The Parliament of Fear Part 3

"They shall have their prey and I shall have my justice."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 21st September 2017
Printed in: DWM 517

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

With Bill transformed into an owl under the guidance of Totika and the mercy of the Stikini, can the Doctor escape her grasp and save his hearts? What will this transformation mean for the rest of the species who dominate the Red Skies? And what will happen to the area that will one day become Oklahoma? Everything will soon be revealed...

Verdict

The Parliament of Fear concluded in pretty decent style with this third and final part of the story! Now, as per usual with the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip stories I will talk about the magazine itself and I must say that this month's edition looks set to be another good one! I did actually purchase the issue a day after release but as my lack of blogging in the past fortnight indicates, finding free time to read it has been a struggle as I prepare for my third year of university and dedicate my time to my wonderful girlfriend. Anyway, to the magazine and celebrating the legacy of the Seventh Doctor seems like a great to base an issue around and I'm really looking forward to reading what Sylvester McCoy has to say. Following her untimely death, the previously unpublished interview with Deborah Watling should be a pretty poignant read so I look forward to that very much. I have already Galaxy Forum and hearing all the wonderful comments about her was a joy. Much of what she appeared in is sadly lost but she is still very much in the hearts of us fans. The Time Team is not something I'm a huge fan of but seeing as they're covering The Doctor's Wife this month, I think I simply have to read it as that episode is right up there with my all time favourites. It really is spectacular. The tribute to Victor Pemberton will also be another emotional read as he is another Whovian legend who has sadly been lost. The Dominic Glynn interview based around the sound recordings for Survival will be an intriguing read for me as soundtracks are not something I pay a huge amount of attention to. The Gail Bennett interview will be mostly new things for me too which is something that excites me as I love learning new things about Doctor Who! This magazine really does have it all and that's exactly why I continue to buy it each and every month. The usuals of DWM Review and Coming Soon will be as good as usual as they never disappoint and I like to see what is soon to hit the shelves in shops. Now, back to the comic strip itself and I think this was definitely the best part of the comic strip yet and actually saved it and maintained a decent rating from myself. The revelation regarding Totika and the Seminole was excellent and the scenes inside the Dreamspace were very good. I was surprised that we returned there so quickly after The Soul Garden but with an ongoing story arc very much present, I get the feeling that this theme could be quite important when it comes to the Twelfth Doctor's comic strip run ending. I look very much forward to seeing what the carving in the TARDIS means and I wonder how easy it will be for the Doctor to find the answers that he seeks. Bill was great in this part of the story which was good and I liked how she galvanised the Seminole in the Dreamspace to escape and take back their bodies. The Doctor instructing Reeves to wake the nearby town to weaken the Stikini's power and the influence of Totika was excellent and I really liked how even in their demise, the Stikini looked powerful. The Doctor shuddering is evidence of that. Overall, the story as a whole is probably my least favourite Twelfth Doctor comic adventure yet but that doesn't mean it was bad! It was very decent indeed and ended on a high!

Rating: 7/10

Aliens Among Us: Superiority Complex

"An alien hotel? That's one hell of a story."

Writer: AK Benedict
Format: Audio
Released: 10th August 2017
Series: Torchwood 5.04

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Tyler, Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Poverty and homelessness are on the rise in Cardiff. The streets are full of the desperate and the dispossessed. So, of course, it's the right time to open a 7-star luxury, all-inclusive hotel. And, naturally, the hotel is for aliens only.

As the humans stand outside the gates and look hungrily in, there's one thing that makes them smile. Someone is murdering the guests.

Verdict

Superiority Complex concluded the first third of Aliens Among Us in a very solid way with another good episode to continue along this fantastic fifth series of Torchwood. The transition of the series officially continuing on audio rather than television has been fully complete now and I am more than used to listening to Torchwood now rather than watching it. I think I definitely would prefer to be watching it with any audios that we get being a bonus but having the story continued on audio is better than nothing at all and with this first boxset, things are only just getting started. This episode still had the feel of things just testing the waters and I think the more the series rolls on, the more impact will be felt and the episodes will have more of a bigger feel. I'm all for things being set up for the future though and this did that in a good way whilst telling a very intriguing adventure. I thought the idea of an intelligent hotel that was for Sorvix only was very interesting and I liked how humanity was protesting something that they could not have or were not allowed entry into. That's so typical of the modern human. That reminds me that I should say how impressed I have been with this series of Torchwood so far in how it has captured the feel of the modern world. It's been unlike anything else in the Doctor Who universe and I really have enjoyed that aspect of the series so far and I just expect it to continue with the theme of aliens living amongst humanity in Cardiff. The fact there was already a Humans Against Sorvix protest group was humorous but if these events did actually occur in the real world then I would expect nothing less. The hotel being exclusive for Sorvix was good and I thought it was good that their attitudes towards human life were dismissive. They did not care for them and the overall aim seems to be eradicating them. But it is a patient process which makes me think that Ro-Jedda has more planned that we don't yet know about. Gwen, or rather the imposter replacing her, started to show cracks in hiding the truth about her but the brief moments we heard Eve Myles and the real Gwen were terrific and I liked how she was saying that her life was not all well and good as a part of Torchwood. That was evident in this story as human and Sorvix life really was put to the test in the intelligent hotel. The hotel though was more than just intelligent, it was sentient. The way we discovered that through Orr developing an elevator as part of something's sexual desire was a little silly I felt but it didn't really hurt things so there was no real issue there. Tyler had a really interesting episode and whilst being a regular character it's clear that he's still quite separate from the Torchwood team. His position as secretary to the Mayor of Cardiff and apparent sacrifice of him to Ro-Jedda was a big shock and a great way to keep things interesting in the wait before the next volume. Mr Colchester was excellent once again and his reaction to Jack resurrecting was great even if he has seen it many times before. Jack dying to resolve the issues raised by the intelligent hotel was admirable. The title of the audio was definitely apt as there certainly was a feeling of a superiority complex and I look forward to the battle for supremacy between humanity and the Sorvix in Cardiff playing out. Overall though, a good episode to continue things along and set things up for the next volume!

Rating: 8/10

Aliens Among Us: Orr

"I become what you want."

Writer: Juno Dawson
Format: Audio
Released: 10th August 2017
Series: Torchwood 5.03

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Tyler, Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Vincent Parry is the most successful property developer in Cardiff. A while ago he made an agreement with the mysterious Ro-Jedda, and it is an agreement he has come to bitterly regret. Something has to be done - but it's going to cost him everything he loves.

With time running out for Cardiff, Torchwood encounter an aliens who knows them only too well.

Verdict

Orr was another very good audio episode in the ongoing Aliens Among Us fifth series of Torchwood! I had the feeling that things calmed down a bit during this story and it was actually an episode of transition. I mean, it says quite a lot when this story contained the threat of the entirety of Cardiff being destroyed and an alien who becomes what you sexually desire is calm but I guess that really is Torchwood this series. I love it. The new team are slowly becoming familiar and I liked how we had them all mostly appear for the same amount of time in this episode. Of course, Gwen still isn't who she is supposed to be but we got to hear the imposter for a decent amount of time which was good. I am still very intrigued to see what that aspect of the story comes to and I would like to know how she's managed to insert herself into Gwen's life without anybody noticing. That really does seem to be the theme of the series though as regulars in Cardiff seem to know that the Sorvix have arrived in the city and it's almost now seen as normal, particularly in the back alley trades. Hatch was a great little character and I liked the conversation he and Jack had when the latter was looking to get Orr's collar removed. That collar seemed to carry the threat of destroying the entire Welsh capital which meant that things were obviously pretty serious. We got an appearance from Ro-Jedda here which was good and there was a nice reference to Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy. She insisted that Vincent Parry prepare more housing for her as there were more aliens to come. The significance of whether she was housing more than just Sorvix in the city was interesting and I am wondering whether the next episode will be a big one as it finishes the boxset or if it will just be another cog in the machine of the series as a whole. I really don't mind either way but I'm looking forward to finding out. We heard glimpses of the real Gwen and she seemed to be coping quite well considering the imposter had killed her mother. Rhys featured for the first time this series which was great as I think he's a very underrated character from the show. He really does bring a lot and the last series proved that. Jack getting into the action with Tyler was good and I liked Mr Colchester's disdain and what he was doing in going after the assassin that killed Parry. She though was almost like a mad terrorist brainwashed by religion and as she fully accepted her fate in being blown up, she proclaimed 'God is great' and then was obliterated. The idea of aliens coming to Cardiff in search of God is something that has me interested so that is definitely a good thing. Jack taking Orr to the Brecon Beacons to be destroyed was a good location and I really loved the joke regarding getting stuck behind something on the roads. I know from experience that those roads are awful if you get caught behind something so the familiarity was great for me. I was quite surprised though when Orr's collar didn't even show a sign of detonating in a huge explosion. It detached itself with a whimper and it seems that Ro-Jedda needs Orr after all. She was a very interesting hybrid of species with how she could become what anyone desired and her challenge with finding what Jack wanted was good. The signs seemed to suggest Ianto which was a nice touch. Her encounter with Mr Colchester was also good. Mary's funeral was quite sad and it solidifies this as the fifth series of Torchwood despite not being on television. The story is continuing and this one has set things up further in a very nice way. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

Aliens Among Us: Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy

"A whole city invaded by aliens... and no one's even noticed."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: 10th August 2017
Series: Torchwood 5.02

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Tyler, Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Has Cardiff really been invited by aliens? Tyler thinks he's found a lead - the daughter of the mysterious Ro-Jedda is getting married and has booked a private party. If Torchwood can infiltrate it, there's a chance they'll end up closer to the truth. Free bar, canapes, and the chance to find out what's really going on. What could possibly go wrong?

Soon Torchwood are on the run for their lives, and learning more than they ever wanted to about alien life.

Verdict

Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy was a great continuation of Aliens Among Us! Series 5 of Torchwood is well underway now and we have a wonderful typically Torchwood title to get us on our way. It's a ludicrous name really but that's part and parcel of all things Torchwood and that is definitely part of its appeal. I was quite surprised that this early on in the series that we had a story that barely featured Captain Jack. After all, the spinoff show is based around him and even though his importance has perhaps dwindled, to only include him over the phone for a brief conversation in the second episode of the kickstart fifth series was very surprising. I was also a little shocked that Tyler was given similar treatment after bringing Gwen and Mr Colchester to the private party. Of course, it turned out to be quite the revelation that he was actually on a date with Jack. Gwen's reaction to that was quite funny. Now, while I'm talking about her I am going to get ahead of things a bit but I am glad that the bugging question of whether Gwen was actually Gwen was answered at the end of this episode. Listening throughout the audio, I knew that it wasn't Eve Myles that was voicing one of my all time favourite characters but I figured that she must have been unavailable for recording or something. Thankfully, it's all part of the story and the real Gwen, voiced by Eve Myles, is somehow trapped within this alien imposter. What importance she has for the whole aliens among us story I'm not sure yet but I get the feeling that the Sorvix may not be the real threat. We did get to learn a lot about them though and one thing for certain is that they know how to drink! Downing a bottle of vodka just sounds horrific but Madrigal managed it with ease. The way they sucked the male stripper dry by seemingly devouring him through their backs was quite disturbing. Mr Colchester's reaction to that sold just how awful that was. I really liked how he established himself here and I enjoyed the banter he had with Gwen when he seemed to imply something negative about Cardiff and Wales. I have had very similar moments in my two years at university thus far so I enjoyed that. The hen night turning into another massacre in Cardiff was quite a shock and I am intrigued again by the mention of the Red Doors movement. I expect that to feature more prominently in the business end of this series, or at least this boxset of it. I thought the reference to Something Borrowed was magnificent and it's intriguing that this Gwen imposter maintains all of the original's memories. Quenel was an interesting character and her relationship with Mandrigal was good. The unhatching was intriguing. Mandrigal not wanting to marry Osian is a good story and I am also very eager to find out just how the mysterious Hatch Mother, or Ro-Jedda as the synopsis tells us, has control of the city. Cardiff has been invaded and infiltrated and nobody has noticed. I really like that. Their reliance on the Rift will probably come back to haunt them but Torchwood doesn't exactly seem in a stable condition to put up a fight. The ending where the truth about Gwen came out was very shocking, not in the fact that she was actually an imposter but because she shot Mary! Gwen's mum is now presumably dead and I dread to think of the wrath that will be built in the real Gwen because of that. It's still early days in the series but things are definitely shaking up. Overall, a very good episode!

Rating: 8/10

Aliens Among Us: Changes Everything

"This is the world that needs saving. Forget aliens."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: 10th August 2017
Series: Torchwood 5.01

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Tyler, Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Tyler Steele has washed up in Cardiff looking for a fresh start. A disgraced journalist, he's looking into the Red Doors movement - are they really behind the terrorist attacks on immigrants? Who is stirring up the racism and hatred in the city, and what does outsourcing contractor 3Sol have to do with it?

Tyler finds out that Torchwood - a secret organisation that everyone thought was long gone - is back in business. Tyler realises that this is the second chance he's been looking for, and he'll do anything to be a part of it.

Verdict

Changes Everything was an excellent start to the fifth series of Torchwood! Yes, after six long years since the outstanding Miracle Day we finally continue the story here with Aliens Among Us. Now, I must admit that a fifth series on audio is not what I hoped for but it definitely is a whole lot better than nothing at all. All of us as fans would have loved for the show to return on television but for whatever reason that just isn't to be the case which is a real shame. Thankfully though, the story rolls on and what a beginning we have here! I thought the story reestablished Torchwood very well and brilliantly introduced the show again to us through the eyes of newbie Tyler Steele. He was a brilliant character and I really liked how at first he didn't believe everything that Torchwood stood for and fought against but by the end of the episode he was demanding a job. That psychology seems to have worked very well I must say. I thought it was good that Captain Jack didn't enter the story until a decent proportion of it had passed and his flirty arrival was brilliantly typical of the character. I bet he just loves that Tyler is gay and the two of them seemed to get it on just fine. Their relationship is one I expect to fully enjoy throughout this series. It was wonderful to hear that the Torchwood Hub is back up and running following the devastation in Children of Earth: Day One and I very much liked how that episode was referenced. Jack having to explain that he was immortal but not an alien to Tyler was good and I liked how he saw those powers demonstrated following the massacre at the refugee vigil. I love how this story captured the tones of the modern day and basing a story upon terrorist attacks and refugee stigma is brave but superb and I expect that theme to carry through for the next eleven episodes. So much happened in this story that I can't quite believe it's just the beginning of an epic adventure! This series really does have me excited. Now, I must admit that I am a bit confused regarding Gwen's involvement in this audio. I don't know if my brain is messing with me or if it was intentional but that wasn't Eve Myles voicing Gwen here, was it? I sincerely hope not and the fact that her name wasn't mentioned until the end has me thinking that I am right to be confused but I guess I'll just have to wait and see in the next few episodes to see if any of that comes into fruition. I thought Mr Colchester was a good character and I like how there is now a bit of seniority in the Torchwood team, even if he is technically actually working for the government. The mentions of Torchwood having their funding cut was great and made you realise that this actually was an official secret organisation. Jack's delight at somebody realising he was Torchwood once he shot Vorsun was terrific and I really like how they are referencing the gap between the release of each series. Times have advanced and Cardiff is completely different city now. Jack and Torchwood have been away too long and aliens seem to have infiltrated and embedded themselves in Wales' capital. I loved the Welshness of the story being Welsh myself and the idea of the area where the water fountain stands being a car park humoured me I must say. The terrorist attacks were very real and modern and I liked that and things have been set up very nicely for the future whilst also resolving a problem that was presented in the episode. I'm still confused about Gwen but that has me intrigued for the future so that can only be a good thing. Overall, a fantastic return!

Rating: 9/10

Invasion of the Mindmorphs Part 2

"Have you ever thought that the one thing you can't run from is yourself?"

Writer: Robbie Morrison
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 24th August 2017
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 19

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor's plan to take comic creators Sonny and Val off on a tour of the Universe was all going so well... until they landed on a planet of Mindmorphs intent on stealing their minds! Will the creative duo be able to channel their talents in order to save the Doctor? Or is this partnership, and minds of all on the planet, beyond saving?

Verdict

Invasion of the Mindmorphs concluded in sensational style with this superb second and final part of the comic strip! I really did love part one and after rereading, which was needed after the three months that I had to endure between issues being released, my thoughts remained intact and I was just as excited for part two as I was upon starting the story for the first time back in May. Here we are now nearly four months later and this story has achieved something which is surprisingly rare in Doctor Who Comic despite the high quality on show that's a perfect rating. There's barely been a bad story in the couple of years that this little gem has been on sale but a perfect rating has been quite rare and I must say that this story easily achieved it and actually ended up concluding quite the impressive issue! This story also served as the end of the Twelfth Doctor's second year of adventures and I do wonder what is in store for next year. Will Bill be around at all? I look forward to finding out but judging by the ending of this adventure it wouldn't at all surprise me to see Sonny and Val join as companions. Even if they would be getting involved with the mushy stuff the Doctor doesn't want aboard the TARDIS anymore. I thought the way the story maintained its action following the cliffhanger of the previous issue was very good and I must say that this might be the best characterisation of Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor yet from any comic strip. It was absolutely perfect and we got to see him showing off and walking around like he owned the place with all his bravado. It was sublime stuff and a real joy to read. It really did feel like the Doctor was on screen with this comic strip and I think that is rather impressive. Something else I really liked about this story was that it was a fictional story about fictional stories. I love that idea and it worked really well here as my rating would suggest. The Mindmorphs were great enemies and I loved it when they saw within the mind of the Doctor. They discovered that he had minds within minds and that his brain was on a completely different level to anything they had ever experienced or encountered. The imagery in some of the panels in this story was wonderful with a great ensemble of past villains that the Doctor has previously faced. We saw Cybermen, including the stunning The Tenth Planet design, Zygons, the Master and Missy, Ice Warriors, Scaroth and even Morbius and the Menoptera! It was a real treat and some stunning icing on top of what was already a delicious cake. Sonny and Val were excellent again in this part and the development of their relationship was really good. It was obvious that the pair liked each other and they finally realised it here after helping the Doctor. The way they tapped into the telepathic components of the sonic screwdriver and then used their imagination to help defeat the Mindmorphs was wonderful. I really liked the humour of the trap door inclusion and I liked that the Doctor caused a brainstorm to the Mindmorphs just as they planned on blowing up the planet because they had been defeated. They were humiliated but they would not get their revenge as the Doctor swiftly dealt with them. Overall, a wonderful conclusion to a great story that has drawn to a close another excellent year of adventures for the Twelfth Doctor!

Rating: 10/10

Remembrance

"Britzit means Britzit."

Writer: Rob Williams
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 24th August 2017
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 19

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis

Accused of genocide. Chased across time and space by an undefeatable, indefatigable temporal bounty hunter. Thrown into the terror of the Time War. The Doctor and Alice faced their darkest days and came through (relatively) unscathed. After spectacularly proving the Doctor's innocence, and banishing a race of malignant gods in the process, they've more than earned some downtime. But the universe, as always, has other plans...

Verdict

Remembrance was an excellent story and a great way to kick off the third year of adventures for the Eleventh Doctor and Alice! I do wonder whether the third time is the charm when it comes to my wish of wanting these stories to just have the Doctor and Alice travelling as a pairing for the comic adventures. I do have my doubts as I initially thought I might get it last year before the arrival of the Squire, Abslom Daak and even River Song. Early signs suggest I might be lucky though as there was no hint of anybody else joining them inside the TARDIS for a year of stories. However, we did have to say goodbye to a former companion in the form of Jones which I must admit was unexpected turn of events. He wasn't my favourite of companions during the first year of Eleventh Doctor stories but he was still a companion nonetheless and I liked how shocked and somewhat angry Alice was by the Doctor's reaction, or lack of, to his former companion's death. The Doctor though would explain that for him, as a Time Lord, it was different. Not only had he known so many people in his life but Jones was still out there in the timestream and could be visited at any point. The setting of a futuristic British colony of Britzit-247 was rather humorous and the play on Brexit and the recent referendum on leaving the European Union was very good I must say. Considering the market of these stories is primarily for an American audience I thought that was very well done indeed. The inclusion of Bessie 2 was also a great little inclusion and it certainly did seem to be quite an upgrade to the infamous car of the Third Doctor! It was a monster truck and it somehow seemed to also fit through the TARDIS doors. I'm still not sure how that was feasible, even with dimensional stabilisers, but I am willing to let it pass purely on just how ludicrous it was. I thought the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor was superb in this comic strip and they really did nail him to a tee. I was very impressed with the dialogue and even the pace of his movement which is actually quite difficult ton achieve in a comic strip story. His relationship with Alice was very good and I liked how it was clear that she was no longer a novice when it came to travelling through space and time. She's been here a while now and has firmly cemented herself as a companion to the Eleventh Doctor and that is clearly on show here. She knew that the Doctor was walking into trap after they arrived at the funeral of Jones and even know the Doctor knew it too, he walked straight into it. Not only that, he was rather excited by it all which was terrific to see. His obsession with pressing big mysterious buttons was fantastic and I liked how he realised he had been on the new planet before. Just last year. Something catastrophic had happened and as he and Alice found the bodies of species with long life spans, the Doctor knew danger was imminent. The cliffhanger was brilliant and I really am intrigued to see what the Scream are all about. They look extremely resemblant of the Silence so I am sure they will have some sort of connection with them and I look forward to finding out just what that is. Things certainly seem quite doomed for the Doctor which is always good in a cliffhanger! Overall, a terrific adventure that would certainly serve as a great jumping on point for any new readers.

Rating: 9/10

Old Girl: War of Gods

"Nature created me. She is my power."

Writer: Nick Abadzis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 24th August 2017
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 19

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby, Cindy

Synopsis

The epic finale of the Tenth Doctor's second year continues! The emergence of the Time Sentinel! The return of an ancient entity long thought dead! Anubis is trapped between this universe and the next! A galaxy of impossible possibilities! Companions locked in mortal combat! Gabby's mysterious powers in full flow! And at the heart of it all, the Doctor, with the lives of billions in his hands... As the universe shatters and time starts to die, can the last son of Gallifrey win the game... by changing the rules? You won't believe his answer! Be back here next issue as Year Two ends... in flames!

Verdict

Old Girl continued in terrific style with War of Gods! This fourth and penultimate part of the story really was excellent and it certainly did something to ease the wound that has been caused by having to wait over three months to read the story's next installment. It really does feel like an eternity now since I have read a story from Doctor Who Comic! I have even been home for summer and back to my university residence between issues and I am rather disappointed and confused to find that the next DWC issue won't be out until the end of November. I am unsure why this hiatus has continued but I guess it's something I'll just have to deal with. It was great to be reunited with the Tenth Doctor, Gabby and Cindy once again and along with Dorothy we had quite the quartet on our hands. They all worked well together but with the return of Sutekh firmly taken place now, I liked how nervous that seemed to make the Doctor. The flashback of sorts to the moment Sutekh was defeated in Pyramids of Mars was magnificent and I really do like that this comic adventure is serving as a sort of sequel. The finale has been built towards ever since the Year One finale with Anubis and I like how useless the son of Sutekh is when it comes to having to deal with his father. He really does seem helpless. Gabby and Cindy were as brilliant as always as the companions and I liked their reactions to the Doctor wanting them to not be around him when he put the plan into fruition. That plan though was one that Sutekh had calculated long before the Doctor enacted it and I liked how we have a returning villain here who can challenge the Doctor perhaps like nobody else we have seen before. It really does go some way to selling just what level of threat Sutekh provides. It's a rather big one! The details of his Alliance were a little sketchy but it became clear in this part that he was merely using them to his own benefit. How he brutally and peacefully murdered the King Nocturne by turning him into nothingness was almost poetic if that is possible. His speech about the only eternal song being silence was beautiful and even in his evil, the remarkability that Sutekh possesses was clearly evident. I thought the characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was very good and that's important for the story as I always say. I thought the artwork was really good too and some of the imagery that came from Sutekh being trapped by the Fourth Doctor was quite fantastic. The idea of there being other beings trapped with him was good. I liked Dorothy's position as the Hand of Sutekh and she seems like she is going to be key in the final part of this epic finale. Sutekh has already anticipated the Doctor's move when it comes to her but whether or not he will actually make it remains to be seen and that is exciting. Judging from the cliffhanger though, he may not have to be the one to make that decision. Dorothy has realised that she is the reason Sutekh has been able to manifest himself again and what she does with that information will be crucial! I look very much forward to finding out what happens next, even if I have to wait a couple of months. Overall though, a fantastic fourth part!

The Parliament of Fear Part 2

"They feast on the hearts of the strong."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 24th August 2017
Printed in: DWM 516

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

Owls the size of men invade the Wild West and Lady Totika seems to have all the answers. Will anybody be spared in this carnage? Bill is of particular interest to the strange woman and it seems that the Doctor won't be able to get in a position to reason her. Just what is the plan of this parliament of owls?

Verdict

The Parliament of Fear continued in improved style with a pretty decent second part of the story! After a shaky start, which I did reread, I did think this addition to the comic strip adventure was an improvement but I'll get to the story itself shortly. Even though I'm nearly a fortnight late, I do like to preview the issue of Doctor Who Magazine that the comic story appears in. Now, due to a couple of lengthy train journeys I have read some of this issue and I must say that I have very much enjoyed what I read. I love the cover with Jodie Whittaker in full view and the title of 'Time for a Lady' is a terrific one. I must admit that around a year ago I was one of the sceptics when it came to the idea of a female Doctor but now I am firmly in favour of it and it most definitely is time we had the Doctor become a woman. I just know Jodie is going to be wonderful and after reading the brief interview with her in this issue I am very excited for her to get started. The scene at Christmas will be much anticipated and I love the enthusiasm that Whittaker seems to already have for the role. This is the first issue with our brand new editor but the feel of the magazine hasn't changed at all which I might have expected. I have no problem with that though. I thought the interview with the crew at Millennium FX was tremendous and it was great to read just what went on when it came to the special effects of the latest season. It was a really intriguing read. Nicholas Briggs had a lovely interview in this issue too and I liked hearing how he prepared to recreate the iconic voice of the Mondasian Cybermen from The Tenth Planet for the latest season finale. The XIII Chromosome feature was a fantastic little addition to the Jodie Whittaker interview and I liked hearing the thoughts and arguments throughout the show's past as to why we should have a female Doctor. I thought the claim about the stage actress actually being the first female Doctor to be quite humorous and interesting too. I look forward to the 2016 Annual Survey results very much as that is something I always enjoy seeing and The Trail of a Time Lord looks like a good little feature too. Even though I'm well into starting the issue now it looks set to be a brilliant issue! Now, to the comic strip itself and I thought it was a definite improvement but I get the feeling this is going to be the lowest rated Twelfth Doctor comic strip from DWM's pages yet which is a shame. The twist that the parliament in the story's title actually means a collection of owls was very good but I'm not quite sure what to make of the Stikini just yet. They don't look overly impressive but their backstory is good so I'm willing to give them a chance in the next issue. The characterisation of Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor was pretty strong in this comic strip and I thought Pearl Mackie's likeness as Bill was very well captured. Her relationship with Totika was interesting and I like how she told her everything to save Zeke's life. The cliffhanger was good but I can't help but feel that this story is a bit repetitive and extremely similar to Supernature, the Eleventh Doctor's comic strip debut. It has a similar feel and atmosphere despite the drastic contrast of setting. I do hope it improves and whilst it remains good, it could definitely be better. Hopefully part three makes me have a more positive view of the story! 

The Settling

"I made a mistake. I fought."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: May 2006
Series: Main Range 82

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis

Sir,

Having brought the army belonging to the Parliament of England before this place, to reduce it to obedience, to the end effusion of bloody may be prevented, I thought fit to summon you to deliver the same into my hands to their use.

If this be refused, you will have no cause to blame me.

I expect your answer and rest your servant.

O. Cromwell

Verdict

The Settling was an outstanding audio adventure and certainly must go down as one of my all time favourite Seventh Doctor stories of any format! It really was that good. Listening on a train, I didn't even pause the story once and listened to it entirely in one sitting which, even whilst travelling, is not something I often, if ever, do. I had absolutely no clue what the story was going to be about prior to listening as I had not read the synopsis and all I had to base pre-listening assumptions from was the name and knowing which TARDIS team would be appearing. It was the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex and I thought the trio worked wonderfully well together. I liked the style of storytelling for this one with Ace and Hex reminiscing on its events in the TARDIS even before we listened to anything that had happened. They sprung up throughout the audio which I thought was very good and we got to learn a lot about their relationship. I thought it was very interesting that Hex clearly wanted to get intimate with his fellow companion and he even seemed to think that the Doctor wouldn't at all mind. Ace's reaction was rather dignified though and I think this story really highlighted how far she has come as a companion and how much her character has developed. At this point in chronology, she's very mature which is quite refreshing and she works so much alongside Sylvester McCoy's Doctor than was the case on television. The setting of Drogheda in 1649 with the English siege led by Oliver Cromwell was right up my alley as it is a hugely significant historical event. I was actually just delighted to be getting another pure historical from Big Finish and the emotion that came out of this story proves that they have so much value. Hex went through quite a lot in this audio which allowed for some serious character development. That was needed I think as we now know a lot more about Hex who is still a relatively new companion following his arrival in The Harvest. The reactions he got at this time when he told people he was a nurse were great and I thought his interactions and challenging of Cromwell was superb. He really did push him and risked being sentenced to death on more than one occasion. The Irish characters were wonderful and I really adore the accent having visited the country twice so I really did love Mary and Kieran. The latter's death was extremely heartfelt and we would then meet his brother James who was a similar and good character. I really liked the cliffhangers in this story and with the running time at 104 minutes, it wasn't at all too dissimilar to a traditional televised four-parter. Had this story aired on TV, I think it would have gone down a treat as it was simply wonderful. Applying visuals to this adventure would have been a real treat but the music that accompanied the audio in the background really was sublime and helped with the telling of the story in a huge way. The impending massacres at Drogheda and Wexford along with Mary going into labour were real highlights of the story but I think the main thing I liked was how emotional this was for Hex. Ace was there to console him but he was deeply affected by what he had witnessed on this adventure. And who could blame him? He couldn't change history but I did like how he and Ace realised they should always listen to the Doctor. Overall, a stunning audio!

Rating: 10/10

The Invasion of Time

"The President should be shot on sight."

Writer: David Agnew
Format: TV
Broadcast: 4th February - 11th March 1978
Season: 15.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis

The Doctor is behaving very oddly. After signing a treaty with enemy aliens, he returns to his home planet, Gallifrey, and demands the Presidency of the High Council of Time Lords. His first act of rule is to banish Leela to the wastelands on pain of death. His second is to sabotage the planet's defence barriers, enabling full scale invasion.

Why has the Doctor joined forces with the militaristic Vardans? Is he out for revenge against the Time Lords? Or does he have a hidden agenda? But his allies are also hiding a dark secret, for behind them is a familiar enemy waiting for the right moment to attack...

Verdict

The Invasion of Time was an excellent adventure and a wonderful story to conclude the fifteenth season of Doctor Who. It really does have it all and often goes underrated in my opinion. I really do love this story and when you step back and take a look at what exactly happens, in hindsight this adventure is actually huge! The Sontarans step foot on Gallifrey and take control. That really is quite something. But of course, in a six parter the terrific villains don't show up until the conclusion of part four in a brilliant cliffhanger. If the story ended with the Doctor announcing that they had won again, it would go down as a very good four-part adventure. Once the Vardans are defeated though, things have only just got started and it turns out that they were just a prelude for the Sontarans, returning for the first time since The Sontaran Experiment. I'm sure the part four cliffhanger would have gone down a storm back in the 70s. Tom Baker was on fine form as the Fourth Doctor and I liked how he gave no hints at whether he was actually on the side of the Vardans. He arrives on Gallifrey and immediately demands his inheritance and right to become Lord President. What exactly that means for the past relationship between the Doctor and Rassilon is up for interpretation but it is certainly something to ponder. It's an exciting thought that's for sure. The Vardans were good enemies themselves and I liked how they suspected the Doctor wasn't actually on their side the entire time. The Vardans themselves were full of mystery before their identity as humans was fully revealed. I liked the wavy paper-like forms that we saw and their ability to be able to travel on wavelengths of any kind is certainly a good one! It has a lot of potential and it's one we saw realised pretty well in this serial. I really liked Leela in this story and considering it was her last one, I liked how her decision to stay on Gallifrey with Andred wasn't really hinted at during the events of the story. The Doctor was taken aback and I liked how despite putting on a brave face when saying farewell to his savage companion, he seemed momentarily hurt when he closed the TARDIS doors. K9 had also left him to take care of Leela on the planet of the Time Lords but the Doctor soon had another model to assemble. Borusa was great in this story and he would obviously become a bigger character in future stories. The Castellan was a weak character and I like the idea of the Time Lords being vulnerable and not expecting to be invaded. Rodan was a lovely character and I really liked her relationship with both the Doctor and Leela. She was terrific in making the defense of the main systems applicable from within the Doctor's TARDIS. Gallifrey stories are something I very much enjoy and I liked how we got a glimpse of outside of the Citadel where things aren't all rosy. Things can also be tough for Gallifreyans and that was very interesting to see, especially once Leela assumed control. She really did shine in her final adventure which is how it should be. The way the Doctor dealt with both the Vardans and the Sontarans was very good and served as a fantastic conclusion to what is a superb story! The Doctor suffering memory loss after preventing the Sontarans from gaining the Great Key was a great touch. Overall, a stunning story that was absolutely fit for a season finale and companion sendoff.

Rating: 10/10

The Kingmaker

"The story changes, the ending stays the same..."

Writer: Nev Fountain
Format: Audio
Released: April 2006
Series: Main Range 81

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis

Doctor Who encounters one of the most notorious characters from the past, as he journeys through time to solve the great Historical Mysteries...

Not surprisingly the Doctor becomes mixed with Richard the Third himself, as he tries to unravel the perplexing problem of who exactly killed the Princes in the Tower.

Peri and Erimem also encounter a suspicious time traveller. Someone from the Doctor's own past. Someone who shouldn't really be there at all.

So who did murder the Princes in the Tower? Perhaps it's best not to ask a question like that.

You might not like the answer...

Verdict

The Kingmaker was an excellent audio adventure and seems to be the best Fifth Doctor story from Big Finish, chronologically, in quite some time! Maybe it has just been a while since I listened to a Peter Davison adventure, I'm not too sure, but I found myself really enjoying this one from start to finish! It was historical which, even after a day full of dissertation research, is something I really welcomed as I'm a big lover of History. I mean I kind of have to say that as I'm only a few weeks from entering my third year of a degree in the subject but hey ho. The story worked wonderfully and somewhat amazingly, not counting the TARDIS, was actually a pure historical although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. I liked the way the story started with Peri and Erimem out and about exploring with some humorous conversation about what was beneath women. There was some surprising innuendo there but I do like how Erimem isn't afraid to talk about anything. She's a wonderful companion and after Charley she is my favourite original companion to come out of Big Finish. This story had some terrific references to Terror of the Zygons and Planet of Fire and I really liked the description of the Ninth Doctor that appeared. I would assume this is the first reference of a Doctor from the modern series to show up in a Classic era story. Picturing the Ninth Doctor doing a favour for Peri and Erimem is quite an image though I must say. I really loved the references to the Target series of novels known as 'Doctor Who Discovers' and actually hearing the Doctor referred to as Doctor Who was quite intriguing following Missy's comments in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. The way the Doctor described the logo and the series coming into fruition was magnificent. I really liked how he wanted to solve the mystery of Richard the Third and the Princes in the Tower and whilst it isn't a historical tale I actually know a great deal about, I am aware of the basics. Hearing the Fourth Doctor make a cameo, even if it was not Tom Baker, was terrific and I really liked how they squeezed that incarnation of the Doctor into a story. Very clever indeed. Something else that was very clever was the character of Mr. Seyton. He was an enigma for much of the story which was good and I liked how it was said that he and the Doctor knew each other. Once Peri received a description, all signs pointed towards the Master and I must admit that a smile appeared on my face when I thought that he might appear. Sadly that wasn't to be the case but I think the cliffhanger of part three surprised me even more in that Seyton turned out to be Shakespeare! How barmy was that? I loved it. It really was unexpected and I liked how he'd got the Doctor drunk and hitched a ride to the past in the TARDIS. I'm not sure where this leaves The Shakespeare Code in terms of continuity but that's a pointless argument. This story was just marvellous and that's what counts. The King himself was an evil character I liked that and the revelation that the Princes were actually Princesses was told very well. I thought the ludicrousy of Shakespeare dying in the Battle of Bosworth was incredible and Richard the Third taking his place is crazy but terrific. Overall, a wonderful story full of mystery, history and great dialogue. A fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10

Nemesis of the Daleks

"Their spirits have been crushed by the Daleks..."

Writers: Richard & Steve Alan
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September-December 1989
Printed in: DWM 152-155

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Abslom Daak

Synopsis

On the planet Hell, the Daleks are preparing their deadliest weapon yet in the form of a Dalek Death Wheel. They plan to cause absolute chaos and destruction in the universe and wipe out the Helkans from the planet. Can the Doctor and famed Dalek-Killer Abslom Daak work together to prevent the Daleks from becoming the supreme beings and rulers of the Universe?

Verdict

Nemesis of the Daleks was a great comic strip adventure and has kicked off my reading of the graphic novel of the same name. I'm not sure how regularly I will be reading the stories from this collection but at least I have now started! I thought it was very good from start to finish and was just a solid story all the way through. We only saw the Seventh Doctor battle the Daleks on television once in the outstanding Remembrance of the Daleks so it was nice to get a visual adventure with him battling his arch enemies once again in this incarnation. I have heard the Seventh Doctor do battle with the Daleks since but there is just something different about a visual story, even if it was in black and white. That's different for when it comes to a Seventh Doctor story but I really didn't let it have an effect on my reading of the comic strip. The artwork was still magnificent! After reading the latest year of Eleventh Doctor comic stories in Doctor Who Comic, it was interesting for me to read a story with Abslom Daak in the Classic era. I have read Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer but to now see him alongside the Seventh Doctor after so long with the Eleventh Doctor was really good and actually quite refreshing. His feelings for his dead loved on in Taiyin were still strong and I found it quite interesting and somewhat emotional when he wouldn't even let anyone touch her cryogenic chamber. He was obviously very sensitive on the matter which was understandable. The alliance he seemed to be creating was quite an ensemble with a Draconian and an Ice Warrior all on their way to Hell to join Daak in the fight against the Daleks. We didn't see much of them but just them appearing in this story was a terrific little treat, even if they didn't live for much of it all. I thought the characterisation of the Seventh Doctor was excellent with Sylvester McCoy's likeness being captured wonderfully well. I particularly liked his arrival on the planet. The Ogrons getting a brief appearance too was fantastic and I did like the nods to past stories and eras of the show in this adventure. We saw what were, at this point, all seven faces of the Doctor once he was being interrogated by the Daleks which I thought was terrific. The Daleks themselves were presented well and their efforts definitely seemed suited for the Classic era. The inclusion of the Dalek Emperor, who was not Davros much to the surprise of the Doctor, was brilliant and I really liked its appearance and ruthlessness when it came to the Helkans as a workforce. The cliffhangers were pretty good which is always a bonus, even in a comic strip, and I thought part four was quite pacy. I liked how time advanced quite a bit during the story and the way that the Dalek Death Wheel was thwarted was very admirable. Abslom Daak knew that sacrificing himself to destroy the Wheel would mean he'd kill numerous Daleks so I understood why he stopped the Doctor from making the sacrifice and took his place. Overall though, a great comic strip! After a somewhat lengthy audio run, it was nice to be doing something of a different format!

Rating: 8/10

The Isos Network

"We were a thriving colony... then the Cybermen came."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: January 2016
Series: The Early Adventures 2.04

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are leaving Earth after having successfully defeated a Cyberman invasion... The Cyber-fleet is still exploding... But something is escaping through the mass of vaporising debris.

In hot pursuit, the Doctor and his friends find themselves drawn to a mysterious planet where strange beasts slither through the streets of a deserted city... And an old enemy lurks beneath the surface.

As a force of heavily armed aliens arrive, a battle to save the entire galaxy from invasion begins.

Verdict

The Isos Network was an excellent audio adventure and a wonderful trip to the early adventures of Doctor Who. The range really does deliver on its name and I must say that the feel and atmosphere of the Patrick Troughton era was captured on audio very well indeed. This really was a proper Classic era story and it definitely would have fitted in with the Second Doctor stories that we saw on television. I love the idea of it being a sequel to The Invasion but not only that, it takes place just a few days after that terrific story for the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. This trio are simply magnificent together and having Frazier Hines and Wendy Padbury reunited on audio is a real treat. I find it quite incredible that nearly half a century after they appeared on screen together, they are able to recreate a story from that era with such precision and brilliance. Hines was outstanding in this audio with his impression of Patrick Troughton and you really could be forgiven for thinking that the late actor himself appeared in the story because the impersonation really was that good. It really does amaze me how good he is at nailing the mannerisms of the Second Doctor and as listeners it's a real treat for us to be able to listen to a new performed adventure with this incarnation of the Doctor. This story was full of references to previous adventures and that is something I always enjoy. We had numerous references to the serial that this audio is a sequel to but there were also wonderful mentions of The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Web of Fear and even The Tenth Planet with a lovely little description of the First Doctor. That reminded me of Earthshock a bit with the way those Cybermen looked at images of past incarnations of the Doctor. I thought the setting of Isos II was terrific and the description of the planet really was great. It just seemed to fit in so perfectly with the Troughton era which is a big bonus. The Cybermen's arrival at the end of part one was a tremendously typical cliffhanger and when I realised that was what was coming, a big smile appeared on my face. Even though we knew who the enemy was for the story, they still waited until the end of part one to reveal them. How many times has that happened before? I was a big fan of it. I thought the other cliffhangers were very good too, particularly the third part's with the impending doom at the hands of the monorail train. The Cybermen's use for that to create hyperspace travel and return to Earth for conquering was intriguing and it does seem good that they would want to finish their business. The Cyber Controller returning in a Second Doctor story was fantastic and I really liked how Jamie recognised him. Nicholas Briggs did a stellar job with the voices of both the Controller and the Cybermen themselves and I also really liked how there was a Cyber Leader featured in the adventure too. The fact that they had converted the entire population of Isos II was quite a feat for the Cybermen and I liked how they were merely getting started. They still wanted Earth after their first effort had failed. The climax was good and exciting and I thought the sacrifice of Hilsee was very admirable. Would it be the end for the Cybermen? Obviously we know that was not the case but the Doctor knew that too. Overall, a wonderful adventure that fitted into its era incredibly well. So close to full marks!

Rating: 9/10

Time Works

"The Clockwork Men come for us when we can no longer keep time."

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: March 2006
Series: Main Range 80

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis

"You want to know about the Time Keepers?"

"We work in their shadow, every tick and tock of our lives. We hear them in the workings of the Great Clock. We work hard, turn our hands - but we all wind down in time, and that is when they come for us: when our time is up."

The TARDIS lands in between times, in a time where there is no time. A time in which nothing can possibly be. But something is...

The Doctor, Charley and C'rizz are rats in the wheelwork, a threat to the schedule of a world where timing is everything. And the seconds are counting down to a fateful future that has already happened. Unless they can beat the clock.

Tick, tock.

Verdict

Time Works was an outstanding audio adventure and definitely ranks as one of my favourite stories from the Main Range of Big Finish audios. It was excellent from start to finish and I actually had a very good feeling that it would be when I read the synopsis. It seemed intriguing and a story centred around time is something that instantly appeals to me. Despite the fact that we've had five new Doctors since Paul McGann's brief tenure as the Eighth Doctor, this still very much seems new given how little we had of this fantastic Doctor. And given that I am unaware as to what happened during the life of this incarnation, just about anything can happen and very little is off limits so that is exciting! This trio of the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz have been through a lot and I really am now enjoying them since they exited the Divergent Universe. Things are much better and this story was simply wonderful. From the very moment the TARDIS arrived, time was still. The Doctor though found his way around an hour into the past but Charley and C'rizz were stuck in one moment. It was 17.00.08 and after some wondering around, the Doctor's companions found that he was about to die at the hands of a royal figure. This was inevitable but the build up to this moment was terrific and even though we knew the result, it was still brilliant to know where the story was heading. The Clockwork Men, not to be confused with the Clockwork Droids of The Girl in the Fireplace, were a very intriguing enemy and the way they had positioned themselves as gods over Industry was brilliant. Their subjects' striving towards completion was good and I liked the ambiguity surrounding that for much of the adventure. I thought the Doctor's trust in his companions was terrific and it really was great to hear just how much he values them. I liked the royalty appearance in this story and it was quite different to hear of a royal family not of Earth's history. Kestorian made a good holder of the crown and I liked his relationship with his son, the Prince, Zanith. The latter was an excellent character and I really liked how he was immune to the control of the Clockwork Men. He was sceptical of the Doctor as anyone might be but his father placed some trust in him which really interested me. The Clockwork Men's ability to shock once they had predicted the probability of an individual's future actions was great and I liked how that came back to prove their weakness. Vannet and Revnon had an intriguing relationship and I really liked what he was doing for her in not wanting to have it realised that she was expendable. Her love for Collis was quite emotional at times and that was good to hear. I thought the cliffhangers were good and I also thought the pace of the climax was very well done. The Doctor had started the revolution against the Clockwork Men and took on the Figurehead. She was defeated and the Great Clock was stopped and Industry could return to normality again. People no longer needed to live in fear of time. And it even seemed that quite uncharacteristically, the Doctor was going to stick around once the enemy was defeated. He had enjoyed his time with Vannet and I liked that he was going to continue it for a little while longer. Overall, a superb audio adventure from start to finish! The first to achieve full marks in 18 stories.

Rating: 10/10

Night Thoughts

"The more things change, the more they stay the same..."

Writer: Edward Young
Format: Audio
Released: February 2006
Series: Main Range 79

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis

'I warn you, things could get very nasty here before they get better.'

A remote Scottish mansion. Five bickering academics are haunted by ghosts from their past. Reluctantly they offer shelter to the Doctor and his companions Ace and Hex.

Hex, already troubled by a vivid nightmare, is further disturbed by the nighttime appearance of a whistling, hooded apparition.

Ace tries to befriend the young housemaid, Sue. Sue knows secrets. She knows why the academics have assembled here, and she knows why they are all so afraid. But Sue's lips are sealed, preferring to communicate through her disturbing toy, Happy the Rabbit.

And then the killing begins. Gruesome deaths that lead the Doctor and his friends to discover the grisly truth behind the academics' plans, and, as the ghosts of the past become ghosts of the present, to recognise that sometimes death can be preferable to life.

Verdict

Night Thoughts was an excellent audio adventure and is definitely the best Main Range audio from Big Finish that I have listened to in quite some time! Now I fully acknowledge that my listening of this range has somewhat stalled in recent months with finishing my second year of university and getting into a relationship but I do hope that in what remains of my summer I can fit in quite a few more of these audios yet. I'm on quite the audio run and I really am enjoying the format lately so after a disappointing day of football I had to get back on track and this story really was superb. It was so close to full marks but I couldn't quite give it. It wasn't very far away though and that was brilliant to listen to. It had been a while since I heard the trio of the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex but despite not being the biggest fans of the first two mentioned on television, I have found myself really liking them on audio and with Hex as an addition, they work really well together. I thought this was probably my favourite performance from Hex thus far since his arrival in The Harvest and I really enjoyed how he got to show off his medical ability and knowledge. Despite the Doctor being present, it seemed that the academics in the house turned to Hex when it came to needing medical treatment or expertise. The Doctor was the one with the answer, especially when it came to time travel. I really loved the setting of a remote mansion and the atmosphere was superbly presented which can be quite difficult on audio. It was eery and tense and it actually probably helped that I was listening to the story quite late at night. I thought Sylvester McCoy gave a stellar performance as the Seventh Doctor and he really does seem to be a better Doctor on audio than he was on television. That's actually probably down to the style of his era on TV rather than the actor himself. It's no secret that I'm no fan of Ace but I thought she was pretty good in this adventure. Her relationship with Hex was very good here and I'm liking the pairing as companions. Sue was a wonderful character and her story was actually quite emotional. Her finding it a somewhat necessity to carry around her toy bear Happy was very intriguing and creepy. At the start of the story, I didn't think that bear would be so significant to the plot but I did think something was up with the way Sue was talking when in its presence. Major Dickens was a good character too and his obsession to change the past was great. I really liked the idea of time travel in this story and it really did feel like a real world effort with the use of particles and mentions of the War. The revelation regarding Dr. O'Neil was excellent and the realisation he had when he found out that Sue was actually his daughter was brilliant. It really was quite emotional which is something I always welcome in a story. The Deacon and the Bursar were also great characters and their role in the story and particularly in the past with their efforts to keep a child alive was very good indeed. The Doctor going back in time specifically to kill a young girl seems like a shock but he needed to ensure that history remained on the right course. Of course, he couldn't do it but Dickens through his own evilness ensured that history was back on track. I liked the ambiguity surrounding the story's conclusion and overall, I thought this really was a superb audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The Eye of the Storm

"If you both stay here, you're going to end the world."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.04

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor, River

Synopsis 

The Great Storm of 1703 approaches. The fate of planet Earth hangs in the balance.

The only person who can save it is the Doctor. Or River Song. Or quite possibly another Doctor. Or maybe the whole situation is their fault in the first place.

Two Doctors. One River. An infinite number of ways to destroy the world. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

Verdict

The Eye of the Storm was a brilliant story and a terrific conclusion to the second series of The Diary of River Song! This has been quite the boxset with River not meeting one but two past incarnations of the Time Lord who would become her husband. Her meeting with the Seventh Doctor in The Unknown was excellent and she shared a very different but equally as good relationship with the Sixth Doctor in World Enough and Time. Now though, we had the treat of having all three together for the same story! A multi-Doctor adventure is something I always love and the moments the different incarnations meet is always something I adore. I just love how we all know they're the same person, even the Doctor knows that, but they still go on criticising their past or future self. That was the case here with the Sixth and Seventh Doctor meeting inside the TARDIS alongside River Song. That image really was magnificent and I liked the latter's comments about the personality of his earlier self. The way the Doctors look back or forward in often disdain for one another really is intriguing but it works so well and provides quite a bit of comedy. Through River into the mix and you have some tasty ingredients. There was quite a bit of innuendo from River once she knew she had two versions of her husband to play with and I think that's rather expected with her character's raunchy personality. It was almost like she was meeting both Doctors again for the first time, well as far as the Doctors were concerned she kind of was. The references to The War Games and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead were excellent and I found it quite funny how the Sixth Doctor thought River was a Time Lord working for the CIA. That of course was not the case. The story of Sarah and Isaac was quite an emotional one and their connection to the Speravores was intriguing. I must admit that I didn't expect the predominant setting of this audio adventure to be in the early eighteenth century but I really liked it. This was where time was splintering and going wrong and the TARDIS couldn't land any later in the planet's timeline. Was this finally where time gave up? Not if River and the Doctors had anything to do with it. I really loved how different River was to the Doctor and that is something you can definitely see in this story. The Sixth Doctor was the man to sacrifice himself whilst the Seventh Doctor planned on removing Sarah and Isaac from the timeline and history altogether. River though, she just went and asked the concerned couple. I loved how she told her life story to try and make them understand and she really was good at the convincing. The Speravores fed on alternative futures but when their intended host was gone and eradicated from history, they would go hungry for good. The fact that the Doctors were just the side salad whilst River was the one with all the potential was a nice twist and whilst the Doctor did feature, this boxset is still firmly about River Song. She's an incredible character and these four stories have proven that. I loved the mentions of the future incarnations of the Doctor and I also liked how the Seventh Doctor battled hard to retain his memory of this incredible woman. Overall, an excellent conclusion to the boxset and I do hope that in the third series, River gets to meet Doctors four and five.

Rating: 9/10

World Enough and Time

"People dream their lives away..."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, River

Synopsis

When it comes to bringing down corrupt and explosive regimes, there is no-one quite like River.

Until she arrives at Golden Futures and discovers that someone else has already taken on her job. Someone with almost as much style and panache as herself.

The Doctor is about to get the shock of his lives.

Verdict

World Enough and Time was a brilliant audio adventure and another excellent continuation of the second series of The Diary of River Song. It really has been a terrific series so far and I am very excited for the finale which was set up in quite some style during this story. We've already had River Song meet the Seventh Doctor for the first time in The Unknown and now we have the pleasure of hearing her meet the Sixth Doctor. Their relationship was absolutely wonderful throughout the audio and may actually have been the highlight from the story for me. It brought out the softer side in the Sixth Doctor which is fantastic and it was really intriguing to hear this incarnation of the Doctor actually be rather smitten with a woman. River was quite the same back to him and I loved the moment where she mentioned really liking his coat. It wasn't the most popular item of clothing but I agreed with River in liking it! It's so brilliantly typical of the quirkiness of the Doctor and it suits the sixth incarnation down to a tee. The idea behind this adventure was very good and I thought the whole concept surrounding Golden Futures was very good. Filing dreams was an interesting way for the story to start for River and doing a story involving dreams is something I really like. The PA was a terrific character and I did enjoy her conversations with the Doctor. The fact that he had purchased 51% of the shares in the company was interesting and even though the Doctor was its owner, he was none the wiser as to just what was going on at Golden Futures. Thanks to some help from River Song though, he'd soon find out. And he wouldn't like it at all. River having trust issues with the Doctor was quite a shock and I liked how it brought out the emotion in her. Even though this was an earlier incarnation than she's ever met before, or at least that has been made available to us, she refused to believe that he could be involved in the atrocities that were occurring at Golden Futures. The idea of an Earth stitched out of possible realities and splinter moments was quite incredible and just what use that will be remains to be seen. But it is a very exciting concept and I look forward to listening to it play out. The reveal of the Speravores was good and I also liked the concept behind them as beings. They fed on potentiality and the Doctor being at Golden Futures meant they had a rife supply as he wasn't doing what he could in the rest of the universe. The pods and the Sleepers were very intriguing and I liked how River had an experience early on in the story that she really wasn't supposed to see. That gave her the determination she needed to find out just what was going and she did a much better job of it than the Doctor. The pair though worked wonderfully together and I know they feature in the next audio of the boxset but I would very much like to hear more adventures with the Sixth Doctor and River Song. I'm not quite sure how that'll be possible as there's the trouble with the Doctor not recognising her until Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead but the way they got around that here was cheap but clever. Amnesia lipstick. Nice and simple. River couldn't bare the thought of the Doctor living with the memory of what he caused here. The Doctor got it wrong which was quite incredible really and an epic finale seems to have been set up. Will Earth be destroyed? Will Elysium prevail? I guess I will find out tomorrow, but I'm very eager to find out! Overall, an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10

Five Twenty-Nine

"Something is killing this planet... time zone by time zone."

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.02

Featuring: River

Synopsis

River has made a terrible discovery.

Billions of lives hang in the balance. But if she can save just a few, then it might just help her solve the conundrum of Earth's destruction.

But how can she win when survival becomes a race against time itself? A race against Five Twenty-Nine?

Verdict

Five Twenty-Nine was a terrific audio adventure and a great continuation of the second series of The Diary of River Song. It jumped ahead, or behind rather, a little from the ending of The Unknown but following this story's conclusion, it is certain that things are from finished when it comes to Earth during this peculiar and mysterious time. It seemed that life was being wiped out from the planet and whilst the cause remains unknown, it is absolutely deadly and we witnessed that first hand in this adventure. The futuristic Earth setting was good and I like how different it is to how we know our own planet today. This time was full of synthetics, or androids as they're perhaps better known, and with that we had Rachel feature very prominently which was something I did not expect. River had found this android dead and buried after arriving on the planet following her meeting with the Seventh Doctor but now she had jumped back in time by 24 hours or so and met the real thing when she was alive. She knew something bad was about to happen but unlike her husband, River believed that the future was not set, even if she had seen it. She believed in countless alternatives from single moments and I liked that. This story was not about the Doctor and it was intriguing to see a familiar character attempt to save the world in her own way. She had taken tips from the Doctor but as was the case in the first three stories of the first series, she was acting on her own and that was refreshing to listen to. I really liked the theme of family in this story and River had found herself staying with a very caring and accommodating one. Emmett Burrows was a wonderful character and I really liked how he took River in without a qualm. Lisa was also very welcoming which was good but there was just something about her husband that made him the more likeable character in my opinion. The way that Rachel dealt with things in such logic made her distinctly different from the humans in this story and I liked how casually she just stated that her feelings were artificial. I found it interesting how aware Rachel was of just what she was and I think that is quite a contrast to a number of stories featuring androids or beings similar. Steven was another very good character and I liked how he was quite smitten with River Song. Unfortunately for him, she was married and that meant a nice little reference to the complications of The Wedding of River Song. I am very intrigued and eager to find out what it was that was ravaging Earth and apparently has wiped out every single human being left on the planet. I get the feeling things are going to build to an epic finale where we have two Doctors and River Song but before we get there, I'm excited by the set up. The idea of the attacker or entity that was destroying life doing it via different time zones was mighty interesting and I loved the originality of that concept. I've blogged over 1000 times and I can't recall something remotely similar. I wonder if it will have some bearing on the last two stories in the boxset as I really am eager to find out why it did that. Rachel's reaction to her parents accepting their fate was emotional and it really did drive home the theme of family in this story. I really did like it and it's something I feel strongly about. A lack of action meant the rating was never going to be higher, but it was still an excellent adventure.

Rating: 8/10

The Unknown

"We're all alone in a vanishing universe."

Writer: Guy Adams
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: Diary of River Song Series 2.01

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, River

Synopsis 

A planetary anomaly. A scientific impossibility. A mystery to be solved.

Of course, River Song expects to be consulted. She expects her valuable knowledge and experience will help the crew of the Saturnius unlock the strange phenomenon that has appeared in Earth's solar system.

But what River doesn't expect is a stowaway. An infuriating little man, calling himself the Doctor.

Verdict

The Unknown was an excellent audio adventure and a superb start to the second series of The Diary of River Song! I really enjoyed listening to the first series last year so purchasing the second installment of the series really was a no brainer. Especially once I found out that River Song would be meeting two past incarnations of the Doctor! In the first series she of course interacted with the Eighth Doctor but here we actually had her meeting the Seventh Doctor. The idea of River Song meeting past Doctors is simply wonderful but it can also prove to be a little difficult when it comes to the dialogue of Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. That story was clearly the first time the Doctor, in his tenth embodiment of the Time Lord, had met River so past meetings can prove difficult. I thought the way Guy Adams got around that issue here was very clever with the temporal anomaly idea and the way the memories of those on the Saturnius were being somewhat altered and tampered with due to the problem of the shield and its position in real space. Some of the audio's dialogue was a bit scientific but River's simple explanation was very good and certainly cleared any issues up. I really liked how the story immediately went with the Seventh Doctor and River Song meeting before the opening titles and I liked the familiarity between the pair despite them not knowing each other. Her memory was suffering from the effects of the ship's position in space but when this presumed stowaway mention he was called the Doctor, things started to come back for River. I loved how she mentioned Gallifrey and the TARDIS being a Type-40. I also was intrigued how this story would appear to take place after The Husbands of River Song for River as she had her very own sonic screwdriver, something the Doctor noticed. The image of River entering the Classic era TARDIS was a wonderful one in my head and I loved how once she was inside, things became familiar for her and she was able to pilot it through the telepathic circuits. Of course, River and the Doctor weren't the only ones to feature in this story and I must say that the guest cast were superb. Captain Maddie Bower was a brilliant character and I really did like how seriously she took her job. Her relationships with both River and Ellen were terrific. Ellen was a wonderful character and I must say that I really did like her. She was just a very likeable character and that is definitely something you want in a Doctor Who story. Robert Murphy was another good character and his whole story was great with the multiple forms that emerged from him being at the focal point of the engine room. The way the resolution was achieved was exciting and I liked how the memories of the Doctor and River weren't precise as the only thing they really remembered was a crash. River had entered the TARDIS and the Doctor had met his future wife but they wouldn't know it. The innuendo regarding the Doctor and the TARDIS seemed a bit strange but it definitely tied in with the raunchiness of River's character. The lead in for the next audio in the boxset was excellent and it seems that we have both androids and a future Earth that has been ravaged in the future to contend with. Things have been set up very nicely but for now this was a brilliant start to the new series!

Rating: 9/10

Resistance

"You mean we've gone back in time... to the War?"

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: March 2009
Series: Companion Chronicles 3.09

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis

February, 1944: France is occupied by the Third Reich, the French Gestapo has an iron grip and the native resistance attempts to overthrow the invaders. On one quiet winter's night, a British plane crashes to the ground, leaving a flying officer desperate to escape via the evasion lines.

Separated from the TARDIS, Ben and Jamie, the Doctor and Polly find themselves with enemies on all sides. Trapped in one of the darkest times in history, Polly discovers that humanity can be just as dangerous as any threat from outer space. She resolves to make a difference - even if it means leaving the Doctor forever...

Verdict

Resistance was a very good little audio adventure and an absolute steal at just £2.99! It was last month's special offer story from Big Finish and as it was one I hadn't listened to I just could not resist purchasing it. I do very much enjoy the Companion Chronicles range and Polly is one of my all time favourite companions so having Anneke Wills as the narrator was just a bonus. I really liked how early in the Second Doctor era that this story was set as with a lot of those early episodes missing from the archives, these audios can help plug the gaps that are currently present. There was a mention of both The Tenth Planet and The Power of the Daleks which was terrific and I also liked the brief glimpse of the relationship between Polly and Ben that we got. The pair clearly had feelings for each other during their tenure in the TARDIS and their race to the doors upon landing somewhere was innocent flirting and I really liked it. I thought the setting of occupied France during the Second World War was excellent and I loved the simplicity of this audio being a pure historical. They don't happen enough on television anymore, if at all, so for the audio format to still show that they absolutely work is a joy to behold. As a History student, I really appreciated the attention to detail and I liked how specific a World War Two setting this was. You had active resistance trying to get to the Spanish border due to their neutrality and I liked how the adventure even included the French Gestapo. Ben identifying that was really good. I thought the script was really clever in how it separated the Doctor and Polly from Ben and Jamie and that allowed for some much easier storytelling when it came to just having Wills narrating from the TARDIS team. There was another narrator in the form of the Pilot and the story behind his character was actually really good. The cliffhanger reveal that he was actually Polly's uncle, a person that had been referenced earlier in the story with the connection to the War, was superb and it really did have me out of my seat. I don't think the follow up to it was fully capitalised upon but it was far from bad that's for sure. There could have been a touch more excitement when it came to the Doctor and Polly being on the run and seeking salvage through the resistance but it was still very good so I have no real complaints. Anneke Wills did a terrific job narrating and her reprisal as Polly was wonderful. I thought her impression of the Second Doctor was pretty decent and I also enjoyed her take on Ben and Jamie too. It made for an easy listen and that definitely can help when it comes to giving a story a good mark, which this adventure certainly achieved. The revelation that Randolph wasn't actually Polly's uncle but instead a Gestapo infiltrator who had tried to take his place was good but it didn't come as much of a surprise when it really should have. The fact that Polly wanted to make a difference in the past was an excellent emotional battle to hear and she was even prepared to leave the TARDIS to do so. The Doctor's little speech to her at the end of the audio about changing the future instead was a lovely way to finish though. Polly had questioned her role in the TARDIS during this adventure but the Doctor let her know that she was very much needed and appreciated. Overall, a fantastic little adventure!

Rating: 8/10