Jamie Revell

I'm old enough to remember when “swimsuit specials” seemed to be a common thing on the comic book shelves back in the '90s. I never read any, but I got the impression from the covers that they were excuses to include cheesecake images of the female characters wearing skimpier clothing than usual, and were little more than that. Unlike Marvel, DC has apparently not done one before, and the cover art shows that they're at least trying to poke fun at the concept.

What you get inside are two short stories and a one-page mock interview with G'nort that's not as amusing as it would like to be. The first of the stories is (I assume) traditional for the type, with five swimsuit-clad superheroines defending Gotham's beachfront from the Penguin. Who, admittedly, is also in a swimsuit and played for laughs. It's a light and fluffy summer story without trying to be any more than that - and, by the way, who'd have thought that Gotham City even had a sunny beachfront?

The second story is a gay romance with Apollo and Midnight, who, aside from a few panels early on, are fully dressed and not actually on a beach. So, not really fitting the theme, to be honest.

The rest is kind of what you'd expect from the title - splash art of superheroes in swimsuits. Slightly more women than men, with Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn being the most popular, but both genders are represented, which I suspect was less the case in the past. Most of the art is pretty good and I wouldn't describe it as voyeuristic, some of it being definitely tongue-in-cheek... but you know what you're getting with this title.

This three-episode story features the Sixth Doctor going up against the title character, a renegade Time Lord original to the audios. I know that I just criticised 4th Doctor story The God of Phantoms for feeling too long when it's only marginally longer than this, but here, the fact that the story is broken up into three means that it just doesn't feel the same, especially as the middle episode has a different style to the other two. Nonetheless, it does fit together as a single story, rather than three isolated ones.

All For One - This episode introduces us to a planet where the inhabitants all have a split personality, being able to switch between their two selves at will. Inevitably, they regard anyone who cannot do this as, in effect, disabled and there is some low-level discrimination against such people. That gets directed at Constance and a guest character, but the main focus is on The Eleven, taking advantage of some of the local medical technology to do something it wasn't intended for. Although much of it is a runaround with the main characters being hounded by The Eleven, it does have the advantage of making use of the exact nature of his insanity rather than just have him being nuts. And, while it would work well enough as a standalone, it's a good intro to what follows.

The Murder of Oliver Akkron - The second story is the most unconventional for Doctor Who and serves solely as a bridge between the other two, such that it wouldn't work at all in isolation. It consists almost entirely of a conversation between a sane-seeming Eleven and its titular character, whose identity and importance are slowly fleshed out as the story progresses. This, obviously, is the sort of thing that audio is well suited to, although the fact that it consists almost entirely of two people sitting down and having a polite dinner conversation is far from what one would expect. On its own, this would be dreary, but it fleshes out the world in which it is set and does employ some clever misdirection as well as providing what will prove key backstory for the third episode. An oddity, perhaps, but it fits where it is.

Elevation - We're back on more familiar ground in the final instalment as the Sixth Doctor returns to see the fallout of the previous episode and The Eleven coming up with an even more audacious scheme. It takes a while before that becomes apparent but when it does, as in the first episode, it ties in directly with the nature of his affliction. It manages to explore a little of what it would be like to be him, and gives Miranda Raison (as Constance) some entertaining opportunities to ham it up. It's bonkers and grandiose but very fitting for the character and once again showing Mark Bonnar's strengths as an actor. (If there's a weakness with the character concept, though, it's that eleven is too many - this far in and I've still not got a real feel for Two, Four, Five, or Seven and, while I'm sure they're all in this, I couldn't tell you which ones they are. But heck, that still leaves seven of them...)

A more straightforward story than the previous outing in the comic series, but just as strong, this sees Peter teaming up with DC Guleed to investigate an infestation of supernaturally animated black mould. This leads to crooked landlords in London's famously expensive housing market and some casual (and not-so-casual) racism. It's another solid police procedural that allows both Molly and Sahra to kick ass and - even if it's not overly complicated - it takes a few twists along the way. As usual, there are connections to the books, as well as to previous comics in the series, but this one feels more standalone than usual, requiring less prior knowledge to follow, but rewarding the familiarity if you have it.

What you'll think of this may depend a lot on what you expect it to be. It's a story about the Gotham City PD, but it could just as well be any large urban American police force... although, clearly, making it a fictional one gives a greater degree of freedom to the writers. So if you're expecting costumed villains or similar craziness, you may well be disappointed - Batman, for instance, isn't in it and is barely even mentioned.

The story is about Renee Montoya, recently having replaced Jim Gordon as Commissioner, and trying to make the GCPD better. She's haunted by memories of Two-Face (the only other significant character from the Batman mythos to appear) and struggling to get her life together in the face of her new responsibilities. But the focus is perhaps even more on three new recruits who illustrate, in different ways, just how large a challenge she faces as they make their way through the grimier side of police life.

Despite the standard 13+ rating, it's a dark story, with some uncomfortable themes. The characters swear a lot (although the rating means that the actual words are blanked out) and there's alcoholism, overt racism, and gun violence that seems all the more real because of the plausible background. It's a grim read in places, without much in the way of hope, but the characters are well-written and varied, trying to do the right thing in a world that mostly doesn't care.

This unusually gory story is set in a 3-bedroom rented property in Cardiff, where Owen has turned up to investigate a particularly nasty outbreak of mould and rising damp. It's told largely from the perspective of one of the residents, a junior estate agent (that's “realtor” if you're American) who finds things rapidly spiralling out of control as the infestation spreads. It's one of those stories whose impact may depend on the listener's own phobias or sense of disgust - it's probably just as well it doesn't have visuals (or smells).

This makes it essentially a base-under-siege, although to say much more would venture into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that there is a secondary theme as well, which has more of a connection to the title. Owen, who is still fully alive at the point this is set, comes across as something of the jerk that he was in the first Torchwood TV season but still at least trying to do the right thing and save the unfortunate bystanders. Similarly, the main guest character is well-written, giving her a believable depth considering the short length of the story and its focus on horror. It's those features and the steadily building sense of dread that make this a strong story... if not one for those with a weak stomach.

The opening teaser sets up the premise as Owen discovers that Andy has a new girlfriend and there's something unusual about her that he is uniquely placed to sense. From there, though, the story does not necessarily go in the direction you expect, as we learn that she also has an unusual ability that draws Owen in. How he reacts to that and how the relationship between the two changes form the first part of the story, but then a shocking event intercedes and things begin to slowly spiral out of control.

Although Andy is important to this, the focus is primarily on Owen, with Gorman providing a strong performance as he struggles to keep his head above water and his ruthless and self-centred side clashes with his conscience. The ending might perhaps, be a little too neat, but there are limits to where one can go in a story set within the regular TV continuity and it works within the context of the show. This may not be gory, but it does get quite dark and, if the story manages to pull you along with Owen's plight, he's never entirely sympathetic. Andy's decency and dogged determination to do what's right are a different matter, but you know from the opening moments that he isn't going to get a happy ending...

The Fifth and Tenth Doctors are both drawn to the same temporal anomaly in Paris and (as is apparent from the cover) find themselves facing an unusually protracted invasion by the Cybermen. The result is a fun story with the two pairing up and hopping through different time periods across Paris to try and foil the invasion plan. Although exactly where this fits in their personal timelines is not discussed (although clearly later than the Time Crash mini-episode) neither is travelling with a companion. To fill that gap, we have an inexperienced time agent, who is entertaining enough but seems largely there to make up the numbers.

I found this story slightly stronger than the one that preceded it in this series, perhaps because it's more anchored in the real world. However, it's probably fair to say that fans of the modern series will (on average) tend to be less familiar with the Fifth Doctor than the Fourth and the Cybermen are less popular than the Daleks. But, if neither of these things are a concern for you, Tennant-era fans should still find a lot to like here. The style of the story resembles many of his, with the sort of one-liners that you didn't tend to get in the '80s version of the show, although there are also plenty of references to classic episodes for those who appreciate those.

The Tenth Doctor arguably has more in common with the Fifth than with the Fourth, which provides less opportunity to contrast the two here than in the previous story. It does make things move along more smoothly, without the sort of bickering one might expect, but, depending on your preferences that could be either a plus or a minus. But they do bounce off one another effectively, and it's a successful team-up, especially with the addition of the time agent, and that's really what you want out of this type of story.

The first in a series of original Stargate stories in Big Finish's “Chronicles” style - a first-person narrative read by an actor from the show, with an additional voice actor playing another major part, and sound effects to add to the ambience. This one features Michael Shanks as Daniel Jackson, with the guest actor playing a member of SG-12 who proves crucial to the story.

I wasn't expecting too much from this, but it turns out to be a strong outing. Firstly, Shanks does a great job, slipping back effortlessly into the character and also doing a great job of voicing the other members of SG-1 when Daniel has to recount what they were saying - bringing out their mannerisms without trying to do a direct impression. In fact, the whole thing sounds realistic, with Daniel obviously recounting the tale as part of a debrief rather than sounding as if he's narrating a regular audiobook.

But, mainly, it's just a good story. It's set entirely at Stargate Command, opening with Daniel waking up after a mysterious event has robbed everyone at the base of eight hours of their memory and having to piece together what has happened and why. The explanation is something that would have fit beautifully with the TV show and could easily have been one of its episodes - the choice to set the first audio story in the familiar surroundings of the base probably helps here. The characters are written well, and there's a strong theme of the military camaraderie and ethos that underlaid the show. Definitely one to check out if you're a fan of the original.

Well, here's a thing I didn't expect to see for a long time, if at all: Christopher Eccleston returning to the role of the Doctor, albeit in an audio. But, nonetheless, here it is and, if it's not the strongest outing ever, it's certainly good enough to bring back some nostalgia for an often-overlooked era of modern Doctor Who. The blurb claims that it's “three new adventures” - but it isn't, it's one 3-hour story broken into three episodes in much the same way that Aliens of London and World War Three are undeniably a single story.

It's also rather complicated, playing about with time in a way that's more reminiscent of the Moffat era than anything in Eccleston's single season. Indeed, the story isn't even linear, with the first episode starting in media res and making extensive use of flashback - something that continues to a lesser extent in the following two episodes. This, on top of the fact that events occur out of order even for the characters and that they visit multiple different time periods and worlds and that, yes, the plot is about yet another threat to the existence of the universe means that Briggs is, arguably, trying a bit too hard with this one.

On the other hand, if you can follow the plot, there are enough positives to make it work. The villain, for instance, is working for more complex motives than at first appears to be the case - even if her reason for not explaining what she's doing earlier on, and saving herself a lot of trouble, is a bit thin. The constant scene changes, although they're filler in the sense that the core plot doesn't absolutely need them, do give a sense of scale and drama that a shorter story might lack, and it never really drags. Which is a considerable plus, given the length.

The story is probably intended to be set before Rose, although one could just as well argue that it's set during the seemingly brief gap between the TARDIS disappearing and then reappearing at the end of that episode (if you assume Nine is newly regenerated at the start of it). Either way, Rose isn't in it, and we have a surrogate companion instead, in the form of an indentured cook working in the canteen of a big corporation. She's one of the stronger points of the story, a worthy companion but one who would rather just find somewhere nice to live than traipse across the galaxy.

But the real joy is hearing Eccleston again, effortlessly slipping back into the character and sounding as if he's never been away. This may be a good, fun, outing, although it isn't a flawless one - but I suspect there's better to come.

The biggest problem with this collection is the disjointed nature of the narrative. It starts with the second issue in the story arc (the first being included at the end of the previous volume) and from then on, continues in much the same manner, including only the even-numbered parts of the narrative. The other sections - parts 3, 5, and 7 - were in a different series, so we don't get them here, with the result that we're only getting half the story, leaping over events and resulting in, at best, confusion. Did this story work for somebody who was reading all the issues in the alternating series? I dunno... maybe, but it's no way to put together a collection and while it's unlikely to be Cloonan's fault, it's all one giant mess.

Who at DC thought this was a good idea?

In fact, you might wonder why I'm even giving it three stars and, if all we were getting was the first four parts, I wouldn't have. Fortunately, the final two sections (issues #799 and #800 of the original) are quite a bit better, and just about nudge the overall collection up to “middling”. They're kind of disjointed too, but for a reason, since they consist of a number of dream sequences as Diana experiences how her friends see her and how she touches their lives. The artwork is variable, with the framing device in the waking world having the weakest, but it's a valiant effort to produce a celebration of the character, with a mixture of humour, action, and heart.

Whether it's worth putting up with the repeatedly interrupted half-narrative of the first two-thirds of the collection is, however, a matter of taste. A veritable plethora of variant covers round it out.

While there's no denying that this is a good book, it didn't seem as standout to me as it apparently did to many other readers. On the plus side, there's some great inventiveness, with some striking scenes and clever use of the tropes of the genre. Speaking of which, the genre in question is “fairy tales” in particular, rather than fantasy in general - this is a dark, adult tale that's clearly rooted in stories such as Sleeping Beauty. Despite dealing with some themes that one wouldn't expect in a story for children (although nothing particularly graphic or sexual) it also manages to be surprisingly bright and optimistic in places and the bickering elderly witches are enjoyable to read.

The downside, at least for me, was the slow start. The story actually begins in media res and the extended flashback that follows is written in a curiously detached style that I'd describe as “tell, don't show”. For instance, although there is some dialogue in this section, for the most part, we are told what the conversation was about rather than reading it directly. Things improve greatly once the story reaches the point where we came in, and the protagonist's quest to save her sister from the evil Prince gets underway. But, for some reason, I wasn't quite able to get over the beginning, and that drags it down from the full five stars.

But it's still well worth a read... and bone-dog is cool.

Unlike the first release in the series, this really is what the blurb says it is: three separate hour-long stories. As before, all are set before the Doctor is travelling with Rose and, this time, we have one each for a contemporary, historical, and futuristic setting. But here, the stories are much more like what we got in most of the Ninth Doctor's TV run, rather than something more in the style of Moffat, as the first volume was. Eccleston is great in the role, really getting back into it, and bringing out the character's love of life.

Girl, Deconstructed – The contemporary story (which is to say, it's set around 2005) sees the Doctor responding to a distress call after dozens of teenagers have simultaneously vanished from Dundee. There isn't much mystery as to where they've gone, since that's revealed in the opening teaser, and the Doctor is able to work out the why almost instantly (although it takes him a while to explain it), leaving the story more focused on how to get them back again. Which basically consists of a lot of running about confusing people and building gadgets.

Arguably, not much happens in the story, and there isn't a real sense of threat, either. It's largely conversational, although this does result in a good portrayal of the relationship between a single parent and his teenage daughter – through whose eyes we see the disappearance, although supposedly many others are also involved. The companion surrogate is a police officer whose main role is to be alternately puzzled and exasperated by the Doctor; she's a necessary part of the story from a plot perspective but doesn't bring anything very notable. There are a few callbacks to the classic series, and a foreshadowing of an event in one of Nine's own TV episodes. Unfortunately, though, it's evident from early on where it's going and, the Doctor's chirpy eccentricity aside, not much happens on the way there. 3.5 stars.

Fright Motif – The second story is a more traditional “monster” story, although the monster is based on sound, rather than anything visible, and thus not the sort you're likely to see on TV. It's the historical one of this set, taking place in Paris in 1946, a city just recovering from a long occupation. There isn't a clear companion surrogate in this one, but the three guest characters are all worthwhile and bring out some of the themes of the era. Perhaps most notable is the concierge of the hotel where the story begins, who starts out just being obnoxious but is revealed to have greater depth as the story unfolds.

The result is a good Doctor Who story, with the monster chasing the characters across Paris, and bringing in modern themes as well as a feel for the burgeoning jazz scene of the time. (Some listeners may, however, be put off by the British-actor-doing-an-American accent thing; I'm not in the best position to judge that – although at least nobody's trying to pretend to be French). Like the TV era on which it is modelled, there are some humorous lines here and there, and a good mix of wackiness and seriousness from the Doctor that keeps it effective and enjoyable. 4 stars.

Planet of the End – Once again answering a distress call, the Doctor arrives on an uninhabited world used as a planet-sized graveyard. It's not the first time that particular concept has been used on the show, but here, it's a peaceful place, full of nature, rather than the spookier vibe that such settings normally go for. The story, of course, concerns the nature of the distress call and it's interesting to note that there isn't a monster in this one, with the villains instead being provided by sinister corporate types that appear in the opening teaser, but whose connection to events takes a while to become apparent.

The journey to getting there is, however, enjoyable, partly due to the commentary on it provided by the plant's automated caretaker, who effectively takes the companion role in this story despite initially distrusting the Doctor's motives. The changing scenery and the evolving nature of the threat keep things moving along more swiftly than they might otherwise. True, the villains are rather one-note and prone to expressing everything in corporate-speak, but the clever use of the caretaker offsets that and the story is overall an enjoyable one that manages to balance a sense of peril with the Doctor's positive outlook – without relying quite so much on the craziness. 4.5 stars.

This makes a decent, if not remarkable, conclusion to the series. The initial story sees the two Batgirls swapping bodies but doesn't do much with the idea beyond using it as a vehicle to get into a plot about the characters' relationships with their respective parents. Which mostly works well, even if the resolution feels a bit uninspired. We do get a regular bat-villain turning up, albeit not one of the more famous ones, as an opponent, and Batman and other allies also get involved in the background.

Mostly, though, it's the story of Cass and Steph, as it should be, and there's a focus on their friendship and the way that they complement each other that makes for a positive vibe. That's nicely offset by the second part of the plot, which deals with the plausibly real-world threat of a hidden sniper stalking the neighbourhood. The artwork is variable, but never truly bad, and there are certainly some well-written sequences here and there. It's a decent send-off for the characters, for anyone who enjoyed their teen camaraderie, and possibly the strongest of the set.

One suspects that the decision for the third release in this series to be based around Janet Frazier was more determined by the availability of the actors than for any other reason, but it does allow for a medical-based story that nonetheless fits with the broader Stargate ethos. Set during season 7 (and so not long before the character was killed off) it sees Janet kidnapped so that she can save the life of an injured boy. It's clear from early on that there's more to the story of the injury than at first appears, although I found the various ‘twists' to all be obvious in advance.

While battling a subdural haematoma can certainly be tense, it's not the focus of most adventure stories, so what this one relies on is the evolving relationship between Janet and her kidnapper. There are some nice touches here in terms of the setting, but the kidnapper is more annoying than anything else (he's big on sarcasm) making it hard to build the sympathy that the story is clearly going for.

Having said all that, Teryl Rothery does a good job of reprising her character - perhaps the most prominent recurring character on the show other than the leads - and also portrays Sam and Jack once they turn up. It's a decent story, and a change from the usual that still feels like it could have been a regular TV episode but perhaps not especially memorable unless you're a big fan of the central character... but if you are, this is very probably for you, as she does get to shine.

Most of this volume consists of a prison drama, with Catwoman locked up following the events of the previous one, and initially reluctant to try and escape. Instead, we see her recruiting allies at the prison and putting one over on the authorities. Although there are indications that we're in Gotham City, not the real world, for the most part there are no costumed antics or whip-wielding - it may not be grimy despair of some regular prison dramas, but it's still very light on the superheroics, and fits with the tone of the rest of the series.

Needless to say, Selina eventually gets out, to follow up on the story elements we had left over from Vol. 2 - this time without the interruptions as other, wider, DC plotlines had to be shoe-horned in. In between, Eiko takes up the “Catwoman” mantle, pretending to be the real deal while double-crossing her rivals. This may be a smaller element than the prison sections, and it's all closely tied in with the main plot, but it provides something for those expecting something more traditional from a comic about a costumed anti-hero. And the closing sections, once Selina is no longer locked up, are full-throttle action that still leaves room for some emotional drama with Tomcat.

Although the main artists keep changing every two or three issues, in this one, they're all good - although I'm no fan of the “skintight latex” look they've gone with on the covers.

An unusually topical story, this one, and coincidentally almost as much now that the political phase of the COVID enquiry is underway as it would have been in 2021, when this was released. Suffice it to say that if anyone out there thinks that the UK government did a brilliant job during the pandemic and their actions were beyond reproach... well, they're probably not going to like this story very much. For the rest of us, it's a dark and scathing satire whose targets are obvious.

The story is bookended by the ostensible author acting as narrator, with the titular characters each being the subject of a segment in between. On the surface, it's a story about the lengths Torchwood (and Hartman in particular) will go to protect the UK from a deadly rapidly spreading alien threat, but we all know what that's a metaphor for. And the real subjects of the satire are the five people who stand in her way and the obvious lack of preparedness of the government, despite the fact that plans against the eventuality were supposedly in place.

It's worth noting that it's not just government politicians who come in for a bashing here, but their advisors, the Opposition, and the conspiracy theorists who thrived on uncertainty and fear to spread their own misinformation. Although, obviously, names and details have been changed, there are several direct parallels to the real events and personalities of the pandemic - it's clear, for example, exactly who the fifth person is supposed to be. How much of that will be apparent to those outside the UK who experienced the pandemic through their own country's lens I can't really say, but I suspect they will find at least some resonance with the overall theme.

This is science fiction as a dark satire on modern events, something that has a long tradition in the genre. And it works really well.

Two more stories, one in space, and one featuring UNIT. They feature different companions but both manage to evoke the era, with the ‘70s style incidental music, as usual, adding to the ambience.

Conspiracy in Space – The first story features Jo Grant and is a sequel of sorts to Frontier in Space, being set on Draconia a few years before the latter story. An interesting aspect of this is that almost all of the guest characters in the story are themselves Draconian – something that would be unlikely to work on live-action TV. But it does give quite an opportunity to explore Draconian culture from the inside and do an alien-based story that ties into wider Doctor Who lore without being The Web Planet.

As the title suggests, the story is about court intrigue and a conspiracy within some of the highest echelons of Draconian society. The result is rather “James Bond with space-samurai”, riffing off another trope of the show in this era, as well as providing links to both Frontier and Colony in Space. Part of the Bond feel comes from the frequent use of space-parachutes, as well as a villainous threat to use a doomsday weapon. At times, some of the physical nature of this doesn't entirely make sense and if Barnes grasps the true scale and nature of interstellar space, he certainly isn't letting it get in the way of the story. (For a key element to work, Earth and Draconia would have to be in the same solar system, which clearly, they aren't).

If you don't let that get in the way, though, it's a fun romp with double-crossing villains, honourable and dishonourable aliens and a good use, and expansion, of the general setting. A notable feature is how many of the senior Draconians are female, which gives a better variety than we would expect from Frontier in Space – an apparent contradiction addressed in the closing coda, but a definite plus in this story. 4 stars.

The Devil's Hoofprints – While the second story starts out in the UNIT era, as is common with these collections, most of it takes place in 1855, where the Doctor runs into the eponymous footprints – an actual piece of local folklore that is here given a science fiction explanation. This time, he is accompanied by Sarah Jane; the Brigadier also features but has relatively little interaction with the other leads after the first 30 minutes.

Sarah Jane is perhaps less associated with the UNIT era than Jo or Liz, but she still belongs and fits right in here, at least in those segments set in the present day. Otherwise, she's strong and independent, as she was in this era. That's slightly offset by her being held hostage by the villains at one point, Jo Grant style, but even then she is given more agency than her predecessor often was on the TV show.

My problem with this story is that it's often difficult to work out what's going on, with plenty of action scenes, some involving the Doctor and Venusian aikido, but a larger number with the Brigadier. Since the latter is on his own, aside from the villain, we don't have the usual stand-in of somebody explaining what's just happened out loud and, honestly, I just have no idea in places. Otherwise, it's a decent story, using some of the tropes of the era, even if the historical setting was only rarely used during it (although, obviously, that includes The Time Warrior, so Sarah Jane is an obvious fit). 3 stars.

Near the beginning of the Second Doctor TV story The Abominable Snowmen, the Doctor remembers that he has to return a sacred bell to the Det-Sen Monastery following an unseen prior adventure. This is that prior adventure, a prequel that sets up the TV story in the closing minutes.

It's a return to the format of the earliest releases in this particular series, heavy on the narration, provided here by Peter Purves, who also plays the Doctor in addition to Steven. It has the feel of a pure historical, differentiated from one only by the presence of the ‘real' Yeti - which are described as looking nothing at all like what's on the cover and don't have anything like the central role that their robot counterparts do in the TV story.

The story is also unusually slow, with no action and virtually no sense of peril until the halfway point. Indeed, a large chunk of the first 30 minutes is taken up by discussions on Buddhism, tying in with the Third Doctor's era but otherwise providing little of interest. The slow pace does give some time for character development of the companions, which is a plus, but even this doesn't feel very inspired. Steven also gets a love interest, but, naturally enough, it's obvious that that's never going anywhere. When the villains do turn up, they just aren't interesting, or even as threatening as they're supposed to be.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the story, though, is the presence for the first time in a Big Finish audio of Dodo as a primary character - she has been narrated before, but never properly played by a cast member. Given how little they had to work with, the story brings out her on-screen persona effectively and hopefully, she can be given more to do in future stories, so that we can see rather more of an underused character. As it is, she is crucial to the resolution of this one, but only via a lampshaded-but-never-explained plot point that's a little hard to take seriously. An interesting decision is to have her actor use the Lancashire accent Dodo had in her original appearance, rather than the BBC English she used from then on - it makes her more distinctive, but jars with the few surviving TV stories that feature her.

This feels like something of a missed opportunity. It doesn't quite know whether it's supposed to be a character piece or an action-adventure and ends up doing neither very well. It isn't bad, and has some good elements here and there; the romance may be doomed, but it does at least work, and Dodo is written well. But it's nothing to get very excited about either.

Vala is the narrator for this second SG-1 audio story, which is set during the TV show's final season. That was the only one in which she was a core character and, for myself at least, that makes her less memorable than some of the other characters whose actors presumably weren't available. (Whereas, of course, Black is very memorable in Farscape, so this is by no means a dig at her). The supporting actor is Michael Shanks but this is very much Vala's story, and, following the usual format of the series, it's Black who does the voices for all the other characters who appear.

It's probably fair to describe this as a comedy, something that wasn't too common on the TV series that I recall (with the obvious exception of ‘Wormhole X-Treme') and so perhaps feels a little out of place. Having said that, it's not slapstick or one-note, and there is more to the story than the humorous elements - some of which are due to the desperate situation into which she gets herself, but many to her unreliability as a narrator and her tendency to overstate her accomplishments. As a one-hour story, it's slightly longer than a TV episode would be, but it doesn't feel that way and fits its allotted time slot perfectly.

How well you like this may depend on how much you like Vala, since most of the story takes place before she met the Stargate team, and so doesn't have the feel of a typical TV episode, more of a slightly mad crime caper. Having said which, it works on that level, and if you are a fan of Vala, this gets her personality spot on, and brings it centre-stage, so there's likely plenty to enjoy.

As with many of the previous releases in this series, this consists of four individually titled hour-long episodes, but is really one long story that moves between settings. The main focus, featuring in the first and last episodes, is on the Master's attempts to infiltrate the political system of a world that suffered in the Time War. Exactly why he's doing this, other than it offering some vague tactical advantage, isn't really the point of the story, which keeps the War very much in the background. Instead, it's more about his methods... which, initially, hit a significant snag as he finds himself opposed by another power-hungry schemer who understands the local political system far better than he does.

That leads to a rather choppy story as we jump through the years, following both the Master and his opponent in their slow race to the top. The middle two episodes, however, move in a different direction as the Master seeks to manipulate two of the Doctor's former companions to unwittingly do his bidding. These are the best parts of the plot arc, the first a disjointed nightmare as Jo Grant struggles to aid her ailing uncle and the second a more sedate piece as Nyssa finds her humanitarian work subverted. The latter, in particular, plays up how the superficially benevolent nature of this incarnation of the Master masks his true intentions.

A possible weakness here is that the Master is portrayed here as an outright sadist (even if he's good at masking it) rather than someone who is power-hungry and deeply callous, as he has more often been in previous stories. But it is another great performance from Jacobi, and there's the added joy of seeing him face two of the Doctor's companions. And, yes, it's another very dark piece, where the few genuinely good characters tend to come off badly against not only the Master, but his equally ruthless opponent. And, while the route to getting there includes a number of unexpected twists, the ultimate outcome is never really in much doubt.

The River Song audios started off with the titular character going backwards through the Doctor's timeline in each release, ending with Tom Baker as the oldest living actor. Now that they're confident enough with their replacement actors, Big Finish here continues that trend with a Third Doctor crossover – four stories in which River turns up at UNIT to act as Liz Shaw's assistant while the Doctor is away for an unknown reason.

The Blood Woods – The first story inevitably has to carry the burden of setting up the scene for the others, with River arriving and having to overcome Liz's suspicions and her understandable impression that the Brigadier doesn't trust her to work as scientific advisor on her own. This results in the central plot, about a man who died under circumstances that imply alien involvement, moving slowly at times, as the interaction between the leads has to take centre stage. Having said which, it's actually quite a good plot building in more elements in than one might expect under the circumstances, albeit never with the sort of folk horror feel that it's probably going for.

Liz gets quite a bit to do here, and the chance to show off some of her abilities – she is nominally River's boss in this, after all. But it remains River's story, keeping her as the main focus, playing off against both Liz and the Brigadier. The latter has a comparatively minor role, albeit a crucial one to the resolution, which, in all honesty is pretty straightforward and almost anticlimactic. But the characters make up for it, and the pairing works well, the two main characters both contrasting with and complementing each other. 4.5 stars

Terror of the Suburbs – This is a Stepford Wives pastiche, with a dash of The Prisoner. Unfortunately, it's somewhat weakened by the fact that Big Finish has used much the same premise twice before with Jack Harkness (and some German accents that even I can recognise as bad). The explanation for what's going on is different from those outings, but beyond the ‘70s setting and its accompanying digs at fondue parties and the music of Demis Roussos, the setup is essentially the same. I will say that the villain's identity is clear from early on, although their motives are not, and the sense of mystery is underplayed possibly because River (but not the audience) already knows what's going on.

Elements of physical danger through the story feel thrown in at random, and there seems surprisingly little urgency about dealing with them, even allowing for the fact that most of the characters are either brainwashed or complicit in what's happening. Furthermore, exactly how the villain is supposed to have set all this up in the first place is something that perhaps doesn't bear too close an examination. So its not the strongest story, and feels like it's been done before without too much change, although some will doubtless appreciate the almost entirely female cast even if the characters, by the nature of the setting, come across as rather bland. 3 stars.

Never Alone – The first story is, in some respects, a typical Third Doctor story, except for River and Liz taking the lead – and it's all the better for it. It begins with UNIT investigating an unusual death and then being drawn into the machinations of a mysterious tech company that, among other things, has invented a basic iPod a few decades early. What we get is a good investigatory story, giving Liz and River roughly equal roles that eventually takes a slightly surreal turn as the true nature of the threat becomes apparent.

Although they're mentioned, UNIT isn't really in this one, leaving the leads to solve the problems on their own and giving them an opponent that men with guns would be of even less use against than usual. True, the motivations of the monster aren't especially interesting, but there are some good supporting characters and some nice ideas that pull this distinctly above the average. 4 stars.

Rivers of Light – In the final story, it's revealed what River has really been doing on Earth, as the Doctor turns up and takes exception to what she's been up to in his absence. (Understandably so, in fairness to him). Almost immediately, UNIT receives a call about unusual events at a Yorkshire coal mine. River is trying to keep the Doctor out of it, and, while she isn't entirely successful and Liz and the Brigadier also have significant roles, it's once again primarily her story.

The explanation for what's happening – all tied in with River's presence in this time period – is bonkers but does fit in with the show's larger mythology. A scene at the end tying things further in to the Third Doctor era feels superfluous and was perhaps included only as a test run for something coming in later releases for this Doctor, rather than River. There's also a thread about the relationship between two of the guest characters that seems significant but is never followed up on.

However, the plot isn't really the point here; it's more about seeing River interact with the Third Doctor and having fun with UNIT dating. (For instance, the story is set during the miners' strike... but even some of the characters are actively unclear as to whether this is the big one from the '80s or one of the shorter ones from the preceding decade). Because of all that, it's a big and dramatic conclusion to the box set, even if the underlying plot isn't always the strongest. 4.5 stars.

This story follows on directly from the ending of The Dalek Invasion of Earth - but from Susan's perspective not the Doctor's. Indeed, it's worth noting that, although he is often mentioned, the Doctor is not in it at all (unless you count the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising at the start). Exploring Susan's life after the TV story has been done before, most notably in the novel Legacy of the Daleks, but never, to my recollection has it been this immediate. So, if you want to imagine that novel, or any of the other audios, as occurring in the same continuity, you're probably fine. Although it is important to note that this is not a Dalek story in the normal sense, since it really is just about their legacy on Earth, not the murderous pepperpots themselves - for me, that's a plus, but it might not be for everyone.

Without the Doctor, Susan takes centre stage, supported not only by David but also Jenny, the resistance fighter from the TV story. (Here, given a surname, no less). As one might expect, this means that you will need a decent familiarity with the original episodes to get the most out of this, there being plenty of references to it. There are also ‘easter egg' references to various other TV stories set broadly in the same time period, both from the classic and modern show, which, nerd value aside, give it a sense of reality, fitting in with at least a broad history of the future. (And, it has to be said, doing so with far more subtlety than the fanw**k included in Legacy of the Daleks).

The story has three intertwining elements, exploring the fate of the Robomen, the attempts to establish a new government and society in the post-apocalyptic world, and an alien monster that's wandering around underground. Added to the ongoing threat that the Daleks might return, this gives the story plenty of scope to fill out its two-hour slot, and even then, there are jumps in the narrative in a few places to save time. Some of which are explained in the narration provided by Carol Ann Ford, but some of which are not.

At times, it might be biting off slightly more than it can chew and, while the monster does have relevance to what's going on elsewhere, it isn't really needed and doesn't make a lot of sense. But, well, I guess they wanted some action other than the political plot. One could also point out that Ford doesn't sound like a teenager any more, and the new actors playing David and Jenny don't have identical voices to the original... but all of that is unavoidable. The end result is a decent story that fills in some gaps and, for once, shows us something of what happens after the Doctor swans off having defeated the baddies and left the wider societal problems for someone else to fix.

A set of three stories featuring the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan, unconnected beyond them likely taking place consecutively. The title story is two hours long, the others an hour each, and it's worth noting that each has a different tone.

The Lost Resort – Reuniting after the events of a previous audio that saw the Doctor travelling alone, the TARDIS crew lands on a planetoid that is home to a decaying medical facility, its robotic staff and their few remaining patients. The place turns out to be hiding secrets, not the least of which is the sudden appearance of what's seemingly a ghost. The resulting story, unfortunately, is a bit of a mess, and the good points suffer for the lack of any grounding in reality.

The presence of the ghost is eventually explained (and key to the larger plot) but the other details of the planetoid seem to be oddity for oddity's sake. The robotic hospital staff are strangely inconsistent, as is the reaction of some of the characters to them – hostile one moment, willingly allied the next. A scene involving antigravity is not only difficult to visualise but highlights the fact that the details of the “planetoid” (whatever it's supposed to be) don't make much sense. On the bright side, and saving the story from a lower rating, it does have some worthwhile things to say about loss and grieving, paralleling the stories of two of the patients with the Doctor's remorse over the death of Adric.

The story also manages to keep the mystery going for most of its length, although once the explanation is revealed, it's immediately obvious how it is going to be resolved. Some of the guest characters are simply odd (although the grieving mother with a surrogate child is a lovely touch), and, for all that he's relevant to the antigravity scene, new companion Marc doesn't really seem to do much. In the end, it's all a bit too weird for its own good, although if you don't find that sort of thing detracts from the emotional elements, you'll like this far more than I did. Because, honestly, that part of it is very good indeed. 3.5 stars.

The Perils of Nellie Bly – Nellie Bly, for those who are unaware, was a pioneering female journalist in the late 19th century who, among other things, emulated the fictional Phileas Fogg by travelling around the world in less than 80 days, racing against another female journalist travelling in the opposite direction. Here, the Doctor encounters her towards the end of her journey, as she seeks to get back to New Jersey before the deadline and her rival. It's a straight historical, and one that's entertaining rather than grim.

The basis of the story is that Bly's rival (also a real person, although only mentioned here indirectly) has bribed saboteurs to delay the trip – which, in the real world, she presumably didn't. This gives it something of the feel of some of the TV versions of Around the World in Eighty Days, with the Doctor and companions trying to foil the saboteurs and allow history to take its course. Assuming you accept the premise, it's fun yet mostly quite down-to-earth (save for the section where Bly puts on an implausibly effective disguise) and Tegan and Marc, in particular, are well-used. 4 stars.

Nightmare of the Daleks – Following the adventure romp, the final story is much darker. It's a sort of base-under-siege, although the Dalek threat is more subtle than it usually is. The initial mystery of how Marc appears to be in two different places at the same time is quickly resolved, but from there on the puzzle is how and why the Daleks are doing what they are doing. Despite the unusual situation, however, this is in some respects a fairly typical Dalek story, with them repeatedly threatening to exterminate the main characters and never quite getting around to it. Still, there is a body count, and also an off-screen torture scene, which combine with the confined setting and the unpleasant working conditions for those on the base to make this both atmospheric and grim.

Among the companions, the focus is primarily on Marc, with Tegan and Nyssa reduced to supporting roles by the short length of the story. It makes slightly better use of Marc's condition than the previous stories do, where it was primarily a hidden bonus, rather than the disadvantage it's supposed to be, although it's clear that the writers have already explored its psychological toll as much as they were willing to and didn't want to flog a dead horse by this point. It's not the strongest Dalek story ever, but it does win points by at least coming up with an unusual situation to put them in, forcing them to rely on different tactics for their larger plan. And there's a good emotional ending to it, as well. 4 stars.

This is a prequel to the second season TV story Adam, showing the memory-stealing alien's first encounter with the organisation and explaining how it ended up in the box that Jack recovers it from. In this respect, it's not a great mystery - we know roughly what's going to happen from the pre-title teaser, although the scale of it is much greater on this occasion, with the alien (played by the same actor as in the original) being far more successful. The strength, however, is in the characterisation and in the building dread of Adam being seemingly unstoppable.

It's set in the 1950s, and it's notable that the consequent lack of any of the regulars doesn't matter at all. Instead, our leads are Norton Fulgate, a familiar character on the audio series by this point, and his immediate superior Lizbeth Hayhoe, whom we've only seen briefly before. Here, she's very good (as one would expect from Dervla Kirwan), coming across as the stronger of the two even while the story explores her weaknesses and vulnerabilities alongside Norton's more obvious ones as a gay man in '50s London.

This is an ‘adult' story, with sexual encounters for Norton and references to various sexual positions in the dialogue. Plus, there is something undeniably disturbing about having memories stolen and the inability to remember for long that there's even anything there that you should recall. I might knock half a point off for retreading old ground, but no more, so w'ere still in five-star territory, in one of the more successful Torchwood audios not to feature the original team.

The only real connection to the rest of the series here is the one-line reference to the “Torchwood Archive” in the Doctor Whostory The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. This features Zachary, one of the survivors of that story, here summoned by the newly installed ruler of the Earth Empire to attend a ceremony on an inhospitable planet. This switching of the setting to somewhere else has had mixed success in previous instalments and, on this occasion, it doesn't really work.

The world-building behind it isn't bad. There's a sense of an Empire in decline, and most significantly, a follow-up to events of Planet of the Ood and to the society coped with the emancipation of its slave race - by, as it turns out, enslaving sentient robots instead. Unfortunately, this means that the robot character is the only sympathetic one here; I just couldn't care what happened to Zachary, and even less about what happened to the Emperor. Despite a story that involves them being pursued by hostile forces under the threat of a ticking time bomb, the whole thing manages to feel slow and pedestrian, and it's that lack of empathy for the characters that's the primary reason for it.

Is it terrible? Perhaps not, because the robot is well done, sorely put upon despite doing her best to help the humans. Indeed, maybe it would have worked better in a line other than Torchwood, where, despite a certain bleakness, its distance from the usual themes stands out, but as it is, it feels like an unsuccessful experiment.