Freeze

"They travel around the universe and freeze planets!"

Writer: Jason Lobarik 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2014

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2015

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara is late for work so calls for the Doctor and the TARDIS but a little detour sends them to Eden 2 where a species intent on freezing the planet is at work

Verdict 

Freeze was a pretty decent comic strip and followed on nicely from the 2015 annual's previous story of The Monsters of Coal Hill School. I liked the overlapping references to Clara being at work and it was nice to see how much she values her job! Although, people being late for work isn't an isolated event it does happen on times and coincidentally even occurred to me today! My A2 Law teacher turned up at 9.25 with the lesson starting some twenty-five minutes earlier, not that I was complaining. Granted she was stuck on the motorway thanks to a violent crash, what I'm trying to say is that being late for work shouldn't require the TARDIS! I must say I did like that the Doctor abided by his companion's wish and soon arrived to pick up his beloved Clara. After the events of The Name of the Doctor, The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor followed by regeneration I think the Doctor knows he really needs Clara by his side after all the help she's given him by defeating the Great Intelligence, changing the course of the Time War and giving the Doctor an unprecedented new regeneration cycle. The least he could do is drop her off to work an hour ago! But first they'd have a little adventure on a nearly referenced planet of paradise which goes along nicely with the loose series arc surrounding Missy. The setting of Eden 2 looked tremendous with a nice little homage to Nightmare of Eden, the mythical Fourth Doctor serial. The concept surrounding the Vladlack was unique to say the least! They just go around the cosmos freezing planets over and live in the frozen habitat until they're bored. Well, that's a different lifestyle to anything I've ever heard or seen in this programme before! The little plot was pretty good and did its job very sufficiently for an Annual comic strip. The way the Vladlack were stopped were pretty humorous in an entertaining climax! Again with the Annuals, too short but still did an excellent job!

Rating: 8/10

The Faceless Ones

"Ooh, it's a flying beastie!"

Writers: David Ellis & Malcolm Hulke

Format: TV

Broadcast: 8th April - 13th May 1967

Season: 4.08

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie arrive in near-present day Gatwick Airport and they discover that the new airline Chameleon Tours isn't all what it seems. Why are families receiving postcards from people who didn't get to their destinations? What is happening on a satellite not too far from Earth? And just who are the creatures with no face?

Verdict 

The Faceless Ones was a very good penultimate serial of the fourth season of Doctor and it saw a farewell to two popular companions. The cockney sailor Ben and the beautiful blonde Polly said their farewells to the Doctor and Jamie as they departed the TARDIS for the final time. I was a little saddened that considering this was their final serial, Polly and Ben missed three episodes of the story, equating to half! A real shame and they barely registered an appearance in the final part! The story itself was full of intrigue, mystery and humour. I loved the Gatwick Airport setting and the amount of differing locations within it brought the opportunity for. We had the eery Chameleon Tours, immigration control and kiosks. I loved how Jamie, of course being from an age quite some years before the invention of aeroplanes, was overwhelmed by the "beasties" and size of the airport. His relationship with Samantha was wonderful to see, it really was nice to see a soft side to the Scotsman. I really thought that Samantha was going to become a companion during my first viewing of this story and after reading up on the story and the character in finer detail I discovered that was the intention. I think I'm glad that she didn't become companion as I'm not sure a Scouse women is the way to go! Even if I am a Liverpool supporter. The concept behind the Chameleons was really intriguing! They were unique villains to say the least. Their claim to be the most intelligent race in the universe is one I would happily dispute and it was quite a horrific sight seeing them in their true form after the catastrophe. As the serial title suggests, they literally were faceless! Utterly scorned. So what is their scientist's great scheme to revert themselves to some sort of normality? They're going to duplicate young humans. Surely there'd be a simpler way. The villainous personalities of Spencer, Meadow and Blade were fantastic. I really enjoyed them as the bad guys. The cliffhanger were done pretty well with the vanishing of the aeroplane passengers my particular favourite. I loved how the story gradually went from mystery on Earth to a satellite in space! Some variation I'll say. The scenes with the Doctor and Jamie at immigration were superb and I loved the relationship with the Commandant throughout! A real highlight. Patrick Troughton was on top form as the Doctor here, probably my favourite performance of his as the Second Doctor so far. The climax was really good with the Doctor and the original Nurse Pinto faking their way up to the satellites as transformations and then the party back on the surface searching ruthlessly to find the originals had trigger the destruction of the copies. The fact they were in a car park was logical I thought and I liked the threats that were provided from the emergency evacuation of the Chameleons from the planet. The Doctor sparing the enemies of the serial was a nice touch and I like how it seemed they'd realised they'd done wrong. The departure of Polly and Ben was a quick one but an emotional one. I was sad to see my beautiful blonde companion leaving! Polly really is an all time favourite of mine. I thought it was intriguing that the TARDIS landed on the exact same day as The War Machines! At the same point the First Doctor was putting a stop to WOTAN, his successor was defeating the Chameleons. Excellent. Overall, a great story. My thanks must go out to Loose Canon Productions for their recons of the four missing episodes. Another stellar job allowing me to watch the story in full! 

Rating: 8/10

Zygon Hunt

"Ahh, a gun! In paradise? How commonplace."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: August 2014

Series: FDA 3.08

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis 

On the jungle planet Garros, Earth Forces Knight Commander-in-Chief Greg Saraton and his team are hunting gigantic beasts, for sport. When the Doctor and Leela arrive, they are caught up in a web of intrigue where there is no clear friend or foe. 

What is Saraton’s vital connection with Earth’s Solar System’s Defence Shield? Why are the giant reptilian birds of Garros attacking? What terrible secret lurks deep within the trees?

Before the truth can be revealed, a heavy price will be extracted and loyalties will be tested to the limit.

Verdict 

Zygon Hunt was a fun and enjoyable finale to the third and latest series of Fourth Doctor Adventures, a series that is quickly picking up the pace in quality but also having a comical slant and nature, as comes naturally with the Fourth Doctor and Tom Baker. Along with Leela that comedy just heightens and I adore the comedic value between the pair. It was wonderful during the first series of this range and it was excellent once again here. I loved the first scene with them exiting the TARDIS and the humorous way the Doctor explained weathermen to Leela so that in the end she considered them as sorcerers of some kind! This story was seemingly a nice little throwback to The Face of Evil, Leela's debut, with her apparently a little homesick which came to my surprise. But with her savage nature it's often easy to forget her kind and soft personality. It seems she missed being part of the Sevateem tribe. The wondering around Garros was good and quite similar to the above mentioned serial. Leela's selflessness in aiding the tereleptil (check my spelling!) which had been shot for sport was magnificent. I loved how the Doctor was impressed with his companion after she helped the injured creature. The way the Solarknights were using the planet, in secrecy and illegally it seemed, for hunting species and murdering them for fun was quite horrific really. Mina was a wonderful character and she really was an enigma throughout the adventure. Knocking about fixing unbroken engines, sparing the Doctor and Leela and sympathising with the human race and their planet. Oh, I should mention that she was a Zygon. That was revealed brilliantly in the cliffhanger! It somehow reminded me of my much favoured cliffhanger from Phantasmagoria. The description of the Zygons emerging as if being born from the larger creatures really was intriguing. I liked how this story seemed to be a loose sequel to Terror of the Zygons with the classic foes up to the same plan as in the much talked about TV serial. Their planet was inhabitable and that's exactly what they wanted to do to Earth for its population, of course doing the opposite for them and would preserve their species. The portrayal of the Zygons was done very well I thought and I liked Nick Briggs' take on the favoured villains. I loved the change of heart, of course the saying taken literally by Leela, by the Doctor when he learnt of the Zygon involvement in the planet's affairs. He'd stop them First Doctor-esque in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. The main story being around Saraton, who ended the story dead, was excellent. The man responsible for the defence of Earth and the Zygons wanted to duplicate themselves as him and lead their way to invasion. However due to his death that would no longer be possible and the Zygons' plan was hatched. They were once again stuck and would have to come up with a whole new plan. The Doctor taking pride in the defeat of the Zygons, once again, was terrific but what l loved more was the way the Doctor revealed his adoration of having Leela by his side. A touching moment to finish a good finale. 

Rating: 8/10

Players

"I was captured by my own people and put on a trial for interfering in the affairs of the universe... Then sentence was passed and I was exiled to Earth... Before they did that, a group of some of the... shall we say, less scrupulous Time Lords decided they had one or two other odd jobs for me to perform first."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: March 2013

Series: 50th Anniversary Collection 06

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri, Second Doctor

Synopsis 

Arriving on the sun-baked veldt in the middle of the Boer War, the Sixth Doctor is soon involved in the adventures of struggling politician and war correspondent Winston Churchill. Of course, he knows Churchill is destined for great things, but unseen forces seem to be interfering with Winston's historic career... The Doctor suspects the hidden hand of the Players, mysterious beings who regard human history as little more than a game. With time running out, can the Doctor find the right movers to defeat them?

Verdict 

Players was an outstanding novel full of surprises, history and a great plot. A brand new enemy that's taking meddling to the extreme, this novel seems to be well worthy of representing the Sixth Doctor in the novelised format for the 50th anniversary collection. On a personal note this was my first book I've read to feature the Sixth Doctor, along with Peri and I'm glad to say that the master Terrance Dicks nailed the tone and representation of both the Doctor and his incarnation. I really enjoyed the recent DWM interview with the Who legend himself and I liked the resemblances in the introduction exclusive to the anniversary reprint edition. As in the audios, we saw a softer side to Colin Baker's incarnation which makes him one of my favourite Doctors, I really do think he's sorely underrated. The novel at hand really was superb. My love of history was recognised immediately with three different time zones within 37 years! I loved the split between the Boer War in 1899, the First World War in 1915 and in the midst of the rise of Nazi Germany in 1936. Even better so, the Doctor met the political legend Winston Churchill on all three occasions! My favourite segment of the three had to be the middle because of my adoration of The War Games but I'll get to that shortly. Despite my love of History, the Boer War is a period that has eluded my study or even research. My knowledge on the subject was basically the basics but I liked how when setting the scene the story explained a lot about the state of the country. The description of Churchill in 1899 was absolutely nothing than the perception as we know today and throughout history. It wasn't until the 1936 setting that we saw a Churchill similar to what we seen in Victory of the Daleks. The state of South Africa sounded diabolical with the Boers seemingly not too dissimilar to the Vietnamese guerrilla warfare. And the Doctor and Peri found themselves right in the middle of it. The meeting and helping for Churchill and co was splendid and I was intrigued by the lone assassin. The escape plan though was the highlight of the first third of the novel shall we say. Churchill returned home to UK after an eventful escape and struggle to a heroic welcome. But the Doctor was concerned by the assassin who seemed to be out of time. And this caused him to remember an untold adventure and canonise something hugely significant. As my opening quote shows, the infamous Season 6b was confirmed to be true. It was pretty clear that this existed from references in The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors. Here though rids the doubt! The Doctor confirms that he was the subject of some Time Lord missions prior to his sentence being carried out. And it's intriguing to discover that the tumbling scene at the end of my favourite ever Who story isn't the regeneration sequence starting. Comic strips of the time also confirm that. What I didn't expect though was pretty much a third of the novel to feature the Second Doctor! I loved the use of the mind scanner to show Peri the 1915 events where the Doctor, not too pleased at the Time Lords obviously, would meet Winston Churchill. But he would also meet two brilliant characters from The War Games! Lady Jennifer and Carstairs returned and played a prominent role even with the Sixth Doctor which I thought was wonderful. The events carried in 1915 were fantastic with the mysterious Count and Countess in the chateau where again Churchill was allowed to escape at the hands of the Doctor. The interludes between some chapters featuring the Players were extremely intriguing and it really was interesting to see what the Game was all about. The only lowlight of the novel was the lack of explanation as to who the Players were, what they were up to and why. It was nice throughout to see the relationship between the Doctor and Peri blossom, particularly in 1936 where they wanted to become a part of society and did so in humorous fashion! Staying at the Ritz, hiring a private security agent and having unlimited funds thanks to a dormant account in Chumley's (as you'd pronounce it). Peri enjoying her shopping was quite humorous and it was rather intriguing how she was depicted as having a hot long bath at least three times! I certainly didn't mind that image in my head. The appearances of von Ribbentrop and Hitler were a welcome surprise! The scenes in the embassy were great with Peri's rescue. Winston meeting the Doctor and Peri again, thinking them to be descendants of themselves, was brilliant. I adored the aim of the Players and their attempt to rid Churchill from history! They tried to get him just added to the casualties of the Boer War and once that failed they tried to have him added to the First World War death count. But, irrelevant of the incarnation, the Doctor stopped that. And their final attempt was to knock him off a term before he became Prime Minister and led Britain to victory over the Nazis. The attempts to stop the 1936 abdication of a pro-Nazi King also boar horrific thoughts! The conclusion seemed a little anti-climatic but I guess that's to lead into Endgame, a novel I eagerly anticipate. The Countess had been thwarted three times at the expense of her assassin and Count... and she just laughed. She knew the Doctor would become a piece in the Game in the future whether he liked it or not. Overall, a fantastic novel. The reference to Ace and a Chicago based Who novel was great. Dekker was a great help in thwarting the SS attack. The references to The Twin Dilemma, Planet of the Spiders, The Caves of Androzani, Attack of the Cybermen and Vengeance on Varos were awesome! The Players were temporarily beaten but they'd be back. The Doctor and Peri were superb and the meetings with Churchill were magnificent. A terrific novel! 

Rating: 9/10

Kill the Moon

"There are some moments in time that I simply can't see."

Writers: Peter Harness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 4th October 2014

Series: 8.07

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Clara crash-land on the moon to find a base full of corpses, vicious spider-like creatures poised to attack and a terrible dilemma...

Verdict 

Kill the Moon was yet another episode of superb quality! I keep trying to find reasons to dislike the direction of the series regarding the role of the companion but the sheer story telling brilliance really is overshadowing things. Again, the tiresome and stupid 'picking up' of the companion occurred in the school which to me is just a complete waste of time. Why can't things just revert back to the Classic era, or even the Eccleston and Tennant years where the only reason we saw the companion go home was for part of the plot in the story. But here it's just needless stupidness and I really can't tell you how much I dislike it. It's a major reason my opinions on Amy have gone down after the first half of series seven. And now we have the whole ridiculousness of the relationship with Danny. Yawn. Don't care. Don't want to know about it. 

So that's the rant at the general subtle story of the series and companion direction over. It's a shame really because I adored Clara with the Eleventh Doctor but she's not up to her quality of the last series! However, as was seen evidently in this brilliant episode, the contrast between her and the Twelfth Doctor is just staggeringly good. Peter Capaldi really has brought a new slant to the character of the Doctor which I just love. I really do. Don't get me wrong, the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors were outstanding but I really hope the people who only acknowledge them as the greatest Doctors are moaning. Capaldi is bringing back the alienation and awkwardness to the Doctor. He's got a great mixture of Hartnell, Pertwee and C.Baker all thrown in and his opening series has just been quality. The setting of the moon was always going to be good as was clear with past stories set there, most popularly The Moonbase. The eery atmosphere was wonderful throughout! I'm not really sure why Courtney was a major character in the episode but she didn't put a foot wrong really and brought some humour. Clara was wonderful as usual in this episode. Now, you may think I'm contradicting myself but my above rant was at the companion role rather than Clara herself. I loved how she wanted the Doctor to tell Courtney that she was special but instead of just telling her he made her the first women on the moon! Now that's the Doctor all over. I found it quite funny how irrelevant Duke and Henry were but Lundvik was magnificent. She really was. The threat of the spider bacteria creatures was daunting and if you have a genuine fear of spiders then I can't imagine the fright this episode would give you! The design was thrillingly scary. The major concept of the plot was amazing! The moon was breaking up, in 2049. How do these brilliant writers come up with these ideas? Who looks at the moon and think, that could be an egg with a creature inside. Amazing. I loved how the Doctor reacted to discovering the truth about the moon, he really was like a kid at Christmas! And then he left the choice of the moon to humanity. I admired that. He'd saved Earth time and time and time again but at the end of the day it wasn't his planet. So he left the choice of what to do with the moon up to the human race. A teenager, an astronaut and a school teacher. Just fantastic! The consultation and discussion was intriguing and it was obvious the planet would knock out the lights. But would they really have taken the broadcast seriously? It was delivered stunningly though. And then Clara went against humanity magnificently pushing the abort switch. She wouldn't let the creature that wasn't even born yet die. But then she had a right go at the Doctor which was a big shock. I was almost in tears when Clara said she might slap the Doctor so hard he'd regenerate! I didn't get why she was so angry at the Doctor for letting the human race decide the future of their planet. It was brilliant! The stabilisers certainly need to come off for Clara. It was a knee-jerk reaction I think and I was shocked that she wanted nothing to do with the Doctor. I didn't get it but I loved how strongly she felt about it! Of course she'll come crawling back. She won't give up travelling in the TARDIS! 

Overall, a marvellous episode. It really was astounding at times. Eery excellence, conflict amongst the regulars and a beautiful moment with the moon hatching! Apologies for the ranting at the companion direction but that's not my thoughts on Clara at all. I love her! And Peter Capaldi has started in sublime style. 

Rating: 9/10

Mother Russia

"The Holy City of Mother Russia, abandoned for Napoleon to just walk in."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: October 2007

Series: Companion Chronicles 2.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Dodo

Synopsis 

It's 1812 and the Doctor, Steven and Dodo get ready to spend their winter in a Russian village. The French are on their way, but that's not the only invasion the travellers will have to deal with. 

Verdict 

Mother Russia was a very good audio story to kick off the second series of Companion Chronicles! A brilliant historical setting, decent plot and wonderfully performed by Peter Purves, this was a really nice and easy listen. Now you may know from previous entries that I'm a big fan of History and so much so that I'm applying to do a degree in the subject but the period at hand in this story was one I studied during the past academic year! I really enjoyed by AS course and the Napoleonic Wars were a highlight of study, so much so that I actually liked revising it! The 1812 invasion of Russia was an absolute disaster for the French, I mean why would they attempt to take the country on the brink of winter? This is a story I've been wanting to do for a long time now because I just knew the event and setting would make a great story and indeed it did. However, I didn't like the fact that the 'shape thief' was added also. Surely a historical event of such significance could produce a stand alone story rather than including alien presence? Pseudo historicals aren't always the way forward. The relationship between the TARDIS trio was good to see and it was nice to get another adventure with this particular threesome because I seemed to fly through the minimal TV adventures! It seemed that Dodo had departed almost as soon as she'd arrived in The Massacre of St Bartholomew's Eve. I liked the humour regarding the Doctor wanting a holiday after it was established this story took place directly after The Gunfighters, which was humorously referenced on more than one occasion. Now, I loathe the TV serial I just mentioned so I really liked the mention of not wanting to hear the Ballad of the Last Chance Saloon song again. Just the tune of that annoys me, let alone the lyrics. Speaking of past stories and I liked how Steven used The Myth Makers to make comparisons between the Ancient Greek army and the French army. An intriguing thought no doubt! It was also nice hearing a bit more about Steven's past and how much he liked being a pilot and how since The Chase how much his life has changed and how he admired the Doctor. It's terrific how historicals of the First Doctor era seem so much more significant than they would now. And I think that's just a homage to the early years. The depiction of the French rampage was tremendous and I loved the unexpected addition of Napoleon actually appearing! The cliffhanger was good and not too dissimilar to the brilliant one in Domain of the Voord which I recently listened to. The resolution though was average. The idea of a multiple invasion from ground and sky is good but I'm not sure it was necessary. The 'shape thief' enemy, which really should have been given a proper name, was pretty good to be fair causing some mass hurt to Steven's feelings after he took on the form of the Doctor and dismayed even knowing who Dodo was. Speaking of Dodo, she was given a good format here and actually had something to do which can't be said for some of her stories across the formats. It's sad to say but due to her abrupt arrival and departure, there's no doubt that Dodo is the most forgettable companion. I loved the continuation from The Reign of Terror with the Doctor's eagerness to visit Moscow, Russia's capital. As Susan stated in that serial, this was the First Doctor's favourite period in Earth history after all! And who can blame him, although I prefer the ancient stuff my self. The climax of the plot was very good with how the enemy at hand was thwarted and I liked the subtle humour against the French as their retreat was depicted. They'd be travelling back home through a devastating Russian winter, and only around 10% of men would make it home alive. Overall, a very good story! Great references to past stories, good plot and terrific historical value.

Rating: 8/10

Crisis on Kaldor

"Centuries have passed since man first colonised Kaldor, thriving on the riches mined from the swirling sands by their robotic servants..."

Writer: Steve Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: March 1981

Series: DWM 50

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis 

There's conflict amongst the three varying types of robot on Kaldor, and this enhances to a crisis once a fourth kind is introduced in the form of an Ultra-Voc.

Verdict 

Crisis on Kaldor was a good little, and I mean that literally, comic strip! You'd think for a 50th issue story (something I'd consider a landmark!) you'd have an extended story rather than a 'backup' one as it seems to have been dubbed. I liked how the story events themselves were Doctor-less yet as you may have noticed my 'Featuring' says Fourth Doctor and that's because it seemed like he was narrating the story! We did get a graphic of the cheeky Tom Baker at the beginning telling us what we may have forgotten from The Robots of Death and I think the recap really did help to understand what was happening in the story. It was quite similar in places with the robot conflict and mining. The dialogue was good and I loved the idea of a fourth type of robot on Kaldor! The Ultra-Voc. I'd love that concept to be taken a whole lot further in the future whether that be on TV, audio, comic strip or prose I really don't mind! Corpse Maker is a novel I really am anticipating to read at some point in the future to learn more about these infamous Doctor Who enemies. The TV serial is rightfully considered an absolute classic and there's a reason these robots have returned in this comic and then later in audio and in novelised format. The characters of Orikon and Korkolo were decent and I liked how they thought man was far superior to robots, and that humorously caused the apparent death of one of them! Disassembling an impersonating robot because the deactivate switch doesn't work. Genius comedy! I'm not really sure what else there is to say with the story only spanning 4 pages but I really liked what I read! The Doctor narrating, I think, and continuation from the brilliant The Robots of Death. A good 'backup' comic indeed!

Rating: 8/10

The Monsters of Coal Hill School

"You will teach us! We will learn through your books and then take over your world!"

Writer: Moray Laing
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September 2014
Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2015

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor is missing the company of his companion Clara whilst she is carrying out her life teaching English at Coal Hill School. But as the Doctor arrives at the landmark location he discovered that the school has been taken over by monsters, and Clara is teaching them.

Verdict 

The Monsters of Coal Hill School was a good and rather unique comic strip story to kick off my adventures for our brand new Twelfth Doctor in this format. As you may know, I wait until the DWM range stories are fully complete before I read them so personally this marks Capaldi's debut in the range for me. Well, I guess Road Rage might be an exception if you count a shadow and hand as an appearance. So back to the story at hand and I felt that for an Annual comic strip, some of which can be pretty poor standard and art-wise but here I thought that both were of higher quality than recent Annuals before it. I felt the Doctor was sourly misrepresented in print on the first page with all the smiles and then later with the barrister sliding, but I liked the dialogue when he met Jeff, the French teacher. The setting was good and like Remembrance of the Daleks, School Reunion and The Caretaker before it, school is always a good basis of a story. The creatures were intriguing and I loved the concept of how they planned on taking over the planet... after being taught of its history and occurrences through the people they'd enslave. Clara's attempt of teaching the creatures was quite comical! At first, I disagreed strongly with the way the TARDIS was thrown off a cliff just outside the school. There's obviously no room for that as we've seen the school in a few TV stories. Thankfully, that was explained well and it seemed Coal Hill had been moved geographically, as had the planet. Just how the TARDIS managed to locate it I'm not entirely sure though. The resolution though was magical, absolutely wonderful. The Doctor took on the role of teacher and, although we didn't hear what was said, I like to imagine the Doctor echoed his words to the Sycorax at the end of The Christmas Invasion with the planet being protected. I also like to think that the Doctor told them of invasion attempts that he thwarted. If I was to pick some good examples of him to use as evidence then The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Spearhead from Space and The End of Time come to mind. Overall, a very decent story for the Annuals! 

Rating: 8/10

Time and Time Again

"The dark one has remade the universe so that you never left Gallifrey. You are now president, appeasing the massive Dalek Empire... every day."

Writer: Paul Cornell

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 1993

Printed in: DWM 207 

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Bernice, Sixth Doctor, Frobisher, Fifth Doctor, Adric, Fourth Doctor, Third Doctor, Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe, First Doctor, Susan

Synopsis 

The Black Guardian has changed time so that the Doctor never left Gallifrey. This causes chaos amongst the stars. The Doctor must revisit his past and hunt for the Key to Time, which will put time back on track and defeat the Black Guardian.

Verdict 

Time and Time Again is a wonderful and celebratory comic strip adventure to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Doctor Who! Featuring the first seven Doctors, along with a new plot devised by the Black Guardian, this had to be good didn't it? And over the 10 pages, it certainly didn't disappoint! I mean, just look at that first page. Earth torn to pieces with the Daleks, Sontarans, Zygons, Yeti, Sea Devils, Silurians, Ice Warriors and Cybermen standing tall to name a few. I loved the story from start to finish, it didn't even matter to me that the actual plot reasoning for all the appearances of the past Doctors wasn't outstanding, the fact they featured was more than good enough for me! The idea though was very good I thought with it somewhat a sequel to both The Key to Time series and Enlightenment, the last time the Doctor encountered the Black Guardian, now eager for revenge. I liked the continuation from The Armageddon Factor with the Doctor having spread the parts of the Key and now they were scattered, subtly hidden, throughout the Doctor's timeline. We saw 6 pages of excellence with the depiction of how either the Doctor or his companions, Ace and Bernice, acquired the segment. A spectacular jump into The Mind Robber was I amazing and I loved how Jamie wasn't convinced about the Doctor giving up his hat. Then we saw the Third Doctor in an infamous sword fight but only this time with his future companion Ace! That's something we didn't know this incarnation of the Doctor got up to during Day of the Daleks. I liked that the page given to the Fourth Doctor was humorous with him in the middle of the events of The Horns of Nimon! Some superb dialogue there with Bernice. The jump into Black Orchid was pretty funny with Adric, as annoying as ever, trying to hit on Ace and being rejected in a tremendous way. She destroyed him, metaphorically, with one sentence. Seeing this Doctor play cricket again was a nice throwback and I loved how the cricket ball itself was the segment and Ace caught her Professor's past self out. I was really intrigued seeing the Sixth and Seventh Doctor's conversation whilst the former was fishing, possibly for Frobisher's benefit. The Sixth mentioning how he wished he'd never left Gallifrey was a big shock to me and I like how the then current Doctor stated that the effects were catastrophic. And this brings me to the highlight of the story for me! The First Doctor. The Black Guardian preventing him from leaving Gallifrey was an astounding concept and thought and it was weirdly brilliant seeing the first incarnation amongst the Time Lords. And then we had the scenes prior to Remembrance of the Daleks (and An Unearthly Child) with the First Doctor holding close the Hand of Omega and being prevented from extermination from his seventh self. But that wasn't all! Once the White Guardian had restored parity, we saw dialogue of the moment the Doctor and Susan departed from Gallifrey. It doesn't really effect the events of The Name of the Doctor if you're able to gloss around the edges but I just loved it! Overall, a fun filled and continuity reference packed story! A well worthy celebration story. 

Rating: 10/10

A Groatsworth of Wit

"Everybody gets forgotten in the end, Rose. Best to make the most of life while you're still around."

Writer: Gareth Roberts

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2005

Printed in: DWM 363-364

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The Shadeys are a race that draws on negative emotions. They choose Robert Greene as a host for power. By manipulating the dying Greene they turn his hatred, bike and jealousy of Shakespeare "up to eleven," giving them enough power to crush the planet. 

Verdict 

A Groatsworth of Wit, an intriguingly named story, was a great little sendoff from the comic strip format for Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor who, despite his small run and tenure in the role, has had some decent outings across the DWM range with the notable highlights being The Love Invasion and The Cruel Sea. But this story stood its ground and showed why it could possibly match the standard of the above stories. I loved the idea of the Shadeys targeting people with excess emotional hatred and it was clear that Robert Greene was full of jealousy towards a certain William Shakespeare. And the Shadeys, interestingly from another dimension where time was a plaything to them, were hoping to exploit the anger and use it for their own power. Now the story worked well for me because Robert Greene was so angry and bitter at being forgetting in the future which helped my understanding of the story because I'd never heard of him. Now, during my GCSE English Literature studies, which I found loathsome, I studied a few Shakespeare texts so despite my utter dislike of the man's works, references and appearances of the great writer in Doctor Who I do welcome. I may not like what he's famous for, but I can respect his work. The build up to the revealing of the Shadeys' appearance didn't overly work well as I think a build up to a villain we've never met, who has been named, doesn't really have any effect. I imagine this story inspired the Tenth Doctor TV episode The Shakespeare Code with its obvious similarities. The obvious appearance of Shakespeare himself but the Shadeys were reminiscent of the Carrionites I felt, which I liked because it's brilliant to see the comic stories acknowledge and developed on screen. People annoy me when they question continuity of some formats but surely it's glaringly obvious that, along with the audios and novels, the comic stories are part of continuity. Just take Hunters of the Burning Stone, The Mutant Phase and The Crawling Terror for example. Three amazing stories of which I hold in high regard, but none of them are on TV. Television naturally is the main range but this comic story is a nice of example of ensuring that the rest of formats are acknowledged. Rose was superb in this and I know it's only art but my goodness she looked dazzling. Another similarity with Code there, seeing as Shakespeare hit on both Rose and Martha! Who's the next companion to fall to his charm? The very subtle continuation of the series one arc of 'Bad Wolf' featuring was brilliant and I really did smile upon noticing it. I loved the references in the novels and now here in the comics too, fantastic. The relationship between the Ninth Doctor and Rose was nice to see and due to her apparent love with the Tenth Doctor it's sometimes easy to forget how well she got on with the man who took her away in the TARDIS back in 2005. A clever climax, some good references but maybe the layout could have been better. The ending I liked reading now because of the Doctor's foresight of a time when even he'll be forgotten, in fact after The Wedding of River Song, he'd ensure that himself. Intriguing. Overall, a good sendoff in the comic format for the Ninth Doctor!

Rating: 8/10

The Crawling Terror

"You recover a Nazi machine that's remained hidden since the war, you manage to fund the creation of a high-tech stone circle, and you breed giant insects. So here's the million-dollar question. What's it all for?"

Writer: Mike Tucker

Format: Novel

Released: 11th September 2014

Series: NSA 12.03

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

"Well, I doubt you'll ever see a bigger insect."

Gabby Nichols is putting her son to bed when she hears her daughter cry out. 'Mummy there's a daddy longlegs in my room!' Then the screaming starts... Kevin Alperton is on his way to school when he is attacked by a mosquito. A big one. Then things get dangerous. 

But it isn't the dead man cocooned inside a huge mass of web that worries the Doctor. It isn't the swarming, mutated insects that make him nervous.

With the insects becoming more and more menacing, the Doctor knows that unless he can decode the strange symbols engraved on an ancient stone circle, and unravel a mystery dating back to the Second World War, no one is safe. 

Verdict 

The Crawling Terror was an absolutely outstanding novel and is undoubtedly the best of the first three novels released for the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. Now, you may remember the high praise I gave for Silhouette which was just marvellous but I think in this story having just the Doctor and Clara as the familiar characters, along with a magical historical link, put Terror on top with regards to the best of the newly released novels. From the prologue I could tell I was going to enjoy the story. The mystery giant insects were envisaged much better than the obvious story to link this to, The Web Planet. The idea of the insects being giant was much better utilised here with them being test subjects for the Wyrresters. Despite the aliens being the ones truly evil and conjuring up the plan predating to the Second World War, the villainous menace of Jason Clearfield. Ravaged, effected and disgusted with the Doctor, he really was a highlight and just superb. I was glad that for the first time under the Twelfth Doctor, in the novelised format, Clara got to shine. Her limelight was possibly overshadowed by the Paternoster Gang in Silhouette and she was a small piece of the story for much of the time in The Blood Cell so I was glad of how good she was here. I think I'm enjoying the novels with the new incarnation far more than the TV stories, as a whole, because with the books it's simply all about the story but on TV there's the series arcs continuing which I'm getting tired of. I'd rather a quality story to finish a series rather than a culmination of hints and miniature scenes in the preceding episodes. The setting of Ringstone, very cleverly named, was stunningly good. Closed off to the outside world by giant insects or their webs, a small village community was really the perfect setting. The guest characters (ie the village residents) were really great! Robin Sanford and Kevin were fantastic together whilst I really liked Captain Wilson, Angela and Gabby. The use of linking the story back to World War Two was just mesmerising and with so much secrecy surrounding the last year of the War who's to say each side wasn't looking to the extra-terrestrial for the answer to victory. With my love and study of History, especially the Nazi aspect which I've covered in detail since 2011, the numerous references to the Luftwaffe, Mengale and Hitler himself were much welcomed. The relationship between the Doctor and Charlie was brilliant and I loved how easily the latter accepted that the Doctor had a time machine. The cliffhanger if you like of chapter 12 with Jason triumphant was wonderful. His speech regarding the placement of the Bell and talking of the Nazi failing was just sensational. Once the British Bell was opened, the Wyrrester's description was very good. They weren't have been out of place in a The Ark in Space I wouldn't have thought! The way they were just going to leave their species to die whilst the 'deserving' would transfer to Earth was shocking! But nowhere near as much when Clara awoke in the body of a Wyrrester! That really was something. The village becoming zombified was intriguing and it somewhat seemed like a serious version of the comedy film Shaun of the Dead. I recently read a review of this story on www.doctorwhotv.com which I disagreed in their statement of the Doctor being too nice. I found him to be quite serious, especially when his escape plan in 1944 was sending two prisoners to their deaths. That was quite a surprise despite the fact it was established history. The climax I very much enjoyed with the Doctor wonderfully bargaining for Clara's safe return, a 70 year meeting in waiting coming full circle and the unexplored Luftwaffe bomb actually saving the day. Overall, a superb and thoroughly enjoyably thrilling read! The Nazis actually helped the Doctor, now that's something to think about. 

Rating: 10/10

The Caretaker

"You're a spacewomen? You said you were from Blackpool."

Writers: Gareth Roberts & Steven Moffat

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 27th September 2014

Series: 8.06

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The terrifying Skovox Blitzer is ready to destroy all humanity - and worse, Danny Pink and the Doctor are going to meet.

Verdict 

The Caretaker was another very good episode to continue our brand new series for the brand new Doctor, the brilliant Peter Capaldi. Now, despite my rating, the story didn't jump out as anything majorly outstanding but it was very entertaining and told a decent story. I think Steven Moffat has made a slight mistake in not having at least one two-part story other than the finale as I think as the series continues fans might get tired of what sadly seem 'filler' episodes. Anyway, back to the story at hand and basically all this story was doing was revealing to Danny the secrets Clara had been hiding. Just why she had magically tanned, pulled seaweed from her hair or change dress in an impossible amount of time was all revealed now. Danny discovered everything about the Doctor, the TARDIS and time/space travel. And to say he was shocked was a humorous understatement. I'm not liking the direction that the writers are taking Clara in under the Twelfth Doctor. The impossible girl arc under the Eleventh Doctor was wonderful and she was enigmatic and just absolutely sensational. But now my opinions on her are decreasing as to be honest, I couldn't  care less about the relationship of the companion! Why can't they just continuously stay in the TARDIS? I don't get it. I'm just praying now that Danny doesn't follow Rory on board the TARDIS. The soldier past hopefully ensures the Doctor doesn't allow it to happen just like he refused companionship to a soldier in Into the Dalek, a story that was nicely mentioned. The Coal Hill setting was very good and despite its ability to be dreadfully similar, it was much different from School Reunion. The Doctor was undoubtedly the highlight of this story and Capaldi was just magical. He's slowly creeping up the ranks of my favourite Doctor and I'm still to reach double figure stories across all formats to feature the new man. The scene where the Doctor oversaw Clara with Adrian, looking rather similar to his previous incarnation, whom he thought was Clara's serious dates person was just superb. And despite getting the person wrong, causing a very humorous scene in the TARDIS, I loved how highly the Doctor thought of Clara and wanted to ensure that the man she was dating was good enough for her. He admired his companion greatly and was extremely thankful for all she'd done for him in their time travelling. I was surprised that An Unearthly Child or Remembrance of the Daleks weren't referenced with the infamous school setting. The Doctor's plans to protect the school, children and Earth was great to see and his authoritative attitude was fantastic. When he found out that Clara was dating Danny, the soldier who he refused to accept was a maths teacher over a PE teacher, it was terrific. He wanted him explained by Clara after she'd explained himself to him. (If that makes sense). The threat of the Blitzer was good but I'd have liked it revealed a little sooner perhaps but then I suppose that'd take away the mystery behind it. The Doctor's attempts to lure the robot killer to the vortex he'd create were great and the way Danny inadvertently thwarted it didn't help his efforts in impressing the Doctor. Danny's understanding of Clara going off with the Doctor was good to see and I loved how much she loved seeing the universe. The new plan devised by the Doctor was very good and, with some help by Danny, causing the defeat of the instinct killer robot got Danny and the Doctor off to a good start. I hope he's more like Mickey than Rory though with his role! The reference to Barbara was a nice throw in as well as the references to Listen where the Doctor said Danny's surname reminded him of the colour. For such a serious Doctor, the new persona really is full of comedy and it's just marvellous. Overall, a good story, a sweet moment with Courtney and the return of Missy with the policeman entering the 'promised land'. It's nice to see how much the Doctor values Clara. 

Rating: 8/10

Victory of the Daleks

"The Daleks have no conscience. No mercy. No pity. They are my oldest and deadliest enemy. You can not trust them."

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 17th April 2010

Series: 5.03

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis 

After receiving a phone call from Winston Churchill, the Doctor and Amy arrive in London 1941 where the British have acquired a brand new type of soldier in their war effort attempts. The Daleks. 

Verdict 

Victory of the Daleks is an outstanding episode for the early days of Matt Smith as the Doctor! Watching the episode back from a stand alone point of view it's really tremendous seeing how far Smith's incarnation developed over his three series at the helm. Here, he seems extremely young and still getting to grips with the new body. Amy, too, seems well out of her depth at first but I guess that's the loveliness of the early days of a new Doctor and companion at the same time. The setting is actually my favourite part about the story and I guess that just shows my love for History and explains why it's the subject I'm applying to do a degree in. We saw the secret underground cabinets, London during the Nazi bombings and even Winston Churchill himself! The Doctor's relationship with Winston was fabulous right the way through the episode with some great wit regarding the TARDIS and its key. I like how after the lead in of The Beast Below, the Doctor arrived a month late of which the 'Ironside' had been created. A wartime Dalek really is a frightening thought but I loved how reminiscent the Daleks were of how they planned and connived in The Power of the Daleks. There they were servants and now they were soldiers. The Doctor's utter hatred for them was outstanding and just majestically portrayed by Matt. Already he'd done a stellar job. The way he described how hate looked like a Dalek was ironically beautiful. I loved the pride he had when stating how many times he'd defeated his most fearsome enemies. The follow on from the events of The Stolen Earth/Journeys End was excellent with the Dalek ship being so deadly damaged that its Skaro inhabitants weren't even recognised as Dalek anymore. They were inferior. The idea behind the progenitor was very intriguing and once the testimony was brilliantly given, a new breed of Daleks would arrive on our screens in the form of the Paradigm. Now, the idea I absolutely love but the design of the new Daleks are somewhat questionable. The size isn't too much of an issue to me it's just the paint job that I dislike. It's too bright and ebullient and is exactly what a Dalek isn't. Had they been a more common colour, with just the Supreme standing out, I think this story's rating would have been higher. I think the design is partly why we didn't see a full Dalek story again until the start of series seven. The voices of the Paradigm though were superb. The way the survivors of the Doctor-Donna welcomed extermination was a bit of a shock but that left the Doctor with a massive dilemma. Save the Earth or wipe out the Daleks. Bracewell would be key, a fantastic concept of a character. A creation of the Daleks who actually thought he was the creator of them. Well, he's no Davros now is he?! But the emotion he brought to the climax was terrific. Good old Doorabella proving that Bracewell was truly human. Love is the greatest of our emotions and it seemed he had it an abundance. The walking bomb, who humorously wasn't deactivated, was prevented from destroying the planet but the Daleks had gotten away, stronger than ever and ready for future adventures. Amy was lovely in this with her getting along well with the underground battalion as Danny boy wiped out the Dalek light source, and also in retrieving the TARDIS key from Winston as the pair said their goodbyes. The Doomsday reference was brilliant, the plot was fantastic and the setting was outstanding! A real gem from Mr Gatiss. 

Rating: 9/10

Buzz!

"Alright hornets, why don't you try picking on someone your own size..."

Writer: Oli Smith

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 2010

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The TARDIS team visit Kenya in 2013 were a new bio-enhancing hormone is causing quite a stir amongst the locals as insects are slowly growing in size...

Verdict 

Buzz! isn't the greatest of comic strip stories by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not entirely sure why the Annuals still persist on doing poor quality, small in length comic stories. Surely, with them being released just the once a year, as a celebration of the year before it of sorts, that it would be the ideal opportunity to do a spectacular comic strip would it not? Usually with these stories from the annuals, they either go one way or the other: very good or pretty poor which is a shame. This story just seemed a bit random and all over the place. The reasons the Doctor, Amy and Rory arrived in Kenya in the near future (of when the story was released) were never really explained. The father and son they were helping weren't given any background or anything which was a shame. The humour from the Doctor upon arrival was good but I didn't get at all just why Rory was present. I don't think he actually had a line over the six pages so it was pretty much a waste of colour including him! It was nice seeing how much the Doctor cared for Amy though when she realised that the enhancement wasn't diluted as it would have been upon testing. But with an interesting throwback to The Christmas Invasion, the Doctor amended that with the TARDIS weather control device, wherever that was added on board. The portrayal of the giant wasp, completely different from The Unicorn and the Wasp, wasn't anything spectacular but it did the job for an Annual story I guess. Overall, far too short which I'll never understand. There isn't much more that I can say other than it did its job without really exciting. 

Rating: 6/10

The Pescatons

"They are aggressive. Actually, the Pescatons are like a cross between two fish species which are similar to those found on this planet: the shark...and the piranha... It's a charming combination, isn't it?"

Author: Victor Pemberton

Format: Novel

Released: September 1991

Series: Target 153

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis 

An invasion of meteorites and an environmental crisis! 

A scientific expedition has disappeared from the bed of the Thames Estuary, where a giant meteorite had landed years previously.

Having landed the TARDIS in the same vicinity, the Doctor and Sarah Jane are attacked at night by a vast, roaring creature. 

Something reminds the Doctor of his encounter with the marine denizens of the planet Pesca, but before his worst fears are confirmed: strange meteorites are landing all over the world, and the Pescatons invasion has begun. 

Verdict 

The Pescatons was a very intriguing read and it was a rather nice story to do with being based on an audio adventure that I'd never even heard of prior to purchasing the novel at a local market for a bargain price of £2. That's 50p cheaper than when it was first released back in 1991! It's always good to do a Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane story and the relationship between them throughout the novel was magnificent as it always was on screen. I think the Fourth Doctor could have done with a bit more humour but instead we got to see the serious side of one of, if not the most, popular Doctors. With the Doctor genuinely worried for the safety of the planet he so dearly loves, along with his fearsome tone and comments, made the Pescatons sound like a real threat which was fantastic. The picture of the enemy on the front cover doesn't really look all that scary or domineering but with some great descriptions in the book they were made out much better than they looked. This story proved why some stories are suited to some formats as I just couldn't see this working well at all on television but in novelised form, and I can imagine on audio, this works really really well. I was intrigued to learn more about the Doctor's past relationship with Professor Emmerson. Just how had the pair met and what made them so close that the Doctor constantly referred to him as "bud" when in conversation. It was really interesting seeing the Fourth Doctor be so friendly with a fellow human, but I guess the pair's shared love of the stars is a major factor in that. The representation of Sarah was brilliant and the fact that she was utterly petrified of the Pescatons again enhanced the fear factor behind the debuting villains. The statement she made about her and the Doctor never encountering something quite like the Pescatons was quite a compliment! In her travels she'd come up against the likes of Daleks, Cybermen, Zygons and Sontarans! Could the Pescatons really be thrown into a category of villains of that standard? I still have my doubts. The use of 'meteorites' was very good throughout with them actually being the arrival of the Pescatons, in their absolute masses, across the planet. Mike and Helen were terrific characters and I really like the relationship they had together and then with the Doctor and Sarah. The scenes in the underwater spacecraft between the guest pair were a highlight of the novel! The use of green slime and cocoons that were undoubtedly impenetrable were excellent and again showed how much of a threat the Pescatons really were. I can imagine on audio that their ability to replicate the voice of whom they were speaking to was extremely frightening. It would certainly be uncomfortable! I was intrigued from the synopsis, and multiple references in the story, of when the Doctor had previously met these Pescaton invaders. Now obviously I knew they hadn't appeared on television but I found myself worried that I was reading a sequel to a story I hadn't done. Thankfully that wasn't the case and the flashback chapter of the Doctor's visit to Pesca was outstanding. Now, of course in the audio it would have been Tom Baker voicing the encounter with Zor but I was struggling to work out just when the Fourth Doctor had been travelling alone, seeing as Sarah was the companion in the story. For the novelised version, I like to think that it was the Third Doctor who visited Pesca. But hey, continuity impossibilities in Doctor Who thrive! The encounter with Zor setting up the resolution which literally occurred on the penultimate page was tremendous. Zor was the power supply behind the entire race, he was the one providing the thoughts of each and every Pescaton. If the Doctor destroyed him then the much publicised invasion was over. The zoo scenes were good and the use of giant lights to disintegrate the leader was pretty good. The lead up was better than the actual destruction I thought. The descriptions of the Pescatons' disintegrating into powder across the planet was fantastic and the threat was over. Martin was safe, Mike and Helen had survived and now the governments had a mass cover up to deal with whilst the Doctor and Sarah quickly left. Overall, a good and intriguing read! 

Rating: 8/10

Road Rage

"I'll suck this world into a different cosmos!"

Writer: Craig Donaghy

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 13th August 2014

Printed in: DWA 352

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara is rushing to meet the Doctor who has required her services urgently but she gets trapped in deadly traffic, quite literally as the road rises and tries to engulf the planet into another dimension! 

Verdict 

Road Rage was a pretty good little comic strip considering it was from the Doctor Who Adventures range rather than the more adult targeted and feature length stories of those in Doctor Who Magazine. With this issue released before the airing of Deep Breath, I liked how it allowed Clara to take the centre stage for the entire comic. I'm not sure why I used the word 'entire' there seeing as the whole story was only spread over 4 pages. I know the magazine is aimed at the very young fans but surely they'd want a story lasting more than 4 pages, would they not? Clara riding the motorcycle as she did in The Day of the Doctor was terrific and I like how a prominent part of The Bells of Saint John has continued. The idea of a road not really being a road but instead an alien monster was intriguing to say the least! The way it monstrously rose up to engulf the planet into another dimension was good but the courage from Clara was marvellous! She just accepted the situation and took on the road monster herself, not even calling for the Doctor. The resolution contradicted itself a little I felt as despite the tail following Clara wherever she went, surely for the road monster to engulf its tail Clara would have had to sacrifice herself? I'm not sure, the idea was there but the way it was carried out wasn't quite sufficient. The moment Clara returned to the TARDIS was good and although we didn't see the Twelfth Doctor's face, it was clearly he who took Clara's hand and humorously mentioned the road monster and how, as he thought, had destroyed itself. Overall, extremely short which is something that puts me off this comic range, but it was quite fun and I liked how Clara was of centre stage. 

Rating: 7/10

Boom Town

"We've got a prisoner. The police box really is a police box!"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 4th June 2005

Series: 1.11

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack, Mickey

Synopsis 

The Doctor and his companions, Rose Tyler and Jack Harkness travel to modern day Cardiff and meet up with Rose's boyfriend, Mickey. There, they discover that their thought dead foe, Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen is very much alive. Without an easy escape route from the planet, she is willing to rip the planet apart to ensure her freedom.

Verdict 

Boom Town was a fantastic penultimate story to the first series of the revived Doctor Who! It's fair to say that the series as a whole has been a major success with some instant classics such as Dalek and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. But here we had a sequel to Aliens of London/World War Three and it was excellent! I really liked the storytelling of the characters as well as the plot itself which was pretty basic yet effective. The return of a Slitheen is a good thing I think as I'd think they'd be popular amongst the youth but after a successful novel in The Monsters Inside I think they're more popular with the more astute fans such as myself. The fact that Margaret was the sole survivor of the missile strike of Downing Street was very good and the reason of her survival was logical which was nice. Something that can't be said for the Dalek in Victory of the Daleks. The humour between Margaret and the Doctor was brilliant throughout the episode with the Doctor going to her office, preventing teleportation and then having dinner and stopping himself from being poisoned. After the events of the yet to be blogged previous story, the TARDIS team really has improved with the addition of Captain Jack and I love how someone with a similar knowledge and presence as the Doctor is now companion. The humour regarding the plan in the Mayor's building was fantastic. I really liked the many references to past stories with An Unearthly Child, The End of the World and The Unquiet Dead all wonderfully referenced. I loved in particular how the Doctor loved having the TARDIS stuck as a police box. It's nice to know that he's fond of a glitch that occurred all those years ago in 1963. The continuation of the rift from the latter mentioned episode was good and it's nice to see, with Jack here to experience it, that the origins of Torchwood are being created. The way Margaret was touched in the toilet scene was nice, she wouldn't bring herself to murder a pregnant women having lost all her family. I wasn't keen on the Doctor dismaying the 'Blaidd Drwg' reference. For someone so intelligent he really is quite blind in missing continued links that form the series arc. The use of the extrapolator locking on to the TARDIS and draining its power was a good plan and the fact that the heart of the TARDIS caused the defeat was pretty good too! I'm not sure if I liked that Margaret became an egg but the idea of second chances is cool with me. Mickey was a bit out of his depth here and I'm not a fan of his character during series one I must admit. He's just annoying and stupid really which is a shame because someone like Rose would deserve so much better than a whiny idiot. Overall, a good episode with great storytelling! Very enjoyable. 

Rating: 8/10

Domain of the Voord

"Last time we met you were trying to kill me. Ring a bell?"

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: September 2014

Series: The Early Adventures 1.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara land on the planet Hydra, where Admiral Jonas Kaan leads a vast flotilla of ships trying to elude the vicious race that has invaded and occupied their world. But his ships are being picked off one by one, vessels and crews dragged underwater by an unseen foe. 

The time travellers find themselves pitched into battle against the Voord, the ruthless enemy they last encountered on the planet Marinus. As they take the fight to the very heart of the territory now controlled by the Voord the stakes get higher. First they lose the TARDIS... then they lose that which they hold most dear. And that's only the start of their troubles.

In the capital, Predora City, they will learn the truth of what it means to be a Voord. And that truth is horrifying. 

Verdict

Domain of the Voord was a fantastic audio adventure to kick off the brand new range of Early Adventures from Big Finish. I've been anticipating this story for in excess of a year now after the announcement was made in 2013 and my excitement wasn't just because it's a new range but because we were going to be getting a sequel to The Keys of Marinus, an all time favourite of mine even if it isn't popular amongst the general consensus. But to me it's desperately underrated and I just love it! The title was intriguing and it was clear we'd get to learn a lot more about the Voord, and we did so and it was fantastic. It's always nice to do a story featuring the very first TV TARDIS crew and just like Farewell, Great Macedon, we got a feature length and full cast story. The Companion Chronicles are all well and good but full cast stories are always favourable for me. William Russell and Carole Ann Ford reprised their roles as Ian and Susan admirably and told the story through narration when bedded with elegance. Based on the dialogue between the TARDIS foursome, and some of the reactions to the story's events, I like to place this story in season 2. The setting of Hydra was very good and the way it was described was stunning. It seemed a lovely planet and the fact that there was just one land mass and ocean spanning the entire world was very unique! The way the Doctor and Barbara's disappearances, which sadly has to be accounted for with the late actors unable to appear, was shown was very good hear. The sinking of the ship taking the Doctor and Barbara to their seemed deaths, along with the TARDIS, was outstanding! It left an intriguing dynamic with just Ian and Susan left by themselves with them accepting the deaths of the Doctor and Barbara. Just what would they do? They'd a Voord invasion to deal with whilst coping with the trauma. With my adoration of Keys, at first I wasn't all that impressed with the representation of the Voord. They really didn't sound like they did in the classic TV serial and that didn't change throughout the audio to my annoyance but I learned to live with it and after discovering that this story was set just after a century of the TV story I got it into my head that they'd developed significantly after the Marinus failures. The way the Doctor and co took pride in their defeating of the Voord was something I loved and it reminded me somewhat of how the First Doctor acted towards the Daleks in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. I absolutely loved the cliffhanger of part 2 with Ian calling the shots and demanding the materialisation of the TARDIS off of Hydra, leaving any hope of the Doctor and Barbara surviving behind. The sound of the TARDIS leaving was a huge shock as we knew it was nigh on impossible that the TARDIS would be able to return. Tarlak, the brother of Yartek, was a brilliant leadership villain from the Voord. He wasn't quite as sinister as Yartek I found but I still liked his ruthlessness. The depiction of the Voord capsules was wonderfully reminiscing of what was seen back in 1964 and the new information about the origins of the Voord was frightening. The revelations of the 'true blood line' and nature of the mask was outstanding and really gave some superb insight into what the Voord really are all about. The way the Doctor and Barbara were found safe and alive and reunited with Ian and Susan was excellent. And that led to the Doctor taking charge once again and leading the fight to the Voord and saving the planet. The way he caused a mishap between the telepathic link was a great and logical resolution. The guest cast brought some brilliant characters who had some interesting relationships with Ian and Susan. Amyra and Kaan stood out as highlights. Overall, a wonderful start to this brand new range and it's amazing to have a sequel to a story I absolutely love. An outstanding adventure to mark my 250th blog entry!

Rating: 9/10