliant. Simply brilliant! And if that’s not enough for you - then you're crazy! But there’s also Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier and ... hold your breath ... David Tennant (released in June 2003, years before he’d become the Doctor himself)! And let’s just throw in Mark Gatiss as the Master. I mean, why not! A little bit of me has died and gone away. I must be dead. There’s not another explanation.
May 4, 2021
Loved it!
June 15, 2024
This story manages to establish a tome and theme to this Unbound Doctor and his incumbent era incredibly well, even if the storytelling isn’t anything groundbreaking. David Warner makes a phenomenal Doctor and there is no surprise as to why he returned countless times across Big Finish. The less than impressive casting decision here (and given this audio is over 20 years old no spoiler warning) is the usually superb Mark Gatiss as the most boring incarnation of the Master. He feels as if he’s there solely to provide a villain for the plot, with nothing unique or interesting brought to the story. Nicholas Courtney is amazing as the Brigadier to no surprise and manages to portray this scarred, disheartened version of the character with real emotion. David Tennant is the relatively minor character here but given he would go on to play the most well known Doctor ever, it is interesting to see him play something completely the opposite of what he’d end up being on TV. His no nonsense Brimmicombe-Wood is at times a grating character, but works perfectly well as something to create friction during the build-up of the plot. Even when he is called in to clean up the mess in typical way UNIT would be in the Pertwee era, there is a gritty realism that really makes this story work. This mishmash cast bring varying levels of emotion of strength of acting, resulting in a Frankenstien’s monster version of ‘The Mind Of Evil’, with enough harsh realism to fully explore this ‘what if?’ scenario. I did really enjoy the story, my only gripe with it being far too much attention paid on the monaster but with season 8 onwards never having happened in this universe it doesn’t really give much background to build upon so instead we’re following exact events we can basically predict from the offset.
September 4, 2023
The second of the Unbound series is a real winner. What if the Doctor had never been the UNIT adviser? Well, we find a discredited Lethbridge-Stewart running a pub in Hong Kong on the eve of the handover to China. The situation allows Jonathan Clements to rewrite three classic "Doctor Who" adventures: Spearhead from Space, Terror of the Autons, and Mind of Evil. The Doctor, now stranded by the Time Lords and forced to regenerate, draws the unwilling Brigadier into a story involving a crashed Chinese plane with oddly advanced technology and a missing scientist. UNIT is on the scene, but this is not the friendly UNIT of the past. Rather, this is another military arm of the British government run by an arrogant, impatient oaf played brilliantly by David Tennant. Eventually, the Master turns up, and we get a nicely handled battle of wits between him and the Doctor. David Warner is excellent as the Doctor, understated and determined, but suave and charming as well. This story reminded me of why I like "Doctor Who" in the first place.
February 20, 2024
This was rather interesting, an AU created by Big Finish to answer What-If questions about Doctor Who, alongside casting new actors in the role of the Doctor. This one covered the idea that the Doctor was not exiled to Earth in time to help the Brigadier and UNIT during the 1980s.
There was unfortunately some dated racism of Chinese and their customs in this. I did enjoy hearing the Brigadier himself in his old role and of course the highlight of David Tennant, in a pre-Doctor role, playing an uptight military officer. His Scottish lilt is just so comforting nowadays, and I like how he was much more sympathetic towards the end. Hearing him banter with the Brig and the Doctor was surreal, and judging the Doctor for palling with the Master (Mark Gatiss apparently?!) was hilarious. Just you wait until you become the Doctor, Tennant!!
I did like the way some drunk civilians in the beginning warped the British national anthem into "Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the slaves." Clever way to point out something painfully accurate.
There was unfortunately some dated racism of Chinese and their customs in this. I did enjoy hearing the Brigadier himself in his old role and of course the highlight of David Tennant, in a pre-Doctor role, playing an uptight military officer. His Scottish lilt is just so comforting nowadays, and I like how he was much more sympathetic towards the end. Hearing him banter with the Brig and the Doctor was surreal, and judging the Doctor for palling with the Master (Mark Gatiss apparently?!) was hilarious. Just you wait until you become the Doctor, Tennant!!
I did like the way some drunk civilians in the beginning warped the British national anthem into "Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the slaves." Clever way to point out something painfully accurate.
December 10, 2021
I absolutely love this changed history! Nick Courtney takes an excellent part as the dissolute, world weary, ex Brigadier. A man who had to fight against all the madness from outer space without the Doctor. He now running a bar in Hong Kong just before the hand over and the Doctor has finally turned up much too late to help.
Together the old soldier and the Doctor end up embroiled in a plan of the Masters, played so well by Mark Gaits. Well worth a listen, very enjoyable alternative world story.
Together the old soldier and the Doctor end up embroiled in a plan of the Masters, played so well by Mark Gaits. Well worth a listen, very enjoyable alternative world story.
March 10, 2022
The overall story is very interesting however I feel this story gets a bit distracted from the what if premise. Don't worry this isn't a bad audio because of it, it is still a really strong audio. I feel Sympathy for the Devil especially excels in characters. I really enjoyed hearing a broken Brigadier, Colonel Brimmicombe-Wood shouting at the other characters and Ke Le's character was very surprising for me. Not only this but David Warner is a strong Doctor as well.
8/10
8/10
May 28, 2019
I loved this! This was my first experience with the "Unbound" Doctor, and it's sort of like those old "What If?" comics, where you find out what would happen if key events changed. The Doctor, The Brigadier, David Tennant playing an asshole UNIT colonel, and very special villain... what's not to love? I will definitely check out more from this series.
August 8, 2020
Okay now this was interesting. What if the Third Doctor had never joined UNIT? Meaning he never met Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Sarah Jane or even Harry Sullivan.
A retired and worn out Brigadier and a new Master. What could be better?
I honestly loved this story.
A retired and worn out Brigadier and a new Master. What could be better?
I honestly loved this story.
February 24, 2021
Some of the jokes were pretty bad, or had really bad delivery. But I liked this alternate version of The Doctor and how he interacted with the Brigadier. I recognized the colonel's voice as David Tennant right away. Funny hearing him a couple of years before.
April 8, 2023
Older disgraced Brig, David Tennant as an asshole UNIT commander who banters with EVERYONE, a fun new doctor, even the SOUND DESIGN makes you feel like you're watching a late 80s sci fi movie about a depressing AU world, what more could you ask for here, its great.
January 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this one. Good premise and I felt like it was well done, although it wasn't that much of a "what if" story. I also didn't realize David Tennant was in it until I heard him, and it was fun listening him be a bit of a jerk.
April 12, 2019
I really enjoy stories with the Master
August 28, 2020
Very good play
October 15, 2020
What if the Doctor hadn't been UNIT's scientific advisor?
Excellent story. Features a pre-10th Doctor David Tennant and the late Nicholas Courtney.
Excellent story. Features a pre-10th Doctor David Tennant and the late Nicholas Courtney.
May 30, 2023
[audiobook]
June 26, 2023
David Warner playing possibly the most subdued Doctor ever. David Tennant hamming it up to hell and back. The Doctor being a vicious bastard, what’s not to like?
Oh yeah the racism…
Oh yeah the racism…
June 7, 2024
What is with David Tennant playing absolute arseholes in pre-Tenth Doctor era Big Finish? He also uses a swear I didn’t know you could use in these audio dramas.
December 4, 2025
4.5 stars - brilliant cast and script. The last third gets a little messy when the villain shows up but other than that great piece of alternate reality drama.
February 7, 2026
This is an audio I always find enjoyable to listen to. David Warner gives an amazing performance as the Doctor and steals the show. The writing is fantastic, blending thriller and a little comedy together to make a story I can listen on repeat over and over without getting bored
April 27, 2021
I have no idea what to think of this. It was interesting, I guess?
March 11, 2016
I LOVED this. First of all it was such a nice change to listen to something that was set in China (or more precisely Hong Kong) that was written by someone who knew Chinese and Chinese history/culture. Little things made all the difference. Great to be able to understand the Mandarin. And most amusing of all the bad guy name Kele, which is most frequently used for Coca Cola (but can also mean happy), so that made me giggle every time they said it!
It was also great to have David Warner as the Doctor and to hear the lovely Nicholas Courtney back as the Brig. David Tennant was great as the evil solider. (Probably the best I've heard him on a big finish audio. Mark Gattiss was gorgeous and understated as the Master. His conversations with David Warner were perfect!
I'm so glad I decided to get this and give it a listen. Looking forward to the further adventures of this Doctor and Master with Bernice Summerfield.
It was also great to have David Warner as the Doctor and to hear the lovely Nicholas Courtney back as the Brig. David Tennant was great as the evil solider. (Probably the best I've heard him on a big finish audio. Mark Gattiss was gorgeous and understated as the Master. His conversations with David Warner were perfect!
I'm so glad I decided to get this and give it a listen. Looking forward to the further adventures of this Doctor and Master with Bernice Summerfield.
Read
April 8, 2009In "Sympathy for the Devil", David Warner's Third Doctor has been exiled by the Time Lords not to 1970 but to 1997, where he is in Hong Kong and encounters both Nicholas Courtney's Brigadier, whose career never really picked up after the Cybermen, and Mark Gatiss's Master, who's been having a fine old time for the last quarter-century. I thought this was really well done; the pairing of the Doctor and Master is balanced by the pairing of the Brigadier and UNIT's current commander (played by David Tennant!), and there were some lovely bits of dialogue.
March 8, 2021
リジェネレーションを果たした直後のドクターは９７年の香港に降り立っていた。そこでバーの主人となっているスチュワート准将と再会する。ドクターが不在だった８０年代にアートンの襲撃をうけ、その危機を周囲に理解してもらえず、マスコミからも叩かれ、追放されるように重職をとかれ、香港で燻っていた。二人が再会した夜、飛行機が墜落。現場に急行するも、乗組員のうち、一人が行方不明に。目撃者の証言からドクターは乗組員がマスターであり、彼もリジェネレーションしたのだと悟る。自分のターディスを失ったマスターは地球から出ることも叶わず、ドクターに迎えに来させようと、パラサイト種族のエイリアンを地球に持ち込んでいた。
マスターが絡んでくる話とは思っていなかったので、とても楽しく読めた。クラッシックバージョンのマスターとドクターの関係はほんとうにスリリング。テナントさんは軍を指揮する大佐役。傍若無人な軍人っぷりが板についていてかっこよかった。この大佐は"UNIT"で再登場する。
今回再視聴してラストはドクターとブリゲディアがターディスで旅にでたということを理解した。TVでブリゲディアは一度もターディスに乗っていなかったと思うので、なんだか嬉しかった。ブリゲディアとの友情再確認エピソードということだったんだなぁと。
マスターが絡んでくる話とは思っていなかったので、とても楽しく読めた。クラッシックバージョンのマスターとドクターの関係はほんとうにスリリング。テナントさんは軍を指揮する大佐役。傍若無人な軍人っぷりが板についていてかっこよかった。この大佐は"UNIT"で再登場する。
今回再視聴してラストはドクターとブリゲディアがターディスで旅にでたということを理解した。TVでブリゲディアは一度もターディスに乗っていなかったと思うので、なんだか嬉しかった。ブリゲディアとの友情再確認エピソードということだったんだなぁと。
July 31, 2013
This audio adventure features an alternative timeline with another version of the third Doctor. The third Doctor's exile to earth is shifted 20-30 years later and is in the 1990's. The Brig, without his Scientific Advisor, does not combat all of the alien menaces as well. So, he does not have the same promising career and is retired early and ends up in Hong Kong. I thought that it was very well done.
January 21, 2016
Interesting take on the Doctor and Brigadiers relationship. Alisteir has been drummed out because of all the men he killed and caios he caused. Doctor couldn't get there to help because of a faulty tardis from the time lords. Still a great adventure and David Tennant is great and funny as the new head of unit. Enjoy.
September 1, 2016
Jolly fun to read and type to Dr. Who
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews