"This isn't a rebellion, it's... a resistance."
Writers: James Parsons & Andrew Stirling-Brown
Format: Audio
Released: September 2005
Series: Main Range 74
Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex
Synopsis
"You're listening to LIVE 34."
"LIVE 34 | News on the hour every hour | LIVE 34 | Broadcasting to Colony 34 all day every day | LIVE 34 |- Constantly updated every minute of every hour LIVE 34 | Sport, weather, business, local news, interplanetary affairs | LIVE 34 | Live, independent, accurate, comprehensive | LIVE 34 all news, all day, every day | LIVE 34..."
"Reports are coming in of an explosion..."
"On the line now is the leader of the FDP..."
"The President is about to begin his address..."
"We can see bodies in the wreckage..."
Verdict
LIVE 34 was an excellent audio adventure that continued my listening of the Main Range of Big Finish stories in great style! I had no idea what to expect before listening as I didn't even read the synopsis but other than a slight break to change trains, I listened to the whole story in one go which is a very rare feat on my behalf. I actually think it helped with the listening as I was using the train journey as a well deserved break from university work and whilst I usually save books for my travels, I've had just about enough of reading for the time being. An audio was exactly what I needed and it was just nice to relax, sit back and enjoy the story. The format of the audio was absolutely brilliant as the whole thing was told through a live news broadcast which I thought was terrific. Although it took me until the end of part two to realise that the story was actually split into four separate parts, I liked the style of everything, including the synopsis, being done as a news bulletin. It was unique and that's actually quite a rarity in Doctor Who stories. Everything just felt fresh and there was a bit of serendipity surrounding my timing of listening to the audio. The story was centred around an election and all I have been reading about and studying lately is the 1918 general election in Britain and I could actually draw some similarities between past and fiction which gave me an intriguing insight into the story. Things really did make me smile, especially some of the comments surrounding the timing of the election. I liked how each of the first three parts predominantly featured a different member of the TARDIS team before everything was brought together in the final part. We had the Doctor acting as opposition to the current Premier Jaeger, a name I loved because I like the alcoholic drink far too much. Ace was wonderfully titled as the Rebel Queen and then we had Hex acting as a paramedic. The election being held in the aftermath of an apparent terrorist attack was interesting and I thought the whole setting of Colony 34 was brilliant. Drew Shahan acted as a fantastic narrator for the story as the news presenter and he was full of enthusiasm which I think was very important considering how often he featured. Charlotte Singh was also a terrific character and her live interview with Hex whilst he was on the go as a paramedic was very good. Ace's censored interview peaked my interest in things and I liked how we got to learn a little about her past in the meantime. How the TARDIS came to land on Colony 34 is something we didn't get to find out but given the dedication to telling the whole story through a news broadcast, that's something I can happily let slide. Ace did tough upon arriving by accident so I guess it was just your typical TARDIS arrival. They must have been on the Colony for some time though to have gained such advanced reputations. Jaeger was a pretty dark character and the revelation that he was not actually who he said he was actually caught me by surprise. It was logical though and actually helped tie the story's events together. Part four was superb as everything came nearly together and whilst it wasn't quite perfect, it honestly was not too far away. The Doctor was obviously not dead but the shock of his locals when he reemerged to reveal that the election was rendered invalid was fantastic. Overall, a brilliant audio adventure and I must say that I'm really enjoying this TARDIS trio!
Writers: James Parsons & Andrew Stirling-Brown
Format: Audio
Released: September 2005
Series: Main Range 74
Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex
Synopsis
"You're listening to LIVE 34."
"LIVE 34 | News on the hour every hour | LIVE 34 | Broadcasting to Colony 34 all day every day | LIVE 34 |- Constantly updated every minute of every hour LIVE 34 | Sport, weather, business, local news, interplanetary affairs | LIVE 34 | Live, independent, accurate, comprehensive | LIVE 34 all news, all day, every day | LIVE 34..."
"Reports are coming in of an explosion..."
"On the line now is the leader of the FDP..."
"The President is about to begin his address..."
"We can see bodies in the wreckage..."
Verdict
LIVE 34 was an excellent audio adventure that continued my listening of the Main Range of Big Finish stories in great style! I had no idea what to expect before listening as I didn't even read the synopsis but other than a slight break to change trains, I listened to the whole story in one go which is a very rare feat on my behalf. I actually think it helped with the listening as I was using the train journey as a well deserved break from university work and whilst I usually save books for my travels, I've had just about enough of reading for the time being. An audio was exactly what I needed and it was just nice to relax, sit back and enjoy the story. The format of the audio was absolutely brilliant as the whole thing was told through a live news broadcast which I thought was terrific. Although it took me until the end of part two to realise that the story was actually split into four separate parts, I liked the style of everything, including the synopsis, being done as a news bulletin. It was unique and that's actually quite a rarity in Doctor Who stories. Everything just felt fresh and there was a bit of serendipity surrounding my timing of listening to the audio. The story was centred around an election and all I have been reading about and studying lately is the 1918 general election in Britain and I could actually draw some similarities between past and fiction which gave me an intriguing insight into the story. Things really did make me smile, especially some of the comments surrounding the timing of the election. I liked how each of the first three parts predominantly featured a different member of the TARDIS team before everything was brought together in the final part. We had the Doctor acting as opposition to the current Premier Jaeger, a name I loved because I like the alcoholic drink far too much. Ace was wonderfully titled as the Rebel Queen and then we had Hex acting as a paramedic. The election being held in the aftermath of an apparent terrorist attack was interesting and I thought the whole setting of Colony 34 was brilliant. Drew Shahan acted as a fantastic narrator for the story as the news presenter and he was full of enthusiasm which I think was very important considering how often he featured. Charlotte Singh was also a terrific character and her live interview with Hex whilst he was on the go as a paramedic was very good. Ace's censored interview peaked my interest in things and I liked how we got to learn a little about her past in the meantime. How the TARDIS came to land on Colony 34 is something we didn't get to find out but given the dedication to telling the whole story through a news broadcast, that's something I can happily let slide. Ace did tough upon arriving by accident so I guess it was just your typical TARDIS arrival. They must have been on the Colony for some time though to have gained such advanced reputations. Jaeger was a pretty dark character and the revelation that he was not actually who he said he was actually caught me by surprise. It was logical though and actually helped tie the story's events together. Part four was superb as everything came nearly together and whilst it wasn't quite perfect, it honestly was not too far away. The Doctor was obviously not dead but the shock of his locals when he reemerged to reveal that the election was rendered invalid was fantastic. Overall, a brilliant audio adventure and I must say that I'm really enjoying this TARDIS trio!
Rating: 9/10
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