The Roof of the World

"What kind of battles take place at night?"

Writer: Adrian Rigelsford

Format: Audio

Released: July 2004

Series: Main Range 59

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis 

Tibet, 1917.

It's a time of great exploration, with intrepid teams of adventurers heading blindly into uncharted territory, determined to beat inexplicable odds and overcome any challenge they encounter...

But some things are not necessarily that easy to defeat...

An ancient evil, perhaps older than time itself, is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas... It has always known it will return and finish off what it started so many centuries before...

But the time has to be right...

As the TARDIS materialises, with the Doctor determined to take full advantage of an invite to a cricket match, the catalyst that the dark forces need unwittingly arrives...

Verdict 

The Roof of the World was another very good audio from Big Finish's Main Range of adventures and I must say I've been very pleased with the quality of the latest audios I have been listening to. My audio listening has increased quite a bit lately and I do hope that I can catch up with the Main Range but with other Doctor Who commitments such as Doctor Who Comic, Doctor Who Magazine's own comic strips and numerous unblogged television, novelised and audio stories I realise that will be difficult. And I know the cost will start to hinder my progress once I get to audio number 107 as that's where my generous friend stopped collecting. However, he sent me the first 106 audios nearly three years ago now so I'm roughly catching up at a rate of doing five years' worth in three years. I'm sure that will increase though soon enough. This story was another good one along the way and I was pleased to be listening to another Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem story so quickly after the excellent The Axis of Insanity. I loved how this audio was all about Erimem and as well as the focus solely being on her for arguably the first time, she was also central to the plot and I really liked that. My opinions on Peter Davison in the audio format have quickly changed and I must say I thought he was superb once again reprising his role as the fantastic Fifth Doctor. His speech during the climax was outstanding and was probably the most memorable thing about the adventure. It was the standout moment and I think it's good that it came towards the end. It really did remind me of the Eleventh Doctor's speech in The Rings of Akhaten, that's how good it was. Focusing a story on Erimem was great but in saying that I think this particular adventure would have been better suited being released closer to when The Eye of the Scorpion, a story that was nicely referenced, took place. Of course in narrative terms it seemed that was the case but I like to think of the release order of Big Finish audios with new companions also being the narrative order. Part two was probably my favourite part of the story as Erimem was just wonderful as we learned so much about her past and her reasoning for joining the Doctor and Peri in the TARDIS. Her fears of the Great Old Ones seemed warranted and I loved the connection it brought to this audio. It was really clearly done and fitted with the theme and plot of the story perfectly. Peri seemed to be on the back burner a bit in this story but Nicola Bryant is always fabulous. Peri is one of my favourite companions and although I do prefer her alongside the Sixth Doctor, it's great seeing the relationship she has with Erimem. It was highlighted very well here which I liked. The reference to Black Orchid, a story I watched not too long ago, was really good and I liked how we had another cricket oriented story for the Fifth Doctor. I must admit, Tibet and cricket don't seem to add up to me but the explanation was good which I was glad about. I was surprised we didn't get a reference to The Abominable Snowmen though as that would have been something I'd have enjoyed. Lord Mortimer was good and obviously much better as a threat when possessed. He was toying with Erimem and I really liked seeing her out of her comfort zone, even when she was seeing her father once again. General Bruce was a good character as well. The cliffhangers were pretty strong throughout and the plot as whole was very good with a strong climax. Overall, another good audio!

Rating: 8/10

Midnight

"The history is fascinating, because there is no history..."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 14th June 2008

Series: 4.10

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis 

The Tenth Doctor and Donna go to the leisure planet of Midnight for a simple, relaxing holiday. However, life with the Doctor can never be that simple, and things go horribly wrong for the Doctor when he decides to go off on a bus trip to see the Sapphire Waterfall, starting with the bus shutting down. When a mysterious entity infiltrates the shuttle bus, no one is to be trusted. Not even the Doctor himself... 

Verdict 

Midnight was a very good episode of Doctor Who and continued along the fourth series very nicely. Following on from the outstanding Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, this episode had quite a lot to live up to but with the showrunner at the helm penning the episode, it certainly didn't disappoint. My original plan was not to watch this story following on from the aforementioned two-parter but after finding myself really enjoying watching the Tenth Doctor on television again, I thought I may as well finish the DVD and that meant watching this episode today. Just like the two-parter, and any story that isn't yet blogged and was broadcast before the second half of Series 7, it has been around four years now since I watched this but I think having a break that long between watching, whilst doing countless other Doctor Who stories across numerous formats, is certainly beneficial and I found myself appreciating the episode a lot more. The idea was very good and I liked how it followed its previous story in having a monster that we didn't see, but whereas we have a perception of what the Vashta Nerada look like we have no idea what the entity's appearance was like, or if it even had one. The mystery surrounding it was excellent and it was definitely the right call not to reveal anything further about what appeared to be a brand new and unexplored life form. The Doctor's fascination in the brand new was clearly visible here and it was something I absolutely loved to see. The Doctor is always doing things for others whether it's showing his companion the universe or saving it, he very rarely does things where, by this time in his life, he gets excited and also gets to see something brand new. He was like a big child and in times like this I think that's exactly how the Doctor should be. David Tennant was excellent in showing that side of the Doctor and as a whole his performance was superb here once again. Sky was a great character and once the entity took over her consciousness, things got really interesting. I must admit that this episode took a little while to get going with the Doctor's last attempt to persuade Donna to join him on the trip to the Sapphire Waterfall, the shuttle occupants getting to know each other and the initial entertainment introduction. But once the detour inevitably went wrong and the shuttle stopped, the episode got really good. The captain and mechanic, as well as the front of the shuttle itself, were reduced to ash and dust and whatever this entity was, the threat it provided was clear. What it wanted seemed to be knowledge and the speed at which it acquired speech was frighteningly quick! First, through Sky, it repeated what everybody was saying and then it soon grew to somehow say exactly what everyone was saying as they were saying it! That's a scary prospect and it worked so very well. The actors did an excellent job in selling the threat and I imagine this must've taken some time in filming due to the precise timing that was needed. I thought Dee Dee and Professor Hobbes were great characters and Jethro was pretty good as well as he understood what was going on, but Val and Biff were poor characters in my opinion and you could tell they were just very unintelligent. They had no clue what was going on and would allow their fear and pride to take over. The hostess was good too and her realisation at the end that the entity had stolen the Doctor's voice was excellent. She sacrificed herself and nobody even knew her name. It was an emotional ending to a very character-based episode. A good plot, superb acting and even a nice reference to Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, a brief appearance of Rose and a foreshadowing of The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. Very good!

Rating: 8/10

Forest of the Dead

"Don't let your shadows cross..."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 7th June 2008

Series: 4.09

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, River

Synopsis 

Donna is gone, the Vashta Nerada are out for fresh meat and the Tenth Doctor is running out of options. Can he trust the mysterious Professor River Song, a woman who claims to be from his future? Why would his future self have given her his sonic screwdriver, or tell her his real name? Even if they do work together, can anyone stop the shadows from claiming them all as their next meal?

Verdict 

Forest of the Dead was an excellent conclusion to the story already started in Silence in the Library. The story was already sublime and it just excelled here with a fantastic conclusion. This was more action packed than its opening episode and I thought the blend between the two was perfect. The story as a whole was pretty much perfect to be honest. Steven Moffat creates an enemy that we only see by them devouring a chicken drumstick and yet they are one of the most memorable monsters since the series was revived in 2005! I think that's testament to him as a writer and it's simply no secret that he is brilliant and that's exactly why he has been showrunner since 2010. Watching back for the first time in quite a while, I found that this story had a lot of similarities to Listen with the atmosphere and the invisibility of the monster really catching my eye and remind me of that Series 8 episode. This episode fitted perfectly with The Husbands of River Song and at the time we could be forgiven for thinking that the "new haircut" line was intended for the Eleventh Doctor, but over 7 years after it was broadcast that line became so significant as River met the unprecedented Twelfth Doctor, who was actually in his fourteenth incarnation. That line really put a smile on my face and it's quite amazing that with all the plot threads and timey wimey stuff over the Eleventh Doctor's tenure, especially that which involved River, nothing that occurred here was contradicted. And it really wasn't. This is the first time we meet River and she bloody dies! That's typical Steven Moffat but I absolutely love it. He's a genius. Everything just fitted across the entire out of sequence storyline and that takes some doing as a writer. The moment River gained the trust of the Doctor was phenomenal and I thought David Tennant was simply brilliant. I mean, he usually is but there was added emotion here and that's the fact that what River told him was his own name. The fact somebody else knew it must have been incredible to the Doctor and he immediately trusted his future self and trusted River without question. I think it's a shame we never saw River with the Tenth Doctor again but of course it's very possible that we could see it in an audio or a novel at some point. Although, I think sticking to Doctors she hasn't met as seen in The Rulers of the Universe is the way to go. It worked well with the Eighth Doctor and I think it will work equally as well with the Sixth and Seventh Doctors in the second series of The Diary of River Song. Donna was more prominent in this episode which I liked and the connection between Cal, Dr Moon and the saving of 4022 people was superb. Again, it was so typically Steven Moffat and it was simply brilliant. Donna was living a dream out and everything around her was virtual reality. The deaths of Other Dave and Anita were good with the latter particularly standing out as en example of the evil intentions of the Vashta Nerada and something that really annoyed the Doctor. This made him angry and kicked him right into action. The story advanced very well from that point and I loved that the Doctor was prepared to kill himself to save the 4022 people who were uploaded to the Library hard drive. River was not prepared to let that happen though as her past would be rewritten, and she couldn't allow that. Her sacrifice was courageous and we knew that when we saw her again she was an incredible character. The Doctor knowing how she died all along is quite a burden to live with but he dealt with it well. But he wasn't quite done with striking a deal with the Vashta Nerada, he wanted to save River after death and through the help of his future self he did just that due to the sonic screwdriver and used it to save and upload her consciousness to the hard drive. The Doctor not giving in to reading his future adventures was interesting but I think he was always going to go with that option. Overall, a brilliant episode to conclude an incredible story!

Rating: 10/10

Silence in the Library

"A million, million life forms. And silence in the Library."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 31st May 2008

Series: 4.08

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, River

Synopsis 

The Tenth Doctor takes Donna Noble to a planet-sized library in the 51st century. They find it empty of human life, with countless other living beings. An information kiosk warns them to "count the shadows". An archaeological expedition arrives, lead by the mysterious Professor River Song, who brings the cryptic last message sent from the library. "4022 saved, no survivors".

Verdict 

Silence in the Library is a brilliant episode and an excellent start to this two parter story but it's also the beginning of something extraordinary. The relationship between the Doctor and River Song, for us as the viewer and the Doctor himself, begins here and what a wonderful adventure we were taken on over the seven years of stories that we had with River popping up. Of course, there's since been the release of The Diary of River Song boxset where the Eighth Doctor was actually aided by his future wife, but even here the Doctor is so young to River. Having watched every episode with her in, as well as listening to her audio spinoff series, and having the memory of The Husbands of River Song still fresh in my mind despite it airing over three months ago now, I thought it was about time I gave my blogged verdict on this story. And it starts brilliantly. I hadn't   watched this episode in roughly three years before today and I was pleasantly surprised by some of the elements I had forgotten about. It took a lot longer for River to enter the scene than I remembered and I thought that was really good in establishing the setting. I thought the girl, as she was credited, along with Dr Moon was superb and the connection between them and the Library was mightily intriguing. Getting to the moments we saw pre-titles didn't take long which was good and I loved what we saw take place. The Doctor and Donna arriving at the Library, which was a whole planet, had to be more than a little day trip and that certainly was the case as the Doctor had received a message on the psychic paper from what would turn out to be River. I loved how she tried to pinpoint where in their lives this meeting was but she would learn that this was the first time the Doctor had met her. The look in her eyes suggested that it may just kill her. The foreshadowing of The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone was a sublime inclusion as well. David Tennant was outstanding as the Tenth Doctor here and I really do think this is one of his best performances as our heroic Time Lord. Catherine Tate seemed to be a bit overshadowed as Donna but that's more than okay as Alex Kingston's River shines in her debut story. She really is magical and immediately the chemistry she sparks with the Doctor is phenomenal. The whole 'pretty boy' thing was excellent and the start of what will become familiar 'spoilers' was wonderful. It doesn't matter which face the Doctor has, he's always magnificent around River. The pair are superb and despite the latest episode to feature River confirming the end to her run on television, I can't wait for her second batch of audio adventures next year. The Doctor's reaction to archaeologists was quite humorous although I thought the assembled team were really good. Lux and his family history with the Library is obviously going to play a big part in the second episode but the rest just seem to have been included to die at the hands of the Vashta Nerada. The concept of this enemy is another brilliant one by Steven Moffat and I still wouldn't rule out a return one day. Miss Evangelista's death was a sad one but she was merely the first. Proper Dave followed suit with a double shadow and the whole theme surrounding shadows was magnificent throughout. Moffat really knows how to play to the audience's fears. The Doctor's reaction to River having a screwdriver was even more superb having watched the Twelfth Doctor gift wrap it for her. The cliffhanger really was good as well with the Doctor thinking he was keeping Donna safe but just jeopardised her wellbeing. She became something she was horrified by and to add to that, the Vashta Nerada were looming. Overall, a fantastic first episode to what is sure to be a great story!

A Girl's Best Friend

"There hasn't been a human sacrifice since 1891!"

Writer: Terence Dudley

Format: TV

Broadcast: 28th December 1981

Series: K9 and Company Pilot

Featuring: Sarah Jane,K9

Synopsis 

Sarah is looking forward to spending a quiet Christmas with her Aunt Lavinia in the sleepy village of Morton Harewood. But when she arrives, she finds her aunt is missing, and a surprise present from an old friend is waiting to be opened. 

Sarah and her aunt's ward, Brendan, are soon caught up in the affairs of a mysterious cult who practice the black arts, and are preparing for a human sacrifice. But they have the Doctor's gift to aid them - a robot dog who answers to the name of K9...

Verdict 

A Girl's Best Friend was something I found very intriguing to be watching. It seems to be the forgotten story of Classic Doctor Who and I think that is immediately confirmed by the fact this was my first ever watch of the to be spinoff episode. I must admit, I'm not surprised that we didn't get a full series of K9 and Company because this story definitely had its problems but I think it should have been given a go because of the mass of potential it had. This is the closest we got to a Doctor Who spinoff during the Classic era but the thought of one just seems strange to me and I'm not sure why. There have been many spinoff audios and of course Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures to accompany the revived series, with another in the form of Class joining the fray later this year, but this one just seemed out of place which was a shame. It was brilliant to see new material of Sarah Jane and K9 from the Classic era for the first time and there was a pretty good story to match the brand new pairing but it did have its problems. I thought the story of Sarah's aunt Lavinia was actually a good one with her quickly leaving the village and nobody being able to get ahold of her. She had ran off to America and said goodbye to nobody so there was a mass element of doubt and my expectation was that she was actually a part of the village cult. Instead the revelation was that she actually couldn't get ahold of Sarah. I thought that was a very poor ending and I really was disappointed with it because of the attention it had gotten throughout the episode. The village setting was pretty good and it was definitely established that was the intended location for the would be series by the opening titles. I must mention the titles because I thought they were absolutely ridiculous. They really were awful. I was actually laughing at how bad they were and immediately the tone and atmosphere set by them didn't make me expect anything too good and that's what I got. From the start, I just seemed to be waiting for something major to happen and I didn't really get anything as a reward. I had the anticipation which was good, but I didn't get an end result which was disappointing. That was a running occurrence in the story which was rather mixed. I wouldn't say my rating was generous though. Following on from The Invasion of Time and Warriors' Gate, Sarah seems to be the third former companion who has a model of K9 to keep her company! I like that idea and it's good to think that even after spending time with the Doctor, they have a souvenir of sorts from their ventures to remind them of the good they did and in some cases will continue to do. Brendan wasn't the best character in the world as the actor didn't seem suited to the age he was playing but his understanding of K9 was really great and something I very much liked. Lis Sladen reprised her role as Sarah Jane Smith wonderfully well after a lengthy time away and I must admit I did like The Hand of Fear getting a nice reference. I was expecting the Doctor to get mentioned more and with the mysterious events that were going around the village I almost expected him to turn up, even though I knew that wouldn't be happening. The Tracey characters along with Pollock and Wilson were good characters but the story was just lacking a spark to propel it to a higher rating. Overall though, a good little episode and I love the fact that Classic Doctor Who does have its own spinoff, even if it only got given the go ahead for its pilot and nothing more. It's not the best but it's still very good and deserves its place in the Classic era of Doctor Who. It shouldn't be forgotten as it paved the way for what we would later see in School Reunion. 

Rating: 7/10

The Harvest

"Once you've given them an order, they're very single-minded."

Writer: Dan Abnett

Format: Audio

Released: June 2004

Series: Main Range 58

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis 

On the morning of 12 October 2021, Hex woke up. He was expecting to go to work at St. Gart's in London as. Kemal and, that evening, have a great time in the bar of the White Rabbit, celebrating his 23rd birthday. 

But after his ex-flatmate is wheeled into A&E following a bike accident, and the strange young woman from Human Resources tries to chat him up and an eight-foot-talk guy in a Merc tries to run him down, Hex realises things are not going quite as he expected. 

Then in a Shoreditch car park he meets the enigmatic Doctor, who explains that he's an extra-terrestrial investigator and something very strange is going on up on the thirty-first floor of St. Gart's.

Therefore, aided and abetted by the Doctor, and his other new friend, 'Just McShane', Hex decides to investigate. Trouble is, everything that goes on at the hospital is being observed and noted by the occupants of the thirty-first floor; occupants who are none too pleased that people are poking their noses into business that doesn't concern them; occupants who will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that no one discovers the truth...

Verdict 

The Harvest was an excellent audio adventure and continues what is becoming a very good little run of Big Finish Main Range stories. I've been very impressed lately with The Axis of Insanity and Arrangements for War that have come as a breath of fresh air really following the very mixed standard of Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz stories in the Divergent Universe. I don't mind story arcs in the televised format and to be honest I like them on audios when it comes in a boxset but I think I've enjoyed the recent stories because they're standalone and I think that's how Classic Doctor Who worked best. This story serves as being important for two reasons as we see the return of the Cybermen in a way we have never seen them before and we also saw another brand new companion! I think it's good that the Cybermen returned for another audio adventure as it seems a long time since their only other outing in Sword of Orion and with the Daleks having featured in five stories in the Main Range so far, a Cybermen return was certainly due. I really liked the fact that their part in the story was kept hidden from the audience with no mention of them in the story title, synopsis or even cast list. That's how a story with a returning villain works best. The Cybermen didn't get a mention until the very end of part two in a fantastic cliffhanger in which Ace confirmed their presence, but they were barely heard which just showed how much of a threat their presence carried. They didn't do much at all but yet they sparked a fear factor that I thought as magnificent. This served as a superb introduction story for Hex to join the Seventh Doctor and Ace as a second companion and I'm sure it will provide a freshness to a pairing I have been critical of in the past, although my opinions have recently been changing. The last Seventh Doctor and Ace story I blogged also featured the Cybermen in a more familiar role and I think this audio did have similarities to Illegal Alien which I enjoyed noticing. I loved the heavy referencing to Spare Parts and I love how previous Big Finish stories are becoming hugely important. A Cyberman origin story is right up there when it comes to important stories and the amount it was talked about here was superb. There was also a very good reference to The Tenth Planet which is one of my all time favourite stories so I enjoyed that very much. I thought Doctor Farrer was a very good character and I liked the pre-titles tease about him actually being the Seventh Doctor. Subject One as he was dubbed was also a great character and I was mightily intrigued by the idea he was a former Cyber Leader who wanted to head the Cybermen's return to being an organic race. That idea, even if it wasn't wholly true, is staggering and I commend Dan Abnett for including it. It was really good though I'm not sure the methods were feasible. The relationship between Ace and Hex was great and I'm now excited to see where the dynamic of the TARDIS team will go in the future with him now firmly on board. His reactions to everything that went on with the Cybermen and the TARDIS were great but he does genuinely seem like he's going to be a brilliant companion. The 2021 setting was good and I also liked the humour around the Doctor's hacking of System. The cliffhangers were all good but part two definitely stood out! Polk wasn't the best character in the world but Garnier and Mathias made up for him. Overall, an intriguing return for the Cybermen and a fantastic introduction for Hex as companion! 

Rating: 9/10

Arrangements for War

"Innocent news reports breed instant panic."

Writer: Paul Sutton 

Format: Audio

Released: May 2004

Series: Main Range 57

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis 

Onboard the TARDIS, nerves are strained.

After escaping the Forge and the murderous clutches of Nimrod, the Doctor and Evelyn have things to talk about. The Doctor's attitude towards death is a subject that these days is too close to Evelyn's heart, and eventually she demands to be set down somewhere where she can be free of him for a while. 

And so they come to Világ, where the Doctor's meddling lands him in the middle of a truly dangerous liaison and Evelyn meets a man who wants to change the course of her life forever. 

Love is everywhere. But then war is too.

Is it time for Evelyn to leave the Doctor? Or is the choice about to be taken out of her hands?

And who is to say what is the beginning and what is the end of love?

Verdict 

Arrangements for War was a brilliant audio adventure and arguably one of the most significant of the 57 adventures that I have thus far listened to on my exploration through Big Finish's Main Range of stories. There's no big return of a past villain. There's no regeneration. There's no alteration to the TARDIS team. But I would argue that this story has the biggest exploration into a character in the entire Classic era, or at least what I've covered of it so far. Evelyn and the Sixth Doctor both have a huge amount of depth added to their characters here and after the emotion and horrors that occurred in Project: Lazarus, the pair finally realise that what they need more than anything is each other. The ending of this audio is really nice in establishing that and it was only at that point that I was convinced Evelyn would be remaining as companion. I did have more than one thought that this was her final adventure and I think one benefit of being this far behind in the Main Range run is that I am absolutely spoiler free and I really don't know when companions will come and depart. Just take the arrival of C'rizz in The Creed of the Kromon for example - I had no idea a new companion was joining the Eighth Doctor and Charley so that added a lot to the story. Had Evelyn departed here, I think it would have added a lot to the story and offered a different perspective in reflection on its events. This story was quite a long one (I mean in terms of the length over which it took place, not the two hours running time which is pretty much the norm for a full cast Main Range adventure) and I think it definitely allowed Evelyn the time away from the Doctor that she needed. In saying that though, it also allowed the Sixth Doctor some reflection on recent adventures such as Doctor Who and the Pirates and the aforementioned Project: Lazarus where people needlessly died. The Doctor could understand why Evelyn was upset with his actions and apparent lack of grief but as future incarnations have coined, the Doctor doesn't have time to stop and grieve. I must admit I was on the side of the Doctor in regards to that here as with all the death that he has seen in his lives, I wouldn't want to stop and think about. Moving on is his way of dealing with it and I think Evelyn should try and understand that. Evelyn though wasn't in her best condition after the revelation about her heart and I think it's extremely intriguing to have an elderly companion who is dying. It's going to be interesting to see how the Doctor deals with that because it will be new to him. Evelyn found a way to deal with everything that here though in Rossiter who she grew to be extremely fond of, and the feeling was definitely mutual. He was a really nice guy and the relationship he had with Evelyn was excellent and exactly what she needed. The setting of Világ was really good and it seemed the perfect place for relaxation, that was until the Doctor meddled and turned what was peace into a war and the needless deaths of two more young people. The relationship between Mortund and Krisztina was fantastic and it was clear from the start that the pair were immensely in love with each other. The Doctor and Pokol's relationship was much different though as they really did share many indifferences. I thought Suskind was pretty good and whilst it was very important to have a good plot around the development of both the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn, it was the relationship between the TARDIS pairing that this story was all about. I'd love to go into its many similarities with Game of Thrones but I'll spare that. The Doctor and Evelyn hugging at the end was a great end to what has been turbulent times for the pair and I think in future stories they will both be stronger characters as a result. 

Rating: 8/10

Cold Blood

"They occupied the planet before humans, now they want it back."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 29th May 2010

Series: 5.09

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

Once more the Doctor meets members of the Silurian race. However, this time, can he prevent them from being destroyed by humanity out of an act of self-preservation, or can he broker peace between them and bring about a better future for both races of planet Earth?

Verdict 

Cold Blood was an excellent conclusion to the story already started in The Hungry Earth! The story is a fine example of a two parter episode and with it being by Chris Chibnall, I am now really excited for him to takeover as head writer and take the Doctor on his own personal adventure. But for now he was just taking the Eleventh Doctor on a little trip to beneath the surface of the planet and into an awakening civilisation of Silurians. With a very strong premise already created in the first episode, things really did get tense and there was a lot of action which is always positive. Whereas in the first part we only saw two Silurians, things quickly followed on from the cliffhanger and we were introduced to many more of the race. The most notable were Restac and Eldame who I both enjoyed but for very different reasons. Restac certainly represented the military branch of the Silurian race and was all in favour of hunting the "apes" for sport just as they used to. I've only recently finished watching the original set of 'Planet of the Apes' movies and I must say I was thinking about the first few in particular in this story and there are definitely similarities that can be drawn. Humanity's reaction to another intelligent species was much the same and instantly they were opposed to the idea of sharing the planet with the Silurians. However, where the films differ from this episode is that there was no mediator in the form of the Doctor. He was so excited in this story about the possibility of bringing in a new age on Earth with both man and Silurian sharing the surface. Restac wanted to wipe out humanity and bring about a war though but once Eldane was awoken by Malokeh, she was outranked. Eldane was in favour of trying to coexist on the surface with the humans and in the brilliantly organised peace talks between himself and Amy & Nasreen, he firmly put down on the table what the Silurians would offer in terms of science, medicine and technology. Humanity would hugely benefit and at that point it seemed that a planet share could be on the cards. But prior events already meant that it would not be possible. Ambrose killing Alaya was quite a shock as what the latter was doing by taunting was a laughable reason to murder really. Elliot's disappointment in his mother's actions was superb and I really have liked his character. The references to The Eleventh Hour and The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone were really good and the Doctor expressing his anger about not knowing what the crack from Amy's bedroom meant was sublime. Matt Smith was once again wonderful as the Eleventh Doctor and absolutely remains my favourite televised Doctor to date. Rory's death was unexpected and I remember being really shocked and confused on the episode's broadcast as the finale was when things usually happened and Rory had only officially joined as companion in The Vampires of Venice so things didn't seem to add up. Everything was of course out right in The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang and that story was foreshadowed here with the Doctor retrieving a piece of his broken TARDIS. The explosion that created the cracks was his TARDIS and he got an awful glimpse into his future. The acting between Matt Smith and Karen Gillan was magnificent in the TARDIS immediately after the light was catching up with Rory. Tony and Nasreen had decided to stay with the Silurians and would reawake with them in a thousand years but war was just about averted. The mining site was blown up and Rory had died in the process and an action packed story soon became extremely emotional. Overall, the two parts as a whole were excellent and this really was a great story! 

Rating: 9/10

The Hungry Earth

"From their point of view, you're the invaders!"

Writer: Chris Chibnall 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd May 2010

Series: 5.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

The most ambitious drilling project ever reaches far below the Earth's crust - but the ground is fighting back! The Silurians are disturbed by what they consider to be an attack from a mining mission in South Wales and are taking human hostages, including Amy. Can the Doctor maintain peace and retrieve his companion?

Verdict 

The Hungry Earth was an excellent episode of Doctor Who and a great start to this two-part adventure that sees us get into the business end of Matt Smith's first series as the Eleventh Doctor. He is of course brilliant and by the time of this episode he has settled into the role with ease and his sheer brilliance shines through. I still maintain that he's my favourite incarnation of the Doctor on television and this episode gave me no reason to change my thoughts. After finishing The Glamour Chase novel yesterday, and as I mentioned in my blog entry of that how much I enjoyed the TARDIS trio, I thought it was good to see the Doctor, Amy and Rory on television and so this story was just the logical choice as it actually followed on from where the novel left off with Amy and Rory expecting to arrive in Rio but instead got something much better - a village in South Wales! I am of course biased when it comes to a Welsh setting as I am very patriotic when it comes to my home nation and I think that has just been escalated by living in England for the last six months. I just love it and any story in Wales immediately grabs my attention. It was the perfect setting for a mining story and once the Doctor arrived, things really got eventful. This was my first Chris Chibnall episode since his announcement as the new show-runner and I can't wait to see what he does with the Doctor over the course of a series. He really created suspense and mystery and I love how he was trusted to bring back the Silurians for the first time since Warriors of the Deep. The revamp of their appearance is outstanding and I like how in this part we only see Alaya and the doctor. The threat they provide is there without us seeing them and I think that's hugely impressive. I like how the Doctor referenced Doctor Who and the Silurians and I do hope that the 2020 setting was intentional as it would brilliantly follow that aforementioned Third Doctor story. The episode was very cleverly titled with Amy and Mo getting swallowed beneath the surface and at first it appeared that they might be the dead. The Doctor initially seemed horrified to lose Amy to beneath the surface but it just gave him the determination to work out what was going on here and to go about fixing it. The guest characters introduced were really good here with Nasreen and Elliot standing out as my favourites. The latter having dyslexia was made brilliant by the Doctor's reaction to it and just making him feel superior to everybody else and not inferior as some might. That was really great. The former's enthusiasm to go beneath the surface once she found out the Doctor had a means of getting there was fantastic. She had worked her whole life in excavation and now she was going to see exactly what was beneath the surface. I'm sure it's not what she was expecting. Nasreen and Tony were good together and the disease the latter has been infected with doesn't look good at all. I'm looking forward to seeing that continue in the second part. Amy's defiance to the Silurians was admirable and I also liked Rory's anger at the Doctor for having lost Amy. The cliffhanger didn't provide any immediate danger but I think it was a lot more effective than the one in The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone. It has immediately given a new direction for the story and the threat, though not imminent, of an entire Silurian civilisation is superb. Overall, a great start and I'm looking forward to the second part which is of course where the rating will appear. 

The Glamour Chase

"It's only since hanging out with you, Doctor, that I've started looking for significance in the insignificant."

Writer: Gary Russell 

Format: Novel

Released: July 2010

Series: NSA 42

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

"Why are you hear? I mean - who are you, exactly?"

An archaeological dig in 1936 unearths relics of another time... And - as the Doctor, Amy and Rory realise - another place. Another planet. But if Enola Porter, noted adventuress, has really found evidence of an alien civilisation, how come she isn't famous? Why has Rory never heard of her? Added to that, since Amy's been travelling with him for a while now, why does now think the Doctor is from Mars?

As the ancient spaceship reactivates, the Doctor discovers that nothing and no one can be trusted. The things that seem most real could actually be literal fabrications - and very deadly indeed. Who can the Doctor believe when no one is what they seem? And how can he defeat an enemy who can bend matter itself to their will? For the Doctor, Amy and Rory - and all of humanity - the buried secrets of the past are very much a threat to the present...

Verdict 

The Glamour Chase was a really good novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading on the train home from university. I head home for three weeks now as part of the Easter break and I think the reason I read this novel so quickly was the excitement of not only returning to wonderful Wales for three weeks, but also because I had a pit stop before going back to my house and seeing my family for the first time in a month. There was the small matter of a football match to attend at my local team and it is fair to say that it was completely bonkers. But anyway, I love my football team so the thought of being back at our home stadium for a match for the first time in six weeks filled me with excitement and if I'm anticipating something then I tend to read a lot quicker. That actually occurred with my last novel of The King's Dragon thirteen days ago when I headed on the train to an away fixture and back. The novel itself started wonderfully with an unspecified previous incarnation of the Doctor showing a young girl a glimpse of the universe. I had in my head the image of the Second Doctor from some of the ambiguous detail but I think it's good we didn't get to know which Doctor it was. It didn't really matter but the idea was great. Since reading Nuclear Time, also on a train journey, I have grown to love this TARDIS trio of the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory. There's just something so perfect about them in the prose format and it really does work so well. I don't know what it is but I'm so used to just TARDIS pairings in the novels that I've read so far so I think having a trio, that also work so well together, is a breath of fresh air and I am really keen to push on with the novel series of this trio. There looks to be some fantastic stories ahead and I can't wait to push on. Prior to reading this book, I hadn't actually given any thought to the title and although the Glamour itself in this story was certainly different to that of the same name which made consecutive appearances in the recent Twelfth Doctor novels. There could be some similarities between the Glamours and there weren't really contradictions that said they couldn't be the same thing, but after researching I was intrigued to find out that Glamour had appeared in Ghosts of India, a novel that I do own but am yet to read. There was a lot of twists in this novel which was good but one thing I am not happy with in any novel is when characters are named as numbers. I don't care how it's explained, I just don't think it should happen. It gets confusing and frankly in my opinion it's very annoying. Characters should have names not numbers. It didn't take much away from the story which was strong but it definitely contributes to some of the dropped marks that this story got. As you can tell from the rating, I still very much enjoyed. The Doctor trying to make conversation with a sheep was hilarious and so brilliantly typical of the Eleventh Doctor. Matt Smith's superb Doctor was characterised excellently throughout, as he has been in the recent novels and I definitely think that his likeness is captured better in these novels than in the ongoing DWC comic strips. The setting of Shalford Heights was really good and the story was definitely suited to a village. It wouldn't have worked elsewhere so that was positive. The focal point around the mound where the Weave spaceship was buried was really good and I liked how Enola had an obsession with what was housed beneath it. She'd dedicated her whole life to it and she would actually see it in the end. Nancy Thirman was a humorous character in the library and I think that was because of Rory mainly. Speaking of which, I thought Rory was outstanding in this novel and for the first time probably outshone Amy as the companion, which is something very rare because I simply adore Amy. I love how feisty, courageous and sexy she is. All those qualities were present here but Rory was just brilliant. Oliver Marks was a fantastic character too and the description of the way he lost his fiancé, Daisy, was horrific. It's no wonder he was suffering from PTSD. The Tahnn obliterated everything he knew. The war between the Weave and the Tahnn was very good but it definitely seemed that the latter were superior due to the technological advancements they had. The wool aspect of the Weave was intriguing and their ability to take on any form wasn't dissimilar to the Zygons. The references to The Eleventh Doctor, The Vampires of Venice and Amy's Choice were very good and Amy's brilliance in referring to Mars as the Doctor's home was very clever. The Doctor's subtle references to the Ice Warriors were brilliant as well. The revelation that Nathaniel Porter was a hybrid between the two species at war was unexpected and things really took off from there! The end was full of action and surprises and I liked the Glamour being spilled and then cleverly returned to the ship which enabled it to take off. The way it took care of the Tahnn was very good and it provided a good part of the story. Overall, a really good novel that wasn't perfect but was certainly great. 

Rating: 8/10

Clara Oswald and the School of Death Part 1

"I will not murder my teacher."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th March 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 04

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara 

Synopsis 

With the Doctor off gallivanting on a spaceship annoying old enemies he doesn't even remember he had, Clara heads to Ravenscaur School in Scotland where her friend has mysteriously gone missing and things are not as they seem. The answer seems to lie in a cave on the beach...

Verdict 

Clara Oswald and the School of Death kicked off in brilliant style with this fantastic first part! This story kicks off the second year of Twelfth Doctor adventures and it seems that after the hugely eventful The Hyperion Empire finale of the first year, things are going to continue in much the same way. That is something that I'm certainly in favour of as I like action and I think it's great that such climatic things are happening in the comic strip adventures because it gives the format as a whole a lot more credibility in being a serious part of the Doctor Who universe. I know some fans who take no notice of the comic strips in Doctor Who Magazine and would laugh at the thought of picking this magazine, Doctor Who Comic or a graphic novel up. I don't understand why because in the comic strip format as a whole, there have been some phenomenal adventures. Hunters of the Burning Stone ranks as one of my all time favourite stories across any format, but there have also been absolute classics like Children of the Revolution, The Weeping Angels of Mons and Relative Dimensions. Comic strip stories really do offer so much as there is no limiting the writer's imagination and I think that was highlighted clearly in this story. I absolutely love the title as it is a play on the Target novelisations of nearly every single Classic era story and that just leads me to thinking about modern stories getting the novelisation job. I'd certainly be in favour of that happening as the story being told across a different format gives a different perspective and whilst I can't see it happening, I'm loving how this story title gets us probably as close as we're going to get to it happening. I was expecting the whole story to be centred around Clara due to the name but to my surprise it was just like any other adventure in terms of time on the page for the TARDIS duo. It seems some time now since Clara died in Face the Raven and officially left us in Heaven Sent/Hell Bent, but the beauty of the comic strips is that we continue to get new adventures with the tremendous companion even after she's gone. Beck was an interesting character who wasn't very likeable at all with the way he was 'checking out' Clara and thinking she would tease him by wearing a bikini. It was pretty laughable really and actually bordering on something very sexist for a Doctor Who story, but the ending actually put a smile on my face as the guy got what he deserved. You don't just tell a women she looks 'fit' and expect anything from her. It was pretty derogatory in my opinion and I loved Clara's horrified reaction to him. She was hoping to never be seeing him again and judging by the cliffhanger, Clara might just get her wish. I'm not entirely sure what Beck and the school kids were up to wondering into the cave, but I'm now not certain they'll make it back out alive. The creature at the end didn't appear too threatening but I'm sure there'll be a lot more to it. This is a Doctor Who story after all. The Doctor's encounter with Van Volk was very humorous and I loved the characterisation of Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor here with him not even remembering causing the trouble that led him to being despised, but not saying it was out of the question. His descriptions of his fourth, fifth and eleventh incarnations was brilliant and so perfectly in line with this Doctor's thoughts on his past selves. The mystery of the school and the disappearance of Christel has given a lot to the story and there are now many directions in which it can go. I look forward to seeing how things pan out in the next part! But for now it has started excellently. 

Planet of Evil

"The end of the universe..."

Writer: Louis Marks

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27th September - 18th October 1975

Season: 13.02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah 

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Sarah answer an intergalactic distress call that takes them to a far-flung planet at the edge of the known universe - Zeta Minor. Arriving at the same time as a rescue team, they search for survivors of an earlier expedition. But will anyone be allowed to leave the planet alive?

Verdict 

Planet of Evil was a very good Doctor Who story! This was only my second time watching the serial and to be honest it felt brand new to me as it has been nearly four years since my first and only previous viewing and I do not own the Target novelisation. I think it definitely helped that I didn't know what was going to happen and although there were elements that I did recall, it was almost like watching the story for the first time. The thing that shocked me most about this story was the amount of death that occurred! It really did seem endless as it really felt that at least two or three people were dying in each part. That's a very large amount but it absolutely worked in establishing the threat that anti-matter brought. This was the first story to experiment with the concept of anti-matter since the acclaimed The Three Doctors and I think it definitely deserved a revisit as there really is a lot you can do with it. The setting of Zeta Minor was really good and I liked how it was situated on the edge of the universe, right on the brink of the known universe and the universe of anti-matter. That offered quite a lot and the bridge that the Doctor fell down at the end of part two was a good focal point to establish where the connection between the two universes was. The anti-matter creature which served as the main enemy of the story had a fantastic concept of being a personification of pure energy but sadly the special effects of the mid 1970s take a little away from this story. Let's be honest, I know the story was broadcast four decades ago but the effects weren't very good at all. They did look rather silly and they can't help but take away from the serial as a whole which is actually a great shame. I compliment the production team for attempting to create a being of pure energy but I'd have to say they didn't succeed. They weren't helped by the multiplication of the creatures in the final part and this is where I'm now interested to find the novelisation of this story as I think I'll enjoy that more as a whole. I'll now have visuals from rewatching here but I won't be actually seeing the poor effects. I loved Sarah in this story I must say. Lis Sladen looked delightful here and she was as brilliant as always alongside Tom Baker's fantastic Fourth Doctor who unthinkably wasn't wearing his iconic scarf for much of this part! There wasn't a lot for this Doctor to characteristically make a joke about but he was sure to put it right. He'd made a deal with the creature and ended up just about keeping it. The contrasting relationship between Vishinsky and Salamar was excellent and I liked how they had differing opinions on the Doctor and Sarah's involvement in the killings. Sorenson was a brilliant character too and I liked how committed he was to his cause. He was bordering insanity though due to the anti-matter. The jungle set for this story rightly received praise from the BBC because it was indeed brilliant in capturing both a jungle and an alien planet. It was extremely alien which I think was important in establishing the Zeta Minor and distant future setting. I really liked it. The debut of a new TARDIS interior was done really well and I liked how the fact it was new and had been unseen for some time was simply ignored. That ensured the storytelling continued very well. It really did look impressive I must say and I can't think why it had been so long since we saw it! The part three cliffhanger was outstanding and overall this was a great little story! A nice reference to Terror of the Zygons along the way, this was really good. 

Rating: 8/10

The Axis of Insanity

"By coming to my aid, you have surely doomed yourselves."

Writer: Simon Furman

Format: Audio

Released: April 2004

Series: Main Range 56

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis 

What is... the Axis?

For the Doctor and his travelling companions, Peri and Erimem, it's a twisted playground, where reality, morality and sanity no longer apply. Stranded within a dimensional nexus, beset by the molten fury of the Firebreed, they must unwrap a terrifying mystery of damages timelines and dark science... before the corruption of the Axis spreads and reality itself crumbles. 

Pitted against a warped and deadly mind, the Doctor faces his own past transgressions, and the very nature of what it is to be a Time Lord.

Verdict 

The Axis of Insanity was a superb audio adventure and actually a welcomed break from the ongoing Eighth Doctor story arc in the Divergent Universe which has recently occupied the Main Range series. Of course, I am twelve years behind but slowly but surely I am catching up and I am convinced that I will be up to date at some point. It won't be for a while yet due to other Doctor Who formats and money but I will bloody get there! The trio of the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem is a great one and I was glad to hear them back together again as it has seemed a while since I listened to their last outing of Nekromanteia. Even though we didn't get a lot of the Fifth Doctor and Peri together on television with just Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani, in which Nicola Bryant debuted and Peter Davison exited respectively, adding Erimem to the mix adds a brilliant dynamic and I think it definitely favours Peri at this early stage in her life to have someone primitive around so she can teach and mentor them about advanced life. There's no doubting that Erimem is intelligent but when it comes to modern times she isn't quite up to scratch. Her frustration with the English language was rather humorous and I loved how she comically argued about the events and concept of 'The Wizard of Oz'. Now, I've never seen it (yes, seriously) but I know the grasp and for her to argue it certainly put a smile on my face. I have liked her ever since she arrived in The Eye of the Scorpion, a story that was nearly referenced, but my thoughts on her are certainly improving with every story that she appears in. Big Finish introducing us to brilliant companions like Erimem is a real joy to behold and I can't wait to get out there and experience the many more surely on offer in the following 150+ stories I have solely on this range. But as I said earlier, I am determined to catch up. I've been quite critical of Peter Davison in some of his audios that I have previously blogged on here but in the last few that I have done he is proving me wrong and getting close to the brilliance he portrayed on television. The Fifth Doctor was always one of my very favourite incarnations in the televised format and I do hope to soon say that for the audios. I would love for him to prove me wrong and make me write praise about him rather than be critical. For this story though, all I have is praise as in small parts he even had to play a dual role as the disguised Doctor which he did very eloquently. It was obvious to the listener that the imposter was a lot darker and sinister than our usual Time Lord hero and he was actually disturbingly quiet as compared to usual. The setting of the Axis was brilliant and it was almost like a funhouse version of the Land of Fiction which we saw in The Mind Robber. It was just barmy and on times absolutely ludicrous! Insanity is the perfect word to be in the title of this story as that was exactly what Jarra To, or the Jester depending on his guise, was. He was a lunatic and as the part one cliffhanger told us, he'd taken over the asylum. His murder of the Overseer was heartless and brutal and undoubtedly put him on the wrong side of the Doctor. He wouldn't let that slide that was for sure. The Jester was a brilliant character and served as a sublime enemy. I can't tell you how close I was to giving this story full marks but he was certainly one reason why it was so very close. I thought he was brilliant. His demise was justified and I liked how Tog wasn't going to let him survive to commit more crimes and atrocities like he had done on his planet. The TARDIS graveyard was quite a harrowing picture and it's intriguing to know that Time Lords have such a connection with their TARDIS. This isn't the first story to mention that but I like how it's cropping up more and more. Overall, a fantastic audio adventure but I think the cliffhangers needed to be a bit better to get that perfect rating. But it was still magnificent.

Rating: 9/10

The Then and the Now Part 1

"You are not even aware of your own evil."

Writers: Si Spurrier & Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th March 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, War Doctor

Synopsis 

Accused of a genocidal crime he (probably) didn't (possibly) commit (oh hell, he totally did it), the Doctor and Alice go on the run. 

But extreme hyperviolence-for-hire is hot on their tail, tracking them wherever and whenever they go. With chainsaws! 

It's a race to clear our tricksy Time Lord's name and spare the lives of his friends, with the only answers burnt in the fiery footsteps of the incarnation he can never acknowledge: the War Doctor.

Verdict 

The Then and the Now started off the second year of Eleventh Doctor comic strip adventures in outstanding fashion! It really was an eventful opening and it really did have just about everything you could ask for in a comic strip story. Powerful imagery, great surprises and a very good story to go with it. I certainly wasn't expecting the first page of the new Eleventh Doctor second year stories to feature the War Doctor! That was a big surprise but of course one which I absolutely welcomed. The War Doctor is such a rare incarnation of the Doctor but given that I have now read Engines of War and listened to Only the Monstrous, he's becoming a lot more familiar and I'm grateful to be learning about the Time War and the Doctor that fought in it. I very much liked how once the Eleventh Doctor realised he was being punished now for something that occurred during his War Doctor days, he simply referred to the incarnation as 'him' and nothing more. Not the Doctor. The life he tried to never remember and always forget. But he couldn't run from it forever and the consequences of the Time War were still having a great effect on his life now. It reminded me a bit of The Roots of Evil novella in which the Fourth Doctor was dealing with the aftermath of the actions of the Eleventh Doctor, but here the latter should be remembering what caused his trouble here as it occurred in a past incarnation, albeit one he tried to shut out of his memory. Yeronna, as she was only referred to by the Doctor, was a superb character and I loved the power that she presented. She was appalled by the actions of the Doctor's past incarnation and was pretty much horrified by the fact he didn't realise what he had done in the past, as my opening quote perfectly illustrates. I think that it could be true for more than just story and she certainly made no efforts in hiding her attempts to challenge him and his lifestyle. She wasn't holding back and I really liked that. The Doctor just seemed awkward and wanting to forget what had occurred in the Time War, perhaps even disassociating the War Doctor as being the same person. He was certainly in a dilemma here and all he wanted to do was to run away which was something I actually found quite surprising. But that wasn't the only thing that surprised me in this story as we incredibly got to see the then and the now of the Doctor. The Then and the Now itself was something that I'm sure we will learn a lot more about as the story goes on, but it allowed us to actually see glimpses of the First Doctor and the Curator! The latter was what surprised me most as I didn't think we'd even see a glimpse of him after The Day of the Doctor. I'm not at all against it and I wonder if its relevance will have any holding in the story. I sure hope it does. I liked the Doctor's subtle references to The War Games and The Trial of a Time Lord with him mentioning how trials don't go well for him. That was a nice touch. Alice didn't really offer much in this story which was a shame with it being her first as the sole companion in an incredibly long time. I hope she plays a bigger role in the next part but the ending of this was something to behold. We had the character from the Doctor's past who he didn't remember, probably because the Squire was a child and then inside the TARDIS we had the return of Abslom Daak! I had to check I wasn't reading DWM instead of a DWC as he was the last person I was expecting to show up! I am actually yet to do a story with him in but I've read a lot about him so I'm looking forward to seeing him in this story. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. 

The Singer Not the Song Part 1

"Smokey is a song on the wind, and I wish I could listen to him forever. But no song lasts forever."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 10th March 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 04

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

Looking for rest and relaxation, the Tenth Doctor and Gabby take a trip to Earth Station Presley, a mining platform around an enormous gas giant - and home to one of the most spectacular sensory experiences in the universe! 

The gas giant is a perfect example of human colonists living in harmony with indigenous life - in this case, the Shan'tee: conceptual brings perceived by humans as hauntingly beautiful music!

But the Doctor and Gabby are walking straight into a war. 

Something has corrupted the song of the Shan'tee - a mysterious signal of unknown origin - and now the human colonists are trapped in a fight for their lives! 

Can the Doctor, Gabby and a synesthetic scientist uncover the truth and bring the war to an end without further bloodshed... or will the song consume them all?

And... why does Gabby feel like the alien foes she's been facing are starting to rhyme? Is there something less random and more sinister at work?   

Verdict 

The Singer Not the Song kicked off in style with this excellent opening part! Not only did this start a brand new story for the Tenth Doctor and Gabby, which actually seems quite a while after the epic The Fountains of Forever/Spiral Staircase/Sins of the Father seems quite a while since we had one, but it also saw us open up the second year of adventures! When I was reading this it definitely had a feeling of separation from the first year of adventures and although I'm not entirely sure how that was achieved, it must be a good thing! I like how after last year's finale, Gabby continues to write in her journal for Cindy but after the events of the previous story, she is now going to believe everything that she reads from Gabby instead of dismissing the idea of the events that occurred in The Arts in Space and The Weeping Angels of Mons. I think she'll desperately want to join the Doctor and Gabby on their travels and it honestly wouldn't surprise me if she gets a trip or two in the TARDIS. The Doctor wouldn't be too thrilled about that I wouldn't have thought, but Gabby will persuade him. This story itself started off with such a positive note and it had such a good feeling. Gabby was overwhelmed by the beauty she was seeing and despite the fact that may have been down to the increased oxygen levels, she once again just seemed so grateful for the opportunity the Doctor was giving her to show her the universe first hand. It was a wonderful moment and with the way my run of the Eighth Doctor audios are going at the minute, I'm inclined to now say that Gabby is my favourite companion created outside of the television series. Previously, I think Charley would have that honour but Gabby is just so likeable and I love seeing how appreciative she is of the Doctor for showing her the stars. The artistic theme she brings to nearly all of her stories just adds to her likeableness and I do hope she is here to stay past the second year's conclusion. The setting of Wutpaki was superb and I loved the musical theme (no, not a musical in the theatre terms) of the story that came with it. The artwork on the planet was superb and as I always say when I mention something like the artwork, it must have been really good if I mention it as it's not something I usually mention in my blog entries of comic strip stories. The Shan'tee were brilliant their concept was excellent. There wasn't an ounce of evil in them and the Doctor seemed so thrilled to be showing Gabby that there were examples of humans living in peaceful harmony with other species as was the case here. However, something terrible was happening and the Doctor was soon called into action. He was genuinely horrified by the virus that he witnessed claim the life of a Shan'tee. The jacket quickly came off and he went straight into action by heading for the source of the virus that, quite incredibly, was coming from a song! I loved how the remixes were used as the update for the virus and the Bovodrines were heading straight for the Doctor and co. The virus causing the Shan'tee to become Nocturnes was quite disturbing and their appearance was so distorted. And the danger just increased with the cliffhanger as D'Angelo was infected and the virus was jumping species. The Doctor and Gabby were separated and it seems the second part is going to be full of action! I look forward to it greatly. 

Witch Hunt Part 1

"Superstitions are coming true!"

Writer: Jacqueline Rayner

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 3rd March 2016

Printed in: DWM 497

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara 

Synopsis 

The Coal Hill Halloween Fair becomes a lot more scary than it should be as superstitions begin to come true! Teachers are attacked, Clara goes missing and once the Doctor gets involved, he meets a fellow time-traveller...

Verdict 

Witch Hunt started off in tremendous fashion with this opening part in the latest edition of Doctor Who Magazine. With my focus since purchasing the magazine on release day last week primarily concerned with The Diary of River Song, I must confess to actually forgetting that I had this comic strip story to do! It was only by going into town today after university and purchasing the new issue of Doctor Who Comic's Tales from the TARDIS that I remembered there was a new DWM comic strip that I should be reading first! I'll get back to the comic strip itself in a minute or two but for now, even over a week after release, I'll talk about the magazine as a whole as has become the norm in my blog entries of the monthly DWM comic strip. I love how it's a celebration of the twentieth anniversary of The Movie and in my mind it is absolutely something worth celebrating. I have never been able to understand why the story seems to come with a bad reputation because every time I've watched it, I have loved it. It's such a good debut for Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and it also serves as a proper way for us to say goodbye to Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor as he and Ace just walked off into the distance at the end of Survival. I'm yet to read the interviews in this issue but I really am looking forward to seeing what Paul McGann and Eric Roberts in particular have to say. I will of course anticipate every other interview with joy but I must say can't see the feature article on The Movie itself being topped. I loved the praise that came in it but I thought the writer was also very good in not giving it positive bias just because it's Doctor Who. That's the beauty of this magazine - it's never afraid to criticise the product and I like that. I also loved Steven Moffat's column this month and although he only answered one question, he gave us as the readers a lot of future questions for him. I was quite surprised that he considered The Rescue to be a groundbreaking story in the history of Doctor Who as it's not something I would associate the serial as being but to be fair, after Moffat gave his justification, it was hard to argue against his point. Him choosing The Daleks and The Tomb of the Cybermen as his other choices but as for my guesses on the three other stories he considers groundbreaking, I'll go for The War Games, Inferno and Genesis of the Daleks pretty much all on a whim. I'm definitely intrigued to see what he has to say. Galaxy Forum was gold despite being cut short and I even think the editor's column deserves a positive mention as that was very good. I'm looking very forward to Relative Dimensions as always and the DWM Review is always good to read. Now, back to the comic strip itself and I was delighted to find that it was written by Jacqueline Rayner. She really is magnificent and if her last comic strip of Blood and Ice is anything to go by then we're in for a treat. A Halloween story in March seemed strange but it doesn't matter at all and I liked how Clara was dressed up as a witch and set up a whole trail to find her. I'd love Clara as a prize for any game! I thought Miss Chief (a superb and typically Rayner name) was a great character and she almost seems like a female version of the Monk! What she did to Clara was quite astonishing by sending her back in time and to the mercy of Matthew Hopkins, an infamous witch hunter who killed far too many innocents. The cliffhanger of Clara being thrown in the water to test if she was a witch was marvellous and I now can't wait to see what happens in part two, which is exactly what I look for in a cliffhanger. I have no idea how long this story will go on for but the rating will appear in the final part.

The Rulers of the Universe

"This Doctor thought he could run from a war..."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: The Diary of River Song 1.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, River

Synopsis 

As shocking secrets are exposed, and a grand plan for the universe is revealed, River decides it's time she took control of events once and for all. 

Out in a deep space, a clandestine society faces off with an ancient and powerful alien force - but, for River, there's an added complication. 

The Eighth Doctor has been caught in the middle, and she must make sure her future husband can arrive at his own destiny with all his memories - not to mention his lives - intact...

Verdict 

The Rulers of the Universe was an excellent finale to what has been a wonderfully good boxset! The Diary of River Song has really impressed me and to be honest I was a little sceptical about what it would produce before I bought it but now in hindsight after listening, I'm so glad I purchased it and I'm already anticipating the release of Series 2 next year! The idea of River Song meeting past incarnations of the Doctor is a brilliant one and I like the fact that the first Classic era Doctor she gets to meet is the Eighth Doctor. There's a lot of modernity with this incarnation and placing him during the Time War was something I wasn't expecting but it definitely ensured that this particular story had a feel of post-revival Doctor Who. I think that's important for the first spinoff boxset for a character created after the revival as now we've had this huge success, we can go and play with other incarnations and that's exactly what will happen in the second series with River set to meet the Sixth and Seventh Doctors. That's for a future blog entry in around a year's time though. For now, let's talk about her meeting the Eighth Doctor. The very idea excites me and I loved how the problem of earlier incarnations not being able to retain memory of River was tackled with the pair only communicating via radio. The Doctor never saw River nor got to know what she looked like and that upholds what the Tenth Doctor thinks is their first meeting in Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. Not only did this story see a Classic Doctor and River join together for the first time, but it actually tied up the loose ends of the entire boxset itself in a great way. There were excellent references to all of The Boundless Sea, I Went to a Marvellous Party and Signs and I loved how River was pretty angry with what she had been put through. But that anger was soon heightened by the fact the Rulers had got her husband involved, in an incarnation she couldn't play with. I like how River thinks that way of the Doctor and she definitely likes meddling with him. Bertie's reaction to calling the Doctor and having him arrive was quite surprising but I like how he manipulated the Doctor into doing his bidding by mentioning that ten billion people were at risk on a planet. River's dealing with the SporeShips was humorous in places and I loved how even in her own company she was rather flirtatious. I'm not sure if that's even possible but if anyone could achieve it then it would be River Song. The Sanukuma were an intriguing race and I loved how powerful they were made to sound. That definitely sold the threat they presented. River dropping hints to the Doctor about her identity was excellent and I also liked how Bertie mentioned knowing a lot about the Time Lord's past, particularly during the majority of the First Doctor era where he never knew where the TARDIS would land next. The Doctor was definitely intrigued by the situation but I was actually quite surprised by his lack of curiosity. The Sanukuma wanting a part of the Time War was interesting but I loved how, apart from The Night of the Doctor, this was the first time we got to hear the Eighth Doctor during the days of the Time War. I liked how he wanted no part of it and was simply there to tidy up the mess it created. I liked that Isabella made another appearance as I really liked her in the second story and the whole concept of the Rulers of the Universe was great, but their name was a little laughable to be honest. They didn't exactly rule the universe. The way the Doctor dealt with the Sanukuma was ingenious and I really liked how he returned them to simply being the stuff of legend, by returning them to the beginnings of the universe. The tie in with the SporeShips was great and definitely tied up the whole boxset very nicely. River couldn't let the Doctor come and save her though as they just couldn't meet and risk altering the future. It must've been quite sad for River but using the guise of Spritz, she helped her husband save the day and that was all that really mattered. Overall, a great adventure to finish this brilliantly consistent boxset! A huge thumbs up from me. 

Rating: 9/10

Signs

"You have strange dreams when you're dying..."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: The Diary of River Song 1.03

Featuring: River

Synopsis 

River Song is on the trail of the mysterious, planet-killing SporeShips.

Nobody knows where they come from. Nobody knows why they are here. All they do know is that wherever the SporeShips appear, while civilisations are reduced to mulch. 

But River has help. Her companion is a handsome time-travelling stranger, someone with specialist knowledge of the oddities and dangers the universe has to offer. 

For Mr Song has a connection to River's future, and he would never want his wife to face those perils alone...

Verdict 

Signs was another excellent audio adventure in The Diary of River Song boxset and continued along the series and overlapping story very well. I loved the style of the adventure very much and I must congratulate Alex Kingston, Samuel West and James Goss for giving us such a good adventure with just two cast characters. It's a brave move with an hour to fill but everybody involved rose to the occasion and gave us a marvellous story to behold. I was thrilled with it and the consistency of the series has been magnificent. I liked the way the link from the last story wasn't really revealed until the end of this adventure and it actually worked really well. I loved the start of it where River was desperate to hear one last story before she died. She wanted it to be pretty simple with just a nice beginning, middle and end. That's the best type of story when those are clearly illustrated and they all come together. That structure seems to have actually applied to this boxset as a whole which has been really great. The idea of cloning River and putting her in numerous scenarios is certainly an intriguing one but I must admit I was quite shocked by the fact the clones died! What made that impact hit home really hard was that River retained the memories of those clones. All of the respective scenarios seemed to have Mr Song in control and for obvious reasons I was never convinced that he might be the Doctor but a story teasing that is such a good idea and it's a shame really that this boxset couldn't have been released prior to the broadcast of The Husbands of River Song because some of the dialogue in this regarding the Doctor and his faces, with a nice reference to Let's Kill Hitler, was a bit contradictory. With the mass of Doctor Who adventures available now (I mean, this is my 672nd blog entry and there's still an absolutely stupendous amount of Doctor Who I'm yet to cover or even explore), contradiction is going to happen because not every writer is going to know what has happened regarding certain characters or events across different formats, so the timing was just off here but it didn't really affect the story too much, if at all. I loved the reference to The Web of Fear with Mr Song, who was of course impersonating the Doctor, referring to the time the TARDIS got covered in cobwebs. The way Mr Song knew so much about the Doctor and River was superb with him simply using the diary River keeps and replacing the cover with the more affiliated to the Doctor title of the 500 year diary. I loved that and it's clear that Mr Song is quite intelligent and his connection with the Rulers of the Universe seems intriguing and I'm looking very forward to seeing it unfold in what is set to be an epic finale. The reference to I Went to a Marvellous Party was superb and I wasn't expecting the revelation that River's presence on the ship was not to save the planet that she did, but simply to meet Mr Song. The interconnection between stories in this boxset is magnificent and I love how each story takes us into the next and in a way that we were perhaps not expecting. Overall, another great adventure for River Song and, as if it was in any doubt, it's clear that she's more than able to have her own spinoff. I now anticipate the finale greatly where she will actually meet her husband, but in an incarnation she has not encountered before. I really can't wait.

Rating: 9/10