Jamie Revell
The Doctor arrives on a prison planet run by a man obsessed with the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Unfortunately, Barnes really overdoes it with the Poe references. Yes, at least there's a sound reason for them existing, but there's a clear effort in the plot to get in as many as humanly possible - along with a few fairly naff puns along the way - and this ends up obscuring the central story.
There are some good scenes along the way, although its notable that the best two are the ones directly lifted from Poe himself (mostly word-for-word, as it happens). The raven-robots are unconvincing, and the black cat seems to be there just because there ought to be one somewhere. Despite this, the story does make rather more sense than it might, and with a few genuine moments of tension, its certainly no disaster.
It's also worth noting that this is the first story to properly feature new companion Tamsin, who spent most of her debut episode pretending to be somebody else. She's well-acted, reasonably likeable, and a believable character, but nothing really makes her stand out at this point. There is a danger of her falling into ‘generic companion' status if this keeps up - and one couldn't say that of Charley or Lucie.
The Doctor arrives on a prison planet run by a man obsessed with the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Unfortunately, Barnes really overdoes it with the Poe references. Yes, at least there's a sound reason for them existing, but there's a clear effort in the plot to get in as many as humanly possible - along with a few fairly naff puns along the way - and this ends up obscuring the central story.
There are some good scenes along the way, although its notable that the best two are the ones directly lifted from Poe himself (mostly word-for-word, as it happens). The raven-robots are unconvincing, and the black cat seems to be there just because there ought to be one somewhere. Despite this, the story does make rather more sense than it might, and with a few genuine moments of tension, its certainly no disaster.
It's also worth noting that this is the first story to properly feature new companion Tamsin, who spent most of her debut episode pretending to be somebody else. She's well-acted, reasonably likeable, and a believable character, but nothing really makes her stand out at this point. There is a danger of her falling into ‘generic companion' status if this keeps up - and one couldn't say that of Charley or Lucie.
With the departure of long-term audio companion Lucie Miller in the previous episode, the Doctor is looking for a replacement. So here we get a pastiche of The Apprentice, with four candidates vying for a spot on the TARDIS. (And, no, not really The X-Factor, despite the cover image).
The story, which concerns disappearing scientists and world-conquering robots, is a light bit of fluff that does no more than serve to fill a gap. But the real focus is on the contestants, each of whom turns out to be hiding a secret of some kind. Considering that we know that (at most) only one of them will win, they're all fleshed out rather well, and get about equal air-time - if you don't already know which character is also in the next episode, there's a good chance you'll be kept guessing until the end.
On the other hand, having to share time with the others means that we know rather less of the new companion than we would expect to after a more typical starting story. There's also the problem that the concept itself is a bit daft. Sure, not all is as it seems, and there's a mystery being set up for later in the season, but the nature of the contest means that the story lacks real depth, and there isn't much in the way of comedy to distract from that.
It's actually pretty well done for what it is, and it's an amusing conceit, but in the end I can't give it more than 3 stars.
With the departure of long-term audio companion Lucie Miller in the previous episode, the Doctor is looking for a replacement. So here we get a pastiche of The Apprentice, with four candidates vying for a spot on the TARDIS. (And, no, not really The X-Factor, despite the cover image).
The story, which concerns disappearing scientists and world-conquering robots, is a light bit of fluff that does no more than serve to fill a gap. But the real focus is on the contestants, each of whom turns out to be hiding a secret of some kind. Considering that we know that (at most) only one of them will win, they're all fleshed out rather well, and get about equal air-time - if you don't already know which character is also in the next episode, there's a good chance you'll be kept guessing until the end.
On the other hand, having to share time with the others means that we know rather less of the new companion than we would expect to after a more typical starting story. There's also the problem that the concept itself is a bit daft. Sure, not all is as it seems, and there's a mystery being set up for later in the season, but the nature of the contest means that the story lacks real depth, and there isn't much in the way of comedy to distract from that.
It's actually pretty well done for what it is, and it's an amusing conceit, but in the end I can't give it more than 3 stars.
This is the second half of a two-part story. As is usual, I have reviewed it in the entry for the first half, “The Eight Truths”.
This is the second half of a two-part story. As is usual, I have reviewed it in the entry for the first half, “The Eight Truths”.
Note: This is the first half of a two-part story. As usual, I am reviewing both parts here.
This is the two-part finale to the “third season” of Eighth Doctor audio adventures, wrapping up a number of ongoing plotlines, and also a sequel of sorts to a Third Doctor TV story. For much of the earlier part of the story, there are two separate plot threads, one in which the Doctor tries to resolve the mystery of a missing space probe, and one in which Lucie becomes involved with a mysterious cult.
The latter is easily the more interesting of the two, so it's something of a pity that the “big name guest star” for this story, Sanjeev Bhaskar, is really only involved in the other one It should also be noted that, while the cult has clear parallels to a certain real-world religious movement, it doesn't appear to be a direct pastiche of it, and its adherents are treated sympathetically (even if they're dupes of the real bad guys).
The tone of the second half is quite apocalyptic, as the prophecies of the doomsday cult begin to be fulfilled, and this works in the story's favour. It does, however, perhaps take a little long to get there, with the reveal of the “monster” only taking place in part two. Furthermore, considering that this is the final showdown with recurring villain the Headhunter, that character doesn't really have very much to do, and she does seem tagged on to the story as an afterthought - she was much better in Orbis, at the beginning of the “season”.
Having said all of which, it is quite a fun story, and it's nice to see a sequel to a TV story that's not used overly much for these purposes. But it does miss a few tricks along the way, and 4 stars is towards the generous end.
Note: This is the first half of a two-part story. As usual, I am reviewing both parts here.
This is the two-part finale to the “third season” of Eighth Doctor audio adventures, wrapping up a number of ongoing plotlines, and also a sequel of sorts to a Third Doctor TV story. For much of the earlier part of the story, there are two separate plot threads, one in which the Doctor tries to resolve the mystery of a missing space probe, and one in which Lucie becomes involved with a mysterious cult.
The latter is easily the more interesting of the two, so it's something of a pity that the “big name guest star” for this story, Sanjeev Bhaskar, is really only involved in the other one It should also be noted that, while the cult has clear parallels to a certain real-world religious movement, it doesn't appear to be a direct pastiche of it, and its adherents are treated sympathetically (even if they're dupes of the real bad guys).
The tone of the second half is quite apocalyptic, as the prophecies of the doomsday cult begin to be fulfilled, and this works in the story's favour. It does, however, perhaps take a little long to get there, with the reveal of the “monster” only taking place in part two. Furthermore, considering that this is the final showdown with recurring villain the Headhunter, that character doesn't really have very much to do, and she does seem tagged on to the story as an afterthought - she was much better in Orbis, at the beginning of the “season”.
Having said all of which, it is quite a fun story, and it's nice to see a sequel to a TV story that's not used overly much for these purposes. But it does miss a few tricks along the way, and 4 stars is towards the generous end.
Ace and Hex arrive in 1989, on the day of the outbreak of World War III. The story takes place primarily in the isolated home of a retired couple, trying their best to prepare for, and then survive, the resulting nuclear apocalypse. The title of the play is, of course, taken from the government information leaflets produced in the late '70s/early '80s about just this eventuality (with Patrick Allen's readings for the video versions being famously sampled in the hit song “Two Tribes”), with relevant snippets of them being broadcast on the radio at intervals throughout the play.
The nature of the story changes as it progresses, but always remains gripping and, for Doctor Who, unusually dark. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, with a significant chunk of the story taking place within the confined space of the fallout shelter, with everyone helpless in the face of the initial blast and then the slow horror of radiation sickness. It's particularly notable, of course, that the Doctor doesn't turn up at all until the half-way mark... to deliver a particularly disturbing cliffhanger.
To say anything at all about what happens in the second half would be to go too far into spoiler territory, although there are a couple of hints in the first half that point towards the reason that any of this is possible, given what we know of real-world history. I can say that the story remains just as tense and doom-laden even as the true nature of events slowly becomes clear.
It's possible that this story won't resonate quite so much with those too young to remember nuclear paranoia (although even I can't say I lived through the worst of it, with events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis being before my time). And the fact that the story is focussed on the companions, with the Doctor mostly absent or in the background, may not appeal to everyone. But to me, this was a great piece of storytelling. The easiest 5 stars in a while, from me.
Oh, and there's a further development in the “white TARDIS” plot arc that's been simmering since way back in Angel of Scutari. And a cliffhanger ending.
Ace and Hex arrive in 1989, on the day of the outbreak of World War III. The story takes place primarily in the isolated home of a retired couple, trying their best to prepare for, and then survive, the resulting nuclear apocalypse. The title of the play is, of course, taken from the government information leaflets produced in the late '70s/early '80s about just this eventuality (with Patrick Allen's readings for the video versions being famously sampled in the hit song “Two Tribes”), with relevant snippets of them being broadcast on the radio at intervals throughout the play.
The nature of the story changes as it progresses, but always remains gripping and, for Doctor Who, unusually dark. The atmosphere is claustrophobic, with a significant chunk of the story taking place within the confined space of the fallout shelter, with everyone helpless in the face of the initial blast and then the slow horror of radiation sickness. It's particularly notable, of course, that the Doctor doesn't turn up at all until the half-way mark... to deliver a particularly disturbing cliffhanger.
To say anything at all about what happens in the second half would be to go too far into spoiler territory, although there are a couple of hints in the first half that point towards the reason that any of this is possible, given what we know of real-world history. I can say that the story remains just as tense and doom-laden even as the true nature of events slowly becomes clear.
It's possible that this story won't resonate quite so much with those too young to remember nuclear paranoia (although even I can't say I lived through the worst of it, with events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis being before my time). And the fact that the story is focussed on the companions, with the Doctor mostly absent or in the background, may not appeal to everyone. But to me, this was a great piece of storytelling. The easiest 5 stars in a while, from me.
Oh, and there's a further development in the “white TARDIS” plot arc that's been simmering since way back in Angel of Scutari. And a cliffhanger ending.
One of the weaker 8th Doc offerings, this features goat-like aliens in Nazi-occupied Paris. The aliens, unfortunately, come across as a bit ridiculous, if rather unpleasant. The Gestapo, on the other hand, come across simply as buffoons, more the butt of a joke than anything else. And Lucie isn't terribly well used, either, doing a fair bit of screaming, and somehow deciding that the aliens really have to be just men in masks (after the number of indisputable aliens she's met?)
So, on the whole, really not all that impressive, although it's well enough done and there's some nice ideas in there somewhere, to do with the aliens' illusion technology and the like. It's a good deal gorier than usual, with the main setting being a Grand Guignol-like theatre, which may appeal to you or it may not. It didn't to me, and that's probably a large part of why I'm not too keen on the piece overall.
One of the weaker 8th Doc offerings, this features goat-like aliens in Nazi-occupied Paris. The aliens, unfortunately, come across as a bit ridiculous, if rather unpleasant. The Gestapo, on the other hand, come across simply as buffoons, more the butt of a joke than anything else. And Lucie isn't terribly well used, either, doing a fair bit of screaming, and somehow deciding that the aliens really have to be just men in masks (after the number of indisputable aliens she's met?)
So, on the whole, really not all that impressive, although it's well enough done and there's some nice ideas in there somewhere, to do with the aliens' illusion technology and the like. It's a good deal gorier than usual, with the main setting being a Grand Guignol-like theatre, which may appeal to you or it may not. It didn't to me, and that's probably a large part of why I'm not too keen on the piece overall.
Doctor Who does a sort of cross between Aliens and Starship Troopers. The identity of the monster here is hardly a secret, given the title, featuring the giant insectoid brood parasites from the TV story The Ark in Space. Here, however, we're in the middle of a war, and the guest characters are the marines trying to fight off the creatures in question.
This could easily have ended up very far from what the TV show normally does, but here, the militaristic solution is not at all the correct one, and the tropes of the cinematic inspirations are clearly being subverted. Plus, Lucie does not fight off the Wirrn queen wearing an armoured exoskeleton. You know, in case you wondered.
As usual, it's well performed, and the story does a good job of evoking the atmosphere of the setting, with some relatively hard SF elements (insofar as Doctor Who ever does, anyway). Colin Salmon is notable for being cast against type here, as a working class and racist marine.
On the downside, there is a distinct theme of survival-at-all-costs, which is somewhat at odds with the usual moral tone of the show. It does, however, all hang together rather well, even if it's not the most original thing ever. So, once again, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Doctor Who does a sort of cross between Aliens and Starship Troopers. The identity of the monster here is hardly a secret, given the title, featuring the giant insectoid brood parasites from the TV story The Ark in Space. Here, however, we're in the middle of a war, and the guest characters are the marines trying to fight off the creatures in question.
This could easily have ended up very far from what the TV show normally does, but here, the militaristic solution is not at all the correct one, and the tropes of the cinematic inspirations are clearly being subverted. Plus, Lucie does not fight off the Wirrn queen wearing an armoured exoskeleton. You know, in case you wondered.
As usual, it's well performed, and the story does a good job of evoking the atmosphere of the setting, with some relatively hard SF elements (insofar as Doctor Who ever does, anyway). Colin Salmon is notable for being cast against type here, as a working class and racist marine.
On the downside, there is a distinct theme of survival-at-all-costs, which is somewhat at odds with the usual moral tone of the show. It does, however, all hang together rather well, even if it's not the most original thing ever. So, once again, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Set in the Germany (or more accurately, Baden) of 1827, this is clearly the world of the Brothers Grimm, rather than anything more closely tied to real history. There are scheming burghermeisters, gypsy fortune-tellers, feisty young barmaids, and, of course, the Beast itself in a story that's initially quite dark. It does, perhaps unfortunately, lighten up once it's clear what's really going on, but I, at least, found the Gothic atmosphere never really went away.
The most notable guest actor in this one is Miriam Margolyes, who is superb as the owner of the tavern, who has a pivotal role in what's been going on. The others are good too, though, and the story does a good job of keeping the nature of the Beast a mystery for as long as possible, riffing off of dark fairy tales, and, to a lesser extent, Hammer Horror, as it does so. It's not pitch-perfect, but it's pretty entertaining.
Set in the Germany (or more accurately, Baden) of 1827, this is clearly the world of the Brothers Grimm, rather than anything more closely tied to real history. There are scheming burghermeisters, gypsy fortune-tellers, feisty young barmaids, and, of course, the Beast itself in a story that's initially quite dark. It does, perhaps unfortunately, lighten up once it's clear what's really going on, but I, at least, found the Gothic atmosphere never really went away.
The most notable guest actor in this one is Miriam Margolyes, who is superb as the owner of the tavern, who has a pivotal role in what's been going on. The others are good too, though, and the story does a good job of keeping the nature of the Beast a mystery for as long as possible, riffing off of dark fairy tales, and, to a lesser extent, Hammer Horror, as it does so. It's not pitch-perfect, but it's pretty entertaining.
As is fairly obvious from the cover, this features a return of the Krynoids from the television story The Seeds of Doom. It's not a particularly innovative treatment of them, to be sure, although neither is it entirely unoriginal. One of the notable features is the updating of the story to a clearly contemporary setting, with references to global warming and concerns about immigration (although, this having been written in 2008, the immigrants in question are Polish, not Syrian).
The focus, however, is on a fairly traditional base-under-siege story, in this case set in a sort of bio-dome in the English countryside. As so often in the 8th Doctor audios, it's helped by good acting, with Sheridan Smith as Lucie managing to upstage Nigel Planer as an ageing rock star and environmentalist. This, and the believable yet somewhat dystopian setting (it appears to be set in the near future) help raise it above the merely average rating that the plot itself probably deserves.
As is fairly obvious from the cover, this features a return of the Krynoids from the television story The Seeds of Doom. It's not a particularly innovative treatment of them, to be sure, although neither is it entirely unoriginal. One of the notable features is the updating of the story to a clearly contemporary setting, with references to global warming and concerns about immigration (although, this having been written in 2008, the immigrants in question are Polish, not Syrian).
The focus, however, is on a fairly traditional base-under-siege story, in this case set in a sort of bio-dome in the English countryside. As so often in the 8th Doctor audios, it's helped by good acting, with Sheridan Smith as Lucie managing to upstage Nigel Planer as an ageing rock star and environmentalist. This, and the believable yet somewhat dystopian setting (it appears to be set in the near future) help raise it above the merely average rating that the plot itself probably deserves.
As the kick-off for the “third season” of the 8th Doctor Adventures, this is a somewhat strange beast. I suspect it's intended to be a comedy, which seems a rather odd way to start a season off, even if there are clearly serious events going on as well.
There are undeniably funny bits in it, and I particularly liked the way that Lucie's re-uniting with the Doctor was written. The acting is also good, with Sheridan Smith once again doing a great job bringing Lucie to life. (She seems to me particularly reminiscent of Donna here, who may well have been the on-screen companion at the time this was written, although Lucie obviously dates back earlier than that). Andrew Sachs clearly also has a lot of fun hamming it up as a homicidal oyster, and the Headhunter is properly menacing for perhaps the first time.
But the ending really rather lets it down. Without giving too much away, what happens is pretty horrifying, but the story fails to do anything with that, as if a high death toll doesn't really matter if the victims don't happen to be humanoid. Maybe that wasn't the message the writer intended, but, taken as a whole, the story is uneven enough for it to be hard to tell.
But, then again, the acting is good, and there is some good writing too... it just seems to lack something in the way of consistency. All in all, 3/5 seems fair.
As the kick-off for the “third season” of the 8th Doctor Adventures, this is a somewhat strange beast. I suspect it's intended to be a comedy, which seems a rather odd way to start a season off, even if there are clearly serious events going on as well.
There are undeniably funny bits in it, and I particularly liked the way that Lucie's re-uniting with the Doctor was written. The acting is also good, with Sheridan Smith once again doing a great job bringing Lucie to life. (She seems to me particularly reminiscent of Donna here, who may well have been the on-screen companion at the time this was written, although Lucie obviously dates back earlier than that). Andrew Sachs clearly also has a lot of fun hamming it up as a homicidal oyster, and the Headhunter is properly menacing for perhaps the first time.
But the ending really rather lets it down. Without giving too much away, what happens is pretty horrifying, but the story fails to do anything with that, as if a high death toll doesn't really matter if the victims don't happen to be humanoid. Maybe that wasn't the message the writer intended, but, taken as a whole, the story is uneven enough for it to be hard to tell.
But, then again, the acting is good, and there is some good writing too... it just seems to lack something in the way of consistency. All in all, 3/5 seems fair.
It was surely inevitable that, once Big Finish had managed to entice Tom Baker into working for them, that his first season would have to include a Dalek story in it somewhere. So here we are.
There isn't an awful lot to this story, which manages to feel shorter than its 60-minute length. The Doctor and Leela arrive in 2020s London just as the Daleks are about to launch a plan to destroy the Earth, largely for the sake of it. For the fans, the story does have Robomen in it, and they form quite a key part of the story. There's also some political commentary on energy shortages and pensioners freezing in their homes over winter, but it's pretty basic stuff.
The details of the Daleks' plan, once it becomes apparent, is completely bonkers - although, in all fairness, no more so than many of the things they've tried to do in the TV series. But the fact that they're Daleks is largely incidental; it's easy to see this working just as well as a Cyberman story, for instance. It really is just Doctor Who by numbers, and it's probably meant to be, but as I said in my review for the first story in this series, nostalgia will only take you so far.
It was surely inevitable that, once Big Finish had managed to entice Tom Baker into working for them, that his first season would have to include a Dalek story in it somewhere. So here we are.
There isn't an awful lot to this story, which manages to feel shorter than its 60-minute length. The Doctor and Leela arrive in 2020s London just as the Daleks are about to launch a plan to destroy the Earth, largely for the sake of it. For the fans, the story does have Robomen in it, and they form quite a key part of the story. There's also some political commentary on energy shortages and pensioners freezing in their homes over winter, but it's pretty basic stuff.
The details of the Daleks' plan, once it becomes apparent, is completely bonkers - although, in all fairness, no more so than many of the things they've tried to do in the TV series. But the fact that they're Daleks is largely incidental; it's easy to see this working just as well as a Cyberman story, for instance. It really is just Doctor Who by numbers, and it's probably meant to be, but as I said in my review for the first story in this series, nostalgia will only take you so far.
A sequel to Horror of Glam Rock, this story sees the Doctor and Lucie once again meeting up with the latter's aunt, now running a hotel in the Lake District. The title of the play gives away the nature of the enemy, but you'd have worked that out pretty much immediately anyway - the mystery is more about what they're up to.
Nu Who style, the story has a fair focus on the relationship between Lucie and her aunt, and, indeed, the eponymous Zygon. There's a good mix of humour and drama, making this an entertaining story, if not a stand-out one. If nothing else, the thought of Tim Brooke-Taylor playing a Zygon is just kind of cool.
And the ending is nicely bittersweet, without overdoing things.
A sequel to Horror of Glam Rock, this story sees the Doctor and Lucie once again meeting up with the latter's aunt, now running a hotel in the Lake District. The title of the play gives away the nature of the enemy, but you'd have worked that out pretty much immediately anyway - the mystery is more about what they're up to.
Nu Who style, the story has a fair focus on the relationship between Lucie and her aunt, and, indeed, the eponymous Zygon. There's a good mix of humour and drama, making this an entertaining story, if not a stand-out one. If nothing else, the thought of Tim Brooke-Taylor playing a Zygon is just kind of cool.
And the ending is nicely bittersweet, without overdoing things.
This is a rather fun crime caper set in 19th century Sweden, with the Doctor and Lucie trying to steal an allegedly dangerous piece of artwork. The story has a good balance of action and humour, without straying over the boundary into outright comedy.
The Headhunter returns, bringing the first real sense of continuity this season, and proves an effective character beyond her role in the previous season. Lucie also has quite a lot to do, being rather more competent here than in some earlier episodes.
The play is enjoyable, bringing to mind some of the banter and one-liners of the modern TV series. The premise for what is going on behind it all works well, with the actual nature of the artwork proving rather more important than initially appears to be the case. As so often, it's hard to know how well this would have worked as a longer story, but the one-hour length suits it perfectly.
This is a rather fun crime caper set in 19th century Sweden, with the Doctor and Lucie trying to steal an allegedly dangerous piece of artwork. The story has a good balance of action and humour, without straying over the boundary into outright comedy.
The Headhunter returns, bringing the first real sense of continuity this season, and proves an effective character beyond her role in the previous season. Lucie also has quite a lot to do, being rather more competent here than in some earlier episodes.
The play is enjoyable, bringing to mind some of the banter and one-liners of the modern TV series. The premise for what is going on behind it all works well, with the actual nature of the artwork proving rather more important than initially appears to be the case. As so often, it's hard to know how well this would have worked as a longer story, but the one-hour length suits it perfectly.
Crocodile-headed aliens beat one another up.
Well, there is more to the plot than that, but surprisingly little when you get down to it. The main setting is a monastery on an alien planet, which Platt at least makes some effort to describe, but which honestly doesn't seem terribly relevant to anything else.
The story is forgettable, although not actively bad, and any expectation that Sobek might have something to do with, say, Osirians, is entirely misplaced. Top notch guest stars Barbara Flynn and Art Malik do their best, but they're ultimately wasted, and Lucie seems to wander around more or less aimlessly.
There are undoubtedly worse Big Finish plays than this one; it doesn't leave you with a bad taste in the mouth as a few have done, and the plot at least makes sense. But it's not much to cheer about, either.
Crocodile-headed aliens beat one another up.
Well, there is more to the plot than that, but surprisingly little when you get down to it. The main setting is a monastery on an alien planet, which Platt at least makes some effort to describe, but which honestly doesn't seem terribly relevant to anything else.
The story is forgettable, although not actively bad, and any expectation that Sobek might have something to do with, say, Osirians, is entirely misplaced. Top notch guest stars Barbara Flynn and Art Malik do their best, but they're ultimately wasted, and Lucie seems to wander around more or less aimlessly.
There are undoubtedly worse Big Finish plays than this one; it doesn't leave you with a bad taste in the mouth as a few have done, and the plot at least makes sense. But it's not much to cheer about, either.
The 8th Doctor series does its first comedy episode as it spoofs a certain BBC show that's on a par with Doctor Who itself in terms of popularity. The story is a murder mystery based around the eponymous show for spaceship enthusiasts in an unspecified future setting. It moves along at quite a pace, although the plot itself is rather bonkers and probably doesn't bear too much thinking about.
This would probably just be a 3-star audio if it weren't for the spoof elements, which serve to push it above the middling, if not quite to the height of excellence. Graeme Garden is particularly good as Jeremy Clarkson Geoffrey Vantage, and both he and his minutiae-obsessed co-presenter are well-written enough that it's hard not to envisage them as their real-world inspirations. (For plot reasons, the third presenter has rather less to do).
The jokes are at times a little laboured, and Lucie's increasingly mad theories about whodunnit somewhat implausible (if often quite funny), but, on the whole it's a decent entry in the series. Although it probably helps if you have at least a basic familiarity with Top Gear.
The 8th Doctor series does its first comedy episode as it spoofs a certain BBC show that's on a par with Doctor Who itself in terms of popularity. The story is a murder mystery based around the eponymous show for spaceship enthusiasts in an unspecified future setting. It moves along at quite a pace, although the plot itself is rather bonkers and probably doesn't bear too much thinking about.
This would probably just be a 3-star audio if it weren't for the spoof elements, which serve to push it above the middling, if not quite to the height of excellence. Graeme Garden is particularly good as Jeremy Clarkson Geoffrey Vantage, and both he and his minutiae-obsessed co-presenter are well-written enough that it's hard not to envisage them as their real-world inspirations. (For plot reasons, the third presenter has rather less to do).
The jokes are at times a little laboured, and Lucie's increasingly mad theories about whodunnit somewhat implausible (if often quite funny), but, on the whole it's a decent entry in the series. Although it probably helps if you have at least a basic familiarity with Top Gear.
The second season of the standalone 8th Doctor adventures launches with a somewhat odd story about a London fractured between multiple time zones. The story is, to my mind, rather less interesting than the premise, but it's quite a fun ride nonetheless.
There's only so much you can fit into a 60-minute story, but Mills certainly has a good crack at it, managing to squeeze in a pretty good look at four different time zones (there are clearly more) along the way. This actually blends together pretty well, and both the villain, and the ultimate explanation of what's going on are interesting. Similarly, both the Doctor and Lucie are on form, so there isn't much to criticise there, either.
The ending, unfortunately, is all a bit pat, being resolved with little more than a wave of the sonic screwdriver... to the extent that it's resolved at all, which is arguable. It's this ending that lets it down, but it's far from devastating, and the story is entertaining enough that I'll give it 3.5, rounded up to 4.
The second season of the standalone 8th Doctor adventures launches with a somewhat odd story about a London fractured between multiple time zones. The story is, to my mind, rather less interesting than the premise, but it's quite a fun ride nonetheless.
There's only so much you can fit into a 60-minute story, but Mills certainly has a good crack at it, managing to squeeze in a pretty good look at four different time zones (there are clearly more) along the way. This actually blends together pretty well, and both the villain, and the ultimate explanation of what's going on are interesting. Similarly, both the Doctor and Lucie are on form, so there isn't much to criticise there, either.
The ending, unfortunately, is all a bit pat, being resolved with little more than a wave of the sonic screwdriver... to the extent that it's resolved at all, which is arguable. It's this ending that lets it down, but it's far from devastating, and the story is entertaining enough that I'll give it 3.5, rounded up to 4.
Note: This is part one of a single story released on two separate CDs. As with “Blood of the Daleks”, I am reviewing both parts together here.
A satisfying conclusion to the first season of the 8th Doctor Adventures, as (Nu Who style) the hints dropped across the previous episodes coalesce into their own plot, and we find out what's been going on.
It starts as one of those off-kilter stories where the characters are somewhere that doesn't quite feel right, but, by part two has merged fairly seamlessly into a more standard action story. One effect of this is that the characterisation built on in the first part pays off in the second, and there's more of a feel of ordinary characters pushed into extraordinary circumstances.
Along the way, there's quite a convoluted backplot and fun is occasionally poked at management-speak and office politics. (When one minor character attributes his success to “blue-sky thinking” you know he's a twatt).
While the main story is dealt with, and existing threads wrapped up, we're left with new ones that will presumably be carried forward into the next season. All in all, this is a fitting season finale.
Note: This is part one of a single story released on two separate CDs. As with “Blood of the Daleks”, I am reviewing both parts together here.
A satisfying conclusion to the first season of the 8th Doctor Adventures, as (Nu Who style) the hints dropped across the previous episodes coalesce into their own plot, and we find out what's been going on.
It starts as one of those off-kilter stories where the characters are somewhere that doesn't quite feel right, but, by part two has merged fairly seamlessly into a more standard action story. One effect of this is that the characterisation built on in the first part pays off in the second, and there's more of a feel of ordinary characters pushed into extraordinary circumstances.
Along the way, there's quite a convoluted backplot and fun is occasionally poked at management-speak and office politics. (When one minor character attributes his success to “blue-sky thinking” you know he's a twatt).
While the main story is dealt with, and existing threads wrapped up, we're left with new ones that will presumably be carried forward into the next season. All in all, this is a fitting season finale.
Easily the weakest of the first season of the Big Finish 8th Doctor adventures, this is really rather confused. The story starts in media res on a doomed spaceship, and it's never terribly clear how we got there, or, indeed, much of what's going on. This is interspersed with scenes at a garden party - the connection between the two presumably being intended as a rather more intriguing mystery than it actually is.
The high quality guest cast drag this out of mediocrity, but, for once, they can't quite take it any further than that. One can see what the author was aiming at with themes of redemption and so on, but he never quite manages to make it work. Honestly, not an awful lot happens until the recurring villain turns up at the end and manages to get something right for a change. By which time the story is over.
Easily the weakest of the first season of the Big Finish 8th Doctor adventures, this is really rather confused. The story starts in media res on a doomed spaceship, and it's never terribly clear how we got there, or, indeed, much of what's going on. This is interspersed with scenes at a garden party - the connection between the two presumably being intended as a rather more intriguing mystery than it actually is.
The high quality guest cast drag this out of mediocrity, but, for once, they can't quite take it any further than that. One can see what the author was aiming at with themes of redemption and so on, but he never quite manages to make it work. Honestly, not an awful lot happens until the recurring villain turns up at the end and manages to get something right for a change. By which time the story is over.
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
The fifth episode of Big Finish's 8th Doctor series is set on the titular moon, at a time when it has been turned into a resort for extreme sports enthusiasts. Something is killing off the tourists, and, while the ultimate explanation isn't the most original in SF, the mystery of getting us there is quite well handled.
As is often the case with this series, originally produced for BBC Radio, some high quality actors help lift the material above what might otherwise be a fairly standard story. Lucie, in particular, is well used again, and is turning out to be really rather a good companion, in some ways foreshadowing Donna on TV.
In what may be another nod to the then-fairly-new RTD era, there's even a gay romance subplot, and quite a human dimension to the story. Indeed, it's possibly the most like Nu Who of any of the episodes in this particular series.
On the other hand, one is starting to get the impression that the season's recurring villain is a bit incompetent...
The fifth episode of Big Finish's 8th Doctor series is set on the titular moon, at a time when it has been turned into a resort for extreme sports enthusiasts. Something is killing off the tourists, and, while the ultimate explanation isn't the most original in SF, the mystery of getting us there is quite well handled.
As is often the case with this series, originally produced for BBC Radio, some high quality actors help lift the material above what might otherwise be a fairly standard story. Lucie, in particular, is well used again, and is turning out to be really rather a good companion, in some ways foreshadowing Donna on TV.
In what may be another nod to the then-fairly-new RTD era, there's even a gay romance subplot, and quite a human dimension to the story. Indeed, it's possibly the most like Nu Who of any of the episodes in this particular series.
On the other hand, one is starting to get the impression that the season's recurring villain is a bit incompetent...
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
I seem to be in something of a minority in really liking this one. It's set in a British seaside town that's not only in the middle of a desert but is stuck perpetually on the same date in 1991 - which means, tragically, that Bryan Adams has been at Number One for seventeen years.
The story, of course, is about trying to solve the mystery of this, as well as that of a missing teenage girl. Once the answers come, they make a surprising amount of sense, and the story switches to trying to stop the sinister force that's partly responsible.
The whole piece is well acted, and the 60-minute format makes this feel like it could well be an episode of the new series. It's perhaps more of a 4.5 stars than a full 5, since it doesn't really break new ground or anything, but it's very solidly done, and makes a good story.
One suspects that most people familiar with genre fiction will have a pretty good idea which famous figure has a name that literally translates as “Son of the Dragon”, so it's no great surprise when the TARDIS arrives in 15th century Romania.
However, this is a straight historical, and it's the figure from history we see, not the supernatural version later popularised by Bram Stoker. This makes the story understandably gruesome in places, but it manages to work in a decently exciting story based around the real historical events of 1462. (As a non-expert, the only historical inaccuracy I spotted was that Radu the Handsome is here shown to be a Christian, whereas, in reality, he had apparently converted to Islam long before).
If there is a flaw here, it's that the author is a little too willing to excuse Vlad's behaviour as a product of the times. Such apologetics, however, did not seem to me to be as central a point as they were in “Medicinal Purposes”, and so were easier to ignore.
Which leaves a pretty good story, with some dramatic scenes and interesting characterisation of Erimem. The latter, of course, does not come from our enlightened times, and, moreover, since Vlad is from her future, doesn't automatically associate his name with the things that we would today. This obviously doesn't work out very well for her, but is quite plausible, given her background.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and I think it works well.
One suspects that most people familiar with genre fiction will have a pretty good idea which famous figure has a name that literally translates as “Son of the Dragon”, so it's no great surprise when the TARDIS arrives in 15th century Romania.
However, this is a straight historical, and it's the figure from history we see, not the supernatural version later popularised by Bram Stoker. This makes the story understandably gruesome in places, but it manages to work in a decently exciting story based around the real historical events of 1462. (As a non-expert, the only historical inaccuracy I spotted was that Radu the Handsome is here shown to be a Christian, whereas, in reality, he had apparently converted to Islam long before).
If there is a flaw here, it's that the author is a little too willing to excuse Vlad's behaviour as a product of the times. Such apologetics, however, did not seem to me to be as central a point as they were in “Medicinal Purposes”, and so were easier to ignore.
Which leaves a pretty good story, with some dramatic scenes and interesting characterisation of Erimem. The latter, of course, does not come from our enlightened times, and, moreover, since Vlad is from her future, doesn't automatically associate his name with the things that we would today. This obviously doesn't work out very well for her, but is quite plausible, given her background.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and I think it works well.
Doctor Who
Let's just go ahead and admit that this has got to be one of the best titles ever for a Doctor Who story, and consider whether the story itself is any good.
In many respects, it's a fairly standard base under siege, and surprisingly normal for a Paul Magrs story. Lucie, who showed promise in her initial two-parter, is here reduced to “generic companion”, although we do at least get some insight into her family here (which may be an influence of New Who, recently broadcast when this would have been written). The story raises itself to the level of... well, three-and-a-half stars, perhaps... with the glam rock references, the feel of the 1970s setting, and the audacity of having the aliens try to invade Earth through a stylophone.
Add another half a star for some top notch acting, and you've got your four. Oh, and there's a cheesy glam rock rendition of the DW theme tune included as a bonus. Oh, yeah.
Let's just go ahead and admit that this has got to be one of the best titles ever for a Doctor Who story, and consider whether the story itself is any good.
In many respects, it's a fairly standard base under siege, and surprisingly normal for a Paul Magrs story. Lucie, who showed promise in her initial two-parter, is here reduced to “generic companion”, although we do at least get some insight into her family here (which may be an influence of New Who, recently broadcast when this would have been written). The story raises itself to the level of... well, three-and-a-half stars, perhaps... with the glam rock references, the feel of the 1970s setting, and the audacity of having the aliens try to invade Earth through a stylophone.
Add another half a star for some top notch acting, and you've got your four. Oh, and there's a cheesy glam rock rendition of the DW theme tune included as a bonus. Oh, yeah.
One suspects that most people familiar with genre fiction will have a pretty good idea which famous figure has a name that literally translates as “Son of the Dragon”, so it's no great surprise when the TARDIS arrives in 15th century Romania.
However, this is a straight historical, and it's the figure from history we see, not the supernatural version later popularised by Bram Stoker. This makes the story understandably gruesome in places, but it manages to work in a decently exciting story based around the real historical events of 1462. (As a non-expert, the only historical inaccuracy I spotted was that Radu the Handsome is here shown to be a Christian, whereas, in reality, he had apparently converted to Islam long before).
If there is a flaw here, it's that the author is a little too willing to excuse Vlad's behaviour as a product of the times. Such apologetics, however, did not seem to me to be as central a point as they were in “Medicinal Purposes”, and so were easier to ignore.
Which leaves a pretty good story, with some dramatic scenes and interesting characterisation of Erimem. The latter, of course, does not come from our enlightened times, and, moreover, since Vlad is from her future, doesn't automatically associate his name with the things that we would today. This obviously doesn't work out very well for her, but is quite plausible, given her background.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and I think it works well.
One suspects that most people familiar with genre fiction will have a pretty good idea which famous figure has a name that literally translates as “Son of the Dragon”, so it's no great surprise when the TARDIS arrives in 15th century Romania.
However, this is a straight historical, and it's the figure from history we see, not the supernatural version later popularised by Bram Stoker. This makes the story understandably gruesome in places, but it manages to work in a decently exciting story based around the real historical events of 1462. (As a non-expert, the only historical inaccuracy I spotted was that Radu the Handsome is here shown to be a Christian, whereas, in reality, he had apparently converted to Islam long before).
If there is a flaw here, it's that the author is a little too willing to excuse Vlad's behaviour as a product of the times. Such apologetics, however, did not seem to me to be as central a point as they were in “Medicinal Purposes”, and so were easier to ignore.
Which leaves a pretty good story, with some dramatic scenes and interesting characterisation of Erimem. The latter, of course, does not come from our enlightened times, and, moreover, since Vlad is from her future, doesn't automatically associate his name with the things that we would today. This obviously doesn't work out very well for her, but is quite plausible, given her background.
All in all, I enjoyed this, and I think it works well.