The Mind Robber

"We're nowhere. It's as simple as that."

Writer: Peter Ling

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 14th September - 12th October 1968

Season: 6.02

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

Escaping from a volcanic eruption on the planet Dulkis, the Doctor is forced to use the TARDIS Emergency Unit, which takes the craft out of normal time and space... and out of reality itself! The time travellers arrive in a mysterious world peopled by fictional characters but also by creatures from mankind's worst nightmares.

Verdict 

The Mind Robber was a second consecutive serial of excellent quality to continue the start of season six. Continuing directly on from the climax of The Dominators with the island on Dulkis becoming a volcano, it was nice to immediately start off a brand new story with danger and a serious threat. The TARDIS was being buried in volcanic lava and I loved the irony of the Doctor when in an extreme emergency with Jamie and Zoe panicking, he paused over using the emergency measure switch in the TARDIS. As Zoe pointed out, isn't that what it's for? With those wretched fluid links overpowering again, the only thing the Doctor could do was exit the universe. Not quite how the Eleventh Doctor entered the bubble universe in The Doctor's Wife, they literally left the universe and any attached bubbles behind. I liked how the companions once again explicitly ignored instructions given out by the Doctor. He'll come to learn that it's a recurring theme during future adventures. The Girl in the Fireplace an immediate example. Whenever faced with the concept of nothingness being outside the TARDIS I find it incomprehensible. Surely it's impossible to be nowhere? And if they'd landed, they must be somewhere. I do think that within the Whoniverse, nothing is something. The fact that images of the respective homes of Jamie and Zoe were shown on the TARDIS scanner, attempting to lure them outside, suggested evil was at work. I found Jamie's reaction to seeing Scotland quite surprising though I'm not entirely sure why. He'd been travelling with the Doctor for a very long time (it does seem an age since I blogged The Highlanders!) and not once to my recollection has he hinted at missing home. Zoe's city looked very impressive too. Speaking of Zoe, this was her second full adventure as companion now and after the impressive debut in The Wheel in Space I'm slightly disappointed with how she's performing. I thought she'd provide the Doctor with an intellectual challenge and have some brilliant banter with Jamie due to his lack of high intellect but despite hints, we haven't had much of that yet, if any. The White Robots were an intriguing bunch and I loved the fact that we were frightened of them despite them barely saying a word. Jamie and Zoe's capture resulting in the Doctor exiting the TARDIS into nothingness was great. The setting of the Land of Fiction was just brilliant - what an idea! It's certainly a unique one but it's also a fantastic one. A world of fiction is something but I loved the threat in the climax of the Doctor becoming fiction himself. That was something he couldn't allow himself to do! The fictional threats of the Karkus, Madusa and the Minotaur were superb! I wasn't overly keen on the Madusa scene being used as a cliffhanger though because it had already been established that all that was needed to be said was that it didn't exist and it would cease to be a threat. The Master of the Land of Fiction was good and I thought our first glimpses of him were very The Keeper of Traken-esque. The fact the master brain actually controlled him and harnessed his imagination, as he had wrote many stories, to create and sustain this fictional land was brilliant. The attempt to get the Doctor to take his place was also good. Patrick Troughton provided us with some good humour here and I loved how the Doctor couldn't make up Jamie's face! A very efficient way of dealing with an actor's illness. Gulliver and Rapunzel helping the TARDIS trio out is a sentence that perfectly depicts how bonkers this serial really was! Overall, a very strong story with a wonderful setting. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt though! 

Rating: 8/10

The Dominators

"An unintelligent enemy is far less dangerous than an intelligent one, Jamie. Just act stupid, do you think you can manage that?

Writer: Norman Ashby

Format: TV

Broadcast: 10th August - 7th September 1968

Season: 6.01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on the pacifist planet of Dulkis for a nice holiday. But that's far from what they'll get as the Dominators have also landed, and are planning on blowing up the planet! 

Verdict  

The Dominators was a fantastic story to kick off the sixth season of Doctor Who. Before I get into my thoughts about the details of each episode I would like to say that Derrick Sherwin absolutely got the story right by reducing the episode down to five episodes. I think it could have performed equally as well as a four part serial but despite the oddity, the five part format was absolutely fine. Six parts I think would have dragged things out. Thankfully that was not the case. The episode started off well with the Dominators arriving in their ship and immediately soaking up the radiation on the island on Dulkis that had been there for the previous 172 years after atomic testing. I thought the Dulcians were an excellent species and I loved how once they saw or heard things, for the most part, they just accepted it as fact. Imagine if we as the human race did that! Oh I think there would be disastrous consequences. The tabloids would be having a ball! The Dominators were great villains but I must admit I didn't quite by into their name. Domination is a powerful word and for them to call themselves Dominators based on the fact they conquered a few galaxies I found a little silly as it seemed the Quarks were doing most of the aggressive work and I guess that's why it was they who returned on numerous occasions in the TV Comic comic strip adventures. How I would love to get my hands on some copies of them! The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe's arrival on Dulkis was very comical. After showing Zoe the events of The Evil of the Daleks at the end of The Wheel in Space, the Doctor wanted a nice little break and holiday so he took the TARDIS to Dulkis, a planet of pacifists. Upon arrival, a giant explosion was heard and death had occurred. Not quite what the Doctor was hoping for. Zoe did tremendously well in her first serial as companion. I think it really helped that we got to know a lot about her in the season five finale and she seems to have settled almost immediately which is a stark contrast to Victoria. Her performance in The Tomb of the Cybermen was far different from Zoe's confident portrayal here. I wasn't too fond of the Dulcian clothing but I could live with it. The war museum was good and I liked how it was prone to clumsiness from the likes of Jamie. I was quite surprised and baffled though that artefacts on display were still functioning. The dissension between the two Dominators was excellent as it provided stalling for their ultimate goal, power drainage on the Quarks and the threat of an internal conflict between the Dominators. Toba's thirst for destruction and domination was magnificent and that signified a decent enemy but I liked Roga even more. He still had that desire for domination but wanted to achieve it through sufficient and sensible means which meant preserving resources. Cally was a good character and I liked how he was known for conjuring up balderdash situations but this time it was true! His father wasn't so sure and eventually became a slave of the Dominators. Jamie was brilliant in this story and I liked how well he got on with Cally, destroying a few Quarks along the way. I understand that the writers (Norman Ashby is of course a pseudonym) were unhappy with the result of the Quarks appearance but I just love them! It's simple and they don't appear evil which is a frightening quality to have. The Doctor's working out of the Dominator intention to blow up the planet creating a nice radiation fuel soak up for them was tremendous. I liked how they simply caught the bomb and sneaked it onto the Dominator ship, but I didn't buy that the deposit was only twelve feet away from the hiding spot. Still, the humour that came with it was good. I wasn't overly struck on the yet to be resolved ending but overall, an excellent story to open the season. 

Rating: 8/10

The God Complex

"I'm not a hero, I really am just a mad man in a box."

Writer: Toby Whithouse 

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 17th September 2011

Series: 6.11

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory 

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Amy and Rory get trapped in what appears to be a 1980s hotel. But there, a Minotaur roams and he feasts on those who become subjected to their biggest fear, which lies behind one of the hotel room doors. 

Verdict 

The God Complex was another excellent story to continue series six along nicely and after the little blip in quality with Night Terrors, things are certainly back to the exceptional level of the first half of this season. It started off excellently with Lucy being hunted by a horrific looking creature and then she was lured into a hotel room and saw her biggest fear. The fictional gorilla that frightened her as a child. I liked how she wrote down what was going on as she tried to prevent the Minotaur from engulfing her. But she couldn't hold out any longer. Praise him. Praise him. The arrival of the TARDIS trio was good and I liked how the Doctor is seemingly not delivering on his promises of seeing something amazing lately. Things weren't quite as intended in the previous episode The Girl Who Waited and instead of seeing beings you could only talk to in hot air balloons, they'd arrived in a squirmy hotel. Amy wasn't impressed but I loved the Doctor's immediate interest in the craftsmanship. When meeting Rita, Howie and Gibbis, I loved how the Doctor immediately took a shine to Rita's intellect and ability to handle the situation. He jokingly fired Amy and seemingly straight away offered to take her as his third companion. She did seem perfectly suited for the role and it was evident she'd have no problem getting on with the Doctor. Things weren't meant to be though as she suffered death at the Minotaur's hands. It was courageous and just brilliant of her to get as far away from the Doctor when she noticed the first symptoms. Praise him. He was watching on the hotel CCTV but when the beast arrived he couldn't watch a women he immediately cared for perish in horrendous circumstances. The idea of a hotel setting is magnificent and I love how each room contains the biggest fear of somebody. A quite brilliant idea. After only recently watching School Reunion, I must say I am mightily impressed by Toby Whithouse's writing and I'm certainly going to be looking at exploring more of his works! The scene where the group entered the room containing the Weeping Angels was superb. It seemed they were Gibbis's greatest fear. His species were really weird I must say. They embraced invasion so much they were planting trees so the invaders could takeover in the shade! I loved seeing the Sontaran on the wall of victims with the biggest fear listed underneath. Defeat being the Sontaran's was absolutely perfect. Amy's room containing events that would have taken place during The Eleventh Hour with Amelia waiting for the Doctor to come back was quite emotional. Rory really felt like a spare part in this episode, especially when it was revealed Amy's faith in the Doctor was so powerful that it brought them to the hotel. I mean Rory didn't even have a room and didn't say goodbye to the Doctor in the shocking conclusion! The Minotaur being labelled as beautiful on more than one occasion was quite baffling but I loved the moment the Doctor worked out what was really going on. The scene with the mirrors was outstanding. He knew that thinking of the something that gives you faith was what was bringing the Minotaur in. The fear in the rooms was bringing out the faith and the Doctor had been encouraging them to think of it. Bad move. Praise him. Once Amy became subjected to the Minotaur's will, in very The Curse of Fenric-esque style, the Doctor incredibly made Amy lose her faith in him which defeated the Minotaur allowing it to die as it wished. The moment at its death with the twist reference to the Doctor was terrific. I liked the reference to the Nimon being a distant cousin but I was mightily surprised by the conclusion. The Doctor was telling Amy and Rory to leave permanent stay on the TARDIS. He'd see them again but they should leave his side. He wanted them to live and not suffer the fate of previous companions who didn't leave by their own will. Amy and Rory would leave a normal life, for a while at least. 

Rating: 9/10 

The Girl Who Waited

"I'm going to pull time apart for you."

Writer: Tom Macrae

Format: TV

Broadcast: 10th September 2011

Series: 6.10

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Doctor, Amy and Rory land on a paradise planet... in the middle of the one day plague. Amy is left behind and for her time is running at a different speed. Can the Doctor break through the walls of time to prevent her ageing before their very eyes?

Verdict 

The Girl Who Waited is a quite stunning episode of Doctor Who. It's an incredibly emotional episode and it really highlights the loving relationship Amy and Rory have in such a great way. It really is an emotional roller coaster. The episode started off humorously with the TARDIS trio struggling to pronounce the planet they were about to visit. I'm not even going to attempt to try and spell it! Upon arrival, the Doctor & Rory and Amy were soon split up in such an avoidable way. The Doctor had told Amy of the incredible sights she'd see so she wanted to take photos on her phone. Just while she went back into the TARDIS to retrieve it, the Doctor and Rory entered the green anchor room. Amy, of course, pressed the red waterfall button and was separated from her husband and her raggedy man. The time glass was a super little tool and I loved the concept of time advancing at different speeds depending which side of the glass you were on. Within minutes Amy had been waiting for a week on the other side! The Doctor's rescue mission was soon clear as he took the time glass and fixed it up to the TARDIS to track Amy and smash down the time walls. It didn't sound the best of ideas and the result soon proved that there may have been an alternative, or searching for one would have at least been worthwhile. Amy was wondering around endlessly and she chose the garden as her waiting point. But the Handbots were after her, hoping to put out the unregistered bacteria on her. That would result in her death however due to the difference of species from what the planet inhabited. The threat of the disease that only affected two-hearted races was good as it gave Rory a bigger role in the episode whilst the Doctor was stuck inside the TARDIS and his own little quarantine. The glasses being an eye camera for the Doctor was great but once Rory had tracked Amy, what we saw was rather shocking. The moment Rory stared into his wife's eyes, now 36 years older, was heartbreaking. Amy was no longer the drop dead gorgeous red head that we know and adore whilst travelling in the TARDIS. She was now aged and withered and must be well into her fifties. That's not the Amy Pond I've found incredibly attractive during her time in the TARDIS. She'd built herself a sonic probe, got herself a nice pet Handbot called Rory and knew how to evade the Handbots perfectly. If they came constantly, or consistently at least, I did wonder how she'd manage to sleep but when it comes to a Doctor Who story I can't be too harsh on things such as sleep! She was now spawning a sword and wasn't afraid to smash the Handbots into bits. I was intrigued though by her statement saying how once she entered this paradise she died. If life had been so horrific and a living hell, then why not let the Handbots just get you? I'll answer my own question there as I like to think that despite her admittance of hating the Doctor more than anyone, she still had the hope that one day he'd come back and rescue her. That day was today. 36 years too late. Amy had changed considerably but Rory could still see it was her and it was clear the love and affection he felt for her. The moment she laughed was quite emotional I thought. The Doctor remained hopeful of fixing things but it seemed all was too late. The time glass though showed Amy, as we knew her, waiting. She saw her future self and after a heartfelt conversation about Rory, the older version decided to change time. She would help save the past Amy which would therefore erase older Amy from history. That was his justification for his lying. If time was rewritten she'd never have existed. Erasure was not dying it seemed was his policy, and I would be inclined to agree. After his stunning observation at the time glass shout watching loved ones die or live, this was quite something. Rule number one - the Doctor lies. And that's what he did here. He'd given older Amy false hope to save younger Amy. I liked the reference to regeneration not being able to be used for the disease though after reading the Guide to the 50th Anniversary DWM Special, I believe Steven Moffat has gotten extremely lucky with mentions surrounding regeneration in this episode and in Let's Kill Hitler a few weeks prior. Amazingly, it just about manages to tie in with The Time of the Doctor fantastically. Rory's determination to save Amy was incredible but that soon turned to despair as he watched the Doctor close the TARDIS doors on older Amy. The conversation at the TARDIS doors was even more amazing than the one the two Amys had through the time glass. An emotional ending to a stunning episode! 

Rating: 9/10

Character Assassin

"You are all pseudonomic entities, existing in a realm of total fiction. I see only words on a page, clothed in the illusion of reality."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: December 2001

Printed in: DWM 311

Featuring: The Master

Synopsis 

The Master arrives in the Land of Fiction and is looking for the chairman of a rather pulpous group of gentlemanly individuals. The person he's after? Professer Moriarty.  

Verdict 

Character Assassin was an excellent 'special' comic strip! I love the idea of a story featuring just the Master and as Scott Gray brilliantly explains in the commentary on this adventure, having a story without the Doctor just shows you how big the Whoniverse really is. Anything can happen and that's exactly shown here! Despite this story featuring at the back of my Oblivion graphic novel and dubbed as a bonus strip, I read it after The Way of All Flesh because it was released in the Doctor Who Magazine that followed the conclusion of that story. I'll go in the order that they were released rather than what they appear in the graphic novel. I did exactly the same with Keepsake in my pretty recent readings of Doctor Who Classics: Volume 7. I'm not sure why they're printed a little out of sync with the DWM ordering but it doesn't really make a difference. My thinking would be that because the story doesn't feature the Doctor and Izzy then it doesn't offer anything leading up to Oblivion which will act as the finale of this graphic novel. If it had been printed in the order of DWM release I can't see what harm it would have caused as the only reference to the word 'oblivion' being acknowledged came in Ophidius. But anyway, enough of my qualms about the layout of the graphic novel and let's get into the story at hand, even if it is a short one but that's what comes with a 'special' comic strip. The Crystal Throne would seem to be a recent exception however as it bridged the gap between the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors over two splendid issues. I loved the fact that the Master was narrating his own story! It tied in wonderfully with the Land of Fiction setting and was quite ironic too. The Master arriving at his destination was great with the infamous hypnosis getting him side his desired house. He met many people, from what I gathered were other comic strip universes and none of which I recognised, and he wanted to become part of the little club they had going on. Whoever the members were, the Master seemed like he'd fit in. I'm intrigued to know how access to the Land of Fiction is gained as it certainly didn't appear that the Master stumbled upon exiting the universe as the Doctor did at the end of The Dominators and beginning of The Mind Robber. I was slightly surprised that even without the Doctor the latter story was not referenced. As you see in the picture above, the Master being summoned amongst an audience was brilliant but I loved how he was after the chairman of the whole fictional facade. A certain Professor Moriarty. Now, I'm not a Sherlock Holmes fan but I know who the aforementioned person is, mainly because of his comparisons to the Master! And it's that comparison that inspired this story as writer Scott Gray thought the famous Sherlock villain was pretty rubbish and nothing compared to the Master. I've never seen Sherlock but I'll agree with him. You just can't beat the Master! And he achieved just what the author was hoping for as he metaphorically kicked Moriarty's ass! But then he pondered, would he be satisfied just ruling a fictitious land? It would appear not as he declined the invitation to become chairmen of the club. It was an intriguing comic strip, they always seem to be with an absence of the Doctor! The use of the tissue compression eliminator was splendid and I loved how the incarnation of the Master was Roger Delgado's. A triumphant return in a great comic strip! 

Rating: 8/10

The Way of All Flesh

"I am Susini of the wasting wall. I am the greatest artist to ever grace the nine dimensions... and you shall have the honour of becoming my clay."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: July - November 2001

Printed in: DWM 306, 308-310

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Izzy arrive in Mexico on November 2nd 1941, the Day of the Dead. But a mysterious alien race, headed by an enthusiastic necrotic artist, are imitating the dead.

Verdict 

The Way of All Flesh was an excellent comic strip to continue my reading of the Oblivion graphic novel rather nicely. I thought it started off well and I loved the setting of Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebrations. I've never quite understood the Mexicans' philosophy on the dead. I understand that losing loved ones is a painful time, I know from experience, but to mourn those lost in a celebratory way doesn't quite seem right to me. Anyway, it's a great time for the TARDIS to land and for us to have a story from. I was mightily intrigued how this story seemed to me, in a weird kind of way, to be a mix between Revolutions of Terror and The Blood of Azrael. Now I know those two stories were released some time after the story being blogged but because they're still relatively fresh in my mind that's the feel I got here. As for the companion, I didn't like Izzy much in this story sadly. I really loved her in Ophidius but since she's taken on the form of Destrii I am struggling to adapt to seeing her as an alien. It just doesn't seem right to me and I don't think she's anywhere near as effective as she could have been had she remained a beautiful blonde. She was pointed at, derogatorily abused and just laughed at really. Her reaction to the TARDIS landing on Earth was really rather sad. Does this mean that we can't have anymore adventures on our home planet whilst Izzy's the companion? I certainly hope not, though I'm not convinced it matters too much in the comic strips. The Torajenn were rather despicable enemies and the fact that they imitated the dead was rather horrific. Had I seen a loved one in the form that appeared in this comic strip I would be quite disgusted! But that made them effective and that goes a long way to making a great enemy in my opinion. The way they got their cloaks from pictures was brilliant and I thought the part three cliffhanger and its resulting resolution was actually rather sad. Izzy had described earlier in the story how she liked that everything felt strange in the alien body as she didn't want to forget what it was like to be human. That was shown so wonderfully well in Beautiful Freak and it was continued here. She saw her previous human form and she was so close to embracing her, which would have resulted in her death. Thankfully though she was given a helping hand. I found the absence of the Doctor for long periods of the story quite surprising and somewhat comically annoying. Now the main reason I bought this graphic novel was for the acclaimed Children of the Revolution but it was also for some visual Eighth Doctor stories so not seeing him much in this adventure was a slight pain. But his triumphant return at the end was worth it I guess. The use of the sonic screwdriver was something I liked and the way it took apart the Torajenn was excellent. Susini was an intriguing character and why necrotic art is appealing is beyond me. It's utterly disgraceful and the scale she was hoping to achieve it on was awful! She really was evil. Her thoughts on the dead were despicable but I liked the reference to the wasting wall. She ended up plummeting to her death though but had left her mark in the form of a skeleton tower, that the Mexican people wanted to preserve! Their thoughts on death really are baffling. But I'll leave them to it. Overall, a fantastic comic strip adventure but I do hope Izzy somehow regains her human form! 

Rating: 8/10

School Reunion

"The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss they define as much as happiness or love. Whether it's a world of a relationship, everything has its time and everything ends."

Writer: Toby Whithouse

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 29th April 2006

Series: 2.03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose, Mickey, Sarah Jane, K9

Synopsis 

After UFO sightings and a sudden increase in exam results of a nearby school, the Doctor and Rose take employment as a teacher and dinner last to investigate. But also on the case is a journalist called Sarah Jane Smith.

Verdict 

School Reunion is an absolutely wonderful episode of Doctor Who. It's just beautiful and it's not often you get to describe an episode with that adjective. The story starts off tremendously with a school headmaster eating a child who lived in a children's home. She wouldn't be missed so she was just devoured. Well, something good is going to happen in this episode after that! The Doctor being a physics teacher at the school was great and I loved his humour when it came to delivering the lesson. His being ashamed of himself after saying "correct-a-mundo" (check me on spelling!) was superb. Then things got interesting as Milo, a pupil, knew barrel loads of information far beyond human knowledge. He gave the Doctor the calculations to travel faster than the speed of light. Not your average physics lesson. I loved the humour surrounding Rose being a dinner lady but wow, she looked absolutely sensational. The moment where Mr. Finch introduced Sarah Jane to all the teaching staff ranks as one of my all time favourite moments in Doctor Who. The reaction of the Doctor was just astoundingly good. He was so utterly overjoyed and pleasantly shocked to see his former companion whom he had not seen since his fourth incarnation. Now considerably older than when we last saw the renowned companion, I loved how she was still pursuing her journalism which is how she'd met the Doctor in the first place way back in The Time Warrior, some 32 years before this episode was broadcast. When Sarah saw the TARDIS in the school and then saw the newly regenerated Doctor behind her, it was an incredible moment. She'd been hoping to run into the man who showed her the universe and now she had found him. I liked how she was angry at her abrupt departure in The Hand of Fear and I thought it was so typical of the Doctor that he left her in Aberdeen rather than Croydon. Rose's position in the episode was an extremely awkward one as she realised that she was far from being the Doctor's first companion. Mickey's description of it being like the missus and the ex was more than adequate! I liked Mickey here, even if he did screech like a girl at the packets of rats. This episode really did see a blend of the old and new and when Sarah and Rose compared adventures shared with the Doctor we had some quite wonderful references. Sarah mentioned Invasion of the Dinosaurs, Planet of Evil, Death to the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars and in quite spectacular fashion Terror of the Zygons. Rose tried to trump that with references to The Unquiet Dead, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Aliens of London/World War Three, The Parting of the Ways and Tooth and Claw. But if anyone's judging, I'd say Sarah was the victor in that argument. But the references didn't stop there as Sarah recalled The Christmas Invasion events and she almost seemed quite jealous that Rose was there with the Doctor on top of the spaceship. Sarah bringing the Doctor to see K9 was almost as equally wonderful as her return! The reference to The Invisible Enemy and K9 being cutting edge in the year 5000 was marvellous. The Doctor was again pleasantly surprised and it's lovely that companions of the '70s were returning and not being forgotten with the revival. The Krillitanes provided excellent enemies for the episode and I love the idea of them being a physical amalgamation of the races they conquered. The comparison to it being like people of a nation was sublime. I am interested in knowing when the Doctor previously encountered them though. Their attempts to crack the Skasis Paradigm through the school children was terrific and I liked how their oil was enhancing pupil intelligence. Mickey believing himself to be the tin dog of the TARDIS team was comical and I loved how it was the original tin dog who pointed out to him that they were in a car when needing to get into the deadlocked school building. Eventually Mickey grasped what K9 was insinuating and smashed the door down. The Doctor expressively declining the invitation to be a God was tremendous and I admired Sarah's speech about love and loss in life. K9 sacrificing himself to blow to the Krillitanes and the school was a touching moment. When Sarah realised what's happened I thought the Doctor embracing her was wonderful. Good ol' Sarah Jane. I liked how she didn't approve of the new TARDIS interior when compared with the Classic version and I thought it was nice how she encouraged Rose to not give up travelling with the Doctor. And then Mickey officially became companion at Sarah's recommendation! A Smith is back on board. Overall, an emotional and just outright stunning episode. Welcome back Sarah Jane Smith!

Rating: 10/10

Menace of the Molags

"Cars will not start. Lights fail. The tube trains are stationery. As panic begins to grip the city, the Prime Minister declares a state of national emergency."

Writer: Steve Livesey

Format: Comic Strip

Released: September 1973

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 1974

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

As an alien ship towers above the Houses of Parliament, the country is sent into a frenzied panic. But the Doctor knows who the culprits are, and death is not on their agenda. Can he convince the human race that this is the case?

Verdict 

Menace of the Molags was a mightily impressive comic strip story! For an Annual adventure this has to rank right up there with the likes of The Time Sickness and The Grey Hole as the truly great stories to appear in the yearly Annuals. It's no secret what my opinion is on the length of the stories that appear in the Doctor Who Annuals (that's mostly a dig at the ones we've had since the 2005 revival due to the short length and child target audience) but the Classic era comic strips that have appeared in the Annuals have been very good to be fair. Six pages, not being aimed specifically for the younger audience who would be inclined to buy Doctor Who Adventures, is an adequate length and this comic strip just proves that you can pull off something special in the small format. I just loved it! Immediately after the ship's arrival in the skies, the human race was sent into panic. Frenzied panic. The Houses of Parliament took the appearance of an alien ship above the building as a threat, and I guess I can hardly blame them, so words of the Prime Minister himself were heard in a little Doctor Who comic strip! I really like that fact. With all the reference and appearance of politics and political leaders in the revived series, this almost seemed out of place in regards to the era it appeared in. But it's not only featuring the Third Doctor and Jo, it was released during the actual time they were the TARDIS pairing so there's no possibility of forgery, though I'm not sure that's the word I was looking for but you get my point. I loved the eagerness of the Doctor to just go against the orders of the Prime Minister and to go in a helicopter and contact the ship. After the message they'd broadcast to the globe, the Doctor knew who would be on board. He wasn't too happy with the Brigadier for refusing his helicopter request but he and Jo swiftly disappeared and ascended in one anyway! So typically brilliant of the Third Doctor during his time with UNIT and I also adore how Jo prodded along with him, going against her employer. The scenes in the Molag ship were good and I liked how the Doctor immediately got on with what appeared to be the Molag leader. He knew what they needed so he was happy to offer it to them and fetch it himself! The life cycle of the Molags being told by the Doctor was a beautiful tale and I find it mightily intriguing how they start off life as a seed and then as we later saw could spawn into basically a dinosaur! This comic strip illustrated an unknown preview to Invasion of the Dinosaurs and I do hope the writer looked back on this comic strip when that TV serial was broadcast. Of course, the idea of the two stories is completely different but the imagery is very reminiscent. The descent of the Molag ship to the surface to meet with world leaders was met with mass tension from the onlooking crowd. We knew that they were part of human mythos and were the drawings of cavemen we've seen preserved for centuries, but some idiot in the crowd blurted out that the Molag was the devil and a religious theme momentarily took centre stage. Humph. Religion is just something ridiculous and I dislike how people couldn't grasp their head around an alien. Alien life is so much more believable, and likely, to exist instead of the ridiculousness of the Devil, supposed ruler of Hell. Anyway, rant on religion over, the ending of the story was comical with the Doctor stopping the dinosaurs (is that what they actually were?) in their tracks and giving the Molags the scientific equipment they wanted and then assisting with making sure Earth was safe from any threat. Overall, a quite brilliant comic strip with politics, dinosaurs and a wonderful relationship once more between the Third Doctor and Jo. I must say I was impressed!

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken

"Keeper of Traken, your task is done. Go swiftly, with our gratitude for all you have accomplished. She who is to succeed you is present and waiting. Relinquish the Source, and die!"

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: May 1982

Series: Target 37

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa

Synopsis 

For ages past, the Union of Traken has lived in peace and harmony thanks to the power of the Source, controlled by generations of Keepers. 

But the current Keeper, his powers waning, senses some all-pervading evil about to invade his world. He summons the Doctor to his aid. 

To save Traken the Doctor fights the terrifying Melkur - only to find that this new enemy conceals an older and even deadlier foe - one the Doctor has encountered before...

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken was an absolute pleasure to read. It didn't take long to read this on my usual twice-monthly train ride which consists of around four hours and usually it's rare that I finish a novel during that journey. Granted that this was a Target novel so it's naturally smaller in length than most original novels from any range, but I just couldn't put this down. From start to finish I just loved it. The Keeper of Traken was the first ever Classic story I watched and I instantly fell in love with it. Every time I watch I know I'm going to enjoy and give it the highest of ratings. I was thrilled around a month ago to find the original Target for sale in my local town hall for a mere £1 so of course I purchased! I love the cover and despite Nyssa not officially becoming companion during this story, it's a wonderful introduction for her. The novel itself started off well with a quick recap of Warriors' Gate and the Doctor showing a smile when thinking of what Romana and K9 were up to in E-Space. The pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Adric seems a strange one because I would normally associate the latter as a companion of the Fifth Doctor but it's easy to forget that he actually had five on screen stories with the fourth incarnation! Despite my loathing of Adric on screen, he was actually presented to be quite likeable in this novel. Remarkable work from Terrance Dicks in achieving that. I love how the Doctor liked the fact that Adric pointed out that a lot of what the Doctor says doesn't make much sense. I could just see that famous smile of Tom Baker when reading those lines. The scene with the Keeper entering the TARDIS is fantastic and I like the fact that he was nearing his dissolution. He sensed evil was coming to Traken, the most harmonious place in the universe. The idea of Traken maintaining its power and society based on people being nice to each other was lovely. It's a much simpler way of life. The Grove was described much as I remember it from the TV story and Dicks did very well to capture the sanctum in print as well. Tremas, of course a clever anagram of Master, was a terrific character and prior to reading I thought I might be put off by the obvious reference to the Master's return every time his name would be mentioned. Thankfully that didn't prove to be the case at all! His relationship with the Doctor was excellent and I liked the trust he showed in the TARDIS pairing by taking them under his custody after what would have been the episode one cliffhanger. The Melkur proved to be a fantastic enemy and despite my knowing all along who it really was, I adored the moment of the reveal. It just shows how effective the Melkur was in its own right given that the Master didn't actually appear, knowing who he was, until the final chapter and was only present for no more than 10 pages. I loved how we were shown Kassia admiring and tendering for the Melkur as a child but once the Doctor and Adric arrived on Traken she was grown up and had just married the new Keeper Nominate, Tremas. But she was hypnotised and was acting under the instructions of the Melkur. He was after the position of Keeper and wanted to harness the powers of the mighty Source. I found it really intriguing how far she went to obey even prior to wearing the immovable collar brace that brought complete obedience. She covered up death and was even prepared to carry out just so her husband wouldn't become Keeper. She didn't want to lose him. The other Consuls, particularly Katura and Luvic, were favourable characters of mine. The plot twists were very good throughout and I liked how Kassia's attempts to prevent Tremas from becoming the next Keeper kept on failing. Eventually she got her way. I loved the climax after the Melkur had taken the throne and claimed to be Keeper of Traken. It accessed the Source and it seemed all was lost for the Doctor and the Trakenites. I liked how Adric and Nyssa had other plans though in plotting to destroy the Source. Nyssa's reaction to that was superb. But the Doctor also hoped to prevent the Melkur's access to the Source by working out the impossible code that would equate to essentially a vote of no confidence for the current Keeper. The moment the Doctor stepped into the TARDIS that wasn't his own was fantastic. All was revealed. The Master was the one controlling the Melkur. Following on nicely from The Deadly Assassin, which was nicely referenced, the renegade Time Lord was nearing the end of his twelfth regeneration. I found the reference to Roger Delgado's appearance intriguing and it certainly implied that he was basically the Thirteenth Master to coin a comparison. The Doctor claiming that he supposed he knew along was brilliant and it does seem that's the case for quite a lot of Master stories! The emaciated form though would ultimately lose out to Adric and Nyssa's meddling which was cancelled out by the Doctor entering the code that would ultimately eradicate the Master's control of the Source. Luvic took over as new Keeper but the Master had learned a lot from the Source. With his TARDIS disguised as a grandfather clock, Tremas taking an interest ultimately cost him his life as his body was merged with the "walking corpse" that was the Master. He had a new body at last. These events would obviously lead into Logopolis which would be the Fourth Doctor's swansong, but I think this story is absolutely wonderful in its own right. An outstanding novel.

Rating: 10/10

Beautiful Freak

"I know what it's like to look into a mirror and see a stranger."

Writer: Scott Gray 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: May 2001

Printed in: DWM 304

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy

Synopsis 

Izzy struggles to deal with the fact she isn't a human being anymore. Despite the Doctor's best efforts, his newly amphibious companion just wants to die.

Verdict 

Beautiful Freak was an excellent comic strip story and one I found extremely emotional. Now, this is only my second Eighth Doctor and Izzy comic strip but just when I thought she looked like a typically beautiful blonde companion and I'd really love her, it seems that her transformation to an amphibious being in Ophidius will be permanent! I really thought the Doctor would come up with a way to somehow return Izzy to her previous human self but instead he was doing the absolute best he could to console his companion. It's clear to me that Izzy has been travelling with the Doctor for some time (I'm new to the Eighth Doctor era of comics as I've just delved in with the Oblivion graphic novel) and that they've had some tough times together. The Doctor's speech to her about looking in the mirror and seeing a different face was stunning I thought. Some absolutely magnificent dialogue there I must say! I liked how the Doctor was doing his very best to try and use his ability to regenerate to relate and understand how she was feeling. But it wasn't the same and I could obviously see why Izzy was angered by his comments. She knew all about the Time Lords, which again confirmed to me that the Doctor and Izzy have built a big friendship, and the regeneration process and how they just recycle bodies like they're nothing. I wasn't surprised by Izzy's claim to the Doctor enjoying regeneration. We've seen in the likes of The Twin Dilemma, Time and the Rani and The Eleventh Hour that he rather enjoys getting to grips with a new face and body, particularly taking a likening to picking out a new attire! Izzy kind of followed suit as after an eventful swim, she calmed herself down and did her best to accept the situation. The fact that she was suddenly suffering from dehydration due to her paranoia made sense and I liked how she was able to breathe under water. That's one major benefit I guess! She can go swimming for as long as she likes, though I highly doubt that's the kind of opportunity the Doctor was talking about. The Doctor was happy to see that Izzy was back up on her feet and changed out of that hideous bikini. She did her best to look as human as she could and I loved how the Doctor still saw her as Izzy. She'd never look ugly to him. A beautiful tale and I love the softer side of the Doctor that comes with his eighth incarnation. He really does have a big relationship with Izzy and it's going to be lovely seeing that develop further with her new body. 

Rating: 9/10

  

Ophidius

"I'm the Doctor, supreme creation of my parents, and I'd appreciate a few answers before you atomise me..."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: February - May 2001

Printed in: DWM 300-303

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy

Synopsis

Trapped inside Ophidius, the Doctor and Izzy explore the old fashioned way. They have close encounters with numerous species in a jungle before meeting Destrii, who'll change the dynamic of their relationship in an unimaginable way!

Verdict 

Ophidius was a fantastic four-part comic strip to kick off my reading of my recently purchased graphic novel of Oblivion. Now the story the collection, spanning a massive 29 issues to my impressiveness and joy, is named after closes the novel as a whole so I'm sure throughout my reading I'll be given hints heading towards whatever happens in what I'm sure will be an epic 'finale' of the novel if you will. But you've got to start somewhere and that brings me to this story. I thought it was very good and improved as each part came. This was my first experience of Izzy as companion and I must say I was impressed! I can tell she's been very good in however many previous stories she's appeared, some I will undoubtedly aim to read in the future, but I can tell me and her are going to get along just fine. Well, that's if she gets her body back but more on that further down the page. The setting of Ophidius was very good and I loved the colourisation of the internal landscape. The TARDIS had been all gobbled up by a giant bio-mechanical creature in space and they had landed in some sort of internal tunnel. Just when the Doctor and Izzy were having a pleasant conversation in the TARDIS, after the latter humorously tried on previous outfits of Leela, Jamie and Zoe, they go and get themselves eaten. In space. By something giant that wasn't detected. Now if that's not brilliant Doctor Who then I don't know what is. The Mobox were an intriguing species and I liked how we were made to feel sorry for them by the climax despite the fact they'd tried to engulf the Doctor and Izzy and disintegrate the TARDIS! I read that this was the first regular DWM comic strip to be colourised and I'm really glad they decided to show off the artistic skills available to the magazine. The whole interior, particularly the veins where Destrii had housed herself, was very impressive to look at and just showed what the comic strips can do. They have unlimited budgets in terms of where the story is going and that's shown by the TARDIS interior. It'd be difficult to pull off something of the scale of the Eighth Doctor's TARDIS regularly now. Beholder Panoquai was a wonderful character and I loved how he was determined to narrate everything that happened, even when he was on death's door. Destrii was an intriguing character and that's just not based on her appearance which was rather eccentric. She was bubbly and full of life and at first it was great how well she and Izzy got on. She had all the makings of an alien companion but then she tricked her new friend into being hooked up to a reciprocator. The minds of Izzy and Destrii switched and suddenly the beautiful young companion of the Doctor's was stuck in a strange alien body. Destrii though was determined to see Earth and after taking a shine to the Doctor she wanted to travel with him. I was mightily intrigued by Izzy's mentioning of the Doctor having a girlfriend back on Earth! Does he? Have I missed something major in a previous comic strip or was she referring to Grace? I guess that's a nice mystery to have. The climax was brilliant with the Ophidians plan backfiring and the body of Izzy shooting dead Gorolith. But despite that action saving the Doctor's life, he knew something was changed with Izzy and worked it out right away. Destrii had failed her audition. She wouldn't be companion. But Izzy's body, and Destrii with it, was seemingly killed in an act of revenge. The mention of the word oblivion being acknowledged was obviously a pointer towards the final comic strip of this graphic novel which is tremendous! I'm not a massive fan of a four part comic strip ending on a cliffhanger, but overall this was a terrific start to my reading of Eighth Doctor comic strips! 

Rating: 8/10

The Wheel in Space

"Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority."

Writer: David Whittaker 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27th April - 1st June 1968

Season: 5.07

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

After the TARDIS malfunctions thanks to an issue with the fluid link, the Doctor and Jamie are seemingly stranded on a wheel in space... and the Cybermen are plotting their takeover. 

Verdict 

The Wheel in Space was a fantastic serial to finish the season. I love the fact that the Cybermen return to go up against the Doctor in the season finale after starting the season in the very same way. It seems quite a while since I blogged The Tomb of the Cybermen in which Victoria started her travels in the TARDIS. As her stories went on during the season I really came to love her as companion so her departure in Fury from the Deep was a sad one for me. Seeing her waving on the beach once more was nice though and I liked how Jamie was asking the Doctor what he thought she'd be up to with the Harris family. She wouldn't be forgotten and I like that. The TARDIS having trouble with the fluid link was excellent and a great throwback to The Daleks. Only this time the link had broken and the Doctor desperately needed to find some mercury. But that was about as exciting episode one got sadly as I thought as a single episode, it was pretty awful to be honest. I was shocked by how uneventful and lacklustre it was! The first part is supposed to set the scene, which I guess it did with the establishment of the rocket, but it just wasn't exciting at all. The robot that helped knock the Doctor unconscious wasn't later explained once the Cybermen arrived which I thought was pretty poor. But thankfully the following five episodes were very good and that's why this serial gets the high rating that it does. Zoe was introduced to us in humorous fashion with Jamie and I like how intelligent she is. I'm quite into my numbers (I study A Level Accounting and I just love the workings) but not on the scale that Zoe did! She could solve any mathematic problem almost instantly it seemed. That's a frightening ability! As companion it seems like she'll be able to give the Doctor a run for his money because she's also a physicist so she knows her science incredibly well. The contrasts she had with Jamie, who isn't the brightest bulb in the house, were tremendous. I'm not sure whether it's because I knew from foreknowledge, but to me it seemed obvious anyway that Zoe was going to become companion in Victoria's place as the story unfolded. Her relationship with the Doctor increased significantly during the latter episodes so the signs were all there. The reveal of the Cybermen at the end of episode two was a fantastic way to surprise the audience and I imagine that if viewers were unaware of the familiar foe's return that it would be quite a memorable cliffhanger! It obviously won't have the same effect second time around but you'll think of how you felt the first time watching and that's exciting. I didn't get such a thrill because I obviously knew that the Cybermen were appearing in the story but as this was my first watch in full, and I've never read the novel of this story, a huge smile was on my face when the Cybermen punched his way out into the open. The directing of this story was pretty impressive I thought and that's something I rarely, if ever, mention so for me to pick up on it gives great credit to the serial from my book! The use of the Cybermats was great and I just love their 1960s appearance. I didn't find them as effective when they were modernised for Closing Time but here I just loved how it acted like it looked - a menace. Essentially that's what it's used for. Once the Doctor and Jamie found the Cybermat through the X-ray, I like how they reacted to knowing that the Cybermen were behind the strange events of the wheel. The guest cast were mostly very good which is a big positive. Tanya and Gemma were probably my standout highlights but I did also like Leo and Jarvis. Laleham and Vallance were also favourites of mine once they'd been placed under Cyber control. The use of mind control by the Cybermen in this episode was superb. The slightly changed appearance of the familiar nemesis was outstanding I thought and this design may just be my favourite variation of Cybermen appearance. The helmet just had something about it that made it special to me. I'm not awfully sure why but I loved it! The death caused by the Cybermen in the closing episodes was fantastic in my opinion because it brought a ruthless and destructive edge back to them which they had failed to show during the serial up until that point. But just in case we forgot what these metal beings were capable of, they quickly and efficiently reminded us. Their plans to use the Wheel as a means of invading Earth was a typically complex plan. I loved how the Cyber-Planner debuted here and that was something I did not envisage! So when it was first seen I was smiling with shock. The Cybermen had a directive. But ultimately their plan failed in exciting circumstances. Just as the invasion was hoping to commence and a Cyber space walk was almost at an end, the laser was back in action and the force field was holding, the Cybermen were sent packing. With her job over, Zoe didn't want to return home with her specially set logistic knowledge. She wanted to travel in the TARDIS with the Doctor and Jamie. And why wouldn't she? I love how she tried to sneak aboard. She didn't quite manage it the way Steven must have in The Chase but the end results would be the same. The fact that the Doctor was going to show her the entire story of The Evil of the Daleks as a means of how dangerous things can be was sublime. A repeat of a story was incorporated into continuity - fantastic! 

Rating: 8/10

Night Terrors

"You see these eyes? They're old eyes. And one thing I can tell you... monsters are real."

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 3rd September 2011

Series: 6.09

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Doctor receives a distress call, bringing him, Amy and Rory to 21st century Earth. George is a young boy terrorised by the monsters in his cupboard... and those monsters may just be real. 

Verdict 

Night Terrors was a pretty decent episode to continue on the second half of the sixth series of the revived Doctor Who but considering the standard set so far in the series and the fact that it was penned by Mark Gatiss, it really should have been better. Don't get me wrong, the episode was good and certainly had its highlights but it's nowhere near some of the stories produced for this series. Even The Curse of the Black Spot is in another league and I don't even think that holds up against the likes of The Doctor's Wife. The idea of a cry for help from a frightened child reaching the TARDIS was something I struggled to believe but that was made up for the fact that the Doctor was more than willing to help a scared child. The search of the apartment building to find the missing child seemed pretty irrelevant but it was worth it just to see Amy wondering around. Karen Gillan really did look absolutely incredible in this episode. I must say, the current production team do know how to impress us male viewers with the beauty of the companions. Once Karen departs we'll see the gorgeous Jenna Coleman arrive. Amy and Rory plummeting from a lift into the doll house in George's cupboard was quite confusing but I loved the idea of everything he feared being put in the cupboard. Talk about locking your fears away! The Doctor's reaction to the cupboard with the sonic readings off the scale was fantastic. The highlight of this episode had to be the humour between the Doctor and Alex. They bounced off each other expertly and certainly rivalled the relationship the Doctor and Craig had in The Lodger. The scene when they both arrived in the doll house by the dinner table and the Doctor just stacked things up in Alex's arms was absolutely brilliant and just typical of the Eleventh Doctor, my favourite of all thirteen. I liked how it was implied from Amy and Rory first arriving in the doll house that it was just that. They didn't know where they were. But Amy noticed that there was a wooden copper pan, a clock with drawn on hands and then the exit door didn't have a door knob! The Doctor only needed a wooden chicken to work out where he was. Amy and Rory being chased by the Peg Dolls was entertaining and I loved their appearance because I know that'll frighten many viewers! That's what Doctor Who does so well in stories like this - play on the viewers' fears. George being scared of pretty much everything was intriguing and I thought the fear was shown through very well through the acting but I can't seem to wrap my head around being scared of slight noises or the falling of a toy. But I guess that's because I'm not an eight year old anymore, though I can't remember being extremely scared of anything. Although, the landlord was a pretty horrible person. A perfectly stereotypical bastard. The horrific dog, shocking clothes and disturbing haircut. He personified everything I despise really. I wish he'd stayed as a Peg Doll to be honest! The rhyme being heard by the Dolls was excellent but I didn't think their laugh was as effective as it could have been. Rory attacking them with a mop was pretty funny though! And then Amy went and turned herself into one. I was quite surprised that Amy and Rory didn't ever meet George seeing as he was the reason they were in the doll house. The Doctor's mentioning of bedtime stories was terrific with a fabulous reference to Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday. The revelation that George was a Tenza simply seeking attention came too late I thought. There wasn't enough anticipation surrounding his opening of the cupboard. By the point he'd arrived in the doll house I'd almost lost interest which I thought was a shame. Alex giving him the assurance that he'd never be taken away was a nice moment to finish the story on though. The series arc of the Doctor's looming death was continued nicely but the highlight was Karen Gillan's appearance and the relationship of the Doctor and Alex. 

Rating: 7/10

Blind Fury

"You wanted to know what Gallifreyan fairytales were like, Pond, well, here you go! This is the one I told you about when we visited Vincent van Gogh!"

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2010

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy

Synopsis 

The Doctor sights to Amy an old Gallifreyan fairytale of how the people of Slothe set out to evade death.

Verdict 

Blind Fury was an excellent little short story to feature in this Annual, one of which must rank highly in regards to being the best as it's also where The Grey Hole is printed! That's a story I thought was really excellent for an Annual comic strip (I'm sure you're aware of my thoughts and criticisms towards Annual story styles and lengths) and I'm glad that this short story continued the high quality of adventure for this particular Annual. Let's hope Secret of Arkatron lives up to the standard already set when I get around to reading that one! But back to the story at hand and I loved the idea of us being told a Gallifreyan fairytale. The Annual is actually the perfect place for that and I loved the theme and design of the pages. It was very reminiscent of Snow White and the Seven Keys to Doomsday which was good and I also enjoyed how this was the Doctor telling Amy of the fairytale in great detail after its mention in Vincent and the Doctor. The setting in Gallifreyan history was extremely early as Rassilon was still in his youth. Had the Time Lords, as we know them now, even been founded yet? It didn't seem so as the people of Sloathe were being hunted down by Death's Messenger. I love the idea of death being personified and he actually makes an appearance here! He sends his messenger to the village of the bone idol and on two out of three occasions he gets his way causing death and despair wherever he walked. But now these people who were extremely lazy planned on fighting back. They'd heard of the prophecy that the sons of Gallifrey were meant to find a way to escape death (of course, later they would in the form of regeneration) and temporarily it seemed that Presus had achieved that milestone. He'd fought the messenger for three days and three nights continuously with no rest, sleep nor food and drink. How believable that is may be up for debate but seeing as it's a fairytale I'm willing to let it slide. I like how the depiction of Presus killing the messenger is celebrated in folklore. Death was evaded. The laziest Gallifreyans had defeated the messenger of Death. Not too shabby I must say! I must say I really liked how past descriptions of Gallifrey were adhered to here with reference to the silver leaves and the continent of Wild Endeavour. I think it's important that descriptions from the past are continued (even if things don't quite match up with The Invasion of Time!). Overall, a lovely little fairytale and for once the length was pretty much perfect. Fairytales don't need to be massively long which was nice to see here. A lovely story!

Rating: 8/10

Time Crash

"I'm you with a new face!"

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 16th November 2007

Series: 2007 Children in Need Special

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Fifth Doctor

Synopsis 

Following the Master turning the TARDIS into a paradox machine, the Doctor's rebuilding is almost complete. But with the shields down two TARDISes merge as one and the Tenth Doctor gets a visit from a familiar face from the past

Verdict

Time Crash is an absolutely wonderful little mini episode produced for Children in Need back in 2007! John Barrowmen said it would be fantastic in his introduction on stage with Terry Wogan and he wasn't wrong. I absolutely adore everything about the minisode that continues directly onwards from Martha's departure in Last of the Time Lords. I like how this episode explained that the Doctor was rebuilding, or had done already, the TARDIS after the Master's meddling converting it into a paradox machine. That was the only little quarrel I had with the aforementioned story because it was already a paradox machine before 8.02am when President Winters was assassinated but now that's been explained it added a lot to this little marvellous eight minutes. When things went wrong and the TARDIS shifted in and out of existence, the fumbling around between the Tenth and Fifth Doctors was brilliant. They apologised for getting into each other's way! But then things soon came into realisation and the Fifth Doctor was not happy! The dialogue that followed between the pair was just tremendous. The Tenth Doctor made a mockery of nearly everything his previous incarnation did. He disapproved of the fashion sense - particularly the celery - and then went on to mock the glasses, or "brain specs" that weren't actually needed at all and simply worn to make the Doctor look more impressive and intelligent. I really loved the humour when the Tenth Doctor proclaimed to be seeing the back of his own head! Another superb moment, even if it wasn't the same head he currently had. Steven Moffat proves with this minisode that he can not only write amazing storylines and complex arcs, but that he can do humour as well. Now, with a multi-Doctor story that's a whole lot easier to find but still, I was very impressed. The threat of blowing a whole in the space-time continuum that was the size of Belgium was a good consequence of two TARDISes merging together. The Fifth Doctor not immediately noticing the change of TARDIS interior was great and I loved the implication that it can be simply changed like a desktop theme on a computer. It actually would explain a lot! The Fifth Doctor thinking the Tenth Doctor was a fan of his was magnificent with a shock reference to LINDA and Love and Monsters. I'm not sure that'd be on top of my list when it comes to mentioning past adventures. But after the Tenth Doctor saved the day, remembering what he had seen some time before in his fifth incarnation and getting both Doctors on friendly terms, some wonderful references followed. We had mentions of Nyssa and Tegan from the Tenth Doctor which I thought was nice seeing that he does remember his companions from long ago. Then he remembered the events of Earthshock with reference to the Cybermen and then also Kinda and Snakedance with mention of the Mara. I also loved how the Fifth Doctor referred to the Master's beard as being rubbish. Poor old Anthony Ainley. The goodbye was emotionally heartfelt and I loved how the Tenth Doctor recalled loving being the Fifth Doctor, even if he went hands free and wore a vegetable. Overall, eight minutes of emotional excellence. 

Rating: 10/10

The Deviant Strain

"Do you want to end up with only your memories to make up for the loss of your faculties?"

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Novel

Released: September 2005

Series: NSA 9.04

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

The Novrosk Peninsula: the Soviet naval base has been abandoned, the nuclear submarines are rusting and rotting. Cold, isolated, forgotten.

Until the Russian Special Forces arrive - and discover that the Doctor and his companions are here too. But there is something else in Novrosk. Something that predates even the stone circle on the cliff top. Something that is at last waking, hunting, killing...

Can the Doctor and his friends stay alive long enough to learn the truth? With time running out, they must discover who is really responsible for the Deviant Strain...

Verdict 

The Deviant Strain was a very good and enjoyable read and with me reading nearly a decade after its release (it's crazy to think that Christopher Eccleston's tenure as the Doctor was a decade ago already!) it was nice and refreshing to have a brand new story, from my perspective anyway, featuring a pretty rare TARDIS team. We did see the Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack on screen together in five episodes but really I would argue that we only had the one proper episode and that was Boom Town. The double episode prior to that introduced Jack so I wouldn't consider him a companion until the very end of that episode whilst the two parter that follows the aforementioned episode was the finale that saw Jack get left behind and the regeneration of the Ninth Doctor. So the scenes in the TARDIS at the start of the novel were much welcomed because I got to read some more about what it was like on board the TARDIS with these three people. It seemed a friendly atmosphere as I would have expected and I was intrigued how Jack was at the controls. His action though would lead us nicely into the events of the adventure we would be about to read. I loved the humorous references between the Doctor and Jack surrounding the latter's actions in responding to the distress signal the TARDIS picked up but I loved the twist surrounding the event much later on with Jack's response actually saving Valeria's life, a women with who he shared a brilliant relationship throughout the novel. After her unfortunate events at the stone circle, with much of her life being drained from her, the 19-year-old was aged and wrinkled. But she was also left in a vegetative state. I adored how he made looking after and saving her his duty, something her own father failed to do, despite the fact that she was incapable of knowing what was going on and oblivious to the fact that Jack, and later Rose, both massively risked their lives for her survival. She wouldn't be able to show any appreciation though, that is until the very last page of the novel where Jack kissed her goodbye and she responded by giving him a huge hug. I thought that was a lovely touch to finish on. It was an interesting read having Jack travelling with the Ninth Doctor prior to The Parting of the Ways because he actually can die. He's not immortal so the threat of death was very much a good one against our time agent captain! That was a nice contrast to have. The portrayal of the Ninth Doctor was fantastic, if you'll excuse the pun. So intended. All of the traits were there and the witty humour between him and Jack was excellent. Of course, he was also softer when talking with Rose and the relationship they have is just wonderful. Jack adds to that brilliantly making this rare TARDIS trio of just five episodes (and as I mentioned, that stat is debatable) absolutely terrific. The modern day Russian setting of Novrosk was very good and I loved the idea of it being simply a village seemingly cut off from the rest of the country. Isolated. But something was coming. The tentacled creatures continued threat was very good though I do wish they had been properly named rather than just being referred to as the giant, blue glowing blobs. Come on Justin Richards, you can at least conjure up a species name! Saying that, despite how much I enjoyed the book (as you can see from my rating below), I found it strange how the book was entitled what it was. The words 'deviant strain' were thrown in to speech by the Doctor but it was never really explained. Judging from the acknowledgements, Richards just wanted to use the title because it so happened to be the name of the font that appears on the covers of the updated range of books. I'm not saying it shouldn't be called that but if you're going to reference it in story and in the blurb then at least fully explain its meaning! I really liked some of the characters in this novel and I think my favourite would have been Christina because of how well and how easily she got on with the Doctor. It was obviously going to be a hit straight away as she was a scientist so they got on rather pleasantly which was nice to see. I also thought Minin and Levin were very good and they added a lot to the Doctor's plans. The resolution to the plan of Klebanov and his skeletal scientist allies was very clever. They were using the creatures which weren't described all that well as a means of sucking the energy out of living people to power their crashed ship. Borinska had quite an experience with one of the stones and a superb chase with Rose but ultimately she paid the price. Just when Klebanov was proclaiming victory, the Doctor had already won. He'd put the whole energy cycle into a loop, each time with a bit of energy lost. Brilliant and a typical resolution by the Doctor. He didn't even tell his companions. I guess his little swim was worthwhile. Klebanov and the ship became nothing more than a husk and the Doctor was triumphant. He'd promised earlier on in the novel that he would stop what was going on, whilst recognising that a few wouldn't make it, and he'd delivered. The human race were saved once more. 

Rating: 8/10

Fury from the Deep

"Matter will never conquer mind - it's against the law of nature!"

Writer: Victor Pemberton

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 16th March - 20th April 1968

Season: 5.06

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria

Synopsis 

The TARDIS lands on the surface of the sea, just off the east coast of England. The time travellers use a rubber dinghy to her ashore but after the Doctor tampers with pipes with his sonic screwdriver, he, Jamie and Victoria are introduced to the terrifying threat of the weed creature, and it may just prove too much for Victoria...

Verdict 

Fury from the Deep was a fantastic serial to continue this fifth (and monster) season along splendidly. During the season the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria have found themselves coming up against Cybermen, Yeti (twice!) and Ice Warriors. Now we've got the less recognisable weed creature terrorising the TARDIS trio and who would have thought that's where Victoria would draw the line and call it quite in her travels through time and space. Now, I liked the creature a lot and I loved how just the fear of its arrival acted as the main threat rather than it actually appearing. My assumption is that was down to special effects perhaps not being as might be hoped but if it wasn't then I truly admire Victor Pemberton's writing for this story's enemy. With it came the foam which provided some humorous looks on people but again with the creature, the threat of its arrival more than sufficed. The arrival onto the beach was unique I must say with the materialisation occurring high above the beach and then the TARDIS flying down into the sea. The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria got to shore via boat! Surely the TARDIS could have just landed on the beach, no? This story is remembered for obviously being Victoria's departure but also for the debut of a certain sonic screwdriver that would play a big role in many future adventures with nearly every incarnation of the Doctor that followed the Second Doctor. Speaking of which, this was another great performance from Patrick Troughton as always and he really does perform well in the role. I wouldn't say he does anything to threaten my top five ranking of each incarnation but whilst he's in the role it's hard not to enjoy the Doctor. He gets along so well with Jamie which I think is just magnificent. I liked how Jamie and Victoria mentioned the continued arrival on Earth in England with terrific references to The Evil of the Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Web of Fear to follow. The story had some brilliant guest cast with Harris and Robson the standouts in my opinion but I loved the mischievous looks of Quill and Oak and the fact they were the inside source being controlled by the weed creature. The design of the creature was simple - it was just seaweed - but so effective! It did look capable of causing harm and the fact that it had the power to overcome people and even move is frightening enough! I liked the hints dropped from episode three onwards that Victoria wasn't happy with being frightened at every destination the TARDIS landed on. Since her arrival, and particularly after The Ice Warriors, I've really grown to love the Victorian companion but I do wish the female members of the TARDIS crew didn't continuously scream. It happened with Susan and now Victoria is also synonymous with being a screamer. It's not an appealing quality in a companion but despite that, and the fact it was basically the resolution to defeating the creature, I was really sad to see her depart. I liked how it was portrayed with her finding it such a difficult position but after her father was killed by the Daleks I think it's lovely that she's leaving with the Harris family to look after. The climax leading up to her departure was good and I found it funny when Victoria found herself unable to scream even though she'd been doing so for most of the serial! It was also wonderful to see how much Jamie cared for Victoria with his reaction when he thought she'd died and his hoping that she wouldn't stay and instead continue her travels. However, her mind was made up and the Doctor respected that and embraced her decision. It was her life and even if he and Jamie were fond of her, if she wanted to leave they had to respect that. But Jamie really was crushed which was something new to be seen. Overall, an excellent story though I'm not convinced it needed to be six parts. Some comical scenes - especially with the helicopter! - and a very good guest cast went along nicely with a unique enemy. I just think the cliffhangers and resolution could have been improved, but that doesn't really take much away from the quality of the story. Farewell Victoria Waterfield, you will be missed! 

Rating: 8/10

The Library of Alexandria

"You've broken the cardinal rule - you've become involved."

Writer: Simon Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Companion Chronicles 7.10

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara

Synopsis 

The port of Alexandria, 5th Century AD.

The Doctor, Ian, Susan and Barbara have taken a break from their travels, and are enjoying a few weeks in the sunshine - and the chance to appreciate the magnificent Library of Alexandria.

Ian also takes the chance to enjoy friendship with the philosopher Hypatia - but things here will not last forever.

The time travellers know that library will soon be lost to history.

What they are about to discover is the terrifying reason why...

Verdict 

The Library of Alexandria was a lovely Companion Chronicle adventure! The appeal of the story was there right for me prior to even listening to a minute of the story. The name was more than enough to suffice for my interest as I just love History and particularly on television I really do love the historically set adventures and after some audio stories set in the past that weren't exactly great (The Emperor of Eternity) it seems my thoughts on them are improving massively. Maybe it's just luck in the way that I've picked the stories I've listened to, I'm not sure but I really enjoyed this one. William Russell was as brilliant as ever reprising his role as the fantastic Ian Chesterton, infamous for being one half of the very first companions. Judging by the dialogue in this story, it was set somewhere between seasons one and two at my guess because the quartet were more than familiar with each other, had some terrific witty banter and just seemed to get along and showed concern for one another which to me suggests compassion. The setting of the Library of Alexandria is just wonderful. If I had a time machine then the Library is certainly a place I'd love to have visited. And it also seems just the perfect place for the Doctor and his companions - particularly Barbara. I found myself for the first time really relating to Barbara thanks to the love of History we both share. She knew that the burning couldn't be far away so I loved the fact that she wanted to leave before she saw something of such beauty destroyed and perish. I was intrigued by the theme of relationship throughout the story which was of course centred around Ian who seemed to attain a love interest in the lovely Hypatia. It was splendid listening to how well the pair got along and they really did enjoy each other's company because of the fascination of science. I loved the Doctor echoing his comments to Barbara in The Aztecs here. They were visiting a key and memorable part of human history and had to be careful they didn't change anything. I'm sure they'd all learned not to tamper with things after Barbara's actions in the aforementioned serial. Speaking of stories, I loved the reference to The Transit of Venus and Ian regretting not having talked more to James Cook. Hypatia firmly ridiculing the idea of the Earth orbiting the Sun was excellent and it's just so fascinating to think that she was a leading scientist in her field at the time and that was her firm belief. That's why I adore History so much. Things were just so different, almost incomprehensibly so on occasions, and I loved how Ian was subtly trying to open her eyes to the fact that this was indeed the case. But he couldn't change her beliefs that really she assumed as fact based on her own findings and evidence. I liked the recollection of him being careful not to mention any futuristic scientific findings or words such as gravity. I liked how his conversing with Hypatia was almost frowned upon by the rest of the TARDIS crew. For the first time during the period Ian and Barbara travelled with the Doctor, there seemed to be references and a strong feeling of them being more than friends. Now we know the pair did tie the knot as seen in Hunters of the Burning Stone but I found it pleasantly surprising that this was so unsubtly mentioned here. Could the very first companions have been more than friends whilst travelling with the Doctor and Susan? I would argue no but based on her reaction it seemed Barbara wanted there to be much more to their relationship than just friendship. Things were even more complicated for Chesterton when it appeared Hypatia asked him on a date. Not bad going considering this was 5th century Egypt - he'd certainly settled in quickly and become accustomed to his female counterparts. The arrival of the Mim wasn't my favourite moment in the world and I think making this a partly pseudo-historical story is what brings my rating down a little from what it could be. My only previous experience of the creatures was in Shadow of the Past and I don't recall being their biggest fans then. Their ability is very good and I liked how it was thought out how to defeat them, but sadly their arrival spoiled things a little for me. How they'd wrote and misplaced a book was quite baffling but I liked how they didn't want to interfere in human history. The Doctor though brilliantly declared that they had and scared them away but not before they set fire to the prized Library. Barbara and Susan were heroes in saving people but not all the incalculably valuable scrolls would survive the inferno. Although, due to their immense value, the Doctor and Barbara kept more than a few for themselves - so much so that the TARDIS control room was so full that it was a struggle to move. I love that! Overall, a lovely little story of both history and more than a hint of love. 

Rating: 8/10