Nightvisiting

"You died two years ago today."

Writer: Patrick Ness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 29th October 2016

Series: Class 1.03

Featuring: April, Ram, Tanya, Charlie, Miss Quill

Synopsis

When London is infiltrated by a powerful alien, an unexpected visitor comes to Tanya's window. The team must battle this strange new threat to stop Tanya from being lost forever.

Verdict

Nightvisiting was an outstanding episode of Class! This third story of the spinoff series to Doctor Who has instantly become my favourite and I honestly will be very surprised if any of the five remaining episodes in the series can beat it. From start to finish, it was just absolutely brilliant. The plot was excellent but that isn't all that makes a story and I really liked how we got some superb character development of each member of the main cast. We started off with a little bit of a family history for Tanya and the effects the anniversary of her father's death was having on. Of course, I don't think she expected him to return through her window attached to some horrific alien vine. April and Ram seem to have an interesting relationship and I'm just loving the former more and more as the series goes on. She's simply wonderful and I love how nice and just intelligent she is. I wasn't a fan of Ram mocking her for playing the keyboard but the way she stood up to that when they met in person was terrific. We learned a lot about her past as well as she opened up to Ram about how her mother was paralysed and why her father was imprisoned. The emotion behind her reveal was striking and the conversation ended with a kiss between April and Ram that she instigated but seemed quite surprised about. It was a great moment. This series is right up my street in terms of the target audience and Patrick Ness captures the issues of modern society for late teens very well indeed. Charlie didn't really do much in this episode other than engage in a physical relationship with Matteusz. Miss Quill meanwhile was downstairs and calmly conversing with her deceased sister. Well, the human image of her. She never once considered that it was actually her and I must say that the comedy Miss Quill brings to the story is just magnificent. Her reaction to having to answer the door was fantastic. The Lan Kin was quite a horribly brilliant enemy and the concept behind it was deeply disturbing. It brought the dead back to those who missed them most. It was feeding on the souls of humanity but it was intriguing how it couldn't force someone to join with it but could only persuade. Ram saw the full effect of that. The references to The Eleventh Hour, For Tonight We Might Die and The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo were excellent and the resolution behind the Lan Kin being defeated was fantastic. We had Tanya effectively poison the main root branch of the alien that was actually a person rather than a species and then Miss Quill superbly found herself a double decker bus and snapped the branch into pieces. The moment the whole main cast came together at the end to celebrate the achievement, Miss Quill wanting to vomit at their embraces was fantastic. Katherine Kelly really is a wonderful actress and an absolute asset to the show. Overall though, an incredible episode that was easily the best yet.

Rating: 10/10

Thicker Than Water

"If the Doctor's not here, it means he's found something..."

Writer: Paul Sutton
Format: Audio
Released: September 2005
Series: Main Range 73

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Mel, Evelyn

Synopsis

Three years after Vilag was all but laid waste by the Killorans, the Doctor is back alongside a different companion. And a lot has changed,

Now elected Principal Triumvir, head of tripartite government, Rossiter is working to secure a peaceful future for the planet by researching the technology the Killorans left behind. But he has to contend with opposition from his daughter, Sofia, who heads a public campaign demanding the destruction of all alien artefacts.

Politics has caused a rift between father and daughter, and as if that wasn't enough, Sofia doesn't approve of her new stepmother either. Emotions soon boil over into violence - violence that seems to have gripped the entire city.

Friendships bind people close, but they say blood is...

Verdict

Thicker Than Water was a very good audio adventure from the Main Range of Big Finish audios. It wasn't quite what I was expecting from the cover but the story was quite a significant one for me personally as it was my 900th blog entry! It's been a lengthy period of dishing out my verdicts on all kinds of Doctor Who stories ranging from television and comic strip to audio and novel but I'm now only 100 blog entries away from what will be a hugely impressive landmark if I do say so myself. After coming this far, I can't ever imagine not blogging any story I do and even though I'm not at all far away from the four figure mark, I still have a quite ridiculous amount of content to get through. And that starts right here with these audios and this range in particular. I'm so determined to catch up but there's also so much other content that I want to do and as I'm in the middle of studying for my degree, time and money is the issue. This though was a very good story and I must admit I didn't think we'd be hearing a sequel to Arrangements to War. That story was quite powerful with the interactions between the Doctor and Evelyn and this was a very interesting take on the aftermath of that. She actually started off the story not as companion which was strange but it explained how Mel would fit into things. We got a brief flashback of how Evelyn said her goodbyes to the Doctor and decided to stay with Rossiter but I think doing that farewell as a full story would have made more sense. The Doctor wasn't surprised by her decision to leave but you could hear in his voice that he was actually rather sad. I was happy to hear though that he told Mel all about his former companion. I didn't start out as a massive fan of Evelyn but she had grown on me recently but now I do think that's she simply become too old to be a companion. In the Doctor's world, she just isn't up to scratch anymore which sounds incredibly harsh but I just think that's the case. If this is the last we hear of her then I think she'll have left in a good way and the closing scene with the cameo from the Seventh Doctor was absolutely wonderful. She knew right away who he was but the future incarnation of the Doctor seemed so joyful to be seeing his old companion. It was terrific that he was there to tell her of Hex and how he was now all grown up from being "little Tommy" and was travelling the universe in the TARDIS. The events of Project: Lazarus had a huge effect on Evelyn but she could afford a smile on this occasion. She was thrilled with the news which was great. The aftermath of the Killorans causing havoc on Vilag was good and I liked how three years on there were still debates about the incident. People, such as Evelyn, wanted to use the technology and learn from it but the more popular opinion was on the side of Sofia who wanted to get rid of it all. The fact that the pair were stepmother and daughter made family feelings very intense and Rossiter was almost stuck in the middle! The kidnapping of Evelyn was intriguing and unexpected and I liked how it did appear to be orchestrated by Sofia but that wouldn't turn out to be the case. It was actually the work of Szabo who was a good villainous character although I was a little surprised by his motive. There were good references to The Trial of a Time Lord, The Marian Conspiracy and The Harvest and I also really liked how the Sixth Doctor acknowledged how aggressively natured he was at the start of his incarnation. The ending was pretty calm considering some elements of the story and the one it was a sequel to but it was all about Evelyn really and how her days in the TARDIS seemed over. The meeting with the Seventh Doctor was a marvellous finish though and I really did enjoy the story. Overall, a great audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Bloodsport Part 1

"The blood-right of this kill belongs to us!"

Writer: Mark Wright
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 20th October 2016
Printed in: DWM 505

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Jess

Synopsis

The Twelfth Doctor takes Jessica and Max Collins to look at some impressive artwork but a peaceful visit to a gallery soon turns sinister as it becomes the central location of a quite barbaric alien hunt. Jess and Max soon get captured and when people start getting killed, the Doctor has his work cut out for him...

Verdict

Bloodsport kicked off in excellent style with this fantastic first part of the story! It was pretty much everything you could ask for in the opening part of a comic strip adventure but I'll get to some of the details shortly. As is usual in my blogging of the comic stories from Doctor Who Magazine, I like to talk about the magazine itself and I must start off by saying that I'm pretty disappointed in the permanent increase of price to £5.99. For a magazine, that seems quite hefty I must say and I must admit that I have questioned whether I will continue to purchase the magazine. I mean, I surely will as with Doctor Who Comic being released on the same day now the pair come to a tenner and that doesn't make things seem so bad as DWC is incredible value for money in my opinion. There's nothing extra to warrant the price change though and that's slightly annoying. But despite that, this looks set to be an excellent issue once again and with it being released nine days ago, I have already read some of it. I'm thrilled to see that there will be more BBC original audios with the Twelfth Doctor coming early next year as I really enjoyed the Winter story arc and I'm intrigued to see how things will pan out with Clara a thing of the past now. I mentioned in my blogging of The Green Death that I really was fascinated by Steven Moffat's column and I thought Galaxy Forum was good but I was surprised to see a lot of positivity about Jonathan Morris and his feature on the Cybermen in the previous issue. I thought it was horrific and really just made a mockery of the excellent villains. This issue seems to be quite centred on the tenth anniversary of Torchwood which is an anniversary absolutely worth celebrating and I'm just glad that Big Finish is able to give us a celebratory story. I remain hopeful that it will one day return to television but as much as I'm excited about Class, I think that only hinders a possible return. The preview for the spinoff was good but I did think it would get more coverage in the magazine as a whole. Another preview I'm looking very forward to reading is that of The Power of the Daleks. I still can't quite believe that this story is getting a DVD release and has had all six parts animated. It's going to be a joyous watch. Now, back to the comic strip itself and I'm gonna go ahead and say that Jess has now become the companion for the Twelfth Doctor in the gap between television series. She's a very good character and I liked how Max also made an appearance here and absolutely loved what was going on! The story was full of action after starting off with the Doctor's love of art and things really did escalate quickly. The characterisation of Peter Capaldi's incarnation was fantastic I must say. The concept behind the Kolothos Hunt was pretty barbaric but I just loved how Skadi oozed confidence when it came to the natives. They killed easily and their hunt was soon complete without much resistant. They just seemed to be playing a game and the Doctor would be having none of it. Jess and Max managed to get themselves captured aboard the impressive alien ship but the latter just seemed to be enjoying himself which was a change from the norm. The cliffhanger was excellent with a horrifying proposal put forward to Jessica and whilst she'll surely decline, I get the feeling she might not have much choice. Overall, a brilliant start to the story!

Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment

"Man traps... on an uninhabited planet?"

Writer: Ian Marter
Format: Novel
Released: December 1978
Series: Target 56

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry

Synopsis 

Landing on Earth, now a barren, desolate planet, Sarah, Harry and the Doctor are unaware of the large, watching robot. The robot is the work of Styre, a Sontaran warrior, who uses all humans landing here for his experimental programmes.

What has happened to the other space explorers who have come here? Why is the Sontaran scout so interested in Earth and in brutally torturing humans, including Sarah Jane? Will the Doctor be able to prevent an invasion and certain disaster, and save both Earth and his companions?

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment was an excellent novelisation! I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish and I was quite impressed by the fact that although the televised story was only two parts long, Ian Marter did a superb job of extending things so that it felt just like a normal Target novelisation of a televised story. I liked that there were quite a few deviations from the original adventure that was shown on screen and it was actually quite necessary to see things reach the 120+ page count. However, despite the extensions the novel didn't at all feel like it was being drawn out which was a big positive and the story wasn't suffering from any effects in the slightest. The Sontarans are a favoured enemy of mine and this is a story I know well having watched it on three different occasions so I was confident going in prior to reading that this would be good. I most definitely wasn't disappointed. Although Sontaran is in the story title, we didn't see Styr appear until a third of the way through the novelisation but the first forty odd pages prior to that reveal, that didn't actually reveal much at all now I come to think of it, were fantastic in setting the scene for the rest of the story to come. I thought this would be a good choice of story to read as I recently watched The Ark in Space and this adventure immediately follows it. The references to that story were good, although I'm not sure why Space Station Nerva was constantly referred to as Terror Nova. I'll have to read the novelisation of that story, which I do own, at some point to see if things are consistent in the books. Speaking of consistency, a comment by the Doctor regarding the activity of the Sontarans not being recorded since the Middle Ages would seem to conflict The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky but given the time between stories, I'm sure I can let things pass. Sarah's reaction to seeing the Sontaran for the first time was brilliant and I liked how she referenced The Time Warrior in thinking that it was actually Linx. That would obviously take some doing given what happened to him in the aforementioned story and how far this story is set into the future. I thought the Scavenger robot was utilised much more effectively in this novel than it was on television and I guess that's down to the beauty of having no budget restrictions when writing a novelisation. The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was magnificent with Tom Baker's likeness effortlessly captured. The relationship between Sarah and Harry was also beautifully presented with the latter constantly referring to the former as 'old girl'. She didn't like that very much. The expansion on some of Styr's experiments were very good and I thought the difference in the ending was also great. The Sontaran Controller was told of Styr's failure by the Doctor and their hopes for galactic conquest were severely damaged. Styr was dealt with in a quite horrific way. Overall, a brilliant novelisation! 

Rating: 9/10

The Wishing Well Witch Part 2

"It's pulling her back, even as she's trying to claw her way further in..."

Writer: Nick Abadzis
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 20th October 2016
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 12

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby, Cindy

Synopsis

The Doctor, Gabby and Cindy investigate 'the Wishing Well Witch' in the town of Dewbury... only to find what lurks in the well is something far worse, and more strange, than the legend! It's an unearthly terror, cast through a schism in the universe... and it's tearing the town apart!

Verdict

The Wishing Well Witch concluded in excellent style with this brilliant second and final part of the story! I really was impressed with what I read and I was very close to giving it the perfect rating and whilst it ultimately wasn't quite worthy of it, I think it was definitely one of the better comic strip adventures from the Tenth Doctor's run with Titan Comics. Of the three that are currently printed in Doctor Who Comic's Tales from the TARDIS, I would say that this segment has consistently been the strongest and I ultimately do think that's down to having a wonderful companion and just keeping things simple when it comes to a story arc. With the addition of Cindy to the TARDIS team, the adventures have been refreshed and we now see a different side of Gabby now she's the senior companion of the pairing. That was evident here and I liked how when Cindy had made contact with the Witch, that wasn't actually a Witch, she was so concerned for her friend. The way she kept herself focused was good and I liked her determination to fix things and realised that she was needed to aid the Doctor. As per usual with a multi-part comic strip, I reread the first part a couple of hours prior to reading the second part continuation and I liked how things just carried on immediately from the previous comic strip's cliffhanger. I thought that was an effective part of the storytelling and I thought the whole pace of this second part in particular was fantastic. The characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was very good and I liked how disappointed he was with Cindy's condition when it came to him showing off in the TARDIS. The reveal of the time trace that he had picked up upon in the last issue was great and the Doctor being thrust back to what he thought might have been the Dark Times on Gallifrey was magnificent. The truth behind the Witch was superb and I loved how it was seven children, possibly Time Lords, that had become one but arrived on Earth in different times after an unprotected trip through the vortex. The Doctor seeing the untempered schism was a big shock I must say but I was absolutely thrilled by it! The reaction the Doctor had was intriguing and with the mention of Sutekh in the previous part, I think there could be a connection. I look forward to seeing things pan out but for now I'm happy to just sit back and watch them unfold. Cindy not being able to get her words out was good but like Randall, she kept some of her wits about her when the Witch had taken something she thought was needed to repair. The Witch telling the Doctor to "regenerate me" was very powerful and a line that I just loved. I think that was heightened by the Doctor's reaction as once that was mentioned there was obviously some kind of Time Lord involvement or connection. I liked the ambiguity surrounding the Witch and it did look pretty impressive when in its horrifying form. Cindy feeling herself again after returning to the TARDIS was good and I absolutely loved that she coined Gabby's phrase of gizmo when it came to referring to some of the Doctor's wacky tech. He'd added a filter to the time scope so everything would revert back to normal, which was obviously something so simple for a Time Lord like the Doctor, and Cindy and Gabby's reaction to things being put back to normal was very good. The whole village was safe once again and Randall was rather joyous but the Doctor was anything but. He had saved the day yet again but had seen something that horrified him, Could things really be connected to Ancient Gallifrey? I sincerely hope they are as any exploration of the Time Lord's home planet in the new series is most welcomed by me. Overall, an excellent comic strip adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Running to Stay Still

"Answers are in the Time War..."

Writer: Si Spurrier

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 20th October 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 12

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Squire, Abslom Daak, River

Synopsis 

The attacks on the TARDIS reach fever pitch. The Doctor's only hope for survival is to track down the mysterious 'Cabal' who have been haunting his steps. Were they active in the Time War? Do they still exist? Meanwhile, Alice is forced to make a decision that could wipe her from the timeline forever!

Verdict 

Running to Stay Still was a great little comic strip and a very good continuation of the Eleventh Doctor's comic strip series. Things have been very complicated and perplexed as of late and it's interesting that whilst each comic strip stands alone in name, they're all going in the same direction and that's to clear the Doctor's name of the crimes he was accused of way back in The Then and the Now. The menace of the same name has been following them through time and space and we recently learned that Alice was the reason behind that. I thought she had one of her best stories here as she finally stood up for herself and acted independently. The Doctor's treatment of her continued to be derogatory which has hugely surprised me in this and the last comic strip but judging from the cliffhanger lead in to the next story, I think it's all just been part of his plan. I think he had worked out what Alice revealed in this comic strip quite a while back and with his attitude and comments towards his librarian companion he's just been pushing her in the right direction. It's rather surprising though that he's okay with sending her in the Master's severely tampered with TARDIS, which was screaming, and apparently right back into the Time War. I'm sure that in due course we'll get to learn a lot about the truth behind the Cyclors and the Malignant and get the evidence required to clear the Doctor's name. I still think it'll be quite a lengthy process yet but it'll be very interesting to see how Alice copes. She took matters into her own hands to prevent Abslom Daak from being the one to go back which must have annoyed him greatly as he was so looking forward to being able to kill a Dalek again. His enthusiasm for that is quite staggering and I love the irony behind his sadness that the Daleks are no more. River didn't have an awful lot of print time in this story and that's because she was in a pretty bad way thanks to the Then and the Now and was placed in a similar chamber to Daak's late wife. The maniacal companion wasn't best pleased by that as the Doctor seemed to know where she'd been the whole time. The emergence of the Squire was not a huge surprise but it was still a good moment in the story and the Doctor's reaction to the return of his companion was excellent. I was intrigued by some of the portraits of past companions especially because one of them was Clara. Given that this was set between the fifth and sixth series, that shouldn't really be possible but my own personal explanation would be that it's something to do with the TARDIS knowing the future and the past. I was also intrigued by the images of the Doctor seemingly splitting into his former incarnations. We also saw the Twelfth Doctor's face as part of that which was intriguing because as far as the Doctor is concerned at this point in his timeline, he's used up all of his regenerations. Once that was revealed it place a whole different dynamic on Eleventh Doctor stories and this was no different. The story was exciting and leads us to more answers and the ending was quite a surprise. The Doctor was presumably watching what went down between Alice and Daak and had seemingly got what he wanted with Alice going back into the Time War. His companion was proving her worth and that she belonged and I think the Doctor was secretly happy his plan had worked out. Overall, more intrigue to the story arch and another good comic strip adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo

"What are we supposed to do? We're not superheroes."

Writer: Patrick Ness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd October 2016

Series: Class 1.02

Featuring: April, Ram, Tanya, Charlie, Miss Quill

Synopsis

Ram struggles to cope following events the Prom, isolating himself from the others. But when the school is faced with a dreadful new threat, the gang must unite to fight it.

Verdict 

The Coach with the Dragon Tattoo was a very good and solid second episode of the brand new Doctor Who spinoff series of Class. We see the four main young characters having to deal with an alien threat for the first time without the help of the Doctor and I think we got to know these characters better now the focus was solely on them. That can be particularly said for Ram who was the main focus of this story. He initially didn't want any part in the whole save the universe gang and even went as far as being a stereotypical bully to Charlie but dumping his textbooks on the floor in the school corridor. But with his footballing ability now severely declined due to his prosthetic leg, Ram was having all sorts of problems and it must be said that football was the least of them. He was still feeling the effects of watching his girlfriend die right in front of him and he really wasn't dealing well with everything that went on in For Tonight We Might Die. I can't say I blame him and I liked how the others comforted him. The name of the episode was quite clever and an obvious play on a famous film/novel and the idea of the tattoo was very intriguing. It wasn't anything like what we saw in Face the Raven but I was surprised by the revelation that the Dragon that was going around and doing the killing was not the same as that tattooed on Coach Dawson. Miss Quill had her own little agenda in this story with an inspection and I'm just loving her character. The moment she tried to hook up with the silent inspector was good but her reaction to him being a robot was hilarious. When she learned of the Dragon involvement I thought it was brilliant that she was trying to get a reaction out of her actions. The mystery behind the Governors looks most intriguing too. I was quite surprised that April didn't have much to do in this episode but her comment about being mischievous was bloody wonderful. I still think she's terrific and the way she's not happy about the deaths is excellent. Tanya had another good episode and her understanding of what Ram was going through was really great to see. Their video messages will become a common theme I imagine but I'm still struggling to buy into her being a fourteen year old. For the second episode in a row I was surprised by the gruesome nature of a death and Ram getting sprayed in blood again really made me sympathetic. He had to watch the cleaner die but I was more so surprised that Mr Armitage was killed after his appearances in Doctor Who itself. The resolution with Ram speaking his way out of trouble, to a Dragon of all things, was pretty impressive. Overall, whilst the story wasn't quite as good as the first episode I thought it was still very enjoyable and just a very solid continuation of the spinoff series.

Rating: 8/10

For Tonight We Might Die

"The shadow is attacking her!"

Writer: Patrick Ness

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd October 2016

Series: Class 1.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, April, Ram, Tanya, Charlie, Miss Quill

Synopsis 

When Coal Hill School comes under attack from deadly monsters, four alienated students must form an unlikely alliance to defeat them. But this incursion is only the beginning.

Verdict 

For Tonight We Might Die was an excellent episode to kick off the brand new spinoff series that is Class. This really did start on the right track and I'm already looking forward to watching the next episode tomorrow! I have only positive things to say about this debut as I think Patrick Ness ticked all of the boxes when it comes to debuting a series set in the wacky and wonderful Doctor Who universe. The feel of it was right up my street and I guess that's not a surprise considering the target audience was for young adults. I'm nineteen so I could relate to a lot of the stuff that was going on at the prom. Coal Hill Academy (no longer a school following a redevelopment) is a brilliant setting for a spinoff and I liked how we even got an explanation for why there would be more extraterrestrial activity in the area. That would be revealed to us by the Doctor himself but I'll get to his appearance in a little bit. The main characters for the spinoff look like they're going to be very good and I must say that I already love the character of April. She was just wonderful and the fact that she hadn't gained a date to prom was very surprising to me. Her kind nature was great and she looked mightily impressive in her prom dress. Ram was good and I liked how he had a sport ego but his conversing with Tanya soon brought him down to Earth. She seemed a little out of place at the Academy and just seemed desperate for friends and the humour her mother brought when it came to boys was terrific. They were the human characters of the main cast but next comes Charlie and Miss Quill. The flashback history of their experience on Rhodia was very enlightening and the special connection they shared should make for an interesting dynamic. He was a Rhodian whilst she was a Quill and I liked how they didn't seem to share too much animosity because of what the Shadow Kin had done to their planet. They wiped everyone out within a day. It was only because of the Doctor that they survived but now they were here on Earth in search of the Cabinet of Skulls. The Shadow Kin looked pretty awesome I must say and their ruthless nature was quite shocking with the death of Rachel really catching me by surprise! It wouldn't have been out of place in Game of Thrones and once Ram had his leg severed, it was clear that these were no villains to be messed with. They could exist as pure shadow and that was pretty frightening. Everybody seemed pretty helpless, that was until the Doctor arrived in brilliant style. As soon as he came on the scene you just knew everything was going to be okay and because I'm still yet to rewatch Series 9, it was fantastic to see Peter Capaldi on screen again as the Twelfth Doctor. His reference to The Caretaker was great and I also loved his Ikea comment and praise for darts. I'm a keen dartist so I very much enjoyed that. Whilst the Shadow Kin weren't defeated, I liked how the Doctor sent them away and saw the team assembled. He couldn't be everywhere and as he ensured Miss Quill would be staying to give her assistance, Coal Hill seemed in good stead. The Doctor noticing 'C. Oswald' being written on the list of the dead was good. It'll be interesting to see how April copes with the situation surrounding her heart but overall, a hugely impressive start to the spinoff series!

Rating: 9/10

The Green Death

"I am the only ever computer to be linked to a human brain."

Writer: Robert Sloman

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19th May-23rd June 1973

Season: 10.06

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo, Brigadier

Synopsis 

The Doctor and UNIT are called in to investigate a series of mysterious deaths at a disused mine in South Wales, where all the victims were found with their skin glowing green... As the Doctor becomes suspicious of the nearby Global Chemicals factory and its mysterious 'Boss', his assistant, Jo Grant, becomes trapped underground - in an abandoned mine infested with deadly giant maggots!

Verdict 

The Green Death was an excellent Doctor Who serial and one that is remembered for quite a few reasons! It's historically known as 'the one with the giant maggots' and whilst it's not an episode of Friends, it will be more prominently remembered by me as Jo Grant's departing story as companion. After three seasons alongside the Third Doctor and UNIT she finally decided to say her farewell. The story itself was terrific which I think was obviously important and the departure of Jo didn't really get hinted at until the moment she revealed she'd be staying with Cliff and accompanying him on his trip to the Amazon. This story will also be remembered fondly by me as a rare occasion in which a Classic era story was set in Wales. The mine setting of Llanfairfach was fantastic and hearing the accent was wonderful for me as that is something I strangely miss whilst I'm attending university here in England, even if I was in Wales yesterday watching the football. I thought the Welsh representation was good and although I thought one or two stereotypes were thrown in, I was not offended so that was good. It was intriguing to see the Brigadier without the rest of UNIT for the first half of the story but it was clear that when the likes of Benton and Yates arrived, business was picking up. Part one was a bit all over the place with the Doctor jumping off to Metebelis III and he had quite the eventful time there! He did manage to eventually retrieve a blue crystal and we would later learn that would have devastating effects in Planet of the Spiders. Once he was back on Earth, the Doctor quickly made his way to Wales and delved straight into the problems going on at Global Chemicals. The company as a whole was good and I liked how useless the Brigadier was made due to their powerful friends but the truth about who their boss was very interesting. BOSS was a computer with inabilities making it almost a machine with humanity. The problem the Doctor fed it was excellent but its control and plan for Stevens was equally as good. The machine was just downright evil and that's always a good thing in Doctor Who. The giant maggots were brilliant and they've obviously given the story something to be remembered by because it's just so unique! Their mouths were pretty horrifying and Cliff stumbling upon an antidote thanks to Jo's serendipity was great. That would heal Cliff from the infection and the fungus food was also killing off the maggot infestation. The special effects in this story were good and the effort that went into them, considering this story was broadcast forty-three years ago, was fantastic. The farewell between the Doctor and Jo was quite the emotional one and after reading Steven Moffat's column in the latest DWM (blog to come in the next few days), I was mightily intrigued by the Doctor's reaction. Could he really have had feelings for her? It's something I've never really considered but now I think he might have. Overall though, an excellent story and a terrific farewell for Jo!

Rating: 9/10

Time and the Rani

"How do you know what I'm like? I've regenerated."

Writers: Pip & Jane Baker

Format: Novel

Released: May 1988

Series: Target 127

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Mel

Synopsis 

Assailed by violent bolts of multi-coloured energy, the TARDIS is blasted off-course and forced to land on the barren planet of Lakertya. The turbulence brings about the Doctor's sixth regeneration. But that is the least of his worries. He has been hijacked by that ruthless renegade Time Lady, the Rani.

Why has the Rani brought the Doctor to Lakertya? What are the hideouts Tetrap guards? Who are the eleven geniuses she has imprisoned in her stronghold? What is the vital significance of the asteroid of Strange Matter? And can the Doctor stop the Rani's diabolical scheme before it affects the whole of creation throughout time and space?

Verdict 

Time and the Rani was a pretty good novelisation of the television story of the same name but I did think it could have been better. I must say that reading this book has really made me want to watch the TV serial again but not for the right reasons. I've only seen it once before and I very much enjoyed it as I gave it a rating of two points higher than I awarded to this novel and although it's not the first time this year that scores have deviated by more than one point, I felt I was being generous in rating it as high as I did. It started off on the right track with an interesting cameo from the Sixth Doctor prior to the regeneration but I was pretty disappointed that the sequence of change wasn't really depicted. His body was just turned over and the description of his change was that the clothes were now too big for him. The Seventh Doctor had clearly arrived but I felt we needed a better take on the actual regeneration. I still fail to buy into the fact that the TARDIS  crashing would cause the Doctor to regenerate but leave Mel pretty much unscathed. Turbulence in the TARDIS is not exactly a new thing so that being used to kill off the Sixth Doctor was bitterly disappointing. I understand the situation was difficult but I thought this novelisation could have done a better job. I'm not sure whether it was the format but the Doctor and the Rani seemed to have the same conversation about five times regarding his memory loss. Rani dressing up as Mel didn't seem so brilliantly ridiculous in the book which wasn't a bad thing but it was obvious from the dialogue that she wasn't the Doctor's faithful companion. I liked that the Doctor knew something had been done to him and his muddled situation was not solely down to the effects of regeneration. The Rani needed the Doctor for her latest crazy experiment and it was pretty outrageous I must say. She was using twelve geniuses, including the Doctor, to create herself a Time Manipulator at the hands of an asteroid of Strange Matter and a very particular countdown. The timing had to be right and with her plans to foil the Doctor failing, she was up against the clock and ultimately failed. I did like the explanation of her survival following the ending of The Mark of the Rani and the sight of a dead T-Rex in a TARDIS must have been something. It would also confirm to us that the Master was also on the run. There were many aspects of this story that I liked and one was the grand scale of the Rani's experiment, but I did also enjoy Beyus and Ikona. They were excellent characters with the latter constantly facing dilemmas over the survival of his race. The Rani was pretty dominant on Lakertya which was good to see as it gave her more credibility as a match for the Doctor. The talk of their university days together was intriguing and I also liked how it was claimed they were the same age, but in very different incarnations. The Rani has obviously taken a lot less risks in her lifetime compared to the Doctor! I liked how Mel was isolated for much of the story but the moment she met he regenerated Doctor for the first time was probably my favourite part of the book. They both quizzed each other very well and even checked pulses. Mel referencing The Trial of a Time Lord as knowing about regeneration due to the Valeyard was excellent. The ending was actually very good and I liked the climatic edge it had but the book as a whole just seemed a little lacking. Chapters were too short, there was needless explanation on times and although I enjoyed the plot, there was a bit of a repetitive nature. Overall, pretty good but room for improvement.

Rating: 7/10

Terror Firma

"You're not dying, you're becoming a Dalek."

Writer: Joseph Lidster

Format: Audio

Released: August 2005

Sesson: Main Range 72

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz 

Synopsis 

"Welcome back, Doctor..."

Centuries ago, on the war-torn planet Skaro, a great scientist created the most evil creatures the Universe would ever know... Daleks.

It was at their genesis that the scientist Davros first met and was defeated by the Doctor.

Over the years and throughout space, they fought.

It was a fight that ended with the Doctor's destruction of Skaro and the Daleks. Except...

Davros survived. Alone. In the dark. With only thoughts of revenge keeping him alive.

The Doctor is back. Davros is waiting.

Their destiny is now.

Verdict 

Terror Firma was an excellent audio adventure! It continued my listening of the Main Range of Big Finish's releases and it finally gave us the meeting between the Eighth Doctor and Davros that, at least from my point of view, has been eagerly anticipated. Now, I know I'm still over eleven years behind in terms of releases but I'm really enjoying the latest batch of stories after a mixed period of adventures set in the Divergent Universe I'm now looking forward to more Eighth Doctor stories. The audios with him just always seem that little bit different because we only saw him on screen in The Movie and there aren't any real boundaries surrounding his incarnation. With all the others that came before, we know how their regeneration starts and ends but with the eighth incarnation it's just a little bit different and I like that. Paul McGann gave a terrific performance and I found it interesting that unlike many televised Davros stories, we didn't have to wait for the Doctor to encounter the creator of the Daleks. Most of the dialogue that they had in the story was with one another and I think it's an extended conversation and battle of words that wouldn't be seen again until The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar. For Davros, this story was pretty much a sequel to the events of Remembrance of the Daleks in which Skaro was destroyed. That was everything that Davros held dear so as revenge he would destroy everything that meant something to the Doctor. The obvious candidate? Earth of course. The claim that Davros had mutated over eight billion human beings into Daleks was staggering and almost incomprehensible and the effect that had on the Doctor was clearly recognisable. There was certainly continuity from Revelation of the Daleks but I liked how he made it clear that there were no longer any rival factions. No imperial or renegades, just simply Dalek. The virus that would end all life was obviously powerful and I liked how that allowed a bargain to be struck between the Doctor and the Daleks later on in the story. I wasn't a huge fan of getting a little scene before the opening titles of each part as I don't think it served any real purpose but I guess there wasn't much wrong with it. Although Charley and C'rizz spent most of the story apart, I thought their relationship was great at the start with the immediate follow on from The Next Life. The references to Genesis of the Daleks, Davros and The Time of the Daleks were excellent and I also enjoyed the mentions of Storm Warning and The Creed of the Kromon. The revelation that the Eighth Doctor had two previous companions prior to Charley was unexpected but that just highlighted the devious nature of Davros and the fact that he'd been tracking his Time Lord nemesis this whole time was deeply disturbing. Samson and Gemma seemed like good characters but for us listeners, I doubt we'll ever be able to appreciate them as companions. C'rizz almost becoming Emperor of the Daleks was pretty eventful but I was more intrigued by Davros seemingly becoming a Dalek. He was having a split personality order but the Doctor wasn't showing any remorse. It was claimed that Davros was dead but we've heard that many times before, however the Daleks did now have their Emperor and kept their side of the bargain with the Doctor. The ending with C'rizz being able to talk to those he has killed was most interesting and I'm now sceptical over whether he has an alterior motive for travelling in the TARDIS. He's from another universe, where they don't forget the dead.

Rating: 9/10

Fallen Angels

"You are gazing on the Angel..."

Writer: Phil Mulryne 

Format: Audio

Released: 28th July 2016

Series: Classic Doctors, New Monsters 1.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor

Synopsis 

2015: When sightseers Joel and Gabby Finch encounter a strange man in cricket whites in the Sistine Chapel, their honeymoon suddenly takes a terrifying turn.

1511: Michelangelo is commissioned to create some very special sculptures by a mysterious sect. But as he carves, angels seem to emerge fully-former from the rock. Almost as if they are alive...

From Michelangelo's workshop to the catacombs of Rome, the Fifth Doctor must keep his wits about him and his eyes wide open as he confronts the Weeping Angels.

Verdict 

Fallen Angels was a brilliant audio adventure which kicked off the very exciting Classic Doctors, New Monsters boxset in wonderful style! It's a collection of stories that just shouldn't happen but now with the beauty that is the audio format and the fact that Big Finish are now licensed for anything up to the end of the Eleventh Doctor's tenure, incredible things like this can be realised. I would exclude the Eighth Doctor's story in this boxset from my comments about things that shouldn't happen as the Time War is a difficult concept and acts as the breach between eras, but I'm sure I'll talk more about that when it comes to listening to that particular story. But for now, this was all about the Weeping Angels and their earliest chronological appearance in Doctor Who. I must admit I was expecting it to be the Doctor's first encounter with them and I guess that wasn't confirmed in the story but I was surprised to hear that the Fifth Doctor knew all about them already. That was absolutely fine but I was quite surprised by that fact. I'm now intrigued to see how the later stories in the boxset deal with the Doctor meeting foes from his future. When it comes to thinking of new series monsters to return alongside Classic Doctors, the Weeping Angels were probably top of the list but it must have been quire difficult to bring the silent killers to audio. The format just wasn't made for them because they don't speak but the way that obstacle was overcome was really great. Never before have I been so interested in the sound effects of a story but I loved them in this story. Joel and Gabby were a good literal couple of characters and their honeymoon ended up being a little more eventful than they had envisioned. It started in 21st century Rome and ended in 16th century Florence. That's certainly unique. I found it intriguing that the touch of an Angel zapped the pair back to a time of importance for the Weeping Angels and the idea of the Order of Three Angels was brilliant. The Weeping Angels had their own cult which was very interesting indeed! The 1511 setting was superb and I liked that Michelangelo appeared. I don't know too much about his life but I have obviously heard of him and I knew that he was quite the artist and sculptor. A sculptor just fits perfectly for a Weeping Angel story and I liked how horrified when what he thought was his creation turned out to be quite horrifying and even have fangs. The references to The Time Monster, The Visitation and Time-Flight were very good and I also loved the ridiculousness behind the Doctor claiming to have invented the sandwich! Piero was a great character and the story behind him was actually quite a sad one as we saw him both young and old and the story of the Order was told through him which was terrific. The Priest who served the Angels was also good and I liked how his reward turned out to be a deadly touch. It was intriguing that Joel and Gabby had actually briefly met the Doctor before he'd met them and that really did create some timey-wimey problems and it would inevitably mean that Joel and Gabby would have to stay in 1511 once the Weeping Angels were defeated. The use of Venetian mirrors to achieve that was brilliant and I liked how they were simply trapped looking at endless reflections of themselves down in the catacombs below the Sistine Chapel. The Doctor had to complete the loop by sending Joel and Gabby on their way to the Weeping Angel and to ensure that he met them in his past. Overall, a fantastic audio adventure! 

Rating: 9/10

The Ark in Space

"The entire human race in one room..."

Writer: Robert Holmes 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 23rd January - 15th February 1975

Season: 12.02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry 

Synopsis 

Many thousands of years in the future, Earth becomes uninhabitable. Aboard space station Nerva, the remaining survivors of the human race drift amongst the stars in suspended animation.

The Doctor, Sarah and Harry arrive to find the vital systems have been sabotaged. As mankind begins to awake from its enforced deep sleep, the Doctor discovers that they are not alone...

The Wirrn are an insect race that inhabit the cold depths of space. But they too have found the Ark and its sleeping occupants. Can the Doctor prevent the last of the human race from becoming the Wirrn's new source of food...?

Verdict 

The Ark in Space was a very good Doctor Who serial and served as a fantastic way to fully introduce viewers to Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Of course, they were already familiar with him following the broadcast of Robot but now this brand new incarnation was off travelling through time and space in the TARDIS. We also got to see Harry's first venture into space as companion which was great and I just liked the feel that this story had. That really was a high point. I loved part one and I think it was probably the best individual part of the story. It was excellent that other than a couple of extras in brief moments, the entire episode consisted of just the main cast. With it being a space station setting as well, that very fact alone made things have a much more eery feel which was good. Sarah getting split up from the Doctor and Harry early on and I liked the way it was done. Elisabeth Sladen played the drowsy effect on her character with apparent ease. In pretty much every story that she appears in it's easy to see why she is arguably the most popular companion of all time. Considering this was only Tom Baker's second story as the Fourth Doctor, I thought he played the role wonderfully well and everything that you would associate with his infamous incarnation was present which I actually found impressive. It made me think that considering how long he would go on to play the role that he must have been remarkably consistent over the seven seasons that featured him. I thought the cliffhanger resolution to part one was quite humorous with the big reveal of the dead Wirrn actually just being the corpse falling out of a cupboard. We would later see the species very much alive though and the design was obviously a little reminiscent of the Zarbi from The Web Planet but rather than actually trying to be ants, things worked a lot better. They could speak and were actually pretty intelligent which is always good. The Doctor's proclaiming that the entire human race was in one room was quite difficult to fathom given the futuristic setting as it just seemed totally inconceivable. However, the best thing to come from the Doctor in this serial was his epic speech about the indomitable nature of the human race. That really was memorable. The slow emergence of the dormant human beings was good and I liked how once Vira and Noah were revived, things started to get very interesting and it was not long before the TARDIS trio were accused of doing something. It was clear from the outset that there was something mysterious about him and that would be realised throughout the story with his disturbing transformation into a Wirrn. I thought Harry was actually very good in this story and wasn't outdone by the Doctor which can sometimes be the case. Vira having to adjust to some pretty big changed shortly after waking up a few thousand years too late must have been tough but she didn't really have another choice and the Doctor was quick to point that out. The climax was very good with the courageous sacrifice and the use of electricity as a weapon throughout was pretty good too. I liked the ending with the lead in to The Sontaran Experiment and overall, this was a very good story!

Rating: 8/10

Agens of Chaos: Eye of Harmony

"The Daleks' victory will be absolute."

Writer: Ken Bentley

Format: Audio

Released: 6th October 2016

Series: War Doctor Adventures 3.03

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis 

In the aftermath of events on Rovidia, the Dalek Time Strategist is presented with a unique opportunity to strike a lethal blow to the heart of Gallifrey. A devastating power is set to be unleashed, and with agents in place ready to do the bidding of the Dalek Time Strategist, the future of the Time War could turn in an instant.

Trapped inside a critically-damaged Battle-TARDIS, hopelessly adrift in the Time Vortex, the War Doctor and his allies have a final desperate fight on their hands...

Verdict 

Eye of Harmony was a great audio adventure and concluded the Agents of Chaos boxset in a very good way. This third set of stories to feature the War Doctor has been absolutely sublime and that was mostly down to the first two audios but this one wasn't at all bad and despite scoring a little less, it still finished things very nicely. It started where The Eternity Cage finished with the staggeringly good cliffhanger of Heleyna quite literally kicking the Doctor out of the Battle TARDIS and into the deep depths of space. She was a Gallifreyan working for the Daleks and he was simply in the way of her objective. Cardinal Ollistra was pivotal to that as we would later learn but she did end up making a pretty decent team with Kalan who was still hanging around after the events on Rovidia. They managed to gain the upper hand on Heleyna long enough for Ollistra to use a TARDIS version of a lifeboat to save the Doctor from falling to his death. I quite liked how he wasn't very complimentary about being saved but would soon and up doing the saving himself. I've liked how this boxset has focused on the Dalek Time Strategist being the authority figure amongst the Daleks and their focus has been on using time as a weapon to try and get the upper hand in the Time War. We saw them try to alter Earth's history in The Shadow Vortex and now we saw them execute a plan to destroy the Eye of Harmony itself! Even for the Daleks and even for the Time War, that was quite the audacious plan! Their method of locking in to a star chamber within a TARDIS was intriguing and Heleyna had gone to some means of getting the plan ready. As with pretty much everybody who believes they can trust the Daleks, she was soon let down but the Doctor had a little bit of a helping hand in that. The so called primary weapon of the Daleks being dark matter explosives was brilliant and they literally were going to attack the Eye of Harmony. I loved how the Gallifreyan power source was looked upon with awe by Heleyna and Ollistra and I also found the Daleks referring to it as being nowhere and everywhere excellent. It's a difficult concept to grasp but I liked that the Doctor admitted the way in which they harness the power was a little like cheating. Heleyna was clearly at least a little disturbed to be on the side of the Daleks but I found her motive somewhat distressing. She was doing all of this to bring her grandfather back to life. Ollistra tried telling her that destroying the Eye of Harmony would indeed prevent the Time War from starting which she intended, but would also mean that the Time Lords were never created and her grandfather never born. But that somehow didn't seem to matter to her which was deeply strange. Once the Doctor had assisted in the Dalek defeat, much to the despair of the Dalek Time Strategist who had foreseen the Eye of Harmony's demise, the death of Kalan was a very emotion way to finish and it was such a sad way for him to die. He was trying to prevent Heleyna, the women who had caused all the trouble, not to just accept her fate and die. But in trying to save a women who had accepted death, he paid with his life and that provoked some strong words out of the Doctor. He didn't call himself that anymore but he believed that he was somewhat responsible for the origins of the Time War after his countless previous battles and he was then blaming himself for the death and misery that came with it. I thought that was unfair but the words were very strong and it was quite a sad way to end. However, this is war and the landscape of Doctor Who as we know it is very different during this period. Overall though, a very good way to finish!

Rating: 8/10

Agents of Chaos: The Eternity Cage

"Wherever there is war, Sontarans belong."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: 6th October 2016

Series: War Doctor Adventures 3.02

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis 

Sontarans are the ultimate warriors - so they believe - and the Time War the ultimate conflict. Denied glory by Skaro and Gallifrey alike, General Fesk of the Eighth Sontaran Battle Fleet employs a dangerous strategy to draw both sides to the planet Rovidia and prove his forces worthy...

Meanwhile, the War Doctor leads a rescue mission, aided by Rovidian street-urchin Kalan. Neither Daleks nor Time Lords expect the Sontarans to be so fearsome a foe, until they uncover the secret of the Eternity Cage.

Verdict 

The Eternity Cage was another outstanding audio adventure in the Agents of Chaos boxset and I think it's already fair to say that this could be the best boxset yet to feature the War Doctor! Following on from an incredible story I thought this would do well to match it but given the ingredients I was quietly confident that it would. However, it actually exceeded it and for the third consecutive story to feature the incarnation, I have a new all time favourite War Doctor audio adventure. The quality just keeps on increasing and if that continues I'll be more than happy! I just love the cover of this story and it was brilliant to see the Sontarans trying to get themselves involved in the Time War. They really were bred for war and although they didn't understand the concept behind the war being fought on a temporal front, it was the finest war in existence and they wanted in. It was refreshing to hear the War Doctor come up against a familiar foe that wasn't the Daleks and I was particularly pleased because the Sontarans are one of my all time favourite enemies. I love how they don't fear death and just live the war. They didn't really know what they were getting themselves into here but they were doing everything they could to get involved. They were revealed to be the culprits behind Cardinal Ollistra's kidnapping at the end of The Shadow Vortex and I thought it was great that they were using her as bait for both sides of the Time War - Daleks and Time Lords. It appeared that they proposed an alliance with both fronts but neither was willing to accept. The Daleks wouldn't be seen as needing an ally and the Time Lords would not allow Sontarans into a temporal war. General Fesk was superb and I thought Dan Starkey gave another wonderful performance as a Sontaran. Rovidia was a good setting and I liked how Fesk had lured both the Doctor and the Dalek Time Strategist to the planet. I absolutely loved the plan of the Sontarans to literally use Ollistra as bait and get provocation from the Daleks and Time Lords and open up a third front in the Time War. The events of this story seem to have been referenced by General Staal in The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky which was brilliant because it was really seen here that the Sontarans were not allowed to take part. I thought it was intriguing that the design of the Sontarans represented that of the new era but I'm happy with the choice I must say. Muren was a good character and I liked that we also heard a lot more from Heleyna after her brief appearance in the previous audio. The moment she was revealed as the traitor amongst the ranks was excellent and I was glad that I only suspected it a couple of minutes before the reveal. It really was terrific. The concept behind the Eternity Cage was quite disturbing with the Time Lord Vassarian trapped in a stasis field at the moment of regeneration. The Sontarans were harnessing the continuous artron energy that the regeneration was producing but things weren't exactly as they thought. Vassarian was conscious and whilst exhausting his regenerative cycle, he was in control of the Sontarans supposed time weaponry. The corridors that they'd used to render the Daleks weaponless and wipe out some Gallifreyans on the climb could easily be taken away. And that's what happened, the Sontarans were denied their place in the Time War and the Doctor refuted that they didn't even get close to being apart of it. The cliffhanger finish leading into the next story was sublime with Heleyna seemingly chucking the Doctor out of the Battle TARDIS and to his death. I'm intrigued to see how this boxset concludes, but for now this was incredible. One of my very favourites!

Rating: 10/10

Agents of Chaos: The Shadow Vortex

"The human race would make excellent Daleks!"

Writer: David Llewelyn 

Format: Audio

Released: 6th October 2016

Series: War Doctor Adventures 3.01

Featuring: War Doctor

Synopsis 

Cardinal Ollistra exploits the War Doctor's affection for Earth to send him to East Berlin, 1961, on the trail of a Dalek agent. Laura Zannis has breached the planet's quantum shield on a very special mission for the Dalek Time Strategist.

Caught between the MI6 and the KGB, the War Doctor must first escape the Stasi before he can hope to stop Laura. Cold War scientists are about to make a breakthrough - the Daleks want control of the 'Shadow Vortex', and Agent Zannis can provide it.

Verdict 

The Shadow Vortex was an oust standing audio adventure and a sublime start to the third War Doctor boxset Agents of Chaos. This is probably the quickest that I've purchased a release from Big Finish but the stories featuring the War Doctor are something that I anticipate greatly and the price was right and delivery was quick so here I am ten days after it was released blogging. And boy was it a good one! I think it's just about my favourite one yet from the range and it seems that as the range goes on, the story quality gets better and better. It was wonderful to hear John Hurt reprise the role once again and I thought his performance was superb! I loved how the story started right into the action and included just a few flashback moments to see how events had led up to the current situation. It was quite refreshing to have story on Earth for the War Doctor and the setting of Berlin in 1961 was excellent. I really liked how the Doctor was annoyed that even humanity couldn't escape the Time War but he was quite surprised that the quantum shield had been breached. The Time Lords taking precautions on certain planets was good and the Doctor's reaction to finding out that it was Earth that had been breached was very good. Laura Zannis was a brilliant villain and she was played delightfully by the wonderful Neve McIntosh who we know better as Madame Vastra. It was terrific to hear her in a different role and I liked how her voice managed not to be wholly reminiscent of the Silurian we've come to know so well. The fact that she was human but a Dalek agent was interesting and it was quite horrific what she was willing to do! She wanted to change Earth's entire history and have the Daleks arrive in 1961 and wipe out the human race. Laura even knew that it would prevent her own existence but she had accounted for that with the paradox stabilisers. The Doctor having to give the speech about fixed points and things that can be changed yet again was great but his reaction to having to explain it once more was brilliant. Kruger was an excellent character and I really liked his relationship with the Doctor. His reaction to stepping inside the TARDIS was terrific but the Doctor had no time to stop and explain things. He had a job to do. The Daleks knowing about the difference in the latest regeneration of the Doctor was fantastic and I loved their efforts to try and remove him from the timeline. What more could a Dalek want? I thought the Dalek Time Strategist was superb and the authority and almost humanity in the voice was really good. You just knew that this Dalek was in charge of the current mission. Professor Crane was another good character and I liked how she ended up helping the Doctor to stop the plans of Laura. Leith was good but he was tricked too easily by the Dalek agent. Kavarin proposing an alliance between the Germans and the Daleks was great but that quickly ended in extermination which was very good because it immediately reminded us of just how ruthless the Daleks can be. The Doctor managed to stop the Daleks fully utilising the Shadow Vortex and evading the quantum shield with barely any time to spare (how else would it be?) was excellent and I just loved how he broke the laws of his own people to fix things. He used the TARDIS and went back to the moment Laura opened the Shadow Vortex and actually had her occupy the same place twice at once. Well, that couldn't happen and it was a bit reminiscent of what we saw with the Master's TARDIS in Time-Flight. Laura was sent spiralling and the timelines quickly reverted to normality meaning that the Daleks never got through to Earth and now they'd lost their agent. I really enjoyed how the Doctor justified his actions to the Daleks simply by stating "this is war". Considering he wanted no part of the war's events, the Doctor is doing a lot of work to help one side. The lead in to the next story of the boxset with Ollistra being kidnapped was very good and overall, this audio was simply amazing!

Rating: 10/10

The Council of Nicaea

"What is a riot today may become an uprising tomorrow."

Writer: Caroline Symcox

Format: Audio

Released: July 2005

Series: Main Range 71

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem 

Synopsis 

The year is 325AD. In the city of Nicaea, the first great Church council, called by the Roman Emperor Constantine, is due to begin. Here theology, philosophy and politics will be brought together for millennia to come.

The Doctor, Peri and Erimem are there simply to watch events unfold. Gaps remain in the history books, and the Doctor has come to satisfy his curiosity. But none of them are ready for what greets them in Nicaea. Intrigue within the Imperial Palace has become violence on the streets. Mobs roam the alleyways and blood is spilt in the name of faith. Even in the face of murder and injustice though, the time travellers must force themselves to stay aloof. This is history, after all.

Yet what is history to one person is the future to another. Is it possible for history to be rewritten? And if it can, can the Doctor afford to let it?

Verdict

The Council of Nicaea was an excellent audio adventure which continued my listening of Big Finish's Main Range in brilliant style. It really was terrific from start to finish and it was absolutely my cup of tea. I think it's a shame that we never really get a pure historical anymore as I think they can work just as well as a story that includes an extraterrestrial presence. There was no enemy persay in this story and you don't always need one and that is usually the case in a historical. Stories like The Reign of Terror and The Romans work so well in my opinion because we get to see the Doctor and his companions engaging with history. I mean, it's not like we didn't get stories set in the past but when exploring certain elements of history in stories like The King's Demons and The Mark of the Rani, we always had an alien enemy/villain which has led to the term of pseudo-historical. That's fine by me but as I'm studying for a degree in History I'm not sure why some of our planet's past isn't enough in its own right for a Doctor Who story. Anyway, enough about my mini rant and let's get back to what was an excellent audio story. I loved that we went back to the fourth century as the time periods that far back rarely get explored and although I admittedly didn't know a great deal about the Council of Nicaea, I thought it was a fantastic historical event to focus the story on. The age old question that the Doctor has had to deal with since The Aztecs was more than raised here and that's the idea of changing history. The Doctor's rightful stubbornness over the fact that it can't be changed caused some pretty powerful moment between him and Erimem which made for some superb dialogue. Erimem has really come into her own in the last few stories and I loved how she wasn't afraid to challenge the Doctor and was even prepared to leave him and stay in the fourth century to keep a promise she made and stand for what she believed was the right thing to do. She really was brilliant. Peri was kind of caught in the middle during this story as she didn't really disagree with either of the Doctor nor Erimem's stance on history and thought it would just be best to leave and have things play out their natural cause. But Erimem wasn't even prepared to do that, she wanted to actively change things and I loved the irony of this actually being her personal future which put the Doctor in a bit of a tricky situation. She was determined to see that Arius got a fair trial but Erimem went too far by standing up during the council and giving him a voice. The Doctor was pretty angered by that even though he knew she was just doing what she thought was morally right. But she couldn't change history. I loved how Peri mocked the religion of the time and was just baffled by the reason over the ongoing riots. I don't think my stance on religion has been kept a secret on this blog but I think this story highlighted just how ridiculous it is. Emperor Constantine was very good and I liked how he was given no other choice than to trust the Doctor. That did backfire but his logic of the Doctor just being one man was brilliant. We knew what he was capable of by himself. The ending wasn't really climatic but it didn't need to be and I liked how Erimem had a moment of realisation. The cliffhangers were good but the highlight of this audio was Erimem standing up for herself and what she believed was right. Overall, an excellent adventure!

Rating: 9/10