Battlegrounds: The Keeper of Light

"Beacons of hope."

Writer: Phil Mulryne

Format: Audio

Released: May 2022

Series: The War Doctor Begins 3.01

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor and his faithful companion are on the trail of strange psionic signals...

At a remote coastal cottage, holidaymakers David and Dorothy think there's something strange about the lighthouse. But the Doctor can't shake the sense of an even bigger mystery to solve...

Verdict

The Keeper of Light was a strong start to the Battlegrounds third series of The War Doctor Rises! This is a range I have been very eager to step back into and thanks to a recent sale from Big Finish, I'm now all set with a bundle to complete this particular series. I must say again that Jonathon Carley is staggeringly good as the War Doctor and it is just incredible how uncannily he sounds like the late great John Hurt. It provides such a degree of authenticity to the range which is just wonderful. I thought the way the Time War was incorporated into this story at the end was good and certainly needed as I was a little sceptical throughout about how this would relate. It would feel strange to have a War Doctor story without anything else going on in the background, but that all came with Tamasan in a sort of epilogue at the end which was very positive. I enjoyed the setting of a coastal cottage and it certainly seemed like a pleasant place for a holiday. There's something appealing about a lighthouse and I think ever since the broadcast of Fugitive of the Judoon they've become increasingly significant in the Whoniverse. The idea laid down by Layla about them appealing to the Doctor because they represent a beacon of hope was just wonderful. Even in an incarnation such as this one where he's trying to revoke his title and its meaning, some things just can't escape him. I loved the chemistry he had with Layla and that made his revelation and realisation at the end all the more emotional. The fact he worked out that everything was essentially a game was a good twist and the idea of her name being drawn from Leela and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was a nice touch. Why those names at this point in time? He wouldn't encounter the former until The Lady of Obsidian and I'm all for the Brigadier meeting the Doctor during wartime. That has to happen! David and Dorothy were fun characters and the humour that came from their longtime relationship was both great and a little sad. Imagine having separate rooms on a getaway after thirty-two years of marriage! Layla was able to highlight to the Doctor that they were on their last legs and this being a make or break trip felt like a big deal. Layla telling the Doctor to be sensitive to David about the situation of his relationship was just clumsy as he really didn't have a clue how to tackle this sort of thing! Was it a romantic getaway? He just seemed to nod along completely unaware. It was really nice to hear that through the fear of the Keeper. He was a fascinating villain and he seemed to know the Doctor which was fun. I was liking the idea that he was defeated for now with the promise of coming back and I was imagining that was the set up for the rest of the boxset. But alas, the Time Lords were out for information and power but the Doctor almost broke their hearts when he explained how it would be useless against the Daleks. It required imagination and that made the entire episode really interesting knowing that essentially everything we had heard was drawn from the Doctor's mind. Back to normality now though and more Time Lord scheming. I liked how he stood up to them and denied them this weapon. This would be too much and he made a stand. Overall, a strong start to the series! 

Rating: 8/10

Frankenstein and the Patchwork Man

"All the town's ghosts. Stitched together by the devil's seamstress."

Writer: Jack Heath

Format: Novel

Released: April 2025

Series: Puffin Classics 07

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

He tidied his hair, smoothed down his vest, 

He tidied his hair, smoothed down his vest, and extended a hand. 'Perhaps we can begin anew,' he said. 'Dr V. Frankenstein, at your service.'

When an unsettling folk tale leads the Ninth Doctor and Rose to a remote village in Wales, they get more than they bargained for.

A scientist has taken it upon himself to create new life – imitating Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a book that has sent shock waves around the country.

But, much like his fictional counterpart, this doctor is playing god, and with forces beyond his understanding. As the Doctor and Rose attempt to put the brakes on the experiment, before it gets out of control, a sinister supernatural presence reveals itself. . .

Verdict

Frankenstein and the Patchwork Man was an excellent novel to continue the Puffin Classics! This range has been incredibly unique and whilst it does appear that this is the penultimate release, I thought it was a very fun take on the story of Frankenstein. Again, like pretty much every original novel in which the respective story is based upon, I have never read Frankenstein but it feels like it has a big presence in Doctor Who history. On screen we have the magnificent The Haunting of Villa Diodati episode that sees Ashad the Lone Cyberman as the inspiration, and of course then Mary Shelley had a brief spell as a companion to the Eighth Doctor on Big Finish. So I feel like it's a story and certainly a concept I know well. It's also very well suited to Doctor Who and the title here is just great for the Whoniverse. The whole idea behind the Patchwork Man is frightening and full of horror which is exactly what you would want from this kind of adventure. A being stitched together from parts of the local village's dead was incredibly gruesome. That is some image! It's almost a shame he didn't grace the book cover. I was though surprised that he spoke as early as page thirty as I thought there would be much more of a build to any kind of interaction. I thought the moment the fiction hit reality as far as Rose was concerned was strong because unlike some others in this range, this felt very much based in realism which was impressive. In saying that, the odds of men of science being called Frankenstein in a village seven miles away from Cardiff seems highly unlikely, but I did appreciate the influence of the Mary Shelley novel on them. Young Vincent in particular took things to the extreme though when it came to wanting to prove he could bring life back to the dead. It was deeply disturbing! I thought his father also apparently inventing electricity in the form that we would know today ahead of its time was some achievement! Given the fire of the house that happened within the story, the invention would go unknown for decades until it was discovered as history told. I thought the characterisation of both the Ninth Doctor and Rose was superb throughout the story and that really helped it feel authentically Series 1. There were the obvious throwbacks to The Unquiet Dead which had a similar kind of feel to this book and the dialogue was just spot on in capturing the relationship between the pair. Janine was a really good character and Rose really sympathising with her as a servant was a fascinating look into the modern woman. She almost felt guilty for living in a time where there was relative equality and she was still finding it difficult adjusting to the culture and norms of the past. Janine's desire in life was just for her daughter to one day serve the son of the man she was currently serving. Rose was shocked by the lack of ambition and how willing she was to assist with the bath! I thought the action that came from escaping the fire after Vincent took matters into his own hands was good, if not a little long. It also seemed strange they were so intent on getting upstairs! I enjoyed the Voltigrades as the true enemy of the piece in the form of conscious electricity. They were only conscious when brought together though and the Doctor's reaction to learning that Vincent had stored the power of numerous lightning strikes into a single batter was rather incredible. I thought the Patchwork Man, who was later humanised as Adam, being consumed by Voltigrades made sense in reanimating him and the foreshadowing of The Parting of the Ways with Rose sacrificing herself for the Doctor when she thought it might be the other way around to end their travels was poignant. She shot the Patchwork Man with a spear into Lake Lamond and that action as a giant puddle to be irresistible to disperse and separate the Voltigrades dismantling the consciousness and saving the village. I thought things going round circle and taking Adam to the transhumanists on Tyronica Prime was lovely to bookend things with that initially being the intended destination for the TARDIS. Overall, a really strong read and take on a legend! 

Rating: 9/10

The Ark

"I know a corpse when I see one."

Writer: John Lucarotti (Adapted by Jonathan Morris)

Format: Audio

Released: June 2023

Series: Lost Stories 7.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

A space station orbiting Earth has lain dormant for 8,476 years. Its systems are clogged with dust, so the human crew kept frozen in cryogenic storage have never woken up. 

When the Doctor, Sarah and Harry arrive to resuscitate the sleepers, they discover something else on board. A small, golf-ball like object gives Harry an electric shock, and has a more sinister impact on the awakening crew. Soon, the Doctor and his friends are battling to save the space station – and Earth – from a ravenous puffball!

Verdict

The Ark was a really strong Lost Stories adventure! I was a little sceptical prior to listening to this story mostly based on my experience of listening to Return of the Cybermen which wasn't a bad adventure, it just didn't feel like it was vastly different to Revenge of the Cybermen in which it was adapted from an early draft of. So with this one I knew it was based on early drafts of The Ark in Space but thankfully this really did feel vastly different to the version we saw on screen. I was a big fan of how different this was and knowing what it was based upon and it being a strong story, it was a really fascinating listen. I don't think it was any better or worse than the original version but it was really different despite having a lot of familiar elements in the plot. It still followed on nicely from Robot which was interesting with it being Harry's first trip in the TARDIS which was fun, but his UNIT experience really did shine through as he wasn't all that flustered by everything that was happening. The very idea of what we know as Space Station Nerva being referred to here as Noah's Ark and just in space is audacious to say the least, but it's incredibly on the nose and almost laughing at the listener to have a Captain Noah! I thought that was hilarious. I also found it intriguing by the concept of the Doctor having visited the Ark on a few previous occasions to ensure that the future of humanity was intact and would be safe. Except he hadn't been for a few centuries or longer here and that was pretty problematic. Who knew dust would be such a problem when the extractor failed! The Doctor was in fine form here and it's a fun distinction to have Tom Baker playing the role here when he is so seasoned and has appeared in hundreds of stories now on and off screen, compared to it being the Fourth Doctor's second serial on screen where he would have been pretty raw in the role. There's definitely that familiar charm. I thought Narib in place of the Wirrn was a very interesting take on the villain and it was good to still have that familiar insect-like appearance and description. It definitely felt more in control and with a more obvious plan when it came to the use of humanity. The role of the Amoeba was fantastic in that it was so simple in being a singular cell. The most simplified form of existence on an incredible scale. The Doctor being obsessed in growing the puffballs was amusing because that just sounds ludicrous as a plot resolution, but it makes perfect sense when the science is revealed and that it was basically absorbing the Amoeba and that caused Narib to dehydrate. The Doctor then using an elastic band to pelt it into space was pretty conclusive in its fate as it hurtled through space! I thought that combined with Harry taking a space walk and being lost from the ship was strangely reminiscent of Four to Doomsday which I liked. I thought the other guest cast really helped compliment the story with Mek and Den being obvious standouts. I really enjoyed the pace of the story too and I must say the cliffhangers were incredibly strong for a story that was somewhat familiar. I liked how the basic premise wasn't too far removed from the later drafts that would become the original serial, but it was sufficiently different to warrant a release and feel worthy of my time. It was terrific. Overall, a great adventure! A unique take on a classic. 

Rating: 8/10

Aquitaine

"Black holes are best studied from a distance."

Writers: Simon Barnard & Paul Morris

Format: Audio

Released: February 2016

Series: Monthly Adventures 209

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

Today should be much like every other day for Hargreaves, the computer consciousness that co-ordinates daily life aboard the spaceship Aquitaine, stationed on the outer fringes of a black hole. Water the plants, run the diagnostics, cook the Captain's breakfast; then tidy the plates away, rotate the ship, clean the windows of the observation deck. When at least the day's work is done, Hargreaves will dim the lights in the sleeping quarters. But no-one will sleep aboard the Aquitaine tonight. Because the Aquitaine's crew is missing. 

But today will be different. Today, a space/time ship called the TARDIS will materialise in the botanical section, bringing the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan aboard the Aquitaine. Together, they'll seek to discover the truth of what happened to Hargreaves' crew...

...if only the ghosts will let them.

Verdict

Aquitaine was an excellent story to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! Release number two-hundred-and-nine doesn't feel real because that's just such a long run and there's still many more to go before finishing the range. It will feel quite surreal when that happens but I'm going to enjoy the ride and I thought this was a fantastic adventure. I really liked the idea of a loud distress call in the TARDIS waking Tegan up because she would be straight into blaming the Doctor, but she was actually pretty reasonable and it's intriguing to hear how she has a little bit of a new perspective after being left behind in Time-Flight and returning on her travels in Arc of Infinity. The Doctor and Nyssa got up to quite a lot in the meantime but she's making up for lost time. I thought the Aquitaine ship as the setting was magnificent and I loved how it was a haven of botanical research. That's not exactly the usual kind of ship you would expect a distress call from, but the situation certainly was distressing! Hargreaves was a really fun character and I couldn't help but liken him to Vision from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The voice was uncannily like him and his nature as a robot butler was very interesting. I thought the fact he rebooted after every storm in the ergosphere was amusing because his memory was wiped and that made things difficult for the TARDIS team. Especially when there were multiple androids he was inhabiting for each of the trio to interact with across the ship. I definitely got strong vibes of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls when it came to the black hole impacting time on the ship, particularly when there was a safe space on it where time was not impacted. The Doctor being allowed to get technical when it came to time was fun and I loved how he proclaimed he had authority on the subject owing to his species. The analogy of time tracks to parallel dimensions was excellent and I love when we get an adventure about time, rather than just travelling into the past or future. Being somewhere on the ship and talking about what was happening in the present but that not being where the Doctor and Tegan was made for some hard thinking, but I loved that I was almost being challenged. I was a big fan of that. Nyssa being infected presented some challenges and it was a really interesting way to introduce us to the deranged Dr Akunin. He seemed innocent at first but the way he sedated Nyssa and revealed there was no cure to her condition was incredibly sinister. He had the perfect voice for a villain and the fact he was using his fellow crew members as test subjects for his new species of Aquinites. That was disturbing to see the fate that befell Jennings and Anna's reaction to seeing her name on the label of a container housing a human hand was devastating. Realisation that Nyssa was telling the truth soon became apparent! I thought the way the trio were all reunited was pretty emotional and given the proximity to the black hole and all the jumping around, it wasn't actually clear how much time had passed over the course of the story. I think that's rather interesting. I loved the line from the Doctor about the hairs on his neck standing up because of the impending arrival of the TARDIS also. Glorious. I thought Hargreaves's return to an earlier point in time with the utilisation of his system memory was fantastic and he had to wait fifty-three years to catch up and ensure things were averted. The Aquitaine perishing into the collapsing black hole was quite the climatic and final end to the story. Overall, a superb story! Very atmospheric and dark. 

Rating: 9/10

The Grey Mare

"It's not normal to freeze to death in your own house."

Writers: Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle

Format: Audio

Released: December 2021

Series: Torchwood Monthly 57

Featuring: Ianto

Synopsis

"Listen. Mari Lwyd. White as moonlight. Rattle-bagged and broken backed. Steed of winter who the pale men carry.

"Who are those that squire you? Slow and ceaseless, yard by yard, house by house, and door by door."

The Mari Lwyd is a fine Welsh Christmas Tradition – the skeleton of a horse roams the streets, begging to be let in for food and warmth. Once she knocks, only the most cunning can send her away.

Ianto Jones has come to a remote village for a quiet Christmas. But the Mari Lwyd has come knocking. And she's real.

Verdict

The Grey Mare was another excellent Torchwood monthly adventure! This range continues to impress and showcase numerous of the main characters in their own light. It's also wonderfully Welsh and as a patriotic Welshman that might be a big part of its appeal. I love hearing the Welsh language spoken in audio drama and unfortunately I'm not fluent, but I definitely know more than poor old Ianto did here! I thought that was fun to play with when it came to Mrs Watkins teasing him about being from Cardiff which despite being the capital city of our nation, it is not the most Welsh-speaking of cities. Far from it in fact. You've got to go quite far west and north to reach that part of the country, and whilst the remote village here wasn't named it did have a sense of being located somewhere along those lines. I was a little sad for Ianto that he was wanting to spend Christmas alone and remotely, but he was going through some things. He was waiting for Jack to make the first move in calling him and that coming at the end of the episode was a nice way to finish. After a hugely eventful Christmas he got his happy ending. I thought the concept behind the Mari Lwyd was terrific and I loved how eery the episode felt. The remote setting certainly aided that and I was impressed with how well the atmosphere was captured. It felt dark and clearly at night which was good and I do think the cover art has a part to play there. The description of the Mari Lwyd was pretty disturbing with it being a horse skeleton and just the image of one of those roaming the streets was fantastic! Talk about scary. I liked how the legend was just local custom to the likes of Mrs Watkins and Daniel. The latter was a strong character and it was good to see how much he was essentially broken gradually as the episode went on. He was almost laughing at the idea of Ianto and Watkins being scared of the Mari Lwyd but not all that long later he was shooting at it with desperation and fear. He was angered by them using the dead as puppets and why wouldn't he be? Especially when one was his uncle. How must he have looked a year on now as an animated corpse? Ianto was on hand to provide expertise though throughout and I liked how strong he was being despite clearly also being scared. The whole idea of the owner of the house needing to give permission to let the Mari in was intriguing and Watkins became quite vulnerable there. She was still reeling a little from the death of her husband and with that being the house Ianto was sub-letting made it a little more eery. All of his stuff was still in the loft so Watkins felt comfortable in the house which is why she wanted some of Ianto's brandy and kept popping by. In hindsight that was rather sweet for the old woman. I did though relate so much to Ianto questioning what she wanted and clearly trying to get rid of her. I thought Watkins playing the main role in sending the Mari packing was superb and a really strong and powerful emotionally charged moment. She told the Mari Lwyd everything that it wasn't and really impacted her to such the extent that Ianto was confident it would never return. Daniel dying was another massive moment that felt devastating and certainly enhanced the threat, but his death was avenged. Overall, a fantastic listen! 

Rating: 9/10

Ride or Die

"I won't wage war for you."

Writer: Rochana Patel

Format: Audio

Released: January 2026

Series: Thirteenth Doctor Adventures 1.04

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz

Synopsis

The Doctor and Yaz have been sent a list of coordinates, each one pointing to a location in time and space where people are disappearing – but why? The trail leads to a war-torn world, where conscripted humans battle the terrifying Banshee. 

Can the Doctor end this conflict before she loses her best friend? 

Verdict

Ride or Die was another great episode to continue my way through the Thirteenth Doctor Adventures! I'm absolutely loving that we have a whole new series with the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz an it actually still feels very current considering it has barely been four years since Jodie Whittaker's departure in The Power of the Doctor. The chemistry she has with Mandip Gill as Yaz is fantastic and I liked how addressing their relationship didn't feel hidden or in the background quite as much as it did on television. It was essentially openly addressed when Megan Miller was on the scene. I thought her history with Yaz was intriguing and it was fun to think how she had a crush on the now companion, and the Doctor mentioning how she had good sense must have felt really good for her. It would certainly be a confidence booster for me! Once Megan got a sense of what was happening after the transportation to the war-torn world, she could see that Yaz fancied the Doctor. I mean who can blame her but it was important for Yaz to subtly be learning more about who she was and realising that she might actually like women. I thought that was impressive and I was glad it wasn't at the forefront because it didn't need to be. She can find who she is in her own time and I look forward to that character growth continuing over the course of the next eight episodes. There seems to be a story arc building which I'm all for and the Tourist seems to have some part to play there. I'm fascinated and I like how only inklings are there but it appears that someone familiar will be returning. I could be completely wrong of course but that's the sense I have at this point in the series. I thought the story had a lot of similarities to The Doctor's Daughter with both sides of the war not exactly knowing how things started or even what they were fighting for. It was a good take on capitalism too with the whole thing basically being about profiteering. The concept of playing both sides was a bit of a shock and felt horrible as Yaz had persistently questioned if the motive could really be just for money. Newsflash! The answer was of course yes. I work in finance so hearing some of the lingo here was amusing as shell companies aren't actually all that secretive, or illegal. But the Doctor just being able to buy out the entire stock of Prospero shouldn't be possible either no matter how much she was paid for her UNIT redundancy! That was an amusing idea though in tying in with Flux. I thought the Banshee was a good monster and the origin of the name was purely logical. No arguments there! Sergeant Johnson was also a really good character and I liked how he had a military mind and understood all about UNIT. The Doctor's reaction to the psychic paper actually telling the truth in labelling her the scientific adviser was glorious. I thought Megan dying was a powerful moment but I loved that someone close to Yaz perished because of the growth it brings to her character. I'm not a fan of companions not constantly staying in the TARDIS, but I could understand how she related to Ryan's reasons for departing at the end of Revolution of the Daleks. She needed to keep up with what was happening at home and her taking the responsibility to tell Megan's parents of her death was strong. Johnson succumbing to a potential profit was disappointing from his character perspective but the Doctor using maths and stocks to save the day was good stuff. Overall, a really good listen! 

Rating: 8/10

Empty Vessels: Lure of the Zygons

"I'm entirely in character."

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 16.02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

A distress call draws the Doctor, Liv and Helen to a remote world and a crashed ship, where Captain Elhan is searching for her lost sibling...

As the storms close in, the two crews must investigate the wreck together. In the darkness, the Zygons are waiting...

Verdict

Lure of the Zygons was a strong conclusion to the Empty Vessels series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! After a mammoth task and around two years in the making since starting Dark Eyes, I believe that's me all caught up on everything Eighth Doctor! That feels almost ridiculous to say as I've found his incarnation at Big Finish to be the most daunting as there's just so much there. But here we are and I think it's glorious. He's such a strong incarnation and at times it has felt like I've been encountering him too much as I like to jump around the incarnations and eras, but now I don't know what my next Eighth Doctor outing will be! The Zygons are a good lure in terms of a selling point and I was excited by the prospect of them coming up against the Eighth Doctor once again here, but it's been a long time since The Zygon Who Fell to Earth! I thought doing the Zygons in space felt a little like limiting them as there were only a few humanoid characters for them to take the shape of, but it actually helped add to the emotion. I was glad that the story didn't beat around the bushes of them being present and even though we didn't hear one for a while, it was obvious right away that the Helen that was taking care of Liv at the start of part one was not the real article. That puts the listener in a strong position in having knowledge of the Zygons where the companion  doesn't but she cottoned on pretty quickly to be fair to her! And she wasn't a big fan of what she was learning. I thought Shay was a strong character as the captain and the emotional nature of her searching for her sibling was fantastic. That's a strong bond so when they were reunite it was always going to be packed with a lot of weight. Did Wren actually want saving? Her connection with Vorgel the Zygon was very reminiscent of what we saw with Osgood and everything that went down in The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion and I thought that was powerful stuff. Liv was also really instrumental there when it came to Vorgel as she tried to bring out the individuality of the Zygon. She was different from her other brethren and that was fascinating to explore. I liked how she stuck around at the end even when her people were seen off. That really did say a lot. I liked the throwback and references to Terror of the Zygons and the very idea of Scotland supposedly being the name of the glorious home world in which they were heading was hilarious. Maybe not. I did like the status of the Skarasen and it felt crucial to the Zygons and their survival which brought a good sense of vulnerability. These versions did feel almost contained to the shadows and whilst that did weaken them a little, it also made them very dangerous. The mythical history behind the martlet was intriguing and Helen putting her linguistic skills to the good throughout the episode was absolutely brilliant. She was so impressive and really shone, even when challenged from the Zygon taking her thoughts and bringing up the likes of Albie. This was definitely one of her very best stories as companion which is saying a lot! I liked that the Zygons took their duplication feats to a whole new level when it came to the martlet itself but they went one step too far in trying to duplicate the TARDIS. Whilst a fun concept and incredibly audacious to say the least, it would prove to be their undoing. I thought that was really strong stuff. I will say, I think the second part perhaps goes just a little bit too long but it was still a really good listen! I'm delighted to get another outing for the Zygons as it feels like it's been a while! 

Rating: 8/10

Empty Vessels: Eos Falling

"A rescue specialist... but only for the right price."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Eighth Doctor Adventures 16.01

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Liv, Helen

Synopsis

The Doctor, Helen and Liv find themselves on an abandoned spacecraft, hurtling towards an inhabited world. The crew have vanished – but the TARDIS travellers are not alone on this empty vessel...

Have they really discovered a ghost ship?

Verdict

Eos Falling was an excellent start to the Empty Vessels series of Eighth Doctor Adventures! This was a very strong start but crikey I have some worries about where things are going with this legendary TARDIS team. It's no issue at all with the quality of storytelling as that's been incredibly strong and continues to be with this story here, but with all the talk within the story about neither companion not wanting to depart the TARDIS and give up being a companion, along with the significance of Helen finding familial connections wherever and whenever the TARDIS takes them, I can't help but get a feeling that we're gearing towards some sort of ending. I feel like the line in the episode regarding not wanting to break up such a good team is an in-joke of what's to come. I just get that sense of dread and I feel like it will be Helen in particular that everything gets a little too much for to pile on top of Albie's Angels and everything that came before regarding her family. The Sinclair Foundation being responsible for the colony here was fascinating and I'm intrigue that Helen and Liv are keen to keep that little detail away from the Doctor. There is no such thing as a coincidence as far as he's concerned and this would only heighten that. I was surprised that the trio spent so much of the episode apart from one another but I guess that does allow things like hiding details which I'm sure will come into play later down the line in the timeline for this trio. I thought Jenkar was a fun character in how she was doing good in answering the SOS and rescuing the people of the colony, but only if the price was right. Bidding for rescue! Some concept that fair play. She was almost appalled by the prospect of somebody else arriving on the scene to help because she wanted her full fee. Later finding out that it was actually the colony she was from, or at least used to be, was intriguing. Even more so when the Doctor deduced that she was actually one of its founders. With the connection to the Sinclair Foundation, I can't help but notice how close the name Jenkar is pronounced to Chenka. I feel there has to be a connection to come there down the line. I'll be honestly stunned if there's not! I thought the Eos ship itself was a strong setting and the eery feel was there almost immediately which I liked. It was a tense atmosphere without much bickering which is usually difficult to capture! I was a big fan of that. Roscoe wanting to save and be reunited with his daughter Willa was a strong emotional pull and the ghostly apparition presence for them on the ship was really good stuff. I thought Helen spotting Willa initially was good and let her know again that there was a reason for them to stay. This girl needed saving and I liked how that became a common goal for everyone. Even Jankar by the end had a change of heart because she thought hard about her family history. I liked that when she was ready to give up on her own colony, she was convinced otherwise thanks to the Doctor's offer of getting to go anywhere she liked (within reason) on top of her full fee. Considering the episode was less than an hour, the growth her character underwent over the course of the episode was fantastic. I was almost proud of her! I'm intrigued to hear the character direction for the companions moving forward and we've got a very fun looking finale to this boxset to come! Overall, a terrific start to the series!

Rating: 9/10

One Night Only (A Fela Kuti Story)

"Never underestimate the musicians."

Writer: Tade Thompson

Format: Novella

Released: August 2025

Series: Icons 04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

Sarah Jane doesn't know who she is any more.

She's applied for a job as a secretary at a run-of-the-mill office, with just one other co-worker. 

He's nice enough. A little strange, a little charming, clearly an innovator. For a snappy dresser, though (Sarah loves the scarf) he's strangely quiet. 

That's because, of course, he's the Doctor. Working with UNIT to try to restore Sarah's memories, he's found himself battling an alien group harvesting the minds of unsuspecting victims. 

But he's already on the back foot, and as the alien hive mind draws in its followers, he's very much in need of a friend. 

Enter legendary musician Fela Kuti. Another innovator – just as challenging, and just as charming. He might just be the one to save the human race.

Verdict

One Night Only (A Fela Kuti Story) was a pretty average novella I'm afraid to say. I thought so much of this story was actually really strong but I'm not sure I've read a story that was so let down by its ending. I'll get to that in due course but I was very excited by what I was reading at the start. Thankfully, I had not read the synopsis prior to starting the book which I am eternally grateful for as I think it spoils the entire first chapter. The whole premise there is just blurted out which doesn't feel right so I'm thankful that when borrowing the book on BorrowBox as part of my local library service, I just dove right into the story. The concept of Sarah Jane having her memories distorted was really well done and having her as a secretary to the Doctor is certainly enough of a job to drive anybody up the wall! The details and ludicrousness of his letters to the editor of The Times that Sarah was having to scribe were incredible with the Doctor complaining about the aftertaste of the ink on his fingers from reading the paper and how that impacts his jelly baby eating experience. He was certainly testing her! I thought it was bonkers and that's the Fourth Doctor for you. Of course, this was a time jump ahead in the story from where Sarah had actually been the victim of the Harvesters known as Anthophillae. I thought they were decent enough as the villain and I do like a hive mind even if it's very much not a new concept now in Doctor Who adventures. They almost felt like a mix between the Zygons and the Krillitanes with them taking on the form of the most dominant species on whatever planet they arrived on. Their claim here though was that they just wanted to get back home and I was surprised with how accepting the Doctor was of that. He was going to help them finish building their Navigator which would have been a disaster. Sarah was actually able to utilise her connection to the hive mind against the Harvesters also and could see that they were actually planning an invasion. I thought the role of Fela Kuti was pretty minimal in the adventure which felt odd for this series. I must admit, I didn't know who he was prior to reading the book and he's certainly a unique character to focus on as an icon. I don't think he was presented as being special in the story which was a shame and I think there's some blaring continuity errors in him having met the Fourth Doctor specifically on a number of previous occasions, but not Sarah Jane. It's established in Doctor Who and the Face of Evil that during the events of Robot the Doctor did momentarily sneak off but he wasn't in a place mentally to interact and build a friendship with Fela as was presented here. I also thought the take on his language and accent was poor. It didn't make sense and just wasn't really necessary in prose. Just describe the way he's talking rather than make it not make sense in the spelling of words to present an accent. I didn't like that. Much of the story took on the form of negotiation and UNIT and the Brigadier specifically being on hand with a plan b of an airstrike felt right. I was also a little disappointed in the Doctor for questioning Sarah Jane in wanting to catch up with Harry when she realised it was 1976 with this being set after Terror of the Zygons and his departure. But then we never get a goodbye! The ending was disappointing in its predictability, vagueness and just how quick it was. I know this is a novella so it's not going to be as detailed as a full novel, but it was just a very quick turn on of Fela's music and the sound reverberating so much that it disconnected the Anthophillae from their hive mind and home world and saw them all die almost immediately. It felt lacking in explanation a little which was a shame as I really did enjoy the whole memory wipe element. I wished we stayed longer in Sarah's secretary life with the Doctor as that was undoubtedly the best part. Her line about writing her autobiography and correcting herself to subtitle it The Sarah Jane Adventures was absolutely golden though. Honestly one of my all time favourite lines in Whoniverse prose history. It brought a huge smile to my face. Overall, a decent concept but the chapters were too long for a novella and the ending brings this down massively for me.

Rating: 6/10

The Red List

"Your country is burning."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: November 2021

Series: Torchwood Monthly 56

Featuring: Ace, Mr Colchester 

Synopsis

At first it was lights in the sky. Then the country started falling apart. Torchwood has come to help. So has A Charitable Earth. But there's a problem. 

Mr Colchester and Ms McShane find themselves trapped in a quarantine hotel in the middle of an alien invasion. 

Can they save the world without leaving their rooms?

Verdict

The Red List was a very good audio to continue my way through the monthly Torchwood range from Big Finish! I never imagined that we would be getting Ace popping up in Torchwood but with her A Charitable Earth charity it makes a great amount of sense! We know from At Childhood's End and The Power of the Doctor that she is a big charitable figure in the modern day so to have her getting mixed up with Torchwood should not come as any surprise. In fact I should be asking why hasn't it happened sooner! I thought the pairing of her alongside Mr Colchester was very fun and whilst they weren't entirely working together given his thoughts toward charity and hers towards Torchwood, I thought the development of their relationship was pretty strong. There was good humour that came from them being confined and this story reflecting thoughts and feelings on the pandemic was done brilliantly. I imagine a lot of the details were very close to home if you listened close to release date with things being very fresh in the memory. This still resonated with me here and I definitely got that sense of confinement which was important to the story. I think things would have been helped if we actually had the country named and whilst it is indicated to be somewhere in Latin or Southern America with the references to El Presidente, I didn't really like not having a definitive answer on where Mr Colchester and Ace were. Even if it was somewhere made up as we saw in The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion, that would have been beneficial in my opinion. The lines about locking visitors up were certainly on the nose in terms of being political but it was hard to argue against them. The indoctrination of the quarantine hotel was fascinating and it was done really subtly over the course of the episode. I thought it did a really good job for over an hour in presenting how long Mr Colchester and Ace had been stuck in the hotel. One newspaper and one television channel. The banter that came from them competing the crossword together much to Colchester's annoyance was really fun but all of the answers were leading towards a certain way of thinking which I liked. By the end of the ten days, the pair were both very much against El Presidente and wanted to see him dethroned in any form or fashion. That came as a surprise to Ace and Colchester which I enjoyed. I thought these two being together was also fun for the simple fact of them both hating their first names. Ace playing on Colchester's in particular was great banter. Xavier was a fun little character and with Colchester now alone following Colin's death, he was out for some fun. He needed fixing. And he probably wasn't far wrong! The flirtatious building of their relationship with each maintenance visit was good and it was painfully obvious that they were going to work something out together. After all of the brainwashing efforts, Ace and Colchester not actually definitively guaranteeing that they weren't the copied versions of themselves was quite the ambiguous way to end the episode! They knew what had been trying to be achieved against them for assassination and things clearly got in the way like bodies falling from the twelfth floor, but I do wonder if this is something we may come back to in the future. I would love to get another go around with this pairing, especially if they're questioning their own existence! Overall, a really strong listen. I love this range.

Rating: 8/10

Tales from the Vortex: When I Say Run...

"This definitely isn't an interactive event."

Writer: Ben Tedds

Format: Audio

Released: April 2025

Series: Short Trips 13.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

You love listening to these audio stories as you go about your daily routine, so it's awkward when an alien entity takes control of you during your morning run. Maybe the Doctor can have a word in your ear?

Verdict

When I Say Run... was a good little story to continue my way through the Tales from the Vortex thirteenth series of Short Trips! I was a little sceptical going into this story from the synopsis description describing it as a story for 'you and the Tenth Doctor' because I'm not a massive fan of the format of involving the listener in the adventure. I think it works for a younger audience perhaps and I know the Short Trips range isn't exactly the most complex and is one of the more accessible with them largely being standalone adventures, but especially with it being the Tenth Doctor I think I was getting strong Decide Your Destiny vibes in audio format! It wasn't quite like that as the decisions were all made for us and I don't think the character that was addressed as if it was the listener actually felt that way. It was just a different kind of perspective which was pretty intriguing, but I'm not really sure it was necessary. It wasn't bad at all but I don't think the adventure actually gained anything from utilising this approach. I thought the story itself was actually pretty good and it certainly felt modern which is good when including this particular incarnation of the Doctor. I don't think Clare Corbett's impression of the Tenth Doctor was anything to write home about and that's no big surprise or problem, but I have high expectations after recently listening to The Wednesday That Wasn't and her tremendous take on the Thirteenth Doctor! The Elekron app was a good basis for much of the story and that's where acting as a character for the listener came into play. I am someone who has sporadically taken up running in the last couple of years and recently completed the Nos Galan road races on New Year's Eve in my home town, so hearing some of the motivational speech and comments felt very familiar. I must be honest though, if I had an app in my ear with an artificial intelligence giving me encouragement or updates I think it would drive me bonkers. I like a good podcast when running and I think the app was a little conservative in building up to a 5k. I don't think that's too long at all! The Elekron feeding off the energy of the app users was intriguing but once the Doctor arrived they felt incredibly inferior. That showed just how much of a presence the Doctor has as a Time Lord and with the Elekron home world perishing in the Time War, they were no match for the Doctor. They actually seemed to quiver when inside the TARDIS but they were audacious in planning to infiltrate the console to go back in time to their home world and prevent its destruction. I thought them challenging the Doctor that he wouldn't rather than couldn't save it was bold, but they just ended up taking him up on the offer of a new settlement which felt a little underwhelming. The Doctor pondering on not getting to do the whole one chance line was fun stuff and it's actually a shame I felt that we didn't get a little more exploration of the Elekron living dormant within the app of a phone. I find that really interesting rife with potential, especially with AI as this world gets more and more technologically reliant and advanced. No such worries in the TARDIS though! And just a final note, how can we have a story named as this one and it not feature the Second Doctor? That feels like a missed opportunity, but that doesn't have an impact on the adventure! Overall, a solid listen indeed.

Rating: 7/10

Deathworld

"All lower creatures fear the power of the Ice Warriors!"

Writer: Steve Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 1980

Printed in: DWM 15-16

Featuring: Ice Warriors, Cybermen

Synopsis

The Ice Warriors trace trisilicate to the planet Yama-10, but they are not the first to arrive...

Verdict

Deathworld was a magnificent little comic strip adventure to continue my way through The Return of the Daleks graphic novel of backup stories! This was right up there in challenging the titular story for the best in the collection so far, I really was that impressed. I have had a rather tough today with work, very early morning rises from my daughter who then had a vaccination that overran considerably, so I needed something good like this. This really raised my mood! I was delighted enough to see that this was going to be an Ice Warriors story and the continuity with The Curse of Peladon and The Monster of Peladon in having them searching for trisilicate was terrific. I was a big fan of that and they were really keen on obtaining a source by venturing as far as they did to Yama-10! That planet being described as the titular Deathworld was fun and I thought the narration from the Fourth Doctor who bookended the story and introduced each part was really beneficial. It felt very much in character which was marvellous and given how this story ends for both the Ice Warriors and the Cybermen, you couldn't help but understand his smile! The cliffhanger at the end of part one with the Cybermen already being on the planet and claiming it under the Cyberman Empire was tremendous, even if it was wholly predictable in the best way possible. The artwork of the Cybermats was absolutely glorious in capturing the likeness that we saw on screen in The Tomb of the Cyberman which is undoubtedly the best design. It meant I knew who the metallic creatures being hinted at were and I was very excited for their arrival. I didn't know I needed it, but conflict between the Ice Warriors and Cybermen was fantastic! I loved the contrast between the two races and housing this battle on a world that had considerable heat was very intriguing. The Ice Warriors obviously don't react well to that so they were actually a little appalled by the Cybermen having resistance to the climate. I enjoyed that a lot, but the Ice Warriors had a plan of their own and that meant using ice alongside water to short circuit the Cybermen. They'd impacted the natural environment significantly and in typical Ice Warrior fashion, they plunged the planet into ice. The Cybermen being defeated there by the buildup was great and I thought the fate of the Ice Warriors in letting themselves be consumed by the ice and play the waiting game was fascinating. They're certainly a patient race but it's a lovely throwback to The Ice Warriors to showcase that they will just wait until thawing. It certainly shows how important trisilicate is! The line from the Doctor at the end about the ice being thick and the Ice Warriors underestimating that was really fun. I do think it was supposed to indicate that both races defeated one another, but I'm going to give this victory to the Ice Warriors! I think the story was really good and full of action for a worthy cause. A rare battle between two famous foes and I think the only thing that might have made it perfect was a few more of the letter s in the Ice Warriors dialogue. That would make things feel just slightly more authentic, but this is still very early days for the comic strips and I can't be complaining too much. A superb read! 

Rating: 9/10

Daemons in Levenshulme

"Miss Hawthorne is the sacrifice that Azal requires!"

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2025

Printed in: The Adventures After 03

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz

Synopsis

Discover what happened after...

A remarkable collection of new Doctor Who short stories that give a glimpse into the moments just after the Doctor saves the world, and the credits roll.

The Doctor has had many adventures, visited many planets and made a whole host of friends (and some enemies). 

But if you thought it was all over after the TARDIS doors closed, and the time ship dematerialised, onto the next adventure, you'd be very much mistaken.

From Earth's past, present and future, to the furthest reaches of the universe, here are eight tales that give us a glimpse into the worlds the Doctor left behind. Sometimes triumph, sometimes tragedy (and always chaos) these are stories you'll never forget.

Verdict

Daemons in Levenshulme was a great story to continue my way through The Adventures After collection of sequels! I think The Daemons is a fine serial to do a sequel to as that is one that has a considerable amount of lore and a very high standing in fandom, but I would not have expected it to be done with the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz! I'm going into reading these stories very dry on what exactly the sequels are apart from the image at the start of the chapter and I can only then guess which Doctor and companion combination will feature. This was a really nice surprise as I think the Thirteenth Doctor is severely under appreciated and whilst her wonderful surprise cameo at the end of The Reality War is helping people readjust their opinion alongside the glorious Thirteenth Doctor Adventures at Big Finish which are selling out, it's lovely to see this incarnation getting a lot of love. I think it's wonderful to bring a cult classic monster like the Daemons and Azal back but having the Doctor and now the Master as well in female form. I thought it was great stuff to acknowledge how terribly modern this all was and that came from the wonderful returning Miss Hawthorne! I don't think it would have been really possible to do a Daemons sequel without her and here she was at the ripe age of one-hundred-and-two still going strong! The fact she has a cat named Benton was fun stuff but as a cat owner myself, I can't believe how she copes with twenty-five of the feline creatures running around! That would drive me insane. I thought Missy returning here in the role of Ms Magister was tremendous and I loved the continuity from The Wonderful Doctor of Oz in acknowledging that this is not the first time the two female incarnations have faced off. Missy acknowledging that they had gotten a little out of sync was a nice touch although I reckon she'd have been just fine with the Scottish fella showing up instead. Referencing that the Doctor was still adjusting to the revelations of her past in Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children was strong stuff and I thought Yaz was good in going with the flow of the story. However, I would have expected more from her when it came to Missy being present as a female incarnation of the Master. Given everything he put her through in Spyfall and the aforementioned Series 12 finale, I thought she would have reacted more. I do wish she got to properly confront her also! I liked the reunion between the Doctor and Miss Hawthorne and the latter reacted well to finding out that the woman was the Doctor she once knew. That was very nice indeed and she complimented the Doctor and Yaz very nicely! She was clearly concerned by the coming of the Devil himself once again although the Doctor was on hand to explain to her companion that it was actually a race of demons from Daemos. Yaz being intrigued by aliens possibly providing the basis for historic myths and legends was fun stuff and something good to ponder. I must admit, I was a tad disappointed by the resolution in having Azal almost be reformed as a demon. I'm not sure that's the right move but it's certainly different! I think it was trying to highlight the change of the modern world compared to 1971 which I'm fine with, it just felt almost like a letdown after a very strong build. The fact he then subjected Missy to the microcosm in which he had escaped his fate was fascinating as that would be something fun to explore with her frustrations at ruling over nothing more than dust and atoms. But then maybe she's not there at all with it seemingly being the case that this reformed Azal was a projection all along? Perhaps a little too much ambiguity there, but still a really lovely read. Overall, a fun little story to continue the collection! 

Rating: 8/10

The Potential Daleks: War of the Morai

"Your empathy and compassion protects you."

Writers: Nicholas Briggs & Mark Wright

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Second Doctor Adventures 4.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor and friends dash back to the Vanishing Point, hoping to warn Ananke and the Morai of an impending invasion. However, what they discover is a fiendish plan in operation and a population in exile. 

Zoe must resort to an extraordinary use of her own mental powers, while the Doctor, Raven and Jamie fight to restore order and save the universe.

Verdict

War of the Morai was a strong story to conclude what has been an excellent The Potential Daleks fourth series of Second Doctor Adventures! I thought this rounded out what has been a really fascinating and complicated storyline nicely, and things are far from being over for this splinter version of the Second Doctor! I find that incredibly exciting and whilst it is audacious and kind of cheating in going Season 6b about it by having this Doctor just moments before his forced exile in The War Games, I'm all here for it when we get storytelling like this. I have found things enthralling and it's just wonderful to continue the adventures with an older Jamie and Zoe. Will they get a goodbye that they deserved this time around? I'm skipping ahead here but the idea of them all going to Gallifrey in the next boxset excites me greatly. This would be the earliest depiction we have of the Doctor on his home planet post-The War Games and that excites me greatly, especially with this being right after as far as the Doctor is concerned. The throwback to The Vanishing Point here was good and expected given what the Daleks were trying to do in using the barricade to create an eternal Skaro. That's a tantalising prospect and hearing the Emperor revel in him being a Dalek mutated from Time Lord DNA was glorious. I sincerely hope we haven't heard the last of him and with it being alluded to that he might have survived the fate of the passage, I suspect he will return and I'm very excited for the rematch. There's just something special about the Emperor and Nicholas Briggs does a stellar job in making him sound booming and a much larger presence than your average Dalek. I thought the returns of Ananke and Aither were really good and the former really presented well just how much the Morai and the Vanishing Point have been impacted by the coming of the Daleks. It's been an awfully long time since the Doctor, Zoe and Raven were around and I enjoyed the emotion of the devastation. Aither being resurrected was unexpected but I guess it shouldn't have been given the nature of the Morai! The description of how they never really died was eery but then when we got into the calcification of the race and how this made the barricade of the Vanishing Point it got into the realm of being uncomfortable. Zoe's relationship with Aither was good to expand upon and he really did seem broken at not being accepted as companion in the TARDIS. He wanted to travel and who could blame him! I liked that the Doctor was sombre as he admitted that in ordinary circumstances he would accept him alongside them, but after everything that happened with the Daleks here and his very nature, that wasn't going to be possible. I thought Raven was a little quiet in the story which was a shame but it was Zoe who shone by manipulating the Daleks with her eidetic memory. She'd willed into being the belief that only Aither could control the gateway and his shock at that was fun stuff. She was playing things very well and ensured another ending for the Daleks within the barricade of the gateway. Who knows what fate befell the Daleks here. It's a neat way to conclude things but it still leaves things open-ended for their inievtiable return. But it's this Doctor's return to Gallifrey alongside Raven that I'm now very excited for moving forward in the next boxset! It does feel like we're building to an ending of this arc and whilst I don't know if that is the case, it feels like it and Gallifrey is a wonderful place to finish if so. Overall, a great occlusion to the series! 

Rating: 8/10

The Potential Daleks: Secret of the Daleks

"I see eternity."

Writer: Mark Wright

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Second Doctor Adventures 4.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Daleks have returned... or have they?

Following the lingering trail of the Daleks' space-time corridor, the time travellers are surprised when the TARDIS arrives on a tropical forest world. Taking refuge with the population of a peaceful village, the Doctor wonders if he has finally defeated his most terrible enemy. 

Is the secret of the Daleks about to be revealed?

Verdict

Secret of the Daleks was another excellent episode to continue my way through The Potential Daleks fourth series of Second Doctor Adventures! This followed up the outstanding Humpty Dumpty opener in strong style with another fascinating Dalek story. The Daleks have been done and done again in Doctor Who but I think putting them against the Second Doctor here in a story set beyond The War Games and at an untapped point in Time Lord history and the Doctor's chronology, something special seems to be happening. I love the idea of Time Lord and Dalek conflict this early on in chronology and it works well. It's no wonder that the Time Lords acted in Genesis of the Daleks by sending the Fourth Doctor on a mission to prevent their creation! This builds into that history of conflict very nicely and the concept of the Daleks wanting Skaro to exist at all points throughout history is staggering. It's almost difficult to comprehend as surely it exists for quite a big continuous chunk at the very least up until Remembrance of the Daleks? Still, it's audacious and I'm all for messing around with time. The very idea of the Dalek Emperor being made up inside of at least partial Time Lord through Celestin is fantastic and frankly ludicrous! The Emperor of the Daleks being able to make telepathic contact in the form we often see in multi-Doctor adventures was incredible. I never anticipated anything like that so it was quite the treat! I thought the revelation of the Emperor having camouflage on Skaro was good stuff as the picture painted initially upon landing was one of a rather beautiful place. Raven was cautious with the Doctor seemingly wanting there to be Daleks all along, and his suspicions were soon proved correct as he knew they'd be somewhere not on the surface. That didn't literally mean they were underground but it wasn't far off! The Daleks wanting to get to the Vanishing Point in order to have Skaro exist throughout history is intriguing continuity and sets us up nicely for the finale. I like the idea of them trying to extract the coordinates to get there from the Doctor but he put up a strong fight and ended up within the Dalek Pathweb! That felt very Asylum of the Daleks which was fun. I also liked the strong continuity with The Evil of the Daleks in having the Emperor in new casing now that the Doctor didn't think was as impressive as the one viewed there but I'd love to have seen it! It's a shame there's not an Emperor redesign on the cover art. Touching on the civil war that the Doctor was blamed for was terrific stuff and a reminder of why he is considered their greatest enemy. I do think it's a bit strange though that they end up getting to the Vanishing Point coordinates from Raven as she was there, but she's been in their thrall the entire time? The Doctor suspected her of being controlled by the Daleks which I'm not surprised by and I'm glad she's fighting back because I think she offers so much. She couldn't quite hold them off when it came to the telepathic contact at the end which is a shame but it sets the sights strongly on an exciting finale to come! I expect a lot of loose ends and tendrils to be tied up. I'm very much looking forward to it! Overall, a fantastic listen. 

Rating: 9/10

The Potential Daleks: Humpty Dumpty

"I can't allow you to die alone."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2025

Series: Second Doctor Adventures 4.01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...

A nursery rhyme through time is on the brink of causing a cosmic catastrophe. And for the Doctor, Jamie, Zoe and Raven, this is just the beginning of a final battle.

A battle which began on Skaro.

Verdict

Humpty Dumpty was an outstanding start to The Potential Daleks fourth series of Second Doctor Adventures! This is easily one of the most exciting ranges Big Finish currently have going on because having an entire Second Doctor era set after The War Games feels like cheating and really shouldn't be possible, but yet here we are! I absolutely adored The War Games in Colour which feels like if it is canonical then this series shouldn't be able to exist, but Raven's reiteration again here of this being a splinter version of the Second Doctor is fascinating. It signals that there could be a definitive ending for this version of the Second Doctor which is very intriguing but it also opens up a lot of possibilities as well as providing some real jeopardy for this version of the second incarnation. It was indicated that this version perhaps can't regenerate when it came to debating him making the sacrifice with the other and true version of the Doctor(s) getting to live on. I thought the continuity from the entire Conspiracy of Raven series last time out was very strong and it's a shame this came so long after its release with a production delay because it does basically immediately follow on. Touching on the origins of the Kippers was fascinating stuff and the very concept of them being potential Daleks is not something I saw coming. I liked the concept of the Daleks being wiped out which I assume is an allusion to the intended final end in The Evil of the Daleks, but hearing of what Raven thought she was working towards means they're very much on the comeback trail. The idea of Raven aiming to help bring about a new Dalek Emperor with Time Lord DNA is staggering but something I absolutely loved. There feels something special about exploring conflict between the Time Lords and the Daleks at this early stage of the Classic era and I am absolutely all here for it. The Doctor working out that the multitude of materialising Skaros were linked to the Kippers actually being Daleks was incredibly interesting and I loved the audacity of it all. It's ludicrous but certainly the right kind. I thought the care home setting for Angela was incredibly eery and the way she was repeating the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty was uncomfortable to say the least. That was in 1951 and having Zoe and Raven there whilst the Doctor and Jamie were in 1877 when Angela was a baby worked brilliantly. The Daleks were utilising the two years and Angela's nursery rhyme in particular to bring about a time corridor through which they could return, and when the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme was getting more and more Dalek sounding I loved it. I think the return of Celestin was a nice touch and great continutiy dating back to Beyond War Games, and I can't wait to see how he plays into things with his connection to the Dalek Emperor. Jamie in particular had a really strong story here as companion and I loved that even as a little older his loyalty to the Doctor was absolute. He wouldn't be letting him go at it alone which was admirable. I thought Violet as Angela's mother was a strong character too and hearing how she had supposedly invented the phonograph was terrific stuff. Of course, she was no scientist and it was implanted within her from the Daleks. The pending return of the Daleks was a strong cliffhanger with the Celestin/Emperor going full Dalek in the nursery rhyme. I can't wait for the next episode! A sublime start. 

Rating: 10/10

Tales from the Vortex: Dark Watchers of California

"This world wants us to feel like monsters."

Writer: Riley Silverman

Format: Audio

Released: April 2015

Series: Short Trips 13.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

Susie hides out in California's Big Sur, but finds she cannot entirely escape a 1966 San Francisco riot. Can the Doctor and Bill Potts catch up with Susie before her past does, and discover what the menacing Dark Watchers want with her?

Verdict

Dark Watchers of California was a strong start to the Tales from the Vortex thirteenth series of Short Trips! This was a really solid outing and right from the off I was excited by the prospect of a Twelfth Doctor and Bill story. It seems an awfully long time since I have done one of those and it turns out that having this particular companion around for the adventure was very important indeed. I was a big fan of the 1966 setting and exploring San Francisco was a refreshing change from the norms of a mundane London. It's brilliant that these audios are not restricted by budgets and can just simply venture off to California and not the usual touristy sites either. That was really good and the Big Sur made for a fine base for the story. I thought Susie was a pretty good character and it soon made sense why Rebecca Root was the narrator for this adventure with her being a transgender. I was initially sceptical and confused as to why she would be telling a story featuring the Twelfth Doctor! I was taken aback as I pressed play because I hadn't read the details beforehand on who was what when it came to story roles. It's a smart bit of casting by the end and having Bill alongside her instantly makes her feel more comfortable which I could really appreciate. America in 1966 is not a place where many people other than white men might feel comfortable or accepted so having Bill as a lesbian alongside Susie as a transgender was a powerful message. I liked that a lot and it was great to have Bill's personality shine in how upfront she was about her sexual orientation. She instantly recognised that Susie was running from hers as she could see all of the signs from her own experiences. That was all positive. And then came the persistent Officer Finch who was just a horrible person. Nothing much needed to be said about him as his insistence on continuing to hunt Susie and not take well to being told no by her was more than enough to show what kind of person he was. Especially in the America of 1966. Trying to use his position of power to get what he wanted and not understanding why he was denied it when people like Susie had to resort to selling themselves was really strong stuff but I appreciated the realism. We even got a description of it often being rough! I didn't see that coming but it really hit home. I thought the involvement of the Watchers actually got in the way of the emotion of the story for me and whilst I did like that Susie rejected her previous meeting as nothing more than a nightmare of her childhood when she was who she considered to be somebody else, the Watchers had actually come back for more of what she had provided the first time around. The Doctor recognised that they were after something was intriguing and that turned out to be guilt. I thought that was a little random but it's no surprise that she had it in abundance to give after everything she had been through. She was confused as to why it was a surprise though and she wasn't the only one! It sent them packing though as did the psychic paper from the Doctor for Finch. It was nice at the end though for her to want to finally return home and get involved in the trash clean up demonstrations. That felt like a powerful historical message. Overall, a strong start to the series! 

Rating: 7/10

Warlord of the Ogrons

"Don't punish me if I fail!"

Writer: Steve Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: January 1980

Printed in: DWM 13-14

Featuring:

Synopsis

Dr Linus Leofrix has a dastardly plan to enslave the Ogrons for his own personal gain, but why try and control them all when you can control the one that leads the race?

Verdict

Warlord of the Ogrons was another very good little comic strip story to continue my way through The Return of the Daleks graphic novel! I am absolutely loving venturing to different parts of the Whoniverse without the Doctor and I think the fact the stories were published so early on in the tenure of Doctor Who Magazine and when the Fourth Doctor was still current makes them feel all the more retro and authentic. That's a big bonus in my opinion because now with the world of Big Finish we have had so many spinoff series beyond the Doctor ranging from the likes of Graceless and Jago & Litefoot to Sarah Jane Smith and the Zygon Century to name but just a few. However, tackling the Ogrons in 1980 is a delight because they're still pretty fresh from their appearances alongside the Third Doctor in Day of the Daleks and Frontier in Space so getting a comic strip adventure on their home world must have been pretty exciting! I certainly would love for example now to find in the pages of DWM a comic strip story that was like a spinoff featuring the Smilers. They're on a similar kind of level but I'd be all for exploring more of them and their world! I was impressed with the artwork in the comic strip because there was some development and evolution of the Ogron appearance that I actually think worked. I'm not often a fan of a redesign unless it comes to the Cybermen or a Dalek paint job, but this definitely worked and expanded on the Ogrons that we saw on screen. I like the brute nature of the Ogrons and them just thinking in terms of war and violence is part of their charm because they're pretty stupid otherwise. It's all part of the fun. I think that vulnerability actually made the scheme of Linus and Rostow all the more criminal. I actually felt sorry for the Ogrons and I think here on their home world they wouldn't actually be considered 'bad guys' per say. I think that's intriguing because they've clearly been bargained for by the Daleks when we see them on screen so they're out to make a living. Who can argue with that? I thought the plan for Linus, and Rostow in particular, in wanting to subjugate Gnork to their technological advancement was very good because now with opening up parts of his brain that he wouldn't use before and giving him lessons and visual aid on strategy, he would become Warlord of the Ogrons as the title suggests. It didn't quite work out that way though as he quickly became much more intelligent and used his brute force alongside to become a rather handy Ogron! The logic in wanting to control the Ogron that could control all other Ogrons was sound, but it was never going to work! Not with this violent race. The fight between Gnork and Gwunn was good stuff and I liked the idea of seeing an Ogron challenge, but Gnork was out to save his race and not see them subject to men's will. That was an admirable trait. The way they rose up as a small band against Linus and Rostow was strong and Gnork now taking his newfound intelligence and position to leave the men behind on the Ogron planet while he took the ship and ventured into the galaxy was quite audacious. Overall, a really strong little story. 

Rating: 7/10