Once in a Lifetime

"I know a story when I see one. That blue box, for example. It wasn't there five minutes ago..."

Writer: John Freeman
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 7th October 1989
Printed in: The Incredible Hulk Presents 1

Featuring: Seventh Doctor

Synopsis

On the planet Galactica Minor, the Doctor teaches a nosy reporter a lesson about asking questions. It involves some humour, the Doctor having fun and a number of enemies all getting riled up by the presence of the Time Lord. Unfortunately, none of these events will make it to press...

Verdict

Once in a Lifetime was a great little story that continued my extremely sporadic reading of the Nemesis of the Daleks graphic novel. I’ve had this collection of comic strips for over a year now (it was a Christmas gift last year!) and I’m actually a little disappointed that I haven’t been able to read more than I have thus far. Now, some of that is down to forgetfulness and leaving it at home whilst I moved back to university but I didn’t make that mistake this holiday and ensured that it was one of the first things that I packed. This isn’t the most high profile of stories to end 2017 on but despite the drastic decrease in entries, I still feel like it’s been a hugely successful year. I saw my blog hit four figures in terms of entries and the traffic for my verdicts, which can vary quite drastically, has been at an all time high which I am delighted about. I must admit, I write the blog for my personal use but knowing that other people out there read my thoughts puts a smile on my face. I of course got to blog the new series featuring Peter Capaldi and I also got to write about a female Doctor, albeit somewhat briefly. Jodie Whittaker will fully grace my blog next year and I can’t wait to see what she brings to the word of Doctor Who. I’ve done plenty of audios including the fifth series of Torchwood and I’ve also kept up to date with Doctor Who Comic and DWM comic strips so I’d say it’s been a successful year, apart from the lack of novels. That’s one thing I do wish I was able to blog more. Anyway, back to the comic itself and with only five pages to play with, I was a little apprehensive prior to reading as to how good it could actually be. I was pleasantly surprised though as it was a great comedic little story! The idea of Doctor Who comic strips appearing in The Incredible Hulk Presents is intriguing and I was really interested to be reading a comic strip featuring the Seventh Doctor that wasn’t actually printed in DWM. That was really intriguing and you could definitely tell that they were aiming for a different kind of audience. It wasn’t a massive difference but there were noticeable alterations to the style of story. Even the presentation of the Doctor, whilst it was actually quite hilarious how he dealt with Miff, I can’t see him ever actually doing what he did. Although in saying that, if one incarnation was likely then I’d have to say it would be Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor. His characterisation was good and whilst not perfect, I really enjoyed the humorous element to it. He didn’t want to be interviewed by Miff and instead sent him to some old enemies of his, all of whom were riled up by just the mention of the Doctor. To be fair, the Doctor didn’t let the news reporter die and did give him a trip inside the TARDIS and the destination of that journey was terrific. Instead of just rescuing Miff and taking him on a little trip through time and space, he took him back to Solar City. The catch however was that it was twenty years after they had left which meant that Miff’s paper had gone out of business a decade ago! The Doctor seemed quite exuberant about his actions and was laughing at himself. That seemed a bit uncharacteristic but the barmy nature of the adventure just made me really enjoy it! Overall, a fantastic little comic strip story. 

Rating: 8/10

The Valley of Death

"They say anyone who enters will never return."

Writer: Philip Hinchcliffe (adapted by Jonathan Morris)
Format: Audio
Released: January 2012
Series: Lost Stories: Fourth Doctor Boxset 02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

A century after his great-grandfather Cornelius vanished in the Amazon rainforest, Edward Perkins is journeying to the depths of the jungle to find out what became of his ancestor's lost expedition. Intrigued by what appears to be a description of a crashed spacecraft in the diaries of that first voyage, the Doctor and Leela join him on his quest. But when their plane runs into trouble and ends up crash landing, everyone gets more than they bargained for.

The jungle is filled with giant creatures and angry tribesmen, all ready to attack. But in the famed lost city of the Maygor tribe, something far, far worse is lurking. Something with an offer to make to mankind. Who are the Lurons and can they be trusted? Will the Doctor defeat the plans of the malevolent Godrin or will he become just another victim of the legendary Valley of Death?

Verdict

The Valley of Death was another great audio adventure and a very good way to complete the Lost Stories Fourth Doctor boxset! I really do consider using a free credit from an Audible free trial that I cancelled right away as a right steal and although I can see why the collection is a pricey one, I would never justify spending the amount of money that they ask for on just two stories. Now this one wasn’t quite on the level of The Foe From the Future but I still thought it was a brilliant little story. I particularly enjoyed the first two parts and whilst I thought the second half of the story was still very good, it was not on the same level as the first two parts in my opinion. The setting of the Amazon rainforest was terrific and that really did throw the Doctor in a tricky predicament. I liked the use of Edward finding the diary of his great-grandfather and with the potentiality of him discovering a crashed spaceship, along with the lost city of Maygor, there was a very exciting premise. The Doctor using his position as UNIT’s scientific advisor was good but it was a shame that the Brigadier had to be replaced by Hemmings. He wasn’t a bad character at all but it’s rather difficult to fill the boots of old Lethbridge-Stewart. Valerie was a wonderful character and I loved her relationship with the Doctor. She was a journalist and was always asking questions and I also really liked how she managed to get her way onto the Luron mothership when it entered Earth’s atmosphere. Tom Baker gave another excellent performance as the Fourth Doctor and it really was great to hear a two-hour story with his incarnation of the Doctor. That doesn’t happen often. The emergence of Perkins, the actual great-grandfather of Edward, was quite a shock and I must admit that my face lit up on the train when that was revealed. The connection between 1873 and 1977 did puzzle me but I thought the explanation was pretty decent. Godrin was a good villain and the way he had slowed time down inside the bubble of the rainforest was good. Edward getting to meet his great-grandfather was a nice moment but I loved how the Doctor knew that Godrin had him wrapped around his little finger. Edward’s death actually came as a little bit of a shock to me, not so much in that Godrin had betrayed him but by its manner. It was rather disturbing. I thought the plane journeys were intriguing and the flight arriving back two years after it had disappeared was very good. I thought Leela was brilliant in this story and I loved that we got to see her in her natural habitat of a jungle. The arrival of the rest of the Luron had received Godrin’s signal was good and I thought the inclusion of the duplicates was a very neat touch. Even though the latter stages involving the demise of the Doctor and Leela’s duplicates was a little predictable, I thought it was terrific. I really enjoyed how they even had to trick Edward and Valerie. The ending was very good with the Doctor overcoming the clever catch-22 to just decrease the Luron sun’s output which meant that they could think clearly for the first time with Godrin eradicated. It was well paced and a little surprising and I rather liked it. Overall, a great little audio adventure that spanned quite a distance and timespan! 

Rating: 8/10

The Foe from the Future

"You can't be harmed by superstition." 

Writer: Robert Banks Stewart (adapted by John Dorney)
Format: Audio
Released: January 2012
Series: Lost Stories: Fourth Doctor Boxset 01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis

The Grange is haunted, so they. This stately home in the depths of Devon has been the site of many an apparition. And now people are turning up dead. The ghosts are wild in the forest. But the Doctor doesn't believe in ghosts.

The TARDIS follows a twist in the vortex to the village of Staffham in 1977 and discovers something is very wrong with time. But spectral highwaymen and cavaliers are the least of the Doctor's worries.

For the Grange is owned by the sinister Jalnik, and Jalnik has a scheme two thousand years in the making. Only the Doctor and Leela stand between him and the destruction of history itself. It's the biggest adventure of their lives - but do they have the time?

Verdict

The Foe from the Future was an excellent audio adventure! I was delighted to receive an email a few months ago from Audible enticing me to sign up by giving me a free credit and whilst I was never going to commit to their monthly plan, I utilised that free download and put it to good use with the Lost Stories boxset of the Fourth Doctor Adventures. I used a free credit last summer too on the second series of Cyberman and I was delighted to save myself a sizeable sum of money. This story was brilliant and whilst it was quite different listening to a story in six parts, it definitely helped speed up my train journey. I had planned on a novel but with the busyness that comes with this time of year, I couldn’t guarantee I could dedicate the appropriate time to it. Considering this was Tom Baker’s first reprisal of his role as the Fourth Doctor for Big Finish, I thought he was absolutely wonderful. Alongside Leela, the pair really do shine. The concept of this audio was terrific and I could tell from the start that I was going to enjoy it. The dual setting of 1977 and the year 4000, linked by a tear in the time vortex, was brilliant and I liked how well the story was paced in revealing its details. Jalnik was a terrific villain and the scale of his plan was quite drastic and rather dangerous to the fragments of reality. With the human race at an end in 4000, and the world ravaged by Pantophagen, his plan to save humanity was to evacuate into the past. I love that idea and I thought it was utilised wonderfully. The Doctor’s reaction to finding out that 2,000 people had departed into the past was fantastic and he really didn’t appreciate the idiocy behind that decision. Butler, who was actually a butler, was another good character and I loved his demise at the hands of Leela. He had gone blind and whilst he was immune to the laser gun she was using, his realisation that Leela was shooting at the second bell was a sublime moment. Harpin was a good character whilst he lasted and I also enjoyed the many references to The Face of Evil. Charlotte was a lovely character and her relationship with Shibac ended happily which I certainly approved of happening. The Doctor also shared a nice relationship with her. The description of the TARDIS sounding like an elephant was another brilliant moment in the story as that really did tickle me. It actually does resemble one though which is what I think made it even funnier. The cliffhanger to part 5 was outstanding and must rank as one of my very favourites. There seemed absolutely no way back to the past and Leela also was presumed dead. I loved it and even though I listened to all six parts consecutively, I couldn’t wait for the sixth and final part to start. The resolution was clever and I thought the conclusion of the story as a whole was very good. The results of the Doctor’s actions were terrific as he’d set history back on its right course, defeated Jalnik and the Pantophagen and ensured that the whole timeline of the year 4000 didn’t even happen. Not a bad day’s work. Knowing this was intended to close season 14, I must say that I think this would have worked excellently on television and whilst we did get The Talons of Weng-Chiang in its place, it’s a shame that this never got to be produced for the television screen. The love story between Jalnik and Kostal was quite disturbing and the former eating the actual lover of the latter was a pretty gruesome occurrence but it definitely enhanced my liking of the story. Burrows was another good character too and Leela’s annoyance at the “blue guards” of Earth was terrific. Overall, I thought this was a brilliant story from start to finish and whilst it doesn’t quite gain full marks from me, it went very close!

Rating: 9/10

Twice Upon a Time

"He is the Doctor of War."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 25th December 2017
Series: 2017 Christmas Special

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, First Doctor

Synopsis

The South Pole. 1986. The Cybermen have just invaded and Mondas has disintegrated. They are defeated. But the Doctor is frail and weak, regeneration is imminent. For both of him. Frozen in time and joined by a World War One captain and Bill Potts, the Doctors must encounter Testimony and decide whether regenerating is worth the cost.

Verdict

Twice Upon a Time was a great Christmas Special but despite my high rating and enjoying of most of the episode, I can’t help but feel a little down. Just a few seconds of the episode have left a sour taste in my mind and I’m honestly struggling to believe why the First Doctor was presented as a sexist character. This is not how I expected to be starting my blog entry today and I’m bitterly disappointed by it. I just really can’t comprehend why Steven Moffat would present this incarnation across in that way. Just because he was the Doctor in the sixties, it doesn’t mean that he was from there. The attitudes of society have certainly changed since the broadcast of The Tenth Planet but the First Doctor does not represent the ideologies of that time and I’m quite gutted that it was presented in a completely different way. I absolutely loved William Hartnell’s Doctor and the sweet old man full of humour was a great contrast to what he would become. The throwback to the First Doctor’s final story was excellent and I loved the recreation of the final scenes where the Doctor headed for the TARDIS as regeneration was imminent. I must admit, I thought the presentation of Polly and Ben was very poor and the essence and likeness of their characters, however little they appeared, was bitterly disappointing. Justice was not done there at all in my opinion. Now then, onto what I actually liked about the episode and there was a great deal! David Bradley did a decent job of bringing the First Doctor back to life and whilst I thought some aspects of his presentation were a little shaky, overall he did a good job. It’s a mightily difficult task to take on which I can fully appreciate but the moment the two Doctors meet was terrific. Some of the dialogue between the two Doctors, so far apart in the timeline, was brilliant and I really liked how excited the Twelfth Doctor was to be reunited with his first self. The First Doctor’s reaction to the current TARDIS interior was good and I really liked the brandy gag. I thought the recreation of the very first TARDIS was great and the reproduction of the interior was superb! That really was a highlight. Mark Gatiss played the Captain wonderfully well and the revelation of the links to Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was another wonderful touch. I adored that. The concept of Testimony was intriguing and the reaction of the Twelfth Doctor when he found out the plan wasn’t evil was quite humorous I must say. I also enjoyed the First Doctor’s reaction to Bill’s asking of where he was running to when he stole the TARDIS. The reaction to him calling it the ship was magnificent too. The return of Rusty was quite unexpected but it was a great little throwback to Into the Dalek and I liked how the Twelfth Doctor hinted to the First Doctor about the Dalek mutants that were scurrying around. The idea of the First and Twelfth Doctors meeting together at the point where they refused to regenerate was fantastic and I liked how they helped one another go through with it. It showed just how contrasting their stage of life was with the First Doctor being scared of changing for the first time and the Twelfth questioning whether he should go on. Everybody has their time. I thought the closing scenes once the First Doctor had departed to regenerate were excellent and despite it being a multi- Doctor episode, I’m glad Capaldi got his moment to sign off in style. He had a touching moment with Bill where she, through Testimony, granted him his memories of Clara back and also brought back Nardole to say goodbye. The farewell speech of Capaldi’s Doctor was quite incredible and whilst I don’t think it quite rivals Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor speech in The Time of the Doctor, I thought it was sublime. It summed the Doctor up brilliantly and the idea of only children being able to learn his name was a lovely inclusion I must say. I really liked that. The regeneration itself somewhat resembled The End of Time with the power behind it and the first scene depicting Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor was fantastic. I liked how different it was and her reaction to becoming a woman was one of joy. But immediately she had her problems and after a short opening statement, she fell out of the TARDIS that seemed to be getting damaged badly. I’m sure that will set up the new episode and series nicely come autumn and I’m so excited for that now. However, this was about saying goodbye to the Twelfth Doctor and saying hello to the First Doctor once again. The former was sublime as always and I’m just a little bit gutted about the sexist elements of the latter. The scene of the episode for me though was when Testimony showed the First Doctor why he was the Doctor of War and Bradley’s reaction was absolutely phenomenal. He was horrified of what he would become and that idea is something I very much liked. Overall, a great episode but it’s just a shame that the First Doctor wasn’t written particularly well. 

Rating: 8/10

The Tenth Planet

"Planet don't just appear..."

Writers: Kit Pedlar & Gerry Davis
Format: TV
Broadcast: 8th-29th October 1966
Season: 4.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Polly, Ben

Synopsis

The TARDIS lands at the South Pole in 1986. The arrival coincides with the appearance of Earth's forgotten twin planet Mondas along with visitors from that world - the emotionless Cybermen. It's up to the Doctor and his friends to stop the creatures before they convert Earth's population into similar cyber creations - but the encounter will have a devastating effect on the Doctor...

Verdict

The Tenth Planet was an absolutely wonderful story and I really am delighted to have watched it once again. This must be my fourth or fifth viewing now and I can honestly say I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching it. It’s right up there with my favourites of all time and with the upcoming Christmas Special of Twice Upon A Time depicting the First Doctor towards the end of his incarnation, during the closing stages of this adventure, I saw it as the perfect excuse to grab the DVD out of the attic and fill my Christmas Eve. It was my first William Hartnell story since my first blogging of this serial a few years ago and I must say it was fantastic to see him again. He’s absolutely brilliant and the contrast that he brings to the character, despite being the first incarnation, is massive. He was the pioneer of the show and this is his farewell. And it’s bloody brilliant. He may be asleep for his penultimate episode but when he bursts back onto the scene in part four, his farewell, I couldn’t help but get a little emotional. He’s tremendous and I am so excited to see how David Bradley brings his character back to life tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll do him justice. The First Doctor is returning, 51 years after regeneration, and I can’t wait. How magnificent is that? What a TV show this is. As well as this being the swan-song for Hartnell and the First Doctor, it also saw the debut of the Cybermen in their incredible first design. This remains my favourite design because it’s just so real and still resembling of humanity. You see the faces behind the suit and the hands and those voices! Their monotonous and totally devoid of emotion. With them returning in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, I thought this was also good for helping my opinion on how well they were brought back. I must say that justice was done to the incredible design. Polly and Ben were terrific together in this story and whilst I was viewing this with one eye leaning towards how it will fit in with tomorrow’s episode, I still found myself embroiled with what was going on. The story itself is excellent and the return of Mondas to its ancient twin to drain its power is great. The Doctor knew what to expect and that immediately put him in an excellent position amongst the personnel on the Snowcap. The emergence of the Cybermen is a chilling moment and I loved how quickly they took control. One thing I really like about this story is that the resolution is simply to wait. The Doctor reveals relatively early on that Mondas will disintegrate as it will drain too much power from Earth and that’s exactly what happened. It was just all about biding time and I really like that. The animation of the final episode completes the adventure which is a real treat and despite it obviously being quite different, it’s still delightful. There is plenty of room for the First Doctor to go off and meet the Twelfth Doctor in tomorrow’s episode here and I assume (in fact, I think DWM confirmed) that it takes place for the first incarnation just after he leaves Ben and Polly in the Snowcap after the Cybermen collapse following their power drainage. The Doctor knew his body was wearing thin and it was far from over. No, this was just the beginning. The regeneration sequence happens quite quickly and I do wonder whether Steven Moffat has been tempted to give any further explanation other than the Doctor getting old. I’ll be watching very intrigued. Overall though, a simply wonderful story and the one that I think is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important in the show’s history. The lead actor can change and it’s perfectly explainable within the narrative of the show. It instantly became immortal and that’s incredible. William Hartnell bowed out in style and I can’t wait for the First Doctor to return tomorrow. Overall though, one of the greats.

Rating: 10/10

Red

"I feel like killing you. I can see red."

Writer: Stewart Sheargold
Format: Audio
Released: August 2006
Series: Main Range 85

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Mel

Synopsis

Subject 2660  Celia Fortunate, designated citizen of the needle. Subject experiencing traumatic, violent delusions during waking moments. Subject remains passified and under control of Whitenoise. Medication has been prescribed.

Subject0357 Vi Yulquen, designated Matriarch of the needle. Subject is under constant surveillance due to her wish to experience harm. This is in direct contravention of Whitenoise's programming. Also supplier of the drug classified as Slow. Editing is required.

Subject 0841  Chief Blue. Technician in symbiotic relationship with this Whitenoise system. Knowledgeable in human psychological evaluation. Subject has been diagnosed a voyeur, and has a dangerous obsession with the Red Tape. Machine augmentation is favoured to curb this defect.

Subject [error]  Melanie Bush, designation companion of subject 3999. Subject [error] is not chipped and is a threat. Her ability to harm has not been checked, compromising the continued security programming of this Whitenoise system. She must be inihibited.

Subject 3999  the Doctor. Subject has committed homicide. This subject now in constant redline. His propensity for violence remains unchecked. Analysis suggests synchronisation with the killer. The Doctor will attempt to kill again. He must be stopped.

Verdict


Red was a pretty decent audio adventure but I do think it could have been slightly better if I’m being honest. I still very much enjoyed it but it didn’t quite grip me and provide what I was hoping for. Now, it has been too long since I’ve done a train journey from South to Mid Wales but Christmas calls and I’m finally seeing that side of my family again. The journey always means something gets blogged and I was sadly too tired to read a novel but a full-length audio certainly suffices in my eyes. I was interested right from the get go which is usually a good sign but the story just seemed like it was waiting for something to happen without something impactful actually materialising. I thought the pairing of the Seventh Doctor and Mel was good but I’m not sure I liked how vulnerable our resonant hero was in this story. His links with the killer were good and I liked the explanation of how that was to do with their shared ability to time travel. Celia was a good character and I liked the revelation surrounding her involvement with the killer but I do think it could have had more of an effect. The whole concept of Red was intriguing and I liked how it was to do with violence. The fact that it prevented the action but not the thought as well was of particular interest to me as that seemed rather harsh. Whitenoise was a great character I must say and I liked how we had another maniacal machine to accompany the likes of WOTAN in the Doctor Who universe. Vi was a good character but she was another one who I was hoping to hear a little bit more from. The same could be said about  Uviol to be honest. One massive positive of this adventure was the cliffhanger to part two where it appeared that the Doctor was going to kill Mel. Or at least feel it as if he was doing so. I’m not sure he’d have been able to cope with that but the idea was superb. However, I expected the story to really kick on from there but sadly it wasn’t quite the case. It seemed to stagnate during part three and I’m not sure if my bitterness at the football game I attended prior to boarding the train was coming to the surface but I was actually a little annoyed it wasn’t better. That’s because I loved the idea behind the story and its potential but it wasn’t quite what I hoped for. And that’s absolutely fine, I still enjoyed it! The concept of Slow was interesting and I imagine it induced a temporal equivalent of vetting high on drugs. That in itself is quite an intriguing area of exploration. Chief Blue and Drawn were good characters and I thought the former’s erasure by Whitenoise was probably the most shocking moment of the audio. That was good though as I like to be taken by surprise in some stages. The stages of Red were pretty good but I did find it a little disturbing in some instances to listen to. The whole obsession and taking over of the character went a little too far for my liking and I must admit it did put me off a tad. That wasn’t a major issue and I can see how some listeners would have liked it but it just wasn’t quite to my taste. The ending was pretty decent but a little anticlimactic with the killer being trapped on the chips. The revelation behind how it came to be was decent but I was hoping for something more. Overall though, despite my sounding critical, I still very much enjoyed the story! 

Rating: 7/10

The Phantom Piper Part 2

"They worshipped me, and I love it."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 14th December 2017
Printed in: DWM 520

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The TARDIS is screaming. Alan Turing has gone missing. Only Chiyoko knows where he can be found. The Doctor needs the help of the famed decoder to work out who has hurt his beloved time machine. The Children of Turing are on the upsurge and this is causing unrest amongst the human population. Will they be able to find Turing and fix the TARDIS, or will a galactic riot ensue first?

Verdict

The Phantom Piper continued in very good fashion with this great second part of the story! More of that in a second though as, just a week or so late this month, I will look ahead to the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine and it certainly looks to be a great read. This will of course be the last issue with Peter Capaldi being the current Doctor as we look forward to his epic regeneration this Christmas and I'm very excited to read the preview for Twice Upon A Time. I really cannot wait to see the First Doctor return and I'm anticipating David Bradley's performance very much. I think the interviews with Mark Gatiss and Earl Cameron will be very good but one of the best things this issue will surely be the interview with Pearl Mackie. The Christmas Special will almost certainly be her last appearance in the show, at least on television, and I'm looking forward to reading what she has to say about her character's departure. I'm intrigued to see how she returns following the conclusion of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls and another feature I'm looking forward to this issue is the one entitled A Metebelis Christmas. Looking back at Classic Doctor Who is wonderful and with the Christmas Special being taken for granted now, it's interesting to think how this was not the case before 2005 so I'm intrigued to read about Doctor Who's Christmas in 1974. There looks to be heavy coverage of the recently released animation of Shada and I really am delighted that this story is finally going to have some form of completion. It is the most ironic story as although it was incomplete, it probably now has the most variations and formats of story. It'll be interesting to read why this was chosen for the latest animation and even if it only occurs annually, I do hope a brand new animation of a lost story continues to happen. Here's hoping The Evil of the Daleks is next up for restoration. The First Lady feature looks set to be a good little read and with this festive edition of the magazine, I'm looking forward to the Christmas quiz - I do like to test my knowledge! Galaxy Forum and the DWM Review are always good and I'm always eager to know what is Coming Soon. Anyway, onto the comic strip itself and I thought it was a good continuation of the first part. That ended well and even though Chiyoko's anger was eradicated very quickly, I really enjoyed her role in the story. She developed a good relationship with Bill and I liked how they wanted to work together to help the TARDIS. I am still quite shocked by the whole Children of Turing movement this far into the future but I am looking very forward to his imminent arrival in the story. The Doctor injecting his own voice into the holo-statue of Turing was a nice touch and I liked how Maggie thanked him for helping to prevent a riot. Moxham was a great character and I love how he's so anti-Galatean. I'm looking forward to his continued role in the comic adventure and I also really liked Ranesh. I thought the ending was pretty good and the intrigue of King's College London being on the Moon really has me thinking. The doubt held by Delphi over the Turing speaking is excellent and I'm looking very forward to the next part and seeing just how dangerous these stone hands are! Overall, a terrific continuation!

The Nowhere Place

"I am here. I am always here."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: July 2006
Series: Main Range 84

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Evelyn

Synopsis

2197 AD. The fighter-carrier Valiant has just crossed Pluto's orbital path.Its captain is expecting trouble from alien raiders. She is not expecting the Doctor and Evelyn.

She does not believe members of her crew when they say they can hear an ancient bell ringing. A bell that strikes terror into their hearts.

1952. The Turret Class locomotive Ivy Lee is hurtling through the night. On board, there should only be two passengers: both of them carrying documents from the War Office.

But now, there are also two unexpected visitors on the train. One is the guard with ill-fitting trousers, the other is an excessively dotty old lady.

The Doctor and Evelyn have arrived and "Time's End" is approaching.

Verdict

The Nowhere Place was a great audio adventure and a very good continuation of the Main Range of Big Finish audios! I very much enjoyed this story and it was wonderful to be back listening to a full-length audio. I thought the pairing of the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn were terrific from start to finish and as I have mentioned in my recent blog entries containing the elderly companion, she really has grown on me recently after a shaky start. I thought she was terrific in this adventure and I really loved how she actually used her age in her favour. When first joined the TARDIS way back in The Marian Conspiracy a lot was made of how she was an old woman but recently that is just taken as a given and it isn't really a point of interest anymore. I like her and I quite liked how stunned she was by the idea of the Doctor being scared. The dragging out of finding out just what he was scared of was good and I thought the reveal was pretty decent. I must say, I loved the cliffhanger to part one and I was very intrigued to see how a spaceship in 2197, a train in 1952 and a 50-billion year-old door that led to nowhere were all going to be linked but I thought it was done in a very good and logical way. Tanya made a great captain of the Valiant and I really enjoyed her first meeting with the Doctor. He was inadvertently rubbing her up the wrong way as this incarnation so often could but the development of their relationship during the first two parts was marvellous. She eventually put her trust in him to go back to 1952 and solve the mystery of this strange and ancient door but he actually rather struggled. The concept of nowhere is something that I always struggle to comprehend because the fact that we're referring to it must mean that it is something so how can it be nothing? It's a bit of a paradox or a loop but I love it when those kind of things get explored in Doctor Who. It was done brilliantly here. Now I must admit that I definitely preferred the first half of this audio and I thought things slacked off ever so slightly once things headed to 1952 but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. Evelyn using her elderly charm on Trevor was terrific and I rather enjoyed the humour that came with the Doctor and Palmer's interactions. The idea of Time's End was very good and the prospect of other species, billions of them, developing on Earth before the time of Pangaea was very intriguing to me. The Doctor was quite stunned by the revelation that these species had been taken out of Time but he saw that it was all down to a simple coordinate error. He fixed that but with a twist, ensuring that it was actually Tanya's nuclear power that wiped out all of the potential timelines and once again saved the human race. His insistence in how he wanted to help humanity and had a soft spot for Earth was great to hear and I'm already looking forward to the next Sixth Doctor story. But for now, an excellent adventure! 

Rating: 8/10

A Christmas Carol

"Nine-hundred years of space and time and I've never met anybody who wasn't important."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 25th December 2010
Series: 2010 Christmas Special

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

Amy Pond and Rory Williams are trapped on a crashing space liner, and the only way the Doctor can rescue them is to save the soul a lonely old miser. But is Kazran Sardick, the richest man in Sardicktown, beyond redemption? And what is lurking in the fogs of Christmas Eve?

Verdict

A Christmas Carol was a terrific episode and a great Christmas Special! This has got me right into the Christmas spirit and as I type this on a brand new laptop (an early Christmas present), my anticipation for the big day increases. I can't wait for the brand new episode but for now, I complete my blogging of Matt Smith's run as the Eleventh Doctor with his first festive episode. He was superb and just reminded me once again why he is my favourite incarnation of our heroic Time Lord. He was on top form here and his reaction to Kazran's initial reaction of just letting 4,003 people die was wonderful. He just couldn't comprehend it and I think that initially showed how contrasting of a personality he was compared to the Doctor. The planet was a wonderful setting and although we didn't get a name, I absolutely loved how this felt like history in space. Having watched The Man Who Invented Christmas in the cinema with my girlfriend recently, I was very much looking forward to seeing Doctor Who's take on the famed Christmas tale after seeing how it was created. It was a lovely story and I think Moffat did a stellar job in adapting it for the Whoniverse. The Doctor's realisation of what he had to do to Kazran when he shouted "a Christmas carol" was brilliant. I loved the way the Doctor entered the episode and his changing of Kazran's past was magical. The moment he went to his childhood and changed the past was great and I liked how that set the tone for the rest of the episode. We got to see him grow up and the story with Abigail was beautiful. I mean, Katherine Jenkins, the woman who played her, looked spectacular but despite her Welshness I still think Karen Gillan as Amy stole the show in the looks department despite a limited appearance here. I liked how year by year of each Christmas Eve we saw Kazran age and it was inevitable that before long he would feel differently about Abigail. We saw that relationship blossom and the Doctor showed them the sights across space and time. It then came as a bitter pill to swallow when Kazran announced that he wanted to stop the annual tradition. The Doctor's reaction to that was emotional and I loved how that saw the theme of A Christmas Carol really hit off. The use of the Ghosts of Christmas was outstanding, particularly the Ghost of Christmas Future. Just when the older Kazran thought he would see his future, it turned out that he was the future being seen by his younger self. That really was excellent. That sparked the older Kazran into action with him realising that he didn't need to let 4,003 people die but his isomorphic controls had faltered as the Doctor had changed too much of the past. The use of the singing by Abigail to clear the path was lovely and I think I should also mention the flying fish! They were great. I loved the scene where the Doctor and Kazran nearly got eaten by a shark and the former lost half of his sonic screwdriver. The elder Kazran concluding the story by spending the last day he could with Abigail was a fitting end to a great Christmas Special! Overall, a lovely adventure.

Rating: 9/10

The Scream

"I was so good at silence... that not even my own people could remember me."

Writer: Rob Williams
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 23rd November 2017
Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 20

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones

Synopsis

The brand new day for the Eleventh Doctor and Alice continues as they head out into the galaxy in search of the amazing and the unknown! Who will join them aboard the TARDIS... and what will become of them? Plus - with all they've seen and done together, can the Doctor still surprise Alice? Oh, you bet!

Verdict

The Scream was a decent little comic strip adventure but I can't help thinking it could have been better. After the cliffhanger finish of the excellent Remembrance, I had high hopes for this comic strip adventure but just as the third year of the Eleventh Doctor adventures started with a bang, it has taken a little bump in the road. Now, I'm probably sounding like I hate it and that is far from the case as my rating reflects but anything below an 8 for me and I have some problems with it. I just thought it tried to do too much in one part and I know that this section of the comic predominantly leads with single parters, this felt a bit rushed. While a fast-paced story is usually a good thing, this one was actually too fast and that's what let it down in my estimation. I thought the concept of the Scream was excellent and he was, as thought, an original Silent. However, his abilities were so great that even his own species would forget who he was when they turned away. This was leading to some severe psychological torment as the Scream just wanted to be remembered. I actually felt quite sorry for our dear old Scream despite his whacky scheme to get remembered. To do so, he was actually going to die but live on in the memories of the Doctor and Alice. He was using those memories to power his own devised Memory Energy Engine which was in turn fuelling the organic virus that was the forest of the previous story. It was all very absurd and bonkers and that is actually pretty good but I think the pace meant that there was just much of a gap in the explanation of what exactly was going on. I liked the concept and the premise but it didn't quite work as well as I would have hoped. I did think though that the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor was superb and that is always a big bonus. I liked the glimpse into the Doctor's memories that we saw through the Scream and the images of the Master, K9, Rose and the Brigadier were wonderful little nods to the past. I always appreciate things like that and they can be done so easily in a comic strip which makes it such a fantastic format. Alice recalling her mum again was another nice recollection of days gone by in the first two years she has been travelling with the Doctor. I thought the ease in which Jones dispatched of the Scream was quite quick and instantly made it seem quite pathetic. Though, it did get me very interested in what exactly Jones was doing. I mean, he's already died but now here is he not remembering inviting his friends to his own funeral. Things are already getting timey-wimey and that just adds to my frustration that DWC has become a three-monthly release. I just don't understand why that is the case and it's such a long time between parts that remembering exactly what has happened is a rather difficult task. I guess there isn't much I can do except delve into the more expensive graphic novels, which I'm not yet willing to do. Not for Doctors 10-12 at least. Anyway, the Sapling was a very intriguing being and the power it possessed was quite mighty. A weapon containing the memories of the Doctor and Alice that was a genocide child but did not want to destroy worlds. The ending was quite abrupt and it seems like this mysterious being is joining us in the TARDIS for now. Overall, a decent comic strip but it could have been better!

Rating: 7/10

Death Match

"A champion does not beg."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: April 2015
Series: FDA 4.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis

The Death-Match is under new management. The Hunt Master's Champion has been installed. All regular players are welcomed back to the Pursuit Lounge to observe the contest in luxurious surroundings. Privacy is assured. For this reason we ask our elite guests to abide by the strict security protocols. Please note, the house has no limits.

In the Gallery, your combatants can be observed on the orbiting Quarry Station. A purpose-built environment filled with deadly traps and hidden dangers. Prizes are offered for every kill, with bonuses for rogue elements. Only an elite hunter can survive the End-Game. Do you have a worthy champion? Kill or be killed: the only rule of the Death-Match...

Verdict

Death Match was a great little audio and continued very nicely from where Requiem for the Rocket Men left off. There was a little bit of time that had taken place between the episodes but other than the Doctor getting angry at losing to K9 at chess once again, it didn’t appear that much had happened in the TARDIS. For Leela though, quite a lot seemed to had happened. She was now at the mercy of the Master and she didn’t even know it. She was fighting as his champion in a game that had only one rule. Kill or be killed. Prior to The Face of Evil she might have been in her element but following her time with the Doctor she’s now a changed woman and respected life more. K9 was wonderful in this story and I loved how he continuously annoyed the Doctor with taking everything so literally. He did suffer considerable damage at times in this audio which was quite sad but he provided the means of the resolution which was very good. I liked how Marshall continued as a character in this one and he’d gained the aid of Galactic Heritage to contact the Doctor for help following Leela’s abduction at the hands of the Master. Geoffrey Beavers gave another chilling performance as the emaciated incarnation of the Master and I really enjoyed his relationship with Kastrella. She actually did seem smitten with him and he, quite unbelievably, was enjoying her company and didn’t even seem against the idea of her becoming his equal rather than assistant. The concept of the Death-Match was good and I liked how quickly the Master had gained control over the proceedings. Leela and Marshall meeting again was good and the pair were so clearly in love which gave this story a strong emotional feel. Little Leelas would be running around apparently and that made the ending very sad indeed. The Red Knight was quite an impressive and formidable foe but I liked how the Doctor and Leela reunited to capture it and put it out of action, at least temporarily. The comments from the Master about ruling the universe with the Doctor were very interesting but I loved the Doctor’s description of how the pair had contrasting views when it came to the stars. I loved that line. I thought the cliffhanger to part one was good but I wasn’t a massive fan of its resolution which was a shame. The Master belittling Marshall was brilliant and the ruthlessness with which he killed him and explained how he’d destroyed his Rocket Men colony just for fun was brutal. That’s the villainous nature of the Master and it was just excellent. That provided an emotional farewell between Leela and Marshall and that really was quite powerful. After K9 had brilliantly teleported the Doctor, Leela and Marshall to safety there was nothing much that could be done. Marshall was going to sacrifice himself to destroy the Master, Kastrella and the scene of the Death-Match. The realisation that the Master and Kastrella were still playing the End Game was terrific and I liked the ambiguous ending. Overall though, a terrific conclusion to a great story! It’s good to have Leela back onboard the TARDIS and although I don't really listen to this range in any kind of order, I am very interested to see how this story affects her immediate future travels with the Fourth Doctor. 

Rating: 8/10

Requiem for the Rocket Men

"Betrayal's only a question of when, not if."

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: March 2015
Series: FDA 4.03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis

The Asteroid - notorious hideaway of the piratical Rocket Men. Hewn out of rock, surrounded by force-fields and hidden in the depths of the Fairhead Cluster, their base is undetectable, inescapable and impregnable.

In need of allies, the Master has arranged to meet with Shandar, King of the Rocket Men. But the mercenaries have captured themselves a very special prisoner - his oldest enemy, the Doctor.

What cunning scheme is the Doctor planning? How does it connect with Shandar's new robotic pet? And just what has happened to Leela? The Master will have to work the answers out if he wants to leave the asteroid... alive...

Verdict

Requiem for the Rocket Men was an outstanding audio adventure and might just be my favourite Fourth Doctor Adventure yet! I've still not covered as much of the range as I'd have liked but I have listened to a considerable amount and I must say that I was mightily impressed by this one. It had a unique feeling and was just brilliant from the word go. I liked how it was a kind of loose sequel to Return of the Rocket Men and the idea of the Rocket Men placing a bounty on the Doctor's head following their past failings at his hands was very good. The way in which that bounty seemed to be redeemed was good but then there was definitely the subtle feeling that the story jumped ahead a little. Most of that would be resolved in part two and I thought the opening to that where it was laid in concrete that Leela was the one who brought the Doctor to the Rocket Men to redeem the bounty. I liked the position that placed the story and the arrival of the Master was just magnificent. This emaciated incarnation of the great villain is so chilling and Geoffrey Beavers really does do a stellar job as the evil Time Lord. I liked the continuation from The Evil One with Leela referring to him as just that and I also loved how stupid the Master made Shandar look. The Rocket Men were puny to him and his reaction to the Doctor being in a cell onboard the ship was fantastic. K9 even being a part of the Doctor's plan of deception came as a bit of a surprise but it was certainly a welcomed one! I liked the mentions of the Rani and the Rutan and really liked the cliffhanger to part one where it was revealed that the Doctor had been disguised as Oskin the whole time. I thought it was rather incredible that the Master finally killed the Doctor and his reaction to doing so was perfect. Instead of joy and ecstasy, he just felt a loss and a not knowing of what he would now. I really liked that. Of course, the Doctor didn't actually die and it turned out to be a hologram the whole time but I really liked how the Doctor had planned everything out to the precise detail. This was a plan to finally rid the universe of the Rocket Men now that he finally had a means of tracking them down. Myrren was a good character and I liked how she wasn't stupid when it came to Marshall's relationship with Leela. Her death though came very suddenly and the full effect was certainly felt. I thought the pace of the story was excellent but that usually is the case for this length of story. The one-hour audios really are terrific for that. The Doctor and K9 being out in space and disabling the Rocket Men's impenetrable force-field was great and I liked how Shandar realised just too late on to stop anything from happening. The Master's hopes to leave were thwarted by K9 and I really liked how he was even piloting the Master's TARDIS. Leela's reaction to its interior was good but I thought the ending of this audio was superb. Leela realised that not all the Rocket Men had been destroyed on the cruisliner's demise and wanted to stay and help Marshall to rid the universe of them for good. The Doctor said his goodbyes in rather emotional fashion and the janos thorn line actually put a sad smile on my face. Leela had left the TARDIS, only to be captured by the Master in wonderful fashion. His TARDIS was camouflaged magnificently and just after leaving one TARDIS, Leela found herself in another. Marshall was left wondering where she had gone and things were set up very nicely for the next adventure. Overall, a superb audio!

Rating: 10/10