Flywheel Revolution

"Who would believe it in that very moment the only witness had fled..."

Writer: Dale Smith

Format: Audio

Released: January 2015

Series: Short Trips 5.01

Featuring: First Doctor

Synopsis 

On a planet in the far future, Frankie and his fellow robots have been consigned to the Scrapheap, doomed to explore no further than the limits of the artificial Wall. Life goes on, day after day - until a monster appears in their midst. It lives alone in a small hut on the edge of Scrapyard, and scours at night for the remains of dead robots. Frankie sets out to confront the monster in its lair. It's name? The Doctor!

Verdict 

Flywheel Revolution was a very good story to open the fifth series of Short Trips audios from Big Finish. I do like the Short Trips range and I'm really glad they've been revived in a similar way the Companion Chronicles have. I found this story most intriguing and after a shaky start in the first 8 minutes or so, it grew into quite the little gem. I don't recall giving too many terrible marks to Short Trips stories but usually some of my criticism comes at the length of the story. Now believe me, I do understand the irony and I am fully aware of what the range title is and what that means, but I've also given big criticism at Doctor Who Annual short stories based on the length when I know full well how long they're going to be and the difficulty that comes with it in providing a good story. Here however I thought the length of the story wasn't too short at all! At 32 minutes it was a more than sufficient length and not too dissimilar to some Main Range extras such as Last of the Titans and Urgent Calls. It's really not that far off the Torchwood audio The House of the Dead that I recently blogged. That was only 11 minutes longer than this. Half an hour is a good length and despite Steven not appearing in the story, I thought Peter Purves read the story very well. In audios like this, I think it's important to have a good narrator and that's what we had here. It was never really in doubt with the great actor that is Peter Purves! After recently reading the two part interview with him in the latest issues of Doctor Who Magazine, it was nice to see how he prided himself on his Big Finish work. I found it quite funny how he didn't think his work on Mother Russia was much good but I can't recall that being a bad performance in the slightest! It's nice to see an actor be so determined to do well in his roles and I liked how he acknowledged how it wasn't too difficult to bring Steven back to life after such a lengthy absence. I'm not sure if the planet basically being a junkyard, or at least the location on there that this story was set, was a notion to An Unearthly Child or not but I do like to think so. Frankie was a great character and I loved the references to the Doctor being a monster prior to him first speaking. I enjoyed the references to him having fabric skin and shiny feet which were obviously clever references to his clothing. The terminology in this was superb I thought and I really liked some of the dialogue. They'd dawned the nane of 'the monster' for the Doctor because of the way he used components on this planet he was trapped. To him, it was mere rubble and with Frankie acknowledging the fact that they were in a junkyard I thought he'd have accepted that. Instead, he was horrified and disgusted at the Doctor for doing what he was with the rubble components. He was merely plotting his escape whilst to Frankie, he was desecrating the corpses of the dead and connecting them unnaturally. It really was an intriguing storyline but one I really liked. I wasn't too struck on the impression of the First Doctor. In fact, I thought it was very poor considering what Peter Purves has done in the past when playing the First Doctor in the Companion Chronicles. I'd have liked the robotic society explored a bit more with some emphasis on the trapping but despite not knowing all the details, I liked how the Doctor wanted to put a stop to it and set Frankie and co free. And of course he succeeded in doing so. I might also have liked to know how the Doctor got separated from Susan, Ian and Barbara but it wasn't exactly essential. Overall, a very good little audio to kick off this brand new series of Short Trip audio adventures! 

Rating: 8/10

Revolutions of Terror Part 1

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. Can I help? I usually can. I'm gifted that way."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 26th February 2015

Printed in: Doctor Who Comic #1

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

It can be wonderful to explore all of time and space at the Doctor's side, but the universe can also be a dark and dangerous place - as the Doctor's most recent companion, Donna Noble, found to her cost. Forced to leave her behind, the Doctor has since been wandering alone. But no matter how far he travels, or for how long, something always brings him back to Earth...

Verdict

You'd better get used to this over the coming months now as here we are with the third comic strip blog entry in a row and also the third comic strip to be re-blogged! Of course, that's because of the fantastic newly released Doctor Who Comic from Titan Comics where us UK residents aren't being left behind from those in the States with these comics. They may be a few issues ahead of us across the pond but as long as we're given the opportunity to purchase this new trio collection of comics featuring the three latest incarnations of the Doctor then I'm more than happy. I just hope that my local WH Smith continues to sell them as when I bought my copy, which I couldn't resist despite having copies of the American released comics, it was the only issue in store and it was only 10am! I do hope to see more issues of #2 in just under three weeks time but as long as I get a copy, even if it's the only one in store, I'm more than happy. I'm convinced issue number 3 will be my favourite because that's where I'll get two brand new stories from my perspective as I only managed two US issues of the Twelfth and Eleventh Doctor range. Arguably, this introductory part is my favourite of the three and I think that's all down to Gabby. I could tell upon first reading that me and her were going to get along marvellously. She's young, probably good looking had she been based off an actress and I like the possibility of her being feisty with her Mexican background and clear problems with her family. I liked the extensive background we were given to Gabby and I thought it was a much better introduction than Alice was given in After Life, even though that was good. Gabby immediately seems suited to the Tenth Doctor and she only met him on the very last page! The New York setting is obviously good - it's almost impossible for it not to be! Just look at the stories that have taken place in the city. Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, The Angels Take Manhattan and even some parts of The Chase! Having been to the city that never sleeps, I can tell from my experience of visiting there that it's just an amazing place. The only place I've been to that's topped it is Kraków and that's due to my love of History. I liked how the New York setting was on a much more basic level here. The main focus was a laundromat and a restaurant whereas in the aforementioned revival TV stories, the focus was very much on the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, respectively. I liked how this was much more down to earth and for the American readers, particularly any young females, I'm sure they could relate to Gabby with her resenting her father because he had her doing two jobs on top of a college course! Gabby really didn't seem to be enjoying Accounting at all though! I guess that's where I can't relate to Gabby sadly as I'm studying Accounts at A-Level and I really do love it! The looming of Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead festival surely spells recipe for disaster in a Doctor a Who story! We know something haunted and spooky is coming. The first appearance of the Cerebravore was good though I wasn't overly struck on the appearance. Gabby's grandmother seeing her dead husband in torment must have been horrifying and I liked how things got interesting once Hector claimed to have seen the devil. I get the feeling that from this first story we'll see quite a bit of Gabby's family during her inevitable time in the TARDIS. I must say I did like Blanca! The Doctor himself was captured character wise perfectly and it's clear he's missing Donna after the emotional events of Journey's End. The cliffhanger to this on the subway was superb with the moment Gabby becoming companion closing the issue. She took the Doctor's hand, and in that moment her life had changed forever. Overall, a great introductory part for the story and Gabby! As ever, the rating will come in the blog entry of the final part of the story. 

After Life

"How do you feel about helping me catch a rainbow dog? Because I think that might be fun."

Writers: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 26th February 2015

Printed in: Doctor Who Comic #1

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice

Synopsis 

After rebooting the universe with a second Big Bang, the Doctor has seen his new friends Amy and Rory married, and given them a honeymoon to remember.

Leaving the Ponds to settle into their newlywed life, the Doctor is travelling the cosmos alone, checking for anomalies in Reality 2.0 - a mission that's about to change his life, and that of Londoner Alice Obiefune - forever!

Verdict

Well here we are again! This time it's on the official release day of the wonderfully good Doctor Who Comic from Titan Comics that allows us living in the UK to read what the Twelfth, Eleventh and Tenth Doctors are getting up to in their respective timelines! Yesterday saw me read part one of Terrorformer with the Twelfth Doctor and current companion Clara but today sees me delve back into After Life, the debut of the Eleventh Doctor in this series of comic adventures. Seeing as today is the official release of the new comic, I thought I'd talk a little about the physical comic itself. I went into my local WH Smith expecting to find it amongst the monthly comics such as the Incredible Hulks or the Amazing Spider Man but instead it was situated amongst the kids magazines next to Doctor Who Adventures. That disappointed me a little because these comic strips specifically are certainly not aimed at the younger viewer who would read DWA. I think the comic itself is very good and is slightly larger than the US versions of the comics housing the same adventures I was lucky enough to get. It's brilliant that we actually have a comic to purchase every month as well as the comic strip in DWM. To me, there is a distinct difference between a comic and a comic strip. I just love the comics! So here we are, set between A Christmas Carol and The Impossible Astronaut, the Doctor certainly got up to a whole load of things whilst the Ponds were absent! The introduction of Alice as companion is a very good one, though my rating suggests I enjoyed it slightly less than last time which is a shame. But nonetheless, I liked how we caught up with Alice following on from her mother's funeral. Things were just going from bad to worse for her. Evicted from her house and hearing that her best friend was moving away. She was on a massive downer. However, it looks like that'll soon be cured as she ran into the Eleventh Doctor on the streets of London! What was he doing? Chasing a giant rainbow dog. Yup, that's the Doctor in a nutshell really. Despite its ridiculous appearance, I loved how the rainbow dog was actually an empath and the thing it most wanted was to remove the sadness from someone it held dear. A giant pink squid of course. I thought it was good how the Doctor actually went back to Alice because she was so sad. The Doctor definitely notices things like that and it was nice to see the rare compassionate side of this Doctor. The reference to Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead was excellently thrown in with Alice being a library assistant. The Doctor knew immediately that they'd get along splendidly because she was clever! He liked that and concluded it was because of the books she was often living in. It was nice how he showed her around the TARDIS and it was good to see the swimming pool once more! The theme of the Doctor not keeping pets but making friends was wonderfully portrayed throughout and once Alice opened the TARDIS, she became companion in my eyes. The Doctor must have been devastated that he missed out on the "it's bigger on the inside" moment because the TARDIS was upside down. Not what he was hoping for I'm sure. I enjoyed the scenes in the House of Commons and with these comics being (presumably) written by Americans, their depiction of the Prime Minister as pretty much a baby was superb. It'll be spot on if disaster strikes in the next election and Ed Miliband gets into Number 10. Surely not though. The way the Doctor solved the issue of the rainbow dog was lovely with the love story being complete. The Prime Minister was still on the floor asking for his money by the time things had been resolved! Did he not trust UNIT? It was good to see them appear even if only in a cameo role. Overall, a good introductory story for the new comic series and Alice as companion. The characterisation of this incarnation of the Doctor was captured very well and I can't wait to see what the brief glimpse of the Time Lord means in future stories! 

Rating: 8/10

Terrorformer Part 1

"You have been judged insignificant. Your continued existence would be an embarrassment to the universe."

Writer: Robbie Morrison

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 26th February 2015

Printed in: Doctor Who Comic #1

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor has regenerated into a brand new incarnation! 

Clara struggled at first to reconcile the Doctor's new face with that of her closer friend, but the pair are now back in the saddle of cosmic adventure, even if this new Doctor is brusquer and more unpredictable - the kind of Doctor who wishes people would just get out of his way and let him get on with the business of saving them!

Verdict 

Well here we are again! It's taken 401 blog entries to get the first story to be posted twice but here it is! The first part of Terrorformer! Now why might I choose to read this story again? Well, the answer is simple. After my little trips to Comix Shoppe, which proved inconvenient, time consuming and expensive, to purchase the newly released Titan Comics featuring the last three incarnations of the Doctor, I was overjoyed that we'd be getting a UK release which features in each issue a story from each incarnation which I massively prefer. It's just £3.99 per issue now for three stories whereas I was paying £2.80 for a single issue. So I'm saving nearly a fiver by this UK exclusive collection. Due to money and time, I was only able to collect 7 issues of the three Doctors combined but I found that the new 'Doctor Who Comic' started off with the Twelfth Doctor so I'll follow suit. This first instalment seemed a lot better than I remembered from my first reading last year! I liked the opening with Zaxx and Clive and immediately there's death thanks to something literally coming out of the lava. The opening scenes for the Doctor and Clara were outstanding and I loved the Doctor's mocking of his immediate previous incarnation. It seems he no longer approves of bow ties, fezzes or the word 'cool'. The way he claimed normality was restored was simply wonderful and perfectly captured Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. Clara's referencing to Into the Dalek, Robot of Sherwood and The Caretaker was fantastic and I don't think there's any doubting that these comics, at least for now, are set during Series 8. That's not a problem at all but I do hope that by the time Series 9 is broadcast the comics come up to date. No references of Danny as was here please! That's something where the DWM strips are mastery, they always seem perfectly in line with the current series. The arrival onto Isen VI was comical with Clara expecting to ice skate but instead she got a tropical jungle! The Doctor didn't seem too surprised as he had detected the slightest signal. And it was Gallifreyan in origin. Things got tasty there! The fact that the jungle was man made was most intriguing and Kano Dollar immediately looks a bit of a bastard. Terraforming an entire planet for the sake of a marriage? Surely that's unacceptable. The Skunkey's, as Clara dubbed them, were fun and I liked how they soon turned from adorable to aggressive when Clara wanted her hat back. I liked how once the Doctor heard people were in danger, he had no hesitation in saving them. Eric and the Professor have got a good image and they'll be important elements of part 2! The cliffhanger was mightily intriguing with the Doctor recognising the symbol of something terrible. After the terraforming device had sunk into a ship, it was something else that was in control of the planet. As prophesied by Clive, Hyperios rises. With it, it seems the universe may fall... Overall a terrific opening part to both the story and our brand new comic! It's about time we had a monthly comic outside of DWM - I really couldn't be happier. The rating will come in three weeks (and one day - Shush!) when part 2 is released. 

The Long Game

"Create a climate of fear and it's easy to keep the borders closed. It's just a matter of emphasis."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Released: 7th May 2005

Series: 1.07

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Adam

Synopsis 

In the far future, Satellite Five broadcasts to the entire Earth Empire. Nothing escapes the eye of the sinister Editor and the Doctor suspects mankind is being manipulated. But just who is the Editor working for? And does Adam have what it takes to become the Time Lord's companion? 

Verdict 

The Long Game is a superb episode of Doctor Who's first revived series and remains in my top three or four stories of the Ninth Doctor. Only Dalek and Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways beat it from Christopher Eccleston's incarnation but I can't decide whether it's better than The Unquiet Dead or not. Whether it is or it isn't is really quite academic because only one thing matters and that's that it was brilliant! Following on from his reluctant arrival as companion at the end of the last episode, Adam's stay was short lived and pretty uneventful. It's no secret why either in my opinion as I found him pretty boring. There's no way he'd have a chance with Rose! Speaking of which, I must mention how gorgeous Billie Piper looked in this episode! They really do know how to pick these companions as beautiful actresses don't they! I'm not complaining in the slightest. In regards to the series direction and the character of Rose, I'm not sure why she was so keen to have Adam travel in the TARDIS with her and the Doctor. She seemed to accept that he was her boyfriend which led me to think why wouldn't she want Mickey to travel with them in the TARDIS instead? I mean, he is her boyfriend isn't he? There's a massive relationship between them at least. I also thought about Rose's reaction to Mickey becoming companion in School Reunion also and I was baffled. But anyway, it was nice to have a story not set directly on Earth again! The End of the World was quite similar with the space station setting but I thought this was better. The year 200,000 in the midst of the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire was a great setting and I really liked Satellite Five. The different floors were good and of course they'll be a lot more significant in the series finale when the Satellite is returned to. I liked how the satellite was a news broadcast hub. In 198,000 years time it looks like we'll have 600 channels of simply news! I doubt I'll tune in. The inclusion of the BadWolfTV channel was excellently subtle but I do wonder what Captain Jack gets up to biologically in his extreme future! The Face of Boe was pregnant! How a giant head is going to give birth though I'm not quite sure. Cathica and Suki were fantastic characters and I liked how they both played an important part in the climax. Cathica's passion to get promoted to Floor 500 was intriguing to see and I liked how that quickly changed once she got there. She and Suki both got on well with the Doctor which was nice to see. Suki seemed to be smitten with him though but I'm sure Rose wouldn't have had any of it! The head chipping was quite horrific to see and what Adam was thinking getting the whole whammy fitted I don't know. He couldn't even vomit properly anymore! His wish to know all about human history was understandable but his methods weren't. Why couldn't he just be honest? After the Doctor's devious meddling got him all the way upstairs, I found the Suki revelation before that most interesting. Through her we were introduced to the Editor played tremendously by Simon Pegg and the truth about Satellite Five was soon known. The Mighty Jagrafess was an atrocity of a being! I'm envious of the 3,000 year lifespan though. The fact that it simply allowed human life to exist was a bit modest I thought. It's relationship with the Editor was quite humorous. I loved how the Doctor knew that something was wrong with humanity, ever so slightly shifted. He thought it had been held back around 90 years and then it was clear that things weren't right. It was no coincidence that Satellite Five had been broadcasting 91 years. Adam having his surgery was good and I found that nurse extremely alluring! The way he inadvertently donbed the Doctor up as being a Time Lord was sheer stupidity though. The Editor almost had access to the TARDIS but thanks to Cathica's brilliance inspired by the Doctor, she put a stop to things. She ventilated heat upwards which resulted in the Jagrafess bursting and the Editor and those under its influence dead. Humanity could get back on track now. Things would never be the same for Adam again though as he was literally booted out of the TARDIS by the Doctor. The humour with the finger clicking gave us a good comedic end. Overall, a great episode! 

Rating: 9/10

Oblivion

"The matriax is silent. You have no meaning now. Oblivion is no more."

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: November 2002 - April 2003

Printed in: DWM 323-328

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy, Fey

Synopsis 

With the Doctor and Fey still in search of Izzy, the signal leads them to Oblivion. There the Horde are gathering and they're after a new matriax. And her name is Destrii. One problem, Izzy is currently embodying her...

Verdict 

Oblivion was a tremendous story to conclude the graphic novel of the same title. It also saw, more importantly, the emotional departure of Izzy from the TARDIS and her travels with the Doctor. This graphic novel has been all about Izzy and I've just loved her. I'm certainly going to look into purchasing the first two Eighth Doctor collected graphic novels of which she appears in situations that don't have her embodying an alien! I immediately took a shine to her in Ophidius and even when she was in the form of Destrii, I could see the human Izzy desperately trying to break out. The moment here when the Horde returned Izzy and Destrii to their rightful bodies was beautiful. You may have expected it have occurred as some massive moment to conclude an enormous story but that wasn't the case. It was much more simple than that and it really was lovely. Instead of being overjoyed and celebratory, she was just absolutely relieved. "No place like home" is how she phrased it and she's exactly right. The Doctor was so happy for her and that's testament to the relationship they've had together in the TARDIS and one I'm eager to explore in previous graphic novels. But before Izzy had her body returned to her, there were some quite eventful happenings! After it was subtly referenced in Ophidius and then mentioned as Izzy's destination upon her kidnapping in Children of the Revolution, we were finally taken to Oblivion. And what a place it was. It had literally been erased from history which I thought it was great and it just showed how key Fey, well more importantly Shayde, was in helping locate Izzy. It was the perfect hiding place. I thought the Horde were fantastic enemies and I loved their design. The idea of them being almost conjoined was great and it was good how the Doctor would have a sudden lightbulb go off in his head about shooting for the hands blinding them. The combat scenes were terrific with the onlookers and I loved the revelation of the Horde waiting for Destrii to prove herself worthy of the Matriax. Her killing of the Primatrix was gruesome but not as gruesome as the part four cliffhanger! I thought Izzy would have been thrilled to see that her body hadn't actually died but instead she was disgusted and angry beyond belief. She tried beating Destrii to death despite her embodying her own true form. I liked the believability with the inclusion of Izzy calling Destrii a bitch. It was unusual for Doctor Who but DWM is generally aimed at a more adult orientated audience so the inclusion of language like that was most welcomed in my opinion. I thought Fey was very good during the story and allowed us to still have a companion with Izzy not generally acting in that role during this story. Jodafra was a good character and the way he came to look how he did was a strange story and gave some superb background information to the Horde. The highlight of the story in my opinion was when Izzy and Destrii saw into each other's past. Destrii was jealous of Izzy's growing up and how she was accepted whilst Izzy pitied the way Destrii was treated growing up by her mother. After the Horde were defeated however, Izzy had been drained by the whole events depicted in this graphic novel. She wanted to go home and despite the Doctor being saddened by her decision, he accepted it no problem. He returned her to the end of their very first adventure where Izzy joined the Doctor and I learned that was in 1996! She'd been the companion of the Eighth Doctor since his comic debut and judging by her final scene, they'd gotten up to quite a lot together! This is goodbye to Izzy. She shared a stunning kiss with Fey but for me, this isn't goodbye. I'm only just getting started. 

Rating: 9/10

Once Upon a Time

"Oh yes, they're the things that stand on their back legs and go on about global warming and football."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2008

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2009

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Donna joke in the TARDIS about the former's ability to quickly read books. But when the story Variations changes every time the pair read it, the author has some questions to answer.

Verdict 

Once Upon a Time was a quite brilliant short story! Watch this space, but with the eclipse coming I fear that something sinister has arrived sooner as this is the third Annual story in a row I have quite highly praised and the ratings keep getting higher! Dare I say the next one will get full marks? That hasn't happened since The Time Sickness which I read some time ago now. We'll have to see what Most Beautiful Music has to offer but I do hope this unprecedented little run continues. Amy's Escapade and Rory's Adventure were great as they intertwined together but this was different altogether. We just had a masterpiece in short story writing from the brilliant Justin Richards. Six pages is a very good length for mini prose and I must say I was impressed from the off. The characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was captured effortlessly and even if I felt Donna's was slightly off, I liked the banter they had in the TARDIS. I would argue this is the first time that a television TARDIS team hasn't had the thought of romance since the Seventh Doctor era so Donna as companion really was a breath of fresh air. The Doctor reading the short story collection in seven seconds was humorous but it's not the first time he's demonstrated that frighteningly enviable ability. Think how many Doctor Who books I could blog if I could read them all in seven seconds! I struggle to find time for novels so that really would be of great help. The humour surrounding unicorns was good and it's almost expected now that any mythical creature mentioned the Doctor will claim to have met and on this occasion spoken to! That's where my opening quite comes from. I can just imagine the Doctor having a conversation with a unicorn. The events of Time Crash must still be fresh in the Doctor's mind as I liked the reference to cricket, the favoured sport of the Fifth Doctor. The idea of a book changing every time it's read is incredibly good. The name of Variations was so simple yet excellently effective. David Banderson as the author was being subjected to a computer menace like never before! I thought it was wonderful how the creature existed in the words of the page. But the Doctor was going to put an end to that. He quickly finished the story and then literally deleted the creature from existence. It seemed a tad sudden but it was splendidly logical which I like in a resolution. That's something that can be missing from these Annual stories so it was nice to see here. Donna and David getting along nicely once he'd come around was nice but I loved the Harrow insight at the end with the Doctor saying that once upon a time, there was always a happy ending. Forecasting Journeys End perhaps? Overall, superb with just a couple of minor flaws that really aren't noticeable. 

Rating: 9/10

The Space Pirates

"When the Doctor gets an idea, nobody can change his mind."

Writer: Robert Holmes 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 8th March - 12th April 1969

Season: 6.06

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

There's a war in space surrounding the planet Ta and the argonite mines. Piracy and murder soon become part of the agenda and once the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe lose sight of the TARDIS, things get very serious very quickly. 

Verdict 

The Space Pirates was a pretty good penultimate serial of both this sixth season and the tenure of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. My viewing of this story, more specifically the five missing parts, sets a personal landmark for myself as I have now officially watched every single episode of Doctor Who in the format that is currently possible! It's quite amazing to know that I've got no new TV stories to watch and that little fact makes the new episodes all the more special! I had quite a thrill watching Michelle Gomez reveal she'll be returning as Missy in the series 9 opener The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Forever and knowing I'd be watching this story today I just thought that I'd love to have 'new' Classics again. But they've run out! I will never again watch a Classic Doctor Who story where I've not watched the story. Of course, if any episodes are animated or recovered in the future then I'll get a much better feel but for now that's it. No more new oldies. I thought the story started off well and I really enjoyed the first two episodes but I thought six episodes was to excessive for a story like this. It's no secret that this story is regarded as the poorest of Patrick Troughton's run and I'm inclined to agree. Only The Macra Terror shares the same and what I consider to be low rating but because the Macra returned in Gridlock I think that gives something extra to their debut that trumps this story so slightly. I loved the episode two cliffhanger where it seemed that Jamie had been murdered in cold blood. Zoe's reaction sold it perfectly and that was probably the most impressive part of the story. I think it was hurt by the considerably less screen time for the main cast trio. It took 16 minutes for the TARDIS to dematerialise which for this period is extremely surprising. I guess that's the cost of such a gruelling schedule. During episode six's filming, the main cast were out shooting The War Games! Madeleine was my favourite guest character and I liked how she was at first in league with the Pirates but once the murder started her allegiance soon shifted. The story surrounding her father was emotional and I just can't imagine being told that your father is still alive long after you believed him dead. I've no idea how I'd react to that. Caven was a good central villain and I liked his ruthlessness. The way the TARDIS trio were separated so far from the TARDIS itself across space was good and presented a huge problem. However, I didn't feel that it was really resolved well. All we had was a little chuckle at the end with them being given a lift by Clancey. Penn was a pretty good character but to be honest I didn't think the offer guest cast offered too much for the story. They were given little direction and with the main cast not appearing in prominent roles. I would have liked one possible continuity reference and I was surprised by how poor this story was overall considering the writer was Robert Holmes! The plot was a bit muddled but I did like the end scene where the Doctor carefully removed the detonator from the bomb. His remarks to Zoe about being bossed around during the story were typically funny. I think this has been Jamie's poorest season by a long way and that's inadvertently thanks to Zoe's intellect brilliance. Overall, this ended pretty well after a promising start that sadly went flat during the middle. It's clear to see why this is widely regarded as Patrick Troughton's worst story. But I still think it had its highlights! 

Rating: 7/10

Rory's Adventure

"The transmat gateway was glowing brighter than ever. And framed within it, an army of the reptilian creatures in full battle armour faded into existence."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2010

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2011

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Doctor wants a little break from Amy and Rory to recalibrate the TARDIS. So he takes them to Spaceport One - the ultimate shopping destination. But when a Reptilodon baker accuses a young boy of theft, things get messy for Rory.

Verdict

Rory's Adventure was a very good little short story! Is this getting a little out of hand now? This is the second Annual story I've praised this week! Now that certainly is a rarity on the highest scale. I loved how this story intertwined with Amy's Escapade and resolved unanswered questions from that short story, making this the better of the two in my opinion. I wasn't sure of Justin Richards' decision to use pretty much exactly the same paragraph to open both stories but I stole it for my synopsis section so I guess I can't criticise too much! Though for two separate stories, despite them taking place simultaneously and forming the overall plot, copy and pasting is maybe a step too far. I can get away with it because I'm just a blogger. He's the bloody writer! Nonetheless, I did think this was very good. It was nice how Amy was mentioned here, not by name, and from that we knew that in Amy's Escapade the man that the boy was told to run off of was actuay Rory! They'd split up to explore the Spaceport shopping complex but both had been lured to the bakery - just at the different entrances! Rory though got a bit too involved it seemed as he activated the transmat device a little too early bringing the Reptilidon invasion army in sooner than they wanted. It actually helped to knock them off guard and would bring their downfall at the hands of the Judoon. I liked how the boy was encouraged to run just as Mystan realised that a doughnut had been stolen. Why Rory that was a good idea I'm not too sure. If a great big green reptile is accusing someone of robbery I'd have thought the worst thing to would be run! Why draw attention to yourself? Things just about turned out okay for Rory and although unknowingly, I love how he and Amy thwarted the Reptilidon invasion plans. The scene with the Doctor in the TARDIS was very humorous and I love how it was he who stole the doughnut in the first place! He'd set quite a few chains into action by doing that! But overall, a good plot as I mentioned in the story this is intertwined with. A great adventure for Rory, confining on from his wife's escapade! A very clever and unique idea. 

Rating: 8/10

Uroborus

"You mean... Izzy watched herself... die?"

Writer: Scott Gray

Format: Comic Strip

Released: June - October 2002

Printed in: DWM 319-322

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Fey

Synopsis 

After the Doctor's request, Fey returns to his side in the TARDIS. But immediately things turn sour as the Doctor discovers that he and Izzy have been followed in recent adventures. The Mobox, along with Ophidius are back, but they're not the only ones...

Verdict 

Uroborus was a superb penultimate comic strip in my continued reading of the Oblivion graphic novel! I'm not quite sure about the name of the story but that shouldn't (and doesn't) take anything away from its quality. The whole graphic novel really came together here and it's not even the concluding story of the collection! I can't wait to see what happens in Oblivion. This story was nicely set up after Izzy's kidnapping at the end of Children of the Revolution and Fey's return to the Doctor's side in Me and My Shadow. I loved how angry the Doctor was throughout this story and it was quite strange at times as I can't picture Paul McGann being too aggressive. However, after the brilliant The Night of the Doctor, I could believe it more and did read the words of the Doctor in the voice of Paul McGann himself. If the writer can achieve that in comic strips or in prose then it's a job well done in my opinion as from my perspective of reading, if I'm reading in the voice of the Doctor's featured incarnation then the essence of the specific incarnation has been expertly captured. They've managed it tremendously well so far with the Twelfth Doctor in The Eye of Torment and The Instruments of War. Fey's arrival into the TARDIS was good and I imagine she was a rather fun companion whilst travelling with the Doctor in her original run. I'll have to backtrack a collection or two of Eighth Doctor graphic novel collections! The Doctor describing the horrific events of Ophidius to Fey once again summed up how shocking it was what happened to Izzy. As Fey pointed out, she literally watched herself die. I'd never thought of it like that and it really did hit home! I was intrigued that we were given a sequel to the opening story of this graphic novel and the Mobox and Ophidius itself both returned. The Doctor's disapproval of the Mobox's apostrophes was wonderful. It was just one fine example of how angry he was. It wasn't exactly a new side to any incarnation of the Doctor, but I don't think we'd seen it on this scale before. The cliffhanger to part two was quite a shock I must say! Destrii had returned! After we watched her die, here she was wearing Izzy's body, alive and well. She'd toned up the body which wasn't appealing in terms of attraction at all. But I guess she was just a drawing in the first place. The flirtatiousness between the Doctor and Destrii was rather surprising but I liked it. If any of the Classic Doctors are going to be romantic then surely the Eighth Doctor is the one to be it! Just look at The Movie! This does bring me to The Aztecs however with the First Doctor getting engaged to Cameca! Ha, who would have thought! The threat of the Mobox was good to see once more and I really liked the ferociousness of Ophidius. The relationship between Fey and her alter ego in Shayde was intriguing and I like that they can switch the control of consciousness. The Doctor's remark to Destrii about the reason he was saving her was incredible. He was simply keeping Izzy's body intact and said the women wearing it could rot. That was an unprecedented comment from the Doctor but one I absolutely loved. It showed how much Izzy meant to him and just how angry he was with what had happened. His relationship with the Presidor was great too. I liked the climax and the action scenes were terrifically drawn. Overall, a fantastic comic strip and one that has set up the finale where we'll see the search for Izzy in full fashion! 

Rating: 9/10

The Seeds of Death

"You saw what happened to your superior. You would do well to cooperate."

Writer: Brian Hayles

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 25th January - 1st March 1969

Season: 6.05

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

It is the late 21st century and mankind is totally dependent on T-Mat, a revolutionary form of instant travel. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive to find that the sinister Ice Warriors plan to invade Earth, using T-Mat to transport deadly seed pods full of a fungus that will absorb the planet's oxygen. The Doctor must race against time to defeat the Martian invaders - or condemn the human race to suffocation... 

Verdict 

The Seeds of Death is an absolutely brilliant serial as we get to the business end of this superb sixth season of Doctor Who. After an impressive debut, there's no disputing that the Ice Warriors deserved a return battle against the Doctor and in my opinion, it just about bettered their first showing in The Ice Warriors. Despite the green and reptilian Martians appearing in both those stories, what we got here was very different. I liked how much more advanced these Ice Warriors were and I thought the addition of Slaar as Ice Lord was very good. It seems right that a race called Ice Warriors has a system of ranking amongst its species. It was easy to differentiate and I liked how the Grand Marshall also made an appearance. The arrival of the Ice Warriors was pretty much revealed after about six minutes but I liked how we were doubting ourselves if it was really them during episode one. Despite the voice and the sonic gun, we weren't actually shown that it was the Ice Warriors who had returned until the terrific cliffhanger of episode one. Overall, I thought the cliffhangers were pretty strong with episode there's my favourite of the five. During the Doctor's absence in episode four, I thought it was wonderful how he called out for Victoria upon awaking at the beginning of episode five. Good job Zoe didn't hear that! Speaking of which, I thought Zoe's performance was a second consecutively strong one. She was brilliant in The Krotons and taking command of flying the rocket here, she was just as good. The TARDIS trio's arrival into Professor Eldred's private museum was wonderful. Just as in my reading of Robot yesterday, the Doctor quickly went from being unwelcome to gaining the respect of whose place he entered. I liked how the Doctor immediately spotted from the TARDIS scanner that they'd arrived in a sort of space travel museum and of course he'd go and have a look. After a shaky start, he soon came to be on good terms with the professor. Miss Kelly was a tremendous character and I liked how it seemed that she was the only person who really knew how to use T-Mat. Commander Radnor seemed quite attracted to her but it just seemed throughout that the feeling wasn't mutual in the slightest, even if the matter ceased to be discussed. Jamie seemed rather like a fool for the second story running now at the expense of Zoe's brilliant intellect. In the rocket, he didn't have a clue what the Doctor and Zoe were talking about and was just a passenger and absolutely nothing more. He did have the benefit though of meeting the Ice Warriors previously whereas Zoe did not. Fewsham was excellently portrayed as being a weak and incompetent character. Immediately he surrendered himself to the Ice Warriors without putting up any sort of fight. He'd seen his friends killed and the Ice Warriors had taken over. He just wanted to live. But in doing so, he was preparing the Earth for a massive dose of oxygen starvation. The plan of the Ice Warriors was horrifying! Mars was dying so they'd hoped to convert the Earth into an atmosphere similar to their home world, ridding our planet of the majority of its oxygen. Life as we know it would perish. One flaw in that plan, the method of which they would reacclimatise the planet was defeated by simple water. In case they didn't know, it rains quite a lot. Even with weather control out of action, there'd be drops falling all over I'm sure. The way the Doctor discover that water was the remedy was great. I thought this was one of Patrick Troughton's best performances yet as the Second Doctor and the comedy he brought to the role was second to none. I really did love him in this! The climax was good and I liked how Fewsham finally saw that what he was doing was wrong. He set the video link back to Earth so the Doctor would see that the homing beam was recreated whilst Slaar's broadcast would be powerless. Ingenuity. The Doctor had sent the Ice Warrior fleet into an orbit around the sun and in a final battle of the moonbase, Slaar and the rest of the Ice a Warriors were destroyed. Overall, a great return for the Ice Warriors! I did though think that water as a remedy was a little too easy. 

Rating: 9/10

Robot

"He raised his rifle, about to call out a challenge, when it stepped out of the darkness, and fear dried the words in his throat."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: March 1975

Series: Target 28

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis 

Still weakened by his third regeneration, the Doctor, along with Sarah, the Brigadier and Harry Sullivan, faces the threats made by a group of dissident scientists, including the icy Miss Winters, to enslave the world - or perhaps to destroy the planet entirely.

Verdict 

Robot was a wonderful novelisation of the very first adventure to feature Tom Baker's fantastic Fourth Doctor. After recently reading Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders, which saw the regeneration of the Third Doctor, I thought this would be a good time to read the following story. I liked how it started off with the Brigadier still struggling to accept the regeneration sequence of the Doctor that happened right before his very eyes. The references to the aforementioned story were nicely placed and well pretty much inevitable. A short summary of events was certainly required and of course given to us. But despite the Doctor suffering from post-regeneration trauma, it was a mysterious figure that kicked off the pages of this little gem of a book. There's no doubt that it was well worth in excess of the mere £2 I paid at the local second hand book store in the town hall. The reprint cover is one I really like and despite my tendency to prefer original prints, I quite like having a unique copy. Prior to the Robot being revealed in full, I liked how well the anticipation was paced. Dicks described the movements and actions brilliantly and I just loved the simple use of the phrase "thump, thump, thump" because that's exactly what it would have sounded like! I loved the moments soon after the Doctor had woken up from his coma-like state. Cho-Je had said that he'd be a little shaken up and every time a mention of the Doctor grinning or simple was given it was impossible not to picture the gleaming face of Tom Baker. Somehow, he managed to light up the pages of the novel with that smile. His attempts to immediately depart the UNIT HQ were intriguing but his memory was only extremely selective. Just as he was about to dematerialise, he heard the nurturing voice of Sarah telling him to wait. The Doctor's reaction to the appeal of Sarah's innocent voice was wonderful and was a superb prelude to the incredible relationship this TARDIS pairing would share in the coming seasons. The introduction of Harry as companion started off rather comically! From being chucked in a cupboard by the Doctor at the start of the book to departing on board the TARDIS by the end! He certainly improved as the novel went on and justified the spot as companion. He got along very well with the Doctor and Sarah throughout and their humour at his expense at the climax was terrific. The Brigadier quickly accepted that once again the Doctor had changed his appearance. With references to The Web of Fear, The Invasion and Spearhead from Space, he knew that the Doctor would have to help him tackle a problem much the same. A robbery had taken place so the Doctor accompanied the Brigadier and co to the complex at the scene of the crime. His studying of the crushed, flattened daisy was incredible. I thought that was absolutely genius. We now had a scale of the mysterious Robot figure that had been teased to us thus far. Professor Kettlewell was a brilliant character and I was mightily surprised by the twist in the SRS meeting. After claiming to have severed all ties with Miss Winters and Jellicoe, it was all a plan to hide the attempts at ridding the world of pollution. Their use of the Robot to gain the plans to the disintegrator gun, then the components to build it was excellent. The way it bypassed UNIT's "impregnable" guarding of the factory in Essex by simply going underneath was wonderful. I loved Sarah once again in this story and even in print she proved why she's massively in contention when I think of my favourite Classic companion. I still think Romana II just about gets that award. This was where we arguably saw her at her bravest. She was more than prepared to shoot Miss Winters at the climax but before that she toddled down to see Miss Winters and her half kept in secret factory. I liked how she challenged the director of the place and I loved how she had the audacity to return back later! When it was thought that Kettlewell was still one of the good guys, his relationship and immediate respect of the Doctor was lovely to see. He immediately accepted the Doctor's changing of calculations. How the Doctor knew that the professor was actually the one behind everything though was just his incredible ingenuity I guess. I've only seen the TV story of this adventure once before and that was some time back so the shock remark of the Doctor claiming that certainly took me aback! The anguish the Robot felt throughout was most intriguing and I loved how it just went insane after killing its creator, Kettlewell. After Sarah showed it compassion, it had great feeling for her. With the threat of the countdown of the destructor codes activating every European missile, I liked how Kettlewell couldn't bring himself to see the murder of millions upon millions of people. Even for his own vision. The Doctor ever so calmly stopping the countdown was marvellous. The reason this story doesn't get full marks from me is probably because of the last two chapters. I thought Sarah's kidnap was a little of an anti-climax. I did think the Doctor's reaction to the Brigadier using the disintegrator gun was outstanding though. The metal virus reducing the Robot to nothingness was a great shame but it had to be stopped permanently. Harry joining the TARDIS was a nice touch and I liked how the Brigadier was just too late to stop the new TARDIS trio from departing into space and time. Overall, a superb start to the Fourth Doctor era in novelised format! 

Rating: 9/10

Amy's Escapade

"With a final cake from Amy and a barrage of doughnuts from Paulus, they backed out of the shop and let the Judoon charge in."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2011

Printed in: Doctor Who Annual 2012

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The Doctor wants a little break from Amy and Rory to recalibrate the TARDIS. So he takes them to Spaceport One - the ultimate shopping destination. But when a Reptilodon baker accuses a young boy of theft, things get messy for Amy.

Verdict 

Amy's Escapade was a great little short story. No you didn't misread! I did just compliment an Annual story produced by the same team who create the Doctor Who Adventures children magazine. But to be honest, despite its childishness and clearly younger target audience, it told a good little story. Naturally with Annual stories since the 2005 revival, it had its flaws and that's why the rating is what it is, though I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I was intrigued as to why the Doctor wanted a little peace from Amy and Rory but after travelling around in time and space with them continuously, I guess he's entitled to some time on his own. I'm presuming that this story wasn't set too long after The Doctor's Wife so perhaps he just wanted some alone time with "Sexy". Amy and Rory going their separate ways at the Spaceport shopping centre was good and I do love the idea of two separate stories in the 2012 Annual taking place simultaneously. Judging by Rory's remarks when meeting Amy back at the TARDIS at the end, he too had quite an eventful little day and I'll soon find out in Rory's Adventure. I must admit, I do love Amy. She's so caring, kind and when she wants to be nasty. She's also incredibly beautiful and I just loved how she was immediately concerned by Paulus running away in fear from the baker. I liked the firm nature Amy showed and at least gave a chance to the baker to prove he was telling the truth about Paulus robbing him. I liked the irony of, in the end, the prelude to a Reptilodon invasion was about a doughnut robbery. How those two events manager to be connected was quite baffling but amusing at the same time. It's almost borderline ridiculous. Amy getting along with Paulus was nice to see but I do wish we found out more about the man who told Paulus to run. Hopefully Rory gets to know who he is in the adventure that runs parallel to this later in the Annual. I loved how the Spaceport was policed by Judoon and it was good to see them appearing in a story that didn't feature the Tenth Doctor! Amy seemed to recognise them though which I found rather strange. She did though leave them to tackle the invasion of the Reptilodons after an almighty food fight! Whilst the Doctor had been busy recalibrating the TARDIS, she'd helped a young boy from being accused of a robbery he didn't commit and stop an invasion! Not too shabby a shopping trip in the end. And overall, not too shabby a short story despite the minimal length available in the Annual pages! 

Rating: 7/10

The Krotons

"Zoe is something of a genius, of course. It can be very irritating at times!"

Writer: Robert Holmes 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 28th December 1968 - 18th January 1969

Season: 6.04

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive on a planet where the civilisation is dominated by the hidden but deadly Krotons. The Gonds have been subject to their will for a millennium but there may just be a revolt about to start...

Verdict 

The Krotons was a great little story! I say little because in terms of this sixth season, it's actually quite refreshing to have a what we'd consider traditional Classic adventure at four episodes long. To me, it is the perfect length. It's no secret why all the regular cast had voiced their intentions to depart the series after this season because I just can't imagine the strain the number of episodes would have taken! There are only three stories left of the season after this story but they'll consist of 22 individual episodes! At least they're going out in style, even for Zoe who seems she's only just arrived following her sneaking into the TARDIS in The Wheel in Space. I liked how this story started with the Gond ceremony of two young people being chosen to be with the Krotons. After the TARDIS trio arrived and witnessed the death of one of those chosen, they were determined not to let another happen! They saved Vana from being vaporised but it was clear that whatever these Krotons were, it wasn't such an hour to be chosen. It meant immediate death. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe's arrival into the Gond society was quite humorous and I loved how everybody soon stopped being friendly when they found out they'd come from the dreaded wasteland. Of course, the Krotons had kept almost everything away from the Gonds and whatever contamination and poison to the air there once was had now been long gone. The Krotons were beyond dictators. They literally dominated the Gond life and had kept them enslaved for a millennium. But now, the Gonds were ready to fight back. It showed just how much the Krotons controlled their lives though when we saw the highly advanced computers and intelligence but their weapons were so primitive they'd probably lose a battle against the Tribe of Gum. So how would they go about defeating the very rulers no living person had ever seen? The Doctor would have some input into that of course. However, he couldn't do so without the help of Zoe. I thought this was Wendy Padbury's best performance yet as Zoe! I loved how intelligent she was presented as being and the fact that she was in an intelligence competition with the Doctor just showed how clever she was. It did though serve to highlight just how dumb Jamie was, and at times I think it went a little too far in hurting the character. But there was no lasting damage done and throughout I adored the relationship the Doctor and Zoe shared. The intelligence test scene was one of my favourites. I really liked the dissension amongst the Gonds and I found the change of leadership halfway through quite a surprise. The recovery of Vana was nice to see and I liked how the Doctor used hypnosis methods to see her returned to normality. The study of acids amongst Gond scientists being forbidden again illustrated how controlling these monstrosities were. The makeup of the Krotons though was brilliant. They were almost organic metal! Quite a difficult concept to wrap your head around but it made sense after explanation which is all that counts. I thought the cliffhangers were all terrific which is quite a rarity so that was nice to see. The Krotons' delayed appearance was good but once they were shown I thought it could have been a bit more of an explosive arrival. The climax was good with the machine being attacked from below and then the Doctor and Zoe wonderfully fooling about to delay the Krotons' plan after the sulphuric acid had been dropped into their effective life supply. They were poisoned and dissolved into nothingness. The Gonds were free and the Krotons were merely crystals. Overall, a good debut story for Holmes!

Rating: 8/10 

The Invasion

"Let's see how the Cybermen will react to fear!"

Writer: Derrick Sherwin

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 2nd November - 21st December 1968

Season: 6.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

Investigating the disappearance of an eminent scientist, the Doctor and his companions follow his trail to London headquarters of International Electromatics, a global supplier of electronic equipment run by the formidable Tobias Vaughn. Teaming up with the newly formed UNIT - under the command of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart - it soon becomes apparent that Vaughn is working to his own sinister agenda. As Cybermen invade in cities all over the world, can the Doctor convince Vaughn to help him defeat their plan for global domination?

Verdict 

The Invasion is a wonderful serial of Doctor Who to continue the sixth season in fine fashion, setting the scene for the near future of the show in the meantime. At a mammoth eight parts long, this story is brilliantly paced and if people were lucky enough on broadcast to not have the surprise return ruined, then I imagine the cliffhanger of episode four would have been extremely memorable! I liked how we were kept waiting for the Cybermen to appear. If viewers were watching for the first time on DVD like I was back in around 2009, then it would keep us wanting to watch the next episode hoping that one of our favourite foes would make an impact. But even without the Cybermen, we had an outstanding villain acting alone for the first four episodes. I loved the return of the Cyber-Planner, or as it would rather be known here as the Cyber-Director, after the recent appearance in The Wheel in Space. I thought it was used effectively in that story but even more so here with the villain I was earlier referring to, Tobias Vaughn. What a wonderful performance and one of my favourite villainous characters ever in Doctor Who. The way he was so smooth and calm was magnificent. It was brilliant how when we first met him, the Doctor immediately suspected he wasn't quite what he seemed. Of course he was right, why wouldn't he be? Jamie though had fallen under the hood charm at first and had even been given a radio receiver on behalf of his company, International Electromatics. The idea behind that company was great and I liked how much this story was associated with factors of the real world. We'd seen the setup of UNIT (something I anticipate looking forward to reading in the upcoming Lethbridge-Stewart novel range) who would investigate in response to any sign of alien activity. After adventures like The War Machines and the referenced The Web of Fear, alien attacks were getting noticed and something needed to be set up to deal with them. UNIT was that answer and it was headed by a good friend of the Doctor and Jamie's, now Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. He was excellent in the aforementioned story featuring the Yeti attack of the London Underground and now this story laid down the foundations for the character to be a regular in the coming years of the series. Isobel was a lovely addition to the TARDIS trio for the story and I liked how flirtatious she was with Jimmy. Her little "dolly soldier". I liked how keen she was towards fashion and photography though I was quite surprised by how eager she was to get a snap of the Cybermen in the London sewers. Surely it can't have been that appealing! The mentions of Professor Travers and his daughter Anne were nice and it's splendid to see that the Doctor was hopeful of meeting up again with old friends. The debut of Benton was superb and I loved how he was just the same as how he'd become better renowned during the Third Doctor era. I was quite surprised by the sexist comments towards women in who was right for a particular job. Jamie agreeing with that fact was quite humorous though! Once the Cybermen had arrived, I liked how simply the Doctor showing a sign of panic sold how fearful they should be. Not much scares the Doctor. I thought this was one of Patrick Troughton's better performances as the Second Doctor and I loved the scene where he was running almost on top of the Cyberman gun shots. I also I loved the moment near the end where Isobel took photos of him just prior to the radio receiver's destruction. UNIT, and I therefore presume the UK, working in unison with Russia against the Cybermen was most intriguing given the date (of which we can't be certain). But with a Cyber ship on the other side of the moon, as we saw at the start of episode one after the TARDIS reassembled following the conclusion of The Mind Robber, the Russians had their missiles primed and ready. Once the fleet advanced, the missiles were sent. Zoe's immense calculations causing a chain reaction of exploding the entire fleet was sublime and there's no questioning how intelligent a companion she is! Absolutely brilliant. Tobias turning on the Cybermen, or perhaps the other way round is more fitting, was great and set up the exciting climax. The use of Professor Watkins' emotion machine throughout was fantastic. The ultimate defence against a Cyberman! My favourite thing about this serial though might have been some of the imagery. Now, it's no secret I absolutely love The Dalek Invasion of Earth but despite some memorable scenes with London landmarks there, the cliffhanger of episode six here was just incredible. I would argue it's the most iconic image in Doctor Who history (see my story photo above). It wasn't quite recreated to all its glory in Dark Water, but the fact that it was attempted once more shows how effective this has been across the years. It was a wonderful moment in a superb story. Overall - brilliant! 

Rating: 9/10

The House of the Dead

"The dead... we're all coming back."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Broadcast: 13th July 2011

Series: Torchwood: The Lost Files 03

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Ianto

Synopsis 

The brewery have called 'time' and it's the last night at The House of the Dead - the most haunted pub in Wales. Barry the barman has invited renowned psychic Mrs Wintergreen to hold a special seance to mark the occasion, and there's a big crowd hoping for the chance of seeing their deceased loved ones for one last time. But when Jack arrives on the scene, he's determined to stop them. Ianto is puzzled by Jack's behaviour, and Gwen is suspicious. Why is Jack acting so strangely? Then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose. 

Verdict 

The House of the Dead was an extremely emotional Torchwood audio, and an excellent one of that. I really liked the recycled idea of trying to reach through to 'the other side' where our deceased loved ones supposedly have gone. I'm an Atheist and have no religious beliefs whatsoever, and my opinion on death is that it's the end. Simple as that. Once you die, you're dead. It's logical and if there wasn't religion I'm sure nobody would debate that fact. Why would humans be so special in having life after death just because we're the intelligent species who learned how to talk and constructed the world? Death is death. However, I'm certainly open to exploring a story on death (just look at my rating for the recent series eight finale Dark Water/Death in Heaven). I read beforehand that this audio, the last in the Lost Files mini-series, was set between series three and four of televised Torchwood. In terms of blogging, that's exactly where I am having not too long ago concluded the outstanding Children of Earth series. Having a kind of sequel to Children of Earth: Day Four was terrific and it saw quite an important episode in terms of the overall continuity of the spinoff programme. The setting of the House of the Dead pub, the most haunted pub in Wales, was good and it fitted in nicely with the title that a seance was in commission. Hearing Ianto being present was a little strange for me especially as he was hoping to contact the dead. That's the only problem I had with this story - how was Ianto a ghost when he was trying to contact other ghosts? I couldn't wrap my head around that. But based on my minimal experience of James Goss stories, it doesn't seem like I'm his biggest fan. I was quite sad that Gwen didn't appear much. Well technically, she didn't appear at all. The voice of Eve Myles was just an impersonation that was feeding Ianto with false information about Jack. Nonetheless, on a technicality she still gets a mention in my 'featuring' segment of the story information. After all the time he's lived, it's quite touching how much Ianto meant to Jack. Even after what we saw in Small Worlds, Ianto meant more to Jack than anybody. The reference to Cyberwoman with Lisa mentioned was good and it was nice that we got an insight into the relationship between Ianto and his previously unseen father. It certainly seemed like a difficult one that's for sure. I did though feel awfully sorry for his father in that he was waiting on his deathbed for three weeks for a phone call off his son. As he was dying, that phone call never came. I can't quite comprehend why Ianto wouldn't even visit, let alone simply ring, his dying father! I don't care if you don't know what to say, you go and see him. The fact that Syriath was attempting to use the dead against the living was a horrifying concept which makes it a good one for the enemy. I liked the idea of her being a mighty demon trapped since the time before time. After an eternity in hell, she was about to be set free. But Jack wouldn't allow that and in an extremely clever reference to the words pictured on the Millenium Centre, just outside the Torchwood Hub, the stones and coal would activate into an incredible bomb that would blow Syriath into smithereens and permanently close the Rift. Ianto soon learned the truth about his death and the goodbye between him and Jack was incredibly emotional. I like how Ianto gets to say goodbye one more time and also dies saving the world for the second time. Not too shabby that I must say. I was surprised though that Jack admitted to not being there at Ianto's funeral. That's rather sad. Overall, an emotional story with a ridden theme of death. Just one or two minor issues but overall I was impressed! 

Rating: 8/10

Destroy the Infinite

"What can be so powerful that it makes a man forget the people that he loves?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: June 2014

Series: FDA 3.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

The colony planet Delafoss is occupied by the army of a rapacious alien force known only as the Eminence. These slave armies of terrified humans are commanded by the dreaded Infinite Warriors - impervious to most forms of firepower, voices like icy death.

The Doctor and Leela arrive expecting to find Earth's most successful, unspoiled colony. Instead, they are confronted by a planet choked by industrialisation. And at the heart of if all, the construction of something that the Eminence intends will wipe out all human resistance once and for all.

For the first time in his life, the Doctor confronts the Eminence... and things will never be quite the same again. 

Verdict 

Destroy the Infinite was an excellent audio adventure and quickly became my favourite Fourth Doctor Adventure of the series! The only other two stories I've listened to from this third series are The Evil One and Zygon Hunt, both of which were very good, but this story had something extra and it was rather refreshing to have a new authoritative enemy. The Eminence were superb enemies and I can clearly see why they've been used on more than one occasion in stories I'm yet to explore. I understand they play quite a big role in Dark Eyes 2 with the Eighth Doctor and they also encounter the Sixth Doctor! It's good that their return was left wide open by this story yet they still seemed defeated. I loved the monstrous agression they carried in their voices. Despite them being gaseous entities, they were pretty ferocious! The description of them being some sort of mist was good and I liked how the Doctor quickly jumped to the assumption that they also used a highly advanced teleport system. The Doctor and Leela's arrival to Delafoss was magnificent with the former promising the latter one of the most impressive human colonies in the galaxy. But instead they were both horrified to find a society that had become overrun by industrialisation. I loved how Leela recognised that this would cause the destruction of the planet in the long term, echoing the current problem of global warming. The relationship between Leela and Davent was lovely and I liked how the latter immediately took a shining to the companion. I'm sure it had nothing to do with that rather revealing primitive savage attire she was wearing? Of course not. The references to The Face of Evil were nicely placed and I loved Leela's use of the janis thorn despite the Doctor's disliking. I'm sure he's rather thankful now though in that it saved his life! Tillegat and Sarla were terrific characters and I liked the humour at the door upon first meeting the Doctor and Leela. Their deaths, particularly Sarla's, were extremely shocking though and added a lot to the Eminence and their Infinite Warriors. The plot is pretty much explained in the story's title and I liked the ways that this was attempted. Leela taking command of her end of the stick, thousands of miles away from the Doctor, was splendid. I liked the similarities to The Invasion of Time with the Fourth Doctor pretending to be on the side of the enemy. His way of avoiding the breath of forever engulfing him was great - the respiratory bypass system of course! I was intrigued that the Eminence would accept as supreme commander so easily due to his vast knowledge and that they'd dawned him the ancient one. But he was one step ahead. He'd seen a horrific vision of the future and was determined to stop it from ever happening. He couldn't allow the Eminence to reside over the entire galaxy and beyond. With a lot of help from Leela, the Infinite had been destroyed and for now the Eminence were kept at bay. However, the Doctor wasn't in a celebratory mood. He still knew that the Eminence were out there but I got the feeling he knew they'd meet again and prevent the vision he saw from ever coming true. The closing conversation between the Doctor and Leela was beautiful and it was clear that the two were growing ever fond of each other. They really are great friends and that's brilliant to see in a Doctor-companion relationship. 

Rating: 9/10

Frostfire

"Cinder to flame to egg."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: January 2007

Series: Companion Chronicles 1.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Vicki, Steven

Synopsis 

Vicki has a tale to tell. 

But where does it start and when does it end?

Ancient Carthage. 1164 BC.

Lady Cressida has a secret. She keeps it deep in the cisterns below the Temple of Astarte with only one flame for warmth. And it must never get out. 

Regency London, 1814 AD. 

The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki go to the fair and meet the fiery Dragon, the novelist Miss Austen and the deadliest weather you ever did see. 

But which comes first?

The future or the past?

The Phoenix or the egg?

The fire or the frost?

Or will time freeze over forever?

Verdict 

Frostfire was an excellent audio story to kick off the Companion Chronicles range! It's quite scary that it's been over eight years since this story was first released and the extremely successful range of eight series first began. I've delved into numerous Companion Chronicles so I thought it was about time that I saw where the whole range began. I've listened to two other stories from the first series, the great Fear of the Daleks and the just above average The Blue Tooth but this story quickly became my favourite of the series. Maureen O'Brien was a wonderful narrator and I liked how she not only told the story but gave us an insight into what she experienced and how life went for after she made the tough decision to leave the TARDIS and the Doctor and Steven behind in The Myth Makers. The decision certainly came from out of nowhere during that story but it's nice to know that she was extremely happy being with Troilus. It was great to hear that the pair had two children together as well! Despite her youth during the time spent in the TARDIS, I think Vicki definitely would make a good mother. I hope she'd learned a thing or two from Barbara before she left in The Chase, a story that was nicely referenced in regards to talking about Steven. I loved the reference to The Time Meddler also and it was good that this was set early into Steven's travels with the Doctor so he was still getting used to the whole travelling through time and space thing. Surely the fiasco with the Monk would have eradicated any doubt but it doesn't seem to have been the case! It was intriguing how Vicki looked up to Steven as an older brother despite her acknowledging that he was rather "dishy". It was clear throughout the adventure that Vicki missed both the Doctor and Steven very much. Did she perhaps regret cutting her travels short? She almost seemed angry by how primitive everything was in her new time. She was trying to explain the theory of the elevator but it just wasn't any use. I liked the enigma surrounding the person she was telling the story to and the revelation surrounding the Cinder was superb. The setting of the adventure that took place in the TARDIS was a tremendous one - the last frost fair in 1814. I loved the references to the Regency period and Napoleonic Wars (I only sat an exam on subjects concerning those very events last May!) and I also found Vicki's acknowledgement of St Paul's Cathedral still standing in her time despite the invasion (presumably the one we saw in The Dalek Invasion of Earth) and four world wars. It has also survived two Cybermen attacks! The mystery surrounding the egg that frightened Vicki so much was magnificent. The First Doctor was captured elegantly by Maureen O'Brien as she gave us one of the best impersonations by a female narrator in the entire range's history - and this was story number one! There was nothing to drop back on so I found that particularly impressive. The moment that he met Jane Austen was simply stunning and this really did feel like the Classic version of The Unicorn and the Wasp. Where the Tenth Doctor clearly adores Agatha Christie there, it seemed the First Doctor felt the same way about Jane Austen. It was splendid how she accompanied the Doctor, Vicki and Steven in the adventure and I quite liked how this was at a time where she had only written two novels. What a memorable author she'd later become! Vicki's relationship with her was lovely too. The enigmatic nature surrounding the egg which hatched and then patted its shell back up again was brilliant. The Phoenix was presented eloquently and I liked the link with the person Vicki was telling the story to in Carthage. It begged that the Phoenix be allowed to hatch and be born. The question of the Doctor having the right to basically make the species extinct was a strong one. But even he didn't believe nor want that right. The Phoenix was for too dangerous to stay on Earth as the planet would be destroyed almost immediately if every ounce of heat was just sucked from it. That wouldn't be necessary though as the dying frostfire still lived on in Vicki. Literally. It existed to be born. It was a terrific twist that the Phoenix was a temporal paradox and it tied in wonderfully with the narration. I liked how it was implied this wasn't the first time that Vicki had told the story to the Cinder and it seemed to know that yet wanted it to end in a different way. But the Cinder was trapped in a loop and the story always ended the same. 

Rating: 8/10