Jamie Revell

The Doctor and Romana arrive in a ship burrowing deep below the ground on an alien planet and become embroiled in a battle for survival against a merciless enemy. In all honesty, this is a space opera featuring a foe that bears a strong resemblance to one that's already part of the DW canon and, in terms of the plot, is not particularly unusual for the series. Certainly, if you're after the dark gothic feel of TV stories like The Brain of Morbius this probably won't be one for you.

What it does have, though, is a sense of fun, and one that fits with the Williams era that a story featuring Romana should generally be emulating. There's a steampunk feel to the setting, with coal driven drill-ships manned by mole-like aliens with heavy goggles and an obsession for top hats. Even the fact that we are underground, rather than in space, makes a difference from a ‘real' space opera, without the disadvantages that trying to render something like that in a visual medium would create.

It's all rather bonkers, enlivened as much by the guest cast as by the regulars (who bicker rather less than usual here). It's probably fair to say that the fine details of the setting don't bear too much thinking about but, for an hour-long story little of that matters. It's fast moving with a resolution that, if not unexpected, at least comes from an unusual quarter. An enjoyable, light-hearted story with a setting that's at least a little out of the ordinary.

Chris Eccleston's well-known reluctance to reprise his role as the Ninth Doctor means that we won't be getting any stories featuring the original actor for a long time – if ever. In the meantime, this is as close as you're going to get (outside of a written medium, obviously). It uses Big Finish's “Chronicle” format, meaning that it's essentially an audiobook with added background sound effects and a second actor providing one or more voices in addition to the narrator.

In this case, the latter is Briggs, mostly doing third-person narration in his own voice, but also doing most of the other parts. Mostly, this works quite well, and his impression of Eccleston, while obviously not flawless, is pretty good in places. Unfortunately, his impression of Rose is, understandably, much less effective and is a significant drawback in the stories in which she appears. It's a weakness, perhaps, of the hybrid format, neither a regular audiobook nor a full-cast audio play and suffering by falling between the fences.

The collection consists of four hour-long stories.

• The Bleeding Heart – Considering that all of Nine's TV stories take place on (or at least in orbit around) Earth, it's surprising that the collection begins with a story on a distant alien planet at some point in the future - probably during the time of the Earth Empire, from a few hints in the dialogue. This takes away from the resemblance to the relevant TV era as, arguably, does the absence of a companion, but otherwise there are plenty of themes connecting it. The story is about an alien peace conference where things suddenly start turning bloody, which allows for some reflection on the Doctor's own recent past in the Time War. Both the nature of the threat and its ultimate resolution fit in perfectly with the era, too, although they do require some prior knowledge of this particular incarnation. 3 stars.

• The Window on the Moor – Out on the wily, windy moor, Emily Brontë opens a window to another universe. Which is less left-field than it might sound, since she wrote what might loosely be described as fantasy fiction for her own amusement as a child. Unfortunately, while a story with Brontë does sound interesting, she's not really in it all that much. Once again, we're off Earth for most of the story, in this case in the alternate reality (or whatever it is; it's not very clear) on the other side of the window. The resulting setting all feels rather generic and the plot isn't strong enough to hold up things on its own. Yes, there's some fun with a glass prison but even some of that just feels like padding. 2 stars.

• The Other Side – Things improve a little with the third story, although it still suffers from all the female parts being played by Briggs (something that would, at least to me, feel less out-of-place in a straight audiobook reading than in a more supposedly immersive production like this one). This time, we're focussing on temporary companion Adam, in a story set between TV episodes Dalek and The Long Game. The story, which features a temporal distortion in an abandoned cinema, shares many themes with Nine's TV run but isn't able to build too much on Adam himself - played by original actor Bruno Langley. Nor does it particularly foreshadow The Long Game, presumably to make him more sympathetic, although, in fairness it's not inconsistent with that, either. It's a good enough tale, but I'm not convinced we needed another story with a character specifically set up as a ‘failed companion' that we shouldn't be rooting for. 3.5 stars.

• Retail Therapy – Finally, we reach the best story of the four, bringing back Camile Coduri as Jackie Tyler. Set primarily on the Powell Estate, this has the obvious advantage of a setting familiar from the TV series, while still bringing in a new foe - albeit one that also reflects others seen on the show down the years. But the real strength is Jackie, who gets some great character moments, including a heartfelt conversation with the Doctor about their respective relationships with Rose. For once, she gets to be the hero in a story about the struggle of everyday working people against corporate greed and glamorous celebrity. 4 stars.

Star Cops was a TV show that ran for a single season on the BBC back in 1987. While I have fond memories of it, it was largely ignored at the time – explaining the lack of a second season. Apparently, it has undergone something of a re-evaluation in recent years, as a seminal piece of hard SF that had the misfortune to be made at a time when the BBC was turning away from science fiction in general and so suffered from irregular scheduling and under-promotion.

This is the first of four audio releases re-uniting all the surviving members of the original cast. While there are references to the original show, no knowledge of it is required, with the first episode filling in the few blanks a new listener might wonder about. Set in the far-off world of 2028 (not that the audio version ever mentions the date...) when mankind has permanent bases on the Moon and multiple space stations in orbit, it chronicles the work of the nascent police force created to patrol the high frontier. I'll note that this carries an “adult material” tag, which is due to mild swearing, sexual references, and the existence of Inspector Devis.

• One of Our Cops is Missing – The first episode concerns an undercover policeman who has gone missing while investigating a drugs gang in London and is later briefly spotted on the Moon. While Nathan investigates that, Devis is sent off to look into a spacesuit malfunction. It's the latter that has the real connection to the story arc for the 8-episode ‘season', although here, the focus is on the seemingly more important case. The episode primarily serves as a scene-setter for what's to come, laying out the setting and re-introducing the three returning characters (Pal has a very brief scene, seemingly only added to remind us she exists) as well as bringing in the new ones. In that respect, it's functional, and works for what it's trying to do. 3.5 stars.

• Tranquility and Other Illusions – Next, we move to a murder at Tranquility Base, in the shadow of the preserved Apollo 11 Lunar Module. Devis is more the focus than Nathan here, and it's worth noting that the writers don't attempt to change him dramatically from the sexist, slightly bigoted, character we saw on TV. Now, though, it's less played for laughs, and it's clear that the setting is no longer “the ‘80s in space”, where people might turn a blind eye to such things. In fact, how this is done is as much a strength of this episode as the central plot. Like Star Trek, the original show featured an African-American and a Russian among the major characters (both actors have since died), but the inclusion of gay and Muslim characters here brings a more modern sense of inclusivity, as does the larger number of women in the cast. 4.5 stars.

• Lockdown – Nathan attends a conference in Paris where a mystery new piece of technology is to be announced that may put the Star Cops out of business. Naturally, something goes wrong and much of the rest of the story takes place inside the sealed building as he tries to figure out who is behind it. Because of the Earthbound setting, the main part of the story is a regular thriller, that would work almost unchanged if it were set in the present day. However, SF elements are added as the investigation into one of the suspects leads back to India's orbital space station. This wouldn't have worked earlier in the set, but, here it's an effective contrast of the sort the setting allows (and did sometimes on TV). 4 stars.

• The Thousand Ton Bomb – The villains of the season's story arc finally come to the fore in the concluding episode of the set. Here, they are threatening the opening of a new space station and suddenly turning a lot more violent than the glimpses of them we've seen so far have suggested. The episode is also notable for bringing Pal back as a proper character, having not appeared in the previous two episodes at all. Her feisty nature is played up, and the writers seem to have some difficulty fitting her in, but it helps that she's no longer the only female main character (new character Priya Basu isn't in this one much, but she's been very much a focal point in the previous three). In addition to the criminal shenanigans and a segment of Earthbound investigation that turns rather violent, there is an excellent climactic scene at an orbital construction site that manages to work well despite the lack of visuals. 4.5 stars.

The four stories in this collection see the Eighth Doctor and Bliss still trying to stay out of the Time War while inevitably embroiled in its repercussions. Each of the stories would work as a standalone, although they are shown as happening consecutively.

State of Bliss – The first story sees the Doctor trying to unravel Bliss's past, scrambled as it is by the temporal shenanigans of the Time War. On the plus side, it's a good vehicle for Rakhee Thakrar as Bliss, who is the central character throughout, with the Doctor reduced to a supporting role. The expansion of Bliss's backstory is certainly welcome, building on what we've previously seen and showing us more of who she was before she met the Doctor. Unfortunately, it's rather difficult to follow and not just because of the jumping about between different time streams. Indeed, much of that element is good, assuming you're okay with timey-wimey plots. But once it's over and we return to something more straightforward, it's not very clear what the villain is up to, except in the broadest of strokes, and the resolution seems to come out of nowhere. 3.5 stars.

The Famished Lands – Next up is a rather more traditional story that's only tangentially about the Time War; as in some previous stories in this series, it's about the fallout of the war rather than the conflict itself. In this instance, the Doctor and Bliss arrive on a non-agricultural planet cut off from its usual supply routes by the fighting and consequently in the middle of a famine. It's clear from early on that someone is resorting to desperate measures to end the famine and the full story of what they're up to escalates as it progresses. It feels traditional in the sense that any interstellar war would presumably have done as a backdrop, but it does fit with the overall theme of this series, with the Doctor staying out of the fighting and trying to help its innocent victims. 4 stars.

Fugitive in Time – The third story sees the Doctor going on a reconnaissance mission to a planet where a race previously destroyed by the Time Lords may have somehow survived. Although this initially appears to have no connection to the Time War beyond the Doctor being accompanied by a Gallifreyan military officer, naturally that doesn't remain the case for long. Nonetheless, most of the story is about infiltration, with the Doctor having to decide whether to help or hinder the plans of an alien scientist played by veteran actor Wendy Craig. There's also a minor mystery about the identity of a traitor, although, with such a small cast of characters, the number of options as to who it might be isn't exactly large. The result is a decent enough story but there's not much about that's likely to stand out as especially memorable. 3.5 stars.

The War Valeyard – The Valeyard is himself something of a paradox, with multiple different explanations for his background having been given in different sources down the years, all of which have something to do with mucking about with the Doctor's personal timeline. So it should be no surprise that when we add him in to a story about the Time War, the result is very much on the ‘timey-wimey' side. Having said which, I found it easier to follow than the first story in this collection even though what's going on is at least as complicated, if not more so. It is something that you'd want to pay close attention to, since there are a lot of timelines jumping about and people not being what they appear. But, while it may not shed any more light on what the Valeyard actually is, it does a good job of showing him as an incarnation of the Doctor, darker than the War Doctor but clearly distinct from the Master, too. It's a complex and adventurous story in many ways, but whether that will appeal is likely a matter of taste. 5 stars.

While Rhys has, unsurprisingly, featured in previous episodes alongside Gwen, this is the first Big Finish release to feature him as the main protagonist. This, perhaps even more so than the Ianto stories, creates an “ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances” set-up as Rhys has to deal with the threat without any Torchwood backup.

The story itself is set inside a hospital where Rhys' mother (played by veteran actor Nerys Hughes) is recovering from a hip replacement and something sinister is going on across the corridor from her room. It's not, admittedly, a terribly deep plot, largely consisting of Rhys and his mother trying to escape from what's chasing them, although it does have a larger cast than the earlier monthly Torchwood releases have, which gives it more of a well-rounded feel.

What raises it above the three stars, though, are the dialogue and the performances from Owen and Hughes, moving from the normality of the opening scenes to the increasing tension as they find themselves trapped and in rising peril. (The producers may have felt that the former go on for too long, since there is a snippet of one of the later scenes before the title music, as if to inform you that something dramatic will happen at some point; I didn't find this necessary).

For this series, this is a middling story, more effective than some and less so than others. But that's a pretty high bar, to be honest.

The third and final release in a set of paired one-hour stories, here the two stories have a shared theme but, even though one ends on the cliffhanger that launches the second, they are narratively otherwise unrelated. It's perhaps most notable for revisiting an ‘earlier' time in the Doctor's audio adventures, when he was still joined by Hex (played by Philip Olivier) as well as Ace. As in the previous releases in the set, one story is good, and the other merely average.

* Shadow Planet - You'd think people would have learned by now not to establish leisure resorts on potentially dangerous planets, but apparently not. To be fair, in this case the danger wasn't apparent to the builders of the New Age-y retreat that allows people to literally come to terms with their repressed emotions. The set-up allows Aldred and Olivier to each play two contrasting roles and the split is more subtle than ‘good twin/evil twin'. But it feels simplistic, the sort of thing that's better than, say, Orphan 55 but that's fairly predictable in its course and doesn't do anything particularly remarkable. 3 stars.

* World Apart - The TARDIS lands on a planet that appears entirely uninhabited and that really shouldn't exist at all. For the most part, it's a battle for survival against the harsh environment, with the Doctor missing for almost half the story, leaving Ace and Hex to handle things on their own. This gives a great chance for personal interaction between the two characters, something well suited both to the shorter length of the story and to the audio format. You can almost feel the icy chill and the creeping sense of despair in the second half and the eventual climax does a great job of showcasing Seven's personality. 4 stars.

Unlike the previous collection, this second volume represents a single four-hour story rather than a collection of episodes linked by an arc. Unfortunately, it isn't one that works terribly well.

It starts with Charlie and her new beau Robert arriving in modern-day London just as a series of unexplained deaths and mysterious events occur. To begin with, it cleverly weaves together three different plot strands, with the events being investigated by our heroes, the government, and a journalist, each of whom collect parts of the mystery and don't get the chance to put them together until around the half-way mark.

This is excellent stuff, with tension, a few creepy concepts, and some good character moments for Charlie. The science fiction elements, of which there are many, are enhanced by the present-day setting, and the reaction of the characters to them is mostly believable. (There is even a throw-away line from a government minister about not wasting money preparing for disasters that will never happen... “such as a pandemic”). When I paused the story at the 2-hour point, I was fully prepared to give it the full 5 stars.

After three hours in, however, the whole thing falls apart. At this point, Charlie and Robert are suddenly whisked away to somewhere else entirely, and the other plot threads are all but ignored. Obviously, it eventually turns out that there is a connection, but after the tension of the first three hours I was left with a distinct feeling of “never mind all this stuff, when are we going to get back to the plot?” It's never a good sign when that happens.

In fact, much of the final hour is spent with characters refusing to explain to one another what's really going on, and our heroes being pushed about by the bad guys without showing any agency of their own. By the time the explanation arrives, it turns out to be incomplete, and things rush immediately into a dramatic cliffhanger ending that wraps up nothing.

One can't blame Briggs for using a cliffhanger, since a third volume was presumably planned at the time. Three years on, however, and there's no sign of one, leaving us with a very unsatisfying ending that, in hindsight, was probably a bad idea. [Edit: 7 days after I posted this, a follow-up was announced, although with no publication date as yet].

This consists of four stories featuring Missy as a major character, and at times even a protagonist. The result is much more anarchic than the War Master series and it's noteworthy that each episode has a very distinct feel. But all of them feel perfectly fitted to the character we see on screen, ruthless and a little bit mad, having fun with all the chaos she leaves in her wake.

• A Spoonful of Mayhem – The first story plays on the ‘Scary Poppins' motif with a story in which Missy takes work as a governess as part of a plan to escape from 19th century Earth. It's a nice idea, but, at least for me, fell flat in the execution. Part of that is due to a plot that (like Mary Poppins) relies on magic, or at least the appearance of magic, which always feels off to me when it comes to Doctor Who. But it also relies over-heavily on narration, much of it being from the perspective of the children she is looking after – there's one scene where the pair spend a lot of time describing to each other a series of events that they can both clearly see. Which is unavoidable on audio to some extent, but here is lengthy and detailed enough to feel ham-fisted. Yes, Gomez is great, perfect for audio with her habit of switching accents in mockery or as the character's mood flips, but she's let down by a mediocre story. 3 stars.

• Divorced Beheaded Regenerated – Then we have a comedy, which is much better than the opening episode, and better suited to Missy's persona. Certainly, one couldn't imagine it working with any other Master and this alone distinguishes it from the sort of story we get with, say, the War Master. The story is set at the court of King Henry VIII and there are a few historical inaccuracies in it... but given that it also features the Monk, and he's had a few years to get his meddling in, that could be deliberate. Most of the humour comes from the banter between him and Missy, two devious characters with wildly different motives both trying to get one over on the other. It turns out that Gomez and Rufus Hound (as the Monk) play off each other well, and I'm glad to see that the pairing re-appear in later releases in the series. 5 stars.

• The Broken Clock – The third story starts out as if it also a comedy, appearing to be a cheesy and cheaply produced US ‘true crime' documentary. It only becomes more surreal once Missy turns up and starts to argue with the voice over. But it's a very different flavour of comedy from the previous episode, and slowly morphs into something more serious as the details of Missy's plan become clear. It's a bizarre timey-wimey tale that leaves some questions open (which may put some listeners off) and that turns out to have more heart than appears the case at the outset. Plus: the world's most intentionally bad Mexican accent. 4.5 stars.

• The Belly of the Beast – It's only in the final episode that we have something set off Earth as we visit a planetoid that Missy is mining for some mysterious purpose. Much of it is told from the perspective of her slave labour, slowly discovering the disturbing details of what's going on as they try to rebel. It's a darker story than any of the previous ones, although Missy's flippant style keeps it distinct from the War Master series and it doesn't quite reach the level of despair of, say, The Master of Callous. It's fun, but not quite as much so as the previous two, although it does tie back to both of them, giving a (retrospective) feeling of a plot arc. It's open-ended, setting things up for the next release, although I wouldn't say that the ending is a true cliffhanger. 4 stars.

A second collection of stories about the Eighth Doctor's interactions with the Time War, trying to save innocent victims from its consequences – not always successfully. The second to fourth stories form a single arc, and also tie in to the regular Eighth Doctor audios by bringing back a key character, here played by Julia McKenzie (known, among other things, for playing the title role in the 2009 TV version of Miss Marple).

• The Lords of Terror – The first story is comparatively standalone and serves partly as an explanation for why Bliss choses to become the Doctor's companion long-term, rather than returning home when she has the chance. Other than that, it's a story about resistance against dictatorial rule, and more importantly, about the lengths some Time Lords will go to to win the Time War. While Bliss is quite significant here, her struggles to deal with the implications of events in the story are, if not entirely glossed over, a relatively minor element – something that surely wouldn't have been the case had she been from Earth. But as a Doctor versus tyrannical regime story, it works well. 4 stars.

• Planet of the Ogrons – The Doctor encounters an enemy from his past in a story that has a number of links to the classic TV series. Especially, of course, Frontier in Space, which is also partly set on the titular unnamed planet. It begins with the Doctor meeting a very strange Ogron and following him back to his homeworld to deal with the modified Dalek scientist responsible for enslaving his people. The resulting plot is timey-wimey in places, but not enough to make it difficult to follow. Indeed, it's relatively straightforward, with much of the fun coming from the unusual Ogron and the references to past TV stories. True, there's no more exploration of Ogron society and culture than we've already seen elsewhere, but then, there probably isn't very much of it to explore – there's no attempt here to reinvent the race as more sophisticated than they initially appear. The prominence of the other characters means that there's not so much for Bliss to do here except react to events, but things move along rapidly enough that this isn't as noticeable as it might be, and she isn't left out of things as she often was in the first box set. 4.5 stars.

• In the Garden of Death – The third story is set on a prison camp in which the Daleks are, for not very clear reasons, keeping the Doctor and Bliss alive, but without their memories. The story is primarily told from Bliss's perspective, as she and the Doctor try to work out what's going on. The relatively small cast makes it seem for a while that the camp only has four inmates, and, while there do turn out to be more, what the others are doing there, or even who they are, is even less clear than for our heroes. With the Doctor largely out of the action, it's left to another supporting character to take on his usual role, and the conclusion of the story feels very sudden, relying more on a sudden piece of technobabble than on a natural progression. On the plus side, it's a nice setting, even if the story isn't the strongest. 3.5 stars.

• Jonah –The final instalment features an aspect of military operations that we haven't seen much of in the previous Time War stories: submarine warfare. It works quite well on audio, since the characters can't see out directly, although when moments of more direct interpersonal conflict occur, it's as difficult to work out what's going on as usual. The story concerns the Daleks and Time Lords racing to yet another superweapon that will end the War for good – at times one wonders how much of the War consisted of anything else, until the War Doctor found one that actually worked as intended. There is some good characterisation here, some of it explicitly contrasting with Eight's next incarnation as well as a different twist on wartime tales. It's also notable as the last performance of Jacqueline Pearce (better known from Blake's Seven) here playing Cardinal Ollistra in a story released a few months before her death. 4 stars.

The run conclude, with a volume that's rather better than its predecessor - and for that matter, better than the conclusion to Abnett's run a couple of year's prior. It's all based around Mera's grand state wedding. Given that Arthur isn't the groom and that this is the kind of story it is, it's unsurprising when all hell breaks loose in front of the altar and nothing goes as planned.

However, there are some good scenes with Aquaman leading up to the wedding, seeing him trying to cope with his new daughter. There's also some character development for Black Manta's son, which was also one of the good features of the previous volume, and the action scenes, both at the wedding and elsewhere, are done well. Orm is suitably villainous, trying to take advantage of an epidemic to appear as a man of the people, and a host of other familiar characters popping in for the climax (and it's great to see Dolphin, once again, being a key element in the resolution). In the end, it's a new beginning for Atlantis and for the core characters with a resolution that's rather more positive than one might expect, given some other DC arcs of late.

The second part of the series continues from the cliffhanger at the end of part one, giving a mini plot arc to dubious ‘50s Torchwood agent Norton Fulgate – who, in at least some of the stories here is portrayed more seriously than he was in his initial outings. As usual, they aren't kidding about the presence of adult content, and, if anything it's stronger in this one than usual.

• Flight 405 – Following on from the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, this sees Fulgate joining Andy and Yvonne as they investigate an aeroplane trapped in the Rift. It's primarily a character piece, with the tension provided by the apparently doomed status of the plane rather than by any kind of monster. So, instead, there is some expansion of the relationship between Yvonne and Andy, and a question as to how far they can trust Norton (bearing in mind what happened in Andy's previous encounters with him). Even so, the threat does ratchet up towards the end and there is some mild gore along the way. Not the strongest Torchwood story, but the small cast does keep things focussed. 4 stars.

• Cardiff Unknown – Slipped in between the first and second regular episodes of this collection is this 25-minute story in the form of a podcast that explores mysteries and conspiracy theories around Cardiff – some of which are related to previous episodes. It doesn't go anywhere and feels like filler. While I presume that it will prove relevant later on, taken on its own it's competently done, but that's about it. 3 stars.

• Hostile Environment – From there, though, we move on to a particularly dark episode that deals with some strong adult themes of physical and sexual abuse. It's based around Tyler who is not, it has to be said, a particularly likeable character, but here finds himself homeless on the streets of Cardiff and a subject of the listener's sympathy. The despair of his situation spirals downwards as things get progressively worse with the science fiction elements complemented by the commentary on social attitudes to the homeless. It's a bleak vision about loss of control, and not always comfortable listening. 5 stars.

• Another Man's Shoes – A body-swap story that sees (from the opening seconds) some of the regular characters switching bodies with one another. Naturally, this has quite a bit of comic potential and that's the main focus, albeit with something more serious going on in the background. (And rather a lot of implied sex). It also allows the main actors to play a different character, something that has mixed results but is generally both effective and amusing. Samuel Barnett, for instance, is doing a voice so different from his usual character, Norton Fulgate, and doing it so well that, without visuals, it's sometimes hard to remember which one he is... while Barrowman's English accent often falters. While it does connect to the larger plot, it's largely a good piece of fun, much needed after the gloom of the preceding episode. 4.5 stars.

• Eye of the Storm – The final story is a tense action piece as the team struggle to shut down an alien reactor in the Bristol Channel amidst a powerful storm. It's effectively done, and, as the story escalates, there are plenty of betrayals and drama as various threads hinted at in the previous episodes come to a head. Indeed, there are connections to audios well before this ‘season', helping to build the sense of a big plot arc. It ends on another cliffhanger setting things up for the final box set. 4.5 stars.

On TV, the Movellans have two main drawbacks: their only proper appearance was in a story that's generally regarded as middling to weak, and while their design was good at the time, it now jumps up and down and shouts ‘1970s!' at you. These reasons, especially the first one, probably explain why it's taken this long for the audio series to get around to featuring them in a story (I mean, good grief, both the Voord and the Nucleus of the Swarm beat them to it).

This is a “contemporary” story, which is to say it's set in 1980, when the season it's emulating would have aired. That seems to be season 18, with the story taking the serious tone of the early JNT era than the more light-hearted one of its predecessor. For instance, there's relatively little banter between the Doctor and Romana and none of the quips for which Four is often known.

What we're left with is a story about a crashed Movellan spaceship placing the world in peril. It moves from the initial mystery into a more action-oriented tale that nonetheless features the Doctor trying to find non-violent solutions to the situation. Along the way, there are some nice references to the era - and this is the second time in this ‘season' of 4th Doctor audios that the story has been set a few miles from where I live...

As for the Movellans, the audio removes the obvious weakness that they had in Destiny of the Daleks, and does quite a good job of portraying them. In some ways, it builds on that, having them present a new threat that's related to one of the main themes of their debut story. Having said which, they remain rather one-note, obsessed with their war against the Daleks, with no real hint that there's any more to them than that. The story works well as what it's intended to be, but I can't help feeling that there's more potential to be explored here that might not have suited a one-hour audio so well.

A collection of four hour-long stories starring Jack Harkness, but not based around his time at Torchwood. Set at different points along his personal history, one of its strengths is showing how the character has been changed by the experiences he has had during the TV series; in effect, there's a different version of him in each episode here.

• The Year After I Died – As the title indicates, this is set shortly after the events of The Parting of the Ways and notably, before Jack has discovered that his survival in that story wasn't just a one-off event. In some ways, therefore, it's a sequel to that story, taking place on an Earth still recovering from the Dalek attack. There's a good look at a Jack still uncertain and cautious after his scrape with death, as well as a number of references to that story's events and the future society depicted in it. The plot, however, is less strong, being fairly straightforward with an over-the-top villain whose utter ghastliness is a little too much to swallow. But, as an introduction to this series, it works well enough for what it's trying to do. 3.5 stars.

• Wednesdays for Beginners – The second story is much better and this is largely due to the fact that it has Jackie Tyler in it. It's primarily told from her perspective, with her waking up one Wednesday morning to find that something is very wrong on the Powell Estate. The story itself has some fun ideas, as the actual nature of the problem and how it might be tackled become apparent. But mainly, it's the interplay between the two leads that sparkles, with plenty of great lines that contrast Jackie's down-to-Earth nature with Jack's otherworldly experience. This makes it a real joy to listen to... although those who aren't British might wonder why Jackie finds the aliens' name so funny. 5 stars.

• One Enchanted Evening - This time we get a sequel to Voyage of the Damned, following on directly from the brief scene with Jack meeting Alonso Frame in The End of Time. The pair's planned evening goes badly wrong when the space station they are on suffers a disaster and Alonso finds himself once again trying to get the few survivors to safety, despite the insecurity induced by his failure to save most of the passengers last time. There's plenty of flirting amidst the peril, some touches of humour, and a nice turn from the ship's engineer. But once again, it's let down by a ridiculously over-the-top villain that damages the story's credibility - although Katy Manning is clearly having great fun with the role. 3 stars.

• Month 25 - While the previous stories have moved chronologically through Jack's life, this one jumps back to when he was still in the Time Agency. Which means that he's both mortal and still using his real name. It's a good portrayal of a younger Jack, still extremely cocky (something he notably isn't in the previous story) and more interested in having a good time than actually working for the Agency. The story is set almost entirely in his native time period, concerning a plot within the Agency itself, guest starring Alexander Vlahos as a stranger who knows entirely too much about Jack's life. 4 stars.

This is the second half of a two-part story; I have reviewed both parts together under the entry for Act 1.

Vienna is trying to go straight in this standalone 3-hour story. This makes her more emotionally vulnerable than she has been in the previous multi-episodes “series” which may, or may not, be something that a given listener would approve of. Otherwise, however, there's plenty of the usual action and thrills and a story about mental manipulation - although memories are only tangentially affected in this one.

It opens in media res with Vienna being accused of murdering her partner. Much of the first hour is taken up by an interview with a smug prosecutor in which we see flashbacks to the events leading up to the opening scene as Vienna tries to piece together who the real murderer might be. (And this does, of course, mean that Samantha Béart is in it as Trexie). The remainder is taken up by a prison drama set on an asteroid, as strange things start happening that may have a connection with the original killing.

This being Vienna, not everything is as it seems, and there are some twists in the plot. One of them I spotted quite a long way in advance, but another I didn't really see coming at all, so I'll count that as a success. There are some good guest characters, too, notably a couple of the other prisoners who take Vienna under their wing. It's not the strongest of story in the series, but it's still pretty good, with the usual themes about free will entwined with a decent mystery story, and some elements of humour provided by Vienna's ever-cheerful computer.

This contains two entirely unconnected stories, albeit by the same pairing of writer and artist, and it's mainly for this reason that I can't rate it more highly.

The main story shows the new Swamp Thing learning what he is turning into and facing a few supernatural threats along the way. It's a good introduction to the concept of Swamp Thing, with some great scenes set in the Green and reflections on what Levi is going through as he tries to make sense of what is happening. The art is also good, suitable for this sort of grimy supernatural setting. But it suffers from being too short - just four issues that don't take us very far into the story. It doesn't help that the beginning of the story is in some other collection, although we do get enough flashbacks to piece together the outline of what happened.

The reason it's short is, presumably, in order to fit the other, two-issue story in. And why is that even here? Yes, it has Swamp Thing in it, although probably not the same one, but, while it's well written, it feels needlessly tagged on to push up the page count. Not does it add anything to the main story, being set in the Future State setting so that it distracts rather than complements. One really good story that's rudely truncated, and one perfectly decent one that belongs somewhere else... one can't blame Ram V, but I don't know what DC's editors were thinking. And that gets it a big mark-down from me, I'm afraid.

A set of four largely unconnected stories starring Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina da Souza, the aristocratic cat burglar and nearly-companion of the Tenth Doctor from Planet of the Dead. Each story is built around a planned theft of some sort, although not always by Christina herself, and not always as the main focus of events. There's glamour, gadgets, a flying bus, plenty of links to the TV series, and a clever and kickass female lead... but, on the whole, it's not really one to be taken too seriously.

• It Takes a Thief – The story kicks off in a setting that's surely ideal for Lady Christina – the French Riviera. She's there for... well, fairly obvious reasons, but it turns out that there's a more deadly cat burglar also at work in the area. For some reason that I wasn't really clear about, this brings the attention of Interpol, rather than the French police, and Christina has to clear her name. (In this story, Interpol appears to be an actual international police force, rather than a liaison and database-storage organisation, as they are in the real world).

The result is a fun caper, with Christina being joined by an upper-class twit as she hunts down the killer and spends a lot of time in expensive hotels for the idle rich. The theme tune to this series is a little reminiscent of the James Bond theme stylistically, and this feels very appropriate here, with its daring escapades and implied glamour. There are also several connections with the TV series, as well as with another audio series (in the latter case, though, it's more of an easter egg, and you absolutely don't need to have encountered the character before). 4 stars.

• Skin Deep – Here, we're in for a much more typical Doctor Who story, although it's not initially clear whether we're dealing with aliens or some new piece of deadly technology. It has some points in common with the TV story Partners in Crime (as is mentioned in an aside by one of the characters), but the resemblance turns out to be fleeting. The story is more significant for bringing back Donna's mother, Sylvia, as Christina befriends her as part of some larger scheme.

Sylvia isn't really as much fun as Donna is, and, although she does have an important role in the plot, she seems there more to provide a connection with the TV show than for any other reason. However, we do get to see a little of Christina's background, and some of what drove her to become the woman she is. (Among other things, to the surprise of surely no one, she turns out to have gone to school at Roedean). In the end, it's a decent attempt to do a DW tale with Christina as the protagonist, although she doesn't come out of it entirely positively. 4 stars.

• Portrait of a Lady – We're back in full James Bond territory with this story about a master criminal arranging an art heist. The heist is a relatively minor part of the story, which is really about the struggle to retain the stolen art after the theft. Lady Christina herself doesn't turn up until some way in, and the story is at least as much told from the perspective of UNIT officer Sam Bishop, who's trying to track her down. Along the way, there are flying cars, alien tech, an angry Sontaran, and... well, quite a few Bond cliches.

Although this is definitely fun, I found it not quite as good as the first two tales. The main reason for this is that the action is difficult to follow in a few places, with not quite enough dialogue to make it clear – often an issue on audio. But, in addition, some of the geography just doesn't make sense, with the most obvious example being the presence of the Amazon jungle in Argentina (coastal Argentina at that, so maybe 1000 miles too far south?) If you don't mind that, though, it's a decent caper, although more The Spy Who Loved Me than, say, Ocean's Eleven. 3.5 stars.

• Death on the Mile – We move to Edinburgh for the final instalment – which makes a change from so many stories set in London... or Cardiff, for that matter. Once again, this is a heist, this time of some mundane, but very valuable, treasure concealed beneath Edinburgh Castle that just has to be stolen while the Royal Military Tattoo is going on. (So, yes, there's bagpipes). Bishop is providing security, but this time the focus is more on Christina, although their encounters in the previous story do play into this one. There's also an appearance of a character who appeared early on in the modern UNIT audios, although it's not necessary to be familiar with her, since she's effectively introduced as new.

The story is quite mad, with teleportation, remarkably effective antigravity, and (as is obvious from the cover) a certain race of New Who aliens making a prominent appearance as they race Christina for the treasure. But it's good over-the-top, fun, and easier to follow than the preceding story, assuming you don't mind a number of major Edinburgh landmarks getting trashed along the way. A good conclusion to the set, if not the deepest thing Big Finish have ever done. Plus, you know... it has farting aliens. 4 stars.

Two more stories featuring the Doctor travelling with former Roman slave Marcus in addition to regular companions Tegan and Nyssa.

Warzone - One of the main tropes of Doctor Who is that it involves a lot of running, so there's something almost tongue-in-cheek in the fact that this story sees the Doctor and his companions taking part in a marathon run on an alien planet. Obviously, there's more to the story than just the running or even the deadly obstacles that are strewn along the route but, even so, it's a major element and there's an underlying theme of taking a swipe at some people's obsession with athletics and physical improvement.

Things really get going in the second half, however, as a more sinister side of the race becomes apparent. Companion Marcus (or Marc, as he seems to be known now) proved rather uninteresting in the previous release, but here we finally get a pay-off. The story builds on what we saw of him in his debut to place him at the centre of events in a way that wouldn't be possible for most other companions. Tegan also shines, being the one who is interacting with him most but, considering it's only an hour long, there is still room for Nyssa to get some good scenes as well. 4 stars.

Conversion - The Cybermen promised on the cover make their appearance in the second story of the set and it's a good one for fans of these particular monsters. The mournful alien doctor who can't quite get the hang of human interaction is a bit tiresome at times, as are the characters that the Doctor and Tegan bump into in their part of the story. But this isn't the strength of it, which is looking back at the events of Earthshock and examining the characters' reactions to it now that the bad memories are being brought back by the return of the Cybermen.

Nyssa gets to help save the day in the Doctor's absence and we also see a softer side of Tegan as she begins to question some of her life decisions travelling with the Doctor. Marcus has rather less to do, but he remains pivotal to the story, which makes us care about what happens to him through his interaction with the regulars. There's great acting all around, with Davison being particularly strong as the Doctor struggles to prevent history being repeated.

The story ends on a minor cliffhanger, which has no direct connection to the main plot but nonetheless feels like a logical extrapolation of it... all to be followed up, presumably, in the next Fifth Doctor release. 5 stars.

The first in a new series of stories, this has the interesting premise of exploring alternate realities instead of space and time – a sort of Sliders set in the Doctor Who universe. Rose is the central character, travelling through the parallels to find the Doctor – presumably in connection with the events of Turn Left. Three out of the four worlds visited here are themselves facing doom allowing different interpretations of how people would react to the end of the world. There's also a strong theme of family as we see different variations of how life could have turned out for the Tylers – something that's appropriately reminiscent of RTD's first run on the show.The Endless Night – The first story has to set us up with the basic premise for the series, so that it's quite a while before any additional science fiction elements make an appearance. Instead, we see Rose tracing the history of her family on the parallel Earth to determine how close it is to her target one, interspersed with brief flashbacks explaining how she came to be doing this. Significantly, this reintroduces us to Clive, the conspiracy theorist killed off in the very first episode of the modern TV series, who becomes a regular in this audio one. The story is primarily personal, with no explanation as to how the catastrophe facing the parallel Earth has come about. Instead, it serves only as a backdrop to exploring this alternative reality's Pete and Jackie and how their lives took a different turn – an effective, but low-key start that doesn't throw too much at us at once but obviously requires some prior knowledge of the characters. 4 stars.The Flood – While the first episode depicts a world that's essentially like ours until the catastrophe strikes, with the basics out of the way the second opts for more significant changes. This time, we visit a London drenched in perpetual rain (more so than usual, that is) and where technological progress stalled and even reversed in the 1980s. The episode finds time not just to give us a glimpse of the changes in the Tyler household, but also gives Clive some good moments as he realises how his own life could have been better. Add to that some elements that are reminiscent of Aliens of London as Rose decides to get to the bottom of what is happening with the weather, and we have a strong story that bodes well for this series' future. 5 stars.Ghost Machines – The third story takes a break from the wider theme to give us something much more like a typical Doctor Who episode. The world visited here has more differences from our own than the others and is the only one not (so far as we can see) facing any sort of apocalypse. Instead, the story concerns a piece of newly developed technology that is having unforeseen consequences – something we've seen often enough on the TV show. That allows more of an opportunity for action, as the characters are placed in direct peril and have to come up with a solution to stop the marauding machinery. Taken in that context, it's a decent story, preying on fears of artificial intelligence and giving us a look at another alternate take on the Tyler household (I'm beginning to get the impression that Jackie was really unlucky in our universe, given how much richer all her parallels seem to be). But it doesn't quite live up to the premise of this particular series, and feels out of place amongst its fellows, although it does provide some needed variety. 3.5 stars. The Last Party on Earth – As the title indicates, the final episode takes us to another doomed Earth, although the actual details of the impending disaster aren't relevant this time around. Nor do we see an alternate Tyler family with the story instead being about the parallel version of the Powell Estate responds to the news their world will shortly end. After Clive and Pete in the precious two episodes, this time it's the turn of Jackie to join Rose on the mission, and the results are predictably entertaining while also giving us a chance to see her caring side as she responds to the different coping mechanisms people are using. It's a surprisingly optimistic take, despite some darker moments along the way, with a positive message about love and family – but no science fiction elements beyond the presence of the travellers, should that be what you're after. 4.5 stars.

The Seventh Doctor, travelling on his own some time after Ace's departure, visits a medieval planet where the inhabitants are being menaced by monsters in the woods. While there, and not coincidentally, he runs into Mags a popular supporting character from the TV story The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. And thus begins a “werewolf trilogy” of stories featuring Mags as a temporary companion.

On the face of it, Mags is a better choice for this sort of thing than was Kamelion in the previous set of three releases. She's potentially a more complex character, defined by more than her ability to shapeshift into a ferocious and vaguely lupine form. But there's little sign of that here and, when she's not about to change shape, she comes across as generic with little else to distinguish her.

The story has a gothic feel, although one that owes more to The Island of Doctor Moreau and the film versions of Frankenstein than it does to say, The Wolfman. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, although some might find the references a bit too blunt. It's also worth mentioning that a number of apparent inconsistencies in the setting, while never pointed out explicitly, turn out to have a logical explanation in the final chapter. On the other hand, while I can see why one of the characters isn't letting the villagers in on what she's up to, it's harder to justify why she takes quite so long to explain it to the Doctor - she has plenty of opportunity and no obvious reason not to.

It's a reasonable story, playing heavily on the theme of Mags' dual nature even when she's not the viewpoint character. But the monsters are mostly just growling at one another and the attitudes of the villagers seem to flip suddenly at times more because the plot requires it than because anything particularly has happened. Good enough, but it feels like a missed opportunity and hopefully there'll be more development for Mags in the coming two installments.

Three unconnected stories about UNIT dealing with alien visitations to Earth – some hostile, some less so.

• The Sleep of Death – The first story is somewhat unusual in that it is a sequel to a story from a different Big Finish range. It's explained sufficiently well that you don't need to have listened to that story to understand this one, but the reverse isn't true since the original depends heavily on the suspense of not knowing what's going on. So, if you are going to listen to both, it makes sense to listen to the other one first: Static, a 6th Doctor story from the monthly Doctor Who range. I'm tagging it as a spoiler here because it takes a little while for it to become apparent that this is a sequel - it seems initially to be about a rogue UNIT soldier who has stolen something unrelated from the organisation and is threatening the world with it without explaining why. As his motives are slowly revealed, the story becomes darker, with themes of suicide and death and it doesn't show UNIT as a whole in a particularly positive light. But, if you're not looking for something cheery and uplifting, it's an effective story that makes good use of the premise, if not quite as strong as the story it's a sequel to. 4 stars.

• Tempest – Although Sam makes a brief appearance in the first story, he is a larger part of events here, although he's mainly taking on Josh's role rather than his more usual one of action hero from the earlier UNIT stories. He and Osgood are sent to investigate an alien distress signal picked up in the Western Isles while Kate visits an oil rig where the workers have been behaving strangely. As is obvious from almost the very beginning, the two events are linked, as are strange weather patterns in the North Atlantic. There's a nice sense of mystery, with whatever is causing the problem almost entirely “off-screen”, as well as touches of humour, mostly from the scenes on the island. The oil company does not come out of it well, in a way that's reminiscent of some of the UNIT stories of the Third Doctor's era on TV, and there's a tense climactic scene as a deadline approaches. 4.5 stars.

• The Power of River Song – The final story is double-length and sees the UNIT team investigating mysterious events around an experimental renewable energy power station in north Kent. (As someone who lives in north Kent, I'd say the description fits the Hoo Peninsula but, obviously, it's never that specific). This has obvious throwbacks to the UNIT era on TV, when experimental power stations were a recurring feature, but fits just as well with modern concerns over Russian gas prices as did with the Oil Crisis in the ‘70s. There are other references to the Third Doctor's era, too in a story that's full of both fun and drama and manages to find something for all of the regulars to do. Obviously, the main draw is the presence of River, whose initial involvement with what's going on is ambiguous, helping to build the mystery, especially since UNIT have no idea who she is and whether they can trust her or not. This is one of the more vivacious renditions of River we've seen in a Big Finish audio, doubtless aided by the fact that she doesn't have to carry the main story here, and there is plenty of enjoyable sparring with Osgood, although, sadly, not so much with Kate. 4.5 stars.

Sergeant Andy wakes up in 1950s London in this partly-comedic, partly-gritty story. The comedy elements come from the desperate situations in which he and '50s Torchwood agent Norton Fulgate find themselves, including accidental nudity, innuendo, and a bad Italian accent. But contrasting with that we have the fact that the story is set in Soho - then London's primary red-light district and not at all the gentrified place that it mostly is today.

That leads to a tour of sordid venues and a depiction of '50s attitudes to homosexuality at a time when it was still illegal. It should be noted that there are some homophobic slurs in the story as a result, although nothing particularly extreme and, of course, not presented in a positive light. This aspect of the story, at least to me, ends up being more memorable than the humour and the action of the final segment and is at home with Torchwood's examination of LGBT and social issues, showing some of the lengths that gay men had to go to for any kind of encounter. (This might, I suppose, be something of an eye-opener to those of the Millenial generation, but then again, maybe not).

Fulgate is also more serious here than he was in his earlier appearances, with less of the over-the-top campness, and no longer using Polari. (Remember Julian and Sandy from Round the Horne? Again, if you're Millenial, possibly not). And that works, making him a more complex character than before, while still keeping the core of the relationship with Andy, and the fact that we never know whether or not he can really be trusted. Add to that the action elements, featuring London gangsters and a deliberately hokey (but dangerous) alien artefact and this is a surprisingly fun listen, considering the themes.

What you think of the first half of this will largely depend on your opinion of Dr. Psycho as a villain. It's a typical battle of Wonder Woman against misogyny albeit with the added twist of, of all things, an evil dairy company. Although the story works reasonably well, it's also let down by particularly corny villain sidekicks. On the plus side, there's some good follow-up to the events of the previous arc, Etta gets some starring moment, and there's a bromance between Siegfried and Steve Trevor (although, again, the latter might put some readers off, since it's not clear where it's going).

The reason I'd nudge it up, let's say 3.5 stars, is that the story builds as it goes along, leading to a second half about the Olympians that manages to up the stakes and keep things dramatic. And there's good use of Cheetah in a way that looks promising for the future direction of the character.

Even here, though, there's a problem in that the volume is really two issues too long. One of those issues is taken up by a side story about the Justice League that doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything. (It may tie into something in another comic series, of course, but it still feels out of place here). And then there's the odd choice of the final issue which just ends part way through without either a resolution or a real cliffhanger, just a dramatic image in the ‘tune in next week' mould - fine for a gap between issues in a plot arc, but rather abrupt for a collection.

Still, I enjoyed it despite the flaws. The art is great, and there's some decent characterisation and down-to-earth moments between the heroics. But you have to be okay with a slow build and some idiosyncratic choices.

This is the first half of a two-part story. I am reviewing both parts here.

Although released separately, and written by different authors, this and The Dalek Gambit form a single story, clearly divided into two parts, but following on directly from one another and featuring the same guest characters.

The first half begins in typical Counter-Measures style with the team investigating an alien arms dealer who has unaccountably switched to selling cleaning robots. We're a way in before they discover who is behind it, although this is apparent to the listener from the title and cover. Instead, the mystery concerns what exactly they are doing and what something that's little more than a Roomba might have to do with it. This is handled well, with particularly good use of Rachel, although Gilmore's approach does seem over-the-top for somebody supposedly so experienced at spycraft.

After the conclusion of that story, we're directly into one where the Movellans are facing off against the Daleks, with Earth the unfortunate battleground in the middle. This helps to bring the series full-circle, since the Daleks were the opponents in the original TV story on which the audio series is based but, unfortunately, it doesn't work too well. While action has always been a big part of the Counter-Measures stories, here it's almost the entire focus, and it doesn't translate effectively to audio, with it often being difficult to work out what's going on.

More seriously, despite the cover showing the new series versions of the Daleks and there even being a shout-out to the TV episode Dalek, they're remarkably easy to defeat one-on-one, hardly the unstoppable killing machines of that story or, for that matter, of Remembrance of the Daleks. Having said that, the resolution at the end is effective, and there are good scenes for both Rachel and Gilmore. Allison and Sir Toby are less well used although the former does at least have one key role to play in the first half.

This appears to have been planned as the final release in the series, and the ending does have an air of finality about it, even though it does leave an opening for more if Big Finish ever wish to take up the baton again. Unfortunately, it's not one of the stronger stories, with less of the espionage feel of most other episodes and moving more into the territory of the UNIT series. There's also none of the '70s ambience, with a story that would have worked equally well set in the present day. It's not a bad story by any means, but it's not really Counter-Measures.

This standalone anthology of Six Doctor stories was released in December and has a distinct Christmas theme, although one that's perhaps more significant in some of the stories than the others. It's also not quite what it appears at the outset, which is rather to its benefit.

Blood on Santa's Claw - Taking its title from a 1971 horror film that happened to feature a former Doctor Who actor this is the weakest of the stories in this collection. That's largely because of the rather daft depiction of 59th-century society- do we seriously think anyone will really be that obsessed with The Wind in the Willows in 4,000 years time? In terms of the plot, it isn't helped by a basic slaves' revolt storyline that doesn't ring any changes on the theme beyond the oddness of some of the characters. A new companion has also turned up in the TARDIS, without us having seen his first appearance; he's a bit irritating and does nothing useful at all during the course of the episode. Obviously, he is there for a reason (and, in general terms, it's not hard to work out what that is) but it doesn't help this particular story when taken on its own.

The Baby Awakes - Next we're off to another planet in the same time period, where fortunately the daftness of the society plays a far less central role in the story. The setting is a clinic where parents can experience how their unborn children will grow up - and choose not to carry them to term if they don't like the outcome. The darkness of this theme, while certainly not ignored, isn't as thoroughly explored as it might be in a longer story or one that, this being Doctor Who and not Black Mirror, didn't have to add monsters and running down corridors into the mix. But there are some good scenes for Peri in this and the new companion at least has something to do even as he becomes increasingly unlikeable.

I Wish it Could be Christmas Every Day/Brightly Shone the Moon That Night - Although each half is credited to a different author although, admittedly, one of them is called "A. Lias" just as the authors of the first two episodes are "Al Terigo" and "Sue Dennom", this is one story, and it's the saving grace of the collection. That's because it's here that the threads hinting at a plot arc in the previous two tales come together and some (although not all) of the apparent inconsistencies in them are explained. It's set during a Christmas party on a space station and it manages to make some effective commentary on the show itself, using some of the Doctor's strengths against him and questioning how his lifestyle appears to others. Things are nicely tied up, with some connections to established lore about future history from the TV show and some good scenes for Peri.

It's nothing spectacular but, by putting the first two stories into a better context, it nudges the collection as a whole up to... let's say 3.5 stars.