The Nightmare Man

"You've made a monster real..."

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Format: TV
Broadcast: 11th-12th October 2010
Series: SJA 4.01

Featuring: Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, K9

Synopsis

Luke faces life-changing events, and Bannerman Road will never be the same again. But when Sarah's son has his first nightmare, he's haunted by a dark figure from his dreams: the Nightmare Man. A strange entity is reaching out to our world through Luke, with terrible consequences for the whole human race. With Luke, Clye and Rani trapped in a bizzare dreamscape, Sarah must fight alone. As the Nightmare Man grows stronger, only K9 might hold the key. But can Luke summon the courage to face his adult life before the whole world is trapped in an endless nightmare?

Verdict

The Nightmare Man was a great story and a very good way to start the fourth series of the Sarah Jane Adventures! With the recent news that the entire show was now on BBC iPlayer I couldn't resist getting back into the SJAs and picking up where I left off. This story had a sense of change in the air as Luke and K9 were both pretty much written out of the series. Luke had advanced in his studies to do his A-Levels a year early and four A*s meant he was off to Oxford. The preparation for his move away from home was somewhat familiar and as I come to the close of my time in Bath, it was quite intriguing to be reminded of the days leading up to the university's beginnings. The idea of Luke getting nightmares was a very good point of exploration and I also liked the flashback footage version of telling the story. We saw a little flashback to an unseen encounter with a Slitheen which was brilliant and I loved the reaction of Sarah Jane once she knew that she was going to be covered in green goop. However, they weren't the main enemies of this story and that role was taken by the Nightmare Man. I thought he was played terrifically and the concept behind was really good. The way he entered reality from the dreamscape was perhaps a tad too easy but once he was there he was ready to feed on humanity's nightmares. The dream theme has cropped up a bit for me lately with The Phantom Piper but I felt this one got to explore it in more detail given the lack of waiting between parts. Luke was genuinely scared which was quite rare and I liked how he took comfort in Rani. Clyde's reaction to Luke's impending departure was understandable but I liked how they got to save the world together again before he left. K9 and Mr Smith working together was excellent and their relationship really was brilliant once again. The references to Invasion of the Bane and Revenge of the Slitheen were good and I also liked that Luke was still in contact with Maria. The way the Nightmare Man was defeated and sent packing into Clyde's dream where Sarah Jane could tell him all about her wonderful son was great and it was nice that the three youngsters united to save the world. Sarah Jane was delighted but things would soon get emotional as Luke departed with K9. I'm now intrigued to see how the dynamic of the show changes without these two key components but change is often needed so I'm excited for what the future holds. Overall, a very good start to series four!

Rating: 8/10

The Phantom Piper Part 4

"I'm the King of the Dreamspace!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 8th February 2018
Printed in: DWM 522

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The coded message inscribed on the TARDIS has finally been decoded... and with it came the emergence of the Phantom Piper. As if this didn't bring enough problems, the fuel in a potential war between humanity and the Galateans is about to be lit.

Verdict

The Phantom Piper continued in magnificent style with this fantastic fourth part of the story! I must admit that I was expecting things to conclude here but that was not the case. Anyway, per the usual DWM comic strip blog entry I like to talk about the magazine itself and this will be an issue I remember as it is the first one I have received as part of my subscription. It's been a long time coming but I have finally committed and what a front cover we have! The main features concerning the Daleks looks very exciting and I'm delighted that the Daleks we see on the front page are of their earliest design. They look brilliant. I have read a little of the magazine so far (university research projects are currently taking over my life!) and I was glad to read that I wasn't the only one disappointed with the writing of the First Doctor in Twice Upon a Time. It still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth if I'm honest. The Peter Capaldi Tapes looks set to be an excellent feature and his time as the Twelfth Doctor really did just about have it all. He was a great Doctor and I look forward to reminiscing on his time in the TARDIS. I'm intrigued to read about the breakfast with the Doctors that was part of last year's Comic Relief and having that many actors who played the Doctor all in one room is rather rare. I must say I'm not too fussed about the cosplay feature as that doesn't overly interest me but I am looking forward to the three interviews that have also been lined up this month. It looks like I started subscribing for a very good issue! Now, back to the comic strip and I have to say that this part was sublime! It was definitely my favourite part since any of Doorway to Hell and I really did think that the Phantom Piper made an excellent villain. The language and tone he used was terrific and you really did get a sense that he had manifested in real space just for the hell of it. He wanted to cause chaos and do so by having a laugh. He knew all about the Doctor and Chiyoko and the events of The Child of Time and that caused a lot of nightmares he could claim to go missing. The way the Piper murdered Tommy Flowers was quite shocking but it did finally spark some emotion from Alan Turing. The Doctor's realisation that Turing was using block transfer computation was terrific and I enjoyed the subtle reference to Logopolis. The explanation of how the Phantom Piper came to be through using this along with the Galateans was great and I thought things really did tie in together very nicely. The Piper taking Chiyoko hostage and using her brain was good and the cliffhanger was another very good one. Overall, a brilliant fourth part of the story!

Who's That Girl!

"Don't you remember? You regenerated... into me!"

Writer: Simon Furman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 25th November - 2nd December 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 8-9

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor is adjudicating at a delicate planetary peace conference. Unfortunately, the delegates don't realise that the woman they think is the Doctor is really a hired assassin...

Verdict

Who's That Girl! was a brilliant comic strip adventure and I think part one was one of the most entertaining and intriguing five pages I've read in a graphic novel for quite some time. It seems quite apt that I am reading this story some time after the announcement of Jodie Whittaker's casting as the Thirteenth Doctor. I am very excited to see what the gender change brings to the role and I am sure that the possibilities are endless but for just a second in this story we got a snippet of what things might be like with the Doctor as a female. I loved that there was no explanation as to why a woman exited the TARDIS and the attire she was wearing really was magnificent. It was a cluster of past Doctor's wardrobes and I really did think she looked impressive. She had all the characteristics of the Doctor and I can't imagine the reception this story might have had upon its release in the 1980s. Would any readers just accept the regeneration? I'd love to know if there was any kind of backlash to the idea of the Doctor being a woman. I doubt there is anything of the kind though given that this story was only printed in The Incredible Hulk Presents. What I do love is that the idea of the Doctor being a woman was present in 1989 and actually got represented in a printed story. Of course, the Doctor did not regenerate into a woman in a 1989 comic strip and he was actually being impersonated by a hired assassin in the form of Kasgi. I thought she was terrific and the way it was revealed that she had the Doctor captured and was intent on killing Luj was marvellous. It really was a brilliant cliffhanger. Sadly, I didn't feel that part two quite measured up to the first part but the story as a whole was still really good. The way the Doctor found out the true intentions of his supposed old friend was a little too easy for my liking and the way he just emerged from the secret passage was again a little too simple. He was once again seemingly an advocate of the Time Lords which is intriguing given he is in his seventh incarnation but it really is something that continues to interest me. Kasgi's respect for the Doctor when she overlooked him leaving was a nice touch and I liked how she survived intact. The Doctor knew that Luj needed to be stopped and went about ensuring it happened but he would not allow Kasgi to do it in the form of an assassination. Overall, a very bold, brave and brilliant little story.

Rating: 8/10

The Sentinel!

"I, it was, who stood and watched the ascent of creation!"

Writer: John Tomlinson
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 18th November 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 7

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

When the Seventh Doctor meets an ancient being named Seneschal who claims to have been responsible for human evolution itself, the Time Lord chastises him for meddling. Predictably, the being gets angry and chases the Doctor away. Too late, the time traveller understands that Seneschal has taken a sample of his DNA, with which he can, given billions of years, create a new race of Time Lords.

Verdict

The Sentinel! was a very good little comic strip and a great continuation of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel. I thought it was an intriguing adventure and continued the solo travels of the Seventh Doctor very nicely. The dialogue was good characterisation of Sylvester McCoy's seventh incarnation and I do think that this comic strip has arguably best-captured his likeness in this graphic novel collection. His arrival on Earth during the Cenozoic era was a mightily interesting setting and I almost thought the image of the apes would lead to a mini story on the lines of something similar to Planet of the Apes. That is one of my all-time favourite films so I was quite excited but despite what followed being nothing like I had envisioned (or maybe hoped for), I still very much enjoyed. Seneschal was a brilliant character and his laying claim to causing human evolution was quite bold! I really liked it though and considering how long he had waited for man to get as far as it had at this point, his disappointment seemed warranted. The subtle reference to Earthshock was excellent and I liked how intelligent Seneschal was. He knew all about the Doctor once he had woken up and the Time Lord was quite shocked by that. The continued use of the Doctor seemingly representing the Time Lords in this collection is something that has struck my interest and whilst I do hope it would lead to something, I will be very surprised if it does. The Doctor walking around with a plaster on his head seemed like a harmless artistic inclusion but its relevance to the story actually turned out to be wonderful. I did wonder when I first saw it who had applied it but it actually turned out to be rather genius. The idea of Seneschal getting bored of humanity only to then get some Time Lord DNA to play around with was really good. It may take him quite some time for this DNA to evolve into the level of Time Lord that the Doctor is currently at, but it would be much more worth the wait than was the case with humanity. The idea of the Doctor being the catalyst for a new race of Time Lords was excellent and one I really enjoyed. That was especially enhanced once the Doctor realised in the TARDIS just what had happened. I'd love a sequel exploring the aftermath of this story but I do like the ambiguity if one does not arise. Overall, a very good story!

Rating: 8/10

Day of the Vashta Nerada

"Vashta Nerada. It eats. It lives. That's it."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor

Synopsis

As the Time War rages, Cardinal Ollistra of Gallifrey seeks to create ever more dangerous weapons to deploy against the enemy.

When the Doctor stumbles across Synthesis Station, he discovers that the Time Lords have sponsored a project to weaponise already-lethal creatures. But in doing so, Eva Morrison and her team have unwittingly used a colony of Vashta Nerada with a very unfortunate history of humanoid contact.

The Doctor finds himself leading a desperate race for survival, in which the shadows may be the least of their worries...

Verdict

Day of the Vashta Nerada was a very good story and a great conclusion to the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters. I must admit that I had been looking forward to this story for a while now and even though it's slightly a letdown that the same monster appears twice in the same boxset, the idea of the Vashta Nerada in the Time War is very intriguing. The Eighth Doctor had arrived ahead of the intended Time Lord party on Synthesis and that posed some interesting questions. He soon learned of the breeding of Vashta Nerada that had been going on and he was hardly impressed. This story probably predates the recent Eighth Doctor Time War series but I honestly don't understand why this story could not just be part of a Time War boxset, something we have had plenty of now, instead of taking up a slot here. We could have easily had the Eighth Doctor encounter a monster like the Gelth, Slitheen or the Silence. Anyway, a standalone story in the Time War is not unprecedented following The Sontaran Ordeal so I can't have any real complaints. The relationship between the Doctor and Ollistra was good and I liked how she thought she could handle him by herself. She was though most worried about him when he was right in front of her which I liked. The Time Lords hoping to utilise the Vashta Nerada and manipulate them to devour Dalekanium was hardly surprising but it's a concept I love. It's brilliant and the deadly monsters could prove to be a devastating weapon. How would the Daleks be able to adapt against them? The Doctor's continued abhorrence towards the Time War was good and I liked how he refused to be conscripted by Ollistra despite her being convinced that he could find a way to end it all. Of course he would do so in The Day of the Doctor and I liked how that was foreshadowed. I did not expect this story to be a loose sequel to Night of the Vashta Nerada and the references to that audio were terrific. Eva was a wonderful character and her death was very emotional and quite gutting to be honest. She deserved better. I was quite shocked by the Doctor's reaction to Raldon's death as he seemed dismissive of it if he could just place the blame on the Time War. Maybe our Doctor was becoming something of a warrior at this point? Roxita was an excellent character and his devotion to the cause and the safety of Ollistra proved to cost him his life but would ultimately end up contributing to the demise of the Vashta Nerada. That came with a simple ejecting of a TARDIS room after they were brought on board via a staser. Dendry's scheme was interesting but I must say that I loved the concept behind the Nerada Vashta and I think the negative take on them is something that can definitely be explored further in a future story. Overall though, a great story!

Rating: 8/10

The Carrionite Curse

"A real witch!"

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor

Synopsis

Katy Bell returns to her Midlands home to find strange goings-on at the buskers fair. A witch trial in the 1980s. A bonfire ready to be lit...

Luckily, a colourful visitor is already investigating, and the local vicar, Katy's dad, is versed in tales of the macabre. Terrifying forces are on the loose, and the town hall holds a secret. There is black magic in the Black Country, and the Doctor has the name of his enemy on the tip of his tongue...

Something wicked this way comes.

Verdict

The Carrionite Curse was a great audio adventure and a good continuation of the second Classic Doctors, New Monsters boxset. University work and my personal life has meant a break in my listening but the beauty of this range is that the stories aren't connected so it didn't matter how long I left things. This was just a standalone story and I truly do think they are what works best. The latest new series monster that we see a Classic Doctor encountering was the Carrionites and I do think they were another obvious choice. There is plenty that could be done with them and I'm glad that we got a witchcraft story. The idea of a witch trial was excellent but I was all the more intrigued by the fact it was happening during the 1980s! The Black Country setting was also rather refreshing and I thought it worked really well with the buskers fair as its central focus. The Sixth Doctor is arguably my favourite on audio and his water-balloon demonstration at the start of the audio adventure was rather humorous. He soon met Katy who turned out to be a terrific character. She got to see inside the TARDIS and she even ended up stealing a book. It did appear that she intended to aid the Carrionites in their battle against the Doctor but she ended up making the ultimate sacrifice. The references to The Library of Alexandria and Attack of the Cybermen were terrific and I also thought that Reverend Douglas was brilliant. He knew some of the witchcraft history in the area and the latter inclusion of a book by George Litefoot was a lovely little throwback to The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The linguistic theme in this story was fantastic and I really did enjoy how the Doctor came to understand and use the power of words. He dismissed the idea of witches existing but that didn't really last long once they named him as President of the Time Lords of Gallifrey. Witches having to answer to figures of authority was great and I really liked how the guilty plea came at the story's beginning. It was a shock to everyone. I wasn't quite sure by the Carrionites' intention to turn people into ink but I guess that did fit the word theme. The reference to the Globe Theatre and the fourteen sides was great and I absolutely loved the Carrionites referencing The Shakespeare Code and their defeat at the hands of the Tenth Doctor. The Sixth Doctor then realised that if he defeated them once then he could do it again - even if he was yet to do it. The mentions of paradoxes and their power was very good but I was quite surprised by the audio's conclusion with Katy taking herself to defeat the Carrionites. It was emotional with Douglas but that was excellent. Overall, a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Empire of the Racnoss

"This war is not fought in my name."

Writer: Scott Handcock
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis

When a distress call rips the TARDIS from the Vortex, dragging it back through time, it arrives in the midst of a conflict between Gallifrey and an acient foe.

The Doctor, as ever, wants to help, but in returning a wounded combatant home, he becomes further and further entangled in a web of deceit and recrimination. A web spun by an eight-legged Empress and her minions...

The Empire of the Racnoss is at war, and wherever he stands, the Doctor is on the wrong side.

Verdict

Empire of the Racnoss was a very good audio adventure and a great way to continue the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! The Racnoss, more specifically the Empress of Racnoss, is a brilliant character to bring back for this boxset and I thought she worked very well alongside the Fifth Doctor. Peter Davison gave an excellent performance and I liked his reaction when he realised that the distress call he received was from the Racnoss. The idea of doing a story in the midst of the war between the Time Lords and the Racnoss was terrific and I thought the delivery was very good indeed. The story wasn't really that similar at all to The Runaway Bride and I liked that. With these new series monsters, I think it's important to place them in different scenarios to what we have seen on television already. I wasn't sure that the Empress would appear at all once the story had begun but she did show up a little way through the audio. Herrax and Alayna were great characters and I liked their shock when they found out that the Doctor had actually saved the Consort. The idea of a Racnoss fitting inside the TARDIS during the time of the Fifth Doctor seems quite improbable, even with the marvel that is the time and space machine. He did have some help later on from Alayna when it came to materialising around the Racnoss children but I wasn't overly convinced by the TARDIS's ability to house a Racnoss. The dispute between the Empress and Emperor of the Racnoss was very intriguing and I loved how the Doctor had found himself caught up in the midst of a Racnoss civil war. That taking place during the interference of the Time Lords as well only added to complications. Hearing from Herrax what Gallifrey had envisioned for the future if the Racnoss weren't stopped was very enlightening and it really sold what kind of a threat they were. The use of the fast return switch was a nice inclusion but one thing I am concerned about is where this story would fit in the Fifth Doctor's timeline. He rarely, if ever, travels alone and that made me all the more interested in the story's conclusion with Alayna seemingly joining him as companion. There was some ambiguity which was good but I was very interested. The demise of the Emperor of the Racnoss was quite a shock but the Doctor taking the children back to the dawn of time was a nice touch and familiar setting when it comes to the Racnoss. Overall, this was a very entertaining and interesting story and I think there is definitely more that could be explored in the war between the Racnoss and the Time Lord. A great audio!

Rating: 8/10

Night of the Vashta Nerada

"The night came alive. The darkness that devours."

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: July 2017
Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 2.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

Funworld was set to be the happiest planet in the galaxy. A planet of joy, of euphoria, of laughter and delight. Except construction was marred by reports of a predator and then, a few days before opening, all communications ceased.

Owner Georgia Donnelly is desperate to open the resort and has hired Amanda Steele's crew to find out what happened on the planet. They're the best. But even they might not be up to the task.

Joined by the Doctor and being picked off one by one, they slowly start to realise that something terrifying lurks in the shadows.

Verdict

Night of the Vashta Nerada was an excellent audio adventure and a terrific way to kick off the second series of Classic Doctors, New Monsters! I love the concept of this boxset and after a pretty strong first series I was very eager to begin series two. This time around we hear the Fourth Doctor encounter a monster that we first saw in the new series and an obvious choice for this boxset was certainly the Vashta Nerada. What I liked about this story that differed from those in the first series was that this seemed to be the Doctor's first encounter with the deadly foe. That didn't happen last time around but with only past knowledge being mentioned, this was the first time the Doctor had tackled the Vashta Nerada. And I really enjoyed that. It was intriguing to note that they were only hunting the humanity in this story because they had been provoked by the building of Funworld. Previously a forest planet, Georgia Donnelly had come and wiped out an entire ecosystem and replaced it with a funfair. The Doctor's thoughts about that were good because he wasn't best pleased. This story seemed to take place shortly after The Hand of Fear which is a good placement with the lack of companions in this series and I liked how it was referenced. There were some expected similarities to Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead but this definitely did have a fresh feel as well. Amanda Steele was an interesting character and her refusal to do what the Doctor asked of her on this planet was frustrating. But she was adamant that she would get her prey. Little did she know that she was the one who would end up being hunted and feasted upon. Phelan was a wonderful character and I loved how the Doctor offered her the chance to travel with him. He could see that she didn't want to be there but she owed her life to Steele so she was willing to help. Her psychic ability and how she could interact with the dead's memories was intriguing and her death was extremely emotional. The same could be said of Grosta. He was made of stone but that didn't hinder the Vashta Nerada from wanting to tear him apart. The idea of the Vashta Nerada not being seen until they came together as a swarm was brilliant and it just really reminded you of how deadly and efficient a hunter they really are. They wanted revenge and that was rather frightening. The ending was again emotional with Amanda sacrificing herself and using some kind of Sontaran poison to wipe them out. She poisoned herself and once the Vashta Nerada swarmed on her, she took them with her. The Doctor commenting to himself 'Ah well" when he hadn't managed to save anyone was quite a shock but as a whole, this was a superb story. A strong opening to the series!

Rating: 9/10

A Switch in Time!

"Enter Professor from flying saucer with sub-atomic particle generator!"

Writer: John Freeman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 6

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Seventh Doctor materialises inside of a television programme on a world populated by non-humanoids. The only problem is that no one has given him a script, so he keeps blowing his cues. He escapes before he gets into any real trouble for it. Still, at least two members of the Holo TV viewing audience appreciate his performance and are glad they remembered to tape the broadcast...

Verdict

A Switch in Time! was a terrific little comic strip! It continued my reading of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel in a great way and it really was a welcomed improvement following the pretty dismal Technical Hitch. I was a little worried that things may take a turn for the worse in this collection of stories following that poor adventure but thankfully things were right back on track here. The Seventh Doctor was still travelling alone and the characterisation was actually pretty decent here as Sylvester McCoy's likeness was well captured. His arrival at the latest destination was seemingly expected which was intriguing and my interest was immediately captured by him being addressed as the Professor. Of course, that is the infamous name that former companion Ace called him by, much to the Doctor's continued annoyance, so for that to be included was really good. He again was quick to point out that he should be called the Doctor and also that his TARDIS was no flying saucer. Thyron was confusing the Doctor with what was going on and then things soon got turned on their head with the emergence of the Gherax. This creature looked pretty dominating and monstrous and that didn't bode well at all for our Time Lord hero but little did he know what he was in for. Just at the moment it seemed like all was lost and a naturalist was going to be killed along with him, in what would be horrific circumstances, things halted and Thyron and the Gherax were both angry with the Doctor! The reasoning was wonderful. It looked like he had forgotten his lines! It was barmy but brilliant as it appeared that the TARDIS had landed within a galactic television drama. That concept is magnificent and it worked very well considering there were only five pages to play with. Thyron and the Gherax were arguing with each other over who was to blame for including a human in the drama but little did they know that the Doctor was no human. Casting a Time Lord might have been considered a real coup if they knew! Whilst they were bickering and Thyron was getting squashed, the Doctor managed to slip away and seemed quite shaken by what he had just experienced. The throwback to Remembrance of the Daleks and the inclusion of Doctor Who being watched on a television in the Doctor Who universe was terrific and really put a smile on my face. Overall, a fantastic little adventure.

Rating: 8/10

Memory Lane

"The TARDIS has been stolen... by an ice cream man!"

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Audio
Released: October 2006
Series: Main Range 88

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis

No summer can ever quite be as glorious as the ones you remember from when you were young, when a sunny afternoon seemed to last forever and all there was to do was ride your bike, eat ice-lollies and play with Lego. Tom Braudy is enjoying just such an afternoon when the TARDIS lands in his Nan's living room and interrupts her in the middle of the snooker.

After they've apologised, the Doctor and his friends soon discover matters of far greater concern than the fact that their time machine is blocking Mrs Braudy's view of a thrilling century break. The street which Tom happily cycles up and down appears to have no beginning or end, and every single house on it is identical.

Is this the future of suburbia, or something even more sinister? Why doesn't Tom look as young as he behaves? And can anybody remember which house the TARDIS is in?

Verdict

Memory Lane was an excellent audio adventure that continued my listening of the Main Range from Big Finish. It was another brilliant story in what has been a great set of releases for the Eighth Doctor recently. It started off with confusion and intrigue but that was part of the appeal and the enigma that was the street and the identical people and houses really was superb. The TARDIS materialising in a grandma's living room during the middle of a snooker game was quite a change to what we're used to which was good and I loved that the Doctor took an interest in who was contesting the match. Paul McGann was fantastic as the Eighth Doctor once again but as is often the case with the adventures featuring his incarnation, Charley stole the show. She's such a terrific companion and I liked how we got an idea of her childhood and we also got to meet her mother, albeit in an imagined form. It took a little bit for some revelations but once Kim kidnapped C'rizz, she gave us a lot of interesting information that set up the rest of the audio very nicely. Tom was a good character and the mystery surrounding the failed correlation between his voice and his age was excellent. Something wasn't right and I really liked that. Mrs Braudy was a humorous character and the ebullience of her personality was quite infectious. She just merrily lived her life and answered everything with a simple smile and chuckle. The TV footage actually being black box footage of the accident that caused Tom to create his own little bubble world. Charley then getting sucked into things and recreating her own childhood house was good and I liked how that ended up contributing to the audio's resolution. The Cellscape setting was fantastic and it provided a lot of opportunities for Lest and the Governor to cause havoc. Their plan was intriguing as was their relationship. The reference to Something Inside was good and I also liked the relationship between Charley and C'rizz. The background noise of the ice cream van was terrific and I thought the cliffhanger to part one was staggeringly good! It was wonderfully barmy. I did think part four was a little confusing and things maybe advanced a little too quickly or without clarity which meant I couldn't quite give the story full marks but I still loved it. The ending then seemed to come a little suddenly but after finding out that Lest and the Governor were just making their livelihood, the black box could be used as a substitute for their imagination bubbles. Overall, a great audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The Gathering

"That's what he does. He takes away your control."

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Format: Audio
Released: September 2006
Series: Main Range 87

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan

Synopsis

On the morning of 22 September 2006, Tegan woke up. She was expecting to spend the day relaxing at home and, that evening, tolerate a party thrown to celebrate her 46th birthday.

But things don't always go as expected. It's been over twenty years since she chose to leave the Doctor. She's got a job, mates... a life.

Meanwhile her friend, Katherine Chambers, makes a decision that could change all their lives, and Tegan discovers that you can never really escape the past...

Verdict

The Gathering was a great story! It was a rather emotional one and after 87 releases, Janet Fielding finally reprised her role as Tegan for Big Finish. Although she didn't quite reprise the role in how we were used to seeing her on screen with the Fifth Doctor. Instead, we got to see her after her departure in Resurrection of the Daleks and back in her native homeland of Australia. I thought it was a brilliant idea to have the Doctor reunited with Tegan 20 years after she had hastily left him. There was a lot of emotion there and the dialogue and relationship between the pair really was excellent. It was the highlight of the story for me and learning that Tegan then had a brain tumour made the story all the more heart-wrenching. The Doctor's reaction to that was quite saddening as he could see that she was just plain miserable and wanted to know why. Tegan's reaction to seeing him at her birthday party was good and I liked how she immediately deduced that she wasn't the reason why he was present. The connections this story had with The Reaping were wonderful and I rather liked how it served as both a prequel and a sequel. I can't imagine how difficult something like that is to write but Lidster pulled it off. The flashbacks of that story and setting up some important elements of it here were great and I liked how Kathy Chambers was back for an immediate return. I really liked her but I was quite surprised by her actions. Seeing the effects that The Reaping had on her was most intriguing and in a world where we rarely see the aftermath of the Doctor's adventures, seeing how his appearance in her life changed her really brought a new dynamic to Doctor Who. Tegan's life had been turned upside down and after seeing the world things could never be the same for her and even after only one encounter, Kathy's life had been drastically altered. Her relationship with James was quite shocking and given how she had seen first hand how deadly the Cybermen could be, the fact she wanted to use their technology, as well as killing Eve, to save Nate was deeply disturbing. The Doctor's brief visit to the Gogglebox was great and I loved how Alan was a huge fan. The references to An Unearthly Child, The Chase and The Visitation were terrific and I also loved the comment about the Doctor's seventh incarnation. The references to Planet of Fire and particularly Logopolis and The Caves of Androzani were very good too. The way the threat of Kathy using Cyber technology was dealt with was pretty good and I liked how this story also loosely set up the events of The Harvest but whilst being a tremendous story, a little bit more needed to happen in the opening part I think. The story only being two parts was different too and hearing just the Fifth Doctor and an older Tegan was welcomed. Overall, a great audio!

Rating: 8/10

Ice Station Alpha

"The whole energy industry is going to change overnight."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: 30th June 2016
Series: UNIT: Shutdown 04

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Josh, Sam

Synopsis

Caught between human greed and an unstoppable alien power, Kate Stewart leads her closest allies on one final, desperate mission. This could be the very last chance for the human race.

But the UNIT team has been declared rogue, and ruthless military forces are in pursuit as they race across the globe. Kate calls Lieutenant Sam Bishop to their aid, while Josh and Osgood head out across the frozen Antarctic plains to try and prevent a disaster no-one else knows is coming.

Verdict

Ice Station Alpha was a great audio adventure and a very good way to conclude Shutdown! This second series of UNIT's new era spinoff has been terrific and a nice extension to Extinction. I now look forward to the rest of the boxsets that have followed but for now this was a good conclusion to the series. It went how I kind of expected and I liked how Felicity Lyme was back in a prominent role following a quiet spell in the previous two stories. Kate turning the tables on her was excellent and I really liked how they continued to stand off in dialogue. They really have had an interesting relationship during this series. Sir Peter having talked to the higher ups and keeping UNIT out of the Alpha station was good but he really didn't seem the most intelligent of people so Kate could easily put UNIT in the driving seat. Hearing Sam back again was good and I liked how he was leading the UNIT soldiers in command. Josh was brilliant once again and I really liked how he was taking prominence when it came to sorting things with Dokan. I thought he was excellent once again and his appreciation of the human race and how they had been able to thwart the Tengobushi up to this point. His communicating with the Kamishi masters was intriguing and I rather liked the change in style of this story with the aliens actually not appearing to be too evil. They had gotten their power cell and were now just hoping to eliminate all trace of Kamishi science. Lyme was the problem and Kate understood that. Her generator being able to produce energy from out of nearly nothing was good but Kate really wasn't sure if the human race was ready for such a power. It would put all of the energy companies worldwide out of business and create a deadly monopoly. The standoff at the setting of the Antarctic was excellent and I really enjoyed the battle between UNIT and Cerberus. The third party being Dokan and the Tengobushi was good and I liked how the concluding moments saw Josh kiss Osgood. She clearly liked that which was intriguing and I do wonder whether anything will come of it in the next series. Josh's emergence at the ending was a nice touch and the conversation between the Kamishi master and Kate was a real highlight. She was defending the human race and assured the master that their secrets would be kept. Osgood provided them with the memory loss trace and the Kamishi saw that it was spread across all those who had learned of their science. It was a nice way to wrap things up and I liked the end meeting between Kate and Sir Peter. She saw that he forgot also which was a great finish. Overall, a great ending to a brilliant little boxset!

Rating: 8/10

The Battle of the Tower

"I don't like clever. I prefer my aliens stupid."

Writer: Andrew Smith
Format: Audio
Released: 30th June 2016
Series: UNIT: Shutdown 03

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Josh

Synopsis

The threat is now clear, and Kate Stewart retreats to UNIT HQ with her most trusted colleagues. She has no choice but to place the Black Archive into lockdown, and the Tower of London is where UNIT will make its stand.

While the capital sleeps, an alien horde is gathering, ready to rise from the shadows to attack Earth's greatest defence force inside its own stronghold.

The Tower is infiltrated, and UNIT must hold the line. At any cost. Lock and load...

Verdict

The Battle of the Tower was a decent story that continued Shutdown, the second series of the new UNIT audio adventures, and whilst it was good I have to say I was hoping for a little better. It started right where Death in Geneva concluded and there was an action-packed opening before the titles but it didn't really take off from there which was a shame. We continued to learn more about the Tengobushi which was good and I liked how there seems to be a clear hierarchy amongst the Kamishi and their masters. We got to hear a glimpse of them at the end which was intriguing and the finale is set up rather nicely now. That in itself is a little weird as this episode really did have the feel of the finale with the looming battle but things didn't quite materialise as I hoped. Kate was terrific once again and I liked how when she wanted a meeting with Felicity Lyme she just had Josh kidnap her. That was pretty great. Josh had another solid showing and he really is proving himself to be a brilliant part of the UNIT team. Osgood continues to shine and I like how she deduced that Kamishi science was far in advance of human ability. There was a mesh of nervous system and circuitry in the power cell that Dokan so craved. Osgood had actually activated it too which brought some intriguing consequences but I always had the feeling of wanting something more from the story. What we got was good and some of the information was both interesting and exciting but there wasn't quite enough oomph. The Tengobushi infiltrating the Tower of London was good but the nature of their attack only being a diversion meant it couldn't quite be as much of a spectacle as one might hope. Josh and Kate working out that their attack was static was good but then Kate ended up just giving Dokan the energy supply. The Kamishi didn't want any chance of that technology being replicated so all who had been exposed to its truth were still to die but Dokan's masters had detected usage in the South Pole. How that will connect with the rest of the boxset is yet to be seen but I look forward to finding out. The mentions of Andromeda and Kate's father were good and I did like the connection made with Kate's comment of remembering UNIT training but I just felt that this episode was missing something to take it into a higher rating. It was still very decent though and I do hope that it has set up the finale. Because as a whole this series has still been excellent and I look forward to its conclusion. Overall though, a decent story!

Rating: 7/10

Death in Geneva

"One of our people has been killed, and the killers have taken her body..."

Writer: Andrew Smith
Format: Audio
Released: 30th June 2016
Series: UNIT: Shutdown 02

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Josh

Synopsis

With few people left to trust, and with assassins on their tail, Kate and Osgood race to UNIT Command in Geneva. Will General Blair be able to help them?

But when death follows UNIT all the way from the English countryside to the snowy slopes of the Alps, Captain Carter finds himself in a race against time.

As the body count rises, Kate struggles to separate friend from foe, danger circles Osgood ever closer, and, high in the mountains, Josh comes face to face with the enemy...

Verdict

Death in Geneva was a great little story and a very good continuation of the Shutdown series of UNIT! It continued very nicely from where Power Cell left off and I really thought it transitioned the story nicely. I was quite surprised that Felicity Lyme didn’t make an appearance but I guess with the foreign setting that was understandable. General Grant was a new character that was introduced and it was rather nice to get to hear one of the UNIT higher ups in action. His admiration for Kate was terrific to hear and I liked the confidence he had in her when it came to his memories being extracted. The reveal of the creatures who did so much killing in the previous episode was welcomed and they have quite an elaborate name! The Tengobushi though were simply taking instructions and I liked the mysterious voice we initially heard that was obviously they’re master. More details came later in the audio with the emergence of Dokan, a Kamishi. I thought it was interesting that they were after an energy supply that they claimed to be theirs and their reasoning for being on Earth, despite heir claim of being all high and mighty, was to retrieve it. The brutality in which they gained the knowledge of its whereabouts through General Grant was brilliant and I liked how they weren’t messing around. The cameo appearance of Sir Peter was welcomed because of how well Kate attacked him. She was superb in that moment and really did question why someone from the Ministry of Energy and Environment was talking down on her rather than someone with jurisdiction from the Ministry of Defence. That seems to be the obvious place of leaks coming from the British Government but I do get the feeling there is a little more behind it. The Kamishi being able to change their appearance to suit their environment was good and I liked how it made them a walking chameleon circuit. Osgood’s ringtone being the TARDIS dematerialisation sound was wonderful and for that brief moment I did think the Doctor was going to show up. I’m sure it won’t be long before he makes an appearance in this series. It really is very good. Josh having an incident and losing Anna made him realise that Kate and Osgood were in danger and he knew he had to take his own journey abroad. He saved Osgood in the nick of time which was great and I also loved how she had a spare inhaler that allowed her to emit a deadly gas. She really was quite resourceful and that makes her a very loveable character. She also gained knowledge of the Tengobushi and saw their appearance which was very good. They weren’t human and I was also surprised by how much they didn’t sound metallic this time around. They don’t seem so threatening now that the Kamishi have been revealed but I’d argue they’re more interesting now. The relationship between Kate and Grant was good throughout and I liked how once the hitchhikers died just over the border, he gave his absolute full backing to the mission. Osgood deducing that it was the Tengobushi that had committed the murders was good and I also liked how she was targeted continuously. I’m intrigued by that. The ending was very good though and again set up the next story in the boxset very nicely. The Tower of London seems like a perfect setting for a story and with a battle for an energy supply the premise, I look very forward to listening. Overall though, a great story!

Rating: 8/10

Power Cell

"You really think someone is selling our secrets?"

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: 30th June 2016
Series: UNIT: Shutdown 01

Featuring: Kate, Osgood, Josh

Synopsis

Osgood and Captain Josh Carter are sent to investigate the disappearance of a UNIT scientist.

Meanwhile, alien technology has fallen into the hands of Lyme Industries, and Kate Stewart can't persuade the company's CEO, Felicity Lyme, to give it back.

But the UNIT team find themselves fighting a third battle when innocent people start to die. Who are the mysterious assassins? And what does Felicity Lyme want with top secret alien technology?

Verdict

Power Cell was a fantastic audio adventure and a brilliant start to the Shutdown series of UNIT. It’s been far too long since I listened to the great first series of Extinction and with the excitement of the new releases involving the Silence, Silurians and Daleks to name a few I just had to get back on the trail for this new series spinoff. And boy did the second series begin with a bang! I thought it was an excellent story from start to finish and the team really is terrific. Kate Stewart was magnificent and I loved how when she couldn’t get what she wanted, knowing that something was suspicious, she took matters into her own hands. The disappearance of Professor Harrison was a good backdrop for the story and I liked how we heard his death at the opening of the story. Osgood finding the brain residue when investigating his home was rather disturbing but it immediately showed just how deadly the attacker was. We only really heard snippets of the metallic monster that was the culprit for the deaths in this audio but with three audios left in the series, I like that we don’t really know too much about it. I’m sure we’ll find out as the series rolls on. Osgood was absolutely brilliant in this adventure and she really is just a magnificent character. Hearing at the quiz with old friends was good but I’ll be interested to see how she copes knowing that both Jay and Jeff are dead. Jay’s noble sacrifice was very emotional and just when I thought we’d be getting another member of the UNIT team, he unleashed a grenade taking his life as well as the two deadly automatons that were hunting Osgood. The story behind Lyme Industries taking over the Harrison’s research facility at King Henry’s University was good and with them being an energy company, Kate didn’t like the prospect of potential energy supplies being leaked. And leaks were happening. She suspected them from the very top. I like the idea of UNIT being infiltrated from the very top and the concern that Kate has was shown at the conclusion of the story when it was revealed she was going to Geneva with this case. That really does interest me so I can’t wait for the next story already. Cerberus were an interesting organisation and the idea of a standoff between them and UNIT outside Lyme Industries was very good. The back and forth conversations between Kate and Felicity Lyme were marvellous and I’m really looking forward to the inevitable dialogue between them for the rest of the boxset. The connections the latter might have to the killer creature is also something I’m looking forward to hearing - if there is one at all. Osgood telling Jay about her job at UNIT was great and I liked how there was a holographic appearance of the Eleventh Doctor. He and Osgood were fantastic together. The death of Kenton Eastwood was quite sad too and the idea of Kate and Josh breaking in to retrieve the UNIT property was good but I really liked how they weren’t the first ones there with the idea of intrusion. The pair were helpless to save Kenton and his death was pretty gruesome it must be said. Just what are this deadly species? I look forward to finding out. Josh was excellent and I liked the continuation from the previous series with his superhuman abilities. Nothing too noticeable but noticeably different which I really liked. The relationship between Lyme and Peter Latcham was another interesting one and the theme of partnership in the story was very good. This seems to have set things up for the rest of the boxset perfectly and I really can’t wait to listen to the rest of it. Overall, a brilliant start to the second series of UNIT!

Rating: 9/10

Technical Hitch

"He's been alone in his dream for some time now..."

Writer: Dan Abnett
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 4th November 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 5

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

The Seventh Doctor continues his lonesome travels and arrives in a most peculiar place. He is greeted by a strange individual who is overjoyed to have some company. All he wants to do is play some games, but something isn't right...

Verdict

Technical Hitch was not the greatest of stories, I have to be honest. It continued my reading of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel which I am glad to be reading a bit more often now but I do feel like the idea of five page stories could go on to hurt the content the more I read so I will be sceptical when it comes to reading future stories from this collection. I really do think that the absence of a companion is hurting things but even then when I come to think about the format, the desire to do mostly standalone stories tells me that there isn't really that much room for one to be present. It's a paradox! With just five pages to play with, I am very surprised that things haven't gone the way of Hunger from the Ends of Time! and have more stories spread over one part. Anyway, this story was just a bit weird I thought and not much at all actually happened. The Doctor arrived and was greeted by Admiral Vayle who was overjoyed to see him. The Doctor was quite taken aback by how excited Vayle was and as you would expect, he wanted to know what was going on. Vayle told him the whole scenario in a simple sentence which I found quite quick and it really was just as simple as there were others with him in the past and now there weren't any others anymore. Even for a five page comic story, I thought this was far too simplistic and it really was difficult to find some major highlights. I did like that the Doctor wanted to help as soon as he knew there was a problem but even then the resolution seemed a little bit too easy. I know the conclusion was pretty much in the story's title but it was quite underwhelming which was a shame. When the Doctor located the circuitry beneath the grass, the resulting shock or transportation that happened didn't make much sense because even some distance away from where the Doctor arrived, the TARDIS somehow managed to board the Da Gama ship as well. There was no explanation for that and it just didn't really make much sense. Not a lot else happened and the Doctor simply solved things by telling the computer voice onboard the ship that there was a problem with the technicalities that allowed Vayle to have artificial friends. The computer simply corrected the technical hitch and the Doctor was on his merry way. He had given Vayle his friends back which was a nice touch but as a whole, this story wasn't the greatest. I am well aware that the page limit is a huge factor in that but there have been great stories that have managed to work in the five page limit in this collection thus far. Overall, improvements are needed!

Rating: 5/10

Gaze of the Medusa

"Something happens to me here, and I'm trapped in stone, for two and a half thousand years!"

Writers: Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby
Format: Comic Strip
Released: March-September 2016
Printed in: Titan 4D 1-5

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

When the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith took a trip to London in 1887, they didn't count on being dragged into a petrifying alien conspiracy that stretches all the way back to Ancient Greece! Pursued through the streets by the fearsome Scryclops, and at the mercy of the mysterious Lady Emily Carstairs, the pair must team up with Professor Odysseus James and his adventurer daughter, Athena, to avoid a horrifying fate - one already set in stone!

Verdict

Gaze of the Medusa was an excellent comic strip adventure! This was a nice little purchase in the January sales and reading a Titan comic story all in one go was quite different from my normal approach through purchasing Doctor Who Comic over the last few years. It does make you realise just how lengthy and detailed each part is and when five come together to make a story you really do get something quite special. This was my first story from Titan Comics from the Classic era and I must say I was very impressed. The writers captured the feel of the Fourth Doctor with effortless ease and the characterisation was brilliant with Tom Baker's likeness being well captured. Accompanying him was Sarah Jane and this pairing really was something quite special so seeing them reunited for a brand new adventure was a real treat. They were joined in the story by Athena and Odysseus who made a great father-daughter pairing and their relationship brought some emotion to the comic strip with the tumultuous conclusion. The pacing of the adventure was fast which provided excitement and I did think the cliffhangers were all very good - especially part one's. Sarah Jane seeing herself petrified in stone was terrific in itself but the reveal that she had been that way for over two millennia really was a shock. I thought Emily Carstairs made a fantastic villain and her deal with the Medusa was quite heart-wrenching. The evil creature was just using the women who yearned to see her children again to break free of her prison. I thought the reveal of Zeus, or at least the creature that inspired the myth, came a tad late but that just meant a pacy conclusion which I was absolutely fine with. The Doctor working everything out with such speed was great and I really liked his admiration for Athena. If these comics ever get the nod to be extended into a full series then I think she'd make a very good companion. Odysseus was also great and the way in which he was killed was pretty brutal. The Doctor wasn't going to let him die in vain though and needed to keep Athena on his side. The Scryclops were good and the name I must say is genius. I liked how they had limited capacity to see into the past and future but the Doctor not being exactly right about that provided a very humorous moment. I loved the Doctor's comment about the Weeping Angels possibly a myth and it shouldn't be too long before he gets to meet the real thing. I thought the reference to The Myth Makers was wonderful and I also liked that the Doctor gave the Medusa a chance before containing the horror. The causality loop was a good resolution to what was a fantastic story! Overall, excellent.

Rating: 9/10

Landbound

"They felt I shouldn't be interfering in the affairs of others quite so freely."

Writer: Selim Ulug
Format: Audio
Released: December 2017
Series: Short Trips 7.X

Featuring: Third Doctor

Synopsis

He was the captain of a ship once. Since being stripped of his authority, he is lost. Landbound. Then he meets a kindred spirit, a man who has also lost something.

In a small seaside town, both Ronald Henderson and the Doctor want to move forward, but one of them must first come to terms with his past...

Verdict

Landbound was a decent little audio story which saw me return to the Short Trips range for the first time in quite a while. I think my last audio from the series was Little Doctors back in around 2015 so it's fair to say that it has been rather a long time since I gave the range a listen. I am excited by the upcoming releases that feature the Meta-Crisis version of the Tenth Doctor and there are other stories that I want to take a listen of but I just haven't got around to purchasing yet. There's just so much content! The story was an interesting one and at 37 minutes long, I thought it was considerably longer than some of the audios in the range I have blogged in the past. However, one reason why I perhaps put off listening to the range is the fact that there is just one actor. On this occasion it was Nicholas Briggs and whilst I had no issue with his performance whatsoever, it's quite difficult to just listen to one actor for the entirety of a story. Even with the changing impression it's quite hard to devote time and admiration to the adventure but that's just the nature of the range. I thought it was clear that this story, the beginning of it at least, was set shortly after Doctor Who and the Silurians with the reference to it and that's a very intriguing point in the life of the Third Doctor I think. The story bared some similar comments from the Doctor to what I recently heard in Old Soldiers and I liked how he likened Ronald Henderson's position to his own. Henderson had been dismissed from his captain position on his boat and with the Doctor having recently been put on trial and exiled by his own people in The War Games, he could relate to his situation. The Doctor hearing about what had happened on Henderson's ship was interesting but I did think that he identified the species that devoured the metallic structure a little too easily. The Third Doctor definitely seems like the incarnation best associated to being in a pub so that was a nice inclusion. Once the Doctor left, I absolutely loved the development of him returning to see Henderson following the events of The Three Doctors when he regained control of the TARDIS. He visited again following Jo's departure in The Green Death which is brilliant to see just how much that exit affected him. I did quite like that the Doctor showed Henderson the TARDIS and the moment his ship was destroyed just to prove that he was exonerated of any blame. Overall, a decent and poignant adventure! Not bad for free.

Rating: 7/10

War World!

"The Doctor is about to be enlisted."

Writer: John Freeman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 28th October 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 4

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

Landing on a war torn planet, the Doctor has arrived during the midst of a deadly war. He is quickly enlisted for help but once the fighting is over, he'll discover that he didn't quite know who he was helping...

Verdict

War World! was a great little comic strip story that continued my sporadic reading of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel. It was probably the best of the collection so far and I really did think that it had the potential for a brilliant story if it could be taken further in a longer story on television or audio. Maybe even a novel to explore the backstory behind the war that was ravaging Bellus IV. I thought the story had a lot of similarities to The Daleks in how the combatants, in this case the robots, had taken the war so far and had been fighting so long that the ways they were looking for victory had made them inhuman. They weren't what they used to be and instead they were robots. It was almost a mix of the Cybermen in the scenario on Skaro when the First Doctor encountered the Daleks for the very first time. I thought the artwork was pretty decent and seemed a little different to the previous stories in the graphic novel that I have blogged thus far. The characterisation of Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor was pretty decent with his likeness being pretty well-captured. I'm still not sure where these comics fit in the continuity with him travelling alone but because there is so much of his era that I am yet to explore with all the novels and everything so I can let that slide. Deldran was a good accompanying character and I liked that we got to know what had been going on in this planet's history. The idea of the combatants in the war knowing nothing else was intriguing and it helped explain the scale of the war but I would liked to have seen a little bit more of the robotic enemy. The Doctor continuing to have conversations with the TARDIS shows that a companion is needed but I did enjoy how he was met with guns following his exiting of the time machine. The quickness in which he solved the problem of the war was good but surprising but with just five pages to play with in a story, I guess there is only so much wriggle room. The ending being reminiscent of the Doctor's encounters with the Silurians in Doctor Who and the Silurians and Warriors of the Deep was quite poignant and I also liked how the Doctor was saddened by effectively bringing an end to two species to end the war. The final revelation that the humans were actually robots left by the Guardians was interesting and I quite liked the final comments about peace. Overall, a great comic strip adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Phantom Piper Part 3

"I am sick of being seen as some kind of leader..."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 11th January 2018
Printed in: DWM 521

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

Kings College. The Moon. The Doctor, Bill and Chiyoko venture to the dark side to enlist the help of Alan Turing to decode the mysterious engravings on the TARDIS. A question is to be asked by a very mysterious and powerful force. Can the Doctor stop the Phantom Piper before it's too late?

Verdict

The Phantom Piper continued in excellent fashion with this terrific third part of the story. I am quite surprised that this one has lasted at least four parts now but it does seem that the Twelfth Doctor will be bowing out of the comic strip stories with a bang. This was my first story featuring Peter Capaldi's incarnation since the regeneration in Twice Upon a Time and I am looking very forward to reading all of the features on that episode in this month's magazine. Jodie Whittaker gets her customary 'is the Doctor!' front cover and it really does look magnificent. I can't wait for her series to air and the magazine really does have a sense of changing times. We have the first full interview with her as the Doctor which I can't wait to read and I am also looking very forward to reading Chris Chibnall's first column as showrunner. His thoughts on the series ahead should be most intriguing and I'm looking forward to any hints we might get about Series 11. I am a little surprised that there is no Galaxy Forum this month, in the issue immediately after such a monumental episode, but I do hope to be able to read the thoughts of others on the Christmas Special in next month's magazine. After collecting for a few years, I have finally subscribed to DWM and I'm really not sure why it's taken me such a long time to do so. Rachel Talalay's discussion on the regeneration scene should be excellent as her interviews in the past have been great and I am also looking forward to the Coming Soon feature this month as it previews the seventh series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures as well as the third series of the Diary of River Song. I can't wait for that latter one. The Melody Maker and Maestro features also look to be a good read and even though I had to do some searching and pick this issue up back in my home nation, this looks set to be a stellar issue! Now, to the comic strip and I was glad that we actually got to meet both Alan Turing and the Phantom Piper, both of whom had played big parts in the adventure thus far without showing up. The relationship between the Doctor and Bill continued to be brilliant and I also loved Chiyoko. Her reply to Bill about being an android shaped as a 9-year old was hilarious. The expected revelation that Turing was a Galatean was good and I liked how he was able to decipher the message engraved into the TARDIS. It was revealed to be a question asking 'what gives you the right?' and before an answer could be given the Phantom Piper emerged. Just what she is and can do is yet to be seen but I'm really looking forward to seeing her in action in the fourth part. I would have thought it to be the final part of the story but I seem to notice that the page count for the comic strip has decreased slightly since the change in editor so who knows. Overall though, a great continuation of the story and I look forward to the next issue.

Waves of Destruction

"You think we're being invaded by pirate DJs?"

Writer: Justin Richards
Format: Audio
Released: January 2016
Series: FDA 5.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

A modulated frequency wave cancellation signal isn't something that the Doctor and Romana expect to detect in 1960s London. But then they don't expect to find Professor Lanchester, the man who invented it, lying unconscious. Or MI5 investigating.

With the help of MI5 Agent Miller, Lanchester's daughter Jill, and his nephew a pirate radio DJ called Mark, the Doctor, Romana and K9 investigate. They soon discover that there is more at risk than they imagined, and an alien invasion is about to begin.

Can the Doctor identify and defeat the aliens in time? Will Romana manage to find a recombinant transducer before it's too late? And how will K9 cope with his new job?

Verdict

Waves of Destruction was an absolutely superb audio adventure and it really is ranked right up there with the very best audio adventures that I have listened to. From start to finish, this story was funny, brilliant and just sublime. The pacing was fantastic and with the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Romana II reunited, it really was the perfect start to the fifth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures. K9 managed to add so much to the story as well which is testament to just how good this script was from Justin Richards. It started off excellently and I loved the Doctor and Romana doing a crossword and having the next day's newspaper on hand to find the answer. Their deduction that they were simply too smart for the publication was wonderful. The mention of the Black Guardian was intriguing but one thing I really did enjoy was the setting of the 1960s. Romana provided quite a considerable amount of humour when it came to her shopping for plastic bags. The pun of Ray Dio as a DJ was painful but good and I really did enjoy the whole basis of the story being on radio. Professor Lanchester being found unconscious was not what I expected once the TARDIS arrived but it actually worked out splendidly. Mark was put in an interesting predicament then and I really loved the moment where he revealed that his uncle had no daughter. Jill being able to read minds was good and I liked her admiration of Romana's being a struggle to decipher. The way she killed Cooper was quite a shock but one character who I thought was magnificent was Agent Miller. His relationship with the Doctor was outstanding and I loved how he was just aimlessly providing all the information he needed. The cliffhanger was very good and I must admit I should have worked out that the Vardans were returning. I was very happy to hear that they were coming back and that just made the Christmas offer price of £2.99 even more of a bargain from Big Finish. The reference to The Invasion of Time was good and I just adored the concept of the aliens. They recognised the Doctor which was good and I just loved how they managed to escape via a broadcast. It's a genius idea, it really is. K9 having copied the cancellation wave that initially put him out of action was good and it seemed obvious that it would result in the resolution but it didn't hurt the story one bit. I enjoyed the reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the concept of the Vardans needing the right bandwidth to invade Earth in numbers was terrific. Miss Logan's doubt that the planet could be invaded via radio was great and I loved how the jingle of Radio Frantic was being used for the Vardans' flight path. The Doctor's defence of the human race was rather epic following the merciless death of Logan and that just made the ending all the sweeter for him. K9 emitted the wave and just before they arrived in numbers, the broadcast was cut short and the Vardans were no more. Overall, a spectacularly good audio!

Rating: 10/10

The Veiled Leapord

"Follow the Leopard through time..."

Writers: Ian McLaughlin & Claire Bartlett
Format: Audio
Released: March 2006
Series: Special Release 05

Featuring: Peri, Erimem, Ace, Hex

Synopsis

Monte Carlo, 1966:

Four time travellers. Two missions. One costumed ball. The Doctor has sent Peri and Erimem to prevent the fabulous Veiled Leopard diamond from being stolen. Which is odd, seeing as the Doctor has sent Ace and Hex to steal the diamond. How will the two teams cope with this contradictory task? Will Peri's asp slip? Why does Ace have to pretend to be a French maid? How will Erimem cope with Pharaoh Rammalamadingdong? And can Hex really "do posh"?

Verdict

The Veiled Leopard was a great little audio adventure and an excellent bonus to the mass of Big Finish stories that I have already blogged on here. It actually scares me how much more I have of the Main Range alone but I knew of (and have actually listened to) this story and it seemed like a rough placement of where it might fit in with the rest of the stories so after a day of travel and dissertation research trawling through archives, this was a lovely audio to be doing. I really like the mix and how the first and second parts, whilst completely separate, take place at the same time. Peri and Erimem worked wonderfully together again and I was actually quite glad to hear them in a story without the Doctor present. The way they talked about him was good and I loved the description of the Fifth and Seventh Doctors meeting. I really would love for there to be more multi-Doctor stories like The Two Doctors where it is just two different Doctors such as the fifth and seventh incarnations meeting. This is about as close as we get for now. I liked the humour in this adventure and the Monte Carlo setting of 1966 was terrific. The dinner party presentation of the famed Veiled Leopard was a nice backdrop and when Ace arrived on the scene with Hex for the cliffhanger, the change in direction was a pleasant surprise. We didn't actually get to hear the companions all meeting which was perhaps a bit of a shame as I'd have loved to hear their comments about their respective Doctors but sadly the story cut short before that could happen. I was quite surprised with how much reference there was to sex and I was a little taken aback by Peri and Erimem being referred to as 'stock' in the second half of the audio. Hex was good in this story and I liked how he mentioned the 1966 World Cup. Even if he is English, I'm happy the Doctor has a companion that's a fan of football. His, along with Ace's, impression of the Seventh Doctor was pretty awful though. I really liked that the two sets of companions had no idea that fellow time travellers, sent by the same person with the same mission, were attending the same event as them. There was some beautiful irony about that. The reference to The Harvest was good and I also like how this story had contradictory elements in that the Doctor seemed to give each pairing of companions a different backstory to what the diamond actually was. Erimem though knew a lot about it and I liked how Peri left her to make the decision regarding what was to be done. The conclusion was quite funny with the kerfuffle of swapping the actual diamond with a counterfeit and Lilian, Peter and Gavin all getting muddled up in the melee. Overall, a terrific little story!

Rating: 8/10

The Reaping

"They won't stop until every single living creature is like them."

Writer: Joseph Lidster
Format: Audio
Released: September 2006
Series: Main Range 86

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

On the morning of 9 May 1984, Peri woke up. She was expecting to spend the day relaxing in Lanzarote and, that evening, leave her mother and stepfather to go travelling with some guys she'd only just met.

But things don't always go as expected as her friends and family discover when, four months later, she returns home having travelled further than anyone could have imagined.

Meanwhile her friend, Kathy Chambers, mourns her father and Peri finds herself meeting some other familiar faces.

Verdict

The Reaping was an outstanding audio adventure! It really was absolutely brilliant from start to finish which was a real treat. I was quite excited prior to listening as the CD cover tells us that the Cybermen were back and even though I watched Earthshock yesterday, there's nothing quite like a new adventure with the metal men. I did not expect them to provide so much emotion to the story though and that was some really beautiful irony. The Doctor and Peri arriving on the Gogglebox was good and I liked how of all the things from Earth's history she could witness, Peri wanted to see the news from back home. This audio was fantastic in revealing to us some backstory on Peri's character and with the inclusion of her mother, it was a sort of loose sequel to Planet of Fire. I really loved how the era of the Sixth Doctor and Peri was captured and the use of the story being just two parts only added to that. Peri trying to explain to her mother where she had been for the last four months (actually years for Peri) was interesting and I also liked how she was reunited with her friends in Kathy and Nate. The fate of the latter was quite horrific and the whole story centring on the murder of Anthony ended up being incredible. The Cyber Leader, who was badly damaged, had looked through the Cybermen's history on the Doctor and as he came from the future, he knew all about the Doctor and Peri, presumably from the events of Attack of the Cybermen, so he conducted a plan to draw the Doctor in. It worked. But the damage of the Cyber Leader was too great and after being stranded on Earth for over 600 days already, he wanted to go back to Earth's pre-history and convert the first humans into Cybermen. I'm not sure how the Cybermen would be able to reproduce from there on but it would certainly have a devastating effect on humanity's future. The way the Doctor tricked the Leader into thinking he had gone back, changed things, and then returned to a new 1984 was brilliant and the fact that he actually took him to Mondas was just somehow poetic. The cameo appearance of the Mondasian Cybermen that we would first see in The Tenth Planet was magnificent and their reaction to this futuristic Cyberman was spectacular. The Cyber Leader recognised their inferiority but he was too damaged to do anything. He went for reprocessing and that was the end of him. I thought Kathy Chambers was a brilliant character and I also enjoyed Daniel Woods prior to his demise. I thought the Cybermen, whilst desperate, were at their very best here as they were quite monstrous. The story had such an effect on Peri that at its conclusion she decided to leave the Doctor. Now, with this audio being set prior to The Trial of a Time Lord we know this was not her final goodbye but it was still a pivotal occurrence. However, the legacy of the Cybermen lived on with their technology and van Gysegham and that would see Peri's mother murdered. I was quite stunned by that but it just showed that the Cybermen were not to be messed with. She rejoined the Doctor after he returned from witnessing the events on the Gogglebox and where things for this pairing go from here I'm not quite sure. But I am very interested to see! Overall, a simply stunning audio adventure.

Rating: 10/10