The Seeds of Doom

"All vegetation on this planet is about to go hostile."

Writer: Robert Banks Stewart
Format: TV
Broadcast: 31st January - 6th March 1976
Season: 13.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

When scientists unearth two seed pods deep in the arctic permafrost, the Doctor and Sarah Jane rush to investigate. Soon the Doctor's worst fears are confirmed: the pods house Krynoids, one of the most parasitic and dangerous life forms in the universe. One of the creatures has already infected a scientist and now a hideous monster is rampaging through the Base, intent on total destruction.

When the second pod is stole amidst the escalating carnage, it is transported into the hands of insane botanist Harrison Chase. From his mansion in England, the planet-obsessed Chase will allow the pod to split open. Both the ruthless millionaire and the rapidly growing carnivorous Krynoid are intent on infecting and destroying our entire world...

Verdict

The Seeds of Doom was an excellent Doctor Who story and a fine example of the Classic series. I really enjoyed going back to this one for only my second viewing and first in nearly eight years! The image that always stuck with me was the one that accompanies this blog with the Krynoid creature mounted on top of the house. It's just wonderful and in real time with that creepy movement it gets all the more better. I thought the pace of this adventure was terrific and I loved how the scale moved from two parts in Antarctica to start us off before something of a traditional four parter in more familiar surroundings. The way the storytelling advanced by scene was superb and really made for an exciting serial as there wasn't much waiting around to be done. One thing that did really tickle me was how everyone failed to remember, despite them just arriving, that the Antarctic base had a medical team when the arm amputation was required! How on Earth did that get overlooked? Barmy! The medical team were of course a sham which worked well, but the real villain of the day was Chase. I thought he was brilliant with his affection for plant life. It went a bit extreme, but with some recent complaints of the likes of Orphan 55 and Praxeus being too concerned with the politics behind climate change, it was clearly addressed here! It's not a bad thing and serves as a warning we as a society don't seem to have learned from. Tom Baker was on fine form as the Fourth Doctor and when paired with Sarah Jane Smith, you know there's going to be something great to enjoy. They were both terrific together. The latter's remark when Scorby joked about women running away was superb. You wouldn't get away with a line like that these days regardless of Sarah's response! The germinating of the pods was good and I liked how the Doctor already had knowledge of the Krynoids. It was helpful but it was also important that it didn't really aid him against it. How could it? The speed at which it grew was unprecedented! One thing I do think that was a negative was having it speak. Thankfully, it wasn't for long but I thin it would have been much better for it to just use Chase as a medium the whole time. Some of the cliffhangers were fantastic but there were enough tense moments between episode conclusions! Both the Doctor and Sarah nearly becoming fertiliser for the garden was very exciting and tense which is exactly what you want. The appearance of UNIT in the story is good continuity but it is a huge shame that there were no familiar characters. That would have contributed a lot to an already fantastic serial. Both Keeler and Winlett becoming infected was good and I thought the costume for the infection taking its toll on the hospital-like bed was sublime. That really was tremendous. Dunbar was a decent character selling the information regarding the Krynoid seed pod and I liked his relationship with Sir Colin Thackerary very much. The moment where he subtly gave up what he'd done in the car with him and Sarah was really good. I thought Scorby's journey in the serial was magnificent and he soon went from vicious killer to helping the Doctor to stop the Krynoid. It had gotten too far. I thought the acting and directing in the scenes in the overgrowth was terrific and really helped sell the fear of vegetation. Excellent stuff. I was surprised to see the Doctor condone violence as he did here, even punching straight in the face, but I'll leave that to UNIT's influence. The airstrike to destroy the Krynoid was very well done and the effects were hugely impressive for a story that aired over forty years ago! Overall, a really fine tale.

Rating: 9/10

Buyer's Remorse

"Planet, I name thee Wet."

Writer: Gary Russell

Format: Short Story

Released: August 2015

Printed in: Heroes and Monsters Collection 26

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

The TARDIS brings the Twelfth Doctor to a planet of remote wetness. It soon gets squelched below the surface and it ends up being listed for sale. So, who wants a worn and used type-40 TARDIS with a broken chameleon circuit? Place your bids!

Verdict

Buyer’s Remorse was a very fun little adventure to conclude my reading of the original titles in the Heroes and Monsters Collection! I’m fully aware that there are another 23 titles within this collection that I have not blogged, nor do I plan to, because they appear elsewhere and actually a few of them have been blogged by virtue of them appearing in numerous of the Doctor Who Annuals. This one though saw a rare short story for the Twelfth Doctor which I really liked and it was a lot of fun to have him travelling alone. He wouldn’t be telling Clara anything about this little outing here though! His arrival to the planet was very funny and was the perfect way to capture the characterisation of the Twelfth Doctor. He was just the perfect incarnation for a planet like this one and it allowed for Peter Capaldi’s likeness to be so clear on the page. That’s always an important element of prose in my eyes. A planet where each raindrop was like a cup full of water didn’t exactly sound pleasant, but with the description of what happened to his umbrella it didn’t sound too dissimilar to the current situation in South Wales with Storm Ciara! I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a blustery week with umbrellas rendered pretty much useless. I did love the image of the Twelfth Doctor going back into the TARDIS to retrieve the trusty question mark handled umbrella so synonymous with his seventh incarnation. I’m always a fan of merging some eras and costume designs like that. I couldn’t believe he just threw it away though! I’m sure he must have at least one spare. I certainly hope that’s the case anyway. His misery with the weather on Planet Wet was quite sad to see in the end because he was getting so incredibly frustrated by events. Just when he’d decided to leave the shiny building in the distance and not give in to his curiosity, the TARDIS decided to get eaten up by the ground with a nice little squelch to go with it. Poor Doctor. That wasn’t really fair. I felt an enormous amount of sympathy which was a little strange but made for really good writing. The GalMart arrived somewhat unexpectedly into the story which was fine and seemed to take things into a completely different direction than I was expecting. That was absolutely fine and it continued to be fun with a futuristic eBay that had now listed the TARDIS for sale! One of those buyers interested not hiding the fact that it was a Blathereen was good and I’d love to have an adventure between those and the Twelfth Doctor. That could be a great deal of fun. I think he’d ridicule them to nonsense. The idea of adopting Dalek time was just bananas but incredibly interesting. Was this perhaps the first time ever that a rel has been defined as lasting between 1 and 1.5 seconds? I can’t recall it ever being confirmed before. The conversation between the bidders was good and I liked how they were all salivating over the prospect of buying a TARDIS with the Doctor right there demanding that it was not for sale! He couldn’t believe what was going on in front of him. But salvage rights had been claimed by virtue of the TARDIS landing unregistered and there was just no arguing with that. Of course, the Doctor would soon get involved in the bidding himself and would be quite smug when the question regarding the TARDIS key was put forward. The panicked reaction of all the bidders and now most of them dropped out was excellent. However, I really wish it was the Doctor who raised the issue. That would have been better. It was still good though and the Doctor was loving his new found position of power. His username being JohnSmith12 was a thing of beauty as well. He’d let WinnerBoi win the auction because he knew that he’d still be the only with access and it was a fine lesson in reading the fine print. The Doctor would go further than just escaping after his ship was released for despatch and injected the GalMart host with a trojan virus of Ancient High Gallifreyan origin. I loved how he leveraged a sale of the anti-trojan whilst managing to reimburse WinnerBoi’s account. A fun end. Overall, this was a really good and enjoyable little read!

Rating: 8/10

The Feast of the Stone

"If it's evil you want, then it's evil you shall have!"

Writers: Cavan Scott & Mark Wright
Format: Short Story
Released: April 2004
Printed on: BBC Website

Featuring: The Doctor, Alison, The Master

Synopsis

The Doctor and his companions encounter a vampire entity, intent on a sacrificial death for Alison Cheney at the alter. Something has latched onto a presence in the TARDIS, and the Doctor will have to go to great lengths to sever the connection...

Verdict

The Feast of the Stone was a very decent little short story that continues the adventures of the alternative Ninth Doctor, Alison Cheney and the android version of the Master from Scream of the Shalka! I thought now was a good time to get this little unique piece of a Doctor Who story blogged seeing as I have only recently watched the tale in which they first appeared. Now, I wasn't much of a fan of it at all, but I did quite enjoy the adventure's novelisation and I like the dynamic of this TARDIS trio. There's a lot of potential there which is obviously exciting and just the fact that there is an adventure continuing the events for these characters is quite mind-blowing if I'm honest. I do wonder how many people have actually read this tale and I find it very interesting that it was released online at a time when the announcement of Doctor Who's televised return had already been made. Picking up the adventures from a webcast that had already been deemed defunct in terms of continuity is a strange yet intriguing move. I thought it worked well. The Doctor's care for Alison is still fully on show and despite not having much to go on, I thought the characterisation of Richard E. Grant's unique incarnation of the Doctor was pretty good. There's still the inklings there of something gone wrong in the past and I'm still going to link this with the Time War given his placement after the Eighth Doctor. It would perhaps make sense. Some sort of Time War weapon to distort a younger John Hurt as seen briefly in The Day of the Doctor into Richard E. Grant? It would work. I'm definitely not clutching at straws. Whilst being incredibly short, I thought this adventure was pretty exciting and I enjoyed the vampiric theme. It was just enough and didn't consume the story which is always a potential issue in such a short word count. Alison didn't do much other than fall victim to the vampires and for the purpose of the plot, that was absolutely fine! She was in distress and the Doctor was needed to save her. I thought the use of the Master in this one was the story's highlight with him always not quite seeming to be trustworthy. Who could actually think that he would be? His connection with the essence that was felt in the first paragraph of the story was really good and I liked how when questioned about not telling the Doctor, he had a pretty good excuse with him leaving promptly after arrival. The ability of the Doctor to just turn the Master off though is excellent and could have had potential for some serious humour down the line. The fact that it was the means for the story's resolution was good, if not a little easy. I liked that Alison pointed that out. She seems like she could have been a really great companion had this trio's adventures continued. Perhaps she was the history that Liz 10 had with the Doctor seeing as they were both played by the same actress? And maybe this version of the Doctor was just Doctor Simeon all along with him stepping into the Doctor's time stream in The Name of the Doctor? There's potential there! That might explain why the Doctor so suddenly enjoys a drink. I'm not sure that is a good trait to suggest for the Time Lord hero, even whilst toying with whatever it is that impacted on his life in recent times. Overall though, still an enjoyable tale that was probably just a bit too short.

Rating: 7/10

Normality

"'Normal' was the worst insult in the world."

Writer: Gary Russell

Format: Short Story

Released: August 2015

Printed in: Heroes and Monsters Collection 24 

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

Clara Oswalds hangs out of the TARDIS taking in all of the wonders of space. Except, she wants normality as well. The Doctor gives her a bit of space for that, but a chance encounter with a Tonnchenform makes her realise that life should be unique.

Verdict

Normality was an outstanding adventure and surely must rank as one of my all time favourite short stories! I was quite blown away by how good this was and continued my reading of the original tales in the Heroes and Monsters Collection quite wonderfully! I honestly wasn’t expecting this to be so good, but I found it thrilling. Having Clara as the lead character is always going to work for me as she is one of my very favourite companions to ever enter the TARDIS, but to get the insight into her thoughts of travelling with the Doctor, standing out in space and her job as a teacher was really great. It was brilliant to read her thoughts and also see just how much she enjoyed travelling with the Doctor. But that wasn’t enough for her and it was all because of a quote she had read in the dedication of a second hand book. She knew her responsibility lay with great potential which meant she was teaching children. I liked that a lot and although I have firmly disregarded any career prospect of becoming a teacher, I really can appreciate the little ones in life. The passage with Clara letting herself be consumed by space, whilst being kept okay due to the safety parameters of the TARDIS of course, is nothing new but getting to know what she was thinking was. It worked really well. The mystical arrival of the Tonnchenform was fantastic and I loved how the Doctor was clearly loving his current situation. He’d lived countless lifetimes and had never come across this rarity in the wild and yet he wanted Clara to see it in front of her without him getting in the way. That was really nice. The pairing of the Eleventh Doctor and Clara didn’t have enough time together on screen so this little story is a good bonus to their adventures and they just worked so well in it. They really are excellent together. The Doctor describing to her all about the microscopic Tonnchenforms on Earth and how they lived in the air and the water was wonderful and I really enjoyed it when he got her to close her eyes and then momentarily see one. Those little black dots weren’t liquids at all. Rather than being scared or disturbed, Clara was just intrigued and I’ve always loved the inquisitive nature of her character. It’s certainly one of the reasons I like her as much as I do as companion. With how incredible this moment was for Clara, it was also surreal. She just wanted a bit of normality in her life and that wasn’t new. We’d seen that on screen in the second half of Series 7. Sure, there was no problem facing Ice Warriors in Cold War for example as referenced, but now she was just teaching children at Coal Hill School. This was normal. Courtney Woods giving her hell. Kids throwing water balloons at each other. Near class rebellions. Love notes. This was what she wanted. And yet, she soon realised that normal was boring and got to teaching her class about uniqueness. She changed their day from a mind numbing routine. She did the unexpected. Clara would teach her class about the Tonnchenform and Tardigrades. She’d take them outside. Uniqueness was important and that really resonated with me. I’m six weeks into a new job and my daily commute and actual carrying out of my job has become routine now and I have a consistent one for the first time in quite a while. I really do now appreciate how un-normal my life was at university and I’d love to go back to that. Sure, my life now is more productive and I earn a decent amount of money, but normal is boring. Here’s hoping my Masters graduation next week can break things up a bit. For now though, this little gem of a short story changed my morning commute for the better. A sublime adventure that even had Clara warned about the Rift in Cardiff! Overall, just superb. 

Rating: 10/10

Mistress of Chaos Part 6

"You have to see reason!"

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 6th February 2020

Printed in: DWM 458

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

The Doctor is faced with becoming the Herald. The Doctor is faced with becoming the Sanity. Neither fates are pleasant with her future set for the Catastrophia. Dogbolter remains unhelpful, but the TARDIS is on its way. Can the Doctor possibly make it out alive?

Verdict

Mistress of Chaos concluded in pretty decent fashion with this sixth and final part! More of it shortly, but I now look ahead to what should be a really good issue of Doctor Who Magazine with it focusing on the series that has aired so far whilst previewing the final four episodes. Don't let the days I post blog entries fool you as I am writing this before Can You Hear Me? has aired and it looks set to be a very good episode. I just hope it isn't too similar to The God Complex. The rest of the previews look to be really intriguing and I look forward to the finale in particular based off its two-part title! Combining Ascension of the Cybermen and The Timeless Children is hugely exciting and I am so very much looking forward to it. It will surely tie things together with Fugitive of the Judoon but I'm not expecting the previews to give much away at all. Sacha Dhawan getting interviewed should be fantastic as I am looking forward to reading his thoughts on becoming the Master and the fact that it was kept secret! Peter Purves being the subject of an interview should not disappoint as he's quite the character and I'm also looking forward to the return of Public Image. Although television ratings aren't as important as they used to be, it's always interesting to see how the show is performing against other programmes. The Man Who Drew Yesterday will be a delightful little read and I'm just dreaming of a time where all of the whacky comic stories featuring the first three incarnations of the Doctor can be released in a graphic novel. The Daleks' Master Plan being continued in The Fact of Fiction should be good as I really enjoyed the first instalment in the previous issue. It's a mammoth tale! Street Cred and Shock and Awe look set to be good little features exploring elements of Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror further and I like the idea of focusing on location filming and past Doctor Who. Now, onto the comic strip itself and after a journey of six months, the story finally concludes! It was a good adventure, but it was perhaps a little too long. I don't think it needed to quite be a six-parter as I am hoping for some shorter comics for the Thirteenth Doctor now. She hasn't actually had a great number of stories so far which is strange with how long she's been in the role. I thought the sixth part was actually one of the weakest in the story as after such a long build, things seemed to conclude rather easily. The plan of the Doctor to incorporate two versions of her future self into her current was good, but I wasn't buying the method in which the idea came to her. There wasn't much of a connection. I liked Ryan and Sandola in this part and it was quite nice of the former to go clubbing with the android. She'd have loved that. Graham's reaction also added to that moment. Mother G is someone who's story is surely not told in the comic strips yet because the Doctor knows who she is, or at least what the G stands for, but the readers don't so there must be a reason for that. I look forward to finding out. Graham's speech at the conclusion when the Doctor was set to stay in the Catastrophia was terrific and I thought it was wonderful that he was willing to stay with her. He didn't need to though. The Catastrophia was a place where temporal laws could be anything they wanted to be and that would allow the Doctor to cheat the paradox. It was a slight stretch, but the speech swung me around on it. Overall, a somewhat decent end to what as a whole has been a very good adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Can You Hear Me?

"Even gods need a helping hand."

Writers: Charlene James & Chris Chibnall
Format: TV
Broadcast: 9th February 2020
Series: 12.07

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

From ancient Syria to present day Sheffield, and out into the wilds of space, something is stalking the Doctor and her friends. As Graham, Yaz and Ryan return home to see friends and family, they find themselves haunted by very different experiences. Who is the figure calling from beyond the stars for help, and why? And what are the fearsome Chagaskas terrorising Aleppo in 1380? To find the answers, Team TARDIS embark on a mission that forces them to face their darkest fears.

Verdict

Can You Hear Me? was a decent episode of Doctor Who to continue along Series 12 quite nicely. I do feel that it could probably have benefitted from more of a focus on the immortal gods, but the character development and knowledge that came with the companion focus will probably be better for the show in the long run. I thought Jodie Whittaker had a really great episode as the Thirteenth Doctor and she is definitely noticeably having some traits with her incarnation. That definitely seems to be true of the little speeches she has seemingly every week. She delivers them so well, even if some of them are a little tongue and cheek. The use of nightmares is very good but it isn't something new to Doctor Who so I was impressed with how new and original everything felt in the episode. I liked the idea of the Doctor taking her companions home for a little bit and it was just nice for them all to go their separate ways for the night and catch up with old friends and family. Ryan meeting up with his mate for chips and Fifa was nice and something I can relate to in a big way. Yaz confiding in her sister on the anniversary of what we learned was an incredibly tough time in her life was really nice. Graham enjoying a game of poker with some of his friends was particularly good and it was nice to hear of Grace's memory and how he just had to move on. The fact that she appeared in his nightmare and was the one who told him that his illness had returned and was deadly was very powerful. Now, I'm not sure what to make of the scene in the TARDIS where he confided in the Doctor and told her all about his fears of the cancer coming back. Whilst I verbally laughed at the Doctor's reaction because of the brilliance of Jodie Whittaker, surely the Doctor would have something confiding to say at that moment? It didn't quite seem right that she didn't. I thought Zellin was a fantastic villain who sadly went away far too soon. He was sinister and scary and that's exactly what you want in an enemy that was using nightmares against humanity. The fingers were quite something and just disturbing to watch in some instances! I loved that. The twist concerning Rakaya was terrific and something I didn't see coming so I liked that a lot. Zellin mentioning the likes of the Eternals and the Guardians was good continuity and I loved how when he was talking about playing a game, what he had planned would make the Toymaker proud. Some wonderful reference linkage dating all the way back to The Celestial Toymaker there! The scene on the street with Rakaya taking in all of the nightmares was good and must have been quite a feast. She was intent on staying on Earth for life with the supply available. Sadly, I wasn't a big fan of her nor of Clare-Hope Ashitey playing her. I also wasn't a fan of how quickly they were dealt with. It was decent but just all too rushed which was a big shame as I felt their race had a lot of potential. I also wasn't a big fan of the animation sequence and I just never have been of things like that in any television show. It just seems out of place for me. The little epilogues of sorts for the companions were good and I must also mention how much I liked the Doctor's reaction to being alone for a day. She just went off to 14th century Syria and picked up Tahira for her travels. I felt she went a bit missing with the large main cast which was a shame as she had a lot of potential despite not really seeming like a young girl from 700 years in the past. Overall, a good episode despite some mishaps.

Rating: 7/10

Scream of the Shalka

"The sound makes you afraid."

Writer: Paul Cornell
Format: Webcast
Broadcast: 13th November - 18th November 2003
Series: BBCi 04

Featuring: The Doctor, Alison

Synopsis

The Doctor's TARDIS materialises in the village of Lannet in Lancashire. An annoyed Doctor, who has apparently been transported here against his will, finds the village silent. Its inhabitants are all living in fear except for a barmaid, Alison Cheney. The alien Shalka have taken up residence beneath Lannet in preparation for a wider invasion. Despite his initial reluctance, the Doctor finds himself having to save the world again, aided by Alison and an enemy who has become an ally.
Verdict

Scream of the Shalka was sadly a pretty bad watch. I had relatively high hopes going into this one after wanting to purchase the DVD for a couple of years now, and after finding it for a good price this past week I didn't hesitate in watching a brand new story. The story itself wasn't new to me as I actually read the novelisation last year which was good, but this was far off that. I think having read the book already made my enjoyment of this adventure even less because this just seemed a little rushed in comparison. There wasn't much clarity of the events that were going on because of the lack of time in each part. Each of the six instalments being around 11-12 minutes is obviously only half of what was given in the true Classic era so this was essentially a traditional three-parter with cliffhangers thrown in. The cliffhangers were for the most part actually pretty good and Alison was definitely the highlight of the story in how she brought the Doctor back around to caring for humanity and showing some compassion. I thought the idea behind this incarnation of the Doctor was interesting and it's clear that this was just supposed to be the start so I have to consider that, but we needed to know more about the new exile and what the Doctor had fought in. With Derek Jacobi voicing the Master, might this be some sort of obscure War Doctor we had? That would be a pretty cool way of keeping the story canonical which would be terrific. Now, I'm going to talk about things that weren't actually part of the adventure itself and that is how the story was presented. I thought the animation was actually quite poor and whilst I know this was produced back in 2003 and the budget can't have been very much at all, but it really did contribute to how little I thought of this webcast. I actually watched most of this with my girlfriend who is very much a modern series Doctor Who fan, but she found this extremely boring because of its presentation. I thought the acting as a whole was rather bad and just forced with very little passion and emotion. Richard E. Grant's incarnation of the Doctor had potential with a decent performance but there was something just a little off about it. One thing I really enjoyed about the adventure was the funked up techno version of the theme. That was glorious and a lot of fun. The use of the Master being an android seemed to barely feature in this version which was a shame but the moment he's saying his famed catchphrase to Alison and is interrupted by the Doctor is great. I didn't enjoy the scene with the Doctor falling in the black hole and his escape just seemed awfully rushed and unlikely, even for him. The speed with which the Shalka gained entry to the TARDIS was too quick and their animation was also a little iffy in my opinion. The conclusion works pretty well, but again falls victim to the time element as it was perhaps rushed a little. The idea of future stories with this Doctor and Alison was obviously on the cards with the ending, but I was surprised she still went with him after discovering that she wasn't actually home at all as the Doctor suspected she would be. Overall, the story itself isn't bad but the presentation here really hurts it which is a big shame.

Rating: 3/10

God Among Us: Night Watch

"The whole city is asleep."

Writer: Tim Foley
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Torchwood 6.04

Featuring: Captain Jack, Orr, Mr Colchester, Yvonne, Tyler, Ng

Synopsis

The Black Sun has come through the Rift. When it visit, sleep comes with it. Orr is the guardian, appointed to watch over the city while it slumbers. What will they find as they wander the streets?

Who are the lost souls, trapped with their demons? Who are the ones fighting even sleep? Who are the broken meeting their dreams?

Verdict

Night Watch concluded the first volume of God Among Us in a very good way! This was a really solid conclusion to the first third of Torchwood's official sixth series and I liked that we started things with the mysterious Scotswoman that has been present throughout the boxset so far. The whole city of Cardiff being asleep was intriguing, especially with the episode coming straight after the events of See No Evil. There was a lot going on in the Welsh capital! Orr talking with the mysterious woman was good and I loved the idea of something coming through the Rift to feed off dreams. That's an exciting concept and it worked well. Orr being warned that she needed to watch over the city was intriguing and it was interesting how accepting she was of the task presented to her. The whole city dreaming was good and I really liked how that tied in with Colchester's return. But he wasn't real and something had happened to the sun. The advancement of God Among Us has been quite fast with it being weeks now since Colchester's funeral in Future Pain and this was now Colin's chance to say goodbye. I liked that and it was nice of Jack to give him that space and moment. The night sun being a dark globe in the sky was good with it being the basis for feeding off sleep. Orr had an incredibly strong episode being the night and the idea of her watching the small elements in life as Cardiff slept like turning taps off and the chip pans. Cardiff is a pretty big place to go around seeing to that! I wasn't a fan of Tyler's story in the episode at all with unnamed man and how they just wanted to get high and have a one night stand. They were shifting between drugs and a come down and it was just disturbing to listen to. I'm not a fan of anything regarding drugs in life so hearing the extremes here was unpleasant from my personal perspective. Yvonne's use of a caffeine ring to combat the sleep blanket over Cardiff was good and I really enjoyed her relationship with Ng, more so because it was annoying Jack. The interaction between Jack and Yvonne has been brilliant this series and I liked how loosely they're battling for control of Torchwood. Jack's fluctuation between being hit by the sleep issue was fun and it seemed to be getting stronger which added a good threat. Jack still refusing to get along with Ng was excellent and I loved how he was blaming her for all that was going wrong with the failure to scan the globe in the sky. Yvonne knew there was something in the Hub with them and that's always a fun thing to play with. Tyler's glowing was not something I enjoyed as things just got more disturbing with his involvement. What was good was Colchester just deciding he was alive. How could he wander around the flat whilst Colin was asleep if he was just a figment of his imagination? It was difficult to argue with that logic! He was going to prove it as well with a little gizmo which was sad because he wasn't able to actually hold it which seemed to confirm he was just an echo. The suggestion that the Scotswoman gave permission for the night sun to come through the Rift was intriguing as I just wanted to know more about her. A dark force had latched on and Orr needed to find that. It was really nice to hear how Colin held all of his late husband's possessions in his arms as he packed away his things and thought of the story connected to each of them. The power of the mysterious woman was propelled when she rose those sleeping to aid Orr and sleepwalk and point in the direction she needed to go. That was a superb image in my head. Orr and the woman talking about love was good and the enigma's claim that she was love was quite something! A physical manifestation? Who knows. The intensity that was heightened in Tyler's scenes weren't enjoyable and he seemed to be duplicated by the glow that was happening which seemed to invite some sort of brothel. It wasn't good stuff. Colin recalling how Jack was heroic and there for him as Cardiff went blind was a nice touch and it was sad that Colchester had accepted he was dead. He could remember his last moments now and they were of Colin. He was a mind racing after death and he wanted to make this a good dream while it lasted. Beautiful writing. Orr's jumping around the separate character's stories to conclude the story worked well with her absorbing the evil of the glow and saving Tyler from his nightmare high. He threw up light but Orr was there to help and take it away. Colchester realising that he may just be alive because of the gizmo being a part of imagination and actually made of light was really good. I always knew he wasn't dead! So how can he remember dying? Orr confirmed his existence which sets things up nicely for the next boxset. The linkage back to the first episode and how bad things were going to happen because of God was good and I was surprised that Jack thought they had dealt with the problem at Colchester's funeral. Jack challenging Yvonne to fix things by herself was fantastic and he pushed her into sending him into sleep by saying she'd fail. Then came the horrifying echo of Andy which she dealt with well. Colin claiming to be glad that his husband was gone wasn't nice to hear and whilst it was in the moment, the prospect of him bringing his work back with him seemed very real before Orr once again arrived to save the day. She was also there for Yvonne, who apologised to Ng for failing her which was a nice touch, before she went to deal with Jack and end things. It was an exciting conclusion and finding that the light was the remaining song of the inhabitants of a sapphire planet that the night sun swallowed whole was great! That worked for me, especially with it being a sentient star. Orr was the vessel needed to deal with the threat whilst the mysterious woman sent the sun to a planet it can burn bright. She then offered Orr her love. God is love. Orr was turned to slush which I didn't see coming. And just when I thought that was that, Yvonne decides she wants to bring Ianto back! After the credits as well. But the paradigm projector went wrong and we had a member of Torchwood from the 1950s pulled out of time. The line when he said he thought Torchwood was meant to be ready was genius. Overall, a good story and I look forward to hearing where things go from here!

Rating: 8/10

God Among Us: See No Evil

"Has everyone else just gone blind?"

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Torchwood 6.03

Featuring: Captain Jack, Orr, Yvonne, Ng, Andy

Synopsis

Cardiff goes blind.

There's a hunter out there in the darkness. With no escape, and the screaming getting louder, Jack Harkness and Yvonne Hartman each set out to save the city in their own ways.

Verdict

See No Evil was an outstanding episode of Torchwood that got God Among Us right back on track after a relatively poor previous story. I liked the interaction between Jack and Yvonne and it was a good way to start the audio. Jack still holding a grudge against Ng was good but I remain a little surprised with how much Yvonne wants Jack to give her a chance. He’s avoiding her quite abruptly which is quite different to how I would expect Jack to act, but that wasn’t an issue in the slightest. Andy getting a feature length appearance was fantastic and it was good for him to invite Yvonne for lunch before the attack occurred. Once that happened, the episode took on a whole new dimension and I was thoroughly impressed with how darkness was captured in an audio story. That’s a difficult task that was achieved excellently. Andy trying to calm the civilians of Cardiff when they realised that nobody could see anymore. They believed that Andy was lying and that it was all a government plot to make everyone blind. Jack’s efforts to combat the darkness with night vision goggles was really good and I thought it was terrific to have Yvonne with a fear of the dark. That came into play very well later in the episode. The little moment where a mother was searching for her little baby Meredith was a disturbing scene because the thought of a baby alone in the dark was very frightening. But then we heard the mother having her voice echoed and killed by the monster that had brought darkness to Cardiff. Listening to this audio on a train in the dark en route to Cardiff was pretty darn interesting I have to tell you! With my train’s destination being for Penarth, I was almost questioning whether I wanted to stay on past Cardiff to avoid the darkness as it didn’t reach that far. Finding out that the darkness took a moment to react was very good and that provided part of the resolution which was important to acknowledge at this point in the story. The city being engulfed by a dome of sorts that was like rubber was interesting and for those that got out, they just screamed and got absorbed. Quite disturbing! The continuing of the echoing speech was brilliant and I liked the fear factor that it provided. Jack getting his goggles working was good and I loved that it was him and Yvonne who had the privileges of sight with just the two pairs available. That meant he was able to see Ng despite his avoidance but the line about him leaving her in the dark for a change was sublime. Yvonne deducing that everything in Cardiff was part of a hunt was good and I liked knowing what was going on whilst showcasing her intelligence. People were sitting targets now and that was very dangerous for the people of Cardiff. Ng being alone in the dark and realising the words were moving was good and it was nice to have her relationship in this episode being with Orr. She was transforming into what the monster wanted and all she knew was that Ng needed to run. Colin calling Jack was good and I liked the location use of him being on Queen Street as that’s somewhere I go every lunch break. Jack coming to save Colin because it’s what Colchester would have wanted was a nice touch. Yvonne finding Andy who was startled was good and a pretty humorous moment. She had a plan with his police radio which worked very well as she wanted to gather everyone at Bute Park. How she was able to do that with everyone being blind was a little baffling, but the accumulation of sound and police is surely how that came about. Colin’s group of people he helped gather in the church weren’t too pleased that Jack was able to see and that set them against him to try and get the goggles. And the gun. I liked the scuffle a lot and it seemed right that those who were trapped in blindness would want to do anything to regain their sight. The scenes with Yvonne and Andy in the car were fantastic and I found myself really interested that the mysterious Scottish woman of the previous two episodes returned again with Orr. Her ability to persuade the creature to go away was good and I am looking forward to finding out more about her and what she’s up to! I think it could be a while before that happens though. The talk of invisible people was good but Colin’s intervention that he felt invisible was outstanding following Colchester’s death. He was a great character in this episode. Yvonne and Andy’s continued car journey was good and the thought of them just running over a dead body that had been ripped apart by the monster was horrifying. Yvonne found that something around the goggles was so dark it didn’t even show up on the goggles and that meant the creature was close. Yvonne giving Andy her goggles whilst she was driving was a terrific comedic moment as he tried to shoot the monster before it got out of range. They were having fun which was just lovely to hear. Finding out that Jack’s goggles had broken in the church scuffle was a fantastic moment and it was nice to know that Colin had found their way back to his house in the dark without any aid. That was really nice. Colin revealing that he was staying in Cardiff because of the ghost of Colchester being close by was a really nice thought and it’s clear that he loved his husband very much. Yvonne’s plan on using a strobe was excellent and I thought was a brilliant way to potentially get around the impact of the darkness. She knew where the hunter was going now because she’d created a large source of food available at Bute Park following the change in its plan after the attempted shooting. I thought that was superb and showed just how incredible of a character Yvonne Hartman was. She showcased herself incredibly well. Andy finding out that he was the one who was actually the true bait was a really good moment of humour and that allowed Yvonne to re-emerge and kill it straight. She obliterated it. Andy wasn’t too thrilled which was rather funny. I didn’t expect the creature to actually be a giant mouth though! I don’t know how that would have worked in a non-audio format. Andy getting to show Yvonne that she was powerlessness was brilliant and I look forward to seeing where their relationship develops in the future. He knew she needed someone and got invited home with her which was nice. The final scene of the episode inside Colin’s apartment was outstanding and the prospect of Jack feeling different and perhaps mortal wasn’t new, but I like the dynamic that it provides. The darkness had dissipated now, but Colin and Jack were enjoying a sunset and you just knew where things were going from there. And just as Colin initiated the kiss with Jack, Colchester emerged for a triumphant return! I thought that was done extremely well and I look forward to the finale of the first boxset stemming off of that. Overall, a sensational episode!

Rating: 10/10

God Among Us: The Man Who Destroyed Torchwood

"Let's take down Torchwood!"

Writer: Guy Adams
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Torchwood 6.02

Featuring: Captain Jack, Orr, Tyler, Yvonne, Mr Colchester

Synopsis

Brent Hayden. To some he's the darling of the alt-right, to others he's a far-left crusader. A lot of people watch his videos, hang off his every word. Crisis actors? Conspiracies? Black Ops? Brent knows you deserve the truth. And Brent's come to Cardiff, because he's going to expose Torchwood. Don't forget to Like and Subscribe.

Verdict

God Among Us continued in below par fashion with The Man Who Destroyed Torchwood. Unfortunately, this episode really didn't live up to its name which was a big shame. It started off intriguingly with the documentary format from Hayden and how he was looking to vlog about the truth concerning Torchwood. That was a good premise, but then the documentary just went on and on and when I realised that it was going to be the whole episode, I was very disappointed. It wasn't quite Torchwood's equivalent of Love and Monsters, but it was close! I wasn't surprised to find that Tyler would be Hayden's source on the inside. The initial psych that Tyler had to work with Hayden and expose the truth about Torchwood was quite intriguing and shows just how far he has developed as a character. The mention of 'Up the Bluebirds' was a nice inclusion for me personally as it was only a few weeks ago that I was actually attending Cardiff City's fixture with rivals Swansea City. Any local football mention works well for me. Hayden's thoughts on the internet and how it could be used was probably the highlight of the audio with a sublime line about how the internet could be the field where the sows for revolution could grow. I liked that a lot. After that, my feelings were mostly mixed. Hayden wasn't an enjoyable or likeable character and that was obvious from his strange outburst near the beginning of the story when Tyler questioned him. His speech about dealing with politics and being accused of racism seemed very current but I didn't like the line about political correctness being used to silence 'us'. Not everyone thinks those in power have an agenda! Orr being the one that had stood up and agreed with Hayden's speech was interesting but you always knew that she was working for Torchwood and didn't truly believe in everything he'd said. The blurred lines between what had actually occurred in the past and what was taking place inside Hayden's head were very unclear at times which made the story seem something like a jumble. I wasn't a fan of the format in the slightest. Hayden was just arrogant and annoying and thinking that because he was right he was dangerous. The use of the fish tank for analogies though was a really good moment and it made me think of my own two fish as I was on the commute home from Cardiff, where this story took place. The little cameos of Mr Colchester were intriguing and only furthers my belief that he remains very much alive, but I guess that was the point. Tyler revealing how his plan involved drip feeding Hayden some information here and there whilst distinguishing that he had only worked with Torchwood in the past and not for them. Hayden's tendency to distort the information he was given from Tyler was quite frustrating and I just felt my annoyance in the character grow throughout the episode. The use of the Weevil image was decent but the prospect of food companies increasing additives to food so human faeces would be nicer for them was just ridiculous. Hayden seemed to think that it was all about the fact that they could do such a thing, but could they really? Come off it. The mentions of the Sorvix and going back to the events of Aliens Among Us was good but the claims that they weren't really were strange. The moment Hayden confronted a frightened Sorvix was just disturbing to listen to and the fact that he left it dying believing still that it was all a hoax was just awful. Yvonne's dramatised performance in attempting to capture Hayden was great, but I felt that it was all overshadowed by the continuing political nature of the episode. The mention of not needing a spaceship but rather boats to send the 'aliens' back was a callback to the history of centuries ago. Hayden was just a despicable character and the moment at the end where Tyler revealed the true intentions and shut down the prick was justified, but the damage in the story was already done. Another moment that irked me was the mention of that 'stupid American wrestling' which is something I am a huge fan of watching! This just wasn't for me, was it? Overall, some moments and humorous performances, but as a whole this was one of the poorest ever Torchwood stories. Maybe the worst.

Rating: 5/10

God Among Us: Future Pain

"Belief. That's what you've got to fear."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: October 2018
Series: Torchwood 6.01

Featuring: Captain Jack, Orr, Tyler, Yvonne

Synopsis

Torchwood pick up the pieces and move on. After all, there's a whole new set of alien threats to deal with.

While Yvonne Hartman is asserting her authority as the new leader of Torchwood, Jack Harkness is hunting an alien god in the sewers – but what's he really hiding from?

Verdict

God Among Us kicked off the official sixth series of Torchwood in impressive fashion with Future Pain! It has probably been a little too long since I completed my listening of Aliens Among Us, but I’m now off into the next batch of stories and I’m looking forward to despite my slight disappointing concerning the cliffhanger ending of Series 5. The fate of Mr Colcheter was sealed as we had everyone attending his funeral. Getting to hear his wedding to Colin first was a nice way to kick off what turned out to be a pretty darn emotional episode! There was a lot of switching around from character to character which was terrific and maintained my interest for the duration with ease. Yvonne being in conversation with Ro-Jedda who was locked up was really good and I liked the End of Days reference when it came to the discussion regarding God. Jack being in the sewers with a Weevil and actually hunting God was really good and I just love how frequently the Weevils make cameos in Torchwood. Orr joining Jack in his hunt was good and I thought she had a pretty outstanding episode. Jack’s constant attempts at shooting God without it dying was decent and I felt a little sorry because it was just hungry. Orr being felt through the Rift was really good. I didn’t expect Tyler to have such a prominent role in this audio but he had a fantastic showing. His new job in PPI insurance was great and I loved how it was used to catch up listeners on the events that had occurred throughout Aliens Among Us with the Sorvix. They’d now had to run away from their homeworld and if God was here then that meant there was nothing left. Ro-Jedda telling Yvonne that belief will spread was very powerful as how do you fight that? The idea of God changing from world to world was good and seems quite apt for religion and everything that goes with it. Orr revealing that God had an unusual existence with time really intrigued me and I do hope that we get some more of that in the future of the series. There’s a lot of potential there. The recalling of Children of Earth: Day One and the Hub explosion was brilliant and I wonder why God talked about that as if it was yet to come. Andy showing up at Colchester’s funeral was nice and I’ll always enjoy it if he gets to play a prominent role at any point during the rest of the series. Orr claiming that God had latched onto both hers and Jack’s futures was terrific and I’ll be amazed if we don’t come back to that in a future story. It was a psychic plasmovore and that could prove pretty deadly. Ng being in the cells along with Ro-Jedda was good and I liked the disturbing thought that she had eaten all of the rats in her original cell. It reminded you how disturbing and inhuman she was. I liked the idea of Gwen’s exposure to the Rift making her a suitable form to hide as the Herald. She had been employed to do God’s doing and report on where the Sorvix had gone, but she never reported back and just hid in Torchwood which I liked. It put a little bit of a fear factor into God which was needed at that point. Orr’s experience at the funeral was superb and I liked her noticing the peaceful effect whilst being surprised that there were no sexual thoughts. The flashback moment to Tyler calling Colin to tell him of Colchester’s death was very emotional and I just felt sorry for his loss throughout, but he was coping well before breaking down at the end of the episode which was important. Tyler having an exchange with the woman claiming to be a mother of sorts for Colchester was intriguing and I hope that she returns at some point. I expect she will. Colin feeling alone at the funeral was extremely sad, especially with both of their families thinking their relationship was a bit modern. That was hard to hear, but the speech he gave at the funeral was sublime. I loved the little cameo of Gwen and Rhys and it’s nice to know that she came back whilst escaping Jack’s sight. I’d love her to return later in the series but I think she truly is done with Torchwood at this point in the continuity. Orr talking with Colin and revealing how Colchester often thought of him sexually was a hilarious moment because of how point blank she was about it. The attack outside of the funeral with God was exciting and I liked how it was trying to deal with its complications in existing. Jack’s shooting at the beast wasn’t to kill it but rather to find the right frequencies to feed it. When that failed, Jack offered his own life because he’d come back no problem. Orr offered herself to become what he’d like and what he wanted was future pain. I thought that was incredibly interesting, especially when he wasn’t interested in anything current. The description of the God being a giant leech probably wasn’t too threatening but it didn’t take away from the impact it had. Jack meeting Colin for the first time was really good and I liked how he unsubtly revealed how he can come back from the dead. Their reminiscing of Mr Colchester was very good. God wanting Tyler’s future pain was decent but I wasn’t expecting him to be the focus. Tyler dismissed the prospect that his pain could get worse which I thought was a bit off, but the comment that he will love again made me instantly think that he and Colin will get together. I’m calling that now. Colin standing up to God to save Tyler probably has something to do with my thoughts regarding that, but the reminiscing of Colchester impacting God was really nice. I’m not too sure how that would change the future though. Orr giving God what it wanted and its future pain was intriguing but I was a little disappointed that it seemed to kill it off so soon. I’m adamant that God will return, but it just seemed a bit quick. Yvonne investigating the alien hotel at Cardiff Bay was good and I was really fascinated listening to that because I now work in Cardiff and not too far from the Bay area which is also where my girlfriend works! So the idea of an alien hotel took on a new level from Series 5 for me. I liked that she deduced that the Sorvix had gone home without Ro-Jedda and I’m now intrigued to see where things go for the rest of the series. Colin desiring Jack was an unexpected move and I’m not sure if I liked that occurring at Colchester’s funeral. Ro-Jedda and Ng talking in the cells was interesting and I really liked how confident the Mayor was in what she would do to escape. She would burn the world. One thing that struck me in this episode was the line about how Torchwood saves the world but ruins lives. That was incredibly powerful and hard to disagree with. Yvonne arriving at the funeral was good and I found the comments about her denying Colin his husband’s body interesting and I fully expect him to still be alive after all. It was the best reason to not give him the body, so in my eyes Colchester remains alive. Orr’s comments regarding Yvonne were good and I liked that she thought of her as the wrong kind of mystery. What had she been doing for a decade since the Battle of Canary Wharf? I’d like to know that! Orr wanted Jack back at Torchwood which was terrific and I suspect the next episode will have a tasty confrontation between the two people claiming Torchwood leadership. Yvonne bringing Colin to the Hub to show him Colchester’s last message recording was really nice and his message was fantastic, funny and full of love. I liked his inquisitive nature though in wanting to also to listen to Yvonne’s message. She would do her duty of course and all that mattered was Torchwood to her. She was committed I’ll give her that! Ng actually being in the cells to extract information from Ro-Jedda the whole time was a nice move and I didn’t see it coming, but I’m not sure how willing she would be to do Yvonne’s bidding. I wouldn’t mind that relationship being extended in future episodes though. Jack reminiscing on the Yvonne Hartman we saw upgraded into a Cyberman was very good with how confident she was in getting victory. It worked well for him to compare her to the other Yvonne from Pete’s World and how this version will do anything to get victory. Yvonne finishing the episode by shooing Ro-Jedda was an unexpected conclusion! I look forward to where things go from here and it seems that everything will be fresh! Overall, a strong start to the series. 

Rating: 8/10

Find and Replace

"Did I even know my own past anymore?"

Writer: Paul Magrs
Format: Audio
Released: September 2010
Series: Companion Chronicles 5.03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

Christmas 2010, and Jo Grant finds herself stuck in a department store elevator with an alien creature called Huxley.

Huxley is a narrator from Verbatim Six, and he is here to let Jo revisit the best time of her life – when she was the plucky companion to that eccentric Space/Time traveller known only as... Iris Wildthyme.

Confronted with memories she knew nothing about, Jo agrees to a meeting with Iris inside her transdimensional bus, and together the three of them take a trip back in time. Back to the 1970s, to UNIT HQ, and a meeting with the only person who knows the whole truth...

Verdict

Find and Replace was a brilliant Companion Chronicle audio! I really enjoyed this one from the off and I thought it was great that we had a story featuring the Jo Grant, or Jones rather, of today instead of her just recalling a previously unseen/unheard adventure she had with the Doctor. It definitely helped with the telling of the story and throwing in the Noveliser as what appeared to be the villain for most of the adventure was just subtly perfect. There weren’t any pauses for narration because that’s what Huxley’s character was all about! Starting things off with Jo rushing her Christmas shopping at Selfridges on Christmas Eve just before closing time was humorous and exactly what I’d expect of her clumsy and loveable nature. It was her luck though that she ended up stuck in the lift that was serving as a temporal bubble. Thank goodness for her that time wasn’t going by on the outside or her nieces and nephews wouldn’t be too thrilled with their Christmas presents. Jo disliking the narration that was taking place right in front of her was excellent and you could clearly hear just how frustrated she was getting by events. Huxley’s proposal that Jo could get to relive the events before her marriage was interesting as that obviously included her time with the Doctor. Huxley wanted to know all about that time she was a companion to an eccentric time traveller. But it was a her, and this was not the Thirteenth Doctor he was talking about. My interest was peaked right there and I suspected the Rani for a second despite how far fetched that might be. Huxley changing into his more comfortable five-figured form was humorous and I enjoyed Jo’s reaction and how she was pretending to not know about aliens and other planets. Katy Manning was just terrific throughout this audio. Finding out that Huxley was trying to suggest that Jo had never travelled with the Doctor was a great development and I liked how offended she seemed by that. He claimed that the Doctor had never actually been exiled and that it was Jo’s memories that had been altered to make her believe that she had travelled with the Doctor. I liked that. Was she really having doubts? I was a little surprised by that despite her determination that her memories were in fact true. The suggestion that it was actually MIAOW that were employers instead of UNIT was very humorous. The emergence of Iris Wildthyme into the audio was wonderful and whilst I have very little knowledge and experiencing of her travels, I knew enough to enjoy her presence a great deal. I loved that she too was just playing along with Huxley’s nonsense about the past but she was getting a little too carried away. She was almost enjoying herself! Iris seemed to have a plan and that involved going along with the noveliser’s ridiculousness and trying to latch on. Wildythyme then getting Huxley in a vicious death lock that was followed by a tussle was terrific and I enjoyed the confidence with which the traveller knew that she and Jo were needed so there would be no mind burning as Huxley had been threatening. The whole prospect of trying to write the Doctor out of their personal histories was superb and playing with that is excellent. It should have been obvious really that it was the Doctor all along who was the culprit! But alas, Jo would never think that so off to the 1970s they went for a good cliffhanger and an emotional set up for part two. Huxley being tied up as Iris and Jo travelled back in time in a whacky bus was intriguing and it seemed quite funny that he still enjoyed the observations. It would make for abilities to tell stories consistent. Jo pondering over Wildthyme’s earlier statement about the Doctor being an old flame was a lovely moment as she saw the Doctor in a different way for perhaps the first time. Could he? One thing that did confuse me a little was why Huxley came with them out of the bus. I didn’t get that at all but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story which is all you can really ask for. The arrival at UNIT HQ in the ‘70s was magnificent and it really must have been quite a feeling for Jo to step back into her past. I loved the suggestion that the events of The Three Doctors was actually a case of seven incarnations of Iris Wildthyme all fighting the Zarbi and Quarks in a game of backgammon in the Obverse. Now that’s an image! The enjoyment that Jo had at being able to see Benton again was terrific and I found it quite humorous that Iris spoiled the events of Invasion of the Dinosaurs with regards to Yates. The idea of Jo being locked up in the holding cells below UNIT HQ was fantastic because of how preposterous it should be! She couldn’t keep her identity from Benton for long and her feeling the presence of the Doctor above her was marvellous. Benton gazing in wonder at his friend was a powerful moment and I loved how he thought that Jo had come back to give the Doctor the components he needed to fix the TARDIS. After all, she had clearly come a long way. Benton had let them out once he knew who was being held, but Iris took precautions and knocked him out for an hour with her deadly spray scent. Jo didn’t approve of that. The feeling she had when stepping foot into the Doctor’s laboratory was a sublime moment and I loved how she took in something that was so routine for her in the past. I didn’t expect Jo to meet the Doctor if I’m honest so I loved it when they did! The embrace must have been phenomenal for Jo. The moment Iris flung herself at the Doctor injected some comedy to along with the raw emotion previously on display. The revelation that the events that the Doctor was told were actually his own doing amazed me to be honest because it’s just so horrible! He admitted the case quite early on which added to my surprise that he was in cahoots with Huxley all along. Iris getting to spray the Noveliser was a good moment though. The Doctor had been trying to write himself out of both Jo and Iris’s lives to keep them safe and potentially have them travel together. It didn’t quite work that way though with Iris showing no respect for the Laws of Time which wasn’t much of a shock! The use of the exile that pained the Third Doctor so dearly was brilliant as the Novelisers had been after the Doctor for a long time, but he was always moving around too much. Not on this occasion though. He was stuck. So he concocted a plan with Huxley to basically place Jo in a witness protection programme whilst ridding himself of the Wildthyme nuisance. That sounded a lot like him. The Doctor not expecting Jo to doubt the truth about her memories was a foolish mistake and her emotional outburst was absolutely warranted. She wasn’t supposed to come back, but he didn’t know how much he meant to people which I thought was nice. The Doctor getting rid of Huxley by sending him on a mission to keep tabs on the Master was good and I liked the narrative line about that not going well. Jo had to leave in hasty fashion now as her younger self was returning to HQ and Iris forcing her into a quick exit was better for her and the Doctor. Goodbyes were tough, but he’d promised a visit once the TARDIS was operational again. Jo being happy that her past was intact and living with potential danger was good and I loved that she was able to touch it again. I’d love to go into my past! Overall, an excellent audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Praxeus

"It's smart, it's relentless, and it knows you're onto it."

Writers: Pete McTighe & Chris Chibnall
Format: TV
Broadcast: 2nd February 2020
Series: 12.06

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

What connects a missing astronaut, birds behaving strangely in Peru, and a US naval officer who washes up on a Madagascan beach? The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham split up to investigate mysterious events across 21st century planet Earth. As the mystery deepens, and lives are put at risk, the TARDIS team face a deadly race against time to save humanity.

Verdict

Praxeus was a decent episode of Doctor Who but I think it was comfortably the worst Thirteenth Doctor episode yet which was a bit of a shame. Following on from the end of Fugitive of the Judoon, I really was expecting a bit more with the prospect of a threat that spanned three continents and seemed to be on a global scale, but it never really felt that way. Splitting the TARDIS team into three and placing them in different locations across the planet was a really good concept, but it just seemed to come to an end far too quickly. Ryan was in Peru and investigating the mystery surrounding the birds that were swarming and acting weirdly which was a little boring if I'm honest. There needed to be some background regarding them to have more of an impact and even when they swarmed on the beach to cause death, the directing was a bit off for me which is something I never usually notice. Now, I'll try and focus on some of the positives and the one that stands out for me immediately was Jodie Whittaker's performance as the Thirteenth Doctor. I thought she was outstanding and was definitely a shining light. She tried to make the episode great instead of just good, but sadly it just didn't happen. My personal timing is quite interesting because I think highlight a global threat and the impending global warming effects was actually better captured in my recent reading of Snowglobe 7. I can appreciate the use of the praxeus infection homing in on plastic, but that's already the playground of the Autons in Doctor Who and I think it would have been much more fun to have the Nestene Consciousness taking advantage of humanity's self destruction. We've already had a global warming episode this series with Orphan 55 and whilst I appreciate that it's an important issue, it came very soon after the issue was already addressed which made themes a little repetitive. Despite the ongoing issues, I was struggling to get emotionally invested in some aspects of the story. I liked the idea of Adam Lang and his crash landing on return from the International Space Station, but I thought the revelation that Jake was actually his husband seemed force and just unnecessary. Yaz and Graham were humorous in meeting him as he was trying to bash down a door and they had the skeleton key. That was a lot of fun. Gabriela was a decent character and I enjoyed her interaction with both Yaz and Ryan, but I couldn't believe how okay she was after watching her vlog-partner literally disintegrate in front of her. The speed with which the praxeus infection took over and obliterated its victim was incredible and the look on the Doctor's face when Suki succumbed to that fate spoke volumes. That's where the power lay in the story for me and where I found a lot of enjoyment. Her actually being an alien was a little left field, but the Doctor's reaction to finding out that her species had brought praxeus to Earth and were using it as a Petri dish was sublime. She was having none of it. The Thirteenth Doctor does humour and seriousness better than most of her predecessors which says a lot. The ending was pacy and exciting with the launch and Jake staying behind to pilot the ship after the automatic failed was commendable, but I kind of wish he wasn't saved. It would have made things more raw and real. Overall, good in parts but it only just sneaks the rating I gave.

Rating: 7/10

Snowglobe 7

"Extreme weather was now commonplace."

Writer: Mike Tucker

Format: Novel

Released: April 2008

Series: NSA 23

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

Earth, 2099. Global warming is devastating the climate. The polar ice caps are melting.

In a desperate attempt at preservation the Governments of the world have removed vast sections of the Arctic and Antarctic and set them inside huge domes across the world. The Doctor and Martha arrive in Snowglobe 7 in the Middle East, hoping for peace and relaxation. But they soon discover that it's not only ice and snow that has been preserved beneath the Doctor.

While Martha struggles to help with an infection sweeping through the holidaymakers the Doctor discovers an alien threat that has lain hidden since the last ice age. A threat that is starting to thaw. 

Verdict

Snowglobe 7 was a really good read as I near the end of my reading with the Tenth Doctor and Martha! I didn't realise that I only have one full-length book with the pairing left now which is exciting because I have got through their books over a span of a good number of years. I thought the setting of 2099 worked well and it had a similar message to the recent airing of Orphan 55 with the horrors of global warming being realised. Parts of the Antarctic and Arctic had been placed inside domes where the conditions could maintain them and of course the Doctor and Martha landed within the seventh. The SnowGlobes were quite fun and had a lot of potential, especially with the use of ice and awakening a species that had been dormant since the Stone Age. That made them old. Very old. The Gappa as they were eventually named within the last forty pages or so were interesting villains whist not really having bad intentions. They were simply on a survival mission and that made the Doctor's decision to have to cause genocide all the more difficult with him recalling the Time War and all he went through with that decision. Martha being utilised for her medical skills was good to see and it allowed her to shine as the companion which is always great. I really enjoyed how she was also trying to not let slip that she was from nine decades in the past by reacting to what she assumed must be the ordinary in the late-21st century setting. The Series 3 feel was well captured and the Doctor harmlessly mentioning the Rose Tower didn't sit right with Martha because to her, what else would the most impressive building in Saudi Arabia be called? I felt there may have been one or two too many characters but the bulk of them were really enjoyable. Dr Jaffa was very good and his death was certainly felt after he'd created a good relationship with Martha. Ku'ra was also terrific with the companion and I was quite intrigued that it seemed to be Martha having all of the character interaction. The Doctor meanwhile had a fantastic relationship with Twelve who was a brilliant robotic character. Seeing it struggle with emotions and the recollection of the tunnel collapse was definitely difficult for it which was very interesting. The Flisk being integrated in human society seemed a bit of a stretch to me with no particular background to events, but that's not to say it was bad at all. Martha feeling appalled when she had her mind infiltrated at the start was excellent. The use of the telepathic nature of their abilities worked well, but I do think they could have been utilised more than in the instance of escape. There's a lot of capabilities there which were perhaps slightly under-utilised. The story for Director Cowley was quite emotional as she was clearly in some severe mental distress with everything that was going on. The threat in this book was incredible with every species on Earth at risk from the dust infection from the Gappa. Their evolutionary cycle was just unsustainable. The ending came quickly and with pace which was exciting for the climax and I liked how the TARDIS was used to rid the threat immediately. It was certainly an efficient way to close out the novel which I really enjoyed from start to finish! It was very solid. The adventure for Rapley was humorous following him creeping across and trying to get away with being blamed for O'Keefe's death, but he was still alive! That was a really good moment. Overall, an enjoyable read!

Rating: 8/10

The Fearless Part 4

"We're losing the war with the Daleks and we need a miracle."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: January 2008

Series: Dalek Empire 4.04

Featuring: Kade, Landen

Synopsis

The Daleks have devised a plan that will deliver a decisive victory. General Landen and her fleet are all that stand in their way. And then there's Kade...

Verdict

The Fearless conclude in decent style with a really good fourth and final part of what has been a terrific fourth series of Dalek Empire! It was quite different to what I was expecting after the cliffhanger from the previous part, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t good. It was far from it. The story starting with the President of the Earth Alliance expecting an imminent Dalek victory was good and there was definitely an atmosphere of desperation. Landen needing to come up with a bit of magic to defeat the Daleks was good and she quickly came up with the answer which I actually wasn’t expecting. Rather than detailing her tactics in traditional storytelling fashion, the use of the news report explaining how Landen had come up with a temporary victory was excellent. It helped with the pace of the adventure which is always beneficial. She’d hit hard and hit fast which is probably the only way to gain any kind of advantage over the Daleks. The scale of the report was intriguing considering that all the defeat had accomplished was a little time. The arrival of a tran-solar disk seemed like there was going to be a great deal of action right away, but it turned out to be Kade using it as help to get back to Landen. From there, I was expecting him to be ruthless but he was clearly impacted by the duration and extent of his journey. Using the spacer on minimal power was not ideal and finding out that he was the last remaining Fearless was really good. He was the last man standing and that led me to think that would just add to his anger. It an extent it did, but he still wasn’t himself. Mezeran as his doctor and reporting on his endless jogging was intriguing. He was tying to get back up to pace which was admirable so soon after all he’d been through. The plan of the Daleks to bring an artificial asteroid storm to the Solar System and take out the birthplace of all humanity was superb. I really liked that audacity of that. This was the Daleks at their best. They’d take out some of the outer planets in the system and that would be that. With how the previous part ended, I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear him acting as the commander of the Flagship Herald! The cheers he had when appointed showed how much he was appreciated and how well the news of his resurrection of sorts was welcomed. I was amazed that Kade conducted his duties and I was hoping that he was playing a patient game but I really wasn’t sure if that would be the case. His joy at finding Fisk was terrific but I was still frustrated that he wasn’t confronting Landen about what she had done. It honestly had me questioning whether the transmission we heard in part three was actually a dummy and plant by the Daleks to break apart the core of the Earth Alliance. The truth being that Fisk was in a coma set Kade off into what I was hoping for from the start and he had quite an outburst at Landen which was delightful to hear. It was an outpouring and that’s exactly what it should have been. He thought Fisk had been tampered and hearing the echoes of Lajitta was quite sad again. I did hope that some sort of truth regarding this would have been confirmed. The Earth Alliance attempting to clear a path to the central gravity generator of the asteroid storm and turn it off was good and obviously logical and the action that stemmed from that was really good to listen to. Landen being forced into a suit and coming with him on what he’d deemed a suicide mission was sublime. Instead of killing her point blank, he was going to make her suffer and show her what she was commanding her troops into. The drift off course was good and I liked how Kade even knew he should’ve been aborted the mission but just wanted Landen to experience what it was like on the ground. They’d have to improvise and Landen was begging for safety. The scenes at this moment at the centre of the gravity control were immense and full of excitement. Landen surrendering to the Daleks was an interesting move and it was good to highlight just how in control the Daleks were. I was also interested to find that Landen had no answer for what she had done to recruit Kade to the Fearless. That was quite extraordinary. Kade using Susan Mendes and the knowledge he had of her true plan was fantastic and he wasn’t holding back in calling Landen stupid for her mission that called to assassinate the Angel of Mercy. It was a duplicate. The Daleks exterminating all of the survivors apart from Kade and Landen was good and set up a really great dynamic for the rest of the audio. Kade talking to the Dalek Emperor was terrific and I loved Landen’s reaction when he showed up on the hyperlink. I wasn’t expecting Kade to tell the real plan of Suz and Kalendorf but the Emperor knew it anyway. The use of explosives to take out the gravitational centre seemed to come out of nowhere but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good. Kade saving Landen was a hugely significant moment but I didn’t like that she was challenging him about not being able to shoot her. That was quite out of order. Him ejecting her from the suit was fantastic and she soon had different thoughts. Kade wanted her to say she was sorry and whilst she was aware that what she did to Kade wasn’t pretty, she seemed to have no remorse which was despicable. The suit distress beacon coming to Landen’s safety was good whilst Kade had been restrained because it was thought that he was mad. From the outside, that wasn’t too much of a surprise to expect. Landen allowed Kade to resign as she finally seemed to realise the torment she had made him endure. He didn’t kill her because he wasn’t a Dalek which was a brilliant line. Hearing the speech of Susan Mendes as the rebellion came into fruition from “Death to the Daleks!” was a really nice moment in the story. That tied things in very nicely. Finding out that Talis Minor was where Kade had gone to get the feel of everything being gone rather than just knowing was somewhat harrowing and emotional. Things ended quite definitively with that but Landen still seemed to think that Kade will realise there is a war to fight. I’m not so sure myself. Overall, a really great audio to conclude what has been a hugely impressive series!

Rating: 8/10

The Fearless Part 3

"They've got Susan Mendes on board and she's our target."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2007

Series: Dalek Empire 4.03

Featuring: Kade, Landen, Susan Mendes

Synopsis

On board the star cruiser Amorist, the outcome of the war with the Daleks hangs in the balance.

Kade knows what he has to do, but has he been told the truth?

Verdict

The Fearless continued in superb fashion with this terrific third part! I am really enjoying the fourth series of Dalek Empire thus far and it might just be my favourite yet. It’s a really good tale and very emotional and it’s fair to say that I am invested in the events. The start of this audio was quite intriguing with the Dalek Supreme reporting to what I can only assume was the Dalek Emperor about the scheduled events on the Amorist. I would love for the Emperor to have a big role in the series finale, but I’m not entirely sure that will be the case. The plot for the adventure was brilliant and full of action with the mission regarding the Amorist. The idea of 25 spacers being split across 3 systems and slowly planning to close in on their target was good and well paced. The continuity from the second part with Avers now meeting Ollander was really good and it was great that she was questioning why he was acting in the way he was after she was adoring the Angel of Mercy. Avers and Kenzie were after a hiding spot from the Daleks and it was nice for Suz to actually hide them and powerfully convince the Daleks that they weren’t in her facility. That spoke a lot of volumes and she didn’t seem to be bothered by the control she had over the lowly orders of the Dalek race. The attack of the maniac squad for the Dalek ship being retaliated with an engine strike was good as it took out a significant portion of the squad with just nine remaining. The Daleks shutting down their ship was interesting and I loved that they sent just one out to investigate. Kade clearly being impacted by the strike was good and it was quite hard to listen to him hearing echoes of his wife. He’s missing her incredibly and that’s quite tough. He was then in charge of the attack and wanted to take out the four humans on board because he assumed they were working for the Daleks. That was understandable and provided some interesting thought. The Daleks questioning the presence of the spacers was good and it was terrific to know that they had knowledge of the Fearless. Why wouldn’t they? The Daleks predicting that the maniac squad would target Suz was good and it had me thinking about what whacky plan they were carrying out on this occasion. Fisk discovering some transmission data was really interesting and I loved that it included accounts from Kade and Landen. Avers being killed was quite unexpected as he was a good character, but when the Daleks wanted to exterminate Kenzie and Ollander as well Suz was easily able to convince them not to carry out the death. Kennedy locating the humans was interesting as he had quite a quiet story. Suz realising that she was the target of an assassination squad was an excellent moment. I was hugely surprised when she just left Kenzie to die though despite Ollander’s pleas. There was clearly something different about her. The maniac squad capturing Ollander was a very good story development and they’d carried out quite a successful mission with just one of six Daleks remaining and even that wasn’t in a good way. Kade coming face to face with Susan Mendes was outstanding and I loved how he showed absolutely no remorse. The continuing mentions of Kalendorf are interesting and I have a feeling he might pop up in the finale which would be fantastic. Ollander suggesting that Suz was carrying out a true plan that would involve the Knight of Velyshaa’s telepathic abilities and rising up against the Daleks when the time was right was really interesting. Kade still wasn’t having any of it despite his questions and admitting the possibilities. Fisk refusing to eject Ollander from the ship was good and his challenging of Kade regarding nothing being able to bring his wife back was incredibly powerful. Kade’s reaction was completely warranted! Kade also recalling the Dalek that was captured in part one was superb and I liked how he enjoyed the fact that a lot of useful information had been retrieved from it. Fisk continuing to defy orders and suggest that everything would remain accomplished if they just took Suz and extracted information from her about the Dalek plans and strategies. There was logic to that but he was just enraged about Lajitta and his daughter. Kade knew there was something about Suz which was good and I really liked that he continued to have no sentiment about her situation. He was pretty much putting her on trial and wanting justification for why she was a traitor and on the side of the Daleks. I liked that a lot. He admitted she would be useful, but he was also incredibly clever and knew that the Daleks would also know how useful she would be to the Alliance. So why wouldn’t the lone Dalek kill her if she had the ability to reveal all of their plans? That was a magnificent development! The conclusion of the adventure was sublime and opened up a whole lot of questions whilst answering some others. Fisk retrieved some Dalek data and they had been receiving transmissions from the Earth Alliance. Suz turned out to be a robot copy which I admittedly was a little disappointed by but I could see how it worked logically without impacting the first series. She turned out to be the source of the signal that was being emitted and it all turned out to be a Dalek plan the whole time. They wanted to feed false information to the Alliance whilst knowing their operations was superb with the Daleks now knowing that their plan had failed. But that wasn’t the story, that was all about Landen and Kade. The truth coming out about how Landen had planned everything to recruit Kade for the spacers which was very shocking and something I didn’t see coming. It was an outstanding development and has set things up perfectly for the finale. Not only had she brought the Daleks to Talis Minor to show Kade what he should be fighting for, but she’d also planned for him to lose everything he loved. That was quite phenomenal to be honest and just cruel. He would be prepared to risk everything then, but goodness what he has planned for Landen now. Overall, a fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10