Doctor Who: The Behemoth

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.