Product Description

Barry Letts reads his own gripping novelisation of a classic "Doctor Who" adventure, another entry in our range of unabridged readings, first published by Target Books in the 1970s & 1980s. Doctor Who is strangely concerned about Professor Horner's plan to cut open an ancient barrow near the peaceful English village of Devil's End; equally worried is Miss Hawthorne, the local white witch, who foretells a terrible disaster if he goes ahead. Determined that the Professor should is Mr Magister, the new vicar (in truth the MASTER) whose secret ceremonies are designed to conjure up from out of the barrow a horribly powerful being from a far-off planet...The Brigadier and Jo Grant assist Doctor Who in this exciting confrontation with the forces of black magic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #43934 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-14
• Released on: 2008-08-14
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Daemonic
Barry Letts narrates a classic adventure that he himself directed for TV in the early Seventies. A secret coven, The Doctor's oldset foe 'The Master', a crazed white witch and UNIT; this story has it all. Not to mention a giant hooved monster who may or may not be The Devil himself...

What the devil are you waiting for?
What a marvellous addition to the thoroughly excellent BBC Doctor Who Classic Novels audiobook series this is.

Of course, it's based on top-drawer source material: the 1971 Jon Pertwee TV serial is fondly remembered as the finest example of that golden era, and producer Barry Letts later developed his own script into the much-loved, Alan Willow-illustrated Target novelisation (1974) this is based on. Now Letts is able to add another dimension, drawing on his past life as a jobbing actor to add colour and dimension to a thrilling retelling of the third Doctor's battle with the Master and forces of black magic - or is it dark science? - in the English village of Devil's End.

Letts' abiding faith in humanity informs a tale that is at turns spooky, electrifying and laugh-out-loud funny, and there're five discs worth, too (though the five-plus hours fly by all too soon). Long-term fans will delight at the way Letts, after a slightly-hesitant start, quickly finds the voices of characters he helped shape: the first, and best, suave incarnation of the Master; the blustering-but-human Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, never a mere blimp or cipher; and of the course, the dashing, dandy, heroic high-and-mighty third Doctor (though no one in this series has quite captured the quicksilver magic of Pertwee's delivery... but then, who could?).

The extended running time allows plenty of time for quiet character moments amid the action, and Letts' compassionate view of human nature (and others) means there's sympathy and understanding for the minor characters - even the bad 'uns. The regulars get fleshed out, too (Sergeant Benton is revealed as a twinkle-toed ballroom dancer, for example), but if you don't know this era don't worry: outside the DVDs (and The Daemons in still on the wish list) this is the perfect place to start. And you should!

The highpoint of a brilliant series so far then, though there are no real clunkers; the Tom Baker readings of his early adventures are delightful (start with Brain of Morbius, perhaps) and the Malcolm Hulke authored Pertwee-era readings are winners, too, ...Space War perhaps the slowest going. In some cases - Dinosaur Invasion, Black Orchid - these sets arguably even supplant the telly stories as definitive versions, though that is a debate for another day.

Recommended, then: shop carefully, bide your time, get 'em for under a tenner all-in and you'll certainly never regret it... in fact the only thing you'll be sorry about is the sudden shortness of the daily commute... but then there are about 150 of these titles to go at. Can't wait.

Very good reading
If you are not sure about this BBC audiobook range, then Barry Letts reading of a story he was heavily involved in is actually very good. Letts is a good story teller as his "Who and I" testifies. Had I not known that this was Barry Letts voice, one could be forgiven for thinking it was the lovable Peter Sallis detailing the story of Devil's End.

The story gets a four as it does feel a little over long and I am not fully convinced we really need such readings when a DVD would suffice. It is amazing to think that these original books were generally between 30p and £2 for the bulk of their paperback life, yet now we are paying nearly tenfold for an audio adaptation. As good as a reading might be, for many it is still no substitute for the visual and audio experience of the original.