Grave Matter

"Who gives you the right to decide on a whim what is right and what is wrong?"

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Novel

Released: May 2000

Series: PDA 31

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

Dorsill: a group of islands shrouded in fog, the community facing economic ruin and struggling to survive.

When Christopher Sheldon buys the islands outright, the locals owe him a debt of thanks. They don't ask too many questions about what Sheldon and his friends are up to; they don't care that he seldom ventures into the one small village; they don't ask why he saw fit to spend such a large amount of money - or where he got it from...

Even when the first few people die, there's an assumption that it's down to natural causes; allergic reactions, an especially virulent strain of flu, a tragic fishing accident... And if the sheep and chickens are behaving oddly, that's hardly a worry.

No, if there's anything to arouse suspicion, it's the arrival of a retired civil servant Sir Edward Baddesley. But generally life goes on, with its little triumphs and upsetting tragedies.

Until the two strangers arrive...

Verdict 

Grave Matter was a very good novel and an enjoyable read on the usual train journey back home from mid to South Wales. It'll be the last time I make that journey for a while now which is a shame as I get ready to embark on my second year of university in just a few weeks. As is always the case with an original novel, I didn't finish the book during the journey as I usually do with the Target novelisations but that wasn't a problem as I finished it relatively quickly after returning home. This was actually only my second novel of any kind to feature the Sixth Doctor and it has been some time since I read Players so it was excellent to see Colin Baker's incarnation presented in the prose format. His characterisation was actually excellent by Justin Richards and that always makes the reading easier. A story has got to suit the Doctor that is featuring and I felt that was nailed with this adventure. I liked the mysterious atmosphere that came with the misty setting of Dorsill and I loved how the Doctor and Peri believed they had arrived on the isolated island in the nineteenth century rather than the twentieth. The emergence of the helicopter accompanied with the Doctor's reaction was brilliant. I thought some of the characters in the story were very good with Sheldon and Madsen particularly standing out. The latter shooting his brains out and then beginning to get back up again was really good. I thought the plot of the story was pretty decent and I liked how the intentions of the Devarians seemed to be pretty much what occurred in Miracle Day. Death was to be eradicated but the difference between this and the Miracle was that under the influence and infection of the Devarians, humanity would also quickly repair any damage and injuries. Blood was playing a big factor and the way it was congealing was the main instrument of the healing. I liked how the story was placed immediately after Vengeance on Varos as there was some brilliant continuation from that story as well as a reference or two to the adventure. Mrs Tattleshall was quite a funny character but I found it quite sad that her death was met with laughter because of the irony behind her being silent. I did find that quite touching, especially as the Doctor got on with her quite well despite her tendency to go on and on. Sir Edward, or Sir Anthony as would later be revealed, was a very good character as well and I liked his turn towards the end due to the infection. Janet was great also and I liked Hilly's minor relationship with Peri. That causing the companion to be infected was terrific and I liked how shocked she was when she realised what had happened some time later. I enjoyed the story but I felt a bit mixed about the ending. It was well paced and exciting which was very good but the Doctor pouring the antidote liquid substance from a helicopter and covering every piece of ground just seemed a bit too good to be true, even for him. I did enjoy the ambiguity behind the seagulls scene at the end though. That was a really good way to finish on. Overall, a very good read!

Rating: 8/10

Spider-God

"The villagers aren't human! They hatch from eggs!"

Writer: Steve Moore 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: May 1981

Printed in: DWM 52

Featuring: Fourth Doctor

Synopsis 

The Terran Survey Vessel Excelsior, commanded by Louis B Frederick, lands on planet UX-4732. They find the TARDIS nearby. The Doctor steps out to greet them. He introduces them to a primitive but rather idyllic village populated by deaf, mute humanoids.

Verdict 

Spider-God was a very good little comic strip and continued my reading of the Dragon's Claw graphic novel in great fashion. Now, it's actually been about three weeks since I blogged War of the Words which was my last entry from this comic collection which is unusually strange for me when it comes to reading a graphic novel. However, this copy isn't actually mine and belongs to my young cousin with whom I have recently watched Pyramids of Mars and Warriors of the Deep on his request. I'm not sure I'll be able to get through the rest of the unblogged stories whilst I'm here as it's a hectic week and unfortunately this is the last time I will be up for a while ahead of my return to university for second year. I'm really looking forward to getting back now even if it means a lot less Doctor Who. I'm not sure if I'll ever beat the 2014 amount of entries but I think this year could be close. This graphic novel will certainly help towards the entry count. I liked how the message of not judging by appearances shone through and it showed that even in Doctor Who, not all spiders are evil. We had the ludicrousness of humans hatching out of eggs and then the normal humans we recognised as Frederic and co shooting a spider dead. I think this story could have been improved if it was extended beyond just the one part. The pace is always quicker in a shorter story but sometimes things can go too quick and that was the reason this story didn't get what I consider as the highest level of rating. It was close and if there was a bit more explanation at what was happening then I think it would have achieved it. The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was good in what little it was needed with the likeness of Tom Baker's incarnation easily captured. The Doctor's casual arrival was majestic as he was just sauntering about and not having a care in the world about what was going on and the likes of Frederic being flabbergasted by his arrival. He simply joined up with them and quickly formed a friendship or relationship of sorts. They soon discovered the altar on which the spiders were being worshipped and the other humans, not including the Doctor of course, shot the spider dead which caused a bit of a stir. Shooting or destroying something that people worship always causes some form of riot. This was no different but the story time advanced quickly to a point in a different village with a different spider being worshipped. That's where the Doctor learnt the truth about everything that was going on and we saw humans hatching out of eggs! That sort of meant that they weren't actually humans but I'm not sure what else to call them at this point. They seemed to blossom into something resembling the Menoptera from The Web Planet but I highly doubt that was the case. The ending was a little abrupt but the story as a whole really was great. Overall, another good comic strip!

Rating: 8/10

The Haunted Wagon Train

"You have to get all those Hollywood ideas of Cowboys and Indians out of your head."

Writer: Colin Brake

Format: Novel 

Released: October 2007

Series: DYD 08

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Martha 

Synopsis 

Pioneers travelling across the American Midwest report ghost sightings, but you, the Doctor and Martha believe it's extraterrestrial activity. Can you teach down the aliens before it's too late? 

Verdict 

The Haunted Wagon Train was a great little read and another fine book in the Decide Your Desting series of novels. This time last year, or even a few months ago, I was very sceptical about reading this type of story as it just didn't seem suited to me nor appropriate for my age. The latter still probably holds but despite the target audience of this novel obviously being for children, I still thoroughly enjoyed. I think the thing I've liked most about these stories is that we as the reader feature as a character and it gives a taste of what travelling with the Doctor might be like. It's a wonderful idea and if I'm feeling that as a nineteen year old, I can only imagine what younger readers are feeling when this books whizzes them off through time and space with their favourite hero. It's such a wonderful idea and given how cheap the books are, as well as how quick they can be read, I think I definitely need to invest in some more as I've now completed all in the series that I own. There are many more available so I think I'll have to check for availability or keep an eye out in charity shops. I liked how this story got straight into the action and the reasoning behind us as the reader joining the Doctor and Martha was short and sweet. I liked the decision making in this one and when given the choice, I decided that the story would take place in native America. That's the History student in me. It was a good setting and I really enjoyed the mystery behind the wagon train potentially being haunted. What made it really interesting was the fact that the train was constantly on the move, but the strange lights continued to follow them wherever they went. Running Bear was a good and likeable character and I liked the description of him moving around with a deft quietness. He was skilled in his art and that was impressive. The characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was pretty decent with his likeness being well captured but I thought the representation of Freema Agyeman as Martha was actually better. I'm not sure why that was but it could have been due to her conversing with us as the reader a little more than the Doctor did. I enjoyed the references to Smith and Jones and The Lazarus Experiment very much as past story mentions are always something I love. Mrs Robinson was another good character and I loved the names of her children. Prudence, Courage and Endeavour are wonderful names in a Doctor Who story and although I would only consider the first name for a child of my own, I thought it was just fantastic. Prudence, in the route that I took, was particularly outspoken about the haunted mystery surrounding the wagon train. Martha picked up on that which I liked. The ending of this story was the first in my readings of the DYD that didn't come abruptly and seemed to flow well which was a great thing. The story wasn't perhaps quite as strong as some of the others in the range, but having an ending that flowed really did make a difference. My decision making this time also seemed to make the story last a little longer than my previous readings of books in the same range. It worked out very well indeed. Overall, a brilliant little book!

Rating: 8/10

Warriors of the Deep

"The Silurians have long since abandoned the way of mediation."

Writer: Johnny Byrne 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 5th-13th January 1984

Season: 21.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

Earth, 2084. Two global superpowers hover on the brink of war. When the TARDIS is forced to make an unplanned visit to Sea Base Four, the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough find themselves accused of being enemy agents. Quickly embroiled in a deadly game of paranoid intrigue, it becomes clear that others on the base have sabotage and murder in mind. However, there is a greater threat to mankind; the Silurians and the Sea Devils, prehistoric reptiles seeking to reclaim the Earth. Can the Doctor prevent them implementing their 'final solution' and triggering a war that could wipe out the entire human race?

Verdict 

Warriors of the Deep is a decent story but sadly it doesn't do itself justice on the television screen. The plot itself is very good but the costumes, set and some of the voicing were not great and that's what let things down. It wasn't brilliant and that's a shame because the Target novelisation shows just how good this story really is. It's a quite brilliant adventure but it's hard to buy into some of the decisions that were made by the production team. The design of the set didn't really suit the atmosphere of the story and that's something that wasn't a problem in the novelisation. In my blogging of The Myth Makers novelisation a couple of days ago, I mentioned that it was the first time that a television story and its novelisation have deviated by a raying of two points and as irony and coincidence would have it, this story has just been added to the list. It's a shame really but it just shows that the way a story is presented can have such a huge effect on somebody's enjoyment of it. These deviations now give me great hopes for the novelisations of The Gunfighters and Paradise Towers, two stories I really was not a fan of. I still maintain that the cliffhanger of part one is up there with the very best of all time and although the resolution is pretty non-existent, the ending itself was simply sublime and it's right up there with the likes of The Reign of Terror, The Stolen Earth and Dark Water. It really is excellent. Turlough is interesting as the companion here in his relatively early days and the relationship with Tegan is particularly intriguing. He was more than prepared to leave the Doctor for dead than risk himself in saving him and that was something that was so unlike a companion. That allowed the Doctor and Tegan to be closer in the story which was really fascinating as they haven't always enjoyed the best of relationships. The return of Icthar from the original Silurian Triad we saw in Doctor Who and the Silurians was fantastic and I liked how we also had a nice reference to The Sea Devils. For the viewers who weren't perhaps around during Jon Pertwee's tenure as the Third Doctor, it told them that the Doctor had met these two reptile species before. The Sea Devils themselves didn't look great in appearance and I thought they sounded a bit like the Ice Warriors which wasn't a good thing in all honesty. The design of the Silurians wasn't much changed from the last time we saw them which was good but I thought their voices sounded far too robotic and considering they were in need of oxygen and at the subject of gas during the latter stages of the story, I couldn't buy into it. Nilson was a pretty decent villainous character but he seemed pretty out of depth when it came to being challenged by the Doctor. I liked how our Time Lord hero again wanted mediation between humanity and the Silurians but as is the case with seemingly every Silurian story, they end up dead. The Doctor is always horrified and that was the case here with him being convinced there could have been another way. And that's kind of my thoughts on the story's presentation and production. The adventure is great but it just doesn't feel it on television.

Rating: 7/10

Pyramids of Mars

"There are ancient powers gathering in this place..."

Writer: Stephen Harris 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25th October - 15th November 1975

Season: 13.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah 

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS is infiltrated by a mysterious force, the Doctor and Sarah Jane are drawn off course and arrive in England at the turn of the 20th century. Dark forces from aeons ago are beginning to stir, and the whole future of life on Earth is at stake. Sutekh, last of the Osirians, is breaking free from his ancient prison, and no power in the universe can stand in his way...

Verdict 

Pyramids of Mars is a fantastic story and another brilliant watch with my young cousin. It hasn't been too long since our last viewing together and this was one story that he requested I bring the DVD of up to our grandparents'. I mean, the story has quite a legendary status but as with my opinion on Terror of the Zygons, it's good but it's quite overrated in my view. I'm not saying it isn't good in the slightest, my rating reflects that I enjoyed it but I'm not sure why it's so adored. Maybe that is a tad unfair but I'm struggling to understand the immense praise it gets. I'm probably sounding like I hate this story but that really isn't the case. The Fourth Doctor and Sarah are at their best together and I did enjoy their relationship. Sarah wearing a dress that formerly belonged to Victoria was lovely and a nice touch to the show's past and I also really loved the reference to Death to the Daleks. The 1911 setting was excellent and the implications this story had on the creation of UNIT HQ was superb. The Doctor playing a role in the fire that saw the priory destroyed isn't much of a surprise at all and I loved how he just laughed at the realisation that he was responsible for its collapse. The mention of the Great Fire of London was an interesting foreshadowing of events to come in The Visitation as well. Sarah stating she was from 1980 really puts a spanner in the works when it comes to dating The Time Warrior and just adds a great deal of unwanted controversy to the UNIT dating trouble. It's just impossible for that to be resolved now. Sutekh is an excellent villain and I think he'd have worked better if he wasn't confined on Mars. The Mummy Robots acted as good monsters and I thought the appearance was impressive. Marcus Scarman was another good villainous character and the breakdown in the brotherly relationship with Laurence was a sad state of affairs. Sarah particularly saw that with the latter being murdered by the former. Laurence's relationship with both the Doctor and Sarah was good and I liked how the former realised the importance of the situation with five people already dead. I wasn't too struck on the Doctor showing Sarah her own time as it would be if Sutekh ruled as I felt it was a bit of a contradiction to things. We know that history would be drastically altered without some intervention from the Doctor but for him to just pack up and leave and see how things would be if he didn't get involved seemed a bit like cheating to me. I'm not sure why I felt like that but I just didn't like it. I also thought the cliffhangers could have been improved a little to reach into the highest level of ratings as I wasn't really shocked by any of the three cliffhangers. Although this was my third viewing of the story, and I've read the novelisation, I still hoped the cliffhangers would strike me but sadly they did not. The ending was very good though and I liked the way the Doctor dealt with Sutekh very much. The Osirians could be deadly and I liked how their perspective on evil was what the Doctor knew as good. Sutekh was proud to be bringing death and destruction. The Doctor couldn't allow him to threaten Earth and sent him flying years into the distance. Overall, a very good story but not quite as legendary as fandom would have you believe.

Rating: 8/10

The Myth Makers

"That's what betrayed husbands do, damn it! They kill their wife's lovers."

Writer: Donald Cotton

Format: Novel

Released: September 1985

Series: Target 97

Featuring: First Doctor, Vicki, Steven

Synopsis 

Long, long ago on the Great Plains of Asia Minor, two mighty armies faced each other in mortal combat. The armies were the Greeks and the Trojans and the prize they were fighting for was Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.

To the Greeks it seemed that the city of Troy was impregnable and only a miracle could bring them success.

And then help comes to them in a most unexpected way as a strange blue box materialises close to their camp, bringing with it the Doctor, Steven and Vicki, who soon find themselves caught up in the irreversible tide of history and legend...

Verdict 

The Myth Makers was a pretty decent novelisation of the televised story of the same name but I thought it was quite inferior to its on screen serial. There were quite a few deviations and I really didn't like the fact that the book was from the point of view of Homer, a pretty minor character in the story. I'm not a fan of stories being from the point of view of a character that isn't the Doctor or a companion as we miss quite a lot really. Because of the point of view format of storytelling, we missed some good scenes with the TARDIS regulars and the story just seemed very strange. I must admit I wasn't a fan of Donald Cotton's writing style, especially given the fact there were 27 chapters in a book that was just 141 pages long. That's far too much stop and starting for my liking. I was reading this on the usual train journey from south to mid Wales and I finished the book with about 5 minutes of the trip left so I timed things very well. I finished reading A Clash of Kings yesterday so when it came to deciding a book to read on the train this one jumped right out at me. There were similarities to those series of books but this was lacking in quality compared to that, and this own story's televised format. For a story that is completely missing from the BBC archives, doing a point of view format of novelisation was an awful idea as I think the fans deserve as much detail about what happened as possible. It was a shame really because I know how good this story is. I just felt this format spoiled things somewhat. I believe this is the first time a story's rating has a two-point difference between its on screen and novelised format and I think that can only be down to the style of writing. I'm studying for a History degree at the moment and I do enjoy ancient history and particularly mythology because it is just so fascinating. Seeing some of those famous mythical characters interact with the Doctor was brilliant. The story's take on Cyclops and Achilles was fantastic and I just love the setting of Troy in general. The Doctor playing a large role in the infamous Trojan horse fiasco was superb and I really love that the Doctor and Vicki were inadvertently on different sides of the Trojan-Greek War and were battling wits against each other. Vicki's confidence in beating the Doctor really was intriguing. I was quite saddened by the ending of the book as I felt that Vicki's exit could have had a lot more detail in the novelisation but it seemed to somehow manage to have less! Katarina barely featured before flying off with the Doctor and Steven and I was really gutted the goodbye between Vicki and her companions was not presented in this book. It could have so easily been done. The characterisation of William Hartnell's First Doctor was pretty good and I loved his reaction to first being heralded as Zeus. He played along while it suited him but then the reveal that he wasn't the great God nearly got him killed! Steven's characterisation was absolutely on point which was a big positive. Vicki taking the name of Cressida was good and I must say that really is a stunning name. Cassandra was evil and that seems to be synonymous with characters of that name in Doctor Who as we'd later learn in the series following the revival. Odysseus was a good character and I also thought Agamemnon and Paris were great too. The plot played out pretty well even if nearly every chapter was far too short. It wasn't dull which was good and I liked how a future incarnation of the Doctor, probably the Second Doctor, revisited Homer when he was telling the events of this story. Overall, it is a good story but I just thought the format did it no favours and really let things down. It still wasn't bad though.

Rating: 7/10

Journey's End

"Something is destroying everything..."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 5th July 2008

Series: 4.13

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack, Sarah Jane, Mickey

Synopsis 

The Daleks are the masters of Earth. The Doctor has been exterminated and now Davros schemes to end all of reality itself. Can the Children of Time do anything to save creation? Even when one of them will die?

Verdict 

Journey's End was an incredible finale and a brilliant conclusion to the story already started in The Stolen Earth. We don't get to see a great deal of the Torchwood team or Luke, whom were both representing the Doctor Who spinoff shows, but what we got was still absolutely superb. It begins immediately where the previous episode finished and that was with the Tenth Doctor regenerating. I think the resolution of using the spare hand to feed the regeneration power into should have occurred before the opening credits as we knew immediately that a regeneration wouldn't be occurring. Well, that's not strictly true I guess. We would later learn in The Time of the Doctor that this did in fact use up one of the Doctor's twelve permitted regenerations despite not changing physically. The amount of control Time Lords have on regeneration is interesting and I liked how The Christmas Invasion was referenced and brought full circle where the Doctor's hand was chopped off by the Sycorax Leader. We saw the hand throughout the first series of Torchwood and it's been in the TARDIS since the finale of Series 3 and now we saw the hand grow into another Doctor! The prophecy told in Planet of the Ood of the DoctorDonna came true and we technically saw three versions of the Doctor. The Daleks were still as ruthless as ever and I liked how they transported the TARDIS to the Dalek Crucible. The Doctor was reunited with Davros once again and it was brilliant to see them together again. The former didn't want the nostalgia tour, he just wanted to put things right. Davros was as insane as ever in this episode and that was absolutely fantastic. Davros and the Daleks were intending on a reality bomb which literally meant the end of everything. The Daleks wanted to be the only species in existence and in achieving that, Davros also wanted to show the Doctor his soul. It was quite harrowing really when the Doctor realised what his companions had become. Martha was in Germany and prepared to actually blow up the planet whilst Jack and Sarah had connected a warp star to the Dalek Crucible and were just as prepared to blow the ship up. Davros forcing the Doctor to remember all the sacrifices people have made for him was tough to see and we saw a lot of those who had died in helping the Doctor to victory. Davros recognising Sarah Jane from Genesis of the Daleks was a wonderful moment and I liked how Sarah mentioned she'd grown up since that first meeting. Tosh perfecting a time lock in the Torchwood hub to save Gwen and Ianto from extermination was good and I liked the quick arrival of Mickey and Jackie to save Sarah Jane. There were brilliant references to School Reunion, The Runaway Bride, Voyage of the Damned, Partners in Crime and The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky. The metacrisis Doctor was intriguing to say the least and I loved how he was part human, had one heart and even acted a little like Donna! The differentiation by wearing a blue suit was terrific and I liked how Army of Ghosts/Doomsday was brought full circle with the Doctor finally telling Rose that he loved her, even if we didn't get to hear it. The metacrisis Doctor committed genocide on the Daleks and the real Doctor made him stay in the parallel universe with Rose. They could go grow old together and that was a nice touch. Donna being the companion that died, or at least the metacrisis version of her, was really emotional and the fact she had to have her memory of her time with the Doctor was a sad ending. Overall, an incredible finale full of action, emotion and brilliance! Seeing all of the companions in the TARDIS was a real treat.

Rating: 10/10

The Stolen Earth

"The human harvest will commence."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 28th June 2008

Series: 4.12

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, Rose, Martha, Captain Jack, Gwen, Ianto, Sarah Jane, Luke

Synopsis 

Planets are disappearing. Earth has moved in space. The Daleks are the planet's new masters and the Doctor is nowhere to be seen. Davros has returned and his creations are more powerful than ever. Can the Doctor's former companions unite and contact the Time Lord before all is lost?

Verdict 

The Stolen Earth is an incredible episode and serves as a quite brilliant first part to the finale of the fourth series. Not only does it unite all of the Tenth Doctor's companions but it also acts as a crossover between Doctor Who, Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures. As if that wasn't enough, we see the return of the Daleks but rather more significantly we see their creator for the first time since the revival in 2005. Davros is an incredible character and his return here really is superb. He's still devious, insane and downright evil and I loved how good of a job the production team did in bringing him back to life with a bit of a revamp. We saw continuation from Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks with the details behind Dalek Caan's emergency temporal shift revealed. He flew into the Time War itself and saved Davros from death. The Doctor's reaction, and Sarah's, to hearing his voice was fantastic. It was a look of pure horror and disbelief and that sold to the newer viewers just how important Davros was and the threat he provided. The emergence of a red Supreme Dalek was great and I really liked the voice and appearance standing above the other Daleks. Seeing the Torchwood team in a Doctor Who episode was marvellous and actually seeing the inside of the Hub was excellent for me as it's been a long time since I blogged an episode in which that featured. I have well over 800 blog entries by now but not one of them is of a Sarah Jane Adventures story yet so seeing Luke and Mr Smith again was a real treat as it must be at least five years since I watched one of those stories. The concept of planets disappearing was great and I liked how that sparked references to The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Partners in Crime and The Fires of Pompeii. There were also brilliant mentions of Genesis of the Daleks, The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky and Midnight. The return of Harriet Jones was both comedic and emotional as she actually united those who knew the Doctor through the subwave network but was still sure to remind even the Daleks of who she was. Rose not being able to communicate was rather sad and it was tough to see her left out of things. Her reaction to Martha was quite funny though. I loved Wilf's efforts of dealing with the Daleks with a paint gun almost as much as Gwen's reaction to the Doctor. I'm not sure Rhys would approve! The communications between all of the companions was a wonderful sight to behold and I also enjoyed the references to The Lost Boy and Exit Wounds. The Doctor and Donna heading for the Shadow Proclamation was excellent and I must commend David Tennant for delivering his speech in the language of the Judoon. I was very impressed with how he kept a straight face. The efforts of the companions, or 'Children of Time' as Davros dubbed them, to contact the Doctor was superb and I liked how they eventually broke through. The Doctor was brought up to speed on events and found his way back to Earth, and was reunited with Rose. Or, he almost was. They saw each other from afar and started running towards one another, only for a Dalek to appear and exterminate the Doctor. Talk about cruel! Jack arrived to deal with the Dalek but the damage had been done. He was quickly helped into the TARDIS and Rose and Jack knew what was coming next. The regeneration started and one of my all time favourite cliffhangers took place. I remember watching on broadcast as an 11 year old and being completely shocked. I was stunned and that's what you want out of a cliffhanger! Overall, an incredible episode to start the finale.

Turn Left

"Turn right and never meet that man. Turn right and change the world!"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 21st June 2008

Series: 4.11

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna, Rose

Synopsis 

What would life be like if the Doctor didn't exist? If his victories were reversed and evil took precedence? Well, thanks to the Trickster's Brigade a certain Donna Noble is about to find out as a life changing decision is altered...

Verdict 

Turn Left is an outstanding episode and really does a great job of not only setting up the series finale but highlighting just how important the Doctor is to humanity, and not only that but by also doing a stellar job in promoting the importance of the companion role. If the Doctor ever doubted that he needed somebody travelling with him then he need just remind himself of the events of this story and the experience Donna went through at the hand of the Trickster's Brigade. After recently watching The Runaway Bride, I thought it was a good time to watch this episode even if it further limits my pool of new series episodes left to blog. We see how crucial Donna was to the Doctor's survival in battling the Empress of the Racnoss as he needed to be told to stop and that he'd done enough to see out the threat. As this alternate reality showed, if Donna wasn't with him he would have perished and too quickly for regeneration to commence. The way the sorceress deduced the crucial moment in Donna's life that saw her meet the Doctor was excellent and actually something I'd failed to pick up on in my previous viewings. We see the devastating effects that the events of Smith and Jones had on the people in the hospital that was taken to the Moon and the lack of the Doctor meant the deaths of Martha and Sarah Jane. Life was continuing to take a turn for the worst with the Doctor dead as the events of Voyage of the Damned were realised and London was obliterated. Donna only managed to survive thanks to a warning from Rose. Their relationship as the episode went on was superb and I remember how brilliant it was first time around to see two companions who hadn't previously met interact for the first time. Then came the events of Partners of Crime and without the Doctor and Donna to stop Miss Foster, the scale of death was frightening with sixty-million lives claimed in America alone. That was quite a difficult number to comprehend. Still no Doctor, and things were getting worse as the ATMOS attack at the hands of the Sontarans in The Sontaran Strategem/The Poison Sky came next and that claimed the lives of the Torchwood team. By now, Donna and her family had been relocated to Leeds and with the stars going out, she was now ready to fix things and find out why she was so important and what exactly was on her back. UNIT and Rose made quite the team and with the help of the TARDIS, Donna was sent back in time to put things right and ensure that she turned left instead of right. The lack of the Doctor was hardly felt and I think that's testament to how great the characters of Donna and Rose are. Despite the Doctor being absent, the story was still all about him and that's why his no show was not felt. He literally appeared at the start and end of the story and although his realisation of Rose meeting Donna meant trouble, the finale was set up very nicely with every word changing to Bad Wolf. Overall, a superb episode! 

Rating: 10/10

Armageddon

"The world is at war with an army of machines."

Writer: Matt Fitton 

Format: Audio

Released: November 2015

Series: UNIT: Extinction 04

Featuring: Kate, Osgood 

Synopsis 

As Autons swarm across the planet, the human race faces its darkest hour. Simon Devlin has helped his alien masters gain a global foothold and their scheme is almost complete.

As UNIT leads the fightback on every front, every continent, against an implacable army, Kate Stewart must look to the past for some clue to defeat the plastic menace.

The Nestene Consciousness is growing in power. It has plans for the human race, and when it achieves its ultimate form, it will be unstoppable. Only UNIT stands between humanity and total extinction...

Verdict 

Armageddon was an excellent audio to conclude the first series of UNIT adventures from the new series of Doctor Who. It was Big Finish's first foray into the post revival era and they did an excellent job with the boxset as a whole. Extinction finished in style and my wishes of a mention of the Doctor were more than met here! We had a great deal of action but I also liked that negotiation and dialogue played a big part in the story. I loved Osgood and as the boxset has gone on, she has slowly became my favourite character in this spinoff. I suspected she would be prior to listening due to her on screen adventures and my expectations have now been met. After finishing this boxset, I'm certainly now inclined to purchase the next one which is always a good sign as it shows that I'm interested in the characters and the spinoff. That isn't always the case but as with the Dalek Empire and Cyberman spinoff series, I want more. I really liked the Autons once again and the battles on the landmark bridges in London, notably Tower Bridge, were excellent. I enjoyed the focus on the Tower of London and the Nestene Consciousness directing the Autons towards UNIT HQ was great. Osgood and Jacqui made quite the combination in the relative safety of the Tower of London and I liked how superiorly intelligent the former was. She had to explain every little detail to Jacqui and I really enjoyed the humour surrounding Osgood's ray gun that wasn't actually a ray gun. She eventually gave in when it came to correcting people about that. It looked like a ray gun and when fired on the Autons it did the damage of a ray gun, even if what was actually shot was far more complex. Kate trusting Osgood to come up with a scientific solution to the Nestene invasion was terrific and I enjoyed how she voluntarily went to meet with Devlin and the Nestene Consciousness. I liked how the latter referenced Spearhead From Space and Terror of the Autons by referring to the familiarity of the Stewart bloodline. That was really good. Shindi was good once again and I also liked Sam Bishop's role in the story. Josh Carter's transition from serving the Nestenes to being a plastic UNIT operative was quite eventful and I liked the comedic value that brought, particularly with his flirting with Osgood. She seemed uncomfortable by that which was rather sweet. Kate using something the Doctor cooked up a long time ago in the form of anti-plastic was brilliant and I liked the way she managed to smuggle it into the complex where the Nestene Consciousness was housed. It was hoping to gain a physical body and whilst on the verge of doing so, Kate struck with the deadly liquid cutting off the invasion at its source. Devlin was dealt with and his memory of the past six months was quickly lost. The Autons and 3D printers simply melted and disintegrated and now UNIT was planning on feeding the memory loss retcon through the water system. Jacqui McGee wouldn't be drinking though as she remembered what happened to her in Vanguard. It was good ending to an excellent little boxset. Overall, a great audio!

Rating: 9/10

Bridgehead

"The plan is entering a critical phase..."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: November 2015

Series: UNIT: Extinction 03

Featuring: Kate, Osgood 

Synopsis 

With Nestene energy units falling from the skies around the globe, UNIT's resources are stretched to breaking point as they try to respond.

Josh Carter has gone undercover inside Devlin FutureTech. His safety is jeopardised, however, by the activities of investigative journalist Jacqui McGee.

As the Nestenes progress their plans, Kate becomes a target.

Verdict 

Bridgehead was an excellent audio adventure and was the best yet of the UNIT spinoff series. Extinction continued along very nicely and my hopes from the first two stories were realised with a whole lot more action occurring. There was a decent pace and a whole lot of excitement which was fantastic. This was definitely the best of the boxset so far and you'd be able to see that simply by comparing the ratings of the stories. The story has set things up very nicely for the finale of the audio collection and I look very forward to listening to that tomorrow. But let's talk about what I got through today and I thought it was good to focus on a newly introduced character in the form of Josh. He takes the centre stage on the front of the CD cover and rightfully so as he is at the forefront for most of the story. His infiltration of the Devlin FutureTech headquarters of sorts was great and I liked how he was willing to do whatever it took to get the information that Kate and UNIT required. Kate didn't want him getting captured but he wanted to get the job done. I really liked the Autons in this story and their attack at the start of the adventure was excellent. They were utterly ruthless and the fact they were being created by the 3D printers around the world was fantastic. I'm loving the concept of the boxset and it's certainly a unique form of an invasion on the part of the Nestene Consciousness! Hearing the controller of the Autons is intriguing and I have liked the job that Nicholas Briggs has done in voicing that monster. I must admit, I'm surprised by the lack of times the Doctor has been mentioned and although it's good that the spinoff is standing alone, a mention of the heroic Time Lord wouldn't go down a miss. Osgood was as good as ever and I just love how intelligent she is. She even managed to confuse Kate during this story which is rather impressive. Kate was her usual composed self and I like how despite her calm nature, she doesn't lack in being stern when she needs to be. Her holographic communication to Josh in the toilets was quite humorous. I think Devlin is a superb villain and his pact with the Nestene Consciousness is surely bound to backfire in the next and final story. It's worked pretty well up to this point with only one major casualty but it doesn't seem to be much of a setback. Devlin FutureTech has become a global sensation but the printers are now hitting the news for the wrong reasons. But it may be too late to stop them now. Unplugging the printers won't stop them producing Autons and the mannequins were utterly ruthless in their slaughter if they were attacked. This audio was back up to a 50 minute running time after a pretty short story in Earthfall. It allowed for greater detail and obviously for just more to happen. I thought the lead in for the final story was pretty good and the three audios so far have set up the boxset finale very nicely. I just hope there's a whole lot of action, excitement and a good story to match! I'm sure it will be. This one was great and overall, another fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10

Earthfall

"Autons... self destruct!"

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: November 2015

Series: UNIT: Extinction 02

Featuring: Kate, Osgood 

Synopsis

Lieutenant 

Verdict 

Earthfall was another good UNIT spinoff audio and continued the Extinction boxset along very nicely. Things continued on where Vanguard left off and the truth behind Devlin FutureTech really did get revealed in excellent fashion. There was more than one surprise in this audio which is always a good thing and it was brilliant to know that the Autons are present and the way their lack of speech is being tackled for an audio story is good. They didn't feature heavily here but the challenge was dealt with very well through the speech of other characters, most notably Jenna Gold. I thought she was actually a fantastic character but she'd been easily fooled by Devlin who had sold to her the lie that he was the creator of the Autons. Osgood was quick to correct that and referenced Spearhead From Space, Terror of the Autons and Rose by mentioning the more than one occasion that they have invaded Earth. This current invasion appears to be on a much wider scale as we had a lot of the story situated in Mongolia and it would appear that the next audio will be set in Puerto Rico! UNIT are certainly getting around the place that is for sure. I really liked Kate in this story and her use of holographic technology to communicate with Osgood from London was great. Jacqui McGee returning and not remembering her meeting with Kate in the previous audio was quite funny. I thought Sam Bishop was excellent and I really liked his confidence in being able to deal with any type of situation. He was not afraid and he was certainly not backing down from an alien threat. His relationship with Osgood was good and it was interesting to see her fully out on the field of battle despite it not being her place. She wasn't complaining though which was terrific. I was quite surprised at how short this audio story was at just 38 minutes long. I did think that the four stories would be closer to an hour each but with the first adventure being 48 minutes, I really didn't expect the second to be ten minutes shorter! If a story is going to be shorter than the usual length then I expect more to happen at a faster pace but that didn't happen hear. I've been happy with the content, quality and consistency of the boxset so far but I think for my ratings (which are no doubt still very good) to improve into the highest range of scores, there needs to be more excitement from the stories. Things are still being put into place which is fine but I am hoping that the third story in the collection starts to present us with a lot more action. There was a hint of that at the end of this story with the Autons self destructing themselves after obliterating Jenna in quite horrific style. UNIT were quite pleased with their work but the problem of FutureTech's 3D printers still remained large, especially given the revelation that what they printed was plastic. The Nestene Consciousness must have been having a field day with plastic being created left, right and centre. The idea is actually outstanding and I look forward to it coming into prominence in the next two audios. I'm sure things will get there following this build up as things are looking good. Overall, another good story in the boxset!

Rating: 8/10

Vanguard

"It's your lucky day. You get to blow something up."

Writer: Matt Fitton 

Format: Audio

Released: November 2015

Series: UNIT: Extinction 01

Featuring: Kate, Osgood 

Synopsis 

From a state of the art bunker beneath the Tower of London, Kate Stewart leads a secret army protecting the Earth from extraterrestrial threat. Crashed UFOs, strange meteors, a giant lizard in the Severn - all business as usual for UNIT.

While Scientific Advisor Osgood attends a 'skyfall' incident with Colonel Shindi and Captain Josh Carter, Kate's duties take her to visit Devlin FutureTech, and reclusive billionaire Simon Devlin.

Journalist Jacqui McGee is also on FutureTech's case, and nothing's going to get in the way of her story: a product launch that will change the world...

Verdict 

Vanguard was a very good audio adventure and a decent start to the new series of UNIT stories. This marks the first appearance of the post-revival UNIT team that we were first introduced to in The Power of Three and were then more prominently featured in The Day of the Doctor and Dark Water/Death in Heaven. It's a fantastic idea and basis of a spinoff audio series and having Kate and Osgood as the lead characters can only be a good thing. We get to hear the characters shine in their own light and not be overshadowed by the Doctor and I think these audios are going to help with the familiarity and my liking of the characters as I go on. This was only the first story of the first boxset, released some nine months ago now, and a third boxset is close to release as I type, but when I go back and rewatch the episodes featuring UNIT, these audios are definitely going to give me a different perspective on the characters. The boxset cover makes it no secret as to who the enemies are going to be and I must admit the idea of the Autons and Nestene Consciousness returning is the main reason I bought this boxset. It's probably been about five months since I actually purchased it but I just haven't got around to listening to it until now for a variety of reasons. I liked the gradual build to the arrival of the Nestene Consciousness and the new characters we were introduced to were all very good. Kate and Osgood obviously steal the show as they're the characters we know and love so much from their televised appearances, but the likes of Colonel Shindi and Captain Josh Carter were very good indeed. I think Devlin is going to make a good villain and him being the brains behind FutureTech is intriguing as I love the concept of 3D printing coming into a Doctor Who story. With all the thing that can be created by one of those printers, the Autons certainly seem suited to the story. They're yet to appear and my assumption is that the enemy will predominantly be the Nestene Consciousness, I'm looking forward to the Auton arrival, in whichever story that may be. The intelligence of Osgood really shone through in this audio which was terrific and I loved how she had to dumb things down for her colleagues on more than one occasion. The story starting off with a crocodilian threat under the Severn Bridge was good and I liked that choice of setting as it's very familiar to me, living in South Wales but attending university in Bath just across the border. I've travelled over it enough times when coming home. Kate taking authority was very good and I enjoyed the numerous mentions of her continuing the good work of her late father. Jacqui was a good character and I liked how determined of a journalist she was in going so far as to place a tracking device on Kate and get herself somewhere she really shouldn't be. She was in the midst of a skyfall and after a call from Geneva, it seemed that Kate's branch of UNIT dealing with this threat would not solve the problem. Earth was under invasion from all areas of the gloves. UNIT recognised the Nestenes, presumably thanks to files noting the events of Spearhead From Space and Terror of the Autons, but it looked like they were too late to prevent anything now. The Nestene Consciousness was here. It was a very good way to end what was a solid opening story of the boxset. Overall, a great start!

Rating: 8/10

The Game

"It takes both sides to end an war."

Writer: Darin Henry

Format: Audio

Released: February 2005

Series: Main Range 66

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis 

On the planet Cray, it's game time...

The Gora and the Lineen are set to face off in the grudge match to end all grudge matches. The players are limbering up, the commentators are preparing, the fans are daubing themselves in their team's colours.

The arena is set, and the kick-off is approaching...

When the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa arrive, however, they find that Naxy is a sport that anyone can play... whether they want to or not. Cray's entite future depends on the match's outcome, but the time travellers soon realise that it is anything but just a game...

Verdict 

The Game was a fantastic audio adventure! I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish and continued my listening of the Main Range of Big Finish audios in excellent style. It really was terrific and I was delighted with what I listened to. This is my shortest gap between stories from this audio range in quite some time and I'm keen to try and catch up with the current releases but being 150 or so behind along with university commitments and the expenditure, it's going to be difficult to get on track with present releases. However, my supply of stories won't be running out anytime soon which I guess is a good thing. I really liked that this story was split into six parts as although it was no longer than you're average audio release in this range, the pace was superb with the two extra parts and two hours would be presented in six parts if it was a televised story so I think the audios going that way could be a good thing. In saying that, I doubt it has happened too often since but I'd definitely be in favour of it occurring. It was brilliant to hear William Russell in a feature length story as a character other than Ian and he played Darzil Carlisle wonderfully. His history with the Doctor was very similar to how his tenth self met River Song for the first time as she died. That was the case here. Carlisle was known throughout the cosmos as a galactic peacemaker but he soon revealed that the Doctor was behind all those wars being stopped. The Doctor didn't have a clue and Carlisle was actually one of his heroes but little did he know that he was responsible for bringing about all that peace. I was quite surprised that Nyssa's place in the TARDIS was questioned on more than one occasion and I really was shocked that she was willing to leave the Doctor to stay and aid Carlisle in his future influences on peace in the cosmos. I'm a very big football fan so to hear Jonathan Pearce commentating in a Doctor Who story really was something rather special I must say. His Garny character was excellent and the way he brought the Naxy game to life was brilliant. That was a stroke of genius by the casting team to include an actual sports commentator in the cast. I thought Peter Davison gave w confident performance as the Fifth Doctor and I like how wide the gap between Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity is getting with Nyssa remaining as the sole companion. It just goes to show that what we see on television is far from the full picture. Faye was a good character and I liked how she was infatuated by Morian and his love-like potion that his body naturally gave off. She failed to see the truth in him and ran off with him at the end but the way Nyssa worked out her involvement was very good. The Naxy game itself was quite a horrible concept and the idea of having fans, commentary and even analysis on a game to the death was quire disturbing. That's what made it work though. The game was the civil war on Cray. The Gora and the Lineen were both good sides of the war and I liked how the Doctor got dragged into the game without knowing what it entailed. In trying to stage a retreat, he inadvertently oversaw a tactical masterstroke and became a hero. That was something that horrified him. The ending was good, although I was surprised by the fact that Morian got away. He'll surely be turning up in a future audio so I look forward to that inevitable meeting. Overall, an excellent audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Image of the Fendahl

"Leela, you simply must stop attacking people."

Writer: Chris Boucher

Format: TV

Broadcast: 29th October - 19th November 1977

Season: 15.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis 

A sonic time scan draws the TARDIS to the Fetch Priory on Earth. There, the Doctor and Leela discover an impossibly old human skull that is the key to a nightmare from the Time Lords' past.

A murderous monsters stalks the priory grounds; and within, someone is intent on unleashing a malevolent creature that feeds on death itself...

Verdict 

Image of the Fendahl was a decent story but it didn't come without its faults. It quickly follows on from The Invisible Enemy but we barely get to see K9 other than a cameo scene at the start of part one and then a follow up at the end of the final part. I understand scheduling and decision making wasn't made clear, but with K9 becoming a mainstay with the Doctor and Leela, he surely had to feature prominently here. The story was rather significant for the human race which was good and I liked how the Fendahleen had a big part to play in the evolution of mankind. The Doctor was keen to make clear that they didn't create humanity as we know it today but just had a big impact in what it became at the point of this story. I thought the Fetch Priory was a pretty good setting and it had a lot going for it but the thing that I'm probably most critical of in this story was the lack of clarity and explanation. There seemed to be a lengthy scene with no dialogue followed by the Doctor or someone else in the know explaining in depth what had just occurred. Things came in clumps and I'm not a fan of that. I liked the ambition behind some of the visuals in this story and although they perhaps didn't all pay off, I liked the idea of trying to impress. Maybe the fact I'm watching this nearly forty years after it first broadcast has something to do with my opinion on that though, I'm not sure. I must say, I thought Leela's new attire was absolutely atrocious. Louise Jameson already looked different enough with her change of hairstyle and then the new outfit to match was just horrible. It was so obviously trying to be sexy and appealing that it just didn't work. The savage nature of her character continued in good fashion and I liked the reference to The Face of Evil with Leela mocking the man she supposed was hunting her and the Doctor at the start of the story. The Fendahl coming from Time Lord mythology was really intriguing and the history lesson on their origin on the fifth planet was really good. I really liked Thea prior to her quite life changing transformation and I also thought that Max and Adam were very good characters. I thought the story could have had a bit more of a central focus on mythology with the whole pentagram being found in the impossibly old skull but what we got was decent. Jack and Martha weren't characters I was a great fan of which was a shame but I did like the latter's presentation of rock salt to the Doctor. I thought the cliffhangers were nothing more than okay and I was rather amazed by the Doctor's use of a shotgun on the Fendahl. They must really be the stuff of nightmares in Time Lord mythology for him to resort to those kind of means. I thought the climax was pretty exciting but it definitely could have been more impactful and quicker paced. In saying that though, it wasn't bad at all. The Doctor assisting in suicide was again another surprise to accompany his use of a gun. I must admit I was very shocked by some of his actions. Overall, good but not without its flaws. It tries hard, has ambition but doesn't quite pull everything off as successfully as I'd have liked. 

Rating: 7/10

The Juggernauts

"You have not been rescued, Doctor. You have been recruited."

Writer: Scott Allan Woodard 

Format: Audio

Released: January 2005

Series: Main Range 65

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Mel

Synopsis 

In a small mining colony on the dark distant planet of Lethe, strange events are occurring - the results of which could dramatically affect things on a universal scale. For within the dingy corridors of the artificial biosphere, the lone survivor of a devastating crash has expertly wormed his way into the lives of the colony's personnel.

A scientist known as Davros.

Separated from one another across space and time, the Doctor and Mel find themselves in very different predicaments: Mel has been employed on Lethe, while the Doctor has been imprisoned aboard an alien spacecraft. Both situations are inexorably linked, however, and at the apex of the two sits Davros and the terrifying possibility of a new threat even more powerful than the Daleks!

Rescuing Mel and stopping Davros should be the Doctor's primary goals, but could it be that this time, Mel does not wish to be rescued? And might Davros actually be working on something for the benefit of the civilised galaxies...?

Verdict 

The Juggernauts was a very good audio adventure and saw me return to my blogging of the Main Range audios from Big Finish. After the cliffhanger finish of The Next Life with the Eighth Doctor returning from the Divergent Universe to a welcoming party of Davros and the Daleks, I was a little surprised with the scheduling as we got a story featuring them immediately, but instead with the Sixth Doctor! I was surprised by that because it meant that Davros featured in two consecutive audio stories that were completely unrelated. I liked how this followed Revelation of the Daleks and explained how Davros escaped capture following his departure from Necros. The theme of this story wasn't too dissimilar to that though as we had the insane creator of the Daleks once again harnessing human body parts, only this time it was for the Mechanoids! Now, if I was thinking of past enemies and monsters from the show's past, the Mechanoids wouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list of whom I'd expect to return. They of course featured alongside the Daleks once before in The Chase which the Doctor neatly referenced and I was quite surprised that the Daleks foresaw them as a threat to their existence. Davros was working towards the destruction of the Daleks and somehow that ended up with the Doctor working for his most deadly and hated enemies. I really thought Mel was terrific in this story and she hasn't appeared in as many audios as I'd have liked during the 65 story run that I've so far blogged of the Main Range. She didn't get a lengthy runout on screen so hearing her in the audios is just brilliant. Bonnie Langford is wonderful and really brings her character back to life in a tremendous way. Her relationship with Geoff was interesting and I liked the simplicity in the way she kissed him. She really could see herself being more than friends and even giving her travels with the Doctor up to be with him. Her period on Lethe was good and I liked how she came into her own after spending three months without the Doctor. She was delighted with his arrival though, even if she wholeheartedly disagreed with his take on her beloved Professor. That actually turned out to be Davros in a well hidden disguise and I liked how he had everybody fooled. I was reading DocOho's review on this story prior to blogging and I must say that comparing Davros to Hitler really is absolutely spot on. He's insane, possessed and just downright evil. He was trying to kill his creation and was going to some extraordinary lengths to do it. Mel questioning why the Doctor hasn't defeated the Daleks and Davros once and for all was quite a challenging position for the Doctor to be put in and he was painfully reminded of that fateful decision he made in Genesis of the Daleks by deciding not to kill the Daleks before they were born. I thought the pace of the audio was good and started fast which I like and although the cliffhangers weren't exactly brilliant, the story as a whole was very good. I question the motives of Davros but the way he was apparently murdered at the orders of Mel was quite incredible. It might go some way to explaining his state in Remembrance of the Daleks which is good. Overall, a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Runaway Bride

"I'm late for the wedding. My own wedding!"

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25th December 2006

Series: 2006 Christmas Special

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis 

Killer Santas, exploding baubles, an alien spaceship shaped like a giant star - Christmas with the Doctor is anything but a silent night.

It's Christmas Eve and as Donna Noble prepares to walk up the aisle, she soon finds herself in the TARDIS. The Doctor is shocked and soon unravels a plan that dates back to the creation of the Earth and a date with a species long thought dead.

Verdict 

The Runaway Bride was a brilliant episode and was exactly what a Christmas Special should be. It was fun, entertaining and told a terrific story. After the emotional Series 2 finale that was Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, this was a much changed atmosphere and whilst Donna was initially horrified by missing her wedding, she came to find great comfort in the Doctor which I thought was nice. I thought the episode really showed a lot of character development for the Tenth Doctor and losing Rose really has had quite the effect on him. Donna arriving in the the TARDIS so soon after the Doctor said farewell to his companion was good for him because it kept him occupied and she made him realise that he needs someone with him. This episode's importance would be explored further in Turn Left but Donna being quite scared of the Doctor really had quite an impact and set in the realisation of how dangerous he can be when travelling alone. The first quarter of the episode was a lot of fun with the Doctor and Donna getting acquainted with themselves. I loved how she kept referring to him as a Martian and the way she reacted to his scanning with the sonic screwdriver was terrific. She really was challenging him like no other before her. Catherine Tate is a great actress and having her perform the entire episode in her wedding dress was rather humorous. The scene on the motorway where she jumps from taxi to TARDIS was very good and I loved the inclusion of the children watching from the car. That was a real nice touch. The return of the Robot Santas was very good after their inclusion in The Christmas Invasion and I liked how the Doctor referenced that story's events. Donna constantly missing the big picture in life is interesting and it's not too dissimilar to Amy Pond not remembering the Daleks after the events of The Stolen Earth/Journey's End. I also enjoyed the Doctor's mention of a Slitheen when trying to work out how Donna came aboard the TARDIS and thought it could be something to do with her husband to be. Lance did have a lot to do with that by filling her with huon particles. The age of the Racnoss was fantastic and I liked how they had history with the Time Lords. The Empress of the Racnoss was horrified when she found out that the Doctor was from Gallifrey, with his home planet being named on screen for the first time since the revival. The continuation of the Torchwood arc was good and I liked how we got the first mention of "Mr Saxon" in a story, setting up things for Series 3. The Doctor taking Donna right back to the formation of the Earth was superb and I liked how the Racnoss didn't plant something at the centre of the planet, they became it. Now that is ambitious and quite a hiding place! But now the Empress had returned and it was time for her children to wake up. Lance was fed to them but the Doctor saved Donna. He then drained the Thames in quite humorous fashion and saw the Racnoss drowned. He upheld his duty as a Time Lord and wouldn't allow the threat to be released, even if acted quite maliciously. He gave them a choice but they declined peace. That was something the Doctor didn't like. The ending with him making it snow on Christmas was nice. Overall, an excellent episode! And it wouldn't be long before we saw Donna again.

Rating: 9/10

Vampire Science

"Yes, I'm not human, and yes, that was a vampire..."

Writers: Jonathan Blum & Kate Orman

Format: Novel

Released: July 1997

Series: EDA 02

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Sam

Synopsis 

In the days when the Time Lords were young, their war with the Vampires cost trillions of lives on countless worlds. Now the Vampires have been sighted again, in San Francisco.

Some want to coexist with humans, using genetic engineering in a macabre experiment to find a new source of blood. But some would rather go out in a blaze of glory - and UNIT's attempts to contain them could provoke another devastating war.

The Doctor strikes a dangerous bargain, but even he might not be able to keep the city from getting caught in the crossfire. While he finds himself caught in a wet of old feuds and high-tech schemes, his new companion Sam finds out just how deadly travelling with the Doctor can be.

Verdict 

Vampire Science was an excellent novel and a very strong follow up to The Eight Doctors, a story that was nicely referenced here, in the series of Eighth Doctor novels. It has been a while since I started the range but after some thinking and some luck on eBay, I decided I may as well go ahead and read the entire range in order. That will probably require me rereading Endgame but I can't see that being a problem. In a way, this book seemed to also act as the first in the book series because in the first novel we had every single Doctor feature as well as many revisits to past stories. We only really saw new companion Sam at the start and end of that book but I absolutely loved how this story just threw her straight into the deep end. It started so quickly and I was immediately delved and hooked by the story. The pacing was fantastic and ensured that my usual train journey back to South Wales flew by. I barely put the book down and although it wasn't completely perfect, I was delighted with what I read. I imagine it's a rather tough task to co-write a novel but the pair of writers did a good job here. There was a mix of styles which I think definitely benefited the story. The novel's title is very apt and is certainly a key to what occurs in the story, something which isn't always the case. I was surprised by another Eighth Doctor being set in San Francisco especially given that at the time of its release it was only the third story to feature this incarnation of the Time Lord. With that being the case though, I thought the characterisation of Paul McGann's eighth incarnation was absolutely superb. Having the benefit of listening to his audios and also reading one of his Doctor's graphic novels, I feel like I know this Doctor better than a lot of fans might. His relationship with Sam was terrific and I like how despite things clearly being early on for her in the TARDIS, it didn't seem like things were brand new for her. She felt at home in the TARDIS and wanted to be involved in everything that was happened. At just seventeen, she was very courageous. The Doctor's effect on Carolyn was intriguing and I loved how completely oblivious he was to how he comes across to women. Kramer eventually made him see it towards the end of the book but I did like how he genuinely had no idea. The Brigadier of UNIT's US branch was a very good character and I liked how she had past dealings with the Seventh Doctor. She knew all about his meddling behind Ace's back but she wasn't aware of this latest incarnation. There were very good references to The Movie, The Caves of Androzani and The Invasion of Time and I also liked how for the Doctor, three years had passed since his latest regeneration. A vampire story is something that always interests me and I think this topped some of the televised stories that play on the mythical idea. Joanna Harris was a wonderful character and I loved how she was the leader of the Vampires if you will. She was born on the day the Battle of Hastings came to a conclusion and had been unliving for most of the time since. The coven having fourteen members, specifically to have one more life than a Time Lord, was brilliant and I really liked that some of Gallifrey's history was explored. We learned of the war between Time Lords and Vampires in great detail and it was interesting to see just how long ago that war had commenced. The Vampires didn't believe in the existence of Time Lord's until the Doctor's presence and they soon had a problem on the their hands. The way he quite literally owned the stage with his words was marvellous. The Doctor really did talk himself out of more than one sticky situation over the course of this book. The way he convinced Harris to free James was excellent as he really did seem to making everything up as he went along. He bloodfasted with her as a token of trust but it was also an incredible risk. It meant a bond between the pair and whatever happened to him, happened to her. If Harris died then so did the Doctor and vice versa. I really enjoyed the emotional conflict between the Doctor and Sam when she couldn't understand that killing the murderers wasn't the right answer. Carolyn was also on our new companion's side and the vented anger that the Doctor's peaceful stubbornness brought was terrific. Once Slake and his faction of Vampires crossed the line though, he gave them no choice. The light setting job of James coming full circle was a nice touch to things and I loved the climax in the theatre. It was full of pace, excitement and emotion which was great. There were a lot of deadly moments which is always good in a book and I liked how badly Sam was effected by being bitten by Weird Harold. The death of Abner came as quite a shock and really cemented Slake's place at the top of the newbie Vampire's faction and I thought Rusty and Shackle were very good characters, particularly the latter with his decision to convert. Overall, a superb novel that nearly got the full marks rating but it just wasn't quite there. Things jumped a little too much in the latter third of the book and Kraymer was randomly a male temporarily, but other than that there were no real problems. A fantastic second instalment in the novel series.

Rating: 9/10 

War of the Words

"All the data in the known universe is stored here."

Writer: Steve Moore

Format: Comic Strip

Released: April 1981

Printed in: DWM 51

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, K9

Synopsis 

For 47.63 years the Vromyx and the Garynth have been at war for possession of the super-weapon data thought to be contained on the library planet Biblios. Although the robot librarians of Biblios have repeatedly told the Vromyx and Garynth that the library has no data on weapons, the warring species refuse to end their war or move it elsewhere. It's now up to the Doctor to end a war...

Verdict 

War of the Words was a decent little comic strip story but there's no doubting it could have been better. It continued my reading of my cousin's copy of Dragon's Claw but today is where that will stop until the next time I come up, which is when I am to complete it before moving back to university. That will soon be here so I'm trying to keep up the daily blogging until then. Once October comes, I'm sure I won't be able to maintain daily entries but I'm sure as hell going to try! This story was interesting and to my knowledge (and recent blog entries should confirm) was the first one parter story from Doctor Who Magazine. It's quite the difference from the lengthy eight part stories in The Iron Legion graphic novel but I imagine the readers at the time were quietly pleased that they didn't have to wait a whole month for the next instalment of the story. As much as I love DWM, and also Doctor Who Comic, having to wait a month at a time for the next part of the story can sometimes be a killer. It almost always requires a reread but it does get the anticipation up for an adventure which I suppose is a good thing. With this story, there was no cliffhanger and it panned out over just the one part. The story had a decent setting with the knowledge based Biblios as the primary setting. The claim that it had all of the known data in the universe housed in the library was rather incredible and I liked the Doctor's reaction to that. I thought the characterisation of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor was pretty good although he doesn't seem to be as involved in a one part comic strip story. But nonetheless, it was still a good capturing of his likeness. I thought the war between the Garynth and the Vromyx was rather redundant but that's what made the Doctor's involvement all the more necessary. They were both fighting over a free resource for information that it didn't have. Both wanted information on super weapons and did not want the other party having that crucial knowledge. The robots on Biblios had tried explaining to both factions of the war that the knowledge they wanted didn't exist here but they were having none of it. This had been going on for a rather precise 47.63 years which was strange and I liked how the Doctor was determined to end it. There was humour in the story but the way that the Doctor stopped the war was something I wasn't buying. It was a little too far fetched and the idea of both sides believing the word and actions of a stranger after nearly half a century of war wasn't a good resolution in my eyes which was a real shame. The story wasn't too bad but there just seemed to be a lack of excitement which in a one part story is something you need to make up for the less detailed nature of the comic strip. For each blog entry I do I always put when the adventure was released but I noticed that with this story being released in 1981, after the broadcast of Warriors' Gate, that K9 was still on his travels with the Doctor. That intrigued me greatly because that means that the comic strips have been behind the television series in terms of chronology. That's not a problem but I'd also assumed it runs alongside it. Overall though, a decent comic strip but it could have been improved.

Rating: 7/10