Audio Drama Review: ‘Doctor Who – The Third Doctor Adventures: The Return of Jo Jones‘

The Third Doctor Adventures: The Return of Jo Jones
Directed by Nicholas Briggs
Starring Tim Treloar (The Doctor) and Katy Manning (Jo Jones)

Set almost 50 years after the events of “The Green Death,” Jo may be older and sporting a new surname having married Cliff Jones (Stewart Bevan), but it’s her Doctor (and not the 11th, who she met on The Sarah Jane Adventures) who she gets to travel with once more in this box set of three stories.

“Supernature“

Starting with an earthbound tale written by Matt Fitton, “Supernature” see Jo running into the Doctor again, as both parties seem to have their suspicions about a sketchy science facility that’s disrupting the local wildlife. Given that their last TV serial could be classified as eco-horror, it makes sense that their reunion would be Doctor Who‘s take on The Birds. It’s also an episode that sees the show address Bevan’s passing in real life and what that means for Cliff Jones going forward. In the interviews at the end it’s acknowledged that Bevan was meant to be invited to appear in this story.

“The Conservitors“

Doctor Who has never been afraid to address current issues and writer Felicia Barker‘s story for this box set feels extremely relevant. It’s a story that both resonates with what’s going in the world and is very on-point with the Doctor and Jo’s personal journeys, as being a companion and a woman of a certain age with a large extended family is a lot different than being young and perhaps not as conscious of the risks that come with traveling with the Doctor. As an older Doctor, too, this is a more mature pairing now and this story addresses that. Having arrived on a planet where risk is illegal and the government has created robots called conservitors to enforce it’s nonnegotiable rules, the Doctor and Jo wind up getting mixed up with the locals who are trying to resist. Some of the elements of this story feel touchy, which speaks to how complicated and on the nose this story is. The argument, for instance, seems to be that individuals should be allowed to make their own informed decisions about what risks they are willing to take and there’s truth in that, but then there are those that would run with that and say that being made to quarantine and wear masks as a public health measure is an encroachment on personal liberties (and why not throw in seat belts and speed limits for good measure) and that’s when it starts to roll off the rails. One thing that’s for certain is it’s a topic that requires nuance and that’s something no one’s going to get from a robot, except no one seems to be able to reach anyone human (as anyone who’s tried to bypass AI and speak to an actual person these days will be very familiar with). With what’s going on with ICE currently in the United States, as well, you have characters being sent to prison without fair trial or any legal recourse and protests being classified as dangerous in order to suppress dissent. One could wish “The Conservitors” didn’t feel as ripped from the headlines, but Barker deserves recognition, too, for pulling off one of the best cliffhangers. Like many Big Finish stories, this one’s a two-parter and sometimes the stakes that are raised at the end of part one get immediately forgotten or dismantled after a few minutes in part two, but that’s not the case here at all, as the events of part one have consequences.

“The Iron Shore“

This box set’s version of a classic Doctor Who monster story, writer Lizzie Hopley has crafted a fantastic tale about a possibly cursed man (Tom Alexander) and whatever’s living in the wet dock that shouldn’t be there (but how else to explain the occasional splashes)? Covering everything from colonialism to the generational impact of inherited prejudices, “The Iron Shore” capitalizes on a great setting while giving Manning some wonderful opportunities to shine as narrator. It also doesn’t see Jo and the Doctor say their goodbyes at the end, which means there could be more Tardis adventures for Jo Jones in the future.

Doctor Who – The Third Doctor Adventures: The Return of Jo Jones is available to purchase from Big Finish.