The Dead Travel Fast

"You believe a human can comprehend the trauma I have endured?"

Writer: Mark Wright

Format: Short Story

Released: November 2020

Printed in: I Am The Master 02

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

Holidaying in Whitby, Bram Stoker is plunged into a world of horror when a grandfather clock washes to shore together with the hideous remains of the dying Master – who will do anything to survive.

Verdict

The Dead Travel Fast was an excellent continuation of the I Am The Master: Legends of the Renegade Time Lord collection of short stories! This was certainly a vast improvement upon Anger Management which opened the book and this was just a tremendous look into the life of the decaying version of the Master we first saw in The Deadly Assassin. Of course, as far as the Master is concerned this adventure must take place between that story and The Keeper of Traken so it's good to get a prose insight into what this incarnation was going through in his desperate struggle to survive between those serials. I thought this version of the Master was written so well and I loved the diary extract format of storytelling. I thought that was perfect for a short story such as this one and it was also pretty unique which makes it a good and intriguing part of the collection. I thought Bram Stoker was a really strong character to tell his story of meeting the Master and getting insight on what it was like to experience the will of the renegade Time Lord was marvellous. It worked really well to have the time period being 1890 as a nineteenth century man from this era was sophisticated and intelligent enough to challenge the Master, but wasn't able to quite explain his mental power and will. I thought it was a really clever choice and the character was just really good. He was interesting and I also enjoyed how the story's events played out over the course of around a week. The gaps in the extracts being down to an inability to explain what overcame Stoker was brilliant in explaining that he was obviously under the will of the Master. That was clear enough by the fact that he had pulled the grandfather clock from the sea and then up 199 steps! The Master was presented as being desperate which worked very well and his desire for life being to get revenge upon the Doctor was a nice addition to the story. Him blaming his arch nemesis for coming to the end of his regeneration cycle does need a little more explanation though! Surely that can't be the Doctor's fault? Unless he/she is the cause of a number of unseen regeneration? Now that would be something! The Master mentioning how he endured a failed regeneration was intriguing and I liked the possibility of it suggesting that he didn't even know he was at the end of his regenerative cycle. The fact that he was firmly degenerating was also terrific and showed what he was enduring to stay alive. The comment where he sharply stated that he burned himself to stay alive was incredibly powerful. I liked how Stoker was impacted by his experience with the Master and so much so that his appearance noticeably changed to the horror of Miss Stokes and Miss Smith. The Master trying to use rats as a way of furthering his life and harnessing minimal artronic energy was fantastic and I also really liked how Stoker drew the line when the Master realised he would have to upgrade to human life now. His challenging of the Master's attempts of a forceful obey was superb stuff. Murder was where the line was drawn and I thought that was great stuff. The moment where the Master's TARDIS was sent into dematerialising by a fiddling Stoker was fantastic and the panic of the Master was so clear which highlighted the seriousness of his predicament. I enjoyed that greatly. I adored the way things ended with Stoker realising he had escaped a troubled week, but was still haunted by the appearance and maniacal nature of the Master and hoped that he would never be coming back. Overall, a terrific little read!

Rating: 9/10

The Integral

"They fight or die."

Writer: David Bartlett

Format: Audio

Released: June 2016

Series: Companion Chronicles: Second Doctor 1.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

When tempers fray in the TARDIS, the Doctor struggles to help Jamie and Zoe resolve their differences. Arriving at Aspen Base proves a welcome distraction; but the isolate facility is under siege. Can Jamie's belief in right and wrong withstand the perspective changing power of the Integral?, Edvard killed to further experiments

Verdict

The Integral was not the greatest of Companion Chronicles unfortunately and it ended up continuing the first volume in the range exclusively for the Second Doctor in not the best fashion. That was a big shame as the range as a whole is usually pretty solid and the boxset itself started so well with The Mouthless Dead and The Story of Extinction. Fingers crossed this is just a blip and we still a good way to conclude in the fourth and final story. It was strange that I felt this was quite a poor adventure as only The Stealers From Saiph has a rating equal to this with it joining that Fourth Doctor tale as the only audios in the range to receive a rating of less than 7/10 from myself. Of course, this is all just my personal opinion but it does go to show how strong the Companion Chronicles are. Anyway, onto the audio at hand and I actually really enjoyed how things started with Jamie and Zoe having an argument about all of the alien species they encounter on their TARDIS travels with the former arguing that each and every one of them was intent on invasion and generally just being evil. Based on his experiences with the Doctor, that was not exactly a surprise for him to jump to that conclusion! Of course, having him interact with the scientific and logical mind of Zoe was fun because she knew that this was all down to chance and the Doctor soon agreed with her. It still seemed to be slightly early into Zoe's travels in the TARDIS since joining in The Wheel in Space which was lovely and I thought both Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury did a stellar job with their narration, although the latter was certainly at the forefront. One element of the story I didn't enjoy was the fight between Jamie and Morgan. Whilst I liked that Jamie was protecting Zoe, the actual sound effects that accompanied the scuffle were terrible in my opinion. It just seemed like a repetitive grunt which wasn't too great and took away from my enjoyment of the audio which is obviously not what you want. I did think some of the guest characters were decent with Doctor Edvard starting off well, although the twist with him actually being the killer in order to ensure his experiments were carried out to a final result was a little predictable and not anywhere near as emphatic as it ought to have been. I quite liked the neuro-electrical elements of the science behind the plot and the Integral were actually a good deal of fun. Their ability to read minds was terrific and something with that potential could have been used much better. They sounded okay as the robots with it being a unique role for Padbury to perform. Their abilities to promote calmness by literally absorbing anger was excellent, but I never felt they reached their potential and just didn't excite me as the story went on. Coordinator Elm was another decent character, but her death seemed to come out of nowhere and not have a notable impact which just felt strange. Quriker's Syndrome was also a good element but I would have liked a bit more elaboration on what it actually was and what it meant to those who had it. The highlight for me was definitely Jamie and Zoe's interaction and the complete differing of opinions when it came to the pair's thinking and how they saw the perspective of others was magnificent. I was a really big fan of that and I liked how when Zoe realised that this was not how Jamie saw the world and other people, she was quick to console and comfort him as it must have been a big internal change to experience that. Unfortunately, we were taken into another lame fight scene with Xerox and the revelation of the miscalculation of the Pacifitron just didn't seem important. There probably was just a bit too much going on and with that happening, there wasn't enough time to get clarity and emotionally invest into plot elements and the characters. By the time of the conclusion, I just wasn't overly bothered and I appreciated the pace, but it just wasn't all that great. Overall, some fun elements with Jamie and Zoe but the plot at its heart just wasn't entirely for my liking. 

Rating: 5/10

The Silent Scream

"Tonight's the night they come to steal my voice."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: March 2017

Series: FDA 6.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

On the set of a busy Hollywood movie in the late 1920s, a damsel is in distress! As cameras roll, she opens her mouth to scream and... nothing comes out. Nothing at all. It's happened again.

The Doctor, Romana and K9 have arrived in a terrified Tinseltown. A new film is being made and several stars of the silent screen are viewing it as a potential comeback... but it may prove a poisoned chalice. Actors are vanishing and strange creatures stalk the streets.

Something evil is lurking behind the scenery. Can the Doctor stop it when he doesn't have a voice?

It's time for his close-up.

Verdict

The Silent Scream was a very good Fourth Doctor Adventures audio! It's always an enjoyable listen with the Fourth Doctor, Romana II and K9 teaming up and a trip to 1920s Hollywood was definitely a good ingredient for an audio story. This was a lot of fun and the setting really did work well with the movie business in the locale starting to boom. Throwing the Fourth Doctor into that was magnificent and the way he revered Waldorf was terrific. He really was like a fanboy meeting his favourite celebrity and that's always a lot of fun. Tom Baker was on top form. Incorporating the movie business of this period into a story worked superbly and I liked the idea of a curse surrounding a certain role on Fires of Fate. That was a really good plot idea and the threat of voices being taken away was excellent. For a Hollywood adventure, that was a wonderful plot. It ended up turning into an audio version of The Idiot's Lantern in a way with voices being taken instead of faces, but with the unique setting and different era along with the change of main characters this still felt different enough that things weren't repetitive. But the similarities were clearly there and that was absolutely fine. I really liked how the setting was described in the adventure and the mentions of the Hollywood Land sign really showed the era. I was lucky enough to visit Los Angeles in 2018 and although I wasn't overly impressed with the city, the Hollywood sign was the site of one of my favourite pictures from the Griffith Observatory. I can't imagine it having an extra word, but now that the image is in my head I'd love to have seen that in person. It was also good to highlight that Romana was a Time Lady with her lack of knowledge on Hollywood movies and actors was terrific stuff. She was a little frustrated by that which was nice to see and it was intriguing to find that she was potentially jealous of the Doctor's knowledge of the time and place. One element of the audio that I didn't quite like was all of the grunting. For an audio story, sound is obviously so important but at times I felt that it was a little overbearing during some instances which was a shame. I can understand why it was there but as a personal preference it was a bit too much. Dr Julius was a very good villainous character and his coming from the future was really good. I liked that element and his scheme to steal voices along with the potential of them being authenticated was a lot of fun. I also liked how he was played and he was able to shift from serious to humour which is what you always want from a villain. I liked the celluloids a lot and they really did remind me of the Kasaavin from Spyfall. There were clear similarities there and I do wonder if Chris Chibnall had listened to this audio shortly before writing that Series 12 opener. The Doctor ending up having his voice taken was magnificent and his complete lack of worry when he was uploaded to the sound cloud (essentially) was marvellous. It just allowed him to get closer to Julius and he revelled in that which was lovely to hear. I thought the use of the sonic to basically transfer the Doctor's voice back to his body and upload Julius to his own cloud was good, efficient but perhaps a little too much reliance on the trusty sonic. The emphasis on the 'sonic' of the screwdriver was really good though. I thought the moment at the end when Waldorf stated she hadn't seen any good special effects after the Doctor and Romana's cover story being they were in special effects was wonderful, because the anticipation of the Doctor dematerialising the TARDIS to hear her reaction was brilliant. A really lovely way to end what was a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Anger Management

"It was the darker emotions that generated the most power."

Writer: Peter Anghelides 

Format: Short Story

Released: November 2020

Printed in: I Am The Master 01

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis

Blackmailed by a sinister biomechanoid, the Master must use his talents to liberate three alien warlords held captive on Earth. Can he turn the tables on his oppressors?

Verdict

Anger Management was a somewhat decent start to the I Am The Master: Legends of the Renegade Time Lord collection of short stories! I am a big fan of putting a volume of stories for differing incarnations of the Master and I was delighted to see that my local library stocked a copy of this book and I believe I was the first to reserve it. I was clearly eager to get started, but unfortunately this was something of a mixed start. I'm not sure it works well in a short story given the obvious limitation of page and word count to have a plot focused on three different parts of a combined goal. There just isn't enough time for things to have meaning and the three characters that were warlords without knowing it just didn't matter much because we barely got time to know them. I thought that was a big shame. I enjoyed the writing and description of this incarnation of the Master and it was clear to tell that this was the Delgado Master. The mentions of Clangers and the Master's time spent on twentieth-century Earth was really good and I also loved his reaction to the claim he was fond of humanity. The way the story started with the Master imprisoned was really good and I like the irony of having him imprisoned. I was half expecting a story set between The Daemons and The Sea Devils initially and that could have worked really well and been a fun little jaunt for the Master whist the Third Doctor believed him to be imprisoned. Loge being the one to take on the Master and have him imprisoned for three years whilst fr this biomechanoid it had only been a few seconds. The idea of the entrapment being a blink of an eye for the Time Lord and contemplating revenge was good and the amount of time spent must have meant the Master conjured up quite the plan. The Master taking on a number of disguises throughout the story was fun and him proudly boasting to be a connoisseur in disguise was a highlight for sure. His take as Juan Martino and being a football manager was incredibly unique, although as a big football fan myself I just don't think the writing of a football match was accurate in the slightest. Even more so for the twentieth century! I don't think there was quite the influx of foreign talent at the time this Master was masquerading around Earth and the use of flares in the crowd is a modern foreign import so that was very much out of place. The move then to a concert and the band with Alienated Youth and Sam and Bronwen amongst others was nothing more than okay for me and I just seemed to have lost interest from that point forward as I already knew that there was too much going on for the format. There just wasn't enough space for things to become meaningful in my eyes. Siarnaq was a decent character and I did enjoy that there was an effort to use psychic power as a means of route to escape. The Master having fallen victim to a perception filter on the location of his TARDIS was decent, but I'm not sure on the reasoning of why that was lifted before the Master's purpose was fulfilled. It was good to have the Earth and all of humanity as a means to power the Hyrrokin goal of getting judgement in there own direction. There was just a bit too much going on for my liking in a collection where things need to be quick and pacy and exciting, and sadly that wasn't quite the case here. Thankfully, the character of the Master is so good that it remained a more than enjoyable read and his chuckle at the end when the warlords basically incinerated themselves was magnificent. Overall, some positives but not the greatest of stories to kick off the collection.

Rating: 6/10

The Calendar Man

"I'm holding onto everyone's memories."

Writer: AK Benedict

Format: Audio

Released: August 2018

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 1.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

Answering a cry for help, the Doctor and Amy arrive on a misty colony world – but nobody thinks anything is wrong. Nobody, except for one young woman, hiding in shadows and scribbling in her notebook.

Soon, Amy is on the trail of missing colonists, while the Doctor strides into the fog in search of a fairy-tale.

But time is running out, and the Calendar Man is flicking through the pages of their lives...

Verdict

The Calendar Man was a fantastic start to the Eleventh Doctor Chronicles! I received this audio set for Christmas and even though I am yet to blog them in their entirety, it completed my ownership of all of the Doctor Chronicles released thus far which I am thrilled by! I was very impressed with the start and I liked that for the opening adventure we kept things simple and just had the Eleventh Doctor travelling with Amy as a singular companion. It's weird to think that there are only those bunch of episodes in Series 5 where that was the case so to get an extra outing here to add to the list is a big bonus. I really enjoyed Jacob Dudman's narration and he really does do a masterful job in telling a story and brining the lead characters to life. His take on Amy Pond was even pretty darn good which is mightily impressive considering he's not even the same gender. Testament to that must also go to the author for capturing the era and her personality very well in the dialogue. Now, onto the most impressive aspect of Dudman's narration and that's his impression of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. It really was outstanding and if I was told that Matt Smith himself starred in this adventure, I really don't think I would bat an eyelid. It was superb stuff. Onto the episode itself and I thought it had a very good concept at its heart with Olivia being on a planet where people were dying, and she was the only one aware that it was happening. That made her an immediate focal point which was really good and I loved the concept of someone's memories also dying when they perished. That was quite hard to contend with and Olivia's predicament of continuing to tell relatives and loved ones of their losses whilst knowing that she would be ridiculed because the memories were already gone was emotional. But she felt a duty because those dying had always asked her to tell them one thing or another. I enjoyed the fog element that came with the deaths and Olivia working out that she could track with it was terrific. It also added to the eery feel of the adventure which was a positive. The cause of all of the deaths being revealed as the Calendar Man was brilliant and I thought the concept behind this particular being was superb. Filling up a calendar with lives was a wonderful concept and the Doctor working out who it was made for a fantastic moment! 35 had perished with 330 yet to come. The Doctor offering himself to the Calendar Man was great stuff and I loved that the enemy acknowledged that the Doctor was in his final incarnation. The benefit of writing stories set earlier than big reveals is why audios like this work so well for me. I also liked the aspect of the Calendar Man being a Time Lord fairytale. That showed just how important and I guess dangerous he was as someone to take on. The Doctor's past incarnations taking up pages of the Calendar Man was excellent but I would have loved for just a few little cameo audios! Why not take the chance to throw in some dialogue from Big Finish adventures with each incarnation? That'd have added a lot for me. I thought Olivia's role in the ending was really good and the Calendar Man's reaction to seeing that the Doctor's signature was already signed by someone else was terrific. Olivia really was a lovely character and the way she bore the responsibility of keeping everyone's memories and their stories alive was wonderful. I also liked her relationship with Amy. The Calendar Man being unable to kill an innocent and also keeping his end of the bargain in returning the memories of those taken was a fitting end to what was a really good audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Blue Forgotten Planet

"One day the whole human race just forgot."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: September 2009

Series: Monthly Adventures 126

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis

'So, this is the blue planet you've forgotten about. But take another look. You helped us once. I know you can help us again.'

On Earth, civilisation has ended and time is running out for the Doctor and Charlotte Pollard. 

Will the mysterious Viyrans really help?

Verdict

Blue Forgotten Planet was an excellent Monthly Adventure and a fantastic way for Charley to depart as companion! It seems like Charley has been with me my whole way through my run of listening to the Monthly Adventures ever since I started what feels like an age ago! After her excellent debut in Storm Warning and countless adventures since, it's quite sad that this is the end for the Edwardian adventuress with the Doctor in either of the incarnations she has travelled with. I really liked the continuity here with Patient Zero and the Viyrans aiming to wipe out all knowledge and trace of the viruses, but one thing I wasn't expecting so quickly after Paper Cuts was for this to establish a lengthy gap between stories with Mila posing as Charley having travelled with the Doctor for a very long time. I'm absolutely fine with that as it opens up a large window for future adventures set chronologically before this one, but I don't see why things were rushed. Couldn't we have just gotten at least some of those stories? It's also clearly established that Charley has been carrying out missions for the Viyrans since the events of Patient Zero where she was taken and cured of the virus. I liked the idea of the Blue Forgotten Planet documentary and a series showcasing the dire situation on the planet and highlighting the need to save was very good. I thought it was even better to find out that it was all a ploy and that the Viyrans were actually using the footage as part of their analysis in deducing whether the human race should survive or not. That was a powerful moment. I thought the pace of this adventure was really good and I also felt that the music and atmosphere was particularly great for this audio. It really gave it a big feel and it was clear that this was going to b an important story! There was a good sense of importance which I thoroughly enjoyed. The guest cast in this one were brilliant and I really liked McCallister and his link with the Viyrans as their puppet was a good plot element. Green and Driscoll's relationship was terrific to explore and I also thought Atherton was an excellent character. There really wasn't a lot I didn't like about this one! The madness that impacted the human race was superb and I loved how it was an unseen effect of the supposed cure. With all that's going on in the real world right now, that seemed terribly foreshadowing of a potential future! Let's hope we don't all go forgetting civilisation and society around us. The situation being that humanity didn't even know what year it was worked very well for me. The Doctor was on top form as ever in his sixth incarnation on audio and his reaction when he found out the odds of the human race contracting the virus from a single particle within them was somewhere around one in five billion was brilliant! He was utterly gobsmacked that they would even contemplate genocide for a threat on such a minuscule scale. Charley and Mila making claim to who was the true version was very good and surely the genesis of the idea we would see on television with Osgood. It was brilliant stuff. Charley revealing the truth of her future travels with the Eighth Doctor was lovely and I thought it was wonderful for her to admit that she had loved him, and she felt that he loved her back. I'm not so sure it was reciprocated, but I really like that she felt loved by the Doctor. They were an outstanding pair. Her mentions of how she was saved by the Doctor and then went on to have a large number of adventures was magnificent and her telling the Sixth Doctor of the events of The Girl Who Never Was so she could be sure he would willingly have the memories erased was fantastic. I thought it was a very good way to explain how the Eighth Doctor didn't recognise Charley when first meeting her and he was instead planted with a memory of Mila and how she had come to rely on the TARDIS with that being her reason for leaving. Planting the seed of the Doctor suggesting perhaps he just faked not knowing her to protect the Web of Time was brilliant and something I like to think might be the case. The apparent death of Mila was handled very quickly and hearing the emotion of Charley when carrying out the memory change of the Doctor and staying with the Viyrans was a good way to finish. Overall, a superb audio! I just wish we had a bit more in the way of showcasing the gap between stories, but that's not to say it won't come in time. Farewell, Charley! And onto the spinoff...

Rating: 9/10

The Second Oldest Question

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Writer: Carrie Thompson

Format: Audio

Released: October 2019

Series: Short Trips 9.10

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

The oldest question in the universe has haunted the Doctor ever since he left Gallifrey. A question that only a few know the answer to. A question that must never be answered.

This isn't the story of that question. This is the story of the second oldest question. A question that has plagued humanity for millennia. A question which determines whether someone can live or die. A question that must be answered.

Verdict

The Second Oldest Question was an incredibly unique Short Trips adventure to say the least! I don't know what I was expecting from this adventure, but it certainly wasn't what we got! It really was one of the most absurd and just downright strange audios I have ever listened to and that really was part of its charm as well. I thought the synopsis and slight play on events alluding to the oldest question and everything that pertains to the Eleventh Doctor and River Song was very good, but the way this diverted from that here with such a different story for the second oldest question was quite incredible. I mean, the whole basis of the adventure surrounded a chicken being put on trial for arson! That was the audio. It's mad and utterly ludicrous when you think about it, but somehow it just about worked in a really fun way whilst also being completely silly. I thought the fourteenth century setting of 1357 worked well and I enjoyed the location of Snittlegarth very much. It was unique and historical which I really liked and the trial taking place in court during this period was unlike anything we have come across before. I thought Sarah Sutton did a very impressive job as the narrator as she had to play a large number of characters and they really did present quite a range. As a sole actor within the story, she did a very good job with her differentiation of the different historical figures. The supposed arson that the chicken was accused of occurred at Widow Webb's house and everything that resulted from that was just barmy. Even the Doctor taking on the job of defending a chicken that was standing trial in court was bonkers, but at the same time it was right up his alley! I can imagine him revelling in the challenge. Nyssa did a good job in capturing the feel of the Fifth Doctor and I thought the author also did a good job in presenting the era. Bennett was a good character and his linking the chicken's actions to those of the Devil was a lot of fun. I thought it worked very well to have Nyssa as the companion in this story as her lack of understanding concerning why a chicken was being accused when it didn't have any concept of reason and just acted to fulfil its basic survival needs and instincts was fantastic. That aspect really worked well. Rowlf initially being revered by the people for praying for rain once the fire ensued was quite amusing, but not as much as the second oldest question being revealed. The very idea that the chicken was conjured by witchcraft to cross the road and set arson to Widow Webb's was just daft and fun. It's actually ludicrous that we now have a Doctor Who story concerning the probable origin of 'Why did the chicken cross the road?'! And the answer is witchcraft! The Doctor's stunned reaction when Rowlf was sentenced to hanging after proving the chicken's innocence was a good moment, but I don't think we needed the addition of him being from Augury 23. I think this would have been so much more fun had it remained a pure historical as everything that comes with witchcraft potentially being around at this time would have added to the audacity of what it was telling. The ending with the Doctor saving Rowlf from execution and the apparent invention of community service was a very good way to end things though. Overall, a completely bonkers story but one that was definitely fun.

Rating: 7/10

Day of Reckoning

"You are a prisoner of the Mechanoids."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 10 December 2020

Series: Daleks! 05

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

The Dalek Emperor and the Dalek Strategist return to Skaro to make a final stand against their enemies. Where do the Strategist's loyalties lie?

Verdict

Day of Reckoning was an excellent series finale of Daleks!. I have really enjoyed this animated series as part of the Time Lord Victorious range of adventures across a number of platforms, and this was a really good way to conclude this portion. I think I mentioned in my blogging of The Archive of Islos that I felt it was important we got some form of visual story for the range and animation was the next best thing with it not being feasible to go for a full on televised episode. It adds so much depth to the Dalek Time Squad and even though I have now encountered different members across a number of different stories now, I feel like I know them a lot better now because I've seen them in action and they were great! Following on from The Deadly Ally here was very good and the imagery of the Daleks fleeing on essentially crash landing on Skaro was excellent because we are just not used to seeing them in that sort of position. It was quite powerful and actually did a very good job in showcasing what the Mechanoids were all about. The Dalek ship was battered and barely got them back to their home planet, but it was still a terrific moment to see the Emperor and Strategist back on Skaro. There's something special about the Dalek planet. I thought the arrival of the Mechanoids was really good and their desire for revenge after being used against the Entity was brilliant. Emotional robots is certainly interesting! They were intent on destroying Skaro and the Daleks with it which created a lot of excitement, but their numbers were matched as the Emperor's deception had counted once again. Of course he and the Strategist weren't the only two Daleks left! The emergence of Daleks in their numbers from the catacombs of Skaro was brilliant and the prospect of a final battle was fitting for the finale. The action scenes were great and I really enjoyed the animation once again. I can imagine this being a big favourite for younger viewers. The Mechanoids targeting the Strategist within Skaro was really good and exploring the relationship shared with the Mechanoid Queen was wonderful. I liked how she tried to use the positioning of the Emperor in Dalek hierarchy against the Strategist, but that worked right into the Dalek's hands. The supposed plan of the Strategist joining forces with the Mechanoids to remove the Emperor from his position and send him into the Entity's dimension was fantastic, but the moment where the Strategist subtly turned and revealed he'd changed the base code to the Mechanoids and saw their entire forces sent through the barrier and into the other dimension was outstanding. A chilling moment of Dalek brilliance that I really appreciated. It was probably my favourite moment of the entire series and saving it for the finale after a lengthy build was definitely a good pay off. I also liked how the series continuity was rounded off from Planet of the Mechanoids with the Dalek Emperor admiring the plan of the Strategist and calling its payoff beautiful. Finally, they had a concept of this word and that related to sending both the Entity and the Mechanoids, two of the Daleks' greatest threats, into another dimension. Skaro was theirs once again, and they were set on their way for adventures we would later see with the Doctor amidst the Time Lord Victorious. Overall, a fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10

The Deadly Ally

"Mechanoid might is second only to Dalek might."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 03 December 2020

Series: Daleks! 04

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

The Daleks and the Mechanoids unite against the Entity. Will they save the universe, or will the Dalek Emperor find itself in the firing line?

Verdict

The Deadly Ally was a decent continuation of the animated Daleks! series as part of the ongoing Time Lord Victorious range! After a really impressive build up and a reunion between the Daleks and the Mechanoids so long after The Chase was broadcast, I think this was a good continuation of where things have led to, but I would be lying if I said there weren't a couple of things I felt needed improving. One thing I did enjoy was the Daleks boasting about having damaged the orbital ray on their arrival to Mechanus and their actions were the lan along in wanting to see the Mechanoids take on the Entity that they had tried so hard and failed to beat. They had lost their planet, their reserves at the Sentinel and now they were on the run and so desperate that they enlisted the help of an old foe. Their challenge to the Mechanoids was excellent in suggesting that if they were actually so superior to the Daleks then they would have no problem in defeating the Entity. Of course, they didn't even need to try and goad the Mechanoids into helping the because the damaged caused had pretty much created a forced alliance as far as the Mechanoids were concerned. I thought that was great stuff and definitely the Daleks at their best. It was quite refreshing to see the Daleks merely represented by the Dalek Emperor and Dalek Strategist and the power they both embodied was great. I really enjoyed the line of how the Emperor almost wanted a thank you for bringing the Entity to Mechanus so that the Mechanoids could take it on from a position of strength. It would always have found its way to Mechanus eventually. The audacity of such a claim from the Daleks was really well done. The Dalek desire to learn about the Entity and how it had consumed to increase its power and strength was very good and I enjoyed how the Strategist had an audible thirst for knowledge. It wanted to know how to defeat it and the Mechanoids were just part of the latest efforts. The Entity taking the form of a Mechanoid to deliver a warning was decent and the ultimatum of surrendering the last of the Daleks was pretty good, if not a tad repetitive. The Mechanoids thinking for themselves and using science to tackle the problem presented by the Entity was good and the plan of gaining an energy print and reopening a portal to send it back where it came from seemed logical and a good basis to head towards during the episode. The relationship between the Emperor and Strategist continued to be of interest with the latter seemingly being forgotten by the former with the Entity on Mechanus causing destruction. I thought it was good to have the Emperor as a target, although surely it would use Dalek logic to realise extermination attempts would be futile and it just endured senseless damage. The scenes there seemed a little stop-start which was a little off in my eyes. The way the Entity was quickly defeated by the Mechanoid and Dalek Strategist was surprising as it had received a really strong build so I was expecting the payoff in the series finale if I'm honest. The use of the orbital ray into a beam was good and I thought the relationship between the Dalek Strategist and Mechanoid scientist was excellent. I would love for that to be explored further! The Queen ordering the Emperor be gone at the end of the episode was very good and the shock in the latter's voice at being commanded was great to see and hear. The warning from the Mechanoids to the Daleks was a good lead into what I am now sure will be an unpredictable last episode! Overall, another decent episode but not quite up to the scratch of the last three.

Rating: 7/10

Planet of the Mechanoids

"The Daleks have come to you with a proposition."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 26 November 2020

Series: Daleks! 03

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

The Daleks offer an alliance to their foes, the Mechanoids. But will their Queen accept the Daleks' offer at face value, or has she a plan of her own for the Emperor?

Verdict

Planet of the Mechanoids was another very good episode of Daleks! to continue the series as part of the Time Lord Victorious story arc! This is really terrific stuff and it's wonderful to reunite the Daleks with the Mechanoids so long after the latter was brought in as a rival way back when in The Chase. The circumstances in which the Mechanoids returned here was unexpected given the situation the Dalek Time Squad found themselves in and I thought that made for a very intriguing dynamic. I thought the visuals of the Mechanoid city as the Daleks strode past their planetary defences were magnificent and another fantastic example of how good the animation has been for this online series. It really must go down as a feat and something I am very much a big fan of seeing. I do hope this might be a catalyst for further animated adventures within the Doctor Who universe as the potential there is unrelenting! I thought the introduction of the Mechanoid Queen was very good and I enjoyed the way she sounded and looked. With the Emperor clearly the head of the Daleks, it was good for the Mechanoids to also have a focused figure as the lead character of their race. The blue colour worked well and I enjoyed the imagery of her alongside the Dalek Emperor. The prospect of the Daleks proposing an alliance with their old enemies was fantastic and showed just how fearful they were of their predicament with the Entity that was pursuing them. I loved the gritted teeth notion of the Emperor admitting that the Daleks no longer viewed the Mechanoids as inferior species. They were lying of course, but even to suggest a statement like that must have been horrible for them. There was certainly a sense of Dalek desperation which was really good to see. Their admittance in recognising the value in the Mechanoids was good and the idea of an alliance between the two species was certainly something I would be interested in seeing! The star chamber looked really impressive and the conversation that followed with the Dalek Emperor and his race not having a concept of beauty was really good. I enjoyed how that was contrasted with the Strategist admitting that the Mechanoid city was efficient rather than beautiful. The Emperor pleading and revealing that even Mechanus was in danger was good and I loved how the Queen found humour in Skaro being abandoned. The Strategist wanting to talk science with the Mechanoids was good and the red Mechanoid we were introduced to looked great. It was a lot of fun to see the Mechanoids in colour animation as they definitely suited it! The issue of the orbital array was a good focal point and the danger that came with time running out was very good. I liked how whilst the Emperor was essentially discussing politics with the Queen, the Dalek 'children' couldn't help but end up in a fight with other Mechanoids. The battle pretty much presenting the Emperor and the Strategist as the last remaining Daleks was brilliant and I really enjoyed how much the Queen was revelling in this potentially being the end of the Dalek race. Except, the Emperor didn't solely come to Mechanus for an alliance and with it supposedly refused, he left the Queen with little choice as he had brought the Entity here and who knows if it would discriminate between robots. Overall, a really impressive little episode and great to see the Mechanoids back!

Rating: 8/10

The Sentinel of the Fifth Galaxy

"Skaro has fallen."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 19 November 2020

Series: Daleks! 02

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

Under attack, the Daleks flee to their home planet. Fearing it is already too late, the Dalek Strategist comes up with a plan, one that requires the co-operation of the Sentinel.

Verdict

The Sentinel of the Fifth Galaxy was an excellent episode to continue Daleks! as part of the Time Lord Victorious story arc! I was hugely impressed with this one and was delighted to find that I enjoyed it even more than The Archive of Islos which itself was a terrific start! This was a superb little quarter of an hour and it was just brilliant to see the Daleks under attack and somewhat panicking. I will admit that things didn't exactly start how I expected them to with the Daleks fleeing from Islos immediately and with them being attacked, they scampered back home which I really enjoyed. I'm always a big advocate of visiting Skaro and the visuals we saw of the Dalek home world were very impressive and wonderfully reminiscent of how we saw it depicted in The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar. That was brilliantly done and just looked hugely impressive. I thought the animation stood up well once again for this episode and the idea behind the Entity that was attacking the Daleks and chasing them across space was great stuff. I was intrigued as I genuinely was expecting something with more of a character focus, but it was quite the troublesome element for the Daleks to deal with as once they'd arrived on Skaro, it was already in the atmosphere! The Strategist suggesting that the Entity existed outside of time was very good and I liked the prospect of the Daleks doing battle with something that had an air of oneupmanship on them. The Daleks like being superior so they can't have liked that particular trait of the Entity. The speed at which the Entity caused chaos on Skaro was sublime and I liked the stark comment of describing how Skaro was lost. Of course, we've seen it come back before after the likes of Remembrance of the Daleks so I'm not sure a wider placement in the Doctor Who universe is strictly needed as it's just fun to consider. I mean, look how many times the Master has died and returned without an explanation. The Emperor being lost for words about the situation on Skaro was a very powerful moment and I liked how the Strategist assumed command and gave orders which the Emperor just confirmed. I get the sense that we are building towards a confrontation there which is very good indeed. The Entity not giving up its pursuit was a lot of fun and resemblant of The Chase with the Dalek role reversed which was fantastic, but they did have a plan and it was the Sentinel as reinforcements. There were 10,000 Dalek troops waiting to be activated and the rally cry that followed their return to life with them proclaiming the Strategist as Emperor was excellent stuff. R-41 was a weird little character but I thoroughly enjoyed how the Entity had already taken him over and was learning to live in the Dalek dimension. I didn't see that one coming to be honest! The Strategist realising it had failed felt like another big moment and I particularly enjoyed that the Sentinel was seemingly pre-programmed. The Vault looked impressive and I also really liked the Entity's claims of being put on a mission to destroy the Daleks or otherwise find a better lead. That would be the Strategist and the intention to cause dissension amongst the Dalek hierarchy was magnificent. Big fan of that. The Strategist turning the tables and revealing he had already altered the self destruct timing of the Sentinel Daleks in an effort to take out the Entity was a superb plan that only worked as far as weakening it. The Daleks remain on the run, and I look forward to discovering what happens next. Overall, a fantastic episode!

Rating: 9/10

The Archive of Islos

"The Daleks value knowledge."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Animation

Broadcast: 12 November 2020

Series: Daleks! 01

Featuring: Dalek Time Squad

Synopsis

The Daleks invade the Archive of Islos – but will its guardians surrender?

Verdict

The Archive of Islos was a very impressive start to the Daleks! animated online series as part of the ongoing Time Lord Victorious range. I am watching these episodes after all five stories have been released to complete the series as I thought they were a little short in length to watch on a weekly episodic basis and personally would prefer to watch it all in one successive go over a couple of days, and I liked the start here. I will admit that I was a little sceptical prior to watching this episode and when the series itself was announced that with it being on YouTube only, I didn't think the animation was going to be too good but I was left pleasantly surprised with what I watched here! The visuals were really impressive and I think it was definitely the best visualisation we have had of the Dalek Time Squad across all of the formats thus far. Obviously, it's great to hear them in the Big Finish audios and read about them, and Defender of the Daleks was a close second as the artwork on that comic strip was terrific, but there was something about their movements here that was superb. This really did make me feel like I was a child again as it has been a very long time since I have watched animation like this. I thoroughly enjoyed. It's just great to have the Daleks as their own stars in a show, even if it is exclusively online and perhaps not getting the viewing figures it might have done if it were on a children's television channel. The premise of this episode was terrific and I really liked how devastating the attack on Islos was. The Daleks pretty much ravaged it and I thought the dark and space-like setting made for excellent visualisations and set a good tone for the episode. The robotics archivists were a good match for the Daleks and the Chief Archivist in particular was not shy to stand up to their attackers. The Daleks not regarding the artificial life as valuable or even worthy of their acknowledgement was fantastic and I enjoyed the visual meeting between the Chief and the Dalek Emperor. The humour that came with the former asking the latter if he wanted a membership card for the Archive was great and the bluntness in which the latter declined and wanted it handed over instead was really good. I thought the interaction between the Emperor and the Dalek Strategist was brilliant and I really loved the design of the latter and how it was battle torn. The sense of age there was superb and unlike any other Dalek we have come across before, at least in my opinion. The talk of the archivists' creators was intriguing and I look forward to them coming into proceedings in the next episode if the cliffhanger is anything to go by. That has definitely kept my interest and I think I will be watching episode two right after concluding this blog entry! The archivists refusing to hand over the Archive to the Daleks, at least initially, was very good and the Emperor's desire to destroy what he couldn't have was excellent. Of course, there was a quick u-turn and the Daleks soon lost their ability to gloat with it turning out that the Archive, once handed over to them, had lost its records with empty shelves. The population and the archive records had gone through the portal which seemed oddly reminiscent of the Gateway in Ascension of the Cybermen. The Daleks were obviously angry about this and exterminated all of the archivists, excluding the Chief, who revelled that their reward was handing over the Daleks to their creators. Overall, a fine start! 

Rating: 8/10

Revolution of the Daleks

"These machines are going to change the world."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 01 January 2021

Series: New Year's Day Special 2021

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham, Captain Jack

Synopsis

The Doctor is imprisoned halfway across the universe. On Earth, the sighting of a Dalek alerts Ryan, Graham and Yaz. Can the return of Captain Jack Harkness help them stop a deadly Dalek takeover?

Verdict

Revolution of the Daleks was an excellent episode to serve as the festive special and kick off Doctor Who in 2021 in a big way! I thought this was a hugely impressive story that delivered on almost all fronts and it's terrific to see social media giving seemingly unanimous praise to a Thirteenth Doctor story for once! There was so much good continuity and the emotion behind the characters as well following on from where The Timeless Children left off was superb. The prison scenes for the Doctor were fantastic and I loved that we got to take a look at the likes of a Weeping Angel, Silence and even the Pting! The continuity there was just so much fun and it was also clear to see just how long the Doctor had been imprisoned. She was going through her usual routine and then out of nowhere steps Captain Jack to save her which was just excellent. The chemistry between Jack and the Thirteenth Doctor was magnificent right from the off and the humour that came with each of them having work done was a real highlight. The references to the warning of the Lone Cyberman and everything that happened with Ascension of the Cybermen amongst other episodes was outstanding. The scenes in the other TARDIS with Yaz clearly still missing the Doctor and trying to work out if there was a way back to her was really good, but Ryan seemed to have moved on after being back on Earth for ten months. The arrival of the Doctor alongside Jack was marvellous and I liked how much Yaz wanted the Doctor to be there, only to shove her upon her greeting. One thing about the episode that I didn't quite enjoy was how the fam didn't seem to ask the Doctor where she had been or endured in space jail. The Doctor explaining how she was captured by the Judoon was wonderful though. Ryan's conversation with the Doctor in the TARDIS as they headed to Osaka was tremendous though and I liked how she was being pushed to go out and find the truth about who she is after the Master's revelations in the previous finale. It was good for her to confront the issues, even if she had to be pushed. The return of Robertson after an impressive debut in Arachnids in the UK was superb and he fitted in really well with the Prime Minister. The image of the Prime Minister introducing the new security drones outside Number 10 was fantastic and I thought the extermination live on television was quite spectacular! The immediate continuation of events from Resolution was unexpected but most welcomed with the Reconnaissance Dalek remains being harvested and from there we had Leo cloning the minuscule organic DNA that remained within the casing and grew his own Dalek mutant. From there, the design we had of the Robertson Daleks was sleek and really impressive. I thought the concept of them being a security drone was fun, but surely they would be recognisable from the likes of Doomsday or The Stolen Earth? Captain Jack's relationship with Yaz was wonderful and I really liked how he explained that the pain of losing the Doctor was worth the joy of being with her. Jack's love of the Doctor was clear to see. His description of having previous with the Daleks and never forgetting his first death which occurred in The Parting of the Ways was excellent and I also liked how he described his immortality with a Rose reference. Really nice stuff. The scale of the Dalek threat with the amount of drones was sublime and I loved how the Doctor's plan was to bring the Dalek death squad to take out the impure Daleks. The action that stemmed from that was excellent and the scenes on Bristol Suspension Bridge is something I have been longing for as I used to live in the city and walk over the bridge almost daily. I actually lived in Bristol at the time of filming for this episode and deeply regret that I wasn't aware of its occurring! Still, it was an impressive visual. Robertson selling out the Doctor to the Daleks was a lot of fun and I thought the use of the Gallifreyan TARDIS to lure the Daleks in and then have it fold in on itself was outstanding. The Doctor defeated the Daleks once again which was great stuff. The farewell to Jack over the phone and the mention of Gwen was tremendous and I just love that she got a mention and the Doctor's love. The moment of Ryan and Graham's departure was really nicely done with good continuity going back to The Woman Who Fell to Earth and the familial connection between them was lovely. Yap's eagerness to stay with the Doctor was wonderful as well and I look forward to their adventures together, alongside the incoming Dan! Overall, a really impressive episode.

Rating: 9/10

The Sands of Tymus

"Who could resist such a lovely form as our females will take?"

Writer: Unknown

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1977

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1978

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith arrive on a planet where the current inhabitants are not the natives. Their female kind did not survive under the intense heat of three suns, and Sarah makes the perfect form to replicate their womankind upon...

Verdict

The Sands of Tymus was not the greatest Doctor Who story ever written to say the least. It has been quite a long time since I have blogged a short story from within the pages of a Doctor Who Annual, and whilst they tend to be quirky and intriguing and genuinely a lot of fun, I think I know why I have left it so long! This was pretty poor to be honest which was a big shame as I was really looking forward to delving back into the collections because I think they are a great thing to have within my collection, but it appears that the quality for this particular adventure was severely lacking. I thought the way things started were a little weird and quick with the Doctor and Sarah being found in the Sea of Dust. That sounded like an excellent part of the planet, but we never really got to explore it or learn anything further which was a bit of a shame. The pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane is always fantastic and the chemistry they had was uncanny, but we didn't really get a chance to explore that in the story. I was left quite flabbergasted by the lack of what was actually happening in terms of a plot. There wasn't a great setup for the planet and the Toregs seemed a somewhat interesting species, but I just didn't care really as there wasn't reason enough provided for me to do so. I guess there is the issue of space and the story being incredibly small at just four pages, which even for a Doctor Who Annual short story is very small! Promax was a decent character to tell the Toreg story on behalf of but it was just a little boring that the Doctor and Sarah were locked up. I thought there was potential in the aspect of the story concerning the Toregs having lost all of their female species as that must be quite worrying knowing that there was no way of creating future life and you may be the last of your species. Alas, they had Sarah Jane now though and the initial thoughts I had were far worse than what actually happened! It was quite fun actually to have Sarah Jane used as a way of replicating their female form, although I'm not sure what they were before they had the imprint of Sarah to base themselves on. Autons perhaps? I was initially thinking the the Toregs were hoping to continue their race in a more traditional way with Sarah Jane. That would have been better for me (without actually happening of course) as I can just imagine the Doctor's reaction. I think we should have had more of Sarah Jane as well and although the image of a number of Sarah Janes was really good nothing more really happened! I couldn't believe how suddenly this story ended with Sarah just throwing a shoe at the Doctor after a snarky comment, but then that was that! Are we to assume that Sarah was okay with her replication and that they were just left to go freely after being locked up? It was a very drab ending to a story containing a lot of nothingness which was a shame. The images were misplaced really and as whacky and wonderful as you always expect from a Doctor Who Annual story, but they didn't really illustrate much of what was happening and just seemed a receptive drawing of Tom Baker as the Doctor with a fringe far too long. Overall, not the greatest.

Rating: 4/10 

The Story of Extinction

"The planet sounded full of life, but not the right kind."

Writer: Ian Atkins

Format: Audio

Released: June 2016

Series: Companion Chronicles: Second Doctor 2.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria 

Synopsis

Civilisations rise and fall – and few planets have seen this happen more often than Amyrndaa. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria join a survey team to find out why on the planet where everything is suited to creating life, nothing lives for long...

Verdict

The Story of Extinction was a really good Companion Chronicles audio to continue the second volume of the range from the Second Doctor! I do really enjoy the trio of the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria and it seems a while since I have done anything with this TARDIS team so it was a real breath of fresh air to revisit them. It was really great to have both Deborah Watling and Frazer Hines reprising their roles although the format of the narration and dialogue seemed a little weird with them bouncing back and forth rather than having extended scenes together. One highlight of the audio for me though ironically did involve the pair and that was Victoria teaching Jamie to read. I thought that was absolutely brilliant and a really nice moment between companions. These two share such a unique relationship when it comes to companions and both of them being from the past makes that connection even better. The moment where Jamie had to admit to Victoria that he couldn't read and understand the words written on the page was admirable as that must have taken a lot of courage. He also seemed genuinely impressed that Victoria could understand what was on the parchment and that was also a terrific moment. Jamie really did have a number of highlights and the moment he was reading the word diagnostics and froze between syllables to explain how despite all of his travels in the universe, he could still meet a Welshman meaning Dai an agnostic. Tremendous stuff that really did have me laughing. That really is so simple but it's Jamie at his best. The idea behind this audio with the power of the written word was very good and I liked how the monster was held in the stories of Amyrndaa. That really did show how powerful stories were and the situation that was happening across the planet was quite disturbing and intriguing at the same time. People were dying left, right and centre on a planet where everything was thriving for life. It just didn't add up and that made it a really interesting situation. It of course grasped the Doctor's attention and the situation specifically at Gorin Base was very good. I thought the cliffhanger was a little uninspiring and didn't seem overly threatening, but the Doctor being found with the parchment on his face and apparently dead would have been better served in my opinion. Celsi was a fantastic chcracter and I really enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor. Her inability to understand how she wasn't known to the newcomers was great and I liked her mentioning of being a face. The importance of numbers and how being looked upon contributed to one's stature in society was excellent and something I really enjoyed. The ending of the plot seemed a little strange and quick with the warning going out across Amyrndaa, but I did very much like the Doctor explaining how there weren't actually any monsters and it was all in the stories. The pictograms were superb and I really liked the power in the stories being so much that a village starved themselves instead of confronting what was supposedly in the woods. The highlight of the conclusion for me though was in the letter Victoria had from Jamie written after her departure in Fury From the Deep. I loved that and it was wonderful to think that Jamie had managed to learn how to read and write and produce the letter. A lovely way to end things. Overall, a really good audio!

Rating: 8/10

Washington Burns

"The weaponisation of the written word."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: March 2016

Series: 6.03

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

You have to stop reading. It can get into anything, anything written down. You can't let it get a hold. We're doing what we can to stop it. Here and back in 1814. Washington isn't safe. America isn't safe. Nowhere is CEREBRA. You have to CEREBRA reading before it CEREBRA. If it gets into you mind CEREBRA it's all CEREBRA. Everything's CEREBRA. CEREBRA. CEREBRA. CEREBRA...

Verdict

Washington Burns was a fantastic little Short Trips audio! I never really know what to expect going into the adventures within this range as before you know it, the story has finished! That's not a bad thing at all and it certainly makes it unique and brings its own little charm as an audio range. I have to say, I thought Sophie Aldred was outstanding with her narration here. She did a really stellar job in guiding us through the adventure and it really didn't feel like she was the only actor in the cast. That's a big positive. The way she was able to roll her Rs when impersonating the Seventh Doctor was wonderful and really sent me back into his era at the end of the Classic run. Thumbs up all around from me. I enjoyed the concept of the story a lot and I was initially a little sceptical about the jumping around from the 22nd to 19th centuries so quickly, but after an exciting and fast-paced start things settled and we delved right into the plot which was marvellous. The very idea of weaponising the written word was outstanding and something I would absolutely love explored in a feature length audio adventure. I think it would work so well if given more time (and that's not saying it didn't work well here!). It's just so good that I think it has to be repeated because the potential of utilising text as a weapon is just extraordinary. The things that opens up are off the charts as you can't really escape written word. CEREBRA was a terrific enemy and I liked how he told the Doctor that he had met him through many minds. That helped understand just what this demonic figure was and meant. The potential of CEREBRA having over 700,000 puppets was superb and again, provided an incredible scale and sense of danger. There was a lot on the line and that certainly came through in the atmosphere of the story. There was a really good pace and I liked how Ace had gone back in time to 1814 to try and stop CEREBRA at its source. The setting itself of Washington in this period was terrific and it's a slight shame that there wasn't any more time to explore it. The mentions of the British coming were humorous though! I think the adventure is very aptly named with the way the story ended and the use of fire to extinguish every letter C that was published and even to destroy the printing tools. Coburn's order at the end was great as he had seen the potential of what CEREBRA could do and what that would mean for the future. It wasn't good! I thought Ross was another decent character as well and it was a lot of fun for Aldred to take on a complete set up of male characters apart from herself. The ambiguous ending with one final printing tool containing the letter C not being destroyed is fantastic and opens up a possible sequel which I would absolutely love and be in favour of happening! Do I think it will happen? Probably not. But at least the possibility is very much there! The sense of fear in the Doctor's voice was excellent in selling the CEREBRA threat, and as a whole I just loved the concept. The ending was fitting and the pace throughout was exciting with a tense backdrop. Overall, this was a terrific half an hour or so! A very impressive way to fill a short amount of time.

Rating: 9/10

Canaries

"Any building can be a museum if someone cares enough about the things inside it."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2020

Printed in: The Wintertime Paradox #13

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Eighth Doctor, Curator

Synopsis

"There are fractures in time, Anke. Someone is causing time to skip, like a needle on a record. These things you have collected – they're... canaries."

– The Doctor

Verdict

Canaries was an excellent little short story! I must admit that prior to reading I was not aware that it was included as an extra addition onto The Wintertime Paradox collection, at least on the online version anyway. I really liked how it tied in with the Time Lord Victorious story arc in a loose way and even if the reader had no knowledge of what has been going on lately in the Dark Times, they still could easily have enjoyed this adventure. I am a huge fan of museums and always make sure to check out at least one whenever I go somewhere as a tourist, so the idea behind the Verbier Museum of the Impossible was magnificent. I absolutely loved that and I should also mention that after its mention in the story here, the Shanghai Museum of Propaganda Posters sounds incredible and definitely a place I would like to go during my lifetime. Anke made for a wonderful little character as the museum's only employee and the idea of the opening times being whatever she wanted was fun, and the fact that she wanted to be punctual and open right on time ready for a 10am crowd instantly made her a likeable character. I'm going to delve right into it and this was essentially a catalogue collection of the museum in story form which was a superb way to tell an adventure, particularly a short one like this. It tied in well with the events of The Knight, the Fool and the Dead with there clearly being things going wrong in time and that was perhaps what allowed Anke to collect a decent number of artefacts from times that don't exist. Pasts that never happened. Relics of alternate timelines. Collecting remnants of those timelines is a sublime concept and one I think would work ever so well in an extended format. The mention of the Toclafane and how it was just there in the mind referring back to the events of Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords was magnificent and there really was a great deal of continuity which really did add to the story. The aforementioned Tenth Doctor novel was referenced with Mordeela having a crystal represented and I also enjoyed the way events of The Waters of Mars were used with Adelaide Brooke's journal supposedly completing and un-completing however it pleased. It was also a lot of fun to suggest that the British royal family were werewolves in a very good reference and play on Tooth and Claw. I thought the use of the Doctor in the story worked well and Anke having a relationship with a number of incarnations was really good. Her descriptions of the Twelfth Doctor and also revealing she wasn't too surprised by the Thirteenth Doctor's gender was excellent stuff. One thing I wasn't excepting on top of cameos from the Eleventh and Eighth Doctors was the Curator! Speaking! That was an unexpected pleasure and given Anke's role and the concept of the story and its role with the Museum of the Impossible, that was just a perfect inclusion. Especially because he must be an alternate Fourth Doctor that retired? Really good stuff. Any further inclusions of the Curator in stories is fine by me! I thought the ending with the masks and the apparent arrival of the Kotturuh was really strong and I liked the ambiguity that went with it. Overall, this fitted in well with the overlapping series and as a standalone. For short stories, this was top notch.

Rating: 9/10

Genetics of the Daleks

"If we can unlock its secrets, there will be no limit to what we can achieve."

Writer: Jonathan Morris 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2020

Series: Time Lord Victorious 

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis

There are 10,000 humans in stasis aboard Starship Future. Ten thousand humans expecting to wake up on a distant planet, their new home. But twenty years into their journey, Starship Future takes on board fuel – and something else. Something that's been waiting, frozen in space, for a very long time.

Something malevolent. 

Something with a plan.

Unless the Doctor can help, it looks like the people of Starship Future have no future at all...

Verdict

Genetics of the Daleks was an excellent audio adventure to serve as a lovely little bonus as part of the Time Lord Victorious series! I really enjoyed this one from start to finish and even though I am highly unlikely to delve into the escape room that this audio serves as a loose prequel for, I thought it was a huge amount of fun and just a really solid adventure in its own right. Having the Fourth Doctor travelling solo is a lot of fun as it really is interesting to have him interact with himself. That's quite the talent and just says a lot about Tom Baker's talents! He was wonderful and there was no sign that this was recorded remotely which is obviously a bonus. I was impressed by the setting of Starship Future and strange goings on aboard a colony ship is not new in the slightest but it is a good basis for a story. Throwing in a lone Dalek to the mix just adds that extra bit of spice! I liked the continuity with the rest of the series that came when the Dalek encountered the Doctor, but its reaction to the arrival and mention of their greatest foe was just terrific. The history between them was on show in that very moment. The Dalek having taken over Brooke as its puppet was really good and coupling this with a separate plot from Swann and her being taken over early on into the colony ship's departure was very good. The confusion over who was actually disabling the cameras and stealing components made for a fantastic dynamic and it just worked really well. They were all brilliant characters with Finlay as the pilot and Chuke complimenting the rest of the ensemble wonderfully well. This was a particularly strong cast. I thought the pace of the story was impressive and just as I was questioning when the Doctor would arrive into the audio, the TARDIS materialised bang on time. His annoyance at being put on another mission unwillingly from the Time Lords will never cease to be enjoyable and when you think about it. it's beyond ridiculous that they just land him down somewhere with no explanation! It's all part of the fun though. One of my favourite moments in any Doctor Who story I have blogged recently came with the Doctor's reply to the Dalek mentioning how he was the fourth on record of asking if they had a list and if he was their favourite. That would only work so well with the Fourth Doctor. A marvellous moment. I really liked the aspect of the Dalek telling the Doctor his future and foreshadowing the events of Mutually Assured Destruction with him destroying the Time Squad and also harkening back (or forward) to The Knight, the Fool and the Dead where the Doctor would proclaim himself Time Lord Victorious and show a disregard for other life. The subtle reaction from the Fourth Doctor here was excellent because you could tell that he was shocked and didn't quite believe that he may become that. This all being in an effort of the Dalek to change the future was magnificent. I was a big fan. I also really enjoyed the genetic aspect of the story with the Dalek not only having Brooke provide new Dalek casing, but also to plan on building an army of 10,000 Daleks through all of those in cryogenic sleep. The fabricator being used to turn all humans into Daleks was tremendous and the Starship Future was just the perfect place for that. I thought it was an excellent plan. The way it was defeated was exciting but the ending with the Doctor having already departed and the Dalek still being alive and carrying out a final extermination was a wonderful way to sell them as the greatest enemies once more. They were defeated, but not destroyed. Overall, a fantastic listen!

Rating: 9/10

Paper Cuts

"Draconia will rise again."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: September 2009

Series: Monthly Adventures 125

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Charley

Synopsis

The Empire is lost. The Deathless Emperors are dead. The future may never happen.

An urgent summons returns the noble Doctor to a planet he saved from disaster long ago. But Draconia, so elegant and so savage, is in worse turmoil than ever.

 

Who will be next Emperor? The high Prince? The lowest peasant? The soldier with no name? Or the Doctor himself – his life at their command? Who controls the army of deadly origami warriors? And is the truth about Charley painted on paper walls in the Emperor's tomb?

History is taking revenge on the Doctor. 

Verdict

Paper Cuts was a decent continuation of the Monthly Adventures from Big Finish! It followed on right where Patient Zero left off which was good and whilst we didn't quite get what I might have expected from Charley/Mila in the story, the little hints were there and it's clear that this story is far from resolved and that's absolutely fine with me. I like the irony of this almost being a story within a story given the mystery of Charley's travelling with the Sixth Doctor after all her time spent with the Eighth Doctor. I'm intrigued to hear how this all gets resolved and if they will almost amalgamate. I thought the resolution from the cliffhanger with the Daleks causing the TARDIS to explode only for the Doctor to have set it into regeneration mode which was something new and perhaps a cheap and easy way out of what was a fantastic cliffhanger. I did though like that the Doctor realises that all of the viruses have spread out there and Charley seemed shock that the Daleks had seemingly defeated the Doctor. I guess that's subjective. This particular adventure took us to Draconia which was brilliant and I really enjoyed playing on the Doctor's unseen past in becoming a noble. It was really good to hear a glimpse of his chess match with the Emperor and the Doctor being summoned to the planet some fifty years after those events was fun, especially because it had been a lot longer than that for him! There wasn't much reference to Frontier in Space which was fine but I liked how what we learned in that serial was used in establishing Draconian honour and politics. The Doctor's summons from the Red Emperor coming at a time where he was actually dead was intriguing and begged the question of whether he was aware of his impending death. That certainly had the Doctor's attention. I really enjoyed the relationship between the Doctor and Charley and this might actually have been one of their best stories from a chemistry point of view. They got along as well as anyone could and I find that fun because Charley is of course Mila. Whilst I did enjoy exploring Draconian politics, I do think the audio went a little too long and there wasn't an awful lot happening in periods. The Sazou was not something I enjoyed too much to be honest and I found the whole concept of the paper-like element just a little strange. For a story set on Draconia, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The idea of the White Sazou was somewhat better and the fear invoked from the first Emperor and how he was a tyrant was very good though. Turmoil on the planet resulting from the Doctor's interference and setting Draconia on a path to less rampageous means was also great. I thought Prince was a pretty good character and I liked his annoyance at having to go through the rituals and traditions of vigil to ascend to the throne. Gomori was another decent character and I particularly enjoyed how Charley/Mila persuaded him not to come with them in the TARDIS. She had an objective of her own of course. That was a very good way to end the audio and keep the story arc in play. The Queen Mother was a good villainous character as well and her killing of her own son was quite the moment! That said a lot about Draconians for sure. The lack of female respect irked Charley which was good and the Doctor's comment about not chaining herself to something was slightly controversial! As a whole, this was a solid adventure and it was good to explore Draconian politics but it was slightly too long for my liking. A final comment for the walls showing memories and blending into shape. That was a nice visual. 

Rating: 7/10

Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion

"Energy is a form of life."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: January 1974

Series: Target 06

Featuring: Third Doctor, Liz, Brigadier

Synopsis

'Here at UNIT we deal with the odd – the unexplained. We're prepared to tackle anything on Earth. Or even from beyond the Earth, if necessary.'

Put on trial by the Time Lords, and found guilty of interfering in the affairs of other worlds, the Doctor is exiled to Earth in the 20th century, his appearance once again changed. His arrival coincides with a meteorite shower. But these are no ordinary meteorites.

The Nestene Consciousness has begun its first attempt to invade Earth using killer Autons and deadly shop window dummies. Only the Doctor and UNIT can stop the attack. But the Doctor is recovering in hospital, and his old friend the Brigadier doesn't even recognise him. Can the Doctor recover and win UNIT's trust before the invasion begins?

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion was an excellent novelisation of Spearhead From Space! I thought this was a terrific read from start to finish and I liked the nostalgia of knowing this was one of the first Target releases. It definitely felt of its time and era which is certainly a compliment and I think Season 7 exists in a strange little vacuum by itself in terms of eras. I say strange because it's only four stories long and I think Liz's departure is what grants it a status of being a little era all by itself. It's great and just fascinating to be reading of the early days of UNIT and how the Doctor came to be their Scientific Advisor. It was a brilliant story and the Brigadier's return was handled terrifically well. The references to The Web of Fear and The Invasion with the Brig recalling the help received by the Doctor to defeat the Yeti and the Cybermen were really good and I loved how the Doctor's enforced change of appearance was incorporated into the plot. With all that was going on with the meteorites in Essex, news of a police box excited the Brigadier as that would mean the arrival of the Doctor. His reaction to the grey-haired man in the hospital bed was marvellous as it wasn't him and the initial take being the Brigadier suspecting an imposter or impersonator was a lot of fun. Of course, the Third Doctor isn't the only first in this adventure as we are also introduced to Liz Shaw as the companion. I think she's wonderful and her introduction here is marvellous. She initially is welcomed by the Brigadier and their relationship is really interesting with the frivolous comments and the Brigadier's general lack of scientific knowledge and thinking with a military mind. Her relationship with the Doctor was outstanding and I just love how they got on with each other right from the off. The shared respect for scientific abilities was tremendous and I also adored how much Liz was enjoying the Doctor getting the better of the Brigadier and quickly asserting himself into command. The Brigadier being convinced that this Doctor was the same man he previously knew with a new face was great stuff and he just had a really enjoyable adventure as a whole. I thought the Auto Plastics factory made a good basis for a setting and the focal point of what was going. The debut of the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons in this story was presented superbly well and one thing that doesn't perhaps come across so much on television is the scale of this plan and the cost it came at to be defeated. The likes of military figures, top officials and then shop window dummies was widespread with Replicas located across the country and many were dying at their hands. The scenes were almost directly written as those that would be repeated in Rose and it's clear they had a lasting impact! I think the novelisation having sketch art throughout is a really fun inclusion and just breaks things up quite nicely and provides some good visuals. My particular favourite was of the Third Doctor in the attire of the Second Doctor. Speaking of which, starting the novel with an in-action recap of the final moments of The War Games was excellent and some good background. The Doctor troubling himself with having the ability to travel in his TARDIS taken away from him was very good and I loved how he wanted his old shoes for the key. General Scobie was a good character and his replication and his true self showing up at a waxworks was brilliant and I liked how the Brigadier at this point had a firm superior as we didn't always get that in UNIT adventures. I loved the perimeter based around Oxley Woods and I also enjoyed the press attention that the Doctor's arrival coinciding with the meteorites received. The only qualm I had was that out of fifty-odd meteorites landing, it was the main one that was not recovered. That just seemed unlikely. Sam Seeley was a fantastic character and I also really liked Munro as a sort of precursor to Yates and Benton. Channing made a chilling villain and his being at one with the Nestene and the collective consciousness nature of the enemy worked marvellously well. I was a big fan and I liked how it was explicitly clear that the whole Nestene was not defeated, almost clearly setting up Terror of the Autons. Overall, a brilliant read! 

Rating: 9/10