The Settling

"I made a mistake. I fought."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: May 2006
Series: Main Range 82

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis

Sir,

Having brought the army belonging to the Parliament of England before this place, to reduce it to obedience, to the end effusion of bloody may be prevented, I thought fit to summon you to deliver the same into my hands to their use.

If this be refused, you will have no cause to blame me.

I expect your answer and rest your servant.

O. Cromwell

Verdict

The Settling was an outstanding audio adventure and certainly must go down as one of my all time favourite Seventh Doctor stories of any format! It really was that good. Listening on a train, I didn't even pause the story once and listened to it entirely in one sitting which, even whilst travelling, is not something I often, if ever, do. I had absolutely no clue what the story was going to be about prior to listening as I had not read the synopsis and all I had to base pre-listening assumptions from was the name and knowing which TARDIS team would be appearing. It was the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex and I thought the trio worked wonderfully well together. I liked the style of storytelling for this one with Ace and Hex reminiscing on its events in the TARDIS even before we listened to anything that had happened. They sprung up throughout the audio which I thought was very good and we got to learn a lot about their relationship. I thought it was very interesting that Hex clearly wanted to get intimate with his fellow companion and he even seemed to think that the Doctor wouldn't at all mind. Ace's reaction was rather dignified though and I think this story really highlighted how far she has come as a companion and how much her character has developed. At this point in chronology, she's very mature which is quite refreshing and she works so much alongside Sylvester McCoy's Doctor than was the case on television. The setting of Drogheda in 1649 with the English siege led by Oliver Cromwell was right up my alley as it is a hugely significant historical event. I was actually just delighted to be getting another pure historical from Big Finish and the emotion that came out of this story proves that they have so much value. Hex went through quite a lot in this audio which allowed for some serious character development. That was needed I think as we now know a lot more about Hex who is still a relatively new companion following his arrival in The Harvest. The reactions he got at this time when he told people he was a nurse were great and I thought his interactions and challenging of Cromwell was superb. He really did push him and risked being sentenced to death on more than one occasion. The Irish characters were wonderful and I really adore the accent having visited the country twice so I really did love Mary and Kieran. The latter's death was extremely heartfelt and we would then meet his brother James who was a similar and good character. I really liked the cliffhangers in this story and with the running time at 104 minutes, it wasn't at all too dissimilar to a traditional televised four-parter. Had this story aired on TV, I think it would have gone down a treat as it was simply wonderful. Applying visuals to this adventure would have been a real treat but the music that accompanied the audio in the background really was sublime and helped with the telling of the story in a huge way. The impending massacres at Drogheda and Wexford along with Mary going into labour were real highlights of the story but I think the main thing I liked was how emotional this was for Hex. Ace was there to console him but he was deeply affected by what he had witnessed on this adventure. And who could blame him? He couldn't change history but I did like how he and Ace realised they should always listen to the Doctor. Overall, a stunning audio!

Rating: 10/10

The Invasion of Time

"The President should be shot on sight."

Writer: David Agnew
Format: TV
Broadcast: 4th February - 11th March 1978
Season: 15.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela, K9

Synopsis

The Doctor is behaving very oddly. After signing a treaty with enemy aliens, he returns to his home planet, Gallifrey, and demands the Presidency of the High Council of Time Lords. His first act of rule is to banish Leela to the wastelands on pain of death. His second is to sabotage the planet's defence barriers, enabling full scale invasion.

Why has the Doctor joined forces with the militaristic Vardans? Is he out for revenge against the Time Lords? Or does he have a hidden agenda? But his allies are also hiding a dark secret, for behind them is a familiar enemy waiting for the right moment to attack...

Verdict

The Invasion of Time was an excellent adventure and a wonderful story to conclude the fifteenth season of Doctor Who. It really does have it all and often goes underrated in my opinion. I really do love this story and when you step back and take a look at what exactly happens, in hindsight this adventure is actually huge! The Sontarans step foot on Gallifrey and take control. That really is quite something. But of course, in a six parter the terrific villains don't show up until the conclusion of part four in a brilliant cliffhanger. If the story ended with the Doctor announcing that they had won again, it would go down as a very good four-part adventure. Once the Vardans are defeated though, things have only just got started and it turns out that they were just a prelude for the Sontarans, returning for the first time since The Sontaran Experiment. I'm sure the part four cliffhanger would have gone down a storm back in the 70s. Tom Baker was on fine form as the Fourth Doctor and I liked how he gave no hints at whether he was actually on the side of the Vardans. He arrives on Gallifrey and immediately demands his inheritance and right to become Lord President. What exactly that means for the past relationship between the Doctor and Rassilon is up for interpretation but it is certainly something to ponder. It's an exciting thought that's for sure. The Vardans were good enemies themselves and I liked how they suspected the Doctor wasn't actually on their side the entire time. The Vardans themselves were full of mystery before their identity as humans was fully revealed. I liked the wavy paper-like forms that we saw and their ability to be able to travel on wavelengths of any kind is certainly a good one! It has a lot of potential and it's one we saw realised pretty well in this serial. I really liked Leela in this story and considering it was her last one, I liked how her decision to stay on Gallifrey with Andred wasn't really hinted at during the events of the story. The Doctor was taken aback and I liked how despite putting on a brave face when saying farewell to his savage companion, he seemed momentarily hurt when he closed the TARDIS doors. K9 had also left him to take care of Leela on the planet of the Time Lords but the Doctor soon had another model to assemble. Borusa was great in this story and he would obviously become a bigger character in future stories. The Castellan was a weak character and I like the idea of the Time Lords being vulnerable and not expecting to be invaded. Rodan was a lovely character and I really liked her relationship with both the Doctor and Leela. She was terrific in making the defense of the main systems applicable from within the Doctor's TARDIS. Gallifrey stories are something I very much enjoy and I liked how we got a glimpse of outside of the Citadel where things aren't all rosy. Things can also be tough for Gallifreyans and that was very interesting to see, especially once Leela assumed control. She really did shine in her final adventure which is how it should be. The way the Doctor dealt with both the Vardans and the Sontarans was very good and served as a fantastic conclusion to what is a superb story! The Doctor suffering memory loss after preventing the Sontarans from gaining the Great Key was a great touch. Overall, a stunning story that was absolutely fit for a season finale and companion sendoff.

Rating: 10/10

The Kingmaker

"The story changes, the ending stays the same..."

Writer: Nev Fountain
Format: Audio
Released: April 2006
Series: Main Range 81

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis

Doctor Who encounters one of the most notorious characters from the past, as he journeys through time to solve the great Historical Mysteries...

Not surprisingly the Doctor becomes mixed with Richard the Third himself, as he tries to unravel the perplexing problem of who exactly killed the Princes in the Tower.

Peri and Erimem also encounter a suspicious time traveller. Someone from the Doctor's own past. Someone who shouldn't really be there at all.

So who did murder the Princes in the Tower? Perhaps it's best not to ask a question like that.

You might not like the answer...

Verdict

The Kingmaker was an excellent audio adventure and seems to be the best Fifth Doctor story from Big Finish, chronologically, in quite some time! Maybe it has just been a while since I listened to a Peter Davison adventure, I'm not too sure, but I found myself really enjoying this one from start to finish! It was historical which, even after a day full of dissertation research, is something I really welcomed as I'm a big lover of History. I mean I kind of have to say that as I'm only a few weeks from entering my third year of a degree in the subject but hey ho. The story worked wonderfully and somewhat amazingly, not counting the TARDIS, was actually a pure historical although you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. I liked the way the story started with Peri and Erimem out and about exploring with some humorous conversation about what was beneath women. There was some surprising innuendo there but I do like how Erimem isn't afraid to talk about anything. She's a wonderful companion and after Charley she is my favourite original companion to come out of Big Finish. This story had some terrific references to Terror of the Zygons and Planet of Fire and I really liked the description of the Ninth Doctor that appeared. I would assume this is the first reference of a Doctor from the modern series to show up in a Classic era story. Picturing the Ninth Doctor doing a favour for Peri and Erimem is quite an image though I must say. I really loved the references to the Target series of novels known as 'Doctor Who Discovers' and actually hearing the Doctor referred to as Doctor Who was quite intriguing following Missy's comments in World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls. The way the Doctor described the logo and the series coming into fruition was magnificent. I really liked how he wanted to solve the mystery of Richard the Third and the Princes in the Tower and whilst it isn't a historical tale I actually know a great deal about, I am aware of the basics. Hearing the Fourth Doctor make a cameo, even if it was not Tom Baker, was terrific and I really liked how they squeezed that incarnation of the Doctor into a story. Very clever indeed. Something else that was very clever was the character of Mr. Seyton. He was an enigma for much of the story which was good and I liked how it was said that he and the Doctor knew each other. Once Peri received a description, all signs pointed towards the Master and I must admit that a smile appeared on my face when I thought that he might appear. Sadly that wasn't to be the case but I think the cliffhanger of part three surprised me even more in that Seyton turned out to be Shakespeare! How barmy was that? I loved it. It really was unexpected and I liked how he'd got the Doctor drunk and hitched a ride to the past in the TARDIS. I'm not sure where this leaves The Shakespeare Code in terms of continuity but that's a pointless argument. This story was just marvellous and that's what counts. The King himself was an evil character I liked that and the revelation that the Princes were actually Princesses was told very well. I thought the ludicrousy of Shakespeare dying in the Battle of Bosworth was incredible and Richard the Third taking his place is crazy but terrific. Overall, a wonderful story full of mystery, history and great dialogue. A fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10

Nemesis of the Daleks

"Their spirits have been crushed by the Daleks..."

Writers: Richard & Steve Alan
Format: Comic Strip
Released: September-December 1989
Printed in: DWM 152-155

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Abslom Daak

Synopsis

On the planet Hell, the Daleks are preparing their deadliest weapon yet in the form of a Dalek Death Wheel. They plan to cause absolute chaos and destruction in the universe and wipe out the Helkans from the planet. Can the Doctor and famed Dalek-Killer Abslom Daak work together to prevent the Daleks from becoming the supreme beings and rulers of the Universe?

Verdict

Nemesis of the Daleks was a great comic strip adventure and has kicked off my reading of the graphic novel of the same name. I'm not sure how regularly I will be reading the stories from this collection but at least I have now started! I thought it was very good from start to finish and was just a solid story all the way through. We only saw the Seventh Doctor battle the Daleks on television once in the outstanding Remembrance of the Daleks so it was nice to get a visual adventure with him battling his arch enemies once again in this incarnation. I have heard the Seventh Doctor do battle with the Daleks since but there is just something different about a visual story, even if it was in black and white. That's different for when it comes to a Seventh Doctor story but I really didn't let it have an effect on my reading of the comic strip. The artwork was still magnificent! After reading the latest year of Eleventh Doctor comic stories in Doctor Who Comic, it was interesting for me to read a story with Abslom Daak in the Classic era. I have read Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer but to now see him alongside the Seventh Doctor after so long with the Eleventh Doctor was really good and actually quite refreshing. His feelings for his dead loved on in Taiyin were still strong and I found it quite interesting and somewhat emotional when he wouldn't even let anyone touch her cryogenic chamber. He was obviously very sensitive on the matter which was understandable. The alliance he seemed to be creating was quite an ensemble with a Draconian and an Ice Warrior all on their way to Hell to join Daak in the fight against the Daleks. We didn't see much of them but just them appearing in this story was a terrific little treat, even if they didn't live for much of it all. I thought the characterisation of the Seventh Doctor was excellent with Sylvester McCoy's likeness being captured wonderfully well. I particularly liked his arrival on the planet. The Ogrons getting a brief appearance too was fantastic and I did like the nods to past stories and eras of the show in this adventure. We saw what were, at this point, all seven faces of the Doctor once he was being interrogated by the Daleks which I thought was terrific. The Daleks themselves were presented well and their efforts definitely seemed suited for the Classic era. The inclusion of the Dalek Emperor, who was not Davros much to the surprise of the Doctor, was brilliant and I really liked its appearance and ruthlessness when it came to the Helkans as a workforce. The cliffhangers were pretty good which is always a bonus, even in a comic strip, and I thought part four was quite pacy. I liked how time advanced quite a bit during the story and the way that the Dalek Death Wheel was thwarted was very admirable. Abslom Daak knew that sacrificing himself to destroy the Wheel would mean he'd kill numerous Daleks so I understood why he stopped the Doctor from making the sacrifice and took his place. Overall though, a great comic strip! After a somewhat lengthy audio run, it was nice to be doing something of a different format!

Rating: 8/10

The Isos Network

"We were a thriving colony... then the Cybermen came."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: January 2016
Series: The Early Adventures 2.04

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are leaving Earth after having successfully defeated a Cyberman invasion... The Cyber-fleet is still exploding... But something is escaping through the mass of vaporising debris.

In hot pursuit, the Doctor and his friends find themselves drawn to a mysterious planet where strange beasts slither through the streets of a deserted city... And an old enemy lurks beneath the surface.

As a force of heavily armed aliens arrive, a battle to save the entire galaxy from invasion begins.

Verdict

The Isos Network was an excellent audio adventure and a wonderful trip to the early adventures of Doctor Who. The range really does deliver on its name and I must say that the feel and atmosphere of the Patrick Troughton era was captured on audio very well indeed. This really was a proper Classic era story and it definitely would have fitted in with the Second Doctor stories that we saw on television. I love the idea of it being a sequel to The Invasion but not only that, it takes place just a few days after that terrific story for the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe. This trio are simply magnificent together and having Frazier Hines and Wendy Padbury reunited on audio is a real treat. I find it quite incredible that nearly half a century after they appeared on screen together, they are able to recreate a story from that era with such precision and brilliance. Hines was outstanding in this audio with his impression of Patrick Troughton and you really could be forgiven for thinking that the late actor himself appeared in the story because the impersonation really was that good. It really does amaze me how good he is at nailing the mannerisms of the Second Doctor and as listeners it's a real treat for us to be able to listen to a new performed adventure with this incarnation of the Doctor. This story was full of references to previous adventures and that is something I always enjoy. We had numerous references to the serial that this audio is a sequel to but there were also wonderful mentions of The Tomb of the Cybermen, The Web of Fear and even The Tenth Planet with a lovely little description of the First Doctor. That reminded me of Earthshock a bit with the way those Cybermen looked at images of past incarnations of the Doctor. I thought the setting of Isos II was terrific and the description of the planet really was great. It just seemed to fit in so perfectly with the Troughton era which is a big bonus. The Cybermen's arrival at the end of part one was a tremendously typical cliffhanger and when I realised that was what was coming, a big smile appeared on my face. Even though we knew who the enemy was for the story, they still waited until the end of part one to reveal them. How many times has that happened before? I was a big fan of it. I thought the other cliffhangers were very good too, particularly the third part's with the impending doom at the hands of the monorail train. The Cybermen's use for that to create hyperspace travel and return to Earth for conquering was intriguing and it does seem good that they would want to finish their business. The Cyber Controller returning in a Second Doctor story was fantastic and I really liked how Jamie recognised him. Nicholas Briggs did a stellar job with the voices of both the Controller and the Cybermen themselves and I also really liked how there was a Cyber Leader featured in the adventure too. The fact that they had converted the entire population of Isos II was quite a feat for the Cybermen and I liked how they were merely getting started. They still wanted Earth after their first effort had failed. The climax was good and exciting and I thought the sacrifice of Hilsee was very admirable. Would it be the end for the Cybermen? Obviously we know that was not the case but the Doctor knew that too. Overall, a wonderful adventure that fitted into its era incredibly well. So close to full marks!

Rating: 9/10

Time Works

"The Clockwork Men come for us when we can no longer keep time."

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: March 2006
Series: Main Range 80

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis

"You want to know about the Time Keepers?"

"We work in their shadow, every tick and tock of our lives. We hear them in the workings of the Great Clock. We work hard, turn our hands - but we all wind down in time, and that is when they come for us: when our time is up."

The TARDIS lands in between times, in a time where there is no time. A time in which nothing can possibly be. But something is...

The Doctor, Charley and C'rizz are rats in the wheelwork, a threat to the schedule of a world where timing is everything. And the seconds are counting down to a fateful future that has already happened. Unless they can beat the clock.

Tick, tock.

Verdict

Time Works was an outstanding audio adventure and definitely ranks as one of my favourite stories from the Main Range of Big Finish audios. It was excellent from start to finish and I actually had a very good feeling that it would be when I read the synopsis. It seemed intriguing and a story centred around time is something that instantly appeals to me. Despite the fact that we've had five new Doctors since Paul McGann's brief tenure as the Eighth Doctor, this still very much seems new given how little we had of this fantastic Doctor. And given that I am unaware as to what happened during the life of this incarnation, just about anything can happen and very little is off limits so that is exciting! This trio of the Eighth Doctor, Charley and C'rizz have been through a lot and I really am now enjoying them since they exited the Divergent Universe. Things are much better and this story was simply wonderful. From the very moment the TARDIS arrived, time was still. The Doctor though found his way around an hour into the past but Charley and C'rizz were stuck in one moment. It was 17.00.08 and after some wondering around, the Doctor's companions found that he was about to die at the hands of a royal figure. This was inevitable but the build up to this moment was terrific and even though we knew the result, it was still brilliant to know where the story was heading. The Clockwork Men, not to be confused with the Clockwork Droids of The Girl in the Fireplace, were a very intriguing enemy and the way they had positioned themselves as gods over Industry was brilliant. Their subjects' striving towards completion was good and I liked the ambiguity surrounding that for much of the adventure. I thought the Doctor's trust in his companions was terrific and it really was great to hear just how much he values them. I liked the royalty appearance in this story and it was quite different to hear of a royal family not of Earth's history. Kestorian made a good holder of the crown and I liked his relationship with his son, the Prince, Zanith. The latter was an excellent character and I really liked how he was immune to the control of the Clockwork Men. He was sceptical of the Doctor as anyone might be but his father placed some trust in him which really interested me. The Clockwork Men's ability to shock once they had predicted the probability of an individual's future actions was great and I liked how that came back to prove their weakness. Vannet and Revnon had an intriguing relationship and I really liked what he was doing for her in not wanting to have it realised that she was expendable. Her love for Collis was quite emotional at times and that was good to hear. I thought the cliffhangers were good and I also thought the pace of the climax was very well done. The Doctor had started the revolution against the Clockwork Men and took on the Figurehead. She was defeated and the Great Clock was stopped and Industry could return to normality again. People no longer needed to live in fear of time. And it even seemed that quite uncharacteristically, the Doctor was going to stick around once the enemy was defeated. He had enjoyed his time with Vannet and I liked that he was going to continue it for a little while longer. Overall, a superb audio adventure from start to finish! The first to achieve full marks in 18 stories.

Rating: 10/10

Night Thoughts

"The more things change, the more they stay the same..."

Writer: Edward Young
Format: Audio
Released: February 2006
Series: Main Range 79

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis

'I warn you, things could get very nasty here before they get better.'

A remote Scottish mansion. Five bickering academics are haunted by ghosts from their past. Reluctantly they offer shelter to the Doctor and his companions Ace and Hex.

Hex, already troubled by a vivid nightmare, is further disturbed by the nighttime appearance of a whistling, hooded apparition.

Ace tries to befriend the young housemaid, Sue. Sue knows secrets. She knows why the academics have assembled here, and she knows why they are all so afraid. But Sue's lips are sealed, preferring to communicate through her disturbing toy, Happy the Rabbit.

And then the killing begins. Gruesome deaths that lead the Doctor and his friends to discover the grisly truth behind the academics' plans, and, as the ghosts of the past become ghosts of the present, to recognise that sometimes death can be preferable to life.

Verdict

Night Thoughts was an excellent audio adventure and is definitely the best Main Range audio from Big Finish that I have listened to in quite some time! Now I fully acknowledge that my listening of this range has somewhat stalled in recent months with finishing my second year of university and getting into a relationship but I do hope that in what remains of my summer I can fit in quite a few more of these audios yet. I'm on quite the audio run and I really am enjoying the format lately so after a disappointing day of football I had to get back on track and this story really was superb. It was so close to full marks but I couldn't quite give it. It wasn't very far away though and that was brilliant to listen to. It had been a while since I heard the trio of the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex but despite not being the biggest fans of the first two mentioned on television, I have found myself really liking them on audio and with Hex as an addition, they work really well together. I thought this was probably my favourite performance from Hex thus far since his arrival in The Harvest and I really enjoyed how he got to show off his medical ability and knowledge. Despite the Doctor being present, it seemed that the academics in the house turned to Hex when it came to needing medical treatment or expertise. The Doctor was the one with the answer, especially when it came to time travel. I really loved the setting of a remote mansion and the atmosphere was superbly presented which can be quite difficult on audio. It was eery and tense and it actually probably helped that I was listening to the story quite late at night. I thought Sylvester McCoy gave a stellar performance as the Seventh Doctor and he really does seem to be a better Doctor on audio than he was on television. That's actually probably down to the style of his era on TV rather than the actor himself. It's no secret that I'm no fan of Ace but I thought she was pretty good in this adventure. Her relationship with Hex was very good here and I'm liking the pairing as companions. Sue was a wonderful character and her story was actually quite emotional. Her finding it a somewhat necessity to carry around her toy bear Happy was very intriguing and creepy. At the start of the story, I didn't think that bear would be so significant to the plot but I did think something was up with the way Sue was talking when in its presence. Major Dickens was a good character too and his obsession to change the past was great. I really liked the idea of time travel in this story and it really did feel like a real world effort with the use of particles and mentions of the War. The revelation regarding Dr. O'Neil was excellent and the realisation he had when he found out that Sue was actually his daughter was brilliant. It really was quite emotional which is something I always welcome in a story. The Deacon and the Bursar were also great characters and their role in the story and particularly in the past with their efforts to keep a child alive was very good indeed. The Doctor going back in time specifically to kill a young girl seems like a shock but he needed to ensure that history remained on the right course. Of course, he couldn't do it but Dickens through his own evilness ensured that history was back on track. I liked the ambiguity surrounding the story's conclusion and overall, I thought this really was a superb audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The Eye of the Storm

"If you both stay here, you're going to end the world."

Writer: Matt Fitton
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.04

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor, River

Synopsis 

The Great Storm of 1703 approaches. The fate of planet Earth hangs in the balance.

The only person who can save it is the Doctor. Or River Song. Or quite possibly another Doctor. Or maybe the whole situation is their fault in the first place.

Two Doctors. One River. An infinite number of ways to destroy the world. It's going to be a bumpy ride...

Verdict

The Eye of the Storm was a brilliant story and a terrific conclusion to the second series of The Diary of River Song! This has been quite the boxset with River not meeting one but two past incarnations of the Time Lord who would become her husband. Her meeting with the Seventh Doctor in The Unknown was excellent and she shared a very different but equally as good relationship with the Sixth Doctor in World Enough and Time. Now though, we had the treat of having all three together for the same story! A multi-Doctor adventure is something I always love and the moments the different incarnations meet is always something I adore. I just love how we all know they're the same person, even the Doctor knows that, but they still go on criticising their past or future self. That was the case here with the Sixth and Seventh Doctor meeting inside the TARDIS alongside River Song. That image really was magnificent and I liked the latter's comments about the personality of his earlier self. The way the Doctors look back or forward in often disdain for one another really is intriguing but it works so well and provides quite a bit of comedy. Through River into the mix and you have some tasty ingredients. There was quite a bit of innuendo from River once she knew she had two versions of her husband to play with and I think that's rather expected with her character's raunchy personality. It was almost like she was meeting both Doctors again for the first time, well as far as the Doctors were concerned she kind of was. The references to The War Games and Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead were excellent and I found it quite funny how the Sixth Doctor thought River was a Time Lord working for the CIA. That of course was not the case. The story of Sarah and Isaac was quite an emotional one and their connection to the Speravores was intriguing. I must admit that I didn't expect the predominant setting of this audio adventure to be in the early eighteenth century but I really liked it. This was where time was splintering and going wrong and the TARDIS couldn't land any later in the planet's timeline. Was this finally where time gave up? Not if River and the Doctors had anything to do with it. I really loved how different River was to the Doctor and that is something you can definitely see in this story. The Sixth Doctor was the man to sacrifice himself whilst the Seventh Doctor planned on removing Sarah and Isaac from the timeline and history altogether. River though, she just went and asked the concerned couple. I loved how she told her life story to try and make them understand and she really was good at the convincing. The Speravores fed on alternative futures but when their intended host was gone and eradicated from history, they would go hungry for good. The fact that the Doctors were just the side salad whilst River was the one with all the potential was a nice twist and whilst the Doctor did feature, this boxset is still firmly about River Song. She's an incredible character and these four stories have proven that. I loved the mentions of the future incarnations of the Doctor and I also liked how the Seventh Doctor battled hard to retain his memory of this incredible woman. Overall, an excellent conclusion to the boxset and I do hope that in the third series, River gets to meet Doctors four and five.

Rating: 9/10

World Enough and Time

"People dream their lives away..."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.03

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, River

Synopsis

When it comes to bringing down corrupt and explosive regimes, there is no-one quite like River.

Until she arrives at Golden Futures and discovers that someone else has already taken on her job. Someone with almost as much style and panache as herself.

The Doctor is about to get the shock of his lives.

Verdict

World Enough and Time was a brilliant audio adventure and another excellent continuation of the second series of The Diary of River Song. It really has been a terrific series so far and I am very excited for the finale which was set up in quite some style during this story. We've already had River Song meet the Seventh Doctor for the first time in The Unknown and now we have the pleasure of hearing her meet the Sixth Doctor. Their relationship was absolutely wonderful throughout the audio and may actually have been the highlight from the story for me. It brought out the softer side in the Sixth Doctor which is fantastic and it was really intriguing to hear this incarnation of the Doctor actually be rather smitten with a woman. River was quite the same back to him and I loved the moment where she mentioned really liking his coat. It wasn't the most popular item of clothing but I agreed with River in liking it! It's so brilliantly typical of the quirkiness of the Doctor and it suits the sixth incarnation down to a tee. The idea behind this adventure was very good and I thought the whole concept surrounding Golden Futures was very good. Filing dreams was an interesting way for the story to start for River and doing a story involving dreams is something I really like. The PA was a terrific character and I did enjoy her conversations with the Doctor. The fact that he had purchased 51% of the shares in the company was interesting and even though the Doctor was its owner, he was none the wiser as to just what was going on at Golden Futures. Thanks to some help from River Song though, he'd soon find out. And he wouldn't like it at all. River having trust issues with the Doctor was quite a shock and I liked how it brought out the emotion in her. Even though this was an earlier incarnation than she's ever met before, or at least that has been made available to us, she refused to believe that he could be involved in the atrocities that were occurring at Golden Futures. The idea of an Earth stitched out of possible realities and splinter moments was quite incredible and just what use that will be remains to be seen. But it is a very exciting concept and I look forward to listening to it play out. The reveal of the Speravores was good and I also liked the concept behind them as beings. They fed on potentiality and the Doctor being at Golden Futures meant they had a rife supply as he wasn't doing what he could in the rest of the universe. The pods and the Sleepers were very intriguing and I liked how River had an experience early on in the story that she really wasn't supposed to see. That gave her the determination she needed to find out just what was going and she did a much better job of it than the Doctor. The pair though worked wonderfully together and I know they feature in the next audio of the boxset but I would very much like to hear more adventures with the Sixth Doctor and River Song. I'm not quite sure how that'll be possible as there's the trouble with the Doctor not recognising her until Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead but the way they got around that here was cheap but clever. Amnesia lipstick. Nice and simple. River couldn't bare the thought of the Doctor living with the memory of what he caused here. The Doctor got it wrong which was quite incredible really and an epic finale seems to have been set up. Will Earth be destroyed? Will Elysium prevail? I guess I will find out tomorrow, but I'm very eager to find out! Overall, an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10

Five Twenty-Nine

"Something is killing this planet... time zone by time zone."

Writer: John Dorney
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: The Diary of River Song Series 2.02

Featuring: River

Synopsis

River has made a terrible discovery.

Billions of lives hang in the balance. But if she can save just a few, then it might just help her solve the conundrum of Earth's destruction.

But how can she win when survival becomes a race against time itself? A race against Five Twenty-Nine?

Verdict

Five Twenty-Nine was a terrific audio adventure and a great continuation of the second series of The Diary of River Song. It jumped ahead, or behind rather, a little from the ending of The Unknown but following this story's conclusion, it is certain that things are from finished when it comes to Earth during this peculiar and mysterious time. It seemed that life was being wiped out from the planet and whilst the cause remains unknown, it is absolutely deadly and we witnessed that first hand in this adventure. The futuristic Earth setting was good and I like how different it is to how we know our own planet today. This time was full of synthetics, or androids as they're perhaps better known, and with that we had Rachel feature very prominently which was something I did not expect. River had found this android dead and buried after arriving on the planet following her meeting with the Seventh Doctor but now she had jumped back in time by 24 hours or so and met the real thing when she was alive. She knew something bad was about to happen but unlike her husband, River believed that the future was not set, even if she had seen it. She believed in countless alternatives from single moments and I liked that. This story was not about the Doctor and it was intriguing to see a familiar character attempt to save the world in her own way. She had taken tips from the Doctor but as was the case in the first three stories of the first series, she was acting on her own and that was refreshing to listen to. I really liked the theme of family in this story and River had found herself staying with a very caring and accommodating one. Emmett Burrows was a wonderful character and I really liked how he took River in without a qualm. Lisa was also very welcoming which was good but there was just something about her husband that made him the more likeable character in my opinion. The way that Rachel dealt with things in such logic made her distinctly different from the humans in this story and I liked how casually she just stated that her feelings were artificial. I found it interesting how aware Rachel was of just what she was and I think that is quite a contrast to a number of stories featuring androids or beings similar. Steven was another very good character and I liked how he was quite smitten with River Song. Unfortunately for him, she was married and that meant a nice little reference to the complications of The Wedding of River Song. I am very intrigued and eager to find out what it was that was ravaging Earth and apparently has wiped out every single human being left on the planet. I get the feeling things are going to build to an epic finale where we have two Doctors and River Song but before we get there, I'm excited by the set up. The idea of the attacker or entity that was destroying life doing it via different time zones was mighty interesting and I loved the originality of that concept. I've blogged over 1000 times and I can't recall something remotely similar. I wonder if it will have some bearing on the last two stories in the boxset as I really am eager to find out why it did that. Rachel's reaction to her parents accepting their fate was emotional and it really did drive home the theme of family in this story. I really did like it and it's something I feel strongly about. A lack of action meant the rating was never going to be higher, but it was still an excellent adventure.

Rating: 8/10

The Unknown

"We're all alone in a vanishing universe."

Writer: Guy Adams
Format: Audio
Released: December 2016
Series: Diary of River Song Series 2.01

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, River

Synopsis 

A planetary anomaly. A scientific impossibility. A mystery to be solved.

Of course, River Song expects to be consulted. She expects her valuable knowledge and experience will help the crew of the Saturnius unlock the strange phenomenon that has appeared in Earth's solar system.

But what River doesn't expect is a stowaway. An infuriating little man, calling himself the Doctor.

Verdict

The Unknown was an excellent audio adventure and a superb start to the second series of The Diary of River Song! I really enjoyed listening to the first series last year so purchasing the second installment of the series really was a no brainer. Especially once I found out that River Song would be meeting two past incarnations of the Doctor! In the first series she of course interacted with the Eighth Doctor but here we actually had her meeting the Seventh Doctor. The idea of River Song meeting past Doctors is simply wonderful but it can also prove to be a little difficult when it comes to the dialogue of Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead. That story was clearly the first time the Doctor, in his tenth embodiment of the Time Lord, had met River so past meetings can prove difficult. I thought the way Guy Adams got around that issue here was very clever with the temporal anomaly idea and the way the memories of those on the Saturnius were being somewhat altered and tampered with due to the problem of the shield and its position in real space. Some of the audio's dialogue was a bit scientific but River's simple explanation was very good and certainly cleared any issues up. I really liked how the story immediately went with the Seventh Doctor and River Song meeting before the opening titles and I liked the familiarity between the pair despite them not knowing each other. Her memory was suffering from the effects of the ship's position in space but when this presumed stowaway mention he was called the Doctor, things started to come back for River. I loved how she mentioned Gallifrey and the TARDIS being a Type-40. I also was intrigued how this story would appear to take place after The Husbands of River Song for River as she had her very own sonic screwdriver, something the Doctor noticed. The image of River entering the Classic era TARDIS was a wonderful one in my head and I loved how once she was inside, things became familiar for her and she was able to pilot it through the telepathic circuits. Of course, River and the Doctor weren't the only ones to feature in this story and I must say that the guest cast were superb. Captain Maddie Bower was a brilliant character and I really did like how seriously she took her job. Her relationships with both River and Ellen were terrific. Ellen was a wonderful character and I must say that I really did like her. She was just a very likeable character and that is definitely something you want in a Doctor Who story. Robert Murphy was another good character and his whole story was great with the multiple forms that emerged from him being at the focal point of the engine room. The way the resolution was achieved was exciting and I liked how the memories of the Doctor and River weren't precise as the only thing they really remembered was a crash. River had entered the TARDIS and the Doctor had met his future wife but they wouldn't know it. The innuendo regarding the Doctor and the TARDIS seemed a bit strange but it definitely tied in with the raunchiness of River's character. The lead in for the next audio in the boxset was excellent and it seems that we have both androids and a future Earth that has been ravaged in the future to contend with. Things have been set up very nicely but for now this was a brilliant start to the new series!

Rating: 9/10

Resistance

"You mean we've gone back in time... to the War?"

Writer: Steve Lyons
Format: Audio
Released: March 2009
Series: Companion Chronicles 3.09

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis

February, 1944: France is occupied by the Third Reich, the French Gestapo has an iron grip and the native resistance attempts to overthrow the invaders. On one quiet winter's night, a British plane crashes to the ground, leaving a flying officer desperate to escape via the evasion lines.

Separated from the TARDIS, Ben and Jamie, the Doctor and Polly find themselves with enemies on all sides. Trapped in one of the darkest times in history, Polly discovers that humanity can be just as dangerous as any threat from outer space. She resolves to make a difference - even if it means leaving the Doctor forever...

Verdict

Resistance was a very good little audio adventure and an absolute steal at just £2.99! It was last month's special offer story from Big Finish and as it was one I hadn't listened to I just could not resist purchasing it. I do very much enjoy the Companion Chronicles range and Polly is one of my all time favourite companions so having Anneke Wills as the narrator was just a bonus. I really liked how early in the Second Doctor era that this story was set as with a lot of those early episodes missing from the archives, these audios can help plug the gaps that are currently present. There was a mention of both The Tenth Planet and The Power of the Daleks which was terrific and I also liked the brief glimpse of the relationship between Polly and Ben that we got. The pair clearly had feelings for each other during their tenure in the TARDIS and their race to the doors upon landing somewhere was innocent flirting and I really liked it. I thought the setting of occupied France during the Second World War was excellent and I loved the simplicity of this audio being a pure historical. They don't happen enough on television anymore, if at all, so for the audio format to still show that they absolutely work is a joy to behold. As a History student, I really appreciated the attention to detail and I liked how specific a World War Two setting this was. You had active resistance trying to get to the Spanish border due to their neutrality and I liked how the adventure even included the French Gestapo. Ben identifying that was really good. I thought the script was really clever in how it separated the Doctor and Polly from Ben and Jamie and that allowed for some much easier storytelling when it came to just having Wills narrating from the TARDIS team. There was another narrator in the form of the Pilot and the story behind his character was actually really good. The cliffhanger reveal that he was actually Polly's uncle, a person that had been referenced earlier in the story with the connection to the War, was superb and it really did have me out of my seat. I don't think the follow up to it was fully capitalised upon but it was far from bad that's for sure. There could have been a touch more excitement when it came to the Doctor and Polly being on the run and seeking salvage through the resistance but it was still very good so I have no real complaints. Anneke Wills did a terrific job narrating and her reprisal as Polly was wonderful. I thought her impression of the Second Doctor was pretty decent and I also enjoyed her take on Ben and Jamie too. It made for an easy listen and that definitely can help when it comes to giving a story a good mark, which this adventure certainly achieved. The revelation that Randolph wasn't actually Polly's uncle but instead a Gestapo infiltrator who had tried to take his place was good but it didn't come as much of a surprise when it really should have. The fact that Polly wanted to make a difference in the past was an excellent emotional battle to hear and she was even prepared to leave the TARDIS to do so. The Doctor's little speech to her at the end of the audio about changing the future instead was a lovely way to finish though. Polly had questioned her role in the TARDIS during this adventure but the Doctor let her know that she was very much needed and appreciated. Overall, a fantastic little adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Parliament of Fear Part 1

"The Wild West! Real cowboys!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 27th July 2017
Printed in: DWM 515

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Bill

Synopsis

The Doctor gets coordinates a little wrong as his plans to take Bill on a trip to the 76th century ends up with an arrival in the Wild West in 1880s Oklahoma. Cowboys and prophecy seem to be on the cards as the TARDIS pair take up camp, but just what is lurking in the woods? And is it good or bad?

Verdict

The Parliament of Fear began in pretty decent fashion but I would be lying if I said I was overly thrilled with what I read. But more on the comic strip shortly, let me talk about the latest issue of DWM instead. Now I'm nine days late to blogging but I've had a super busy so better late than never! This looks to be a terrific issue with the magazine paying tribute to outgoing showrunner Steven Moffat. He truly has been incredible and has given so much to Doctor Who. Even before he took on the role, he gave us incredible stories like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink. But since those three stories he's given us the incredible River Song storyline, introduced two incredible Doctor in Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi and hailed in the fiftieth anniversary of this spectacular show. Not only that, but he gave us a whole new Doctor in the form of John Hurt's War Doctor and he also gave us the Eighth Doctor's regeneration and brought back the Tenth Doctor! And if that wasn't enough, he's bringing back the First Doctor at Christmas! I haven't began to mention the companions and episodes of his era but I really am looking forward to reading what DWM has in store when it comes to paying homage to this true Whovian legend. The interview with the man himself should be very good and I'm also looking forward to the continued interview with Mark Gatiss. The magazine will give us its thoughts on the latter episodes of the latest series which is something I always enjoy reading but I must say that based on the recent issues, I wish it wasn't the same person doing the page reviews for every episode in the DWM Review. The competitions this month are very exciting and I hope I'm lucky enough to win a copy of Classic Doctors, New Monster Vol.2. That looks to be a fantastic little boxset! Public Image is always a good read so I am looking forward to that in this issue to see how the latter episodes did when it comes to the ratings. I am actually yet to read any of the magazine apart from the comic strip but I do hope there is a little bit on Jodie Whittaker's casting as the Thirteenth Doctor. I am sure that we will get more on that next month. And when it comes to the end of an era, it is also time to say goodbye to Tom Spilsbury as editor. I have enjoyed his take on the magazine very much but I am also excited to see how things go with a brand new editor at the helm. This issue of DWM certainly has enough in it to excite me! Anyway, back to the comic strip itself and I thought it was a very basic opening part. It set the premise and established the setting pretty well but I just didn't really find myself invested in the story which was a shame. Of course, this is just the first part of the story so I'm certainly keeping an open mind when it comes to future parts but for now I wasn't too fussed sadly. I didn't think the artwork for Bill was too good which did have a little bit of an effect on the story for me and the Doctor didn't get to talk enough for my liking. The setting seems okay and I liked the story of Seth being rescued by his brother. Totika's warning was good but her sudden change of heart in staying in the camp just seemed off. The cliffhanger didn't make too much sense to me as it was Bill and her friends that were being saved and the threat had nothing to do with characters we should care or know about. I'm not sure why, but I have been really critical with this opening part so I hope the continuation of it impresses me more and changes my opinion!