How to Win Planets and Influence People

"The Doctor cannot be planned for."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: June 2017

Series: Short Trips 6.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

9AM: Registration

10AM: Our Opening Guest Speaker discusses Strategic Invasion Plans, including things to look out for, Time Lords to avoid, and tips on crushing the lesser races

11AM: Biscuits and Coffee

12PM: Continuing on from his opening talk, our Guest Speaker discusses bringing the universe to its knees

1PM: Lunch

A dynamic talk with slides. The Meddling Monk has lectured widely for several centuries, and his wisdom is contained in the following bestsellers: The 7 Habits of Truly Terrible People, Who Moved My Sun?, Feel the Fear and Detonate It Anyway, The One Million Year Manager and Ice Men Are From Mars, Karate Is From Venus.

Verdict

How to Win Planets and Influence People was an incredibly unique and terrific little audio adventure! As far as Short Trips go, this was a wonderful use of the format and just a fantastic story. It was magnificent to have Rufus Hound starring as the Meddling Monk and he really did shine. I'm such a big fan of the Monk and I've loved him ever since The Time Meddler and I really have been hugely impressed by the new incarnation on audio with Big Finish to continue the character and this was another fantastic addition to his list of tales. The idea of the Monk providing a lecture and PowerPoint presentation to the Darkon Corporation on how to conquer planet Earth was just superb. I have spent enough of my life in lecture halls during my studies for my Bachelors and Masters Degrees, but I don't think I ever got one as good as what the Monk was delivering here! Who better to provide a step-by-step guide of dos and don'ts than him? Using his experience of constantly being thwarted by the Doctor was tremendously done and I loved how we got what was essentially a break down of everything that went wrong for enemies and villains alike in previous Doctor Who stories. The likes of the red button and self destruction parts were so much fun and the enthusiasm that the Monk injected into the presentation was a sheer delight. I liked the idea of the Monk having a drink at the Bar Galactica and likening everyone there to having been defeated by the Doctor was very good and a nice little mention of some good continuity. I thought the Monk delivering the presentation shortly after his being defeated by the Doctor once again was just great and the way Sarah Jane was used in the story was very well done considering how little she actually featured. Using her skills and experience as a journalist is always something I'm a big fan of as at the end of the day that's her occupation so it should be used. The Monk's plan to subtly take over the Earth was magnificent and using real estate dwellings and buying land in the past and then reaping the rewards in the future was just brilliant and a very good use of his meddling ways, even if it wasn't in the extreme circumstances of his other schemes. I analyse the risk of clients for a financial firm as my day job and we get a lot of real estate companies which is a high risk trigger, so his efforts of explaining how the land had been in his name for two millennia was wonderful. The same name passed down – even the women! That was so much fun. I also adored the Monk's reaction to Harry saying righty-o when requested from the Doctor to do something. He absolutely despised that and almost felt it alone as a worthy reason to invade the planet! The only issue I did have with the audio (and it's a small one!) is the impression of the Fourth Doctor by hound. It just seemed a bit too much and so far removed from anything close to Tom Baker. That's a minor issue though, because the Doctor's role was fantastic and the way he revelled and upsetting the Monk's meddling is almost harsh. The fact that he had himself meddled with time and the Monk's actions to actually change the Monk from being a real estate tycoon to an incredible philanthropist was just tremendous. It was so simple yet so effective. I really enjoyed it and the desperation and annoyance of the Monk's reaction to realising he had been bested again was magnificent. You couldn't plan for the Doctor and this was just yet more evidence. Overall, a fantastic little audio!

Rating: 9/10