Doctor Who: Immortal Beloved

The Eighth Doctor Adventures #1.4

by Jonathan Clements

'Theosophy? Ha! Surely you mean theophany? Because we're not talking about real gods here, are we? We're talking about the appearance of gods. Your heavenly powers are a little too mechanical for my liking. And, if I may be so bold, Lord Zeus, your demeanor is not very godlike.'

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Media Tie In, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories

Audio CD

First published April 26, 2007

About the author

Jonathan 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.

Reviews

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Long live the King! The King is Dead!"

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucie: Will you still need me? *Sings* When I'm 64....!
Eight: Lucie, I don't need you now.
Lucie: Liar.
Eight: You caught me.

<3

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

2018 52 Book Challenge - 9) A Book That Challenges Your Viewpoint

2025 Re-Read

I enjoyed this audiobook much more the second time around, and I loved the thought of when is love going too far and Calkin and Siorache's love compared to Zeus and Hera's and the fight between the two.

2018 Original Read

I'm loving Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith as the Eighth Doctor and Lucie Miller, and they narrate these books incredibly well, but the plot was a bit meh. It was predictable and a bit boring. I'm left with questions like, where did the rest of the people who populated the planet come from? If Ganymede knew that he was going to be a replacement for Zeus, how did Siorache and the other dude (I can't remember his name at all) not know?

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really loving Paul McGann's voice. He does make a lovely doctor to listen to. Lucie remains interesting as a plucky young companion. This audio had some other great actors like Ian McNeice and Elspeth Gray and yet the story itself wasn't that great. One of the plots I like least in Doctor Who is the advanced civilisation that's crumbled into dust and you have a whole planet made up of 20 people. It just seems too far fetched and detached from reality which makes it much harder to care about the plot and the characters especially when they seem as silly as these.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor and Lucie land the TARDIS  next to a cliff in what appears to be ancient Greece. Two star-crossed lovers, Kalkin and Sararti, have been preparing to kill themselves nearby, but the Doctor and Lucie prevent this, and soon anachronistic helicopters surround them all.

This continues on from Horror of Glam Rock and for me was a little bit weaker than the last story. It's still enjoyable as we continue to see this new relationship between the doctor and new companion Lucie who for me hasn't settled yet, I could be wrong but I get the feeling it's only towards the end of this story the two finally accept they are travelling companions they share a little joke at the end so I'm hoping for when I listen to the next adventure they settle down a bit and take on the universe together.

It's ok just not as good as others so far.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing to listen to this series of stories with my family. This is an examination of whether clones are sentient beings with the same rights as the original, immortality, and the characteristics of deities. Wrap it in some alien tech and prepare to spend an hour being entertained.

[Noah Soudrette · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the story is full of excellent performances and interesting characters, the Doctor and Lucy basically do nothing to impact the story, except stand around. Also, while there is a set of "divine" people on the planet, they never really state clearly who or where the rest of the people that populate the planet come from.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I few books in, and Lucy is still an interesting companion. Paul McGann is fantastic to listen to, and I'm feeling a little cheated that he didn't get to spend more time in the role on television. This book was better than Horror of Glam Rock (the last one I listened to) but it didn't fulfill its potential for me.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

#langolobigfinish
L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “IMMORTAL BELOVED” (The Eighth Doctor Adventures 1.4)

Scritto da JONATHAN CLEMENTS.
Con PAUL McGANN, SHERIDAN SMITH, IAN McNEICE, ELSPET GRAY, JENNIFER HIGHAM, ANTHONY SPARGO, DAVID DOBSON e JAKE MCGANN.

"Teosofia? Ah! Sicuramente intendi teofania? Perché qui non stiamo parlando di veri dei, vero? Stiamo parlando dell'aspetto degli dei. I tuoi poteri celesti sono un po' troppo meccanici per i miei gusti. E, se posso essere così audace, Zeus, il tuo comportamento non è molto divino."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questo quarto episodio vede il Dottore e Lucie atterrare su uno strano pianeta in cui mitologia greca e fantascienza sembrano essersi fusi insieme.
Partendo da una storia d'amore alla Romeo e Giulietta, in cui i due innamorati decidono di farla finita per non essere separati, si capisce presto che la situazione è molto più complessa di come potrebbe apparire inizialmente.
L'amore è in questo caso anche la motivazione dei due antagonisti, decisi a stare insieme per sempre infischiandosene di tutti gli altri. Il modo in cui hanno ottenuto l'immortalità a discapito delle vite altrui è oltraggioso sia per il Dottore sia per Lucie, eppure gli antagonisti non sono rappresentati come completamente malvagi e le loro motivazioni sono prettamente umane, tanto che sul finale anche i due innocenti vengono messi in guardia verso certi ragionamenti, che se spinti all'estremo potrebbero far ripartire il ciclo dall'inizio.
A dare spessore e veridicità ai due personaggi Zeus e Hera, abbiamo anche qui due veterani di Doctor Who: da una parte Ian McNeice (Winston Churcill nella serie nuova) e dall'altra Elspeth Gray (la Consigliera Thalia in Arc of Infinity). Una menzione va fatta anche a Jake McGann, figlio di Paul, che qui nel suo primo ruolo per la Big Finish interpreta il giovane Ganimede, riuscendo a dare carattere al suo personaggio e scontrandosi anche con suo padre in alcune scene.
Si tratta di un episodio che lascia spazio più alle riflessioni filosofiche piuttosto che all'azione, e insieme all'ambientazione isolata con una popolazione ristretta mi ha fatto tornare in mente gli episodi più “sperimentali” di Otto e Charley nell'Universo Divergente.
Finora è l'episodio che mi ha convinta di più, unendo l'originalità della trama con un'ottima caratterizzazione dei personaggi, riuscendo anche a commuovere in alcuni punti.

[Melody Soundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Perfect Dark And Disturbing Audio Drama That Questions People's Morals And Values When It Comes To Life.

Immortal Beloved twistedly lives up to its title massively full of shocking twists and turns. I am gobsmacked. Doctor Who's spin on Greek Mythology becomes even more perfect and twisted. I generally adored it and am proud to say that this is one of my favourite listens so far wether your a Greek Mythology fan or just a general Doctor Who fan there's a lot of good stuff to get out of this incredible 8th Doctor adventure.

I generally have no criticisms of the story I think Clements wrote the story very well. Not only is it a unique and fresh idea Doctor Who hasn't really explored, it still manages to keep it's sci-fi elements despite being so mystical. I just wish we got more moments of Eight and Lucie in the tardis but that's just me nitpicking.

There's so much stuff I could praise about it but I'm just gonna limit it to a few things I loved about this audio drama.

First I have to praise once again the performances. Everyone was perfectly cast and gave their all to the story. Paul MacGanns Doctor is super interesting and multilayered. This story allows him to play with The Doctor's more darker side and as a result its really entertaining to listen to. His able to balance his Doctors wise sage nature with his darkside buried underneath. Sheridan Smith once again portrays Lucy perfectly, she's got her own morals similar to the Doctor but is also not afraid to stand up for herself. I'm truly seeing how much she presumably inspired the character of Donna Noble. Ian McNiece perfectly portrays the sinister and "powerful" Zeus, he gives his all into the role very well. The same could be said for Elspet Gray who portrays Hera really well and brings her own unique spin to her different from her mythological counterpart. Jennifer Higham and Anthony Spargo despite not featuring much perfectly portray the forbidden lovers Sarati and Kalkin. Jake MacGann, Paul MacGanns son proved acting runs in the family by portraying Ganymede really well. Everyone performed really well so it's worth it checking out for the cast alone.

Secondly the villians. Considering how flawed they are in Greek Mythology I think it was super interesting to have Hera and Zeus be against a marriage and then discover its not for the reason you think. I don't want to spoil any of the twists but both are perfectly sinister and fresh characters for the whoniverse. We've had Cybermen, Daleks and The Master but Zeus and Hera are truly like nothing The Doctor has ever faced. You think Zeus is just being a controlling parent but when you realise the true reason you'll be absolutely gobsmacked and disturbed. I know I was. Its also nice for once to have a villainous couple instead of just a single character being the bad guy. The villians are fresh and unique for a one time appearance and I'm here for it.

Finally the themes. Through writing this story Clements asks the audience to thinking about the ethics of cloning and gaining immortality through harming others. It asks us to question our thoughts about human life and how we treat others. This is what made me connect with the story as its a theme many sci-fi franchises have explored such as Star Wars with the clones but seeing Doctor Who's take is super interesting. I also love the themes of Morality and all the characters contrasting views on it. Paul MacGann and Ian McNiece have a great chemistry with both characters confronting each other about their morals being super interesting. I also feel like we also get to see how far The Doctor is willing to go to protect the people he cares about. The moral clash of the story creates a truly wonderful deep dive into human nature. Rest assured this is more than a forbidden love story its a complex Greek Tragedy with a Doctor Who twist.

Overall a strong, spooky, story that uses Greek Mythology to tell a terrifying story of two God's doing everything in their power to live and prevent Sarati and Kalkin from being happy. It's Romeo and Juliet, Star Wars and Doctor Who all mixed in a pot. Cannot recommend enough.

All of S1 Of The Eighth Doctors Adventures With Lucie Miller are free on Spotify so money isn't an excuse. Definitely give this one a go.

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The same criticism can be levelled at this, as the last story - The Horror of Glam Rock, It's not all that Who-Y, being very much a stand alone tale that doesn't develop character, series arc, or feature any classic Who mythology/monsters. Indeed The Doctor and Lucie are incidental to this, which really is all about the story.

However the story is excellent so I wasn't to bothered about the lack of Who-ness. The Doctor and Lucie arrive on a planet just as a couple of young lovers: Prince Kalkin and Sarani are about to jump from a cliff in a suicide pact. The Doctor stops them and the royal guards arrive and take the couple back to the palace. The palace is ruled by Immortal Olympian Gods - Zeus & Hera, with Ares their minister of war and personal servants called Gannymede and Hebe. These we learn are the original crew of a crashed spaceship who clone themselves and then transfer their minds into their clones once they are about to die. The reason Kalkin & Sarani can't be together is that Kalkin is the next clone vessel for Zeus and Sarani for Hera...

Now I've read and loved several hardcore SF novels that deal with this idea of cloning/consciousness transfer immortality but I thought that Immortal Beloved added some nice twists to this. It fuses Greek Mythology and Romeo and Juliet - I loved the idea that both our young lovers are clone vessels - It made total sense that they should fall in love since their originals - Zeus and Hera are a couple themselves.

Supporting cast are mostly unknowns other than Ian McNeice who does a fantastic job as the over-indulged Zeus. Production values are as good as ever, and I loved this one.

[Cthonus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts off looking like a Disneyesque fairy tale (or the vidcast from the Armageddon Factor) but once Ian MacNeice - magisterial and amoral in equal quantities - and Elspeth Gray enter the fray this release rises up to become something quite different.

Again the ending is pretty pat and quite obvious but as with the rest of this series so far the joy is not in the destination but the journey.

It's also nice to see the Doctor and Lucie moving on from the bickering to becoming more relaxed.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to it over a month ago, so it's not fresh in my brain unfortunately.

But it was much fun, and kept me entertained while I was sewing.

Paul McGann is fabulous, and I'm so glad that he had the opportunity to shine as the doctor in these productions.

The story was fun. And definitely kept me entertained. I could easily imagine this one done as a proper television episode.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

若い男女のカップルが崖から飛び降りようとしているところにターディスが到着。心中するのを止めようと説得していると二人を連れ戻しに城から警備隊がやってくる。

クローンに意識を移して永遠を生きるというコンセプトはリジェネで生き続けるドクターへの皮肉のような話になるかと思ったもののそういうことではなく最終的にマシンが古すぎてこれ以上意識の移し替えはできないという解決。丸く収まってよかったけれどもちょっと肩透かしかな。

ラストは可愛かった！
Lucie: Will you still need me? When I'm 64....
Eight: Lucie, I don't need you now.
Lucie: Liar.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audio series with McGann as Doctor makes me really wish we had gotten too see a full run of his take of the Doctor. His companion, Lucy, in the series is a good foil.

This was an excellent riff on the trope of mind transfers as a path to immortality. Very enjoyable Doctor Who story.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul McGann really does have a good voice for these audios. Interestingly, this story includes his son Jake McGann in the voice cast. I'm not that big on Greek mythology, but I enjoyed the story regardless. Kinda funny how it's acknowledged that Romeo and Juliet doesn't end well.

[Sidney McKidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah it's been months since I listened to this and I still have absolutely no idea what it was. It was just really weird and off-kilter. Like the clone stuff was interesting I guess but mostly it was just melodramatic.

[Áine Ní Néill · Rating 5 out of 5]

halfway through this series now, and i'm really enjoying it! so daft, so silly, so grand & so honest. very doctor who -- i love it. with every big finish of eighth doctor, i love paul mcgann more and more.

[Plingsben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again rather to short for it's own good. I do like Lucy as a companion but not as much as Charlie. While all the silly mellow dramatic rhetoric is being spewed she acts as how I would probably react if put in her shoes.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interesting thing about the shift to shorter stories in this line is that none of them outstay their welcome, hence my more consistent ratings. However, they're never long enough to become truly brilliant. This story is another example of the trend.

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally I'm not a huge fan of romance stories in Doctor Who, but the concepts of body swapping and eternal youth really livened this one up.

The ending was a bit predictable and rushed for my liking, but as a whole, this was a really fun play.

[Hasselhh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story didn’t really give me anything extra, and in the long run I'm pretty sure I'm gonna forget it completely. The story was ok, but - if that is possible - just typical average Doctor Who.

[Richard Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual though-provoking concept. I enjoyed this.

[H.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a boring body-switching tale. Satisfying ending though, and Lucie continues to be awesome.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn't really connect with this one, I'm not sure why.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one.

[Finn Chamberlain-Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

Cool idea but still felt like it dragged

[Rob Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The major scene between guest Ian McNeice and Paul McGann is the highlight in an average story that lacks the sparkle of others.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of this one. I also liked that Lucy and the Doctor were a little less snappy with each other.

[Mike Rempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul McGann 👌👌👌
found on Spotify
I heard that Big Finish is making new stories with Paul as the doctor 🎉