Time War: Deception

"We've got a plan which could end the War."

Writer: Lisa McMullin

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Gallifrey 12.01

Featuring: Leela, Narvin

Synopsis 

As the resistance scatters, Leela and an unknown ally embark on rescue. But there are traps for the unwary inside the Vortex.

Meanwhile on Gallifrey, Livia and Mantus are at odds, seeking to protect themselves as Rassilon's grip tightens.

Verdict 

Deception was an excellent episode to kick off the fourth instalment of Time War for Gallifrey’s twelfth series! It’s staggering that we’ve got this many series now from the Doctor’s home planet and it really shows no signs of letting up which is hugely exciting. The series just keeps on reinventing itself and it seems a period in the Time War is to come to an end. I liked how we picked up immediately where the previous series ended with Narvin and Leela departing from Unity and leaving Romana at the hands of the Daleks! I must admit I wasn’t thrilled that Rayo was sticking around but I admired that he wanted to fight, though he didn’t quite grasp the scale of the Time War. Narvin wanted to take him to Nisteria and Resistance HQ which seemed a logical place with them being neutral. The introduction to the deception field was brilliant and I liked how it looked like hell and was full of mystery. It swallowing Andreas showed the threat it possessed and I liked the enigmatic nature of the Never Man convincing to take off the harness that could pull one out of the field. Narvin’s secrecy was clear to hear when arriving on Nisteria and Eris and Yakob were introduced with Narvin searching for the former. They were strong characters and anyone who wanted to pollute the Time Vortex kind of needed to be! The breach in the Resistance’s temporal shield sparked an evacuation and I really enjoyed the pace and desperation that came from that. It felt very real. Leela ending up with Eris in a TARDIS was fun and I liked that he was a former member of the Celestial Intervention Agency before it was disbanded. His knowing of Leela as Romana’s bodyguard was fun and I loved the savage’s reaction to being called weak. She demonstrated that she was very much not! The deception field being a means of psychological warfare was fantastic and I liked how this showed the extent to which Time War weaponry had now gone. Mantus and Livia were terrific and I liked that rumours of Romana being exterminated had reached the former, but not even Rassilon knew yet. The warning from the Lord President about being for him or against him was ominous and I loved the fear factor that provided in this almost mythical figure. He talked about solidarity, unity and allegiance which was tremendous. Livia feeling provoked as the Prime Minister was fun politics but Mantus warned her that she needed to stay on side. Leela going into the deception field to find Filius and Castine was really good and I enjoyed the distortion that accompanied the field from within. The voice of the Never Man was excellent and I loved the emotional turmoil of Leela seeing the children that were unborn fighting a war in a superb homage to Mother Tongue. Leela being horrified by the long term destruction and mental torment of the deception field was sublime and I was a big fan of her believing that weaponry should be used for an instant advantage. She did reach the agents though after an almighty struggle! Rassilon talking of ascension to the apex was good stuff and perhaps a foreshadowing of information we learned in The End of Time regarding the plan of the Time Lords towards the end of the Time War. He claimed to be triumphant against the resistance in crushing it which was a fine proclamation, if not entirely true. Castine being saved but Filius not was a strong moment as the deception field claimed another victim. Yakob being in league with Gallifrey put to bed any claims of the Resistance being neutral and his name dropping of Livia being part of it was a surprise! Mantus was shocked too as it wasn’t true and it was he who was responsible for the breach. He knew Yakob couldn’t be trusted anymore so he sent the TARDIS he was in right into a deception field! A callous fate. Mantus is a fine villain. Eris telling Narvin of their plan to end the War by blowing up the toxins in the Untempered Schism was great and I liked how this meant they would have to get to Gallifrey. A tasty reunion should be on the cards then as we move forward this series. Overall, a brilliant opener to the series!  

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll

"I've no desire to die in the company of a rogue."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: May 1980

Series: Target 49

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I

Synopsis 

The huge, octopus-like Kroll lived deep in the swamps of the humid, steamy planet. 

To the native swamp-warriors, Kroll was an angry, mythical god. To the money-grabbing alien technicians, Kroll was a threat to a profit-making scheme.

In their search for another segment of the Key to Time, the Fourth Doctor and Romana have to face the suspicion of the Lagoon dwellers, the stupidity of the technicians and, finally the power of Kroll...

Verdict 

The Power of Kroll was an excellent novelisation of the televised story of the same name! This was an unexpected treat and was so much better than what I remember the serial being like on screen. I must admit that my memory of the on screen story was not vivid but I suspect I didn’t enjoy as much down to the special effects. The visuals Terrance Dicks was able create here were tremendous and having that alongside the stunning cover made this an incredibly easy read! I read the whole book in two sittings that didn’t total too much more than two hours and I really was able to fly through it! The pace was brilliant and didn’t let up which was helpful in the story presentation. Whilst this is known as being the fifth instalment of the Key to Time saga, its significance was played down for the most part which was the right move given that the Target books were released in a random order to those that were broadcast. The little moment at the end that teased towards The Armageddon Factor was a nice touch, but I was really able to enjoy this adventure in standalone form for probably the first time. The setting of Delta Three as a moon of Delta Magna was really good and I loved that the Doctor and Romana arrived amidst a swamp. That was far from ideal for the first Romana incarnation and her more elegant and classy style and demeanour. The relationship between her and the Doctor was good although for me I can’t see past Lalla Ward’s second incarnation when it comes to Romana. It’s difficult to top! The nature of the planet was good and the dynamic amongst some of the characters was tremendous. I was a big fan of the human colonists having differing thoughts towards the native Swampies which in itself was a pretty derogatory term! The death of Mensch was impactful but the moment that really took me back was Rohm-Dutt getting taken by a tentacle of Kroll. That was savage and Romana's reaction really sold how terrible it was. The Doctor had warned that Kroll hunted on vibrations and that did prove valuable at the end when it came to his attack on the Refinery. That served as a good base for the likes of Dudgeon, Thawn and Fenner who were really strong characters in the story. I was a big fan as well of Ranquin as the Swampies' leader and he made for a fine man in charge. The way Kroll was presented was fantastic and I loved the scale of his size. It felt more believable in the prose format and worked very well. The use of the tentacles was gross and impactful at the same time with them being a good explanation for the protein that was being extracted from the lake. The Doctor and Romana escaped death on more than one occasion in this story but one thing that was a little too much was the use of the Doctor breaking the glass window and soaking the creepers to get out of that predicament. Other than that though this was a stellar read! I liked that Kroll itself turned out to basically be the segment of the Key to Time and the little moment at the end with several other squid Krolls was great! Overall, a really brilliant read! 

Rating: 9/10

The Incherton Incident

"You're not supposed to shoot people and ask questions later."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Printed in: First Doctor Adventures 2.02

Featuring: First Doctor, Dodo

Synopsis 

Something intercepts the TARDIS in space. Attempting to escape its grip, the Doctor inadvertently drags it through time to coastal England in 1947. As the nation recovers from World War Two, an alien force threatens total destruction.

Verdict 

The Incherton Incident was an excellent story to conclude the second volume of what I’m going to call the new First Doctor Adventures! I thought the longer format really worked well and made it feel a little more authentically like the First Doctor and Dodo. Stephen Noonan perhaps went a tad overboard with the intentional mistakes in capturing the essence of William Hartnell, but as a whole I thought he was great. I always like when something threatens the TARDIS and something having ahold of it was brilliant as that’s something that shouldn’t be vulnerable. However in the early days here the trusty ship does feel like it could be taken over. The Doctor having to shut down the whole ship was a desperate move but I loved his brash confidence in putting on a show that he was always in control. That was the First Doctor at his best. The idea of them bringing the source of power that was controlling the TARDIS with them was good and pretty inevitable. The setting of Incherton was fantastic and I liked the predicament of it being hit by a deadly blast that left over one hundred head. With a full evacuation of the survivors in force, it was clear that there was more to it than simply looking after the safety of the town’s inhabitants. Captain Andrew’s was a good character and I liked that they were taking something secret. Secrecy in government after the Second World War was still rife. Virginia was a superb character and I loved her American attitude. She was mysterious and enigmatic at the start and was invested in her mission for the US Government to discover the UK secrets. They were allies after all! The secret object emitting a lot of heat was a good way to detect it and make it a threat, and threats were in abundance where Sanderson was concerned. She was superb and I liked how Andrews was clearly troubled by her. Dalton being cut off on the call abruptly showed that Sanderson had dangerous intentions and her calling for any outsiders to be shot on sight was a clear abuse of her apparently being from the vague Department. The fact she wasn’t questioned on her governmental credentials was a little surprising! Virginia blowing up the petrol station in the first part cliffhanger was really great stuff and injected action which heightened the excitement. Dodo being shot and left behind on the boat escape obviously didn’t please the Doctor and the relationship he shared with Virginia was rather testy! It was wonderful to listen to though and his referring to her as Veronica really did her head in. Dodo was safe though and I liked how Andrew suspected her of being a Soviet spy. It really was a fun time to explore and perfect for Doctor Who. 1947 really did work. The moment where Dodo realised he was really troubled and he showed her the makeshift burial ground was disturbing and really showed how drastic the situation at Incherton was. Sanderson knowing about the Doctor was an unexpected treat and it seemed he was the reason for her crashing which explained a lot! The spaceship sight left several dead and that didn’t please Andrews who was severely suffering from the mental coercion the hypnosis from Sanderson was having on him. It was played so well. Halloran being revealed as the Soviet spy was unexpected as was Sanderson revealing she was part of the Galactic Ecology Enforcement Council! That sounded quite ridiculous but many of its members had devoted their lives to the quest for the Doctor. He’d committed countless crimes in his figure which shocked Dodo and I loved the idea of them capturing at this point in his life to prevent his future misdeeds from ever happening. The Doctor offering to surrender himself and take Sanderson home was an unelected turn, and the genuine emotion that came from him saying goodbye to Dodo was excellent. The use of the last of the blow back energy from the TARDIS to take out Sanderson was a neat finish, and I loved the cliffhanger finish of the Doctor fading away from the TARDIS! That sets us up nicely for a future boxset. Dodo stranded and the Doctor nowhere to be seen. I can’t wait to hear where things go from here! Overall though a fantastic adventure. 

Rating: 9/10

The Demon Song

"Loving the serial killer vibe."

Writer: Bob Ayres

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Printed in: First Doctor Adventures 2.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Dodo

Synopsis 

Managing to land the TARDIS in Dodo's far flung future, the 2020s, the Doctor detects a haunting melody on the streets of Camden. People are going missing, and one of them is Dodo!

Verdict 

The Demon Song was a great story to kick off the second series anthology of the same name for the First Doctor Adventures! It’s wonderful to have Stephen Noonan and Lauren Cornelius back as the First Doctor and Dodo and I really enjoyed them being put into a modern Camden setting. That worked really well and it was fun to have them in what felt like a future setting but one that’s invisibly familiar. The demon spotting by Daniel De’ath was intriguing and I thought he was a fun character as the psychic investigator. Having the Doctor and Dodo on the tube was amazing and the latter’s confusion regarding everyone having mobile phones was well done. The Doctor didn’t even seemed too clued up on it either which was fun with him referring to them as portable televisions. Dodo noticing there were also far fewer men with beards was something unique to notice and it was nice to acknowledge that we were immediately post pandemic in the early 2020s. Archie and Paul were good characters and I liked how the former was immediately struck by the Doctor and Dodo’s demeanour. The constant tune of the titular demon song playing was good even if it did get a little annoying by the end! It was partly responsible for Paul and Dodo going missing which split the main characters up nicely. De’ath wearing ear defenders to ensure he couldn’t be pulled in by the song was amusing and I loved how he thought the Doctor was stepping on his territory in thinking he was a fellow investigator. The Doctor could feel right away that the demon song was beguiling and De’ath was crucial in linking things with all of the missing people linked to the song. I thought that was nice to showcase what he offered to the adventure. Paul and Dodo waking amidst thirteen others entranced was intriguing, as was the messiness of De’ath’s house! The symbols of protection everywhere put Archie off and simply labelled him a conspiracy theorist, but the Doctor was more welcoming. The demon capturing musical people was a different kind of target and the description of her being like a kinnara as half woman and half bird was excellent. That painted a picture and she soon became angry! Her being part of the Choir was terrific and I liked the threat of wanting them to sing or die. It really felt believable. The humour of the Doctor, Archie and De’ath walking in on the choir performance at the singer’s group was a glorious moment after the build up. It was good to acknowledge that the song had to spread so not everyone was impacted right away. I thought the cliffhanger was decent with Dodo being overpowered by the song and the demon killing Helen just to make a point was brilliant. I thought Noonan did a fine job as the First Doctor once again although I will say that I think his impersonation is more like how William Hartnell would play the role rather than his own take on the First Doctor. And that’s not a problem it’s just something I noticed with the intentional line fumble for example. The Doctor using his fob watch to deprogram those under the ire of the song was good and I liked the humour of De’aths music ability, or lack there of, showcasing that bad music effected the Choir. Archie offering to give herself up to become hypnotised by the song was admirable and was a good way to find where everyone was headed as they could just follow her. The Choir needing to share their song worked well and I enjoyed the threat of when released the song could kill the city. The demon needing to provide the right resonance to open the gateway back home was useful information in understanding her but humanity wasn’t doing enough. The Choir lived in a world alongside ours in a different dimension which was great and I really enjoyed the concept of a celestial choir. The Doctor using the singing group and the organ to open the gateway was decent and I really liked the twist of De’ath playing the guitar at the crucial time to change the resonance and let the Discord through. We didn’t really get anything of the battle other than De’ath’s commentary on a live stream but I did like that he appealed to his followers to help thwart them. The portal was reopened then in a simple conclusion by the end. Overall, a strong start to the series!

Rating: 8/10

Shades of Fear: Red Darkness

"There are teeth out in the night. They are hungry."

Writer: James Kettle

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Printed in: Ninth Doctor Adventures 8.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis 

The sunlight from Solis Kaliya could revolutionise colony farming. While his mother researches its properties, Callen and his seeing (and talking!) dog Doyle meet a new arrival – and discover an impending threat...

The Vashta Nerada are closing in, and they are not alone.

Verdict 

Red Darkness was an excellent episode to conclude the Shades of Fear eighth volume of Ninth Doctor Adventures! I think this was the best of the set so far and definitely goes down as one of the best Ninth Doctor stories from Big Finish. It’s always fun to reunite an incarnation of the Doctor with a familiar enemy that they never got to face on television. And to be fair in this case, said enemies hadn’t actually made their debut yet! But this was terrific. I liked how things started with the Doctor starting as a stranger amidst an ominous atmosphere with everything being completely deserted. Doyle’s introduction was quite the occurrence as we learned he was a dog! The Doctor wasn’t surprised to be communicating with a canine which was fun and he seems to appreciate the means in which his vocal chords were being utilised to relay speech. Callan was a solid character as well and his partial blindness came into play later in a big way. Iona Lennox as his mother was a great character and I enjoyed how McConnaghy was killed on the call. That was a fine use of the audio format. The significance of the solar light on Kelyard 5 worked well and was unique as the humans that were left were trying to synthesise it. Bram being so clearly infected with the Vashta Nerada was intriguing and it seemed to last an eternity with him at the door trying to convince Callan to let him in. The Doctor seemed to think that the human colony ship had brought the Vashta Nerada with them and they’d been settling and building up their force. The question of where shadows replicate was brilliant to ponder as well. The twist that the Vashta Nerada here were actually fused with the Vermine as a collective was incredible and sublime continuity with The Colour of Terror that started this boxset. The Doctor indicated that there must have been a stray refraction and once again the red on the planet became very problematic! I was a big fan. Iona being responsible for the fusion of these two deadly races from her experiments in synthesising the light was fantastic. She felt responsible for everything. Callan and Doyle being immune to the red light due to their sight and not being able to see that colour on the spectrum was very good utilisation and the use of green filters for Iona and Marjie worked well. All directions pointed to cutting out the red to get to the safety of the TARDIS which worked nicely. Until Marjie was eaten. The filters were also taken which really added a sense of danger, with the Vashta Nerada also emerging as being able to split from the red to attack. With Doyle and Callan safe from the red threat, the plan for them to guide the Doctor and Lennox who would close their eyes was logical but it was clear that it was never going to be so simple. That soon was realised as Lennox admitted she had looked just briefly and she could feel something nagging in the corner of her eye. Her wanting the Doctor to promise that he’d take Callan with him was powerful and he was one to keep his promises. Once they reached the TARDIS I thought it was brilliant that the lamp turned red as the usual white contained a full spectrum. Lennox sacrificing herself in taking off her blindfold and making her choice as she knew she was goner anyway was excellent! The goodbye to Callan was really touching. I must say I thought the voicing of the Vashta Nerada was superb throughout and was the right level of eeriness and disturbing. That’s exactly what you want in a dark episode like this one. The speaking through the dog collar was something I actually expected so I was glad that it was utilised. It was too perfect for them! Christopher Eccleston was at his best once the Doctor took the Vashta Nerada swarm through the Vortex and actually goaded them into separating from the Vermine. That was so well done. Once split, they were weak and the Doctor quickly deposited them on a planet with nothing left to feed on. Callan seemingly sticking around was a surprising ending though and I wonder if we’ll get a further adventure with him and the Ninth Doctor! The ambiguous end was good but I do hope that there is much more to come for Christopher Eccleston and Big Finish. Overall, a fantastic finale! 

Rating: 9/10

Shades of Fear: The Blooming Menace

"The power of the Eulalia is absolute."

Writer: James Kettle

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Printed in: Ninth Doctor Adventures 8.02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis 

Toby Entwistle and his bachelor chums in the Fellows Club are falling victim to a plague – of marriage! 

The chaps are all besotted by giant flowers – but Toby's new valet seems to know what's going on. The Doctor could be London's only hope...

Verdict 

The Blooming Menace was another great audio to continue my way through the Shades of Fear series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! It really is incredible that we’ve now had eight boxsets with Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor and I do hope there are more to come. This was another fun solo outing and starting things out at the Fellows’ Club was amusing with its members sounding far too posh. It really was over the top and almost reached the realms of parody, but that was what made it enjoyable really. It didn’t seem like a setting fit for this incarnation of the Doctor in particular and his attire was later addressed as being offensive which was amusing. The derogatory comments about women from the fellows was not though and it really is frightening to think that this was the attitude of society only a century ago. The concept of something taking the single men in London was good and the Doctor arriving at the door of Toby Entwhistle interrupting his bath with rubber ducks was a great moment. He wasn’t being targeted and it soon became clear why, at least to my mind. The mystery behind Professor Bulstrode was good stuff and I absolutely loved that the Doctor claimed to arrive as Toby’s valet, but then looked at him silly when the door knocked and it was heavily implied he should answer it. The Doctor wasn’t having any of that but seemed gleeful at actually getting the job! Poor old Toby didn’t know what he was in for. The Doctor knew that Bulstrode shouldn’t be let in and the babbling way he was talking was very intriguing. The Eulalia plant had taken over him to the point he was hypnotised with infatuation for the plant! She was beautiful apparently. Phil was a brilliant character and it’s almost laughable that she could pass off as a man! In audio format, it was clear immediately that she was actually a woman and the Doctor spotted it straight away as well. The Doctor trying to catch a Eulalia sample was good but it wilted at his very touch and he was genuinely distraught to have brought death to it. The tongue twister of Birkett bringing a sample back from a specific Pacific island was tremendous and when Nanny Lewis revealed he was a botanist things started to add up. The way she revealed her hand in attacking Entwhistle was a terrific moment! Birkett planning on showcasing his new vine to the Royal Society was good and he was perplexed to find that the plant was already all over London. The moment the Doctor tried to call to whatever power was within him was hilarious, because there was no such thing! That was a tad embarrassing. Birkett also acting as a blight to the Eulalia was interesting and I liked that Entwhistle also didn’t fall under its mesmerising spell. The search to find what connected them was a good direction for the adventure. The Eulalia coming together as a collective meaning they could talk was good and I loved the explanation that the Doctor’s emotions could only bring them pain. He was still reeling from the Time War and that explained his touch of death very well. The time of blossoming worked well and I liked that they used the buds to migrate and travel whilst taking the men with them as energy. The moment where Phil revealed herself and was holding Toby was a lovely moment as he didn’t push her away and was rather enjoying the embrace in an apparent admittance of his bisexual orientation. It certainly explained how he held back the Eulalia. Nanny Lewis actually being a Valwa was pretty insignificant but it was good to know there was more to her background. She was using Earth as a recruitment ground and the cuttings were spreading. The Doctor breaking the link between Nanny Lewis and the Vermine was a simple conclusion as the latter migrated. The fact that one of them came back to kill her was excellent as a means of revenge. Phil and Toby’s love was enough for the whole crop to last a life cycle and I’m glad that they ended up together. Overall, a great adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Shades of Fear: The Colour of Terror

"Get out of my shop!"

Writer: Lizzie Hopley

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Printed in: Ninth Doctor Adventures 8.01

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis 

Mrs Bevell wants to keep the star rating for her charity shop – but why does she stock so many items of one particular shade?

When West Morebry residents start to notice disappearances, the Doctor assembles a motley band to do battle... with the colour red!

Verdict 

The Colour of Terror was an excellent start to the Shades of Fear eighth volume of Ninth Doctor Adventures! I thought it was fun and rather unique to start things off in a charity shop and I liked that the significance of the colour red was established early on. Mrs Bevell was a really strong character and she was immediately warned of being dangerous and hiding things that were important. She was surprisingly exactly what I would expect from a charity shop manager. Marla as the bride to be was good and her disappearance after putting on the red wedding dress was very intriguing to set the scene well. Robbie as the charity shop volunteer was a very fun character and the comment regarding no police coming to investigate the disappearance of Marla being followed by the arrival of the TARDIS behind the changing room curtain was just magnificent. A fine pre-credits moment. The West Morebryy setting was decent and I loved the mystery of animals going missing with red fur. Their last sighting was at the Chariot charity shop which is unusual for animals to hang out. The concept of the energy sourcing bleeding through the light spectrum and the dominant red was fantastic, almost as much as the talkative nature of Pete Snow who was a brilliant character too. Sahdna Chang as the cafe owner next complimented the cast well in what was an impressive assembly of characters. Ginger as Pete’s cat and speaking through him was a freaky introduction for the Vermine as they wanted to be set free. I liked that they were trapped in the red spectrum and they could actually travel through it, but they intended on domination. They weren’t friendly as they might’ve first appeared and they planned on an invasion which was a good turn of events. The direction of the story heading towards needing to find the source of having them trapped and paint it anything other than red was great. The Doctor’s reaction to nobody being fazed by the TARDIS interior dimensions was a very humorous moment. Kath’s arrival as the fiancé of Marla injected some strong emotion as we learned that the latter had been robbed of her physical self as the Vermine tried turning her into many forms. But of course energy cannot be destroyed. The link to Kath and communicating through the TARDIS empathic circuits was very good and I liked the simplicity of Marla being in the ether. She was holding on and it wasn’t easy. I thought the threat of the sunrise turning the sky red was outstanding and if that did happen then they could take everyone. They could invade the entire universe! The scale and means of their potential invasion was very exciting. Bevell having painted the TARDIS red was superb and she’d gone full on crazy and possessed in painting herself red too along with wearing all red clothing. She had become a vessel for the Vermine but that actually helped the Doctor as it held all of the invasion force in one place. The Doctor gathering all of the glass items from the charity shop was good use of the location and everything was to be focused on Bevell in turning the shop into a prism and endless refraction. It was neat and tidy! The use of the TARDIS as bait was done well and I liked that the Vermine were just shut in the box to see them out. Overall, a tremendous episode!

Rating: 9/10

Velvet Hugs

"I was going to be in charge of my own destiny."

Writer: Katy Manning

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 10

Featuring: Jo

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

Velvet Hugs was an excellent story to continue my reading of the Origin Stories collection! I thought this was a really love origin adventure for Jo and whilst I’m not typically a fan of the first person format of prose, the fact that it was Katy Manning as the author loosened my clutches on how much I am not a fan of that style. It was tremendous! If anyone is able to give a voice to Jo then it’s obviously Manning as she has been playing the character for over half a century now. That in itself is pretty remarkable and whilst she’s used to voicing the character for Big Finish, it’s wonderful for her to get to write for her own character. She has an important job as well as we learn a lot about Jo’s childhood and family which was very pleasant. I thought the biographical nature of the story worked brilliantly and it was just interesting to learn the details about Jo. Her Christmases in Dorset with the mysterious uncle Giles and how she was initially educated at home as she was moved from place to place. That can’t have been easy! It was intriguing to learn that Jo didn’t fair so well at school and event went onto fail all of her A-Levels! That’s not the type of background you would expect to get you employed at UNIT. Jo looking back on her life was lovely and it also allowed us a look into the character in her later years. It was magnificent to have her alongside Cliff and the pair recently having returned from a climate conference in Greenland just seems perfect for them. I admire their desire to tackle the very big issue of climate change and Manning addressing that not enough people are making an effort against it was a subtle appeal that I appreciated. With this being an origin story, I really liked that there was no threat from a monster or villain. It really was what the book’s title says. I absolutely loved that we got the moments before Jo’s introduction in Terror of the Autons with the Brigadier announcing that she had completed her training and was now a fully qualified member of the UNIT team. We got everything leading up to her knocking on the door of the Doctor in the science laboratory and we know what would come next with the Nestenes and Autons. Honestly, that’s the kind of lines I was expecting the entire book to take but alas that wasn’t the case. And that’s absolutely fine! But I think this was perhaps the best story in actually living up to the umbrella title. The little cameo appearance for Iris Wildthyme was an unexpected treat and just delightful that Manning also got to write some dialogue for another of her characters! She absolutely nailed it of course as before the name was revealed that infamous ‘chuck’ dialogue showed her identity immediately. It was a lovely moment as Jo thought she was dreaming as you might expect from being young and she was told that she would go onto have adventures when she grew up. That was really nice. I really liked how things concluded with Jo’s anecdote about the Doctor and whilst her incarnation would be the one to provide velvet hugs, she’d met several other regenerations and she always knew within that it was the same two hears that cared about her and she loved him. Overall, a tremendous read!

Rating: 9/10

Clara Oswald and the Enchanted Forest

"Some things are fleeting, but some leave their mark forever."

Writer: Jasbinder Bilan

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 09

Featuring: Clara

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

Clara Oswald and the Enchanted Forest was a decent adventure to continue my reading through the Origin Stories collection! Despite my high score, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed by this story as I felt there was a lot of potential with Clara and given that we could have met so many different versions of her after her splintering in The Name of the Doctor, the fact the Doctor had to wipe her memory at the end really annoyed me. There just has to be a better way to account for these early meetings before she would actually join him as companion from The Bells of Saint John onwards. Whilst it was pretty fun to meet Clara as a fourteen-year-old, I think the editor’s choice in having yet another where we meet a companion during their school years is a little odd. We’ve already seen it in Chemistry, The Myriapod Mutiny, Doctor Jones and The Girl Who Tore Through the Universe, so to add another to that collection isn’t favourable with me. That’ll now be half of the stories (at least!) set during teenage or child years for future companions and that’s difficult as being interested in events for this age group is somewhat of a challenge. It’s not entirely believable that a teenager can thwart a threat on the scale provided by Doctor Who. Right, I’ve sounded extremely negative so far which is not a fair reflection of how I enjoyed this story because when judging it solely in its own right it was good! I’m a huge fan of Clara but I must say the moment she threw the infamous leaf out of the window because her mum said she couldn’t sleepover at the Halloween party was very shocking! I didn’t see that coming at all and whilst that’s probably typical for a petty teenager not getting her way, that didn’t feel like Clara. It was a reminder of growing up and accepting what your parents said, but this level of defiance was extraordinary. Ashari as Clara’s friend was a decent character and the way the latter drooled over Gem as the most thoughtful boy in year ten was amusing. Oh to be a teenager again. It really is a completely different world now I look back! The Halloween setting was decent too but I do think a little more could have been to link that with the forest. It was comical though for the Doctor to call out Clara’s vampire costume resulting in her blushing in a big way. Clara playing hide and seek with her friends in the woods was great and brought back some fond memories of my youth as there were so many days after school spent doing that. That’s when things started to get interesting though and I really loved the imagery behind the TARDIS being parked atop the tree branches. It must have been quite the sight to see a police box perched high like that and then entering it to find that it was bigger on the inside really was magic as the Doctor explained! I love whenever someone follows up the Doctor’s introducing of himself with ‘Doctor who?’ and he just replies with something along the lines of them being correct. It’s not at all what they were asking but it almost always leaves them stumped to the extent that they don’t question it further. It happened here and that’s good fun. The Eleventh Doctor checking in on Clara was intriguing but he was clearly a little too early. His reaction to Clara telling him about the leaf was good because we would know how significant that will become in The Rings of Akhaten and beyond, but the way she gained it back was a little easy. We probably could have done with a little more information and explanation regarding the enchanted forest. Clara running off and the Doctor’s tweed resulting in him getting stuck on the branches was hilarious and I can so easily picture Matt Smith performing that perfectly. The Eleventh Doctor really is the perfect incarnation to get stuck on some trees. Clara’s interaction with the she-wolf was interesting and I liked the concept of seeing into the past and future. The familiarity of the Doctor increased and he freely admitted to her that they would share many future adventures. Of course, he knew already that he’d have to wipe her memory which is such a rubbish way to conclude the story! Clara did get her leaf back though and that was important. The Doctor taking her back and Clara waking up experiencing the events as if they were a dream was such a shame, but as a whole this was a fun encounter and an intriguing look into the Clara of youth! Overall, a good read. 

Rating: 7/10

The Gunfighters

"We're in a Western!"

Writer: Donald Cotton

Format: Novel

Released: January 1986

Series: Target 101

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Dodo

Synopsis 

Back in the gun-totin', hard-hittin', fast-shootin' days of the Old Wild West, when outlaws ruled the land the good guys stayed off the streets, a troupe of travelling players – Miss Dodo Dupont, Steven Regret and the mysterious Doctor Calgari – moseyed into the town of Tombstone one October afternoon. 

Their method of transportation was a mite peculiar though. After all, a police box materialising out of thin air sure ain't the usual way to enter a sedate town like Tombstone...

And when the Doctor and his pardners meet up with Wyatt Earp and the notorious Clanton brothers, they soon find out that the scene is all set for high noon at the O.K. Corral...

Verdict

The Gunfighters is just not the best story is it. I stand by my statement that this adventure is the worst in all of Doctor Who on screen and unfortunately the novelisation just isn’t any better. I don’t even know what to say about it as a whole as it just has too many elements that I dislike. The Wild West is not a setting that I’ve ever understood the appeal of and it just doesn’t seem right for Doctor Who. The whole basis of the Doctor needing a dentist is just barmy and pretty ludicrous. Surely there could be a better way to bring the TARDIS to the Wild West than that? Doc Holliday is a decent character but I’m not a fan of the way he treated Kate in the slightest. She’s not presented in the best way but regardless, he’s not really likeable. I’m not a fan of him ending up on the same side as the Doctor when he tried to have him killed in his place! The Doctor doesn’t come across as the most intelligent which is so alien to everything we know about the character. I know it does make sense from a moral perspective that he’s awful at firing a gun,  but surely the skill would be there for him? And the fact he doesn’t catch on to what Holliday is setting up for when borrowing his gun is almost unforgivable. One thing I am grateful for in the book is that the absolutely horrific ballad isn’t overdone. It felt like that never stopped on screen but thankfully it was only presented in full once and pretty early on. It’s good to get some personality from Dodo in the story as she reveals in meeting the characters from the Wild West and even offers herself and Steven up to perform after the Doctor adorned them with fake titles in the performing arts. That was fun stuff. That’s where the fun stopped though. I was not a fan at all of the format of the book with the mix between first and third person. It was confusing and didn’t flow well, and that element wasn’t aided by the incredibly short chapter lengths. Having the first person being told by Holliday to Nev Buntline was just odd and simply didn’t work with Holliday being referred to by name in a number of instances! It didn’t help matters. I’ll be honest I did think at times that this may go down as the first Target I would potentially not finish, but alas I persisted and finished it within a day. It wasn’t easy though! I’m surprised I rated it as high as I did to be honest which really does show my thoughts on the story. Steven really doesn’t get much of an opportunity to do anything good and he only really becomes useful when he’s nearly hanged! That’s a threat that’s pretty dark. Wyatt Earp was a good character and I enjoyed his position as the sheriff. Johnny Ringo was definitely the standout though and things picked up positively once he arrived. If only he’d been there earlier! I liked the threat he provided and the brutality in which he killed the barman was fantastic. Holliday killing him was done well also but I felt the lead up to the Battle of the OK Corral was leading nowhere and it was somehow lacking in meaningful action. I thought it was hilarious for the narration to make mention of the coincidences and just the stuff that didn’t make sense in the story. That was fun as I just dislike this adventure so much! I must say that writing this blog entry in itself has been a slog and I’m really not sure anything else needs saying! Overall, probably the worst Target I’ve read so far which is a shame. I was so hoping it would be an improvement on the televised serial. 

Rating: 4/10

The Devil's Footrpints

"You thought you'd meddle in my affairs?"

Writer: Penelope Faith

Format: Audio

Released: December 2018

Series: Short Trips 8.12

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Mel

Synopsis 

The Doctor's old friend, the reverend HT Ellacombe, has been out of touch for too long. But when the Doctor goes to find him, he and Mel discover something else entirely: unidentifiable footprints in the snow around the Victorian village where he lives.

The villagers are terrified that the very Devil walks their lands in the wintry nights, but with the Doctor distracted by finding his friend, it seems it's up to Mel to do the snooping in an attempt to uncover the truth...

Verdict

The Devil's Footprints was a decent Short Trips adventure! It’s quite amazing that it took eight series to get a first foray in this series for the Seventh Doctor and Mel, but better late than never! They’re very much an underrated pairing and I thought Bonnie Langford did a magnificent job with the narration. She’s really quite marvellous and I thought her impression of Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor was a delight. It really did add to the adventure and felt genuine with the addition of the TARDIS sound effects. It didn’t solely feel like prose which was great. It was good to start things with the TARDIS not having a smooth landing as it arrived in January 1850. That was a strong setting and I liked how the coldness added to things. It instantly changed the atmosphere of the story in a positive way for the story that was being told. Mel enjoying the fashion of the nineteenth century was tremendous and I liked the comments about her hair being in with the times here. The Doctor being a little disappointed to arrive forty years early was fun and I just enjoy when things go wrong for him as it almost always ends up in quiet frustration. The Doctor intending on visiting an old friend in the form of Reverend HT Ellacombe was decent but it’s a shame that it wasn’t actually a character we had met before. His position as a man of the cloth was a little different to the usual type the Doctor is friends with, especially across the times, but he was concerned that he’d been quiet in recent times. The timing of being at first light was great and I enjoyed the description of it being still and quiet. I go for a daily walk or cycle before work at 5.30am and that’s a perfect description. It’s so peaceful. The mystery of the identical footprints was somewhat intriguing when it seemed like a four-legged creature was walking on two feet. One thing for certain was that the footprints were odd. It wasn’t the most enticing of ways to peak my interest though. I liked that Ellacombe shared the interest in fossils with the Doctor, but Mel was incredibly suspicious of old HT. The conversation about the initials was amusing and Mel just absolutely did not trust the Doctor’s old friend. She went so far as to break into his study which was brilliant and things certainly moved quickly once he caught the companion. He was enraged and the anger was palpable, so much so that he transformed into the creature that had left the footprints the Doctor and Ellacombe were investigating and following! I must admit I didn’t see that coming as the mysterious creature was using Ellacombe rather than actually being him. It was a tad clunky but I quite liked the concept. The creature sending out information through the box was decent and it was great that the Doctor deemed Earth not fit for invasion. The concept behind a palimpsest is not something I had ever heard of before, but the explanation of writing imposed on earlier writing and essentially it being anything reused but showing traces of a former use was excellent. I liked that a lot and it was explained well with it now having a geological application. Ellacombe literally was a living palimpsest! It came a little late but it worked well as he was unaware of the manifestations from the creature within. The calm conclusion there was decent and as a whole this was a pretty good story! Overall, a worthy listen.  

Rating: 7/10

The Auton Infinity

"Soldiers expect to die."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: September 2022

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures: Forty 2

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough, Kamelion, Brigadier 

Synopsis 

Snowdonia, UNIT is running a training exercise with the Brigadier in attendance. Except it isn't long before things start to go badly wrong. The fake aliens primed to attack the troops might not be so fake after all, and a temporal disturbance attracts the Doctor, Tegan and Turlough into the fray.

Old enemies are on the scene with a deadly plan – but they might be the least of the Doctor's worries.

Because he's recently been sent backwards and forwards through his own lifetime... and he's finally going to find out why.

Verdict

The Auton Infinity was an excellent audio adventure! This really was quite an epic to conclude the Forty series of stories for the Fifth Doctor to celebrate his milestone anniversary. This really did have everything and I’m not even sure where to start because there really was so much going on! I liked the continuity from the first boxset with the Fifth Doctor experiencing the jumping of his own time tracks and we got that on full display here. The Brigadier featuring was delightful and I must say that Jon Culshaw did a tremendous job in voicing the three main characters that he did. His talents are uncanny and long may he continue to be an asset to Big Finish! You couldn’t have a fortieth anniversary celebration for the Fifth Doctor without having the Master present and it’s so lovely that Culshaw can bring to life the incredible incarnation of Anthony Ainley. This Tremas incarnation probably goes down as my favourite and getting a full adventure with him taking on the Fifth Doctor again was glorious. Tegan obviously has an extensive history with him as well and I thought that was explored really well here. The relationship and history between Turlough and the Brigadier was also a lot of fun to explore as we had some fun references to Mawdryn Undead and the Brig’s reaction to finding out his former student was from a different planet was a delight. I must admit that I think it got slightly confusing at times to have two different versions of the Fifth Doctor present, but the character interaction allowed more than made up for it! We really did get everything. Tegan was fantastic and the Doctor having a rare moment of praise and acknowledgement for her was wonderful as he described her as his anchor throughout the recent ordeals in Secrets of Telos and God of War where he was going through the time tracks. That was a really nice touch. I loved the mirroring of Terror of the Autons with the Master joining forces with the Nestene Consciousness and having his TARDIS in a familiar circus tent guise was terrific. I loved just hearing that iconic laugh again and the Master trying to use a duplicate Auton version of the Doctor to pilot the driller through the vortex was magnificent. It would never work, but the boldness of the scheme was audacious! I really liked the idea behind doing an Auton/Nestene Consciousness origin story and it worked really well. The idea behind the First Consciousness being an Old One and everything that encompassed with Remembrance and Prodigal was superb! The difficult conversations about using ‘I’ instead of ‘we’ were very good in explaining their collective makeup. I was a big fan of them and Prodigal made for a tremendous character. The Master’s attention to detail was pretty sensational when it came to his impersonating the Brigadier and shooting dead T. Mears as part of UNIT because of the anagram was just delightful. That was the Master at his very best. The use of the Nestene masks was more than decent too! Exploring Gallifreyan technology prior to TARDISes was nicely done and I liked exploring the early history of the universe through the Nestenes. Even going as far as to provide a rationale for the tentacle appearance was fantastic! I thought the hints at what was to come for Tegan leaving soon were handled delicately and tackling with the Doctor returning to his normal time stream with the knowledge of Adric’s death was excellent. The conclusion was exciting even if I didn’t wholly understand the science behind the time scoop, but after nearly three and a half hours I just liked that I was still very interested! The ending leading into Resurrection of the Daleks with the time corridor was a neat touch as well. Overall, this was a fitting end to a brilliant trilogy of stories to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of my first favourite Doctor! A fantastic (and very long!) listen. 

Rating: 9/10

The Girl Who Tore Through the Universe

"She was too old for imaginary friends."

Writer: Nikita Gill

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 08

Featuring: Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

The Girl Who Tore Through the Universe was a sublime story to continue my way through the Origin Stories collection! I think this was probably the best in the volume so far as I was left feeling tense to reach the conclusion and see how things finished. That’s very impressive considering we know what would happen with Amy during The Eleventh Hour and there were references to that episode in their plenty. That’s no surprise given that for Amy this story takes place during those events but she spanned quite a long time as we catch up with her here being sixteen years old. That’s a fun gap to explore and just the history of her psychiatry failures regarding the Raggedy Man was fantastic. Knowing what we know about Amy when we catch up with her and she fully becomes companion to the Eleventh Doctor, I certainly cannot imagine her reacting well to therapy of that kind! Sixteen is a difficult age for obvious reasons but Amy was so inundated with finding a way to the Doctor once again. He’d promised he would return and she knew beyond doubt that he was real. The memories of fish fingers and custard were great. I thought the exploration in the early relationship between Amy and Rory was tremendous. It was a little sad that in the last year they had slightly lost touch, but they were still on more than good terms and there was an instant connection between them. The chemistry is brilliant and they were really a joy to read together as the lead characters. There wasn’t much of a threat in this story which worked very well actually and I guess there couldn’t be as far as Amy’s character story was concerned. Amy and physics didn’t seem to be something I would combine but in her efforts to find a way to the Doctor, she had been devouring physics books from the school library and what Rory found regarding Newton and the mystery behind his death was sublime. I’m not sure if Newton’s experiments and works presented here regarding the multiverse were factually real or not, but for the purpose of this short story I thought they were marvellous!  When Amy heard about the reports from some of Newton’s servants regarding him coming from rooms he couldn’t possibly have gotten into and his desire to bring his dad back from the dead, she had to go to his manor right away. Rory didn’t think twice about faking a day off school to drive her there which showed just how much he cared about her. The mention of Mels was a nice touch and being grounded as a way to explain her absence was nicely done. She wasn’t needed here as this was all about Amy and Rory. I thought it was really fun to visit the apple tree where Newton discovered the theory of gravity and that has now been added to my list of places to visit! I’m no science buff, but that would be super cool to explore. I thought the efforts and confidence of Amy to find the notes left by Newton that contained the multiverse theory equations was extraordinary and whilst it’s not wholly believable that Amy could find the notes in quick time, her intellect in thinking he’d hide the notes beneath the tree was terrific. Amy using the equations and taking the simplistic route was very good and I loved the emotion behind her conversation with her mother from beyond the boundaries of dimensions. The fact she pulled her through and she became zombified was sad and that was worse than not having her at all. She was totally shell shocked. I liked that Amy realised what Newton had given a warning about on his notes here and the moment where Rory instilled the confidence in his future wife that she could fix things was superb. A touching moment. The carved apple at the end actually being from her mum and not Rory as she suspected was a lovely way to finish what was a really powerful story! Amy having to deal with losing her mum a second time was so much worse as this was a fresh memory. Overall, a fantastic short story!

Rating: 9/10

Operation: Hellfire

"Very soon the Nazis shall be crowned the kings of all creation."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: May 2020

Series: Third Doctor Adventures 6.02

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

When the Doctor accepts an invitation to an audience with a popular horror writer, he's expecting a rather dull evening. But he quickly senses the presence of another Gallifreyan nearby. The Time Lords have a mission for him.

Soon the Doctor and Jo find themselves at the height of the Second World War in 1943. Caught up in a struggle involving the occultist Nazis, the Prime Minster, top secret agencies and a mysteriously powerful amulet, they must distinguish friend from foe and avoid sacrifice upon the altar of evil.

Verdict 

Operation: Hellfire was an excellent story to conclude the sixth series of Third Doctor Adventures! I really liked this one and it was pretty rare to get a historical with the third incarnation. We didn’t see that very much on television at all and it was pretty close to being a pure historical which I liked even more. It started in an intriguing way with the demonic cult around Hellfire and when we moved to our familiar characters, I was a little surprised to hear that Jo was bored! She wanted some excitement, but all the Doctor was providing was commentary on the faults of the British postal system. They ought to invent hypercubes as to him they were a much more efficient form of contact. The Doctor getting an invite from Douglas Quilter was interesting after how annoyed he was getting about Jo thinking out loud when going through the post. He was a Wing Commander turned literate author and had personally invited the Doctor which interested him as they’d never met as far as he was concerned. Hearing how the demon wanted to change the course of the Second World War in Hitler’s favour was excellent and I liked how it was said this would happen when the great wizard was sent, obviously inferring the Doctor. The Doctor falling asleep at Quilter’s chapter read was hilarious but he soon shifted into gear when sensing the presence of a Time Lord. In fact it was a Time Lady who was very enigmatic and I quite liked the mystery behind her in not knowing her name. She cane to give the Doctor a mission to find the missing Amulet of the Wastelands with a sighting in 1943 giving the Doctor and Jo a trip to the past. The significance of the amulet was sold well with it being able to warp and change reality, and the prospect of that turning the War in Hitler’s favour really would have a huge impact! The Doctor declining the mission was very amusing stuff but it seems his hands were tied by the fact Quilter had already met he and Jo, although pointing a gun at them to take the mission seemed a bit far! Of course, 1943 would beckon as Jo knew the Doctor would accept sooner or later. The arrival at a black magic club was very good and I loved the cliffhanger with Jo triggering the alarm protecting the amulet and gas consuming them. It would turn out to be a fake and just knockout gas which was a slightly weak resolution, but Quilter greeting them and Jo boasting her knowledge on him was fun stuff. The Doctor asking him to call the Prime Minister for old Winnie to vouch for him was brilliant and that’s precisely what happened! Chapel was a fantastic character as Quilter’s assistant and their forming part of the London Controlling Section was terrific. I loved the disinformation focus and that would prove incredibly important to the story! Jo’s reaction to seeing a war-torn London was outstanding as well and really made use of the time setting. It was a familiar place for her in ruins. The role of Litmann in the story was tremendous as a feared German occultist who was now at large in England following his apparent defection. Sally’s fate was an interesting element of the story and that really sold the threat of Finch who had the amulet. The black magic club had laid the trap of the replica for Litmann to no current success. I was a little surprise with how little Churchill actually featured but it was fun to have him show his admiration of the Third Doctor’s cape. The Doctor planning to pose as Litmann and go undercover to Finch’s estate and steal the amulet was fun, but he’d have trouble getting there with Chapel brilliantly revealing her true colours in a fantastic cliffhanger! I must say though I’m getting a little tired of the use of Houdini tricks from multiple incarnations of the Doctor to escape from the likes of handcuffs. It’s a bit lazy. Jo feigning as an acolyte of Litmann was tremendous and I loved that Finch demanded she sacrificed the Doctor! The revelation that Litmann didn’t actually exist was superb and with the theme of disinformation I was annoyed I didn’t see it coming! The tension in the conclusion was really well done as Chapel was essentially being warped by the amulet and having the heights of the blimp added to the threat. She wanted to change the course of the War but with all lost, she sacrificed herself in the name of the Reich instead. That was pretty grim. The Doctor defying the Time Lords at the end was tremendous though in denying them the amulet, but ensuring that it was safely stowed away. Overall, an excellent adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Poison of the Daleks

"Allies don't demand obedience."

Writer: Guy Adams

Format: Audio

Released: May 2020

Series: Third Doctor Adventures 6.01

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

UNIT has been seconded to handle security at Breathe Industries' revolutionary new air filtration plant. The Doctor is initially dismissive... but when a man seems to appear out of thing air and die, his curiosity is piqued.

The Doctor soon discovers that the plant is connected to another time, another place. Stranded with Jo, the Brigadier and Benton on a distant planet, the Doctor discovers the terrible truth behind Breathe Industries' new technology. His oldest enemies, the Daleks.

Can even the Doctor and UNIT manage to save two worlds at the same time?

Verdict 

Poison of the Daleks was an excellent story to kick off the sixth series of Third Doctor Adventures! I can’t quite believe that I have reached the sixth volume of this excellent series but I have loved it so far. Tim Treloar really is the Third Doctor and it’s terrific to have this incarnation take on the Daleks once again. It’s a brilliant title and I liked how the poison aspect was presented early on as the Doctor, Jo and the Brigadier were discussing the problem of pollution on Earth. I thought that was a great way to highlight the mission and fate of Jo in her life as we saw the early signs of her environmentalist traits. That was fantastic and I found it fun that the Doctor disagreed with her in thinking pollution was the biggest danger to the planet as he thought it was overpopulation. The focus on Breathe Industries was good and UNIT were en route to investigate the incredible new filtration system they had developed. The Doctor wasn’t having any of it and couldn’t believe that the scientific claims behind it were possible. He also was very suspicious of the political involvement with the connection to the Shadow Secretary of Jane Davis-Hunt. The Brigadier pointing out that as a Shadow Secretary she wasn’t actually part of the Government was fun stuff as that didn’t really make the Doctor feel any better about the setup! Jane knowing of the Doctor’s reputation as UNIT’s Scientific Advisor was terrific and their relationship got off to a rather bitter start. Jo acknowledged the tension between the pair and she had fun with it which was lovely. Brock being unhappy at the presence of UNIT just added to their suspicions but he was a strong character as the professor. The shift to Skaro and the featuring of Varga plants was brilliant and I really liked hearing the escape of the man from the planet to get to the Brigadier and Benton at Breathe Industries. An intriguing link! His claim for sanctuary was heartbreaking when he didn’t survive for long thanks to the purity of the air. The irony there was not lost on the Doctor and just added to his deep suspicions. He was angered that he was not allowed to see the central filter core so alongside Jo they just broke in! The Brigadier didn’t take well to that as he wasn’t one to cut through the bureaucratic tape and that was fun stuff. The shift to the Daleks after the transmat after fiddling with controls was a good but predictable cliffhanger. I enjoyed the emergence of the resistance group with Red being a tremendous leader. A very fun character. The Brigadier and Benton training up the squad was amusing stuff and I loved the Doctor’s reaction to that. It wasn’t dismay, it was almost bafflement. Skwoj was an intriguing character and the Doctor saving her by claiming she was his companion and the Daleks having standing orders not to kill those to use her against the Doctor was great stuff. My interest was peaked when the Daleks were interested in the secret of the nexus, and the planet being on a focal point of dimensional weakness was very intriguing. The Daleks obviously had a plan! Brock not exactly being the most respected scientist by Jane was pretty harsh as he had stumbled upon the Dalek experiment. It was obvious that the polluted air from Earth was being moved to the destination. The Doctor being captured and having his execution announced was sublime and I loved how this was used to bring out the resistance from beyond their impenetrable barrier. The fact the Daleks actually wanted the toxic air was super interesting and the bargaining by Jane and Brock was very brave. The Daleks were at their brutal best when they just exterminated Brock to show they firmly held all of the cards. Skwoj being under Dalek control was done well and I loved that she was deemed as being on similar intelligence levels to the Doctor. She’d solved the nexus and the plan of the Daleks being to send all of the polluted air to Earth to suffocate it was magnificent. I was a huge fan of that! The Doctor being able to save things by reverting Skwoj back to her normal self and her intelligence really shined as she sent the Daleks and their polluted air back to Skaro during the nuclear war that ravaged the planet. I thought that tidied things up very well! The humour that came at the end from the Brigadier and how one Dalek needed defeating before the Doctor and Jo transmatted back was tremendous. Overall, a really strong audio!

Rating: 9/10

Voyage to the New World

"We are all dead."

Writer: Matthew Sweet

Format: Audio

Released: December 2012

Series: Jago & Litefoot 4.06

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

Roanoke Island, 1590.

The TARDIS materilaises in the past, and the Doctor's companions, Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, find themselves prisoners of the natives in the New World.

But there's something strange here – stranger than even the colonists, led by Englishman John White.

What are the ghostly children? And who is the Old Man of Croaton?

The travellers are about to discover the secret of the lost colony... and it may cost Jago's life.

Verdict 

Voyage to the New World was a good audio to continue, and seemingly conclude, the adventures of the Sixth Doctor alongside his old friends Jago and Litefoot. This followed on nicely from the cliffhanger at the end of Voyage to Venus as we arrived in a new world, and I am a big fan of the voyage theme continuing. It works well for consistency and just seems like the right word for these pair of stories. I do hope we haven’t heard the last of Jago and Litefoot with the Sixth Doctor, or any incarnation for that matter, but it was certainly fun while it lasted if that is the case! I thought the 1590s setting was really good and I enjoyed having Jago and Litefoot in an unfamiliar time on a familiar planet. The world is such a different place in the 1590s compared to the 1890s that Jago and Litefoot are used to, and we got some good interaction with that. The theme and issue of slavery was explored pretty well, albeit perhaps not enough. It seemed like a little bit of a clunky start as we reverted back five centuries with Walter Raleigh and him naming the TARDIS. The significance of that would only be learned later in the story and I did like the idea of him utilising the fast return switch. It would set in motion the story to come but by the ends nearly all of the events didn’t actually happen! Wanchese was a decent character and I liked the threat he provided at the beginning as his daughter had died and the blame was placed at the foot of the Doctor and Litefoot. They were medical men but had not been able to save her. Obviously, Wanchese wasn’t in the best mental state given the emotional toil that must have had on him, but he was actually trying to use them as cover for the truce not actually being a success. That worked well. Jago underwent quite the ordeal throughout this episode and at one moment he was literally fading away! Litefoot was understandably concerned when he tried to read his pulse but just passed straight through him. Jago was surprisingly pretty calm about that whole situation! Croaton island was a fascinating place and I thought its significance was very intriguing. The Doctor’s suggestion to actually claim it was not something I expected though! I could see Jago being very much on board with that. Instead, it was actually John White who came bundling his way to claim the land in brutish fashion quite typical of the military. The Doctor had to interject and apologise which was a fun moment. The prospect of Croaton being a cannibal island was good stuff and I liked how Litefoot realised it couldn’t be a human zoo due to the height of the restrictive fencing. So, what was keeping them kept put? I thought Jago’s encounter with the old man we would learn as being Raleigh was nicely done and the fact he had been there for 498 years was impressive! He also seemed familiar to the Doctor which was good to explore. At one point it seemed like it might be the Doctor himself! Jago’s reaction to that prospect was amusing. He really was a highlight. The image of the TARDIS being encrusted was brilliant and something I would have really liked to have seen. Raleigh having the key and reverting back to the moments we heard repeated in naming the TARDIS was pretty good, although I do think the conclusion was perhaps a little impatient in piecing everything together. It felt slightly rushed which was probably unnecessary. Roanoak being founded by Raleigh and knowing what he became was an emotional tale and the sheer scale of his existence was fascinating. The way the Doctor and company were able to change the past from the future was good and Jago still not understanding the perspective of time was joyous. He was ready to return home though and that’s a bit of a shame. I liked that the children sensed that history was to be undone but for some reason that didn’t feel quite so significant in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, it worked well and was still a fine adventure. In regards to where things are left for Jago and Litefoot, having the Doctor drop them off in 1968 was magnificent and really sets up the fifth series of their spinoff! I cannot wait to listen. Overall, a very decent listen. 

Rating: 7/10

Voyage to Venus

"The time for peace has passed."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: October 2012

Series: Jago & Litefoot 4.05

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

Professor Litefoot and Harry Gordon Jago are accustomed to the murky fog of Victorian London and the palatable pints of half and half at the Red Tavern. They are not used to travelling through time and space with their old friend the Doctor.

And now they find themselves whisked off to the planet Venus in the distant future, at a time when warrior women rule from a floating city in the clouds. There's a mystery here, one that the Grand Empress Vulpina intends to keep secret. Even if it means destroying these visitors from the long-dead planet Earth...

Verdict 

Voyage to Venus was a great little audio! This is a pretty unique way to continue the adventures of Jago and Litefoot and whilst this wasn’t actually sold as being part of the spinoff series, it was a brilliant way to follow on from the end of their own fourth series! I get the feeling that moving forward with the Jago & Litefoot series that we may have something of a reset to come, especially on the back of travelling in the TARDIS with the Doctor! It is so much fun to have Jago and Litefoot joining the Sixth Doctor on his travels, and their first trip being to Venus was a really strong location! I absolutely adored the humour that came from Jago getting to travel in time and space. His reaction to finding out that they were on Venus was just wonderful as he wanted to stake a claim to the land on behalf of the British Empire! That was extraordinary stuff. Litefoot having to mention that he was lacking a British flag to plant was a delight. It was nice to see the patriotism of the man though with it on full display. I liked that the Doctor acknowledged his history on the planet with a previous visit alongside companions Jamie and Victoria in a nice reference to Year of the Drex Olympics. Jago thinking that this meant he had travelled with the monarch herself was more comedic brilliance from the man. He really is tremendous and I would be absolutely in favour of him getting more and more trips in time and space. The timeline for Venus here was intriguing with Earth being dead. This was of course the far future and the Doctor had visited then, which was something Jago couldn’t wrap his head around. The Doctor visiting in his personal past but the planet’s future was just too much to comprehend for the theatre manager. I loved him even more for it. The society on Venus was good to explore and I really enjoyed Vulpina as the Empress with her Chief Scientist Ursina alongside. They were a good pairing and I liked the development of the latter finding out the truth regarding the former. The reveal that it wasn’t actually the Shanghorns that caused death was good and that didn’t surprise the Doctor as he knew they were vegetarians. Having Litefoot’s medical abilities on display with his own autopsy was a nice touch and a strong way to showcase his capabilities. The twist that the Venusians were actually human descendants worked well and said a lot about the truth regarding the history of the planet. They were not what they knew themselves to be which is always fun! The Doctor was keen to point out that they had adapted since their evacuation from Earth. The emergence of the Sytherians was interesting as the original inhabitants of the planet and whilst I wasn’t a huge fan of the way they sounded which is important in an audio story, they were fine for what they were! Vulpina was far from pleased with the situation on her world now and Ursina having a role to play in bringing about her downfall was nicely done. I liked the simplicity of the plot and conclusion in overthrowing, and after all of the turmoil and danger, with anywhere in the universe to go where else would Jago want to go than the pub? I really liked that with it being well in line with his characterisation. The Doctor tried to get them back to the Red Tavern, but it seems we’ll have a brand-new adventure yet! The cliffhanger finish in the 1590s was really done well and I can’t wait to have Jago and Litefoot interacting in the past! Overall though, a great audio adventure! 

Rating: 8/10

Orcini

"Any association with the grand order is forbidden."

Writer: Eric Saward

Format: Comic Strip

Released: August 2021

Printed in: Orcini #1

Featuring: Orcini

Synopsis 

Exiled from the Grand Order of Oberon, celebrated Grand Master Orcini and his brave squire Bostock traverse the Hinterland in search of honour amidst the chaos. However, it soon becomes clear that they are not alone in this strange part of the galaxy. Is the hunter about to become the hunted?

Verdict 

Orcini was a decent little comic strip from Cutaway Comics! I must admit I barely had any memory of who Orcini was but after a quick bit of a research and a picture online, his involvement in Revelation of the Daleks quickly sprung to my mind! His role in the apparent destruction of the Daleks was very good and I liked that these events here were clearly taking place prior to his encounter with the Doctor given that Bostok was still alive! Having them both back and full front in their own comic strip was quite spectacular! The niche of the Cutaway Comics releases really is extraordinary and whilst news of further releases is currently rather quiet, I do hope we get more! A one-part story isn’t exactly long, but I thought this adventure did a more than fine job of telling a solid story and bringing these familiar characters back to life. Taking them into the comic strip format was fantastic and who better than Eric Saward to be writing the script? Now, I’m not exactly sure that Orcini would have been my first choice when it came to characters for their own comic strip story, but he was a decent lead! I liked his relationship with Bostock and the squire’s desire to act brutally first and ask questions later was pretty amusing. He immediately wanted to murder Vera because he got a bad vibe from her, but Orcini knew of her from reputation which was nicely done. She also knew of him as the knight he was and he carried a strong reputation. They initially seemed to get on well and the news she brought of the theft of the Book of Living Light was good stuff. I thought the title of that bit of prose was tremendous but a little more information about it would have been most welcomed. It was clearly significant, and I know there’s only a certain number of pages available to tell the story in a single release, but some elaboration there would have been beneficial. That was especially the case with the rest of the story regarding the search for it and using Orcini’s abilities to seek things out in the Hinterland. I thought that worked very well and showcased what qualities Orcini could bring. The loose concept of the Book being either in Egypt, a city in a galaxy or the Tower of London on Earth was a little vague and not really necessary if we weren’t going to visit them all. In saying that, I thought it was fun for Orcini to encounter the Warriors and quickly help them when Vera’s true intentions were revealed. Getting some background on the Grand Order of Oberon was excellent and I definitely think there’s potential there for future stories. I’m not sure I’d encourage more Orcini stories by himself, but if you throw the Doctor in then we could have a lot of fun! The loose comment about Orcini not enjoying his encounters with men called Smith was amusing though! I thought the artwork was really funky in this comic strip which certainly helped in my enjoyment of the reading. It was pretty striking and very colourful which never failed to help catch the eye. The lettering though did seem a little stocky in parts and probably just a bit too big and clunky, but the one speech bubble that was warped and spiralled was a thing of beauty. It’s simple for a comic strip but it really had a positive impact on me. I was a huge fan. The involvement of the Supreme Galactic Court was a fun way to bring about the conclusion and I must admit I wasn’t expecting that the Book of Living Light was actually initially stolen by the Grand Order of Oberon! That was a good little twist that I didn’t see coming. Vera showing her true intentions was good and it was clear that she had her own motives, but Orcini was loyal to the cause of good and that’s somewhat refreshing! He ensured the Book of Living Light was returned to its historical owners to tie things up nicely, albeit in ultra quick circumstances which was my only qualm with the conclusion. It happened all very suddenly and could’ve done with an extra page or two to really flesh it out. Regardless, it was still a good read!

Rating: 7/10