Doctor Who: Time Fracture Review

It’s been an interesting day today. I met Leonardo Da Vinci. It’s a part of the cosmic effect of the Time Fracture. Yes Doctor Who fans, immersive theatre has arrived in London. From producers Immersive Everywhere – the creative minds behind London’s longest-running and critically acclaimed immersive theatre production, The Great Gatsby and officially licensed by BBC Studios, Doctor Who: Time Fracture welcomed its first UNIT recruits to their HQ in the Spring.

UNIT does have to be discreet so it is placed in a suitably out of the way building in Davies Mews, West London.  It’s a ten-minute walk from Bond Street underground station  ( past some very fancy boutiques off Oxford Street– I wonder if Kate Lethbridge Stewart shops in any of them) where we were recruited as volunteers to the cause. The building is deceptively like the Tardis, bigger on the inside but you don’t really realise that as you queue to get in or are waiting for the fun to begin.

Step Up and Be a Hero

It’s always interesting to be in something different from the traditional theatre performance whereas an audience we would be passive observers. Normally a fourth wall keeps the audience separate from the actors. Immersive theatre actively encourages you to be within and take part in the adventure and become a player alongside the actors. I must admit I did initially feel a bit of British reserve maybe because I’m not naturally a game player in this forum but it becomes a lot of fun if you go along with it. I’m not sure how many people are allowed for each session but  I roughly counted about 20-35 waiting with me to go in.

The “mission” started with the arrival of a live actor in costume as a UNIT scientist and then we followed a route guided into the story by instantly recognisable characters so the Doctor and Kate Lethbridge Stewart appeared on screens or as voiceovers. This was as well as meeting various characters or monsters within the tv show. The actors are all well versed in improvising their individual characters aiming to guide and support you through the plot. The UNIT control room set which we were taken through to at the beginning is a largish set, spacious, impressive. We were probably there a good 20 minutes for “training” and after the initial introductions some of the action pieces there felt quite drawn out.

There were intentional blackouts where we were told to brace, energy spikes occurring as part of the action where you are very much an observer. We were then assigned in much smaller groups with a dedicated scientist for “mission training”.  All the actors were, to be fair, working hard in this setting to enthuse and inform everyone with the task and find out what we knew about Doctor Who.  But with the number of “volunteers” in there, the  loud special effects plus the noise of all the actors talking at once it was difficult to hear much of what anyone asked and it was bordering on slightly chaotic waiting until we were allowed ” into the Time Fracture”

The thing is everyone will get a slightly different experience once in the Time Fracture basically the middle bit. I found myself with a couple beckoned by Ohila, from The Sisterhood of Karn, into her dwelling and set a task in the plot which involved finding a very tall Ood with all the fronds called Brian and interacting with a Kerblam man. According to the trailers which I hadn’t seen before there are 17 different settings so in my small group Brian the Ood took us through a low fireplace into a Tudor passageway. There was a merry exchange between Brian the Ood and an Elizabethan lord before we met Leonardo Da Vinci in his artist’s garret.

That’s the positive of Time Fracture in that it allows an individual story experience to take place with the possibility of meeting entirely different characters if you were to go again. There has been a lot of care to dress the environments which are taken from various eras and stories from the Russell T Davies right up to the Chibnall era. Various settings I noticed were strewn with Vote Saxon posters and there are lots of visually pleasing things to notice if you get the time.

1940 – at the height of the Blitz. A weapon of unknown origin destroys a small corner of Mayfair, and simultaneously opens a rift in space and time. For decades, UNIT have fought undetected to protect the people of Earth from the dangers it poses. Weakened and beaten back as the fracture’s multiplied out of control, they’re close to defeat.

Although the production has tailored to an individual experience and has it as a selling point the downside that brings is there wasn’t any opportunity for ME to wander around different sets, play with any props or meet other characters independently. But saying that I really don’t know what everyone else saw or experienced.  There were glimpses of other characters as I saw a pig slave from series 3 being very animated with a group. But we were sped through the marketplace by Ohila so I couldn’t stop to catch what he was saying.

There was an interesting set-piece with an assassin and a Time Lord in the marketplace and the big monsters you expect are here and there, popping up in the set actions pieces where everyone is together, but it’s only one Dalek and one Cybermen that I saw. I’m not sure if there were more elsewhere. At the time it was fun but thinking about it now I really would have wanted to see more of the metal meanies. Later going up and downstairs and stairways to the various settings sometimes it was not clear if you were going the right way. People behind me were led through the same dimly lit corridor by the actors and they left through to a different door whilst my group were told to keep sprinting forwards through to another entrance.

We were steered to a nightclub setting for the end of part one where you could buy a cocktail or two whilst the “ship” moved to the final destination. I enjoyed the vibe of the room which felt quite relaxed as a blue lizard woman, seamlessly on a stage, serenaded us very sweetly with songs such as “ Titanium” and “Creep”. Half an hour to wait until we could move to the last setting seemed a little excessive but mirrors the interval of the theatre and gives the performers a break.

The last set piece is where everyone from the session come together again and the final action of the story unfolds with the audience joining in with the encouragement of the performers. We didn’t ’have any real power though to affect the outcome of the story as participants. I realised that the story has to play out a certain way for the dramatic climax that occurs so the resolution will have to be the same every time but it might be a novelty for the production to have alternative endings based on the audience interaction. Just a thought.

In conclusion, there’s enough love given to the production to make it enjoyable and interesting to be a part of the immersive experience at least once. Time Fracture is overall a positive event despite some chaotic bits. I did enjoy it although I really wish I could have seen a bit more of the environments. It doesn’t visually lack ambition in that respect but the execution really lies with the actors to make you believe in the story and just sometimes as an adult it felt slightly unsatisfying. Kids will love it though.  I’d really like a further expanded experience. Doctor Who: Time Fracture isn’t cheap at £50-£60 per person but I would go back a second time if the tickets were offered a bit cheaper just to be able to see some of the other settings and hopefully meet alternative characters.

Time Fracture is at Davies Mews, London, until 17th April 2022

Youtube videos 

Time Fracture – An Immersive Adventure | Doctor Who

14682 UNIT Field Log | Doctor Who: Time Fracture

14683 UNIT Field Log | Doctor Who: Time Fracture

14684 UNIT Field Log | Doctor Who: Time Fracture

Official Trailer | Doctor Who: Time Fracture