The Fifth Traveller

"The surface is our enemy."

Writer: Phili Lawrence

Format: Audio

Released: October 2016

Series: Early Adventures 3.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki and Jospa land the TARDIS on the homeworld of the Arunde. Emerging into the jungle that covers the planet and encountering the strange wildlife dwelling within, the travellers are unaware that the true rulers live high above them in the trees.

The ape-like members of the tribe are in trouble. The last Matriar's nest has been lost to the surface, and the people are hungry... Maybe these strangers may be responsible. And some believe they may be salvation.

The TARDIS crew are about to find themselves in the middle of somebody else's battle. But there's more at stake than even they can know.

Verdict 

The Fifth Traveller was not the greatest of Early Adventures unfortunately. It is a big shame as I had high hopes early on and I thought the opening part was actually really strong, but as the story went on I found myself losing interest and there was not a huge amount of stuff happening that was pulling me back in. It may be a slight on me as a listener but when I decide that a story is a little disinteresting or just isn’t doing it for me, it takes a lot to pull me back in and this story just didn’t have it. I enjoyed the idea behind it with Jospa infiltrating his way into the TARDIS and becoming part of the crew. It was essentially the Early Adventures version of the Torchwood episode Adam where a similar thing happened there. The idea of memories being planted in the psyche of all of the travellers was brilliant but I thought the approach of having them forget him quite early on was flawed. It was predictable then where things were going. I don’t think early in part two was the right time for some of the TARDIS team to be forgetting him, even if it was temporary. Once he was remembered again I just didn’t find myself caring because I knew that he’d be forgotten again or the truth would at least be outed. I think a bit more could have been made when Ian was forgotten and they seemed to remember him far too quickly. There was definitely potential there to explore a TARDIS team without him. I can’t envisage Barbara travelling without him alongside her! I liked the idea of the Vervidic organic technology and the potential of being able to use it to have the Doctor communicate with the TARDIS was very good. A very iteration of the The Doctor’s Wife would be quite spectacular! It never came to that through unfortunately. The potential of Ian and Barbara being able to get home was good though and is always something I enjoy exploring. Despite the enjoyment being had and the qualities they bring as companions, they’re always intent on getting back to their lives and that’s pretty rare for companions! I like that and it’s nice that they have something to work towards rather than just being there to ask the Doctor questions. Vicki trying to deal with the prospect of losing them was good stuff and probably my favourite aspect of the adventure. She would struggle without them and that was down to her lack of relationship with Jospa. They weren’t massive friends. I wasn’t really bothered by the Arunde home planet and the story that happened there because as the title would suggest my focus was only on the mysterious new fifth traveller. It was all just background to me with the Matriar’s nest and the fear of those on the surface. Some of the descriptions of the TARDIS team were amusing though with them being described as walking on their hind legs and bringing light in the form of torches. Sharna was a good character as the one trying to provide reason to Gark’s description of the newcomers, but she wasn’t overly fussed on his feelings and trepidation. I thought the cliffhangers were a little poor in their delivery as they seemed to just be announced by the narrator when there was ample opportunity for some performance and a bit more of an impact given what was described with the likes of Ian sinking in the mud. It almost felt like the adventure didn’t believe in itself which was a shame. I’m never a huge fan of catching up on a story that’s already happened unseen or unheard, and that’s how this one started so I didn’t overly get on with it from the off. Jospa’s demise was a strong conclusion but he gave himself up a bit too easily with mentions of stuff Vicki had never revealed. I liked the idea of him being on Vortis but he was never going to be able to stand up to the Doctor in a battle of the mind. That was a good showcase of the Doctor’s strengths. I wasn’t a huge fan of the team being respectful to him at the burial given what he’d tried to do, but alas he was no more. Overall, some good ideas but not the best way of putting them into action in my opinion.  

Rating: 5/10

Gobbledegook

"Books are sacred."

Writer: Frazer Lee

Format: Audio

Released: April 2023

Series: Interludes 04

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis 

Chief librarian Velar's beloved books are being returned with their text completely garbled at planet Batear's largest library. Batearian books are living things, organically linked via the ancient cave system where they are shelved. Unless Velar's old friend the Doctor can detect a pattern in the chaos, Batear's entire cultural history will become gobbledegook!

Verdict 

Gobbledegook was a good story to act as the opening Interlude adventure from Big Finish this year! I’m a huge fan of this new additional bonus range and getting any extra stories as part of a release or boxset is always welcomed in my book! Obviously, they’re essentially a longer version of a Short Trip adventure given their style of being narrated and only having one actor, but that’s absolutely fine! It’s a welcomed addition to the vast array of content out there and it’s an interesting one here to have the Fifth Doctor travelling solo. In terms of on screen continuity that shouldn’t really be possible but here it seems that his normal companions are off another adventure or simply enjoying a quick break. That’s not unprecedented at all and it’s nice to think that companions can have their own lives on board the TARDIS. It really is rare to get this incarnation of the Doctor alone so I enjoyed having him explore here, but I have to say that I didn’t think much of Dan Starkey’s impression. His narration for the story as a whole was very good but I couldn’t help but think his take on the Fifth Doctor sounded more representative of the Second Doctor. I could hear what Starkey was trying but the inflexions and mannerisms felt more Patrick Troughton than Peter Davison which was a shame. I felt that quite early on and from there I just couldn’t shake that in my listening of the adventure. It didn’t feel authentically Fifth Doctor which was a shame as I rather enjoyed the story! I was not expecting it to feature Velar after the significance he played in the Conflicts of Interest opener of Friendly Fire and his death. It was great continuity and it rounded out the boxset nicely for the latest batch of Fifth Doctor Adventures! It was good to know that the Doctor had met Velar before in a previous incarnation. I loved that he described the Doctor’s regeneration as shredding his skin which was a great analogy for the process! The Doctor even acknowledged that which I appreciated. I liked the focus on books and education in the story with a number of books in the library either going missing from their shelves or just being full of the wrong words. That was clearly problematic and it was where the story got its name as a number of books simply had their words in a jumble. They’d all became gobbledegook! I thought that was fun to deal with and the Thewth as the culprits were decent. They didn’t seem to provide much of a threat and I quite liked how simple the resolution to their problem was. They were a race that had lost their language so enlisting the help of Velar and his students meant that they could transcribe the Thewth’s alphabet and give them back their language and from there their memories and culture. It was quite a nice conclusion really! It was quite the virus on Show but by the end everyone went their separate ways in neat fashion and all was resolved! It was good that Velar might actually join the Doctor in the TARDIS moving forward, but I sincerely doubt that we’ll actually get any further stories featuring them! Overall, a decent story.

Rating: 7/10

The Final Act

"She's a performer. She needs an audience."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 5.04

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

It's the night of Jago's biggest show – but he isn't quite prepared for the special guest star... as the curtain falls, can Jago & Litefoot find their way home?

Verdict 

The Final Act was an outstanding story to conclude the fifth series of Jago & Litefoot! This range really is spectacular and whilst I knew it was very popular prior to me delving into it, I think it has really exceeded my expectations. Continuing with four episodes in a series is done so well and I love how there always feels like a contained arc whilst the series as a whole is one big adventure. It’s perfection. After a funky twist by having Jago and Litefoot tackle their fifth series in the 1960s, this serves as a fine sequel to The Talons of Weng-Chiang which is just delightful! The truth about Guinevere is revealed as she is carrying on the family wish of restoring the god Weng-Chiang. Of course that would refer to Magnus Greel here and having him revealed as the big bad at the end of the series is wonderful. It’s fitting that he makes a return to take on Jago and Litefoot given their encounter in on screen television during the Classic era. It’s a fitting final demise for Greel once and for all. Now, the feasibility of restoring the crystal fragments after the Doctor stomped it to pieces is probably far fetched even if it did take years to collect them up and then two lifetimes to put them back together. That’s a painstaking task and the patience required is far beyond my capabilities! I really enjoyed the pacing of this one and after the cliffhanger finish of The Bloodchild Codex with Mr Sin attacking, that felt right and was what it needed to be for a finale. I thought it was good for Detective Slacker to have a prominent role just like the series opener of The Age of Revolution and whilst I know it wouldn’t be possible for him to stick around in the range as we return to 1893 moving forward, it’s a shame he died but he went out in a strong way! Greel taking his form was excellent. I thought Slacker’s reaction to all of the time travel and precious encounters experienced by Jago and Litefoot was amusing and I absolutely adored him saying it was like a less plausible episode of Nightshade! That was such a good reference to Nightshade and one I really appreciated. Ellie had a really eventful episode and that was fitting as I imagine this will be the last we hear of her from her chronological perspective. She’s still having to deal with the pains of immortality and her sacrifice at the end when everything was coming together for Guinevere and Greel was brilliant. She had vampire qualities and that meant even throwing herself into the time cabinet and shorting out the power into Greel, Mr Sin and Guinevere all in one wasn’t enough to kill her. Any ordinary person would be dead, but she hadn’t even aged! She was almost disappointed to have survived and that was a little sad to hear. I thought it was fun that Greel planned to take his time cabinet back to 1893 and change the future as they knew it. How could they defend against reality changing around them? It was quite the plan from Greel. The way he dismissed of Guinevere was great villainous qualities and after a lifetime and more, she should be honoured he claimed. That was very good stuff. The aforementioned sacrifice from Ellie was hugely admirable, but the emotion that came from her surrounding her relationship with Jago and Litefoot was so powerful and the episode highlight for me. As far as she was concerned she’d never see her old chums again now as they departed in Greel’s time cabinet. I loved the hint of things to come for the pair as it appears that they won’t get home immediately which excites me for what might come in the next series! It was also strong stuff to know that Ellie was at Litefoot’s funeral and a stark reminder that our heroes can die. I felt sad that she didn’t get to give them a proper goodbye, and I do hope we haven’t heard the last of her from this time period. Overall, a sublime episode! 

Rating: 10/10

The Bloodchild Codex

"He just aged before my eyes."

Writer: Colin Brake

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 5.03

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

A stranger arrives at Professor Litefoot's bookshop, in search of a work called The Bloodchild Codex. Soon Jago, Litefoot and Ellie are facing an ancient book which threatens to bring a terrifying power back into the world.

Verdict 

The Bloodchild Codex was an excellent episode to continue my way through the fifth series of Jago and Litefoot! This was my favourite story of the series so far and I really liked how this continued the arc already started in the first two episodes whilst setting us up for a brilliant finale and acting as a very strong episode in its own right! I like the idea of a brain drain killer and whilst that name wasn’t exactly catchy, taking out intelligent people was intriguing and the potential of Litefoot being next was very good. Ellie had a more prominent role in this episode which was brilliant and she really is shining in this series. She knows that Jago and Litefoot will get back to their own time where she will be waiting long in her past. Hearing how she is tackling with her foreknowledge is tremendous and I love that in Litefoot’s library she had to quickly pounce to stop him seeing a book he would write sometime after their return home to 1893. That was fun stuff and a strong red herring to the titular book that was the main focus of the story. The Bloodchild Codex sounds impressive and powerful so I could certainly buy into the idea of it containing the secrets to immortality in the form of an ancestor was fascinating. Never has the dust jacket of a book been so important but when the one remaining copy of the Codex was located, just holding it proved deadly. Both Dreislav and Summer were after the book and the former actually being a former servant of Thomas Bloodchild, Summer’s ancestral relative, was great! The reemergence of Thomas from within the book when Litefoot tried to burn the copy after both Summer and Dreislav were aged to death from holding it was very interesting! I enjoyed the description of him forming semblance in smoke within the fire. He didn’t actually last long being around which was a slight shame given the build up to the importance of the book, but he sounded good and I liked that he came from the eighteenth century. He’d been asleep in the book for a very long time and he genuinely seemed excited by the new world he’d encounter in the 1960s. That hope would never be realised though. Summer’s conversation with Ellie was good stuff and I loved how shocked the former was by the latter saying she wished she could die because of all of the hurt experienced in a life lasting a century. I’ve always maintained I would snap your hand off for immortality but I can also understand how Ellie felt. The threat posed to Dr Evans as the potential next victim of the brain drain killer was intriguing and I liked how that turned out to be the case. Guinevere’s desire for the Venusian crystal that Jago had obtained during the events of Voyage to Venus was intriguing and I was never expecting that to be the key for a very familiar object in the form of Magnus Greel’s time cabinets! Having very recently listened to The Butcher of Brisbane, I wasn’t expecting that to feature and play a part so soon in a story so that was a fantastic surprise. Of course, the surprises didn’t stop there though as within was the all too familiar threat of Mr Sin! Now that really excites me and sets us up very nicely for the finale to come. I’m assuming the time cabinet is how Jago and Litefoot will get back to their own time, but getting there from this point is something I’m very excited to hear! WIgh Guinevere being deduced as the brain drain killer I’m looking forward to seeing how she’s dealt with in the finale as she’s not felt quite that threatening in an episode yet but oozes a chilling villainous quality. I hope she can shine in the finale when the truth fully comes out. Overall, a really strong episode that sets us up very nicely for the finale to come. 

Rating: 9/10

The Case of the Gluttonous Guru

"He was eaten alive by something growing inside him."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 5.02

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

There are toads on the loose on the streets of London. People are falling ill in restaurants... and Jago and Litefoot are on the case of food that eats people.

Verdict 

The Case of the Gluttonous Guru was a great story to continue my way through the fifth series of Jago and Litefoot! Following this episode there is definitely a distinctly different feeling this series with the 1968 setting and that’s not surprising in the slightest. Moving to the sixties from the Victorian era is obviously going to make that happen but it really is a stark contrast. I think it would actually feel a little more normal if Ellie wasn’t around but I’m so glad that she is. The fact that things don’t feel normal is a good thing in my mind and it’s opened up a great deal of new opportunities for the series. I’m a big fan of the direction we are heading and I’m now further intrigued by the methods in which Jago and Litefoot will return home to their own time. That being mentioned again makes me think that this will happen at the end of the series and it’ll be fun to hear the main characters interact with Ellie given that they’ll know she’ll live seemingly in perpetuity! That’s for the future though. I think it’s really fun for Ellie to have to try and look after Jago and Litefoot in the new era as despite some weeks having passed since the events of The Age of Revolution, they’re still adjusting to the new era. And who can blame them? It would be a huge culture shock. I was surprised that Litefoot had looked up his own and Jago’s death in the record books as that kind of foreknowledge is dangerous. The Doctor certainly wouldn’t approve! I wonder if that will play any part in future adventures for the infernal investigators once they return back to their own time. I look forward to finding out! Jago essentially being a celebrity is marvellous and the encounter on the bus where he was recognised but then refused entry because of the toad in his pocket was very amusing! It’s always great to hear him revel in his fame. I thought the toad element of the episode was a little odd. I really enjoyed the threat and concept of something eating its hosts from within, but that being represented in the form of frogs lost its threat and aspect of danger slightly. The Swami were an intriguing race and the religious aspect of them worshipping the parasite was pretty good. Sanjaya was a decent character to act as the mouthpiece for the race and them using Jago as a potential host was exciting. He wasn’t having much luck in the last two episodes! His confidence when it came to Guinevere was terrific and he genuinely believed he hadn’t lost his touch when it came to the ladies. She knew of him though, or at least his supposed great grandfather from the time of the Palace Theatre, and she was after something from him in the form of a crystal to power a time cabinet. That sounded oddly familiar for Jago and Litefoot and actually having mentions of Li H’sen Chang was a lovely reference to The Talons of Weng-Chiang. I was a big fan of fleshing out that history and she’s an enticing character that I want to know more about. I thought it was good for Litefoot to arrive on the scene just when it looked like Guinevere may obtain the crystal. I thought the ending was pretty spectacular and the moment where Jago regained ownership of his Palace Theatre was outstanding! It added one mark to my final rating it was that good as he returned to normality and was in complete adoration of having his theatre back. The way he reeled off the rules was delightful and it was just such a nice moment. Fair play to Ellie for arranging that! Overall, a very good adventure.  

Rating: 8/10

The Age of Revolution

"You're something of a blast from the past."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Jago & Litefoot 5.01

Featuring: Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

Jago and Litefoot are back in London, but in the wrong century. Reunited with Ellie Hinson, they settle into new lives and investigate new cases... but the past is coming back to haunt them.

Verdict 

The Age of Revolution was an excellent story to start the fifth series of Jago & Litefoot! This followed up nicely where Voyage to the New World left off with Jago and Litefoot being brought home by the Doctor after two outings in the TARDIS in a really fun couple of adventures, but they were far from being in their own time! I was slightly surprised that we didn’t immediately pick up where that adventure left off, but we did get there in the end in a really fun flashback scene! I read the synopsis prior to listening to the story which I don’t normally do and I was intrigued that Ellie was going to feature given the 1968 setting. How has she survived or transported herself from 1893? Well, the answer was a simple one and some fine continuity as we harked back to Litefoot and Sanders when she became a vampire! That’s really fun stuff and ties in well. It’s really nice to keep her along for the ride this series and she also knows of the future. I think they revealed a little too early that Jago and Litefoot would return back to their own as that could have been a good thing to build to for the series, and whilst I’m sure that will still happen it loses its effect slightly as we know it will be successful. But at the same time I can appreciate that Jago and Litefoot would want answers to their future. Some of the comments about their take on the 1960s were very amusing and I was stunned that it was Litefoot mentioning how fond he was of the miniskirts! That felt like it had to be from the mouth of Jago so that took me aback in a fun way. The appearance and attire of women here would certainly be different to that of the late Victorian era! I thought Detective Sergeant Dave Sacker was an excellent character and he was terrific as the narrator for much of the adventure. His knowledge of Jago and Litefoot from his grandfather’s diary was nicely done and I loved how the infernal investigators teased their way into getting him to follow them. They were enlisting his help following the recent disappearance and the quartet getting embroiled in the scheme of Timothy Vee and the Victorian Values Preservation Society. Vee was an amusing character in his nature as part of the television landscape and the way that tied into the actual storytelling was fantastic. We even had the new title sequence cued up! That was a neat addition and was well done. I thought the Society was great too and was the perfect thing to take on Jago and Litefoot. They were living articles of the Victorian era and were firsthand knowledge of that era not exactly being everything that the Society was claiming and hoping to bring back to current life. Them claiming now to be the age of revolution given everything that was going on in the world with them particularly against the current western virtues in the world. That was great and Mandrake being the head of it made him a strong villain. His voice sounded chillingly calm and that added a strong quality to his nature. The use of the Venusian crystal at the conclusion by Jago was good and nice throwback to their ventures with the Doctor, and the flashback scene of their departure leaving them stranded in 1968 was good for listeners of the series who may not have heard their other voyages. I appreciated that. Ellie’s reaction to seeing her old chums present was delightful and I loved that she was now the owner of the fine red tavern establishment. Jago and Litefoot seemed genuinely impressed. The confusion at the end once Jago lifted the spell of the Society was amusing as Sacker was arresting Mandrake for something he couldn’t even remember! The use of television to try and hypnotise the nation was strong and I like how the new time setting provides something fresh for the series. Television is a fine use of that and I was a big fan of Jago’s reaction to TV when appearing on Vee’s show. The ending with Guinevere asking Jago out for a drink was intriguing and leaves me thinking that she’ll play a big part in the next episode. Overall, a terrific start to the series!

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon

"The spirit of Aggedor can move mountains!"

Writer: Brian Hayles

Format: Novel

Released: January 1975

Series: Target 13

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

Again, the terrifying cry rang out. The Doctor quickened his pace along the gloomy tunnels of the castle. Suddenly, from the darkness lumbered the mighty Aggedor, Royal Beast and Protector of the Kingdom of Peladon!

The Doctor fumbled in his pocket. Would the device work? As he trained the spinning mirror on the eyes of Aggedor, the terrible claws came closer and closer...

What is the secret behind the killings on the Planet of Peladon? Is Aggedor seeking revenge because the King of Peladon wants the kingdom to become a member of the Galactic Federation? Will the Doctor escape the claws of Aggedor and discover the truth? 

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon was an excellent novelisation of the classic Third Doctor serial! This was a brilliant story and it’s one that has really grown on me as I’ve rewatched the serial and now read the book. It will be over a decade now since my first viewing of the televised story and I remember being bitterly disappointed by the use of the Ice Warriors and them not being the enemies. Now I’ve grown to accept that not all Ice Warriors are evil and have bad intentions, I could more appreciate their role as part of the Galactic Federation here. I think Peladon is a sublime setting and following on from the Big Finish series based on the planet last year, we really know a lot about it now and that definitely helped with my appreciation of it here. The politics that come with the planet Peladon are excellent and that started off superbly here. I’m a massive fan of a political story and with this just being the opener, it’s really fun to read this knowing what we know of Peladon’s future. King Peladon of Peladon is a fine character and I really enjoyed the relationship he built with Jo. He even proposed to her but she was less willing when the basis for that marriage would be purely political allegiance. Of course, the arrival of the Doctor and Jo was an unusual one as the TARDIS landed on the side of a mountain and fell below once Jo managed to escape! That was good and I appreciated the unique nature of the arrival, along with the predicament of the safety of the TARDIS being nonexistent in the adventure. It’s usually always there as something to fall back on but that wasn’t the case here and the climb up to the tunnels leading to some sort of civilisation was entertaining. Jo was hardly impressed to find they weren’t on Earth after the Doctor promised to get them back in time for her date with Mike Yates. Jo falling back on some of the military lingo she’d picked up at UNIT throughout the story was good fun as she took on the role of a princess of royal blood. She had to display some semblance of rank and I thought she performed admirably. The Doctor posing as the Earth official as part of the delegation for the Galactic Federation was good stuff and the TARDIS falling off the mountain helped explain why they had no credentials. Tradition on Peladon is obviously important and that being presented here was done brilliantly. I thought things were really fleshed out in prose with Hepesh in particular standing out as the High Priest of Aggedor. The spirit of Aggedor lived on in a big way through the priest and that felt slightly weird given what we saw in the form of the hairy beast. It was a ravager but didn’t seem to be on the level associated with worship and to base a society around! Hepesh tricked the Doctor into being sentenced to death thanks to the secret tunnel system that led to the sacred ground where the Doctor gazed upon the great Aggedor. King Peladon considered the Doctor a friend but his hands were tied by tradition and that was something Jo tried to appeal to him about. He was the King so why couldn’t he break with the precedents of law? I thought the other delegates were presented in a fun way and whilst I did remember that it was Arcturus as the one flanking Hepesh, it seemed obvious that we were leading that way. One thing that I found fascinating was the presentation of Alpha Centauri. I’ve always considered the character to be female so to have Centauri presented as either male or neutral was just odd. I did like thought that she was said to have changed colours as her mood altered. That was fun and I’ll be intrigued to see if that is retained in the sequel novelisation. The ending is built to very well and I thought the conclusion was pretty brilliant. Hepesh tries to take control and the Federation delegates are seriously deliberating any involvement in potential civil war, but then the Doctor is able to use his rhythmic tune to have it calm down. The fact Aggedor swipes down Hepesh to death seemed like a fitting end and I loved how upset Peladon was by the occurrence given that he was a fatherly figure. Despite everything, he just wanted Peladon to be bettered. The quick getaway by the Doctor and Jo after the real Earth delegate arrives is amusing, and it’s nice to know in the end that the Ice Warriors helped the Doctor from a death sentence and from civil war breaking out on Peladon. Overall, a fantastic novelisation!

Rating: 9/10

All the Fun of the Fair

"Trips to the future!"

Writer: Bev Conway

Format: Audio

Released: May 2011

Series: Short Trips 3.08

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie 

Synopsis 

'Welcome to the future. Step right up for the trip of a lifetime! Yes, madam, I know it says Police Public Call Box but that's just by way of a bit of disguise...'

Verdict 

All the Fun of the Fair was a bit of a strange Short Trips story! I almost consider the first four series of this innovative range to be in its own little world as the stories really are short. This one here was just twelve minutes long and that really isn’t a lot of time to flesh out a full adventure. I thought having India Fisher as narrator was wonderful and I was really looking forward to revisiting Charley alongside the Eighth Doctor once again, so I was completely taken aback to find that Lucie Miller was actually the companion! That was really surprising and just had me baffled. It didn’t impact Fisher’s narration as she can only take on what she’s dealt with, but I just don’t understand why you’d have her narrate a story with the Eighth Doctor alongside a completely different companion. That felt off. That being said, her impression Lucie Miller was actually superb and I honestly wouldn’t have thought any differently if I was told that Sheridan Smith was also performing. It was uncanny and that really helped with the authenticity despite Lucie only featuring for a minute or two. I thought the premise of the story itself started strong as I really like the funfair as a setting. There’s a lot of potential there as we’ve seen in the likes of The Nightmare Fair and The Mad Woman in the Attic so I was excited to get another story in a similar setting. It didn’t quite live up to its potential but we did get some decent sound effects to establish the setting and I loved the idea of the TARDIS being used as an attraction. That was very exciting and whilst I thought it was only going to go as far as the whole bigger on the inside thing, the prospect of actually taking people to the future was excellent. What was missing was explanation as to how the mysterious John Smith had control of the TARDIS and how once those that went in were left in the future, how he got it back. Did he know about the fast return switch? I felt there was a severe lack of explanation there which was a shame. Considering this is an Eighth Doctor tale, there really was an incredible lack of the Doctor which never helps a story when we know he’s there. The narration being from the point of view of John Smith himself was something I wasn’t a huge fan of as it again just seemed to make me confused why Fisher was narrating. She did the best job she could with the hand given and she is entertaining for sure in a cocky cockney, but I just couldn’t help but think the story was begging for Charley. I thought it was a bit naff and quite rushed to have Lucie recruit a descendant that she thought would be clever enough to help get the TARDIS back, and that was really lacking in explanation. How did she know? For a twelve minute story, you really ought to not  have a rushed ending. That felt like a big let down. It’s a shame really as by the time the story ended I felt like it was a missed opportunity. There was a great idea at the heart of it but with just twelve minutes to tell it and flesh it out it was never going to fully deliver. A little rushed and some jumbled dialogue with too many ‘he said’ or ‘said the Doctor’ moments in quick concession at the conclusion. It felt jumbled by the end which was a shame. Overall, not ideal but far from awful. With some more time I think this would be a success. 

Rating: 5/10

The Butcher of Brisbane

"I know my future, it's already happened."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: June 2012

Series: Monthly Adventures 161

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

Adopting the alias of Weng-Chiang, the 51st century war criminal Magnus Greel will one day arrive in Victorian London by Time Cabinet – only to meet his doom, his plans undone by the Time Lord known as the Doctor.

The Doctor never believed he'd meet Greel again. But when a TARDIS trip to companion Tegan's home town goes wrong, the Doctor ends up in the younger Greel's heyday – in a world on the brink of all-out war.

With the Doctor at the mercy of Greel's alien associate Findecker and his army of mutations, Tegan is about to learn just why they called Greel 'The Butcher of Brisbane'...

Verdict 

The Butcher of Brisbane was a fantastic story to continue the Monthly Adventures and conclude another strong trilogy for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa! This was probably my favourite of the trilogy yet and I was very excited upon seeing a familiar foe on the CD artwork. Mr Sin didn’t have a hugely important role in this story, but his presence was very exciting! Of course, the story is all about Magnus Greel and his earlier days that would actually lead him to Victorian London in the time capsule. It’s quite incredible really that a comment about meeting a time agent in the 51st century by Greel in The Talons of Weng-Chiang leads to an entire story like we get here! It’s a brilliant one of that and having a story that’s both a sequel and prequel to that aforementioned Fourth Doctor classic is magnificent. The only issue with that is that we know the fate of Magnus Greel so he’s never really in danger. He’s obviously much different than the deranged and damaged figure encountered by the Doctor’s previous incarnation, but exploring his past in the future was superb! I was a huge fan of what was happening and the very idea of him marrying Nyssa was an element I didn’t anticipate. That was really fun. The way the adventure started with Nyssa and Turlough being ripped out of the TARDIS was shocking but injected immediate excitement and that trepidation brought some real emotion out of Tegan. She’d initially joked about the Doctor not being able to control the TARDIS when Turlough warned of it malfunctioning, but she was very quick to show her concern and appreciated the Doctor was doing all he could to locate the lost companions. That took us to Brisbane in the far future and that was quite tough for Tegan as this was her home and she didn’t like seeing it as the death zone it had become. I can’t imagine how that must have been for her seeing the familiar geography. From there, we had quite a political tale which I thought was excellent! The idea of an Earth Alliance seems impossible right now but thirty centuries into the future that was how the planet was politically made up and Magnus Greel ruled the justice system. He was doing things by the book publicly, but behind the scenes that was far from the case. The idea of victims being sent to the past was exciting and I loved that time travel was a desirable amongst the scientists of this time period. The Doctor posing as a time agent was great stuff and saved his life when Findecker threatened to have him killed. He was a superb villainous character and his obsession with time travel was clear to see. He was inundated with it and challenging the Doctor that his experiments went to the past as a means of results was excellent. We saw that with Ragan when Nyssa and Turlough encountered him withered and dead in the death zone, aged and sent back three years. The fact Nyssa and Turlough had to wait three years for the Doctor and Tegan to show up was quite the shock! They’d certainly been busy amongst the Icelandic Alliance. Iceland being the centre for an alliance was a bit of a surprise, but I liked that whacky nature! The Doctor’s relationship with Chops and using chocolate to change his allegiance was a little naff, but other than that I loved this adventure! Sasha was a great character and her fate was quite tough for Ragan to take given that she knew of his fate and destiny all along. That was hard for Ragan to discover and Tegan’s appeal to the Doctor about not holding the hand of Time on this occasion was admirable. I didn’t see that actually working though asthe Doctor helped protect him but he was aged anyway by the zygma energy. That energy was a good element of the story and I loved the use of time travel  Kkkk as a lure and something to bargain with. Greel and Findecker causing all out war was good and I loved how the Doctor had to see that they escaped in the damaged time cabinet, but he knew that one of them would survive the journey despite its condition. Magnus Greel had another destiny altogether. Overall, a fantastic story!

Rating: 9/10

The Jupiter Conjunction

"We must know you."

Writer: Eddie Robson

Format: Audio

Released: May 2012

Series: Monthly Adventures 160

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

Eight slash Q Panenka, a craggy comet with a 13km circumference, has an elliptical orbit that takes it between Earth and Jupiter. Which, in the year 2329, makes it a cheap means of space freight – the second class postal service of the solar system.

But when the TARDIS lands on Panenka, the Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Nyssa discover a community falling apart at the seams – plagued by thefts, and mysterious disappearances among the 'piggybackers' who eke out a desperate existence on the comet.

While Tegan and Nyssa suit up for a dangerous excursion into the comet's Unstable Zone, the Doctor and Turlough find themselves pawn in a game that could lead t tragedy for both Earth and Jupiter alike...

Verdict 

The Jupiter Conjunction was a very good story to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! I still can’t quite believe that is the one-hundred-and-sixtieth release and I’m still stunned that I have over one hundred more to get through! The end really doesn’t feel like it’s in sight and that’s very exciting as I hope I never get into a position where I’m struggling for content. I love blogging daily and it’s taken me not far off a decade to get this far, I wonder how long it will take to finish? This is a fine adventure as the middle story in another Fifth Doctor trilogy and I liked how we went from an Indian historical to a comet between Earth and Jupiter. It was a good shift and definitely had a much different feel. The setting worked well and I liked the background being the basis of a war between Earth and Jupiter. So the comet having a position of conjunction between the two was a fine backdrop. I liked that a lot. I thought the continuity from The Emerald Tiger was good in mentioning Nyssa’s recent rejuvenation and I quite liked that she’d been spending time in the TARDIS library. That felt right for her. I thought Tegan was something of a bystander for this audio which is always a potential problem with a TARDIS quartet. Turlough had a strong outing and I thought the cliffhanger to part one was brilliant where he claimed he would give evidence against the Doctor after all of the signs pointed towards them being involved in the stolen cargo. The use of the TARDIS as a ship that could materialise and go without much of a trace was obviously handy, and as coincidence would have it the cargo was going missing just as the TARDIS had arrived. Questioning whether the Doctor had been on the comet before or in his future was good, but he was adamant that he had not nor would not. What reason would he have to? Turlough is something of a divisive character and if any companion is going to turn against the Doctor then feasibly it could be him given how he started with the Black Guardian. The Doctor fully believed that he’d turned against him which was great, but as the listener we knew it was all an elaborate escape plan. It was actually pretty clever for him to claim a place where the stolen cargo was located to get rid of the security and he nearly got away with it! His claim that Tegan and Nyssa were just two women they’d picked up was fun and it provided them with time to seek out their own path in the story. It worked well to have the pairs split off. I’m really liking Nyssa’s focus on her medical research and when it seemed like she might die, she was horrified by the prospect of not completing her research. That was strong continuity with Cobwebs and I do wonder if her second stint in the TARDIS is drawing to an end. The Jupiter Axis was a good organisation and I thought the concept behind the Jovians had a lot of potential. They were natives of Jupiter and the very idea of them existing as a combination of ideas was incredible. They were almost a people and society willed into existence and that was fascinating. I hope this wasn’t the last we hear of them. Violet revealing herself as actually the Lieutenant Colonel was a fun moment as Major Nash didn’t see it coming and was quite shocked to find himself outranked. She made no qualms of using her position and demanded he refer to her as ma’am. A very strong moment. I thought Patricia Walton was another strong character playing politics and I really appreciated having some female leads here. It was refreshing. Manny was a good character too whilst he lasted and his death brought a welcomed shift in the direction of the story and things felt more dangerous once that had happened. It opened things up for more. I liked the revelation that the Jovians had been duped by Violet and company with there actually being a peace treaty announced between Earth and Jupiter. So the whole story of the weapon being constructed was actually intended to put blame on the Jovians to show they were hostile and ruin any chance of peace. Even Nash didn’t know about the treaty which was very good! The suggestion from Tegan to prevent the Earth attack by altering the course of the comet was great and Nyssa being primed to help make that happen was good, but things went wrong and it seemed that she would be lost! Her being saved by a Jovian was a nice touch. Nash’s killing of Violet was absolutely brutal so getting a solid ending like this was necessary. Turlough seemed glad the whole ideal was behind them as he wanted to just get up and leave once the Doctor was out of jail, and his whole trial was a sham, but look what they would have missed out on! Overall, a really strong adventure. 

Rating: 8/10

The Emerald Tiger

"The jungle does not belong to man."

Writer: Barnaby Edwards

Format: Audio

Released: April 2012

Series: Monthly Adventures 159

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

Tiger, tiger, burning bright 

In the forests of the night 

Calcutta, 1926. The Doctor and his companions join an expedition to locate the fabled emerald tiger – a legendary marvel shrouded in myth and mystery. They must journey to an unexplored lost world filled with wonder and wickedness. 

But at the centre of this terra incognito, something is stirring. Something with emerald eyes, diamond-sharp claws and a heart of darkness.

Verdict 

The Emerald Tiger was an excellent story to kick off a new trilogy of Monthly Adventures for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and the elderly Nyssa! I think this is such a fun dynamic for a TARDIS team and whilst it can be testy, it’s nice for Nyssa and Turlough to be getting some time together as companions as there was very little of that on screen. They work really well together here and that’s not much of a surprise as we are well into their journeying together. I thought the story started well and in humorous style with the Doctor hoping to attend a famous cricket match! That was perfectly in line with the fifth incarnation and the reaction of Turlough in particular was pretty amusing as he was far from a fan of the English game. The 1926 setting of Calcutta was intriguing and refreshing as being different from the norm. It was good to visit the country and its history. Some of the characters were pretty good with Naryan an early standout. His position as thinking the jungle was his former home accompanying a claim that he’d ruled the valley for the last 10,000 years! That was quite a surprise but I liked how that tied in with the spiritual theme of the jungle. As if the Calcutta setting wasn’t enough, delving into the unfamiliar depths of a jungle world was fantastic. I really liked that and things certainly felt more dangerous when the threat is a natural one. To me, it wouldn’t come much scarier than encountering a large tiger in the wild as I just don’t see any way out from being eaten! That is frightening, so having Nyssa almost at one with the emerald tiger and seeing through it was really good. She was bitten and the threat of rabies was quite a shock as that is also a very real one. I’m sure given her medical knowledge and experience, alongside the Doctor’s, and her being Trakenite that she would be fine, but just having that used as a potential threat was brilliant. Again, it felt very real and there weren’t a lot of remedies in 1926. Lady Adela Forster was a very strong character and the way she oozed upper class was superb. It was a far cry from the pre-titles sequence we got of her in the jungle losing her husband and son. Major Haggard acted as a fine villain and he was a very unlikeable character which was exactly what the intention was. The cliffhanger at the end of part two was outstanding with him taking over the train that was apparently Adela’s, and with Tegan and the TARDIS on board in the front carriage the crash seemed like it would be deadly. The urgency of the Doctor in pulling the carriage free that he, Nyssa and Turlough were within was good but the realisation that Tegan was in the front carriage sparked an incredibly powerful reaction. The Doctor was very angry, Nyssa had lost her best friend and Turlough was stunned. So the fact that, within an hour of Tegan’s reemergence at the end of part three, Turlough was at odds with her was hilarious! They have quite a relationship where clashing is just a constant. It’s fun stuff and presents a refreshing dynamic full of realism. The revelation that Djahn was actually Jonathan all grown up was excellent and a really touching moment for Adela as she was reunited with her little boy now all grown up. Playing with the idea of her losing him so soon after the reunion was really done well and credit must go to the actress as she sold that really well. Jonathan having been raised by Dawon was good and logical, and then having that guardian and the professor fighting Khan for control of the emerald tiger was superb. The pair dying at his hands was brutal and really solidified him as a strong villain. The concept of the homogenite and DNA synthesis was pretty decent and I liked how Nyssa was really interested in its capabilities. Her time on Terminus was really coming into play which is what should happen. The conclusion with the dynamite being let off and Nyssa sacrificing herself to see out Khan was very good as the tiger within almost willed her back to life! The moment at the end where Nyssa was rejuvenated and reverted back to her appearance pre-departure in Terminus was quite comical! Had they ran out of artwork for the older Sarah Sutton? It’s fun though! Overall, a terrific listen.

Rating: 9/10

The Age of Endurance

"Soon the people of this village are going to know fear."

Writer: Nick Wallace

Format: Audio

Released: September 2016

Series: Early Adventures 3.01

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis 

The TARDIS materialises on board a still and eerie spaceship. When a squad of soldiers land, they realise they've found themselves in the middle of a war zone. With one of their crew trapped by the enemy, the Doctor and his friends find themselves loved in a desperate race for survival. Vast warships manoeuvre around each other as both sides try to out-think their opponents, flying into ever more dangerous areas of space.

The stakes could not be higher. But as ever in war, the lines between good and evil are hard to define. Will anyone survive to claim the moral high ground?

Verdict 

The Age of Endurance was not my most favourite of stories to kick off the third series of Early Adventures. I’m not entirely sure what it was, but I couldn’t find myself fully invested into this story which was a shame as I was so looking forward at being reunited with the first TARDIS team of the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara. It’s pretty cool that this serves as Jemma Powell’s Big Finish debut as Barbara and she does the character justice in my opinion. I am of course hugely familiar with her in the role from the First Doctor Adventures so it was nice to actually have her alongside both Carole Ann Ford and William Russell as the authentic Susan and Ian. She fitted in well and whilst Barbara was absent for a large chunk of the story, when she was around it felt authentic and that’s all you can ask for. I thought the use of the First Doctor was slightly underwhelming which is a big shame because William Russell does a fantastic impersonation of William Hartnell’s incarnation. It just felt like he was close to the end with how old and frail he was presented. I understand the need to focus on Ian and Susan with those actors being the performers here, but why not utilise the talents of Russell? That was a bit of a shame. The spaceship settings of the Endurance and Vanguard were pretty good and I appreciated how this felt quite unique for the first TARDIS team. They didn’t really get to visit many spaceships so I liked that happening here. Susan felt a little more grown up in this adventure which was good for her and something we definitely should have seen more of on screen. It was fun for her to mention an encounter with clones prior to Ian and Barbara joining them in the TARDIS. I’d love to hear or read that adventure one day! I thought the theme of endurance worked pretty well but unfortunately I just wasn’t hugely interested in the story behind the race and Myla as the mother. It was a little convoluted in my opinion and by the time we learned of Olivan’s revelation as the child one thousand years in the making it just didn’t seem to have the impact or desired effect that it ought to have had. The Shifts weren’t enticing or particularly interesting as an enemy and Arran as the leader just never felt imposing. I was not a fan of their voices either which in the audio format is so important. It just sounded generic and like a childish monster. I thought some of the cliffhangers were pretty good and the moment where it appeared Barbara was lost and Ian had to leave her was sensational stuff from William Russell. It was Ian’s reaction that really made that such a powerful and shocking moment. It was so well done and I did like that she was absent for a good chunk of the story thereafter to sell that she might actually be dead or lost. Of course, we know Barbara’s fate is alongside Ian and they depart in The Chase but hearing how Ian would react to losing her was fantastic. It was probably the story highlight for me. The Doctor also then going missing into the cloud was a little less impactful as it felt slightly repetitive, but the way he re-emerges onto the scene with the hidden morse code message was fun just as Ian was about to tell Susan that her grandfather was dead. Myla was adamant that was the case, but of course it wouldn’t be that way. I thought the fate of the ship being flown into the radiation stream was pretty good but as a whole, there was just something missing from the adventure and I couldn’t get fully invested to give it a higher rating. Overall, far from awful but not entirely great. 

Rating: 6/10

Nightshade

"Soon the people of this village are going to know fear."

Writer: Mark Gatiss (Adapted by Kyle C Szikora)

Format: Audio

Released: April 2016

Series: Novel Adaptations 09

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis 

Professor Nightshade – tea-time terror for all the family, and the most loved show in Britain. But Professor Nightshade's days are long over, and Edmund Trevithick is now just an unemployed actor in a retirement home, fondly remembering his past.

It's the same through the entire village of Crook Marsham – people are falling prey to their memories. At first harmlessly, and then, the bodies begin to turn up. 

The Doctor and Ace arrive on the scene – but, with the Doctor planning his retirement, it may be time for Professor Nightshade to solve one last case. 

Verdict 

Nightshade was a very good audio adaptation of the New Adventures novel of the same name! I think the idea of the Novel Adaptation series is really strong and it’s a fun slant on the same thing happening with Target books and television serials. It provides a different perspective and specifically with this method it gives us a nice change and provides a voice to characters we’ve only encountered in prose. I thought the casting of Edmund Trevithick was actually excellent and he was exactly what I would have expected of the former Professor Nightshade. I would say I enjoyed the audio a little more than the book which was perhaps slightly surprising, but my headspace when reading the book was perhaps not ideal! It was only five months ago that I read the novel that this story was an adaptation of, but it was in the reading room of Doha airport after my beloved Wales lost to Iran in the World Cup. I finished it on the train home from Manchester airport after a seven hour red eye flight, so getting a chance to reevaluate the story in a different format was much welcomed. It’s a little different to portray the relationship between the Doctor and Ace here being as much in conflict here as it was without referencing the events and toil taken from the Timewyrm and Cat’s Cradle books, but the idea of the Doctor wanting to settle down and retire is quite a shock! Ace doesn’t take it very well when she realises he’s serious but the question of retiring and not getting involved was a fantastic theme throughout. Ace obviously builds an incredibly strong relationship with Robin here and it’s to such an extent that she really does consider leaving the TARDIS when she has the option. In an audio form at just under two hours, that perhaps doesn’t feel as fleshed out as it did in the novel, but I thought he was very good and certainly well suited to Ace. He was able to comfort her which was nice and probably what she needed. Sylvester McCoy gives an assured performance as the Seventh Doctor here and I really liked how he captured that he wanted to retire and settle down. Just hearing him talk of Gallifrey in a way of longing was quite a shock but it was lovely to hear him missing Susan. It’s quite surprising to think he wouldn’t have mentioned her to Ace given her longevity as a companion, and I would have expected her to react a little more shocked to find the Doctor once had a family! The cameo appearance of Carole Ann Ford as Susan was a really nice touch and showed the beauty of the audio format. It really added a lot and was a fine use of the Sentience to show the Doctor what he was missing most. The links to the Nightshade television show were good and Edmund being quite bitter now as an old man was amusing, but he was cherishing the attention a repeat of the show was getting and was yearning for a new series! He wouldn’t get it of course, but he got more than he bargained for with the monsters his character defeated returning in a very real form! The Sentience certainly worked well as an enemy and I really enjoyed how it was presented in the audio form. There were no restrictions and that certainly helped. It sounded good in numerous different forms. Dr Hawthorne was a good character in the story and I liked how the Doctor’s name mistook him in the profession especially with the phone coverage being out. Jill was good too and the way her death was felt was particularly powerful. I thought the build to the conclusion was well handled and the defeat of the Sentience in being sent to the black hole was not what I cared about. I was fully invested in Ace’s story with Robin and if she would be staying with him. The ambiguous ending was slightly disappointing but I do understand given the contradictions associated with Ace’s ultimate departure from the Doctor across numerous formats and stories. As far as New Adventures chronology goes, I know she returns despite not reading beyond this story and it didn’t feel right that she would leave here. She knew her place was in the TARDIS and I thought that was really lovely. Overall, a strong adaptation to serve as a very good story! 

Rating: 8/10

Lords of the Red Planet

"The slaves turned into the masters."

Writer: Brian Hayles (Adapted by John Dorney)

Format: Audio

Released: November 2013

Series: Lost Stories 4.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

The TARDIS crew land on Mars, home of the Ice Warriors, far back in its history. The Doctor is convinced it's much too early for them to meet their frozen foes... but the Doctor is wrong.

Far below the surface of the planet an evil scheme is in motion. A scientist works nights and day at the command of an insane despot. A despot intent on creating a terrifyingly familiar army. 

What exactly does Zaadur plan? What dark secret lies at the heart of the Gandoran mines? How far will the Doctor go to save his friends? In the deepest caves, the true Lords of the Red Planet are ready to emerge... Can anyone possibly survive their birth?

Verdict 

Lords of the Red Planet was a really great Lost Stories adventure! Upon researching after my listening, I was intrigued to find that this story was intended in the place of The Seeds of Death and whilst I did enjoy this one, I have to say I’m glad it didn’t get made in the end as that Season 6 tale is one of my all time favourites! This one was really good and I do love the idea of an origin story for the Ice Warriors. I’m not entirely sure I agree with it, but it did work well and was a tremendous concept! Visiting Mars before the Ice Warriors actually ruled it was brilliant and I really liked that Jamie was worried about where they were considering his knowledge of the planet and their past encounter with the Martian natives. Instead we met rather different inhabitants of the planet and they were headed by Zaadur who was a pretty ruthless villain. I thought she was really strong and the way she considered the Ice Warriors to be her super slave army was unexpected as an origin for an infamous Doctor Who monster. The Ice Warriors are right up there in monster folklore and whilst I did like this story, I’m not entirely sure the origin did them justice. I realise the statements are controversial but I think I can have both opinions! I loved Zaadur as an enemy though and the way she had controlled the society through the life drink was impressive. The reliance of the local inhabitants on that sustenance was a good aspect of the story and was a logical means of her gaining control. The fact even she was essentially created or rather augmented by her father in his quest to create the evolutionaries. They were of course the Ice Warriors and the fact that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe technically named them as such was pretty amusing! Zaadur appreciated the name and knew that it fitted. I thought Aslor was a fine character as one of the failed experiments that meant he wasn’t quite an Ice Warrior, and the depiction of the voice being somewhere close to one was excellent. I was really impressed with that. Risor was a fine character as an Ice Warrior too and the relationship he built with Zoe was fantastic. His sacrifice at the end was admirable, but it’s incredible to think what had actually happened to the city at the hands of Zaadur’s orders. The devastation caused by her destruction and actually detonating the city was really unexpected. I certainly thought the Doctor was going to stop that so I was surprised by the scale of death that happened. She was of course focused on her ‘children’ in the form of the eggs and the Doctor’s passing the blame of the crates being destroyed felt a little wrong. He knew and helped initiate the result but because it was Zaadur who pulled the trigger he seemed to exonerate himself. I know she can’t be seen as good with the purpose for this new species, and the Doctor was happy to announce that it couldn’t last long with such a limited variety in the gene pool, but it just felt a little wrong for him to accept death on a scale like that. Quendril was another very good character and the emotional torment he went through in the story was powerful. He’d basically ruined the lives of his two daughters by experimenting on them and the results were very different. Zaadur ruled and the princess Veltreena was almost kept away hidden. Jamie’s relationship with her was very nice and I was shocked that she died too. That was handled with surprise and felt very real. The ending was a little surprising and the aforementioned sacrifice was good, but I felt a little let down that Zudaar got to survive. Overall though, a fascinating insight into the early years of the Ice Warriors and a welcomed visit to Mars! 

Rating: 8/10

Conflicts of Interest: The Edge of the War

"If things are fixed then everything is broken."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: April 2023

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 5.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis 

France in the summer of 1936. The village of Villy is in a state of contentment, tinged only slightly with unease. A kilometre away, construction is underway on a large underground fortification, part of the Maginot Line project which has seen the building of a series of defences against future invasion.

A young artist has arrived in the village to paint the landscape. Her name is Nyssa and she has taken a room in the local inn, run in its owner's absence by a young Australian woman called Tegan. But she's not the only newcomer. A detective called the Doctor has just got in from Paris. And he has quite a mystery to solve...

Verdict 

The Edge of the War was a very strong story to conclude the Conflicts of Interest set of Fifth Doctor Adventures! This has been a really enjoyable set with the new approach of having two three-part stories which worked very well here. Of course, I’ve still got the Interludes bonus story to come from the set, but for the main focus this was great stuff! I’m always a fan of a war theme and whilst this story wasn’t actually set during wartime, 1936 is a precarious year in European history with the Nazis in full control, the impact and effects of the First World War still felt and the Second looming. It was a good setting for interference in time because of everything that could be changed, but from the first part that wasn’t actually the way I thought the story was going. I thought part one was excellent and definitely the strongest of the three with Nyssa and Tegan stealing the show in roles they weren’t entirely sure were theirs. Nyssa nearly slipping up and naming Tegan was a fun moment when they were acting differently, with Nyssa positioned as an artist and Tegan running a bar. That was really good and their respective meetings and relationships with Barbier were nicely done. He was quick to offer newcomer Nyssa a tour of the local sights but also wanted to make time for Tegan which was nice for her. She was quick to pounce on his interest in Nyssa though as she wasn’t convinced he would’ve made the same offer if she wasn’t a pretty woman as apposed to a middle aged man. I could hardly blame him! I actually thought the arrival of the Doctor was the catalyst for the story dropping from being superb to merely great which is ironic and very unfair on Peter Davison. His Fifth Doctor is fantastic but I think more time with Nyssa and Tegan playing their roles would have been beneficial. Once the Doctor arrived we knew the illusion would soon be up and we’d be working towards a solution, but I actually preferred it before that. The concept of a time meddler in the form of the Count was fantastic and whilst I thought the cliffhanger to part one was quite underwhelming with the Doctor just asking what was going on, the one at the end of part two where the Doctor seemed to add everything up in deducing that the Count was a Time Lord and the mansion his TARDIS was terrific. The truth soon after in part three was even better though as the Count had no idea what a Time Lord was! That was not what I expected to hear and I’m surprised how much I liked that considering my love of the Doctor encountering Time Lords. Meeting a new one would have been good but I think it actually worked better for the Count to just be from the future and coming to the past to save a small village was a better story. It had more meaning. I thought some of the guest characters here were really strong with Jean-Baptiste an obvious standout. His turn at the end shocked Tegan which was quite the turn of events as the truth continued to come out. The concept of time reversing was brilliant and that obviously had the Doctor worried considering Madama LaChappelle had lost count of how many times it had been used. The village was now in torment as they couldn’t be left to peace or to die with things just getting reversed time and time again. Her realisation of her wrongdoings was good and she had a strong heart to heart with the Doctor at the end. The Doctor overloading the brilliance machine of the Count’s was good to see it destroyed and the clutch loosened on the village. Tegan was only on the edge though so time was reset rather differently for her. By the time the TARDIS re-emerged for the Doctor and Nyssa to get to safely, she had been waiting for a year! That was an extraordinary finish and I can’t quite fathom how she would have been feeling to be left behind again. I wonder how that will play into any future boxset featuring this trio. Overall though, this was a really good audio!

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: The Emporium at the End

"You've found a way to monetise the apocalypse."

Writer: Emma Reeves

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.04

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

The Last Song has been sung, and the final days of the universe have begun. Everyone flees to the gateway – to find that The Emporium At The End is having a closing down sale.

Verdict 

The Emporium at the End was a really strong story to conclude The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! Whilst this is the end of the series it is far from the end of Bernice’s time in the Unbound Universe and that’s quite exciting as I definitely feel like there’s more to come from the alternate universe and Benny being there alongside the Unbound version of the Doctor. She’s a lot of fun and even here just hearing a companion getting drunk at the end of the universe was quite brilliant. It’s uncanny to hear a companion acting like that and I think the closest we get would be Ace. There really is something about the Seventh Doctor! I’m still not entirely sure the chemistry between Benny and the Unbound Doctor has clicked but I’m not sure that ought to have happened just yet. There was a nice moment at the end here where the Doctor was quite sorry for her hopes getting up at the gateway but did promise he would get her back to her universe one day. She seemed content enough with just surviving. The introduction of the Unbound sonic screwdriver here was a lot of fun and I did find myself laughing when the Doctor commented earlier in the episode that he ought to have invented something to open doors. And alas here it was! It was nice that Benny was the one able to give it to him and I wonder if it will become a common device used in the next series and beyond. After a little glimpse in The Library in the Body, the Unbound Master arrived in sublime fashion here with a disguise that was hardly distinguished. He was almost gloating about who he was in the form of the Manager here. I must admit I wasn’t a big fan initially of the Doctor not remembering who he was despite the familiarity, but it all came to be explained as the story went on. The universe was ending and the Emporium was the only possible place of salvation. It was based at the gateway and incredibly lottery tickets offered a way out and into another universe. Of course, it wouldn’t quite work out that way but the very concept of monetising the end of the universe was brilliant. Credits were used to buy the lottery tickets but I can’t say I blamed anyone for using up their whole credit balance considering there would soon be nothing left to spend it on. Who wouldn’t give themselves the best possible chance of getting to the other universe? The return of the sisterhood here was brilliant and brought things nicely full circle for the series. The Mother Superior was tremendous and I really hope we haven’t heard the last of her. The incantation of numbers was delightful and I think that really is a fun idea. The power of memories at the end of the universe was really strong stuff and I liked that the Doctor explained their value with them being time compressed. People selling them and essentially who they were was a bit of a shock, but even the Doctor had done so and that’s why he couldn’t remember the Master. He couldn’t remember that together they had set up the emporium and it had partly cost him who he was. The Master using Benny with her being the anchor between two universes was really good stuff and her inebriated state made her vulnerable. Her story with Forz and being able to initiate the reunion was really nicely done. I thought the ending was good in having the Doctor emerge to explain what was happening and demonstrate that the gateway would actually just atomise any who passed through. The sisters actually throwing him was very good! But I wasn’t a fan of the lack of explanation regarding the smoke and mirrors used by the Master to fake the end of the universe. Even for him that needed some clarification as it would take a huge ordeal! Overall though, still a really good audio to conclude the series!

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: The Very Dark Thing

"Please don't joke about the unicorns."

Writer: Una McCormack

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.03

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

Tramatz is an idyllic world – the rivers hum to themselves, unicorns prance through the emerald forests, and, at the very corner of your eye, is a horrible secret.

Verdict 

The Very Dark Thing was a great story to continue my way through The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This felt a little different than the first two stories in the series and that overlapping theme of war was felt in a big way here. The empire of Tramatz was consumed by a war and hearing how there was no choice but to use a super weapon by the Captain Idratz and Lieutenant Aramatz to seemingly put an end to it. They weren’t exactly thrilled by their actions but it showed the devastation and dire situation that they did indeed launch it. We moved from there to Admiral Effenish who arrived on Tramatz for their surrender. She was demanding that they accept their terms of surrender or be destroyed. We’d started things rather downbeat! Megatz was a really strong character and I liked how through her we learned about the unicorns that were hurting people and how she actually preferred the crystal monsters. The fact she could hear the thoughts of others and didn’t understand why people said things they weren’t feeling was excellent. The concept of a unicorn attack was intriguing and couldn’t be considered so ridiculous given this story occurs in the Unbound Universe. The Doctor conversing with her was good and it was rather horrific that nobody had a solution to the current situation. The Doctor had been on the planet for weeks now and that meant Benny was outraged when she finally entered the scene in the audio. Nothing had been achieved! The river singing was fascinating and that explained why the Doctor hadn’t made progress. It was mind consuming. Megatz witnessing a unicorn attack that resulted in a girl dying was shocking and I liked how that established that Tramatz was a society of people looking the other way. The world being bombarded but still getting no response was really angering Effenish to the extent that she deployed a threat of reaper bombs. They sounded pretty frightening. Benny appealing to take this seriously was good as nobody was noticing that the entire world was nearly annihilated! Finding out that the Doctor and Megatz couldn’t hear the threats was great stuff that explained quite a lot. Finding out that the Doctor and Benny had come to investigate the titular very dark thing was interesting but I’m not sure enough information was ever fully explained about it. It sounded like a void ship to me! The fact Megatz had never seen it before was terrific and she really had to concentrate on the corner of her eye to fully visualise it and see it did exist. Benny calming a unicorn down was good fun but discovering that they were actually war machines was not! They were engineered to find a way through the chaos of post-war which I really liked. The attack squad led by Effenish falling under the spell of the humming river was brilliant and provided more than one humorous comment. The moments at the research station where Megatz learned the truth of her people in the war was powerful stuff as she discovered that the reality weapon was detonated. The Doctor going to Effenish was good and I loved that she didn’t accept that they couldn’t hear her warnings or threats. She was consumed by war. Finding out that Idratz and Amaratz were actually Megatz’s parents was a fantastic revelation as we saw the echo in time of them letting the weapon off.  It was good that with the Doctor’s influence Effenish was having second thoughts on using the reaper bombs because there was no telling just what they would do. The conclusion worked well in having Megatz switch off the super weapon which saw the whole system shut down so people would understand now what had happened with the war. She got to send a message to Effenish which rounded things out nicely. Gallario punching Neave as he was angered by Effenish’s inaction was a humorous way to conclude things! Overall, a really strong adventure. 

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: Planet X

"The Doctor is far too exciting for public consumption."

Writer: Guy Adams

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.02

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

Bernice and the Doctor land on a planet so dull no one ever bothered naming it. Finally something interesting is about to happen here.

Verdict 

Planet X was an excellent episode to continue my way through The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This was a really strong story and followed on nicely where we left off in The Library in the Body with Benny joining the Unbound Doctor in the TARDIS. However, this TARDIS was pretty broken and on its last legs. The Doctor giving her a choice of just three planets that it would be able to travel to was amusing and of course he picked the one he wasn’t interested in being Planet X. It sounded dull and that’s how the Doctor described it. It was the only planet not impacted by the previously mentioned war that ravaged this universe and that’s because neither side were bothered about it! That was quite funny. The girl who we would come to know as Millie was introduced well as she had failed her excellence exam and even encountered Prime Minister 470 who was adamant there were no recounts. She was designated girl twenty-three million and something and the blandness of no individual names seemed to add credence to the Doctor’s claim on the planet’s dullness. The fate of those that passed the exam being gassed was horrific as they showed potential and that wasn’t welcomed on a planet where the extremes of emotion was not deemed constructive. There would be no forced ideas here. Being average and mediocre was the way here and that was a very good concept. Millie warning Benny of the emotions was tremendous as she was not shy in hiding how she felt! The warning of the Blank Squad was good and that was a really great name for the planet’s military. Benny christening Millie with her name as it was short for million was fantastic and they built a really strong relationship despite the danger of being associated with someone as visibly emotional as Benny. The squad taking the TARDIS away because it was too interesting was brilliant and that only added to Benny’s agitation which she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding. The Doctor being subjected to the gas was glorious as it wasn’t compatible with his systems so it didn’t have the desired effect of murder! He revelled in that. The Doctor’s conversing with the computer and realising that there had been twenty million deaths in the five years since the calendar was reset to 0 was quite a shock. Processing was the result of over 68% of them! Prime Minister 470 spotting Millie on the video of the Doctor and Benny’s arrival was good as the security alert was set out for the pair deemed undesirables. The Doctor seeking out the rebellious man number fifteen million and something was good and right up his alley. Benny and Millie visiting the north quarter was a wake up call for the latter as this was supposedly the destination of all those who passed the excellence exam, but she soon realised what happened now when pushed by Benny into thinking the truth. The moment where the rebels were jumping to their death was rather confusing but we soon learned that Ego was part of the Blank Squad and that explained why he hadn’t been caught which certainly made sense! He had a dampener to endure he could be as emotional as desired, and it was fun for him to think the Doctor was too interesting to be killed. The Prime Minister trying to get in on the gassing act with the Doctor was amusing and this allowed David Warner to shine as the Unbound Doctor for the first time in the series. He taunted her and was breaking her down which was very good stuff. The Blank Squad being revealed as the processed ones was a strong but hardly unsurprising revelation, and the conclusion came quite quick as the Doctor removed the emotional dampeners of both Ego and Prime Minister 470 which brought things crashing down nicely! Overall, a superb episode!

Rating: 9/10