Rhyme or Reason

"There is nowhere to hide!"

Writer: Dan Slott

Format: Comic Strip

Released: November 2023

Printed in: Once Upon a Time Lord

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

Following the encounter with the Pyromeths, the Tenth Doctor tells Martha a story of his previous self and Rose encounter the Terileptils and a deadly plot to change the Earth forever.

Verdict

Rhyme or Reason was a very decent little backup comic strip adventure to conclude the Once Upon a Time Lord graphic novel from Titan Comics! That umbrella title really works well with the storytelling theme of the two comic stories and whilst this was firmly a Ninth Doctor and Rose adventure, I thought it was quite fun to basically have an immediate follow on from Firelight with the Tenth Doctor and Martha recalling their recent adventure with the Pyromeths. This time around, it was the turn of the Doctor to do the storytelling after a quick malfunction with the TARDIS translation circuits. That was a good basis for the story to prompt and it was a fun suggestion that the Doctor and Martha weren’t actually speaking the same language. I’m not sure if it makes logical sense that Martha would hear her own words in a jumbled makeup, but it was still fun and that led to the Tenth Doctor telling the tale of an unseen adventure his previous self had with Rose. Martha’s reaction to hearing about the wondrous Rose again was brilliant and it was clear she didn’t want to hear much about her. The reaction was stellar. I think the artwork for this comic strip was very nicely done and including the Terileptils was a magnificent treat! Getting a meeting between them and the Ninth Doctor was a sublime combination and something I’m delighted happened. It’s lovely to mix old and new with this alien menace certainly making a big impression during The Visitation alongside the Fifth Doctor. Their appearance was kept faithful to what we saw on television and the design and colour really was quite excellent. It was really impressive and I was glad they were presented as being quite large too. It added to their threat. The Doctor and Rose didn’t take them massively seriously though but the latter’s attempts of devising an escape plan by using pig Latin was quite funny because the TARDIS translated that to the Terileptils. So much for getting away easily! I thought that was a fun use of a constant we often take for granted. What I was less a fan of was the use of ad homonym. We didn’t even get a full explanation of what that was apart from it being clear to sound things out phonetically. It got annoying very quickly which was a shame but it just made it difficult to read which put me off momentarily and that’s not something you want! The reversal of the polarity of the neutron flow was fun as the aim of the Doctor to turn around the destination of the Terileptil beam and revert them to pre-evolution instead of humanity, and Rose thinking those words were a jumbled mess was fun stuff. It was a simple resolution to a much shorter story than its predecessor, but the epilogue of sorts with the Tenth Doctor and Martha going into the TARDIS and foreshadowing Last of the Time Lords was superb with them playing with the idea of Martha one day telling stories of the Doctor. The famed Vote Saxon posters being on the background as they entered the TARDIS was fantastic. Overall, a good read!

Rating: 7/10

Firelight

"All you need is your imagination."

Writer: Dan Slott

Format: Comic Strip

Released: November 2023

Printed in: Once Upon a Time Lord

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha

Synopsis

In order to survive the fiery Pyromeths, Martha Jones must spin three sensational yarns about the Tenth Doctor and his greatest adventures with old and new foes alike!

Verdict

Firelight was an excellent comic strip adventure to kick off the Once Upon a Time Lord graphic novel from Titan Comics! This one has been an incredibly long time coming and with it initially being sold as a 2022 Special, the fact it’s finally released here is well overdue. I placed my pre-order on Amazon way back in December 2021 but in doing so meant I paid a much cheaper price than the £14.99 RRP which makes me very happy. Dan Slott seems to be a big name in the comic world but whilst being a massive fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’m not one for the comics so I don’t fully grasp how big of a coup it is to get him penning a Doctor Who comic. But his reputation is clear and I enjoyed the recent interview with him in Doctor Who Magazine to promote this release. It’s a really strong tale and it’s always great to revisit the Tenth Doctor and Martha! That’s a pairing we don’t seem to get enough of which is a shame so any more content like this one here is most welcomed. I think the artwork is fantastic and this is a kind of love letter to the Doctor in a way. I think the opening two pages are just gorgeous as we see each of the first ten incarnations telling the story of the Pyromeths and what to do if a companion ever encountered them. There was a delicious mix of companions like Jamie, Jo and Nyssa as well as the wooden control room of the Fourth Doctor and even Molly O’Sullivan getting a line in next to the Eighth Doctor. There was so much to love about that and it really established the Pyromeths in a quick and effective way. Their being potentially older than the Time Lords was good and I loved the audacity of the suggestion that they visited every species to give them the gift of fire. But this was not for warmth, it was so there was something to sit around to tell stories. Because it was that fictional creativity that they fed on. So inevitably Martha was captured, admittedly a little too quickly, but she quickly burst into story about the Doctor. I thought the three mini-stories approach was good and I love that we had another meeting of the Sycorax for the Tenth Doctor! The Sycorax were presented as if they were pirates which was oddly fun and the illustration of them was a tremendous likeness of their The Christmas Invasion presentation. Scarr could almost be forgiven as being the Sycorax Leader who sliced off this very Doctor’s hand it was uncanny. I thought the second story exploring Horus and touching on Pyramids of Mars was brilliant and the imagery presented here was akin to that Fourth Doctor serial. It really did it homage with the pathway to the land of the dead, but the Doctor was reminding himself the Osirins weren’t actually gods so he wouldn’t actually be going to Hell. Right? I thought the idea of the Doctor encountering all of those that have died as a result of his actions was a sublime idea and I think it could have worked as the entire adventure. But what we got was still tremendous. Having him come up against the likes of the Cyber Controller and Cybermen from The Age of Steel, the Krillitanes, Gelth and Slitheen, and even getting help from the Wolf from Tooth and Claw was just fantastic! I think that particular sequence was a little too focused on the modern era, but the wide shot of the battlefield including the likes of the Menoptera and Zygons was very much welcomed. The Doctor being on the hunt for the most important thing in the universe was terrific and I loved how indulged the Pyromeths were in the story Martha was telling. Having him come face to face with the Empress of Racnoss was a fantastic image after what had happened there, although I must admit I was shocked that he demanded thanks for now reuniting her with her children after killing them all! That was quite dark. The way he found out the location of Martha and the most important thing in the universe being the safety of his companion was just magnificent. I didn’t see that coming but it was so good. The fear of the Pyromeths when they realised the Doctor was talking to and targeting them from within the story was brilliant stuff. Fiction became the truth and that was too much for them to handle. Overall, a superb comic strip! 

Rating: 9/10

Alien Mind Games

"The two Time Lords were dead."

Writer: Unknown 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1980

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1981

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

When the TARDIS is quite literally attacked, the Doctor enters a world of anti-matter and has to answer to the enigmatic Pyramids...

Verdict

Alien Mind Games was a good little story to continue my way through the 1981 Doctor Who Annual! This was an intriguing tale and any story that tackles the world of anti-matter is a brave one, but this adventure certainly doesn’t shy away from any of the science and the fun of things being mirrored in its universe. It’s a shame that Omega doesn’t get an appearance as he would have been the perfect culprit for taking the Doctor from his TARDIS and into the anti-matter domain, but alas it wasn’t to be. A mention would have been good continuity with what was established in The Three Doctors though, but not even that was coming sadly. Now, one of the funky elements of these prose stories from the Classic era annuals is the dodgy illustrations that accompany the text. Once again here, I thought the focus was too much on the Doctor and we could have set the scene for some of the landscapes in the story and the alternate domain, but instead we just saw a lot of the back of the Fourth Doctor’s head. Whilst his hair is infamous, it probably wasn’t the best use of the artist which is a bit of a shame. In saying that, the one illustration we got of Romana was rather horrifyingly inaccurate. It didn’t even resemble Lalla Ward in any way other than gender which hurts the authenticity feel of the story. Honestly, it was almost like the reference image provided to the artist was of Elisabeth Sladen! The companion that was pictured at the TARDIS console certainly looked like it was Sarah Jane Smith. I could let it slide and not impact my enjoyment too much though as the focus was all on the Doctor. His being taken by the Pyramids was intriguing and I liked that image as the form taking by the all might ONE. They claimed to be the ruler and all powerful of the domain of anti-matter in this world of Anti-Space which was fun, but the Doctor would soon turn that around. I think this a perfect kind of story for the Fourth Doctor as he took no notice of the presumed power of the ONE. The idea of the Doctor being tested was fun but he knew from the questions being in regards to the likes of how the TARDIS was controlled and the secret of Time that he wasn’t where he was told. They asked because they needed to know! The Doctor deducing that was good stuff and the moment he just got up out of the chair and walked away was wonderful. I liked him challenging the ONE to stop him themselves if they were this domain’s power, but of course that didn’t happen. He was tackling his own imagination which is a really fun concept! For as long as be believed the threats against him, they were real. But as soon as there were doubts and he started questioning his surroundings, the power of the ONE dissipated and they became rather desperate. The booming nature of using caps in speech was gone and they just wanted to be talked to and taken home. I thought the Doctor waking up in the TARDIS was good but I must admit I wasn’t massively thrilled with the revelation that the Doctor had been attacked by a satellite a long way from home. That didn’t feel right, although K9 agreeing with him at the end about being allowed to fulfil its function was a nice touch. The Doctor felt duty bound. Overall, a good little story as a whole!

Rating: 7/10

Colony of Death

"This is the land of plenty."

Writer: Unknown 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 1980

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1981

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

With the threat of the TARDIS literally turning inside out, the Doctor, Romana and K9 stumble on colonists that have been fed an incredible lie...

Verdict

Colony of Death was an excellent short story to kick off my reading of the prose content on offer in the 1981 Doctor Who Annual! After starting with the Every Dog Has His Day comic strip and being a little disappointed by that one, I was delighted by this text content! Right from the off I was encouraged by the writing of the TARDIS team of the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K9 as I got the impression straight away that the writer knew all about them. He got the banter and humour that comes with this combination and that really is a delight. Knowledge of the Doctor and his companions is, quite staggeringly, not a very common thing for the authors of Doctor Who Annual stories in the Classic era, but that was no such case here. It was superb characterisation with that comical lack of knowledge of the Doctor clearly present. Romana questioning him on the status of the omnidirectional impulse stabiliser was brilliant and whilst that was obviously a mouthful, it was terrific TARDIS console jargon. The Doctor’s realisation that if it was malfunctioning that their next materialisation would be inside out was a very fun thought! That’s something I’d love to explore moving forward as I’m not sure where all of the TARDIS interior and its contents would fit! We’ve explored the TARDIS many times and we’re still nowhere near discovering its full size. That’s a wonderful thought. I really liked the plot of this one and the story opening with the strange characters of Heleen and Harvard was good as that set the basis for the truth of Paradise. The latter was pulled in by the advertisement of a planet where there was no overpopulation and plenty of space, but the five million dolas fee was going to be tricky. So he’d rob a bank. We wouldn’t meet them again but exploring the situation in 23rd century New York was very intriguing. It was all rather dystopian and I definitely had vibes of the future we saw a few centuries later in Day of the Daleks. I liked that a lot. I thought Garderon served as a fantastic villain and the Doctor’s appreciation of the devilish plan he’d concocted just sold it as even more impressive. I liked that the Doctor rallied the colonists against Garderon in what was a pretty quick conclusion, but it was a neat and tidy one at that. I think had the story been extended slightly then this may have reached full marks! It really was terrific and had all of the hallmarks of a fine Doctor Who story. I think the artwork that accompanied the adventure was probably too focused on the faces of the main characters and not encompassing much of the action, but they were drawn nicely and did more than a sufficient job. I think it was also a clever usage of Romana by not showing angles where we could see her face. It seems strange that the Doctor Who Annual wouldn’t have the rights or references for Lalla Ward’s appearance, but thankfully there wasn’t a generic blonde woman featuring here. We only saw from behind and the likeness was more than good enough. Having her accompanied by K9 was lovely too. The Doctor getting the parts to fix the TARDIS component was also a nice touch to finish things. Overall, a fantastic read! 

Rating: 9/10

Earthshock

"Time is memory, and memory is time."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: Webcast

Released: 01 November 2023

Series: Tales of the TARDIS 1.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan

Synopsis

The Doctor and Tegan meet again and remember their terrifying adventure against the Cybyerman to save the Earth... and the friend they lost along the way.

Verdict

Earthshock was a quite beautiful way to kick off the Tales of the TARDIS original series! This is such a wonderful little addition to the Whoniverse and I think it’s so fun that as part of the sixtieth anniversary we get nearly every episode ever (that still exists) now on BBC iPlayer which would have been a dream to me back in my childhood as I loved exploring the show when I delved into the Classic era. I don’t tend to rewatch the stories and episodes now unless there’s a very good reason due to the amount of yet unblogged stories across the numerous formats, but the brand new content on display here was just tremendous. The announcement of the Tales of the TARDIS series really caught me off guard so on November 1st as I was doing my daily walk at around 5.30am in the morning I couldn’t resist but get onto iPlayer and find out what the episodes would entail. I was a little surprised to find that the episode names were familiar in that an older serial took the forefront and the new memory TARDIS scenes would bookend an adventure. To start with Earthshock is a fine idea and I love that Russell T Davies has now written dialogue for the Fifth Doctor and Tegan. Both are fresh off reprising their roles for The Power of the Doctor and they shared an incredible moment together in that story, but it didn’t make it any less special. The Doctor’s reaction when he saw Tegan was beautiful and the fact these two characters embraced in a hug is testament to the anniversary celebrations. It was a loving moment for a show and characters we as fans love. The memory TARDIS itself was magnificent and the assembly of random parts from a number of previous TARDIS interiors was marvellous. I like the symbolism of the Thirteenth Doctor’s interior being on the floor and quite small as to be honest I’d rather it wasn’t there at all. It’s by far and away the worst TARDIS design there’s ever been and it needs the Paradigm Dalek treatment. I can’t wait to see what the new era has in store in that regard. But we were celebrating the old here and speaking of old, the humour that came from Tegan mentioning how the Doctor had gotten old but his retaliation of her one hundred lines was glorious. Of course, initially he’d said she hadn’t got old which was lovely and there was the right balance of nostalgia and that feisty relationship between the pair. As they sat down to tell the story that fed the memory TARDIS, coming to the decision to tell the events of when they met the Cybermen and lost Adric was some way to start! It really doesn’t get much more powerful. I thought the lead into the first episode’s beginning with the Doctor mentioning the people in the caves was good and this was the first time I’ve ever watched a Classic era story in omnibus format with not even a quick titles break for the cliffhangers! That caught me off guard a little but it was good and certainly kept things moving fast. Not that it needed to be fast though when you have a story as good as this one. I won’t get into the serial details too much as I’ve blogged it before but it was interesting to see it again since purchasing the B&M figure set from the story. The black androids and the bomb feature in that and it was lovely to see them up close in action a year or so after purchasing them. I was impressed! It’s also a little weird hearing the Cybermen sounding distinctly non-metallic, but the use of gold against them is a good weakness and I love the Cyber Leader recognising the TARDIS. The little flashback scenes of previous Cyber adventures with the First, Second and Fourth Doctors is magnificent. Of course, the ending of this one is incredible as Adric sadly passes away and after wishing to go home at the start of the story, he was plotting his route but used the mathematics to try and take over the freighter as it plummeted to Earth. The Cybermen’s plot going wrong because that freighter would wipe out the dinosaurs is brilliant, and I imagine the image of the Fifth Doctor showing no hesitation in shooting the Cyber Leader dead with a gun would have been quite new to newer viewers! The reminiscing in the memory TARDIS by the Doctor and Tegan about Adric and how he was annoying but also loved was a nice touch and I like how he’s remembered. He’s far from my favourite companion, but he deserves his flowers. Overall, this was a beautiful way to kick off the series and I certainly can’t wait for the next five! A wonderful idea of a series worthy of the anniversary. 

Rating: 10/10

Red Base

"We wanted Nevada, we got Neath."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: August 2020

Printed in: Torchwood Monthly 41

Featuring: Andy

Synopsis

Mars is the next giant leap for mankind. Starr Base is the first small step. A practice Mars base has been set up in a quarry in Neath, just off the A474. Its aim is to see if humanity can survive on the red planet.

The problem is that the crew are dying. The survivors are terrified, paranoid, and wondering if something alien has got inside Starr Base. Sgt Andy Davidson has come to find out what's gone wrong.

Verdict

Red Base was a really strong audio to continue my way through the monthly adventures of Torchwood from Big Finish! Andy is a really fun character and he does a tremendous job in the lead role here. He’s full of energy and intrigue with his demeanour and maturity making me think this is some considerable distance into the television era of Torchwood, if not beyond it. I can’t imagine he’d have dealt with the situation here at Starr Base well if it was soon after Gwen left his side for Torchwood. His relationship with Torchwood is a lengthy and turbulent one but he doesn’t seem to have any hesitation in calling them in here. He realised that some elements of the situation were beyond his capabilities and that was well done. I thought the concept of the titular base was intriguing and I loved the realisation that it wasn’t actually on Mars but in of all places Neath! Now, Neath is a place very familiar to me as I lived there from the age of ten up to moving out for university with my mum still living there. I haven’t visited the town itself for a couple of years, but let’s just say it’s not the most pleasant of places in South Wales and its reputation has diminished in a big way over the last decade or so. So when the line came about hoping for Nevada and getting Neath I couldn’t help but laugh out loud! There’s a roundabout on the way to Swansea where this quarry location could feasibly be, and the humour of going into town towards the end was a nice touch. There wouldn’t be much on offer there! I must give an honourable mention to the artwork as the image of Andy in a spacesuit with the Welsh dragon adorning it is just brilliant. A sight to behold! I thought the story focusing on a Mars simulation was very good and I was surprised that the experiment went so far as to be testing for terminal happenings. That seems a little overkill! Dave was a fun character as the automated assistant that had gone wrong. His logical way of thinking was decent and Andy trying to utilise that to his advantage was a nice effort. The incorporation of a reality television show into the story was perhaps where the story dwindled slightly, but that’s such a fun concept and a little more explanation or elaboration could have been warranted. Some of the characters in this one were great with Faisal’s death being very much heartfelt, although when Mina started snogging his corpse when she thought it was all part of the show things took a dark and twisted turn! That was pretty grotesque. She was a really nice character though and probably my favourite of the bunch. Andy getting his explanation moment at the end after they used Dave as a battering ram to overcome the air lock was wonderful. He’d worked everything out and whilst it was true that Dave had a systems failure, it was infiltrated by Emma when she saw the first signs. She was pretty jealous at the fact she’d never actually go to Mars which was a good motive. A selfish villain definitely works well and she hardly denied it at the end which said a lot. Andy boasting how she’d be the first person arrested on Mars was quite humorous though! He seemed to enjoy that. Overall, a great listen!

Rating: 8/10

The Old Rogue

"He's rather good with canines."

Writer: John Grindrod

Format: Audio

Released: August 2011

Printed in: Short Trips 4.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

Romana and the Doctor pay a visit to Arkinen, Destroyer of Galaxies, who is working in a cafe in Catford.

Verdict

The Old Rogue was a decent story to continue my way through the fourth volume of Short Trips from Big Finish! This series and range during the first four series of releases is a little hit or miss but this one is certainly on the better side of the middle ground. To be honest, not an awful lot happened but at just sixteen minutes long that’s not much of an issue. This really did feel like an epilogue to a story we hadn’t seen but at least we did get flashbacks. I thought the cafe setting in Catford was unique and worked well enough for what the story was trying to tell, and I liked the real life nature of it. It’s something that’s relatable. The image of Romana watching The Jeremy Kyle Show in that cafe was wonderful and honestly I’d be more than happy to get an entire Short Trips audio that purely consisted of her commentary on that infamous television show. It’s not one that I’m a fan of, but it must be so alien to Romana and more on her reaction would have been a big benefit. I liked that K9 featured alongside the Doctor and Romana here as he really does add a lot. He’s so good at injecting comedy out of nothing and his logical way of thinking is just fun. I’d advocate for more K9 whenever we can get it. The concept of him being spray painted and having a ball kicked at him was a little sad, but the robot dog retaliating by setting the football on fire was tremendous! Something that was so simple but so effective. The Doctor arriving at the cafe with all of the bravado of his fourth incarnation was good writing and the performance from Louise Jameson was stellar as you might expect. She’s wonderful and would anyone know the Fourth Doctor better? I’m not usually a fan of when stories like this feature an actor that isn’t one that was part of the TARDIS team, but in this case it worked for me because the story was told from the perspective of Arkinen. His position as an emperor and causing destruction for kicks was good, but where we catch up with him here he’s already been defeated. I liked the flashback sequence to the end of a previous adventure where the Second Doctor and Jamie defeated him by trapping him on Earth and causing him to switch bodies with Sid, a mere cafe owner. That was the titular rogue which was fun and not what I expected a story to be named after! A cafe is good though and it’s a name that works. I appreciated the flashbacks and the allusions to other incarnations checking up on Arkinen was fun. However, we needed a little bit more of a threat for this story to get a higher rating as it did feel like aftermath. If we had met Arkinen previously in that Second Doctor meeting then I think it would have been better, but it was still entertaining and an intriguing look into the life of the Doctor catching up with his actions and ensuring that things were still as he left them. It was decent that Sid had now taken on the role of Arkinen and had turned his species into peace loving people and statues were now made of the former ruler. Overall, a decent little listen! 

Rating: 7/10

The Parliament of Rats

"Time Lords and time sensitives do not mix well."

Writer: Daniel O'Mahony

Format: Short Story

Released: March 1998

Printed in: Short Trips 11

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

From Neolithic Earth to the furthest reaches of the universe in the far future, Short Trips brings together established Doctor Who authors and first-time writers in a collection of stories exploring the ever-changing worlds of the Doctor and his friends.

Witness the last days of the siege of Masada with the First Doctor and meet the Fourth Doctor's extraordinary 'old flame'. An evil enemy makes life difficult for the Seventh and Third Doctors, and while the Fifth Doctor is under attack on a sinister ship shrouded in fog, the Second may soon be guilty of a grave error of judgement... The Sixth Doctor's hopes of a holiday are dashed when he discovers a pleasure planet is hiding a shocking secret, and the Eighth Doctor is caught up in a deadly drama played out during the construction of Stonehenge.

And, of course, that's just the beginning...

Verdict

The Parliament of Rats was sadly not the greatest of stories to continue my reading of the first Short Trips book. It seems that the prose are taking the same line as the audios from Big Finish as I continue to increase the prose content from the range, it’s clear that it’s becoming more and more a situation that these stories are usually either great or when they’re bad they’re pretty bad indeed. I just couldn’t get into this story from the off and you know it’s disappointing when an adventure that is just twenty-seven pages long feels like it’s taking an eternity. The actual story was probably not bad in concept but the delivery was pretty bad. It felt a little rushed which is certainly understandable for the Short Trips range, but this is one of the longer tales in this collection and there have been far better with much shorter page counts. My main particular gripe was the characterisation of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa. Neither felt like they were written well. The Doctor seemed absent towards Nyssa and there was no apparent reason why. Sure, he was a little distracted by the presence of Constantine as the time sensitive, but I don’t think that warranted him not caring and somehow caring too much at the same time. His response to Nyssa at the end about when they would be leaving even after the situation was resolved was too sharp and sudden. It was when he wanted to, but then when the circumstances didn’t really seem to change at the end it suddenly wasn’t his problem as Nyssa initially indicated anyway. It was all a bit strange and didn’t add up for these two characters in particular. Nyssa being sharp and sudden was weird too as she’s usually so innocent and calm. I liked how it was acknowledged that she had gone through so much since joining the Doctor and even losing Traken, but for her to be in place where she didn’t care didn’t sit right with me for her character. And even their relationship together was absent for the most part. If it was Tegan I could maybe see that but this more so had early Sixth Doctor and Peri vibes or the Seventh Doctor and Ace when the former was at his most devious and mysterious. The mystery behind the legend of the Parliament of Rats wasn’t all that intriguing and it was obvious that it would make an appearance after being missing for a century. It would have worked better if the story was longer so the presence of the Doctor and Nyssa could have been established before the ship inevitably arrived. Nyssa being taken aboard was decent but I think the story should have just focused on Constantine and the Doctor. Their relationship as Time Lord and time sensitive could have been so much more. I did like the presence of the staff and the way in particular it referred to the Doctor as my lord was the best thing about the story. I can’t imagine the Doctor would have enjoyed that aristocratic address but he didn’t even react to it. He just quite simply made the staff destroy itself and that was that as far as the story was concerned. Some of the other characters like Korzen and Brunner had potential, but then they were overshadowed the silly White God. Overall, not my most favourite of stories!

Rating: 4/10

What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow

"One Sally Sparrow is quite enough."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2005

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2006

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

Sally Sparrow is a child who is contacted by the Ninth Doctor after he gets stuck at her aunt's party after the TARDIS burps. The Doctor proceeds to write messages under Sally's wallpaper in her room and send her a video containing messages to Sally from Sally's aunt party. 

Verdict

What I Did on My Christmas Holidays by Sally Sparrow is a magnificent short story to conclude my reading of the 2006 Doctor Who Annual! I honestly couldn’t believe that I hadn’t blogged this one before as I was sure I had read it back around the time I first started Doctor Who Verdict, but after a combination of word searches on the blog and after reading I’m not entirely sure I have! I find that baffling as I’ve known about this story for a very long time and that’s no surprise given that it served as the influence for Blink which is an iconic episode! There was actually a feature in the latest Doctor Who Magazine issue about spinoff media creating television stories as we prepare for the broadcast of The Star Beast, and this was prominent. It’s a delightful adventure. I think there may some prejudice with my rating as I do wonder if I would give it top marks if I read this back when it was released in the lead up to Christmas 2005, but I didn’t even know what Doctor Who was then. The imagery is brilliant throughout and for this kind of story I think the visuals not only help but are crucial. Seeing the writing on the wallpaper does so much instead of just being words and the visual of the photograph from Christmas Eve 1985 is tremendous. It’s quite fun to get a lone outing for the Ninth Doctor. There’s no mention of Rose or Captain Jack as companions so I think we can assume this story is set prior to Rose which is really good and intriguing. I’m not usually a big fan of stories in the first person but I don’t think this story works from any other perspective. We get to learn a lot about Sally Sparrow and expand on her family. She’s only twelve here which is much younger than the Sally the Tenth Doctor would meet, but it’s lovely for the Ninth Doctor to place absolute trust in her to bring him back the TARDIS. I love the use of a VHS player rather than DVDs as we’d see on screen and that really dates the story which I love. Having Sally refer to her relative as her fat Aunt was a bit weird, but the familial relationship was nice. She had her own room and the flowery wallpaper and the tear reminded me a little of my own bedroom at my grandparents’ house. Except mine wasn’t a big tear and certainly didn’t have any writing beneath! Sally’s assumption that there was another Sally in the family that wasn’t talked about was quite humorous but you can’t blame her for thinking that the wallpaper wasn’t actually communicating with her. But that’s the audacity of the script and it works so well. It really is a stellar contribution from Steven Moffat. The pace flows so well and I was a big fan of some of the descriptions he provided like writing your homework on the bus or not believing a writer in book that hairs would stand on end. Everything just felt so relatable which was really impressive. The conversation through the video at the end is lovely and I liked that the woman the Doctor was given her Christmas homework by was an older version of Sally herself! And she’d travel as the Doctor obtained it in Istanbul. Quite the adventure! The paradox humour with the two versions of Sally talking was really fun and a nice way to round things out. Overall, a marvellous story!

Rating: 10/10

Pitter-Patter

"Everyone on this planet is frightened."

Writer: Robert Shearman

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2005

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2006

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

The day Andy became a spaceman was the day his Daddy lost his job selling television sets. But the day he chose to be a spaceman, he was already living amongst the stars. It was the day the Doctor came and saved them from the rain.

Verdict

Pitter-Patter was a pretty average short story to get me  back on track with my reading of the 2006 Doctor Who Annual! It’s actually been a considerable amount of time since I last blogged anything from its contents, so it was nice to delve back into the era of Series 1 and get a rare bit of short prose for the Ninth Doctor and Rose! I can’t even remember the last time I blogged any new content with this TARDIS pairing so that was a big positive, but unfortunately I didn’t think the story was all that great. The concept of rain as an enemy is fantastic but I’m not sure it was utilised too well. The scale never felt big which is weird considering the threat and the distance that rain can cover on the mining planet, but focusing just on the small family really diminished things in my opinion. I wasn’t a big fan of Andy and he seemed a bit spoiled with his demands for water despite repeatedly being told of the shortage, and he even enjoyed seeing his uncle Bernard sliced to pieces in front of him. How an eight year old can revel in seeing death is beyond me! That seems a little odd. No wonder the Doctor didn’t even want to look at him, maybe he knew there was something evil there. Rose had a bit more of a relationship with him and it was clear he took a liking to her when he was embarrassed to have fell asleep against her. Andy’s parents were clearly going through some considerable relationship issues and that added to the already tense atmosphere. There wasn’t much of a nice feeling accompanying this adventure. The story of Susie being consumed by the rain and trying to get out into it was heartfelt as Jack saved her because he loved her, but things got very dark when they both sometimes wished he let her go. Andy hearing that was quite shocking! One thing that was of a high standard for this story was the artwork. The likeness of both the Ninth Doctor and Rose was impressive, although the placement was a little questionable as they seemed quite spoiler filled coming for text that was right at the bottom or end of a page. You can’t not look at the artwork immediately! I think my biggest qualm with this story was how things ended. It was good for the Doctor to try and confront the rain and the actual idea of it targeting people is excellent. The moment where Andy’s mum captured some water for him to drink and boiled it with it screaming was eery stuff, but for the Doctor to be able to just walk outside, say he wanted to have a talk, and then that be that was awfully disappointing. There was no explanation as to how the family could get away, and how would that even leave the rest of the planet under threat? It hardly seemed like mission complete. But I can’t believe we didn’t know how the Doctor won the rain over as all we got was a smile! Sure, we know the Doctor is clever and can talk his way out of anything, but to not hear the dialogue was just silly. Overall, some good concepts but not the best delivery as a whole for the story. 

Rating: 5/10

Once and Future: The Union

"I'm hearing all the old tunes."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: October 2023

Series: Once and Future 07

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Fourth Doctor, War Doctor, River, Susan

Synopsis

The Doctor responds to a distress call from his granddaughter, Susan, taking him to the Diamond Array: a huge multidimensional space station. Once there, his instability increases, as the Fourth and Eighth Doctors discover the Array's terrible purpose. 

Meanwhile, River Song has made a deadly alliance to try to save her husband. And the truth about the Doctor's degeneration will finally be revealed.

Verdict

The Union was a tremendous way to conclude the Once and Future sixtieth anniversary celebration from Big Finish! This has been a unique saga to serve as the anniversary specials from Big Finish but after a shaky start and some comical fan backlash, this was a phenomenal way to end. Does everything make sense? Probably not. But I think some fans are looking too much into it. This is a celebration and this does a more than decent job of bringing together so many characters and incarnations of the Doctor. I quite liked how the representation of the Doctor here felt a little more equal for each incarnation as we heard from nearly all of them! The Eighth and Fourth Doctor get the cover artwork, but there is also an extended stay for the War Doctor, unexpected cameos from the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors, as well as a really touching moment for the First Doctor. I thought that was so well done and having Susan present in the companion role was brilliant. Here we are celebrating a diamond anniversary and the companion is the same one we started with in An Unearthly Child way back in 1963. There really is something quite magical about that. Alluding to the speech the First Doctor gave at the end of The Dalek Invasion of Earth was really poignant and when the Doctor announced he wasn’t mistaken in his beliefs it really did bring a tear to my eye. It was really emotional stuff and I loved it. Susan has come along way and I thought it was lovely that the Tenth Doctor in particular got to see her. His reaction was beautiful and I bet Tennant revelled in that. Jacob Dudman being on hand to provide the voices of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors was fantastic and I’m glad they got a chance to feature. The Eighth Doctor stabilising the degeneration was good and I liked that Susan was also something he could use as an anchor because of his familial connection. River Song also noted how she was the one the Doctor wanted to impress most and had done so first. All other companions subsequently were treated in similar fashion. That was a nice touch. Susan recognising River from An Unearthly Woman was a nice touch and strong continuity. They got on really well. The truth coming out about the degeneration weapon and how it was actually the War Doctor who was hit with it was a nice twist after all the insinuations that it was the Eighth Doctor! The idea of all of the Doctors suppressing the one who didn’t take the name was fantastic and I also loved the in humour regarding the numbering system going awry when this happened. Susan commenting how things got complicated in the future was marvellous humour. The Union being revealed as an amalgamation of the Two, Eleven, Nine, Twelve etc Time Lord was very well done and I think it certainly helped to have had Two’s Company earlier in the series. It was logical and explained the motive with the Union wanting other Time Lords to have some sort of experience of what they had gone through across their multiple lifetimes. The way things were put right and the in jokes to diamonds and the anniversary was really well done, and as a whole this was just a stellar and fun celebration! There was a lot to love. It’s a shame we didn’t have all of the original actors to play each incarnation, but they were all represented admirably. Overall, a superb episode!

Rating: 10/10

Every Dog Has His Day

"All humans must die."

Writer: Unknown 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 1980

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1981

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

On a world where humans are far from welcomed, the hopes of the Doctor and Romana lie with their robot canine friend.

Verdict

Every Dog Has His Day wasn’t the greatest of comic strip stories to kick off my reading of the 1981 Doctor Who Annual. Now, these stories are about as whacky as Doctor Who gets because they don’t often carry all of the rights for likenesses which hurts the story, but we also don’t even know who wrote or drew this adventure! That’s a shame because some of the artwork is actually really good. I’m a fan of the colours and it certainly has a vibrant feel, but I think right from the off the tone is a bad one set with how completely inaccurate the likeness for Romana II as companion is. The artwork is so bland and incredibly generic. It’s clear no effort has been made to capture the likeness of Lalla Ward which is a shame because it just doesn’t feel authentic right from the off. I know this is a book aimed at the younger audience and I’m sure fans of a certain age would barely have noticed the companion here doesn’t resemble Romana, in either incarnation, but for this reader some 43 years later it is a bit frustrating. Especially when the drawing of the Fourth Doctor and K9 was so good! I love the retro feel of the story and that’s a big part of my enjoyment, but I have to say the story is a bit bland and doesn’t really match the imagery. Now, there’s only so much that can be done in six pages and that’s evident by the decline in quality of Doctor Who Magazine comic strip stories since the pandemic saw it reduced in size, but it was just a bit boring which is a shame. There were so many references to the robots being programmed to eliminate humans so why couldn’t the Doctor and Romana just confirm their species as Time Lord? That was a bit odd, especially when they were referred to as Time Lords in the narration. The title of the comic strip makes it clear which direction things are going to finish in with K9 being the hero, and in a story that is this short I’m fine with that. It’s basically a spoiler but K9 is a fun character so I don’t mind. A bit more of his traditional humour with the Doctor should have been included, but him not being human was enough of a differentiation for him to infiltrate the robot headquartered and programme the robots after a simple comment. Danesman wouldn’t require them once he had his robot army and with that the creator was dead as the revolt ensued! It was quite the revolution that happened at pace. It was exciting for a conclusion, but the build there was predictable and a little easy. The Doctor’s suggestion of using K9 as a Trojan horse was good considering we saw him come up with that idea way back in The Myth Makers, so reverting back to it was quite fun even if it was far too easy for K9 to get into command. Describing the revolution as oily was not my favourite description, although the ending with K9 wearing a crown and being proclaimed robot king was good stuff. The Doctor had always wondered what the K stood for, but where did the crown come from? Regardless, overall some fun stuff and good artwork but there was something lacking for sure.

Rating: 5/10

Wet Walls

"They're only wet at night."

Writer: Mathilde Madden

Format: Audio

Released: July 2020

Series: Short Trips 3.05

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The walls of a Manor House are dripping wet at night. But why can only mad Lady Catherine – and Peri – see it?

Verdict

Wet Walls was an excellent little Short Trips adventure! I thought this was terrific from start to finish and really flew by. For once in this range, the sixteen minutes run time didn’t actually feel too short and whilst I’m sure it could have benefitted from being longer I didn’t get the feeling that this was a missed opportunity or a story that needed more time. It was great stuff. I thought the atmosphere and tone of the adventure was impressive and with this being a somewhat spooky story, it certainly helped that I was listening to this close to Halloween. It was very much in vibe with my life at the moment as my household is one that enjoys Halloween very much. We’d actually watched a horror last night in the form of Smile and this morning went pumpkin picking so this was certainly a good time to listen to this kind of story. I liked the setting of Shropshire in 1903 as that’s quite niche in terms of setting and year, so a haunted house was terrific. Gretchen as the head of the house looking after Lady Catherine was a good character and it was fun for Peri to mention the Doctor’s title as a serendipitous way to gain entry. Catherine was in need of a doctor and it soon became clear why. The idea of walls dripping wet but only at night was good and the Doctor being at a disadvantage was a fun twist. To him, everything was bone dry but Peri was his eyes and ears across all senses really. The revelation that came regarding the house being a womb was intriguing and whilst it might sound silly on paper, it actually worked very well. It explained the wetness and the structure of the house was decent as a makeshift home for a fetus. That unborn baby being under the bed was good to tie in with the horror theme. Peri had confidence which was great and I liked how the Doctor was essentially helpless without her. The introduction of the Calopia species was good and I think it was good to give them a voice but they didn’t stick around or feature for long. That was the right direction in my opinion. The reaction to finding out the Doctor was male was humorous but he seemed to know all about the Calopians which was helpful to the listener! They were a single sex species but they needed to live in pairs. That’s what had occurred here as a joy ride crash had resulted in one dying so a ship couldn’t operate without two pilots. Hence the effort to create another and the house was the right structure for that, except its readings had told that it was deserted. Of course, that wasn’t the case and the Doctor was on hand to raise that discrepancy. A quick conversation was all that was required and a rejig of the alien controls meant that one could pilot it now. And alas it was really that simple to send the ship on its way and revert the house to normal. The walls would be wet no longer. Overall, a fantastic story!

Rating: 9/10

Save Our Souls

"The afterlife is cold and dark"

Writer: Scott Handcock

Format: Audio

Released: July 2020

Series: Torchwood Monthly 40

Featuring: Queen Victoria

Synopsis

An experimental radio mast has been set up on a remote island. It has been picking up signals – a voice that claims it knows the future.

Five people have come to the island to hear the voice. A scientist, a soldier, a medium, an alienist and the most powerful woman int he world. The voice has something to say to all of them. It starts by saying who will be the first to die.

Verdict

Save Our Souls was another tremendous Torchwood episode as I make my way through the monthly adventures from Big Finish! For whatever reason, I was a little disheartened and honestly far from excited to find that the next story was focused on Queen Victoria, but the quality of Torchwood rarely waivers and this was another stellar listen. Victoria is actually a really strong character and whilst she’s played here beautifully by Rowena Cooper, this isn’t quite the version we saw in Tooth and Claw on screen. Torchwood is firmly up and running here with Florence a member and at the island with her Queen for her protection. I love exploring the Victorian era of Torchwood so this was a good insight into its early running. It being set up to protect the interests of the British Empire is really strong and this extraterrestrial threat here certainly warranted attention. This was a good mixture of a whodunnit and the supernatural by combining both, except the threat here called its play before it even happened. It was brash and confident which left little doubt as to who did the killing, and yet blame was still bandied about. I thought the first death of Okonjo was really well done and giving a warning of six minutes was very good because that stayed real time with the listener (I assume! I didn’t count but it felt like six minutes). Captain Henry wanting to go to the extreme to prove the transmitted voice wrong by just shooting Okonjo before the six minutes were up was quite a fun and incredible suggestion that of course wouldn’t get approval. And with the Queen around that was something that was certainly required. The use of a voice from seemingly the beyond fed in nicely to the grief felt by Victoria regarding Bertie. With Albert passed, Victoria did wonder if Torchwood would get the same kind of funding which I enjoyed. Okonjo being suggested as a fraud and then dying in a quite complicated and confusingly humorous way with a trip and a gun shot was intriguing. The voice was right and it didn’t want to stop with just one prediction. They’d all be dead by the morning, except one. That was an ominous warning but not once did Victoria back down and that was fantastic. She was such a strong character. With just her and Florence back, she provided a test to her Torchwood subject and she failed miserably. Offering her a gun and Florence actually going to shoot Victoria was a big surprise but the twist of her not having loaded the gun was excellent! Florence was confused and then the moment where Victoria revealed the gun came in pairs and shot her was sensational. She would survive. She endured. On she went. Her discussion with the creature at the end was a really fitting way to conclude things as the calm nature in which she just had a discussion with it was interesting and it just felt right. I think that’s because it was a different pace to the rest of the audio and it made Victoria feel totally in control. I didn’t share her sentiment about not caring what the creature actually was because I actually would have enjoyed to know, but that exuded power. Overall, a great listen! I actually look forward to more Victoria!

Rating: 9/10

Dinner and a Show

"Why can't aliens enjoy opera like everyone else?"

Writer: Gareth David-Lloyd

Format: Audio

Released: June 2020

Series: Torchwood Monthly 39

Featuring: Tosh, Ianto

Synopsis

It's February 14th and Owen is a no-show for Toshiko's not-Valentine's-Valentine's Night at the opera.

Worse, when Ianto turns up he has bad news for Toshiko, for Cardiff and for fans of classical music – the opera is full of aliens. The doors are bolted, there's no way out, and this could be the final curtain...

Verdict

Dinner and a Show was an excellent episode to continue my through the monthly Torchwood adventures from Big Finish! I was excited by the prospect of a familiar pairing with Tosh and Ianto and I think it’s overdue for these two characters to flank a story together. They’re tremendous and really have a lot riding for them. I thought the placement of between Series 1 and 2 was good as the Valentine’s Day setting became very important. Tosh trying to hide the fact she’d invited Owen on a date was a little sad as I thought she’d be able to admit to that in front of Ianto, so to find out that he’d thrown his ticket to the opera in the bin was a big shame. That would have hurt Tosh. She certainly deserves better. And so does Ianto! Jack disappearing at the end of End of Days is being felt here as both Torchwood members wonder if the organisation could go on for much longer without their cult figure leader. I think that’s quite fun and ironic given where we are now with Among Us and beyond, but Jack was so important to Torchwood at this time. He was Torchwood almost. Exploring the time where he was missing was terrific and there’s definitely a lot of room to explore there! Ianto was missing him now and the feelings he had for Jack being replicated by Tosh’s for Owen was good to explore and that meant they could both console each other and have an enjoyable evening at the opera. Or so that’s how it ought to have gone. Tosh being drunk when Ianto showed up in Owen’s place was good fun and I thought Naoko Mori played it so well! She was a lot of fun. Ianto was quite shocked to find how much alcohol she had consumed but that meant she’d let her hair down considerably. Learning about Ianto’s past and his gothic phase was not something I’d have expected, but his comment to Tosh about her being a prime candidate for going through something similar was hilarious! The opera concert setting worked better than it sounded on paper and that might have something to do with the fact that 30% of the attendees were alien! That was a good revelation and it was no wonder numerous alarms went off at the Hub. Ianto referencing The Last Beacon and his time spent with Owen in a bid to get to know him better was strong continuity but Tosh’s questioning on why he’d do that made her feelings seem a little hypocritical! I thought Ilmatar was an excellent character and the twist of him being in league with the Grosche as his biggest fans was very well done. I didn’t see that coming! I thought the idea of Ilmatar almost being an intergalactic superstar and his opera performances almost being interpreted sexually as the embarrassment they felt when the feelings reached a certain level was terrific. It was believable as far as outer space fantasies go! I like the ambiguous ending with Ilmatar escaping at the end and potentially leaving a return open for the future. The note being used to literally ignite an attendee was quite shocking but something I thought was good! I thought tying things together with Ianto and Tosh being on the roof that we saw Jack take Gwen to when she first started at Torchwood was a lovely touch. But what a view! And this was some dinner and show. Overall, a poignant and really strong episode.

Rating: 9/10

Mother's Little Helper

"Where there are prizes, there are hunters."

Writer: Matthew Jones

Format: Short Story

Released: March 1998

Printed in: Short Trips 10

Featuring: Second Doctor

Synopsis

From Neolithic Earth to the furthest reaches of the universe in the far future, Short Trips brings together established Doctor Who authors and first-time writers in a collection of stories exploring the ever-changing worlds of the Doctor and his friends.

Witness the last days of the siege of Masada with the First Doctor and meet the Fourth Doctor's extraordinary 'old flame'. An evil enemy makes life difficult for the Seventh and Third Doctors, and while the Fifth Doctor is under attack on a sinister ship shrouded in fog, the Second may soon be guilty of a grave error of judgement... The Sixth Doctor's hopes of a holiday are dashed when he discovers a pleasure planet is hiding a shocking secret, and the Eighth Doctor is caught up in a deadly drama played out during the construction of Stonehenge.

And, of course, that's just the beginning...

Verdict

Mother's Little Helper was a great little story to continue my reading through the first volume of Short Trips! I really enjoyed this tale and it felt a little unique. For some reason it doesn’t feel right to associate any kind of more mature or adult content with the Second Doctor. I just couldn’t imagine it going well on screen and I think that translates into other formats too. Now I’m not saying I’d have enjoyed the Combat Rock novel any more than I did if it featured a Doctor other than the second incarnation, but he seems the most loveable and playable. So that kind of content just seems so out of place with him. So when things started here with Nanci seeing her boyfriend with his hands up the blouse of her best friend I was a little surprised! But then I realise things got quite fun and experimental in the wilderness years as the kids who watched Doctor Who grew up but still wanted to experience this world. This book was obviously released then and I quite liked it. It felt very real world. I thought the way the book firmly pointed out that the pair were now her ex boyfriend and ex best friend was really good. Nanci was already struggling slightly being an American out of her country and things were about to get a whole lot weirder with a strange little boy on the run from a scornful woman. The emergence of the Doctor was good and it’s incredibly rare to be getting a solo outing for the Second Doctor. There’s no room for that in on screen continuity so some sort of mention of the whereabouts of his companions would have been beneficial. It’s just a little thing but it would tie things up nicely and provide a little explanation. That’s not to say the companions were missed or anything, Nanci filled that role well. The Doctor almost teasing her about it being time for her tea was good and well natured but she really was fearful of her mother if she stayed out too long. Especially talking to a stranger! When the Doctor heard that word I loved that he quickly introduced himself. Nanci liked him and that made the whole vibe of the story rather nice. I thought the concept of the boy was very good as basically an empath but the twist of him kind of being the son of the unnamed woman was intriguing. He basically existed to take all of her bad feelings away which was a little horrifying and quite evil. Imagine being built up with bad feelings that weren’t even your own? That hardly sounds fair. No wonder he was on the run from her. The Doctor being on hand to discuss with the woman why her actions were wrong was good but she wasn’t mothered. She just deemed him as the titular little helper with her being the mother. She was selfish and that was that. Momentarily I was getting vibes of the Rani from the description of her appearance and ship, but that was quickly dispelled as events rolled on. Imagine an early meeting here though? That would have been fun and the kind of experiment potential with the boy would have been right up her alley. The woman’s selfishness showed no abounds though once she had Nanci kidnapped because she was attempting to use the metallic band around her neck to scorch her. It started and Nanci even realised that her own skin was burning. That’s what she could smell. That is a frightening prospect, but the way the boy was on hand to take all of the heat and fire from her and the device was fantastic. It didn’t matter that the woman had thrown the controlling key into the sea, which was devilish, he’d got control now and he’d be a helper no more. He channeled that energy into the woman who saw a fitting demise. I thought the way things finished with Nanci looking onto the town through her telescope and the Doctor impossibly stopping and waving at her was a lovely touch. Overall, a great read! 

Rating: 8/10

Rogues Gallery: Till Death Us Do Part

"They gravitate to broken hearts."

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Format: Audio

Released: October 2023

Series: Paternoster Gang 2.03

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

Cases are mounting for the Paternoster Gang. Three mysteries call for immediate attention: a murder, a locked room conundrum, and some acts of random vandalism. But is there a connection?

As Jenny goes undercover and Strax stakes out the suspects, Vastra finds an echo of the distant past which could be the key to the solution.

Verdict

Till Death Us Do Part was an excellent episode to conclude my listening of the Rogues Gallery series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! This has been a really strong and consistent series where they may just have saved the best until last! I thought the premise of this story was really good and it was quite lovely to hear how much Jenny wanted to have an actual wedding with Vastra. They were married but hadn’t actually had a wedding which was a shame, but at least when the opportunity arose here the Doctor was present. As far as he was concerned, this was his first meeting with the Paternoster Gang which quite fun considering how they came together as a force, but for them this was a face they didn’t recognise. I was surprised that the Doctor didn’t actually appear for much of the episode but when he did it was terrific. I enjoyed some of the reactions Jenny got when referring to Vastra as her wife as not only were same sex relationships beyond thought ludicrous for the Victorian era, but a woman and an actual Silurian being wed would probably go down even less favourably! I thought the story behind Miss Faversham was very intriguing and the horror she endured after being jilted at the altar was powerful. She was clearly hurt in a big way but I wasn’t expecting it to be to the extent that she hadn’t taken off her wedding dress for over thirty years! That’s an extraordinary claim and I can’t imagine that. Crikey she must have smelled! Jenny’s serious comments about having the windows open for a reason were very humorous although I thought it was quite grotesque for Faversham to mention skimming the top layer of the bath water when she was finally convinced to take off the dress. The fact she offered the bath water to others after having her first wash in thirty years is just barmy! Who would possibly take up that offer? The involvement of the Doctor was fun and him actually being the one that Faversham was to marry was most unexpected! I really didn’t see that coming so that was a super fun revelation, especially with the Doctor being none the wiser. The duplicates that appeared on the episode were good fun and having a different Sontaran to Strax was good along with Jenny seemingly marrying another Vastra! It explained the Doctor being the groom without him knowing, but it was a shame for Jenny. Vastra didn’t even want a wedding but then the duplicate comments were hurtful. The crimes of passion happening also made for some stern and hurtful comments but them spreading across London was excellent. The fact they nearly went even further if the wedding dress was burned was terrific as the Vex Mites were thriving on it. Imagine thirty years of feeding on a broken heart? The simplicity in drowning the Vex Queen that didn’t put up a fight was good and effective, and it helps to have someone like Vastra as part of the Paternoster Gang who knew how to deal with this kind of threat. And even had the knowledge on them. The ambiguity at the end regarding the duplicate was good and I’m sure that’ll tie in further as we delve deeper into the trespassers umbrella title, but for now this was a fun adventure and a nice welcome to include the Eighth Doctor in this series. Overall, a superb listen!

Rating: 9/10

Rogues Gallery: Symmetry of Death

"Fight your conditioning, not me."

Writer: Dan Starkey

Format: Audio

Released: October 2023

Series: Paternoster Gang 2.02

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

Cases are mounting for the Paternoster Gang. Three mysteries call for immediate attention: a murder, a locked room conundrum, and some acts of random vandalism. But is there a connection?

As Jenny goes undercover and Strax stakes out the suspects, Vastra finds an echo of the distant past which could be the key to the solution.

Verdict

Symmetry of Death was another strong episode to continue my way through the Rogues Gallery series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! This is what I’d describe as a typical story for the trio and it was a really fun one at that. I thought they worked so well together and having them conjure up a list of goings on in Victorian London that required investigation and prioritising based on the threat to human life was fantastic. Of course, the threat of murder would take precedence over a missing person and damage to some London statues, but the first two becoming connected was done very well. Strax being trusted to go and investigate the missing person case alone was quite brave of Vastra if you ask me, but I thought his investigations were rather admirable! The missing person was actually something we heard in action and he was gone from a locked room on the top floor after the porter had shown him in! That was a strong mystery to kick things off. The timing was also intriguing as it fitted in with the murder and given the proximity to Paternoster Row both events had, it was hardly likely to be a coincidence. Vastra and Jenny investigating together was great and I really am a fan of theirs, although I think Jenny could have been featured a bit more in this episode. She’s been relatively quiet in the series so far which is a bit of a shame. Hopefully she stars in the finale! I thought the pace of the episode was strong as the Gang always felt like they were investigating or solving something as more clues pieced themselves together. Strax’s relationship with Crabbe was really strong and the humour that came from him constantly getting the Sontaran’s name wrong was good and didn’t overstay its welcome despite having the potential to do so. Vastra having a psychic connection with an ancient species not too dissimilar to hers was intriguing and the emotion that came from her interactions with Imogen were really strong. The impossibility of Vastra recognising the race that had been conditioned was brilliant and I liked the genuine emotional torment experienced. After so long asleep, it was such a waste for them to be dying. I think this series is taking a similar direction to Heritage as I am yet to find any kind of overlapping arc and I like that. The one in the previous batch of four boxsets was rather loose and I think that works as it doesn’t need to be the focus every episode. We can build in subtler ways. I like having independent stories and it does just work well to have the Paternoster Gang investigating mysterious happenings. I’m interested to see if there will be any aftermath from this story for Vastra after encountering a species close to hers and it’s one she seemed to admire. Vastra’s interaction with Imogen was very good and I liked how she went about in her veil without drawing attention to her Silurian species. Jenny pretending to be a boy was equally fun and the Victorian discussion on male involvement in female inheritance was terrific. Overall, another fun and entertaining episode!

Rating: 8/10

Rogues Gallery: The Ghost and the Potato Man

"It takes all sorts."

Writer: Barnaby Kay

Format: Audio

Released: October 2023

Series: Paternoster Gang 5.01 

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

When a criminal gang pulls off a series of impossible heists, Inspector Cotton calls upon the talents of the Great Detective to crack the case. Tipped off by Ellie Higson, the Paternoster Gang uncover a link to a baffling music hall act.

While Jenny and Vastra chase down leads in London's dangerous underworld, Strax finds a career on the stage is beckoning...

Verdict

The Ghost and the Potato Man was an excellent start to the Rogues Gallery series of adventures for the Paternoster Gang! I’m so delighted that Heritage was not the end of the expanded universe of stories for this magnificent Victorian trio and we have a whole four boxset run to come which is very exciting. This was a fine way to start as it was both fun and serious with a strong story at its heart. I don’t think it’s any secret that I think Strax is the star of the bunch and in this series he really does get a chance to shine. He’s just so much fun! The humour that comes from him is tremendous and part of that is because he firmly believes everything he says. He’s taken aback at a moment in the episode when Vastra doesn’t immediately say no to his outlandish tactics of dealing with something, but he soon does go a little far in suggesting acidic squirrels. The line needs to be drawn somewhere! I thought the links to the Jago and Litefoot series were wonderful and it was an unexpected treat to have Ellie feature alongside the Paternoster Gang for the episode’s duration! I’d be more than happy if she sticks around, even if I don’t know yet how her origin series finishes off. At least, the mentions of both Jago and Litefoot here were a nice touch and could place this adventure anywhere during their first few spin-off series. I loved how the legacy of Jago lived on here as the theatre focus was magnificent. It is such a shame Jago wouldn’t get to see Strax in action because he would be in awe! The fact he was oblivious to what was essentially him being publicly mocked is a little sad, but he was enjoying himself and booming out the ways he would deal with certain individuals and threats. The word obliteration came up on more than one occasion! He built a strong relationship on the stage and that was lovely to hear, especially at the end once the ghosts were sent home. Reg Adams made for a strong villain and his lack of care for the ghosts that existed in harmony with one another was a good monstrous trait. He was far from a likeable character and he even treated Jenny like a zoo animal when he had her locked up. She was feisty though and her comments about Vastra killing and eating him when she found him were fun stuff. She always knew her wife was coming. The calm and sophisticated nature of Vastra in conversing with the ghosts was impressive and I liked that everything came down to simple words. The words that Strax learned as he picked up the cockney and theatre jargon were incredibly funny though and it was soon irritating Vastra which just made it even better. I thought Reg using the ghosts and their teleportation ability was good and Vastra reacted to the experience in a fun way. The importance of the blue butterfly to the harmony ghost was a nice touch and certainly explained their colour! I liked their reliance on unity and as a collective was only how they would escape back home. The disappearing act of Reg at the end was a nice touch and a fun play on the illusionist theme. As a whole, this was a really great start to the series!

Rating: 9/10

The Puplet

"We have an alien called Jess living on top of the scenery."

Writer: Gary Russell

Format: Short Story

Released: August 2008

Printed in: Doctor Who Storybook 2009

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

A teacher is in need of serious help when an alien that only the children can see sets up shop on the Christmas play decor...

Verdict

The Puplet was a decent little story to conclude my reading of the 2009 Doctor Who Storybook! At long last, over a sporadic reading spree that encompassed nine long years, I have completed this jazzy little collection of short stories! Whilst most of the previous adventures in the collection featured Donna alongside the Doctor as companion, this one went the more 2009 route of having him travelling solo. That’s absolutely fine in this kind of adventure and there wasn’t really any moment that I felt a companion was missing. In saying that, the closest we got to a companion was Mr Warner who was quite a fun little character that served as the point of view for the adventure. I think it’s a fine line when involving children in a Doctor Who story as they sometimes tend to become a little childish but that didn’t feel the case here. It was far from being adult content that’s for sure but I’m not sure adults would be the target audience of the 2009 Storybook so no complaints there! One thing I must heap a huge amount of praise on is the artwork that accompanies this adventure. It really is stellar! The detail is nothing short of sensational and whilst I don’t think this particular story leant itself to too many options when it came to illustrations, the vibrancy and detail was outstanding. Just look at the image of David Tennant as the Doctor on the opening page. The likeness is incredible. I thought the school setting was decent and the humour that came from an alien being, in Earthly terms reminiscent of a cat, on top of the scenery of the school play was decent. I did like that only the children could see what would be dubbed as Jess because their minds weren’t closed off to not believing in things as silly as aliens. Mr Warner couldn’t see it but his reaction to the Doctor mentioning Quinnis was fun, because of course that would be ridiculous if Jess was from there! Just getting a mention of Quinnis was fun though as we know that’s a planet the First Doctor and Susan visited prior to the events of An Unearthly Child when the TARDIS wasn’t even a police box! Terry was a typical shy man and the fact he’d been a teacher for thirty years was admirable, but if he had such feelings for Mrs English then it is scarcely believable that he waited a decade and for an alien encounter to conjure up the confidence to ask her out for dinner. The three children of Stewart, Colin and Deena were here or there for me but as a combination they worked well and their keenness to look after Jess and fulfil the rota over the Christmas holidays was nicely done. The fear of the headmaster who didn’t appear was quite good and I imagine something that would be prevalent amongst teachers at any school. The Doctor using the psychic paper to show that he had authority to film the play was amusing, especially when he gave it a little shake to change the wording from Christmas to Hanukkah. That was probably the highlight! Jess being an Alluren didn’t really mean too much considering we hadn’t encountered them before, but it was fun to have what was basically a Doctor Who large scale version of a cat being stuck up a tree. And the Doctor was the fireman tasked with bringing her down from the scenery of the school play as it was soon due to be taken down. The way things ended with the Doctor helping Jess be found by her parents was neat and tidy, and as a whole this was a rather simple adventure. But for sure an enjoyable read!

Rating: 7/10