Seabird One: Time Flies

"It's like watching life backwards."

Writer: Alison Winter

Format: Audio

Released: July 2022

Series: UNIT: Brave New Worlds 1.02

Featuring: Bambera

Synopsis

Bambera and Savarin are summoned to a secretive genetic research facility by Dr Louise Rix, UNIT's rebellious new scientific adviser. Two scientists have vanished in mysterious circumstances, and despite the assurances of the sinister Dr Grange, UNIT suspects there's something very wrong with the centre's caterpillar population. Can they survive the fruits of Dr Grange's experiments? And will Savarin survive Bambera and Rix's rocky new relationship?

Verdict

Time Flies was an outstanding episode to continue my way through the Seabird One first series of UNIT’s Brave New World! After an entertaining start, this one felt more down to Earth as far as UNIT was concerned and it was a stormer. I thought this was superb from start to finish. This was the Brigadier Bambera I was expecting from this series as she definitely felt a bit more abrupt and just generally in line with the Brigadier we knew from the Third Doctor era. Her military mind was in full force and she didn’t waste time. She asserted her command and definitely took her position in the UK seriously which was nice to hear. She was only thinking of UNIT’s interest and the safety of the human race, so having her not exactly thrilled with her new scientific advisor was really good. I like the dynamic of conflict between the Brigadier and scientific advisor and whilst it obviously has some way to go to reach the levels of Lethbridge-Stewart and the Doctor, it was off to an entertaining start here! Their relationship was terrific and I loved how Rix wasn’t too bothered by the chain of command. Even when ordered to concoct a cure to the DNA deleter, she stood up to Bambera because it just couldn’t be done. At least, not quickly after years and years of research to create it. Grange as the scientist at CSRF was a brilliant villain and his nature as a botanist mixed with his crazed experiments made him a superb character. I also thought the casting of Silas Carson was a stroke of genius in that role. I honestly couldn’t think of anybody more perfect! His tones and calm demeanour just ooze a delicious amount of sadism. He was such a fun character and the sickening nature of his mind was explored fully at the end as he allowed himself to be bitten by the caterpillar rather than face legal justice. That didn’t impress Rix who deemed him a coward. Her role in exploring the DNA experiment was excellent and finding the clothes of Flynn who had gone missing was startling, but that was nothing compared to the surveillance footage! The very concept of perfecting DNA that could be rewound was sensational. I loved that idea and whilst initially it was said to be to treat cancer, it had gone too far now. The use of butterflies as the visual example was really clever and I loved the shock that came from the Brigadier, Rix and Savarin as they returned to their cocoon and reverted to being caterpillars. That was extraordinary! The flies being weary and able to communicate and warn each other was good and I loved the intrinsic detail in which Rix could identify the danger so quickly. She knew there was trouble at hand and that they shouldn’t get close to the insects. The Briagdier keeping the deleting DNA on file was good and I really enjoyed the hint at the future from Grange with UNIT needing to use it in the future. I suspect that will happen. Savarin being referred to as Seabird Two was fun and I like that Rix is now signed up as Eerie One. Bambera having to catch up on her meetings now was fun as duty called in a mundane way with her new role, but attentions quickly turned to the British Library. That’s an intriguing setting for the finale to come, and Rix’s humour about what danger might face them there was wonderful. Overall though, a sublime episode! 

Rating: 10/10

Seabird One: Rogue State

"With you in charge, the world's a safer place already."

Writer: Robert Valentine

Format: Audio

Released: July 2022

Series: UNIT: Brave New Worlds 1.01

Featuring: Bambera

Synopsis

In the war-torn republic of Valge Maja, Brigadier Bambera is hot on the trail of arms-dealing terrorist, Roman Krojac, when she's ordered back to Geneva. Her old sponsor, Dame Lydia Kingsley, offers her a job as the new head of UNIT. Reluctant to accept, she nevertheless teams up with sarcastic UNIT officer Sergeant Jean-Paul Savarin to prevent a monstrous Soviet-era weapon from falling into Krojac's hands.

Verdict

Rogue State was a really strong episode to kick off the Seabird One first series of UNIT’s Brave New World. This is a fascinating idea for a series with it essentially being a UNIT spinoff from the 1990s, and I think it has the potential of being a hidden gem. Big Finish rarely fail with any of their spin-offs and let’s face it they’ve done some rather whacky ones. We’ve had the likes of Lady Christina, Jenny and Graceless so it’s not a massive surprise to have a series focused on Brigadier Bambera as part of UNIT. This episode and the setting of the series as a whole felt a little dystopian which was pretty cool and I definitely had vibes of Blade Runner throughout. I liked how we didn’t mess around and firmly got into the throws of the episode. There was no time to stop and have introductions, we were straight into proceedings with Bambera on the hunt for Krojac. He was a really good villain and I love the idea of a Soviet enemy. Tapping into politics and a post-Cold War world was excellent and the tension on display was impressive. I loved how he was taunting Bambera and whilst I’d have liked a little more information about why she was involved with him from the UNIT side of things - he hardly seemed extraterrestrial at first - the emotional story hinted at was very interesting. I’d certainly like to know more about Bambera’s failed marriage and just her private life in general. It’s certainly something she didn’t want to discuss so there’s definitely something there and it’s quite nice to hint at exploring her background. I’m sure things will come out as the series goes on. I thought Savarin was a really good character and I’m delighted that it appears he will be sticking around as Bambera’s number two. The humour she had with him about being able to read despite being a part of the security was very fun and I think he will offer a lot. I also thought Dame Lydia was a strong character despite her only appearing on the phone and the humour that came from Bambera continuing to ignore her instructions of not using her title was a nice touch. I’m sure that’s going to continue throughout. Her offering to Bambera to head up UNIT UK was good and I think that will help bring her closer to home and familiar surroundings moving forward. I thought the threat of the Chuchuna was decent if not a little silly in parts. I think a bit more description and motive would have been good, but thankfully their buyer in the form of Krojac filled that villain role. These were more like the monster henchmen. Bambera wanting them alive was good but it was amusing how quickly that changed when life was threatened! Using sound to control them was good and I was surprised that Krojac didn’t see out the episode. I figured he was going to be around for at least the series and that made his sudden death all the more impactful. It was well done. Overall, a very good start to the series and I’m certainly now looking forward to hear more!

Rating: 8/10

Dying Hours: The Crowd

"The Doctor isn't for hire."

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: BF Doom's Day 1.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, Doom

Synopsis

"Follow the crowd", that's what they say, right? In this case, however, devastation, murder and destruction follow this particular Crowd – Doom's next target. But amongst them – an unfamiliar face, with a familiar name. Could this be Doom's salvation?

Verdict

The Crowd was an excellent episode to conclude the Dying Hours contribution to Doom’s Day from Big Finish! It does feel weird that after the journey we have been on with Doom that things are going to end in an online text story, but for now this was a fine finale to the performed adventures and it was lovely to hear her in full alongside an incarnation of the Doctor. She was a little saddened to find yet another face of the Doctor’s that wasn’t the ‘old guy’ she was looking for, but he’d remembered her from his first incarnation which was quite fun. Throughout the episode he’d known all along that he was going to help her because he remembered meeting her again at New Venice which was rather amusing. I thought Paul McGann was great as the Eighth Doctor and having him around medieval England hunting the Crowd was excellent. It was wonderful to hear him paired up again with Charley as that was a dream team in the Monthly Adventures so any excuse to revisit them is all good in my book! The relationship between Doom and Charley was sublime and I loved how they battled verbally. It was quite the mouth off! There was a lot of conflict concerning Doom from where Charley stood and that all centred on her being an assassin. Exploring morals here was fun and Charley wasn’t overly impressed by the Doctor’s actions in saving the life of an assassin. The Doctor didn’t exactly get on with Doom either and that’s certainly because of her profession with him not having kind things to say about the Lesser Order of Oberon. Getting an extended time with Terri on the phone was amusing and she wasn’t too impressed about going beyond her jump handler duties. Doom’s reaction when she realised the Doctor was present was excellent and I was impressed with how well her desperation was presented in this episode. Sure, she was quick to start carrying out her mission of assassinating the Crowd but she really knew time was running out now and needed to get back to the First Doctor. It was also really good to link the Crowd with death following Doom. That’s a theme that hasn’t been explored for quite a few hours now so it was fitting that it returned here. She was genuinely frightened by them associating her with death and knew it wasn’t far behind her. I thought the concept of the Crowd was terrific with them being a people drawn to tragedy and they’d exploited so much now that they needed to create their own. That was fantastic and the Doctor and Charley being on hand to track and stop them was great. Their nicknames for certain members was also a nice touch. Doom not wasting any time in killing seven of the twenty on her list was good and we finally saw her in full assassin action. That was overdue on this scale considering the reputation she possessed. I liked how things ended with the Doctor going to take her to her past incarnation to see if she will survive, and Doom having drawn the Crowd into their own explosion was a very neat way to make her mission a success! Overall, a fine finale to what was on a whole a really fun boxset. I look forward to reading how this saga concludes. 

Rating: 9/10

Dying Hours: The Howling Wolves of Xan-Phear

"Tonight I feast with my ancestors."

Writer: Simon Clark

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: BF Doom's Day 1.03

Featuring: Doom

Synopsis

A warring world of wolves. Doom's target turns out to be the puppeteer of the warring Xan: a Silent. But what if she's already completed her mission? How will she know? What if this wasn't even her mission in the first place? No time to waste. The countdown is on.

Verdict

The Howling Wolves of Xan-Phear was a little bit of a lacklustre continuation of the Dying Hours contribution to Doom’s Day from Big Finish. For whatever reason, this episode felt like it was never really going to reach much above being average which is a shame because the first two episodes were a lot of fun! I was excited by the concept of Doom encountering the Silence, but it never fully lived up to my expectations sadly. The Silence didn’t even sound like their television counterparts that we saw during the Eleventh Doctor which didn’t feel right and I get that they could be different members of the house or order, but it would have been good to stick to what we know in my opinion. I thought given that this was hour 22 in Doom’s search to find the Doctor she would have been more focused on that. She barely mentioned him until time was running out and even then her concern was the mission of assassination instead of the Doctor. Even with a reputation like hers and credits to earn, surely with only a couple of hours left to love you would be consumed by finding the one person who can save you? I’m not sure, it just didn’t feel like her priorities were right and there was no urgency for the one thing that mattered to her. Hearing the TARDIS in the echoes was exciting as I thought we would get a meeting with a Doctor, but it was just quickly forgotten about which was a shame. I quite liked the concept of the howling of the Wolves and their ability to manipulate and even cancel out sound was very good. I was less a fan of the Melch as their enemies on the war zone as they just sounded a little ridiculous. It’s an awful name. Throwing Doom into a war zone was fine and I did enjoy the action that came from it. She felt right at home and could show off some of her techniques, but I just wasn’t given enough of a reason to care about the fight. I wasn’t bothered by either party and the only interest for me was in Doom and the Silence. I liked that Doom finally made the connection between the Silence and the Doctor, and referencing the Series 6 arc of the Doctor answering the oldest question and that putting them to rest was good but it came too late. Her conversation with the Silence about the Doctor was decent and I liked that they saw that Doom’s destiny was intertwined with that of the Time Lord. That’s a good hint to what might come in the saga’s final two hours and I am intrigued to see how things finish as there doesn’t seem to be any sudden urgency at the moment. Terri was quite humorous in how unhelpful she was for Doom in locating her target as well as her reaction to the assassin not being massively happy with the Silence being wiped from memory when you looked away. How would she know when her mission was complete? That was fun to play with and probably more could have been made of that. I liked how she used her monocle to show Jeppra that one had died and what they looked like. The Silence controlling the war was good and I liked how Doom exposed that and ensured her mission was completed. And now all signs lead towards medieval England for an explosive finale! Overall, sadly the worst of the series so far but it was still good to have the Silence return. 

Rating: 6/10

Dying Hours: A Date with Destiny

"You kill people for money. That's sick."

Writer: Robert Valentine

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: BF Doom's Day 1.02

Featuring: Doom, Jackie

Synopsis

A romantic dinner turns life-threatening for an unsuspecting human in 2007. But this time, Doom has competition. And if she loses, then her last chance to find the Doctor could be snatched away. Cue an action-packed chase through the streets of London. But has Doom met her match?

Verdict

A Date with Destiny was another fun adventure to continue my way through the Dying Hours contribution to Doom’s Day from Big Finish! I think fun is definitely the best way to describe this saga and whilst I think some fans have potentially taken it too seriously amongst all of the other anniversary festivities, I’m really enjoying things. It’s lighthearted despite the central character being an assassin and I like that we’re having some random encounters with numerous characters from across Doctor Who’s history! This time around it was the turn of Jackie Tyler who’s probably the most famous character not to be a companion. She made a big impact with the Ninth and Tenth Doctors so it’s only natural that she would be at the heart of one of the missions for Doom to take on and find the Doctor. Her relationship with Jackie was quite amusing and having her impersonate the Doctor was nicely done, even if it was very obvious that she wasn’t the real article! She did a decent job in tapping into some Doctor-like dialogue and making Jackie feel safe, but the fact she kept getting referred to as Doom was going to be a bit of a deal breaker. I don’t think Jackie ever firmly believed the time travelling assassin was actually the Doctor. She did take the idea of him regenerating into a woman well though. Jackie constantly asking about Rose and hoping she was safe was well done and that definitely should have been her first thoughts. Jackie not wanting Doom to go near her washing because it wasn’t all dry yet was the humour I expected from the episode which I really enjoyed. I really do think I might be more of a Jackie fan than a Rose one. Don’t tell my girlfriend that though! I thought Doom encounter a fellow assassin in the form of Destiny was good and their pally relationship verged on annoying with the constant ‘babes’ referring to. It was almost like a Doctor-Master dynamic in the relationship, except Doom showed no hesitation at the end in pulling the trigger. I thought it was fun to have Jackie as a target because of actions taken by the Doctor and Rose against the Zaconian Claw, and that meant she was long gone if they had to resort to assassinating her mother. I liked the idea of there being repercussions for defeating an enemy like this. Destiny offering Doom a place in her new assassin organisation that would see the assassin keep all of the fee rather than the Lesser Order taking a percentage was good, although with only a few hours left of her life she wasn’t exactly in the business of career opportunities. It was a neat idea though. Jackie ousting Doom as to her identity not being the Doctor by mentioning a third heart was amusing and an attack with a washing line was equally so! With Jackie also being targeted by Destiny, the chase across London was really entertaining and some strong action! I thought Roxx perhaps arrived a little too late in the episode, but Doom standing up to him and showing no qualms about confrontation was terrific. She was empathic at the end and with the contractor deceased she needn’t kill Jackie after all. Jackie getting on the phone to the Doctor and Rose to tell them about Doom was good and I like the setup for the next mission with Doom to encounter the Silence! I’m intrigued to hear how that will play out. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

Dying Hours: Dawn of an Everlasting Peace

"I don't have time for a backstory."

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: BF Doom's Day 1.01

Featuring: Doom

Synopsis

Venus, 3975. The day of the non-aggression pact. The perfect ironic location for an assassination! But Doom's mission is about to become much more complicated thanks to an explosive plot to underwire the treaty itself. 

Verdict

Dawn of an Everlasting Peace was a really strong start to the Dying Hours anthology that acts as Big Finish’s contribution to the ongoing sixtieth anniversary celebration Doom’s Day saga! There’s been a lot going on with this series of adventures and as we get close towards the end now it still feels like Doom is doomed and not going to get any closer to finding the Doctor she needs to save her life. There was no Doctor around this time, but having Doom enter the world of the Space Security Service and what we would encounter in The Daleks’ Master Plan was magnificent. I’m a huge fan of that serial and the world it creates so entering it here was tremendous. Hearing Zephon again was good fun and whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of Doom impersonating the delegate, or was it the minister, it was good natured fun. The way she got her vortex manipulator through security by aiding Lonnet with her wheelchair using son Klorin was actually rather clever and showed how clever and skilled she actually was. We potentially haven’t seen enough of that in the stories so far. It’s been a refreshing change of pace to get a full cast audio adventure here and it’s lovely to hear Sooz Kempner fully embrace the role. It’s been a long time coming as all we’ve really had up to this point is the goofy online updates or trailers to promote the next release. Sadly, they’re seen as a bit of a laughing stock which is a great shame as this celebration has had some really strong moments! I’ve enjoyed the run. Sure, it could be better and one thing I think would have helped is if the Big Finish releases in particular had been spaced out across the hours. We are going to finish with a bang, but it does seem odd that the most fleshed out stories with a full cast will come last. Anyway, back to the story at hand and the story concerning Lonnet and Klorin was really emotional. It turned out despite him having the appearance of an elderly man in his nineties, he was actually her son of just three years. It was something familiar as we know what happened to Sara Kingdom in this region of space as she was aged to death by the Dalek time destructor, and the taranium was in use to age Klorin. Except his pap had saved him when the delivery of death came and he took the brunt of the exposure. It was a horrifying story and I actually got a little emotional as I was listening to the story with my little boy of two years running around the room. I couldn’t imagine what Lonnet would be going through. The confusion of Klorin not having the special goodbye from his father was also powerful stuff. Doom getting to impersonate his pap thanks to her telepathic suit was nicely done, although I wasn’t a big fan of her not going through with the assassination on Lonnet. I know it was the easy way to confirm that Karlton was the traitor and the hit was out for the Compuvac, but if she’s the universe’s greatest assassin I thought she wouldn’t show remorse. The Compuvac itself was very intriguing and rather resourceful in being able to fix any problem! It was an obvious target for assassination, but Lonnet hoping to get her son cured was further emotion when it claimed the damage was irreversible. I liked the lead into the next episode with Doom set to head to early twenty-first century Earth and encounter Jackie Tyler! She’ll at least get some knowledge I’m sure. Overall, a great opener!

Rating: 8/10

The Waters of Mars

"All it would take to begin was one drop."

Writer: Phil Ford

Format: Novel

Released: July 2023

Series: Target 176

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

"Water is patient... water just waits. Water always wins!"

November 21st 2059, and Bowie Base One – the first human colony on Mars – is destined for destruction in a nuclear explosion. This tragedy is a fixed point in history. The Laws of Time dictate that it cannot – must never – be changed. 

The Doctor arrives just as a viral life-form escapes from the Martian ice into the base's water supply. A single drop can transform a human into a terrifying monster with the power to infect others. History records that the threat is destroyed along with the base and every human in it. But as his darkest hour comes calling, the Doctor resolves to break the rules as he never has before...

Verdict

The Waters of Mars was an excellent novelisation of the television episode of the same name! The Tenth Doctor’s penultimate on screen adventure, this was a fine choice to novelise and I was really impressed with how Phil Ford handled the task of bringing this dark and powerful story to prose. I only watched the episode around three or four weeks ago so the events were extremely fresh in my head and that’s an approach I don’t usually take. I like to be quite distanced (as much as possible) from the on screen version so I’m able to judge the book in its own right, but I found the idea quite fun and I was intrigued to find how the book would be different. We got a little more fleshing out of the characters that form the crew of Bowie Base One which is expected in a prose format and something I welcomed, and we also got to delve deeper into the mind of the Doctor. I remember thinking specifically how they would incorporate the online news reports of the disaster into the book and it was minimised in a big way. We only got one instance of the Doctor remembering being in a different body in a different time reading a newspaper account of events in New York.  I quite liked that, but it is a shame we didn’t get those news flashes of each crew member. I thought the book did a good job of expanding more on Yuri and Mia both as characters and with their relationship. The moment the Doctor made it public what everyone already knew but was hiding was a fun moment, but perhaps not so much as his first introductions to the crew. When he realised who he was meeting and what the date was, things really got going and the inner turmoil began. That’s where the thoughts of the Doctor were really nicely presented as events went on he knew he should leave. But he just couldn’t. Reading the inner breakdown of the Doctor is incredible stuff really and he does resort to the Time Lord Victorious in extraordinary circumstances. I love how he proclaims to fight Time itself as he was the only one left with the burden of the Laws of Time and he decided now what they were and how they were followed. That was a lot of power and he said it was tough when Adelaide confronted him about it being too much. I thought the background of her character and the expansion on the Dalek seeing her moment during the events of The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End was brilliant. We basically had an entire chapter devoted to her as a ten year old and the reaction of her friendship group to seeing the planets in the sky. She even thought about how cold it would get now they were no longer orbiting the sun. What a thought! It was the Target format at its best. I really enjoyed some of the descriptive language for the Flood and just referring to them by name on numerous occasions was better than on screen where I’m not even sure if they were named. It gave them a bit more credibility I felt. Just reading of their patience and how they were waiting and yearning for Earth was excellent. They were water and that was a powerful enemy. Incorporating some Ice Warrior history into the story was nicely done and what you want from an adventure set on Mars! The Doctor reading the Ice Warrior warning in North Martian concerning the water was great stuff. I thought Adelaide trusting in his words completely was very good and despite being a stranger, she could see in the Doctor’s eyes that he meant what he said. That was important throughout. The setting of 2059 is good and I liked the hindsight by having the pandemic referenced as one of the reasons the world had gone wrong and was in need of expansion beyond the stars. Adelaide’s taking history into her own hands because she wanted her legacy to live on through her granddaughter is a sublime moment as just when the Doctor thinks he’s won, she sends him straight into despair. The story stayed the same despite some of the details changing. Suggesting conspiracy theories about the base was really fun stuff. I thought the links with Planet of the Dead and the four knocks warning as The End of Time is foreshadowed were also presented very well. It really did have a sense of impending finality for the Doctor. Overall, a tremendous read!

Rating: 9/10

Freedom

"It will undoubtedly be destroyed when it reaches its own moment of creation."

Writer: Steve Lyons

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2023

Series: Short Trips 06

Featuring: Third, Jo, Brigadier

Synopsis

From Neolithic Earth to the furthest reaches of the universe in the far future, Short Trips brings together established Doctor Who authors and first-time writers in a collection of stories exploring the ever-changing worlds of the Doctor and his friends.

Witness the last days of the siege of Masada with the First Doctor and meet the Fourth Doctor's extraordinary 'old flame'. An evil enemy makes life difficult for the Seventh and Third Doctors, and while the Fifth Doctor is under attack on a sinister ship shrouded in fog, the Second may soon be guilty of a grave error of judgement... The Sixth Doctor's hopes of a holiday are dashed when he discovers a pleasure planet is hiding a shocking secret, and the Eighth Doctor is caught up in a deadly drama played out during the construction of Stonehenge.

And, of course, that's just the beginning...

Verdict

Freedom was a really good story to continue my way through the first volume of the Short Trips books! I’m always a big fan of revisiting the Third Doctor’s exile on Earth following the events of The War Games (and beyond), especially when the theme is the exile itself. I really liked the continuity with The Mind of Evil in having the Master imprisoned at Stangmoor Prison and there is somewhere quite familiar with him which is fun. Well, familiar with Keller at least and his appearance. The Doctor having sympathy for his Time Lord counterpart was intriguing and quite a stunning way to kick off the story. With this story taking place somewhere during the events of Season 8, exile is still relatively fresh for the Doctor and it’s fair to say here he hasn’t entirely come to terms with it. He’s struggling being contained to one planet and one time so when the Master is contained to a single prison he has all of the sympathy. To him, an entire planet is small scale imprisonment. The Brigadier’s reaction to the Doctor almost asking if the Master could have a bigger space for his imprisonment was superb and met with the expected bafflement. After trying to take over the planet a few times, the Brigadier sarcastically suggested just giving the Master the key to his cell! It’s fair to say he wasn’t in agreement with his scientific advisor. I thought Jo had a really strong outing in this episode and it’s good to expand on her early days at UNIT. She’s settled in by now and conjured a relationship with the Doctor, but she’s still a little ditzy and the inner thoughts of the Doctor when she asks more questions showed that. The direction of the story was really good as it was essentially the Doctor getting trapped within his own trap. The concept of the construct was really good to explore and I think it would definitely be worthy of a full length novel. There’s a lot of potential to explore the gap between seconds and whilst it was impossible to get there, the idea of it being occupied and then there being conflict occurring within was excellent. I really liked how the Master had forced his mind there too in the form of Gooder and even in a short story at just twenty-six pages, we get a good old disguise so associated with his character in this era. The Doctor knew it right away but the reveal of that goatee was still a good moment. I’m a sucker for a Master reveal even when it’s obvious. The way the story shifted between times leading up to the Doctor and Jo being stuck in the construct was good and kept things bouncing back and forth which was fun and certainly helped with the pace. It wasn’t quite frantic but it was fast flowing. It was a breeze to read. The Doctor accepting the circumstances of he and Jo being trapped was good and I loved how she refused to just take the situation as it was. There was no way to tell time or how it was passing here which must be incredibly difficult. Jo had slept three times but it was troublesome to not know for how long each time! The conclusion to this one was so powerful as Jo had to almost plead with the Doctor to save Earth. He was prepared to leave the fate of the planet to the Time Lords as they temporarily restored his knowledge of time travel and the TARDIS, but Jo was enough to get him to immediately give up his freedom. I’m not too sure how I feel about the Doctor putting himself ahead of Earth, but it was powerful stuff. Overall, a really good read!

Rating: 8/10

Trapped: The Good Samaritan

"Help your neighbour."

Writer: Helen Goldwyn

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Rose Tyler: The Dimension Canon 3.03

Featuring: Rose

Synopsis

Trying to repair her Dimension Cannon, Rose seeks out the last haven of technology on this Earth. But the utopia of the Dome hides a more desperate situation – and a storm of Anti-Life is closing in...

Verdict

The Good Samaritan was an excellent episode to conclude a really strong Trapped third series of The Dimension Canon for Rose Tyler! I’m not sure if there has been any kind of formal announcement, but judging by how things finished here I would assume this would conclude the spin-off range. And it went out on a high if that is the case! I have really enjoyed the trapped element of this series as instead of having Rose just hopping around from one universe to the other, we have a full story arc and an aim to reach. That has definitely been beneficial and this series has felt a lot more structured as a result. Rose has been on the hunt for some technologically savvy people and she found one here in the form of Rohan as the scientist. He was a good character and I really liked how he was fascinated by the technology within the dimension canon. It was incredibly advanced and he was almost in awe. Expanding on the relationship between Rose and Danni was done very well again here and they really have done a stellar job in establishing them as essentially siblings. They do feel like that which is great. Unfortunately, Danni wouldn’t be dimension hopping with Rose as she sacrificed herself at the end which was admirable and certainly an emotional conclusion. As Rose herself stated this one didn’t have a happy ending. And with literal universes dying why should it? I like that this ended on a somewhat somber note as it’s a stark reminder that not everything ends well, and why should it? The stakes and danger on show here were only heightened by how things finished. I loved how we really dug deep into the empaths in this episode and the revelation concerning their evolution was quite staggering. They actually became the Anti-Life! I wasn’t expecting that but it was something I thoroughly enjoyed and it caught me off guard. We got to hear that process in full swing with Mac which was a little scary and certainly disconcerting. Esther was a good character and she knew all about it and helped explain the connection they had in sensing when the Anti-Life would come. If they were to become them, no wonder there was a link! I was also a big fan of the Superior Elite as the figurehead dictator of this broken society. The concept of receiving literal marks for good acts was interesting but one bad move or simply not getting enough marks meant you were fed to the storm of Anti-Life. That was daunting and certainly a strong way of keeping the population in check! It took the idea of love thy neighbour to a completely different level. But it was one that was really good to explore and Rose was horrified when that air lock was being opened and those offenders were outside. They were helpless. Danni being told earlier in the episode she would know when it was time to evolve soon came into fruition at the end as she knew she now had to save Rose. Rohan was also a big hand in getting power back to the dimension canon as the storm could charge for it a short period of time, so Rose’s way back was clear. And she would have to do enough living for the both of them. I’m sure she would! The way things led into Turn Left here was fantastic as the empathic abilities of Rose’s alternate sibling had shown her the way to the Doctor. It was through Donna Noble who’d taken the wrong turning and that had set something completely off. I wonder if we’ll get another series now leading towards the efforts of reaching Donna as we saw in Series 4, but if not then it was nice to go out with a bang! Overall, a brilliant episode.  

Rating: 9/10

Trapped: The Lower Road

"I don't want to be brave."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Rose Tyler: The Dimension Canon 3.02

Featuring: Rose

Synopsis

Trekking the wastelands, Rose and Danni discover a community that seems to have made peace with the Anti-Life. But all groups have their secrets, and bargains come at a price.

Verdict

The Lower Road was another great episode to continue my way through the Trapped third series of The Dimension Canon! This followed on nicely for Rose and Danni where Sink or Swim left off and the society they encountered here was a fascinating one. I was impressed again with the dark and eery feel and the atmosphere once again was presented as being very tense. Obviously in a world where the universe is dying everyone is on their last legs, and tackling that with the presence of anti-life also makes for a daunting combination! I liked the continuity there in having the parasite featured and whilst it wasn’t the main focus, the very idea of a complete tower block of the stuff was a little daunting. Rose and Danni were shocked. Their relationship developed considerably in this episode and I quite liked how the latter caught onto the former’s stories always involving her mother. Rose was constantly after information about this universe’s version of Jackie but Danni was quiet on details and understandably so given what happened to her in the previous story. Rose was clearly feeling a familial connection to Danni and whilst she pointed out that she wasn’t trying to be a mother or even a sister, it was obvious she was trying to protect her and felt like she had some kind of relationship. That was really nice and once again highlighted the maturity of Rose in this series. She really is going it alone here separated from her family and even her own universe that actually isn’t hers. Her dimension canon still wasn’t working and she was hoping to find some technology that could help to fix it, but she wouldn’t find it here. I liked the direction towards the end of the episode though with Lara pointing her in the right direction to the south where a settlement did have some sort of tech that might help repair her cannon. I think that’s really good to setup the finale but before we get there, Rose felt responsible for things here which was good. Danni didn’t understand why they couldn’t just leave when they had the opportunity to, but Rose wasn’t having any of it. She knew there was something that needed putting right. Finding out about Lex was an emotional story at first when she had just ran away. That would be more than enough for any parent when she’d been gone for five days! But with Lara quite cleverly catching on to Rose mentioning about Danni being a prisoner and that meaning she had empathic abilities, she knew that could be used to track her daughter. Instead of trusting, Lara followed them and found her daughter. The reason why Lex had ran away soon became understandable as a lottery had decided she was the next sacrifice to the Hackers. The concept of the lower and higher road was good and I liked how when the lights shone bright a sacrifice was needed. This time around it was to be Lex and Rose’s outrage at Lara for letting that happened as head of the colony was a good moment. She was supposed to be her mother! The familial connection with Minton was a good twist towards the end as it turned out she was actually the grandmother of Lex who didn’t escape by herself. She had help. Rose was calm and effective in talking her way into helping Danni escape and Minton was quite helpless. The way Lex died on the Hacker trap was unexpected and a really powerful moment. Lara was devastated and the fact she needed to look for that confirmation was horrific. I know I’d be the same if it was my Albie but the thought barely wants thinking about. It’s terrifying. That sent things into a spiral as time was getting on and Lara knew a sacrifice was needed, and only the child of Danni would do now. Rose was too useful even though she made it abundantly clear she wouldn’t be sticking around when she was released after the sacrifice was made. The Hackers being real was a good way to end things as it showed not everything Lara said was false, but her fate was sealed and the moment at the end with Minton writing two more names on the memorial wall was a somber affair. The fact names had to be wiped off the wall earlier on set the tone for what was quite a dreary episode, but one that was full of emotion. A strong listen.

Rating: 8/10

Trapped: Sink or Swim

"I must live with it and I must die with it."

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Rose Tyler: The Dimension Canon 3.01

Featuring: Rose

Synopsis

Rose is trapped and alone, at sea in an unfamiliar world, where a strange entropy eats away at those struggling to survive. But she finds family, and hope, as she starts her quest to escape...

Verdict

Sink or Swim was a great story to kick off the Trapped third series of The Dimension Canon! We’re really getting into the thick of things now with the Rose Tyler spin-off and I’m all for it. This version of Rose is much more mature than the one who was companion to the Ninth and Tenth Doctors which I’m a big fan of because whilst I have no issue with her time as a companion, I do think she’s severely overrated. We see her more grown up here as she tries to get back to the Doctor through the walls of dimensions but as of yet she hasn’t been able to locate the correct universe. After the brilliant cliffhanger at the end of the Other Worlds boxset, I was surprised that Rose wasn’t more desperate. She’d lost her mum back to their own universe and she didn’t even have her dimension canon here. She knew she needed it located, but she went about things in an assured way which was good signs of her maturity. This universe was an intriguing one and I think the direction of the series to come is a good one with her building a relationship with Danni. It’s nice that it looks like Rose will essentially be getting her own companion for the rest of the series, but for me it was the alternate version of Jackie that stole the show in this episode. I thought Camille Coduri was tremendous as the empathic Jackie. The concept of empaths is really strong and I loved hearing this Jackie was in a bad way. Her abilities to see the future had been exploited and it was having a big impact on her. The way she had protected Danni from her own empathic abilities being discovered was really good, and Danni herself only realised the potential she had by the episode’s conclusion. I wonder how that will play into Rose’s efforts in the future of the series. I think they make quite the pairing! Jackie having almost instant trust in Rose was nice to see and whilst we’re used by now to different universes still having that familial connection, it was a nice touch. Rose obviously couldn’t help herself in referring to this Jackie as mum and it must be difficult for her to be seeing several different versions of her mother. Jackie here was in a bad way and Rose wanted to help. She was immediately granted a position of authority which caused some conflict and tension that added nicely to the atmosphere of the episode. The naval theme was good and felt quite dark which suits the feel of the series as the walls between universes are breaking down. I always imagine these stories taking place at night with the stars going out. I thought the concept behind the anti-life was very good and it’s such a good name too! It doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination and also provides the mission statement quite emphatically. The fate befallen on Jackie was emotional stuff and Danni being almost angered at Rose for coming out of the darkness and interfering in what her mother could see was a little harsh, but she knew it wasn’t all Rose’s fault. I was a little surprised that she was the one who had taken her dimension canon though! Kaitlin was a decent character to help compliment the cast and I’m always impressed with the contained kind of feel. That also helps with the feel and atmosphere of the episode. Overall, I thought this was a strong opener and it’s nice to see that a mini arc seems to be forming!

Rating: 8/10

Eldrad Must Live!

"I must live with it and I must die with it."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Monthly Adventures 172

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis

"A Doctor, curse his name, threw me down among the dead... but I endure. I am Eldrad... and I must live!"

A nuclear icebreaker, foundering in Arctic waters. Seabirds washed up in the fishing resort of Ambermouth, their wings encrusted with crystals. A shining artefact of uncertain provenance, up for sale on an auction site.

All of these things are linked, as the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough are about to discover. Linked to the rebirth of a genocidal tyrant, presumed dead many years ago...

For the sake of the planets Earth and Kastria alike... Eldrad must die!

Verdict

Eldrad Must Die! was an excellent story to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! We return to the quartet of the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough which is very fun as we have an older Nyssa who now looks like her old self and is rather rejuvenated. I think that’s good as a selling point when it comes to the artwork and for those fans who maybe don’t listen to every story in the range, but I’m just glad to expand on adventures for a foursome that we barely saw on screen together. As the story title suggests, we have quite the returning foe in this one! Eldrad made a very strong impact in The Hand of Fear and I think a lot of that is because it is also Sarah Jane’s farewell as companion, so it’s only natural for a comeback! Establishing that Eldrad could be both male or female was nicely done and I loved how there was no messing about regarding the return. Eldrad was heard even before the opening titles and he was out for revenge. He must live. The twist on that in the title was terrific and it was great stuff to have another Kastrian present. Expanding on the history of that world and Eldrad’s position was fantastic and Mulkris made for a sublime character. She was the King’s executioner and whilst Eldrad almost laughed at the name of the monarch, Mulkris was determined to see out the mission. The Doctor thought it had already happened and his confusion on hearing that Eldrad must die was good fun! He didn’t think it was any different. Tegan’s confusion on the name at the start and calling him El Dorado was brilliant but it was actually Turlough who probably had the best story for the companions. He was taken over by Eldrad and subjected to his Will which was good and really helped establish the villain by having a hold over a companion. It was tremendous to have Stephen Thorne back reprising the role of Eldrad and one thing j thought when listening was that I had major Omega vibes. It was that kind of all encompassing and booming presence that made Eldrad feel big both physically and figuratively. The use of the quartz crystals again were really good and the imagery of the diamond like elements growing on body parts and just being present on a large scale was very good. I was a little surprised by how long it took the Doctor to realise Eldrad was returned, but then again when you were convinced he was dead it’s an easy mistake to make. I was impressed with the cliffhangers as they felt like they were building the story really well and always had me wanting to listen to the next part right away. They were mainly concerned on Eldrad and that’s how it should be. Charlie Gibbs was another strong character and his history with Turlough was very intriguing! Having him catch up with an old schoolmate is hardly surprising, but the fact he was also an exile from Trion is a little difficult to believe. The universe is a big place and that just seems like a coincidence too big to swallow, but I could let it slide because he was a strong presence. He seemed to have the upper hand on Turlough thanks to Eldrad and his connection with the silicone being was really good to explore. Having multiple versions of Eldrad thanks to the different crystals and the nature of the life form was brilliant and I loved how one was then accused of being a pretender. The way Mulkris was able to eventually see off Eldrad with the poison shot was very good stuff and seemed quite an empathic end to the villain. The mission statement of the story seems like it’s achieved, but with the nature of the enemy there’s always a chance a piece survived. I like that. Overall, an excellent listen!

Rating: 9/10

The Last Voyage

"Everyone has vanished, except for us!"

Writer: Pete McTighe

Format: Audio

Released: January 2010

Series: NSA Audio 06

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises on board the maiden voyage of a pioneering space cruiser, travelling from Earth to the planet Eternity. The Doctor has just started exploring the vehicle when there is a loud bang, a massive jolt and a flash of light. Soon he discovers that nearly all the passengers and crew have disappeared. Unless the Doctor and flight attendant Sugar MacAuley can take control and steer the ship, they could crash-land – or stay in space forever!

Verdict

The Last Voyage was a good listen for a New Series Adventures audio! I do think that at nearly two-and-a-half hours these kind of stories are a little on the long side and even with someone as talented as David Tennant in the narrator role, it’s very difficult with just one actor. It’s a little difficult to maintain those concentration levels required to fully appreciate the content and listening to the same voice for nearly 150 minutes means the mind can’t help but wonder! Now, that’s a little negative against the format and as my rating reflects this was still a tale I enjoyed. I do think it helps when we have Tennant as the actor as when the Doctor features it’s the genuine article. His natural accent also helped in differentiating between roles and characters which is nice. There were at least efforts there to make it feel like a full cast. I really liked how the story started with the track actually titled as ‘atmospherics’ before the opening titles even hit. That really helped sell what kind of story we were going to listen to. It set the tone right from the off and that dark and eery feel never really left which I was very pleased with. That was certainly one of the biggest highlights this story had going for it. I liked the concept of the title and the Doctor arriving during the last voyage of a vessel, except this was actually the maiden voyage! I must admit that the number of times it was reiterated that they were actually on an interstitial transposition vehicle got very tiresome very quickly. It just seemed unnecessary! I was surprised it took as long as it did for the Doctor to actually feature, but when he did I thought things really kicked into gear. Sugar was a really strong character to fill in that companion role given this adventure takes place during the era of the 2009 Specials, even if it was actually released after David Tennant’s swan song! That’s some unfortunate scheduling, but she was a really good character and I definitely could have seen her coming onboard in a more permanent fashion. She had a lot of good qualities. The voyage to Eternity had a really nice ring to it on paper and the Doctor knowing of the end destination was good stuff. A maiden voyage of this kind was impressive and he was even more surprised when he discovered how quickly the interstitial travel technology had been developed. It just shouldn’t have been possible to go from quick sketches of the idea to a working vehicle in three years. The scale was uncharted territory. I’m never a fan when the enemy or just races in general don’t get a name. I can’t help but find it a little lazy and it’s hard to get familiar with them. There’s no connection there so just having mysterious interstitial beings could have been improved upon. Simply a name and a quick line on their background would have been so beneficial. It’s especially annoying when they actually knew the Doctor’s real name! That was a strong and powerful moment but even more could have been made of it in my opinion. There weren’t many, if any, people left in the universe who knew that and that should have been used to attack the Doctor more in my view. It was still audacious to go down that route but it fitted in nicely with all of the others hearing their name being called in the shadows. The Doctor working out that it was actually they who were missing was a fun twist that I didn’t see coming and that made the conclusion more simple of getting them back, rather than everyone else who was supposed missing. Overall, probably a little too long but still a strong story. A worthy listen!

Rating: 7/10

Kerblam!

"Jobs for people not robots."

Writer: Pete McTighe

Format: Novel

Released: July 2023

Series: Target 173

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Graham, Ryan

Synopsis

"Ding dong!"

The TARDIS is invaded. A plea for help delivered by robot summons the Doctor and her friends Yaz, Graham and Royal to Kerblam – the biggest retailer in the galaxy. Posing as new recruits among the thousands of human workers, the TARDIS crew uncover a deadly plot that threatens the life of every person in the warehouse – and beyond. 

Who has sent for the Doctor? What is the dark secret at the heart of Kerblam's operations? And who will escape the merciless Postmen...?

Verdict

Kerblam! was a really great novelisation of the Thirteenth Doctor episode of the same name! I was recently excited by the latest batch of Target releases for the modern era and whilst I would prefer if they were released singularly and not with four or five in one batch, I actually did pick up all of the modern stories so hopefully I can get blogging those in the coming weeks! But I started with the most recent one and it was a welcomed return to a less popular era of the show. I don’t think anyone would argue too strong that Series 11 is the weakest of the modern era and whilst I do think a lot of critics and fans are unfair, the overall direction of the series does leave a lot to be desired. However, as individual episodes I think there are some tremendous ones! This is a fine example and it does really well in the novelisation format. I thought a little more could have been done to really sell the scale and depth of the Kerblam delivery facilities, but I was a big fan of what I read. This did a stellar job in bringing us some traditional deviations from what we saw on screen and the centre of that was Judy. She’s a decent character as the Head of People at Kerblam and she’s a good front for describing the role of organically and the ten perfect rule when it came to company employment. It couldn’t all be automatons.  I thought diving into Judy’s past as a child was really good and exploring the history surrounding Kandoka was brilliant. That was really strong expansion and getting to know how Judy and her family were impacted by the machine takeover in employment was fantastic. That was a really good use of the format. The difference that she experienced from her life on her tenth birthday compared to her eleventh was startling as unemployment was really effecting the family. Her dad getting involved in the riots and protests against the rise of technology was fascinating and I liked how that formed the basis of her becoming a people person, quite literally! The Kerblam postmen were presented as rather eery and whilst the format obviously doesn’t lend itself to visuals, the front cover is a delight! It’s one of the better Target artworks in my opinion and really does capture the threat in a strong way. It’s striking and that’s what you want. Speaking of striking, the cheeky cameo of the Seventh Doctor and Ace during a riot in Judy’s childhood was magnificent and so effective for something that was so simple. Just a small bit of advice went a long way and it did a lot to help sell the Doctor knowing about Kerblam. I was really impressed at the end in the TARDIS with how the Thasmin direction was incorporated much more so than was evident on screen with us getting some of Yaz’s thoughts as she embraced the Doctor. She didn’t want to let go and that really helped with the continuity of the end of their run. The concept of basically doing Amazon in space in the future is a fine one and it comes off well here. The threat of thousands of deliveries simultaneously with bombs is excellent, although I do think weaponising bubble wrap is perhaps slightly too silly. I do appreciate the temptation of it though! The way Kira died was so impactful and allowed us to find Charlie as the madman culprit behind everything. It initially seemed like it was Slade but he was a PI which was a slightly underwhelming revelation, but for Charlie the machines had taken his parents and the one he loved. No wonder he was borderline insane! It was a slightly underwhelming person to build for the finale, but as a whole this was still a great read!

Rating: 8/10

Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Soundscapes #4

"You command your own mind."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: April 2020

Series: Torchwood Monthly 37

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Ianto

Synopsis

You are listening to a self-help tape. You are hearing a soothing voice. You have always wanted to do something with your life, haven't you? Oh, how you've ached to be a better person.

Well now. This is your chance. Go on. Sit back. Close your eyes. Relax. You're going to learn all about Captain Jack Darkness. You're going to learn all about Torchwood.

You're going to change the world.

Verdict

Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Soundscapes #4 was a great story to kick off the latest batch of Torchwood monthly adventures! I quite enjoy the sequence of having six in a row and after the latest sale from Big Finish, I couldn’t wait to pick up the latest mini series! I’m such a big fan of Torchwood and whilst the monthly range does feel like a different series to the current ongoing run with a much revamped team, it’s nice to step back into the good old days of the first two series we saw on television. They’re what established the show so expanding on those adventures is all good in my book. This was an incredibly unique episode as well and one that I think only Torchwood could pull off really. It’s intriguing to have a complete one handed and whilst I do list all of the original five Torchwood team as featuring, I could easily have not had anybody. This was all from the point of view of the mysterious Voice who was attempting to infiltrate Torchwood through the form of a self help tape. I have known about this episode by name for quite a while now, essentially since it was released a few years ago, and it’s always been of interest. I didn’t know it was a one handed prior to listening but I really liked it. It did feel like as a listener I was involved which is quite unique and definitely fun! It’s a different experience and whilst I wouldn’t always want it, I’m all on board for it on occasion. Actually addressing and talking to the listener is good and definitely brings a new perspective to the storytelling. We hear from the infiltrator’s point of view and they were certainly clued up on the Torchwood team! Hearing the descriptions of the personalities of Captain Jack to Owen to Ianto to Gwen were really good and I liked that the Voice had inhabited the body of Jack. He seemed the right person and it was good that Gwen could lock him out. The Voice seemed to think, and rightfully so, that being Jack would mean access all areas. It didn’t quite work out that way though! The slow infiltration on paper might sound a little boring but I think Michael Palin’s narration was excellent in keeping the listener hooked. He did a fantastic job and I felt like I wanted to know what the next move was all the way through proceedings. It was really good stuff. I thought the way we came to defeating the Voice was fascinating as there was a lot left to ambiguity and to the listener’s discretion almost. A psychic weapon is really good to explore but I think to push this story onto the upper realms rating wise, a little more information on what actually happened was required. The title of the episode is quite fun as when we got into the self help tape, this was hardly tropical! But I did find myself ingrained into the episode which is a big credit. I felt a part of it! That’s very unusual and I rather enjoyed it. The way the theme music was worked into the end credits in a distorted form was also a nice touch that added credibility to the format of the story. It felt real. Overall, a great listen!

Rating: 8/10

The Outliers

"We consume our own brains."

Writer: Simon Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: October 2017

Series: Early Adventures 4.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis

The TARDIS takes the Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie to a flooded underground town on an alien world. The streets are empty. The houses are bare. Not a trace of life. 

The miners working here are vanishing. And it isn't long before the time-travellers are suspected of being responsible for the disappearances. But even the authorities haven't fully realised the scale of the problem.

There's something else on this world. Something dragging people away. And it won't stop until it's taken them all.

Verdict

The Outliers was a good story to continue my way through the fourth series of Early Adventures! I think there’s a lot of potential to expand on the stories of this quartet as unfortunately we didn’t get too many of them on screen and those that did are almost either wholly or partially missing from the BBC Archives. Thankfully, the wonderful animations have done a brilliant job of providing us with visuals of their adventures but getting more and more from them is just wonderful. With Elliot Chapman effortlessly stepping into the role of Ben and Frazer Hines doing his usual stellar job of taking on the role of the Second Doctor, this feels so genuine and of the time. Authentic is the word I’m looking for and I certainly do think this kind of adventure would more than slot in somewhere in Season 4. The term outliers is a fun one and I wasn’t expecting the TARDIS team themselves to be part of the reference. It’s always fun to have unexplained data! I absolutely adored the continuity from The Power of the Daleks with the Doctor still having the Earth Examiner badge. Of course, we know it wasn’t his but who said he can’t re-use the credentials again? It’s a fun way to bring a new element to the frankly overdone examiner method of getting the Doctor and his companions ingrained into the story so I appreciated the different take. He actually had evidence! Some of the characters here were good with Richard Tipple a strong villain, although I must admit I was less interested when the mysterious creatures actually emerged. The concept of them talking through time was really intriguing and something more could have been made of that, especially with Polly pointing out that they travelled through it so they were perceived differently. I liked that. The cliffhanger to part one was pretty stellar as Chatura realised thanks to Polly’s fixing with the equations that twenty people going missing over a decade was far from the truth. Whilst she thought that was actually a selling point of the safety accomplishments, it turned out people had been going missing at a rate of one every two hours! That is quite the difference. The threat of arconite was good and the shock the Doctor had when it was present sold just how dangerous it was. I thought the creatures trying to communicate by showing the future was decent stuff and the Doctor getting a glimpse of the Time Lords and being surprised by that was a nice foreshadowing of The War Games to come. Hinting at Polly seeing events of Mondas Passing was also a lovely niche reference! I thought the discussion with the creatures in part four was decent but I would liked to have known more about them. The line about eating their own brains was quite something but the Doctor didn’t seem too surprised by that! He always applies a scientific head which is welcomed. The creatures dying at the hands of Tipple was strong stuff and provided the means of the conclusion with our TARDIS crew stopping him. It almost felt like things petered out slightly and I think a bit more of an impactful conclusion could have increased the rating. It just never felt like the stakes were huge. Overall though, still a good listen!

Rating: 7/10

Once and Future: The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50

"I always wanted a pet lizard."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Once and Future 05

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, First Doctor, Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

The First Doctor arrives in Victorian London amid a Martian invasion. But he discovers all is not what it seems when Missy appears...

Soon, the Doctor is propelled into a future incarnation – the Tenth – but he is not alone in battling Missy and her Martian invaders. The Paternoster Gang – Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint and Strax – are also here to assist. But can they offer the Doctor any help in solving his own degeneration mystery?

Verdict

The Martian Invasion of Planetoid 50was an excellent episode to continue my way through the Once and Future sixtieth anniversary celebrations from Big Finish! I think this series has really grown now and I liked that we got a hint at the end here of some sort of endgame for the degeneration being experienced by the Doctor. On paper, this episode had some stellar combinations by pairing up the Tenth Doctor with Missy which is a dream to be honest! It’s a shame David Tennant and Michelle Gomez didn’t get to perform together given that this was actually recorded back during the pandemic, but they are tremendous together and I just love that we get to experience a story with Missy and a Doctor wearing a different face. She’s obviously associated with the Twelfth Doctor so to have her interacting with the Tenth was magnificent. I was very happy that the episode actually opened with an extended cameo with the First Doctor arriving into Victorian London, except the planet Earth was not where he expected to land. I thought it was fun for him to be mentioning being back in his original mind and that only made him more certain that he should have been on Planetoid 50. The Paternoster Gang also featuring was terrific and I liked having them under the control of Missy. She’s a phenomenal character and I really can’t get enough of her. She’s so whacky and crazy and that’s more than evident in this episode with her scheme! It didn’t really make any kind of sense but I loved how barmy it was. That was Missy in a nutshell and quite the form of a distraction. Bringing the fictional world of The War of the Worlds to life with the Martians was outlandish and just bonkers. Who else but Missy could it be? The moment the Doctor realises who he’s encountering was fun stuff and with how it was being dragged out a little I was almost expecting him to say he thought she was the Monk! It didn’t happen, but it was still a fun moment. Jenny being under Missy’s control rather firmly was good, but for me the highlight of the episode was the relationship between Missy and Vastra. The way the Time Lady was just mocking and goading the Silurian was incredible stuff! Referring to her as a talking handbag was just sublime stuff. She also threatened to turn her into a pair of shoes! It was incredible and Vastra was just getting angrier and angrier. It was so much fun. Missy didn’t take Vastra’s threats seriously in the slightest and that was a dream. Missy actually needing the help of the Doctor was something she had trouble admitting, but she’d called him in to essentially fix her mess. I was surprised though that Missy was also experiencing some sort of degeneration and gave the Doctor a direction to go in to try and fix the issue and that meant finding the Union. I’m sure we’ll learn more about them in the next episode, but it’s nice to have some direction of some sort of finale. A goal to work towards is always good in my book! Strax was his usual comic delight in the episode and Missy wondering if they’d kissed was quite something, but not as much as her referring to the Doctor as her boyfriend and embracing him in a kiss! Thank goodness the Paternoster Gang walked in on them and goodness knows where that would have lead. Overall, this was a tremendous episode that was just a lot of fun really with a lighthearted central plot and a simple resolution. A really enjoyable 69 minutes!

Rating: 9/10

A Star is Born

"The idea of a supreme being loses its attraction."

Writer: Richard Dinnick

Format: Audio

Released: August 2011

Series: Short Trips 4.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis

The Doctor and his companions answer a distress call from a vast spaceship carrying the remnants of a dying race...

Verdict

A Star is Born was not the greatest of Short Trips stories to kick off the fourth series unfortunately! Once again the hit and miss nature of this early run in what is actually a terrific little range bites again. I find that with these adventures things are often great or really bad. I think describing this particular story as really bad might be a bit harsh and still gets a somewhat decent rating, although for me and my generosity that is pretty darn low, but it just didn’t work for me. I must say that I found things a little boring and not engaging enough when it came to the stakes. I did just find myself asking the question of why should I care? I still don’t know. It’s always nice to have the Doctor answering a distress call as he’s there to help and always would do so, but having that in the era of the very first TARDIS team didn’t seem to fit in. The TARDIS at this point of the time was far from reliable as we know by the risk Ian and Barbara took in The Chase with the Dalek Time Machine to get them home, so for the TARDIS to have picked up and successfully locate a distress call here didn’t feel right. It also isn’t wholly in line with the personality of the First Doctor at this point in time in my opinion. Not that he’d be against it but I’m not sure it would be his port of call. I thought William Russell’s narration was absolutely great and he is always a joy to listen to, but the story material he was provided left a lot to be desired in my estimation. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Metraxis as the alien race that sent the distress call and even though it was sent seven generations ago, surely if it was ongoing they could expect visitors? The introductions felt clumsy. I did like harkening back to The Daleks though with Ian remembering his own experience with radiation poisoning. Egrabill and Graneva were decent enough characters but they didn’t have any major standout qualities. I thought the entire thing was just a bit dull which I don’t like saying but I must be truthful. The revelation of Rode being a traitor to his species just felt a bit random and the slow radiation poisoning was good but not entirely effective. I just didn’t really care enough that he was the culprit and some more background information would have been beneficial. That’s always difficult in a story of this format though as twenty-five minutes really isn’t a lot of time to get to know them. Especially with four main characters as well, there wasn’t much at all for Susan or Barbara to do which was a shame. The fate that became of the Metraxis should have been more of the focal point as I like the idea of a race going sterile through each generation of cloning. There’s potential there to try and exploit it or put it right. The discussion on religion was a highlight for me though when they said it was quite silly to think of a supreme being, but all civilisations and society had that idea. Overall, a decent enough listen but lacking in stakes or reasons to care. 

Rating: 5/10

The Eye of the Giant

"There are always sacrifices to be made for the sake of progress."

Writer: Christher Bulis

Format: Audio

Released: April 1996

Series: Missing Adventures 21

Featuring: Third Doctor, Liz, Brigadier

Synopsis

"I might have known it," the Brigadier said tersely. "The Doctor and Miss Shaw have managed to lose themselves on an island that doesn't exist."

1934: Salutua, a legendary lost island in the Pacific. Millionaire Marshal J Grover's expedition arrives to uncover and exploit its secrets. But the task is complicated by a film star's fears and ambitions and a scientist's lethal obsession. 

Nearly forty years later: UNIT headquarters, London. The Doctor and Liz Shaw are asked to identify a mysterious artefact and trace its origin. The trail leads them back in time to Salutua and a gigantic discovery. Meanwhile, the Brigadier faces an epidemic of UFO sightings and supernatural occurrences that threaten to bring about global panic. Only the Doctor can help him – but he's trapped on mythical island four decades in the past.

Verdict

The Eye of the Giant was a terrific Missing Adventures novel for the Third Doctor, Liz and the UNIT team! I love the idea of giving more stories for the Doctor and Liz as it’s a pairing that we just didn’t see enough of on screen. I’m a massive Liz fan, so much so that I’d say she’s in my top five companions ever, so to only four televised serials with her is a travesty, even if three of them consist of seven parts. It’s lovely to know her time at UNIT didn’t conclude shortly after the events of Inferno and whilst there was no indication of how long after this book she stayed, it’s nice to know she did. The Brigadier still not being too pleased about the Doctor’s time experiments in that aforementioned Season 7 finale was fun so when the Doctor was up to no good again trying something similar it was a recipe for humour. The Doctor using the time and space visualiser that we saw prominently in The Chase was magnificent and using it as a means to track the omicron object back through time was really intriguing. I won’t pretend that the science in this story made sense but I’m not going to let that get in the way of my enjoyment. The link to 1934 on the island of Salutua being so strong that you could actually step through the time and space visualiser was a unique form of time travel, but the Doctor would take anything in his exile. It was a sneaky way to bypass the Time Lord punishment imposed on him, and with him feeling confined he’d take it. Things breaking down almost immediately was fun and that meant Liz and Mike had to go through after him. I thought this was a really good use of the novel format in showcasing Yates meeting the Doctor for the first time, as long as giving us a story alongside Liz which never occurred. I thought it was fun for him to have been on clean up duties for Autons and Cave Monsters in nice references to Spearhead From Space and Doctor Who and the Silurians. The way we were introduced to the characters of the expedition on the Constitution was really good and I felt I knew the characters very well by the time the story fully clicked into gear. Nancy Grover as an entitled actress was really fun and her selfishness was quite incredible. Her relationship with Marshall Grover was intriguing as she was clearly using him for his money and power, and her confidence absolutely oozed off her. She had no qualms that she was in control. Amelia Grover was the woman in the middle as Marshall’s daughter and making the new squeeze rather jealous. The reaction from Nancy when she found out the whole journey to Salutua was to help Amelia grow her arm back that she’d lost in a car accident that also took her mother was quite something. The moment she called her a cripple was powerful stuff. I was surprised Marshall was so calm! The faith of Amelia was something that annoyed Nancy so much because she just wanted her to hate her or be violent, but that wasn’t her way. I liked the gigantism elements of the story and whilst initially I had fears of something similar to The Web Planet, what we had instead was much better. The likes of giant ants and worms was really good but they weren’t the main focus of the book. That was Brokk as a Grond who was on the run from the powerful Semquess and he had some amulets in tow. The power behind the Semquess and their experimental drugs was good and the way Brokk and Nancy would actually be linked organically was more intriguing stuff. I loved the message from the Brigadier with the sheets of paper explaining to the Doctor and company that the island was due to be completely eradicated from a volcanic eruption. The countdown was really good and provided some good jeopardy with the looming deadline. Things were definitely exciting and it was just fun stuff with Sternberg still wanting the drugs to experiment with. Marshall realised the deaths that were happening were not worth it to save Amelia’s arm, and she didn’t even want it anyway, but he was inundated with Nancy’s good looks which she used to her advantage. Yates initially thinking Brokk was a statue was good as we knew it was always going to wake up! When that happened the action really started as the Semquess were involved to retrieve what was theirs. They’d been waiting a very long time too! I liked the story there and the fate of Brokk’s ship being the cause of the volcanic eruption was nicely done and neat to tie things up. Except then we almost burst straight into another adventure as the past had been changed and the Doctor and Liz returned to an altered future. I thought that element of the story was superb but just a bit rushed. I think it could have been its own book as a sequel! I loved exploring the world of Nancy Grover as a goddess with her still starring in feature films, but she would never last. The way the past was returned to and then changed again was a little quick, but I loved the dystopian world of the 1970s that was presented. Bessie being used to protect its passengers from being impacted by the world around them was ludicrous fun, and the ghostly apparitions were very good. Overall, this was a tremendous read! Just a slightly rushed ending.   

Rating: 8/10