Tesseract

"The trees have escaped the boundaries of the parks."

Writer: Tony Lee
Format: Comic Strip
Released: January-February 2010
Printed in: Doctor Who (2009) #7-8

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Emily, Matthew, Martha

Synopsis

While the Tenth Doctor gives his new companions, Emily Winter and Matthew Finnegan, a tour of the TARDIS, the vessel is invaded by a number of dimension-hopping aliens. The Advocate places doubt into Matthew's mind about the Doctor's morality, while the Tea' Aree have much the same effect upon Emily...

Verdict

Tesseract was a pretty decent comic strip adventure to kickstart my reading of the third volume of IDW’s Tenth Doctor Archives! It was quite a lengthy story and somewhat an epic but it was because of that which made me surprised that there seemed to be so much jumping around without much linkage or elaboration. I appreciate the attempts for each double page to try and tell its own part of the story, usually with a companion that had been separated from the Doctor and the other fellow traveller, but at times I think it felt forced and there needed to be a bit more flow. I thought the first two parts felt like their own story which was weird but I actually thought it was pretty good with the rummaging around the TARDIS interior and the search for different console rooms. I wasn’t convinced by the whole story concerning the crank - that seemed a little easy - but seeing the Tenth Doctor in the console room associated with that of the Eighth Doctor from The Movie was magnificent! I really did enjoy that and I loved how he re-enacted the swinging scene from those mighty steps. The continuation of Emily and Matthew as companions was good but I thought the former was vastly superior, but the latter believing that to be the case thanks to the returning Advocate was really intriguing. Using the examples of Adric and Turlough as ways that the Doctor has used his companions in the past seemed a little harsh, and I felt quite saddened by the Doctor’s reaction when he found that Adric was being used against him. That did seem a little out of line! The Enochai were pretty good villains and I liked how they found their form in energy and got stuck in the trees. That was quite humorous but I loved the idea of the trees moving! The BBC report to try and cover that up was incredibly comedic though. The highlight of the comic strip for me was undoubtedly the return of Martha Jones! I loved that she called the Doctor again but following the events of The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End, and her attempted use of the Osterhagen Key. The Doctor confronting her about that was hugely intriguing! I did like the continued mentions of her marriage to Mickey and while they did go a tad overboard, the lead in to the little scene with the Sontarans in The End of Time was terrific. I thought the ending was a little sudden and anti-climatic given we had waited six parts to get there but the cliffhangers were strong throughout so that was a big positive. I thought the characterisation of the Tenth Doctor was also very good but I was surprised by his decision to let Matthew go off with the Advocate - that seemed a little out of character even if he did proclaim that he’d be back. Emily going along with it so easily was a surprise too. Overall though, it was a decent comic strip adventure that certainly had a lot going on!

Rating: 7/10

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith

"This place is nowhere... and it's forever."

Writer: Gareth Roberts
Format: Novel
Released: November 2009
Series: SJA Novelisations 05

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Luke, Clyde, Rani, K9

Synopsis

Life on Earth can be an adventure, too. You just need to know where to look.

Sarah Jane is acting very suspiciously. When Luke, Clyde and Rani investigate, with the help of Mr Smith and K-9, they discover something unexpected - Sarah Jane has got a boyfriend and she's going to marry him! Of course, in Sarah Jane's life, things are not as they seem and some very special wedding guests ensure this is one day she will never forget!

Verdict

The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith was a superb novelisation of the televised story of the same name! It was my first ever book from The Sarah Jane Adventures and I have to say that I was very impressed. It was a wonderful read from start to finish and whilst it didn’t quite have the depth of a Target novelisation, I really enjoyed some of the additions that the prose format made possible for this adventure. I’ll get right into it and I have to say I love the idea of Clyde just calling up the Brigadier to let him know that he was worried about Peter and his intentions for Sarah Jane. The Brigadier wanted her to be happy though - which was lovely - and told Clyde to just let her enjoy her happiness. The splitting up of each part into five chapters worked really well and even though you’d expect it from a book that was quite short like this one, the pace was almost frantic and very exciting. The flow was superb and I particularly enjoyed the reaction of Clyde when he saw that all the secret activity of Sarah Jane in recent weeks was because she’d got herself a man. Rani seemed to love the idea though! The failed attempts at subtlety when Peter came to pick Sarah and Luke up was brilliantly humorous and it was perfectly portrayed in prose. The speed in which Sarah Jane and Peter’s relationship advanced from dating to meeting Luke to marriage was incredibly quick and that was even more obvious in a prose format. The build to the cliffhanger of both the Doctor and the Trickster’s arrival was superb and I loved the moment where the Doctor crashed the wedding by bursting through the doors. It was full of triumph and desperation and I loved the prospect of the Doctor doing battle with the Trickster. Their eventual meeting would come and I have always enjoyed the mention of the Key to Time and how a Time Lord would do battle with the Pantheon of Discord. The Doctor seemed to give some affirmation to the Trickster and his evil credentials which was fantastic and seeing just how he thrived on chaos and upheld the power of words was fantastic. A world without Sarah Jane defending the Earth would have been incredibly chaotic and that just couldn't happen. The Doctor coming to save her was just wonderful but it's such a shame that the power of love was used against her. Peter would become the hero in the end though after a little nudge by the Doctor, and he withdrew his agreement with his angel because he truly did love Sarah Jane. He would do anything for her, and that meant dying. K9 was terrific in this adventure and I really liked how he interacted with the Doctor. The last scene with the SJA gang getting to go inside the TARDIS was magnificent and as a whole, the was a wonderful novelisation!

Rating: 10/10

The Ultimate Adventure

"You have denied the right of the Daleks to rule the universe!"

Writer: Terrance Dicks
Format: Audio
Released: September 2008
Series: The Stageplays 01

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Jason, Crystal

Synopsis

The Daleks have allied themselves with the Cybermen and a deadly band of mercenaries. The future of Earth depends upon a vital peace conference. And Mrs T knows that only one Time Lord can save the world.

There are epic battles. There are betrayals. There is love, and there are even songs.

Take your seat for... Doctor Who - The Ultimate Adventure!

Verdict

The Ultimate Adventure was a very intriguing listen! I was glad to be able to an audio for the first time in a while as I travelled to South Wales to watch Wales win in a Euro 2020 qualifier and after doing a shift at a nightclub and getting very little sleep due to an early kick-off, this was one I thought would be quite a light listen - and I was right. It was just a lot of fun and quite a barmy adventure! Colin Baker was brilliant as the Sixth Doctor once again and I thought the introduction of Jason was quite good. I would very much like to hear a story depicting their first meeting at some point in the future, but it was alluded to on more than one occasion and with him clearly knowing a lot of how the TARDIS works, the French Revolutionary native soon became familiar as we got to know Crystal. The pair soon fell for each other and we ended the story with the Doctor being joined by a couple in the TARDIS, pre-dating that occurrence by Amy and Rory by quite some time! The prospect of a Classic-era tale teaming the Daleks and Cybermen together was salivating but this one was all about the Daleks which was a bit of a shame. The Cybermen didn't really need to be there at all and I thought they were very poorly utilised which was a huge shame. The Daleks were clearly the superior force and the Cybermen sadly seemed to be relegated to the same stature as the mercenaries. I think things probably would have been better as a whole without the Cybermen which is something I was not expecting to say prior to listening! The inclusion of songs came a little randomly but with this being a stage adaptation, I had absolutely no problem with that. I actually thought the Bar Galactica song was sublime and really catchy! The Daleks wanting to finally capture Earth was a good plot but I loved how cocky the Doctor got when he was threatened with death despite him hearing orders that he was to be taken alive on more than one occasion. When the Daleks finally threatened the companions though, that was different which added a dark element to the story. Zog was a delightful addition to what quickly became a very likeable trio and I loved the moment where he was inside a Dalek! The ending was quite well-paced and simplistic with the Cybermen finding out that the Daleks always planned on exterminating them once their use was over. The mercenaries changed sides some time before that and with the Doctor making sure the Peace Conference went ahead unscathed thanks to a cuppa, everything worked out well. There was even an extended appearance of Margaret Thatcher which was quite something! Overall, a fun adventure.

Rating: 7/10

Mercury

"Isn't Mercury quite close to the sun?"

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2005
Series: Short Trips: The Solar System 01

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe have landed on a moving dome on the planet Mercury. While the Doctor and Zoe work out what the dome is, the TARDIS slides off its back and the trio soon meet a team of scientists encountering trouble with the native Mercurials...

Verdict

Mercury was a terrific little story! It saw me kick off my reading of The Solar System collection of stories from Big Finish and I'm really intrigued to see how they deliver in prose - if this first adventure is anything to go by then I will be impressed! This was a really good story with a fast pace and great plot which, considering the limitations of setting it on Mercury, was fantastic. I am hoping to make more time for stories like these with my increased university workload dominating my schedule until 13 May, but hopefully things like this can fill my Who fancy a couple of times a week! The trio of the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are marvellous and I thought they were written wonderfully well here. I was very appreciative of the characterisation and I particularly enjoyed the battle of wits between the Doctor and Zoe when it came to explaining Mercury's cold side to Jamie. The Doctor didn't actually seem to enjoy an intellectual equal which was somewhat amusing. The loss of the TARDIS off the moving dome was decent but not an absolutely necessary derailing in the plot and I liked the idea of this dome moving to keep up with the optimum temperature due to Mercury's slow rotation. Alison was a very good character and she clearly had taken charge following Oleg's loss of brain processing. I was intrigued by that and further so when it occurred to Chelo - I loved it when the Mercurial revealed itself to be communicating through her! That was a great moment. The Doctor explaining how they had flesh-like properties appertaining to metal was very intriguing and the idea of them not wanting to be frozen again because of the 'giants' was very good indeed. Zoe wasn't so sure about blindly trusting them but the Doctor didn't like the numbers game, with them being so outnumbered by the planet's indigenous creatures. When it turned out that the giants that scared the Mercurials away was actually just the base's sun pylons, I was quite surprised but in a pleasant way. There was no enemy threat in this adventure, just a misunderstanding due to the technological construction of mankind's technology. They had to go tampering! The Doctor knowing that it could only be people of Earth that would come to Mercury was a great moment and real highlight and I thought the ending was good with things being cleared up and the natives returning the TARDIS. Overall, a very decent adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Let's Kill Hitler

"Rory, take Hitler and put him in that cupboard over there."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: TV
Broadcast: 27th August 2011
Series: 6.08

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory, River

Synopsis

Berlin, 1938. Hitler rules Germany. The TARDIS crash lands into his office and the greatest hero in space and time comes face to face with the worst humanity has ever offered. What will happen when these two incredible personalities meet? Well, one ends up locked in a cupboard...

Verdict

Let's Kill Hitler was a great episode! This, however, is an unusual blog entry as I was not watching this episode for entertainment but instead as part of research for an essay I am doing for my History MA on the portrayal and representation of Hitler in film and television. As soon as I decided this would be my essay for my Filming the Past unit, I just knew that I would have to include this episode and it gave me an excuse to find some time to blog in what is becoming a very hectic schedule ahead of three 5,000 word essays due in less than two months! Now, I'm going to focus on Hitler for this blog entry as I have blogged the episode properly before and even though he only appears in the story for about two-and-a-half minutes, he is incredibly significant. The episode title itself is luring enough and whilst it's a red herring, it immediately gets you thinking. The prospect of using Hitler in a Doctor Who story is beyond exciting and whilst what we actually get is not what I would have wished for, I can understand why the whole episode wasn't centred on him giving how controversial a figure he is. One thing I was stunned about when I came to analyse Hitler's role in the episode was the notion that the Doctor, a hero to so many children, saved the life of Hitler and thus inadvertently caused the deaths of millions of innocent people. It almost goes unnoticed and is just used as a comedic gag, but the implications of this are actually staggering! The Doctor saved Hitler in 1938! Just think about it. It's mind-blowing. Hitler is then questioned and stood up to by the Doctor which was great and I liked how he was told of the British coming, but from there on in he was nothing more than a gag really. He went to shoot the Doctor but then Rory knocked him to the floor with a swift punch and then he was just locked in the cupboard. It was a comical gag and using Hitler for comedy is going to be a major part of my essay's argument, but it works pretty well here after absolutely staggering happenings. The thing I seem to keep drawing back to from Hitler's scene in this episode is that the Doctor saved his life. It's an incredible notion. I did enjoy the idea of the Teselecta finding Hitler guilty and it showed that he was being brought to justice on a galactic idea which showed just how horrendous a human being he was.

Rating: 8/10

The Secret in Vault 13

"If I ignored an ancient mystical prophecy written in flowers, what kind of Time Lord would that make me?"

Writer: David Solomons
Format: Novel
Released: November 2018
Series: BBC Children's #1

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

A sinister school where graduation means death...

A monstrous mystery lurking beneath a quiet London street...

A desperate plea for help delivered by - hang on... A potted plant?

The Doctor has been summoned. The galaxy is in terrible danger, and only a Time Lord can save it. But to do so, she must break in to an ancient vault on a remote and frozen world - from which nobody has ever returned alive...

Can the Doctor and her friends Yaz, Ryan and Graham uncover the shocking secret in Vault 13?

Verdict

The Secret in Vault 13 was a very good novel! I am not too sure why it was marketed as a children's novel as the writing really didn't seem too dissimilar to the NSA books but I guess the addition of illustrations at the start of each chapter catered for a younger audience. I thought the premise was decent despite obviously being a recycled format but it is one I very much enjoy! A quest for keys is great and with them being spread across time and space, the TARDIS could end up just about anywhere! I though the characterisation of the whole of Team TARDIS was excellent but it was particularly good for Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor. Her personality shone through on the page and was a real highlight of the novel. I was glad that Yaz was utilised to her full potential in this adventure as that is something that hasn't always occurred during this era of stories. The theme of gardens was surprisingly brilliant throughout and the secret held within Vault 13 was very intriguing. It turned out to be the Genesis Seed and could spark the creation of a new universe whilst replacing the current one. Nightshade, a deadly member of the Gardeners, believed now was that time and did all he could to get hold of the seed. The use of noughtweed was very intriguing especially considering not even the TARDIS was immune to its destructive effects. It could eat through any material in the universe and it showed. The first key being hidden within a school where graduation meant death was very good and I thought that whole concept was deeply concerning. Why would anyone in the earlier years want to succeed? It was baffling but very good. The second key being in present day London with a giant mole provided some humorous moments but I don't think anything was as funny as Ryan finding out that his and Graham's efforts to find the key were incredible compared to the third key actually being the TARDIS key! They'd had it all along. Yaz integrating with the TARDIS and seeing a younger Ryan was very good and I loved the idea of the chameleon circuit reverting back to full working order just long enough to get rid of the noughtweed. I thought the way the keys were actually obtained could have been a bit better and made clearer but the overall plot was really good. The history between the Gardeners and the Time Lords was very interesting and I loved how the Doctor bluffed her way to retrieving the Genesis Seed and ensuring that it was back in safe hands with the Attendant. Overall, a lovely little adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Herald of Madness Part 2

"This is an insult to the true study of the stars!"

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 7th March 2019
Printed in: DWM 536

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Madness descends on the Gathering of Castle Houska as the Baroness takes a vested interest in young student Johannes Kepler. Her foreknowledge could change the world of 1601 as we know it, so the Doctor and her friends set out to ensure that history follows the right path...

Verdict

Herald of Madness continued in decent form with this second part of the comic strip adventure! Firstly, to the magazine itself and sadly it may be some time before I actually get around to reading its content as I still haven't gotten around to starting last month's! As is evident by the sudden lack of blogging, my MA studies have taken full priority and I think sporadic blogging will sadly be the case at least up until the middle of May. Anyway, enough about me. This looks set to be a splendid issue of DWM and it has gotten me very excited about the upcoming animation release of The Macra Terror! I think it's a great choice for restoration and I look forward to reading all of the previews and everything associated with its release. The interviews with Frazier Hines and Anneke Wills should be splendid and I think Mark Troughton will also be a great interviewee. That's not all on offer this month though, as we have an interview with Christopher H. Bidmead which should be fantastic given his stature in the Doctor Who world. I know nothing of the content, but a feature that is titled 'Daleks vs Grass' should be quite spectacular so I look forward to that one very much. The Fact of Fiction is something I have increasingly enjoyed in recent issues and Gridlock being this month's subject is terrific as that is a superb episode! I'm also looking forward, as always, to the likes of Galaxy Forum and Gallifrey Guardian but I do wish we could be ridded of the god-awful Blogs of Doom! Yuck. Now, onto the comic strip and I thought it continued well from a decent cliffhanger in the first part. The Doctor was quickly able to overcome the telepathic threat and she did so in a way that ridiculed the perpetrator which I thought was fantastic. The characterisation of Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor continued to impress but I do wish Yaz was utilised more! Hopefully she gets more page time in the next part. The continued theme of Kepler being a student and Tycho misunderstanding why he isn't the important one was fantastic and it's something I have really enjoyed. The foreknowledge is very dangerous here and that was something that worried Yaz. Ryan didn't have a great deal to do in this part other than accompany the Doctor but that was absolutely fine. I thought the little flashback to the building of Castle Houska was brilliant and I can't wait to draw the connections between that and the Baroness. She was angered by the Doctor and her friends' presence and the cliffhanger was probably an improvement on last month as she grew the body of a horse amidst her attack and death threat towards Graham and Yaz! It was most unexpected. Overall, a great continuation!

The Ribos Operation

"Never trust gimmicky gadgets."

Writer: Robert Holmes
Format: TV
Broadcast: 2nd-23rd September 1978
Season: 16.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis

The Doctor is summoned by the mysterious and powerful White Guardian, and sent on a quest to find the six segments of the Key to Time which, once assembled, will restore balance to the Universe. Joining the Doctor and K9 is the smart and sassy Romana, a Time Lord fresh from the Academy.

Landing on the wintry planet of Ribos to locate the first segment, the TARDIS crew quickly find themselves embroiled in a little local trouble with a pair of conmen and an unstable warlord...

Verdict

The Ribos Operation was a good story and a solid start to the sixteenth season! It kicks off the Key to Time story arc that encompasses the entire season and I thought the first half of part one did a stellar job in setting the scene and the Doctor's task in hand. The way the story started as the Doctor was immediately interrupted and summoned by the White Guardian was excellent and I loved how the Doctor's reaction made you realise just how important he was in universal affairs. The task of collecting the six pieces of the Key to Time is magnificent and basically an extended version of the plot of The Keys of Marinus - a story that I absolutely adore. The Doctor being aided in the form of a new assistant came with considerable humour as you might expect from the Fourth Doctor and it was lovely to see Tom Baker in top form with Romana. Now, this is the only the second time I have seen this serial since my first viewing of the Key to Time six days in succession back in 2012, so my memory of Romana I was not very good and she was a little different to how I remembered her. She was extremely elegant and a stark contrast from the previous companion of Leela. She seemed to get on well with K9 though which was fantastic as he was terrific once again following his reemergence into the story in part three. I didn't actually think the Ribos setting was too great as its scale was very small which didn't leave a lot of room for adventure. It was very contained and I don't think that worked overly well which was a shame. I really enjoyed the character of Garron and his plan to sell the planet to Graff Vynda-K was actually very good. He was quite convincing and his planting of the jethrik to try and broker a sale, along with a humorous tale of a mine of the universe's rarest mineral from Unstoffe, was very good indeed. The pair were extremely entertaining and I think all of their scenes were enjoyable and benefitted from the comedy. Binro was a good character too and his reaction to learning that his theory of other worlds was true was a wonderful moment. The ending was quite decent and full of action and the Doctor mastering the act of the switcheroo on two occasions was majestic. Five more segments to go! Overall, a good story.

Rating: 7/10