Lords of the Red Planet

"The slaves turned into the masters."

Writer: Brian Hayles (Adapted by John Dorney)

Format: Audio

Released: November 2013

Series: Lost Stories 4.03

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis 

The TARDIS crew land on Mars, home of the Ice Warriors, far back in its history. The Doctor is convinced it's much too early for them to meet their frozen foes... but the Doctor is wrong.

Far below the surface of the planet an evil scheme is in motion. A scientist works nights and day at the command of an insane despot. A despot intent on creating a terrifyingly familiar army. 

What exactly does Zaadur plan? What dark secret lies at the heart of the Gandoran mines? How far will the Doctor go to save his friends? In the deepest caves, the true Lords of the Red Planet are ready to emerge... Can anyone possibly survive their birth?

Verdict 

Lords of the Red Planet was a really great Lost Stories adventure! Upon researching after my listening, I was intrigued to find that this story was intended in the place of The Seeds of Death and whilst I did enjoy this one, I have to say I’m glad it didn’t get made in the end as that Season 6 tale is one of my all time favourites! This one was really good and I do love the idea of an origin story for the Ice Warriors. I’m not entirely sure I agree with it, but it did work well and was a tremendous concept! Visiting Mars before the Ice Warriors actually ruled it was brilliant and I really liked that Jamie was worried about where they were considering his knowledge of the planet and their past encounter with the Martian natives. Instead we met rather different inhabitants of the planet and they were headed by Zaadur who was a pretty ruthless villain. I thought she was really strong and the way she considered the Ice Warriors to be her super slave army was unexpected as an origin for an infamous Doctor Who monster. The Ice Warriors are right up there in monster folklore and whilst I did like this story, I’m not entirely sure the origin did them justice. I realise the statements are controversial but I think I can have both opinions! I loved Zaadur as an enemy though and the way she had controlled the society through the life drink was impressive. The reliance of the local inhabitants on that sustenance was a good aspect of the story and was a logical means of her gaining control. The fact even she was essentially created or rather augmented by her father in his quest to create the evolutionaries. They were of course the Ice Warriors and the fact that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe technically named them as such was pretty amusing! Zaadur appreciated the name and knew that it fitted. I thought Aslor was a fine character as one of the failed experiments that meant he wasn’t quite an Ice Warrior, and the depiction of the voice being somewhere close to one was excellent. I was really impressed with that. Risor was a fine character as an Ice Warrior too and the relationship he built with Zoe was fantastic. His sacrifice at the end was admirable, but it’s incredible to think what had actually happened to the city at the hands of Zaadur’s orders. The devastation caused by her destruction and actually detonating the city was really unexpected. I certainly thought the Doctor was going to stop that so I was surprised by the scale of death that happened. She was of course focused on her ‘children’ in the form of the eggs and the Doctor’s passing the blame of the crates being destroyed felt a little wrong. He knew and helped initiate the result but because it was Zaadur who pulled the trigger he seemed to exonerate himself. I know she can’t be seen as good with the purpose for this new species, and the Doctor was happy to announce that it couldn’t last long with such a limited variety in the gene pool, but it just felt a little wrong for him to accept death on a scale like that. Quendril was another very good character and the emotional torment he went through in the story was powerful. He’d basically ruined the lives of his two daughters by experimenting on them and the results were very different. Zaadur ruled and the princess Veltreena was almost kept away hidden. Jamie’s relationship with her was very nice and I was shocked that she died too. That was handled with surprise and felt very real. The ending was a little surprising and the aforementioned sacrifice was good, but I felt a little let down that Zudaar got to survive. Overall though, a fascinating insight into the early years of the Ice Warriors and a welcomed visit to Mars! 

Rating: 8/10

Conflicts of Interest: The Edge of the War

"If things are fixed then everything is broken."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: April 2023

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 5.02

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis 

France in the summer of 1936. The village of Villy is in a state of contentment, tinged only slightly with unease. A kilometre away, construction is underway on a large underground fortification, part of the Maginot Line project which has seen the building of a series of defences against future invasion.

A young artist has arrived in the village to paint the landscape. Her name is Nyssa and she has taken a room in the local inn, run in its owner's absence by a young Australian woman called Tegan. But she's not the only newcomer. A detective called the Doctor has just got in from Paris. And he has quite a mystery to solve...

Verdict 

The Edge of the War was a very strong story to conclude the Conflicts of Interest set of Fifth Doctor Adventures! This has been a really enjoyable set with the new approach of having two three-part stories which worked very well here. Of course, I’ve still got the Interludes bonus story to come from the set, but for the main focus this was great stuff! I’m always a fan of a war theme and whilst this story wasn’t actually set during wartime, 1936 is a precarious year in European history with the Nazis in full control, the impact and effects of the First World War still felt and the Second looming. It was a good setting for interference in time because of everything that could be changed, but from the first part that wasn’t actually the way I thought the story was going. I thought part one was excellent and definitely the strongest of the three with Nyssa and Tegan stealing the show in roles they weren’t entirely sure were theirs. Nyssa nearly slipping up and naming Tegan was a fun moment when they were acting differently, with Nyssa positioned as an artist and Tegan running a bar. That was really good and their respective meetings and relationships with Barbier were nicely done. He was quick to offer newcomer Nyssa a tour of the local sights but also wanted to make time for Tegan which was nice for her. She was quick to pounce on his interest in Nyssa though as she wasn’t convinced he would’ve made the same offer if she wasn’t a pretty woman as apposed to a middle aged man. I could hardly blame him! I actually thought the arrival of the Doctor was the catalyst for the story dropping from being superb to merely great which is ironic and very unfair on Peter Davison. His Fifth Doctor is fantastic but I think more time with Nyssa and Tegan playing their roles would have been beneficial. Once the Doctor arrived we knew the illusion would soon be up and we’d be working towards a solution, but I actually preferred it before that. The concept of a time meddler in the form of the Count was fantastic and whilst I thought the cliffhanger to part one was quite underwhelming with the Doctor just asking what was going on, the one at the end of part two where the Doctor seemed to add everything up in deducing that the Count was a Time Lord and the mansion his TARDIS was terrific. The truth soon after in part three was even better though as the Count had no idea what a Time Lord was! That was not what I expected to hear and I’m surprised how much I liked that considering my love of the Doctor encountering Time Lords. Meeting a new one would have been good but I think it actually worked better for the Count to just be from the future and coming to the past to save a small village was a better story. It had more meaning. I thought some of the guest characters here were really strong with Jean-Baptiste an obvious standout. His turn at the end shocked Tegan which was quite the turn of events as the truth continued to come out. The concept of time reversing was brilliant and that obviously had the Doctor worried considering Madama LaChappelle had lost count of how many times it had been used. The village was now in torment as they couldn’t be left to peace or to die with things just getting reversed time and time again. Her realisation of her wrongdoings was good and she had a strong heart to heart with the Doctor at the end. The Doctor overloading the brilliance machine of the Count’s was good to see it destroyed and the clutch loosened on the village. Tegan was only on the edge though so time was reset rather differently for her. By the time the TARDIS re-emerged for the Doctor and Nyssa to get to safely, she had been waiting for a year! That was an extraordinary finish and I can’t quite fathom how she would have been feeling to be left behind again. I wonder how that will play into any future boxset featuring this trio. Overall though, this was a really good audio!

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: The Emporium at the End

"You've found a way to monetise the apocalypse."

Writer: Emma Reeves

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.04

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

The Last Song has been sung, and the final days of the universe have begun. Everyone flees to the gateway – to find that The Emporium At The End is having a closing down sale.

Verdict 

The Emporium at the End was a really strong story to conclude The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! Whilst this is the end of the series it is far from the end of Bernice’s time in the Unbound Universe and that’s quite exciting as I definitely feel like there’s more to come from the alternate universe and Benny being there alongside the Unbound version of the Doctor. She’s a lot of fun and even here just hearing a companion getting drunk at the end of the universe was quite brilliant. It’s uncanny to hear a companion acting like that and I think the closest we get would be Ace. There really is something about the Seventh Doctor! I’m still not entirely sure the chemistry between Benny and the Unbound Doctor has clicked but I’m not sure that ought to have happened just yet. There was a nice moment at the end here where the Doctor was quite sorry for her hopes getting up at the gateway but did promise he would get her back to her universe one day. She seemed content enough with just surviving. The introduction of the Unbound sonic screwdriver here was a lot of fun and I did find myself laughing when the Doctor commented earlier in the episode that he ought to have invented something to open doors. And alas here it was! It was nice that Benny was the one able to give it to him and I wonder if it will become a common device used in the next series and beyond. After a little glimpse in The Library in the Body, the Unbound Master arrived in sublime fashion here with a disguise that was hardly distinguished. He was almost gloating about who he was in the form of the Manager here. I must admit I wasn’t a big fan initially of the Doctor not remembering who he was despite the familiarity, but it all came to be explained as the story went on. The universe was ending and the Emporium was the only possible place of salvation. It was based at the gateway and incredibly lottery tickets offered a way out and into another universe. Of course, it wouldn’t quite work out that way but the very concept of monetising the end of the universe was brilliant. Credits were used to buy the lottery tickets but I can’t say I blamed anyone for using up their whole credit balance considering there would soon be nothing left to spend it on. Who wouldn’t give themselves the best possible chance of getting to the other universe? The return of the sisterhood here was brilliant and brought things nicely full circle for the series. The Mother Superior was tremendous and I really hope we haven’t heard the last of her. The incantation of numbers was delightful and I think that really is a fun idea. The power of memories at the end of the universe was really strong stuff and I liked that the Doctor explained their value with them being time compressed. People selling them and essentially who they were was a bit of a shock, but even the Doctor had done so and that’s why he couldn’t remember the Master. He couldn’t remember that together they had set up the emporium and it had partly cost him who he was. The Master using Benny with her being the anchor between two universes was really good stuff and her inebriated state made her vulnerable. Her story with Forz and being able to initiate the reunion was really nicely done. I thought the ending was good in having the Doctor emerge to explain what was happening and demonstrate that the gateway would actually just atomise any who passed through. The sisters actually throwing him was very good! But I wasn’t a fan of the lack of explanation regarding the smoke and mirrors used by the Master to fake the end of the universe. Even for him that needed some clarification as it would take a huge ordeal! Overall though, still a really good audio to conclude the series!

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: The Very Dark Thing

"Please don't joke about the unicorns."

Writer: Una McCormack

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.03

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

Tramatz is an idyllic world – the rivers hum to themselves, unicorns prance through the emerald forests, and, at the very corner of your eye, is a horrible secret.

Verdict 

The Very Dark Thing was a great story to continue my way through The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This felt a little different than the first two stories in the series and that overlapping theme of war was felt in a big way here. The empire of Tramatz was consumed by a war and hearing how there was no choice but to use a super weapon by the Captain Idratz and Lieutenant Aramatz to seemingly put an end to it. They weren’t exactly thrilled by their actions but it showed the devastation and dire situation that they did indeed launch it. We moved from there to Admiral Effenish who arrived on Tramatz for their surrender. She was demanding that they accept their terms of surrender or be destroyed. We’d started things rather downbeat! Megatz was a really strong character and I liked how through her we learned about the unicorns that were hurting people and how she actually preferred the crystal monsters. The fact she could hear the thoughts of others and didn’t understand why people said things they weren’t feeling was excellent. The concept of a unicorn attack was intriguing and couldn’t be considered so ridiculous given this story occurs in the Unbound Universe. The Doctor conversing with her was good and it was rather horrific that nobody had a solution to the current situation. The Doctor had been on the planet for weeks now and that meant Benny was outraged when she finally entered the scene in the audio. Nothing had been achieved! The river singing was fascinating and that explained why the Doctor hadn’t made progress. It was mind consuming. Megatz witnessing a unicorn attack that resulted in a girl dying was shocking and I liked how that established that Tramatz was a society of people looking the other way. The world being bombarded but still getting no response was really angering Effenish to the extent that she deployed a threat of reaper bombs. They sounded pretty frightening. Benny appealing to take this seriously was good as nobody was noticing that the entire world was nearly annihilated! Finding out that the Doctor and Megatz couldn’t hear the threats was great stuff that explained quite a lot. Finding out that the Doctor and Benny had come to investigate the titular very dark thing was interesting but I’m not sure enough information was ever fully explained about it. It sounded like a void ship to me! The fact Megatz had never seen it before was terrific and she really had to concentrate on the corner of her eye to fully visualise it and see it did exist. Benny calming a unicorn down was good fun but discovering that they were actually war machines was not! They were engineered to find a way through the chaos of post-war which I really liked. The attack squad led by Effenish falling under the spell of the humming river was brilliant and provided more than one humorous comment. The moments at the research station where Megatz learned the truth of her people in the war was powerful stuff as she discovered that the reality weapon was detonated. The Doctor going to Effenish was good and I loved that she didn’t accept that they couldn’t hear her warnings or threats. She was consumed by war. Finding out that Idratz and Amaratz were actually Megatz’s parents was a fantastic revelation as we saw the echo in time of them letting the weapon off.  It was good that with the Doctor’s influence Effenish was having second thoughts on using the reaper bombs because there was no telling just what they would do. The conclusion worked well in having Megatz switch off the super weapon which saw the whole system shut down so people would understand now what had happened with the war. She got to send a message to Effenish which rounded things out nicely. Gallario punching Neave as he was angered by Effenish’s inaction was a humorous way to conclude things! Overall, a really strong adventure. 

Rating: 8/10

The Unbound Universe: Planet X

"The Doctor is far too exciting for public consumption."

Writer: Guy Adams

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.02

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

Bernice and the Doctor land on a planet so dull no one ever bothered naming it. Finally something interesting is about to happen here.

Verdict 

Planet X was an excellent episode to continue my way through The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This was a really strong story and followed on nicely where we left off in The Library in the Body with Benny joining the Unbound Doctor in the TARDIS. However, this TARDIS was pretty broken and on its last legs. The Doctor giving her a choice of just three planets that it would be able to travel to was amusing and of course he picked the one he wasn’t interested in being Planet X. It sounded dull and that’s how the Doctor described it. It was the only planet not impacted by the previously mentioned war that ravaged this universe and that’s because neither side were bothered about it! That was quite funny. The girl who we would come to know as Millie was introduced well as she had failed her excellence exam and even encountered Prime Minister 470 who was adamant there were no recounts. She was designated girl twenty-three million and something and the blandness of no individual names seemed to add credence to the Doctor’s claim on the planet’s dullness. The fate of those that passed the exam being gassed was horrific as they showed potential and that wasn’t welcomed on a planet where the extremes of emotion was not deemed constructive. There would be no forced ideas here. Being average and mediocre was the way here and that was a very good concept. Millie warning Benny of the emotions was tremendous as she was not shy in hiding how she felt! The warning of the Blank Squad was good and that was a really great name for the planet’s military. Benny christening Millie with her name as it was short for million was fantastic and they built a really strong relationship despite the danger of being associated with someone as visibly emotional as Benny. The squad taking the TARDIS away because it was too interesting was brilliant and that only added to Benny’s agitation which she wasn’t doing a good job of hiding. The Doctor being subjected to the gas was glorious as it wasn’t compatible with his systems so it didn’t have the desired effect of murder! He revelled in that. The Doctor’s conversing with the computer and realising that there had been twenty million deaths in the five years since the calendar was reset to 0 was quite a shock. Processing was the result of over 68% of them! Prime Minister 470 spotting Millie on the video of the Doctor and Benny’s arrival was good as the security alert was set out for the pair deemed undesirables. The Doctor seeking out the rebellious man number fifteen million and something was good and right up his alley. Benny and Millie visiting the north quarter was a wake up call for the latter as this was supposedly the destination of all those who passed the excellence exam, but she soon realised what happened now when pushed by Benny into thinking the truth. The moment where the rebels were jumping to their death was rather confusing but we soon learned that Ego was part of the Blank Squad and that explained why he hadn’t been caught which certainly made sense! He had a dampener to endure he could be as emotional as desired, and it was fun for him to think the Doctor was too interesting to be killed. The Prime Minister trying to get in on the gassing act with the Doctor was amusing and this allowed David Warner to shine as the Unbound Doctor for the first time in the series. He taunted her and was breaking her down which was very good stuff. The Blank Squad being revealed as the processed ones was a strong but hardly unsurprising revelation, and the conclusion came quite quick as the Doctor removed the emotional dampeners of both Ego and Prime Minister 470 which brought things crashing down nicely! Overall, a superb episode!

Rating: 9/10

The Unbound Universe: The Library in the Body

"All knowledge is evil."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: August 2016

Series: New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield 3.01

Featuring: Unbound Doctor, Bernice

Synopsis 

In a dying reality knowledge is the only thing left of value – and the Kareem have come to destroy it. Can Bernice and the Doctor save the last library?

Verdict 

The Library in the Body was a really good start to The Unbound Universe third series of the New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield! This was an exciting boxset on paper and it started very nicely as we literally see two universes collide. It started rather abruptly with the Unbound Doctor essentially kidnapping Bernice from her lecture which was pretty amusing, but his plan didn’t work out as she was supposed to be his anchor in her universe but he was soon back in that of the Unbound. The fact he was trying to escape said a lot about the state of said universe with there not being much left of it following a war. The universe was dying which suggested an alternate version of the Time War which was intriguing. I hope we learn more as the series goes on. The alternate version of the infamous Doctor Who theme arrangement was glorious and I’m looking forward to hearing that in this range! The fact that nobody could remember why the war started felt a little odd but I did enjoy that the Doctor didn’t fight in it, fitting in with what we know of our version of the character. His description of the universe now experiencing its great celestial morning after was an analogy Benny could understand relating to a hangover. A major clean up effort was now required! The Gateway was a good element of the universe being a bridge back to Benny’s universe, but it had reverted to just rock now meaning she was trapped. That sets us up nicely for the series to come! The library being all that was left was intriguing and I liked the value of knowledge in the Unbound universe with it being specifically sought out. All were welcome at the library, even the Kareem, which was fun considering they were against knowledge as a concept and boasted that they knew nothing! They hoped to wipe knowledge out all together which was a quite ridiculous concept but I appreciated the fun it provided. The sisters were good and I really loved the requiem they were singing of numbers. The Doctor claiming to be this universe’s champion was a little odd considering he’d just tried to leave, but his position as its President because there was nobody else left was pretty great! It just couldn’t be anyone else. The Sage of Sardner was a fun character as the most knowledgeable person in the universe and that wouldn’t go down well with the Kareem! He had acolytes though and they clashed with Mandeville as the cyborg king nicely. He had an interesting take on the Doctor too which was excellent. The Librarian not fearing the Kareem was admirable and it was good that they were still welcomed despite their intentions of destruction. The singing of the sisters was great and the Doctor never seemed convinced they’d achieve the control they were after from it. He had a reputation in this universe more so than his counterparts in Benny’s, and Mandeville highlighted how despite everything he was often left unscathed whilst others around him weren’t so lucky. Benny admitted that there was some truth to that which was difficult to argue against. The warning of the Kareem and Benny being hinted into looking them up was good, and I liked how the story of her entire life was impossibly within. Some elaboration there would have been good, but I liked the mystery it provided and the Doctor seemed to understand what she’d experienced. The library containing some interesting knowledge on this version of the Doctor’s people was fascinating and I hope a hint of what’s to come as the series goes on, and him toying with the idea of being the only one left was excellent. That was not something he wanted, so his reaction to the Master taunting him was tremendous. I can’t wait for him to make a full appearance! The conclusion worked well with the library digesting the Kareem as they still held the knowledge that they destroyed, with the entire thing being a trap designed to wipe out the rest of the survivors. The Doctor and Benny saved the day in end but at the expense of considerable TARDIS power meaning it couldn’t travel in time, but it did have a few small hops left in it. And so the adventures of Benny and the Unbound Doctor have begun! Overall, a really good and solid start to the series.  

Rating: 8/10

Salvation

"Aliens have come from outer space, and they've landed in New York!"

Writer: Steve Lyons

Format: Novels

Released: January 1999

Series: PDA 17

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Dodo

Synopsis 

The gods have returned, and they're here to save our world.

New York, 1965. A time of conflict between ideologies, races, generations and genders, when crime runs rife and an unpopular war drags on in a distant land. In the midst of this turmoil, people cry out to their gods.

And now, it seems, the gods have answered their call. Walking the slums and tenements of downtown Manhattan, demonstrating extraordinary powers, five strangers are gathering a growing crowd of worshippers.

Steven wants to believe in miracles, but the Doctor is more sceptical. What are the strangers' real motives, and why does history make no mention of these events? As New York begins to tear itself apart, the Doctor's principles are tested to their limits. Which side should he choose to help? And what part will a London schoolgirl named Dorothea Chaplet play in the ensuing chaos?

What price is humankind willing to pay for salvation?

Verdict 

Salvation was a great book! This was a really intriguing read with its take on religion and gods with it being a rather touchy and difficult concept to tackle, but I thought it was handled well and pretty respectfully. I make no qualm in hiding that I’m an atheist and pretty stubborn on my thoughts on religion. I think it’s quite ridiculous but the story here didn’t say that about religion, instead putting everything down to science. The gods returning was a fine way to kick off a book and that’s unique as far as Doctor Who is concerned. I’m a big fan of unique and I appreciated the effort to something new here. I thought it was also bold for this book to pick up immediately where The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve left off with Dodo arriving as companion. This actually served as her first journey in the TARDIS and that’s pretty fun! It steals some thunder from The Ark but I’m absolutely fine with that. She reacts well to being whisked off in the TARDIS because we actually learn a strong backstory for her character where she longs for adventure, but her aunt Margaret is a little overbearing as a guardian. I felt happy for Dodo that she got to see somewhere like New York City and she was full of appreciation to the Doctor. He took a quick likening towards her with her reminding him of Susan, and he even feigned that she was his granddaughter which was nice. Their relationship started strongly, but the same could not be said of the current state of the Doctor and Steven’s. Recent events for them still rang very true as Steven was extremely angry by what had happened to Anne Chaplet in the aforementioned serial in sixteenth century France, and he was almost prepared to leave the TARDIS for good. That was quite a shock but it made for fantastic reading! They were separated for much of the story but that did allow Steven to shine by himself and build his own relationships. That came mostly with Kathy who was a really fun character as a New York reporter. She was fascinated by UFOs and the suggestion of aliens being present meant she was on the case. Her reporting was brilliant and the added layer of her father being General Marchant. They hadn’t talked for fifteen years but the Doctor would soon to see to that. I thought  the characterisation of the First Doctor here was very good and the traits of his elderly personality were all there. His reaction to Dodo’s shortened language like ‘fab’ and ‘groovy’ as well as even her name was tremendous. He still very much wanted her to travel with him though. Dodo’s story actually started prior to her fumbling aboard the TARDIS though which was really good. The encounter with the being that would become Joseph was really intriguing and rather dangerous. The moments in the house where he attacked her felt threatening and very real. The Pantheon made for a fine villain and I thought the very idea of a group representing a church claiming to be the gods returned was excellent. It’s a little generic given the number of religions on the planet, but with events focused on New York and London this worked fine. I thought the scale was interesting with them only being six strong, and the ridiculousness of having a God of War named Dennis was very amusing. The Pantheon was clearly the lead though and his accepting of Joseph as the God of Peace was a nice touch. My favourite element of the book was how each chapter started with a news report or book extract from present day or the future. That was a really neat touch and added so much to the adventure. The scale of the gods reaching the news and having an impact on the likes of a future film was fun stuff, especially with Peter Cushing playing the role of Doctor Who! That was a marvellous in-joke. Alexander Lullington-Smythe was a good character too and his position as the manager of the god was quite funny. He was solely in it to make money and claimed to represent the gods. His later suggestion that they had a contract made me laugh because would that really hold up when dealing with gods? The powers of the gods was interesting in that everything they believed in was what there would be subjects had them believe. All of their power lay in what was believed in them and that was rather terrific. I liked how that also contributed to their downfall. The threat of the bomb was enough for their loyal followers to believe that it would destroy the gods, so the gods believed it too and went packing back to their own world. That was a really strong ending. Admittedly, the book was a little convoluted in places and could have done with some more action, but as a whole I thought it worked really well despite not being entirely believable on a real world scale. Could something like this really just be put down to a hoax on April Fool’s Day? I’m not sure but it did show the power of the government and media in getting what they wanted out there, and nothing more. A Doctor Who story depicting a version of Heaven was fascinating and I liked the description that went along with the wedding of Joseph and Dodo. Carter interfering in that ceremony was good stuff and the war in heaven that followed contributed nicely to the story’s conclusion. Overall, a really strong read!

Rating: 8/10

Strange Chemistry: Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden

"Who are you going to blame for your misery?"

Writer: Karissa Hamilton-Bannis

Format: Audio

Released: March 2023

Series: Eighth of March 3.02

Featuring: Missy, Amelia

Synopsis 

Young Amelia Pond is used to getting into trouble. After another fight at school, she is sent back to counselling. But her new therapist is rather unconventional...

Because Missy is also in trouble. Stuck on Earth, she's targeted one of the Doctor's best friends to get his attention – but her timing's off. Amy's TARDIS encounters lie years in her past and future, but there's something strange in her garden now. As Missy sets her sights on young Pond, the fairies may be her only hope!

Verdict 

Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden was a great adventure to conclude the Strange Chemistry third series of the Eighth of March! This one felt a little more like the norm as far as the series traditionally goes with two wonderful female leads. This is a fine example of Big Finish at their very best as who would have thought that we could have a meeting between young Amelia Pond and Missy! That’s a hugely exciting prospect and it delivered very nicely. It was an easy hour to listen to and visiting Amelia between being a small child and the adult we meet in The Eleventh Hour was fantastic. She was a rather rebellious teenager and she didn’t take well to being bullied at school as she dealt with Fran pretty aggressively! As a result she was grounded by her aunt Sharon but that came in the form of a note from latest boyfriend Conor. Amelia wasn’t a fan of him at all with that being a rather feisty relationship. Amelia experiencing the fairy noises in her garden was interesting and it was good for her to just dismiss them as not being real. She ventured to the fairground to clear her head but she just kept losing money. I thought the fortune teller was actually going to be Missy in disguise but alas that wasn’t the case. Any exploration or tease regarding Amelia’s future was fun stuff though. Amelia didn’t take too kindly to Sharon organising her counselling though and that’s where Missy made her quite brilliant introduction. I’m such a fan of Michelle Gomez and she just oozed brilliance as the councillor. Even if her name was supposed to be Dave. That was a woman’s name in Iceland, right? The suggestion of the raggedy man being to blame for Amelia’s troubles was good to explore and I liked how Missy reacted negatively to the timeline as she was too early for the Doctor. The idea of her encountering the Eleventh Doctor was very exciting though! I hope we get that one day. Missy knowing of the forcefield in Amelia’s garden was fun as she didn’t hide well that she had knowledge she ought not to. The fairies looking familiar to Amelia was intriguing and shared elements with The Pandorica Opens in that they were from a childhood book of hers. Missy being the witch who arrived in the storm in the fairy myth was tremendous though and the flashback to her arrival and getting stuck was very good. She made quick use of the glorious leader and christened Derek rather humorously! She took a shine to him. The crash occurring in Gloucester was good geographically and I thought her whole efforts of luring the Doctor through Amelia to get her out of this time and from Earth was excellent. Good fun. Derek interacting with the fairies didn’t go down well as he was killed. Missy’s reaction to that was so calm and somber after initially taking a liking to him physically. It really didn’t matter to her though. The flashback moment to Missy killing the therapist that she impersonated was nicely done and had her at her ruthless best. The fairies meaning something to Amelia when she was young was intriguing and they seemed to take the form of something the host was comfortable with. Missy suspected that meant the Will O’Wisps were around. Her offering to Amelia about becoming her companion and finding the raggedy man was brilliant toying but she declined rather emphatically! It was fun to discover that the Will O’Wisps had come through the crack in Amelia’s bedroom and they were actually just shielding themselves as they mended themselves. Their protecting of Amelia when Missy tried to kill her and defying all laws of causality was excellent and I liked how the young Scotswoman wanted to use blackmail against the Time Lady to ensure she helped the Wisps get home. They would end up taking Missy which was fun and something she didn’t take too well after her nano-bomb threat, but I felt it was a bit of a shame that Amelia would have her memory wiped of these events. I think it would be better if she retained these as more credence to the existence of her raggedy man. Overall though, still a great listen with a fantastic pairing that I never thought possible. 

Rating: 8/10

Strange Chemistry: A Ghost of Alchemy

"You are about to meet one of the most wonderful women who has ever lived."

Writer: Louise Jameson

Format: Audio

Released: March 2023

Series: Eighth of March 3.01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS lands in New York in 1921 the Doctor takes the opportunity to introduce Leela to one of the foremost women of the age – the great Marie Curie, visiting America to be celebrated for her work.

But the time travellers are not the only people interested in the famous scientist. Sinister forces are gathering around her and the TARDIS crew will have to work their utmost to keep her safe on her historic journey through the United States.

Verdict 

A Ghost of Alchemy was a great audio adventure and a strong start to the Strange Chemistry third series of the Eighth of March! This seems a unique approach to the series this time around and I’m certainly a fan of exploring astounding women in history whilst having the Doctor present. Traditionally we’ve only had female leads in the series but here the Fourth Doctor is centre stage as far as our familiar characters are concerned. The theme of women shines though and I thought the opening TARDIS scene was fun as the Doctor hoped to land in the USA in 1920 when women were able to vote for the first time. Leela’s reaction to the Doctor explaining that men decided what women could do was tremendous. The New York City setting was very good and I liked how no time was wasted in highlighting that the focus was on Marie Curie. Rushton as a doctor working on her was good and I was a little surprised that this inspirational women was actually petrified at the prospect of public speaking. Maloney was a good character to compliment the cast too and she shared a strong relationship with the Doctor as the story went on. Browman made for a fantastic villain and he seemed obsessive right from the off in thinking that Curie was a fake in the science world with her riding on her husband’s coattails. President Harding being a character was a nice touch and it was fun to highlight how it was actually the First Lady in Florence who was in firm control. The fact he was to honour Curie and provide radium for her research was a nice touch. Browman interrupting that offering of the radium in the casket and brandishing a gun made for a really strong cliffhanger!  He firmly believed that women had no place in science and that really helped highlight just how far society has come nowadays, tying in with the recognition women deserve. Leela being shot was a sudden shock but she was barely selling it which felt slightly odd even if it was just a glancing blow. Her chasing of Browman was entertaining and I also liked that Harding revealed how the casket was actually empty thus denying Browman what he so desired. The story of him losing radium in the past was great stuff and established his motive well. Rushton initially appearing genuine as he was handpicked by Maloney was fun whilst Browman had Leela delirious on drugs in a private carriage on the train. The moment where Rushton was revealed to be in league with Browman was excellent and it turned out there was quite the history between them with the doctor being the one to have dropped the radium. The Doctor and Maloney investigating the phone calls from the White House was clever and seemed quite advanced for 1921! The train chase rescue that dominated much of part three was fantastic and a lot of fun. Classic entertainment. Rushton convincing Browman not to kill Leela was a nice moment as it showed he wasn’t completely evil or ruthless. The desperation of him wondering what they’d do with the body was very good. I mean, a moving train surely could be an easy place  to throw a body from though? The collision impending once the Doctor arrived was a strong cliffhanger and Leela having to be told by him to save Browman as well from the oncoming train was excellent. The train driver needing to hear from the President himself and not the First Lady was amusing further highlighting the lack of respect for women in the 1920s. Rushton being injected with his own medicine was excellent from Curie and him then giving Browman a deadly substance was a fitting finale. Leela and Maloney appealing to Marie Curie after she didn’t want to deliver the speech and take part at the ceremony was really done well. They got to mention the 100,000 women who gave their dollar which was wonderful and she conquered her fears. Overall, a great adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Shadows of Serenity

"They are strangers! They do not belong on Malgar."

Writer: Nigel Robinson

Format: Audio

Released: June 2015

Series: Short Trips 5.06

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

The Guns of Malgar once defended their planetoid from any who stared too close; just one gun could obliterate an entire star fleet.

The Malgarians are known as a vicious, belligerent species - so when the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Peri to their homeworld, they are puzzled to be greeted by a pacifistic population.

Peri assumes the Doctor has just got his facts wrong, but he is reluctant to accept the Malgarians' uncharacteristic behaviour. What lies behind it, and what is the secret of the Sisters of Serenity?

Verdict 

The Shadows of Serenity was an excellent Short Trips audio! I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure from start to finish with it definitely ranking as one of the better stories of this range. It started nicely with establishing a barren wasteland as the planet of Malgar and the TARDIS being stuck thanks to a component needing recharging was pretty amusing and really set off the clashing dynamic between the Sixth Doctor and Peri. I liked that the stars were familiar to the Doctor and that led towards hinting at what was to come on the former battlefield. The narration from Nicola Bryant was good and I was impressed with how different she sounded to her character of Peri. That was important to differentiate. The Doctor identifying the four guns of Malgar was really good and I liked learning of them being destructive weapons that were pointing towards the stars to blast all incoming ships to pieces. That said a lot about their society and how aggressive and protective it was. The Malgarians feared all outsiders and they were protecting the Everware which was really intriguing as a race. The moments where the Doctor and Peri were seen and ran away was decent despite the moments of them being scented as blood having a chase scene that was somewhat too descriptive. Some sound effects would have been beneficial here, but I understand why that wasn’t happening in this format. It still worked nicely. Hess as a Malgarian was good and the shock of him claiming they were trying to help the Doctor and Peri from the beasts was nicely done. They questioned why they ran and that allowed the Doctor to explain his knowledge of them and their warlike nature. Their appearance in glowing was fascinating and I liked how that aura represented their emotions. That was an interesting concept and Peri was questioning whether they were actually as belligerent as the Doctor thought. It seemed they were once that way but Hess claimed that serenity had happened and they wouldn’t kill after the Sisters visited. I thought it was interesting that the Malgarians casted no shadows and Mount Serenity being the home of the Sisters’ abbey was great. They’d taught the Malgarians their errors and the position of a thinking element to explain their aura was good. I liked that when the Sisters were hiding something behind a door the Doctor just stormed his way through. That’s what they wanted though as they greeted his act with a chilling smile and comment that they would feast well. Crews was a strong character as one of the Malgarians not under the spell of the Sisters and he had a shadow which was really interesting! They still didn’t like strangers, but they agreed to help Peri find the Doctor because they thought he could help. They saw he was full of fire which was an apt description for this incarnation in particular! Mother Mercy and Sister Solace were tremendous names for the leading Sisters and we soon learned of the beast in the tank containing angry voices. Voices that were actually the anger of the Malgarians siphoned off! It was described as the darkness and that was good considering their shadows had been stolen. The aura generated now cancelled this out when stripped of belligerence. It was the Hirudex which served as an awful amalgamation of anger and the intentions of the Sisters were revealed as the stars were actually their ships and they were after the Everware. The Sisters feasting on the anger and aggression of the Doctor was terrific i but I loved that he was fighting back with thoughts of kindness in order to give back the Malgarians their shadows. The Hirudex was deprived of the hate that sustained and now the fiercest race in the Galaxy were coming for the Sisters. That was a fitting conclusion so it was a slight let down when they could just teleport away. The Doctor and Peri would leave the Hirudex on an uninhabited planet to see us out nicely. Overall, an excellent audio adventure!

Rating: 9/10

Conflicts of Interest: Friendly Fire

"Everyone here is our enemy."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: April 2023

Series: Fifth Doctor Adventures 5.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS needs to reset itself, the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan find themselves having to fill time on a space-hub filled with numerous attractions. This pleases Tegan and Nyssa no end... but the Doctor is more interested in visiting an alien friend of his living on a nearby mining planet and is able to persuade his friends to join him.

But on arrival, his friend is nowhere to be found and the locals are more than slightly unwelcoming. With limited options for departure and a hostile populace they may be in a lot of trouble. 

Sometimes true monsters are found in the strangest places.

Verdict 

Friendly Fire was an excellent adventure to kick off the Conflicts of Interest latest series for the Fifth Doctor! I’m a big fan of this incarnation of the Doctor and I think in my recent experiences of his audio adventures he’s returning to the form seen on television where for a long time I deemed him my favourite Doctor. That’s not quite the case anymore, but he still ranks very highly! Tegan and Nyssa are two tremendous companions and it’s nice to get a rare outing with just the three of them. Nyssa referring to Tegan’s being left behind in Time-Flight and return in Arc of Infinity as a break was quite amusing as I’m not sure she would deem it as such! The dynamic between the trio was brilliant and really helped with my enjoyment of the story. I liked the idea of the TARDIS resetting and the humour that came from the Doctor accepting the equivalent of a software update was great stuff. The TARDIS should be landed and connected to a power source, but he had of course ignored that and it was causing issues now as the dimensions were retreating and the interior was a lot smaller! The quick landing on the space hub was good and explaining to Tegan that it was the equivalent of a space airport was very good. There was a lot to do to pass the time with the TARDIS needing twenty-four hours to repair, so Tegan was very keen for a spa day. However, the Doctor had other ideas as the hub they’d arrived at was not far at all from Komoko where an old friend in the form of Velar would be. His description as an armadillo was intriguing and I was surprised by how much importance would be placed on that by the story’s conclusion. A dislike for the unlike is not a new concept in Doctor Who but the way it was explored here was very sad to think that humanity can and does act that way. The Doctor knew that his friend wouldn’t just get up and leave. The demeanour of the locals was hardly one that was good at keeping their actions a secret with Brennan in particular very worries about the newcomers finding out. They weren’t ordinary miners after all just coming for a routine delivery. Reno was a strong villain and I liked how she was firmly in control. She was calm with all that was going on and didn’t worry too much when things went wrong which was pretty admirable. She sold things well to the Doctor and company with a strong arrival to act as the part one cliffhanger in pointing a gun at them. I thought the format of three parts was refreshing and a boxset taking the form of two stories comprising three parts each is really good! It’s unique and I like that. Tegan had a really strong story here and I liked how she was taking things into her own hands by the end when they needed a distraction. The way she played a role in working out that their shuttle was sabotaged was brilliant and I also loved Nyssa’s shock reaction when it exploded without them inside. It was very close to disaster in emphatic style. Spencer was a good character to act as the local medic and she knew what had happened to Velar. She gave Tegan a subtle warning to get away whilst they could without knowing anything that would get them in trouble, but of course they were never able to take that offer. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the story and when Velar was confirmed as the dead, the reasoning behind being purely racial with him looking like an armadillo was awful. It was very real and those threats often work the best. The conclusion was also quite simple as the TARDIS trio got the upper hand and Reno just couldn’t sell another accident involving death so soon after the shuttle blowing up. She’d played her hand too many times and that was that. The toll the story had on Nyssa and Tegan was audible in their voices though as they no longer felt like a relaxing break when getting back to the space hub. Overall, a fantastic audio!

Rating: 9/10

Dethras

"If you're not the conqueror, you're the conquered."

Writer: Adrian Poynton

Format: Audio

Released: April 2017

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 6.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis 

In the control room of a World War 2 submarine something strange has started to happen. As the ship runs out of control, its crew begin to fall unconscious...

Finding the submarine in the last place they'd have expected, the Doctor and Romana are confronted by a mystery. Once fully populated, there are now only three men on board. And there's now also a chimpanzee.

What has happened to the rest of the crew? What are the strange noises they can hear outside the hull?

And most importantly, who, or what, is Dethras?

Verdict 

Dethras was an excellent Fourth Doctor Adventures audio! This really was terrific from start to finish and I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you really can’t go wrong with the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Romana II. They just work so wonderfully well together and that was evident right at the beginning with the former enjoying the freedom of bypassing the randomiser in the TARDIS after their excursions with the Black Guardian. Romana was less pleased by the lack of using it though! They went for some completely random coordinates as a sort of compromise and arrived on a submarine which seemed like a fun setting. Franklin as a chimpanzee was an unexpected passenger, and the others on board weren’t entirely sure what they were doing there either after being under the sea and then waking up on a deserted ship, that was in space! Not the usual location for a submarine so that was fun stuff and established an intriguing mystery. Robert was a decent character and I thought the fact he could visualise Philip’s wedding just from a description was fascinating and the mystery in the air was palpable. The crew all seemed to have impossible knowledge which was fun and far beyond their scientific capabilities which only heightened my interest in what exactly was going on. The fact that very small things were coming for the submarine was interesting and they were living. But what were they? Franklin developing speech was a really fun moment that sparked some tremendous reactions. Flague knowing the acronym of TARDIS was unexpected and I liked that she wanted Dethras at a point where we didn’t know the significance of the title. The creatures were after it too. Philip and Robert actually transforming into the creatures was brilliant and that sparked a desperate teleportation away that left the Doctor teamed up with John whilst Romana and Franklin were nowhere to be seen, having transported to Flague’s ship instead after the emergency teleport reversing the polarity. The relationship between Romana and Flague was understandably tense. I liked the Doctor challenging John on being aware as he could tell from the fear and the fact he had locked everyone in to save them. He knew of the creatures because he was Dethras! That served as a good cliffhanger. Flague knowing of Franklin was good and I loved how we learned about Dethras as an almost Einstein of evolution. He was a legendary scientist who ran away and vanished because he unlocked hyper-evolution. He regretted it too which was pretty powerful. Flague was after her army of super soldiers thanks to Dethras’s experiments, something he inadvertently did with the submarine crew. He wasn’t aware they were not volunteers but that didn’t make it better for the Doctor. As far as Flague was concerned, these were people who wouldn’t be missed and would die anyway. Flague wanting an army and threatening Romana’s life if she didn’t get it was good and I loved the revelation that the crew were actually the creatures! It did make sense though. They had adapted and evolved which was the entire result of the experiment. Dethras planning to die by opening the air lock and taking his secrets with him was not met kindly by the Doctor as he needed to be responsible for all of those his experiment impacted. Flague finally realising the creatures were the experiments was a fun moment and it was clear she’d soon start dissecting them and treating them as nothing but a slave army. The Doctor needing the help of Philip and Robert was not something I anticipated but I really liked how the change of environment could revert back. The whole concept of hyper-evolution was tremendous and it explained how they knew the information at the start of the story with them tapping into the low level telepathy that the Doctor and Romana brought to the environment as Time Lords. The Doctor actually encouraging Flague to destroy their submarine was amusing and she actually did fire! The telepathic illusion showing the ship as being destroyed was excellent but I wasn’t sure why Flague was happy with the Dethras soldiers being destroyed. All of the experiments would now be safe and Franklin’s DNA had settled so he would be off exploring the universe which was a terrific thought. Overall, a brilliant episode!

Rating: 9/10

Falling

"He is most certainly no angel."

Writer: Jonathan Barnes

Format: Audio

Released: May 2017

Series: Short Trips 7.05

Featuring: First Doctor, Polly, Ben

Synopsis 

Long, long, Mrs Polly Jackson travelled in the TARDIS with her friends, the Doctor and Ben. Together, they saw many remarkable things – some magical, some terrifying, some filled with awe and wonder. Only one incident, however, was truly inexplicable, a single encounter which failed at the time wholly to make sense. At least, that is, unit today...

Verdict 

Falling was a brilliant Short Trips adventure! This was a really solid story and a fine way to spend thirty-seven minutes on the partial bus replacement and train en route to the football. It’s always nice to combine my two favourite hobbies and there’s nothing better than hearing Annekke Wills narrating. I’m a huge fan of her and Polly as a character, so much so that we named our pet cat after the companion! She’s really love and made such an impact as a modern companion in the contemporary times of the 1960s, and it really is a huge shame that much of her time on screen is missing from the BBC archives. Starting with Polly in her win home and even in a dressing gown was unusual because that was just so real and homely, nothing like what we experienced with companions of the First Doctor era. At least not in their rooms in the TARDIS that is! It was nice for Polly to be pondering on her memories and appreciating the comfort of the familiar. She was married now which was lovely to hear but she wasn’t very fussed on moving house! Those familiars certainly do get comfortable. The move into the TARDIS and having a bad dream was a sudden shift and she wasn’t alone in having one. Ben had a nightmare too that evoked strong feelings of sadness. What surprised me slightly was that the Doctor even had a bad dream too, not that he sold it much though. The TARDIS throwing the trio around after an almost crash was intriguing and they were caught in the timestream of something falling through time and space. That was a fun prospect. The Doctor being a little disoriented was good as they landed and when we learned of the placement of this story chronologically speaking it made a lot of sense. The sudden transporting around was good and the effects of that were presented nicely in the audio format. The description of peaks and mountains was really nice and I liked how the Doctor deduced that they were moved by the power of thought. The presence of an angel was almost met with awe by Polly and Ben, but the way the Doctor ridiculed it was delightful and a fine characterisation of the first incarnation. This angel had supposedly been falling through reality for as long as it could remember was intriguing and I was hugely fascinated by the claim that the Doctor knew of the angelic species. It was the last of its kind, and it could see that the Doctor would be the last of his one day too! That was tremendous. I’m a huge fan of foreshadowing. That came in abundance with the references to The Tenth Planet with the line that snow was waiting. I thought that was magnificent. Polly and Ben being more inclined to help the Angel was good and hardly surprising given the personality of the First Doctor. The fact the angel was the source of the dream was good and I loved learning how the race was all but lost and was at a position of passing into myth when the Doctor’s race was just getting going. That helped with the scale of time the Angel was falling. The foreshadowing from the angel regarding Polly and Ben being married in the future was lovely too and I’ve always felt that they should end up together! 

Rating: 9/10

Dissected

"I've been an alien clone."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: February 2020

Series: Torchwood Monthly 36

Featuring: Gwen, Martha

Synopsis 

Gwen Cooper turns up on Martha Jones's doorstep with a dead body in tow. She needs to ask one final favour of her. And to find out why they stopped being friends.

A lot's happened to Torchwood since Martha left. A lot's happened to Martha since she left Torchwood. And theres something very odd about the dead body Gwen's brought with her.

Tonight Gwen's going to be getting more answers than she bargained for.

Verdict 

Dissected was an excellent audio to continue my way through the monthly releases of Torchwood from Big Finish! The premise for this one was pretty much perfect on paper for me with it being a two-gander between Gwen and Martha! That was really exciting stuff and it certainly didn’t let down. They’re two very strong female characters who I adore so having them reunited was tremendous. I liked the dynamic of Gwen catching Martha after she’d already dealt with four dead bodies, so what harm could a fifth do? It was actually a quite significant moment for Martha as she was set to leave UNIT which was a bit of a surprise! Her last post was stationed here at Hereford which wasn’t exactly the most exciting place to finish up, and the awkwardness that came from her actually being in the country and not giving a message to Torchwood was felt immediately. There was a major unease in the atmosphere after that was mentioned. Gwen’s arrival with the body from a crash was a good premise to be reunited with Martha but the relationship really did feel just like business which was almost a shame. The story from Gwen about a Torchwood Christmas party going awry with Drahvins revealed as the catering and kitchen staff was amusing and definitely something I need to hear! Make the audio! The dynamic of this audio containing Torchwood vs UNIT was actually outstanding and I think a crossover ought to happen now. There’s so much potential there! The fact it had been quite a while now since the events of Reset and what followed with Owen was intriguing, and both Gwen and Martha pondered on his and Tosh’s dying. It was a somber affair. Martha snubbing the idea of using Torchwood technology was fun and the sense of distrust was growing between them. The technology of each one of them showing that the body, later identified as Jonathan, was still alive. Martha was convinced he was dead though. Evidence did seem to favour Gwen’s prognosis though! The feedback that came from the electricals combining with the gas release from Jonathan was fun as Martha got to show her medical expertise. Jonathan having come to the woods for a sexual rendezvous opened up a lot of questions as to the whereabouts of the other body, as surely they’d also have perished in the crash? I thought it was powerful stuff to have Gwen challenging Martha on what she perceived to be just ticking corporate boxes at UNIT now, but she simply didn’t think that Jonathan was a big scale case warranting UNIT resources. Gwen’s comments about UNIT locking everything in vaults was fun as Martha retorted about them making their own technology instead of stealing it from aliens. Gwen googling about hair and nails growing after death was hilarious as she completely undermined Martha’s medical degree. She would be proven wrong though. Gwen even going so far as to be rooting through Martha’s office was surprising as any efforts of trust were destroyed and Martha induced a lockdown. The DNA result showing both they of Jonathan and Gwen was a fun surprise and we learned all about the chameleon technology present in the crashed ship. Martha had done some snooping of her own too in finding that chameleon message from Jack. The feel of the episode soon shifted once Gwen realised that Martha no longer had an engagement ring as she was not the fiancé of Tom anymore. Gwen felt bad about that and it explained her absence. She wasn’t a chameleon clone in the slightest! Her mention of being one was an excellent reference to The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky though. Martha actually believing that Jonathan’s hair and nails had gotten shorter was amusing given the earlier exchange! The chameleon actually utilising the dead body was fantastic and I loved the intelligence of Martha and Gwen in combining to use the blood of others to confuse the DNA and coupling that with the stasis mist. It was very effective! Martha would make her leaving party after all and Gwen suggesting she use the impending explosion to go freelance and place blame on Torchwood was really nice as they reconciled by the end. Overall, a tremendous listen!

Rating: 9/10

The Trouble with Drax

"They're all Drax!"

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: June 2016

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 5.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II

Synopsis 

Altrazar. The temporal Atlantis, a place lost to time. Believed by many to be a myth, it has long been the perfect location for the rich and powerful to hide away their most dangerous secrets.

Until now.

Because the somewhat crooked, not exactly honest, wheeler-dealer cockney Time Lord known as Drax has found map that leads to its location. And, at the behest of a manipulative businessman, he's going to use it.

When the TARDIS is dragged out of the space-time vortex, its crew aren't best pleased to see the Doctor's old school friend, even less when he pressgangs them into joining a raid on the most secure safe-house in history. However, with Romana and K9 held hostage, the Doctor has little choice but to agree. With Drax in tow, he heads for the planet.

Which is where the trouble starts...

Verdict 

The Trouble with Drax was an excellent Fourth Doctor Adventures audio! This really was tremendous fun and a splendid way to spend an hour in the morning on the last day of work before a holiday. It’s always wonderful to have the Fourth Doctor alongside the second incarnation of Romana as that’s a pairing that is awfully difficult to beat when it comes to my enjoyment, but the continuity from The Armageddon Factor here where she was mistaken for the Princess Astra by Drax. That was a lot of fun and actually played an important role in realising just what Drax was up to. He’s a fun character as a cockney Time Lord and has certainly made an impact since debuting! It’s always interesting to have the Doctor encountering another Time Lord and there’s just an added layer with Romana as the companion given the fact she’s a Time Lord too and has encountered him before, albeit in a different incarnation. That shouldn’t matter to Time Lords though as even with Drax in a new incarnation, the Doctor and Romana still recognised him instantly as should be. However, Romana wasn’t recognised and that showed that Drax was playing with technology he ought not to me. The fact he lured the Doctor’s TARDIS was pretty fun and enlisting him as essentially a scapegoat for his plan was very amusing. I really enjoyed the mystery and legend of the lost city of Altrazar with it being the perfect haven for criminals and the like. Where better to hide artefacts or evidence than a city that didn’t exist? It was the perfect basis for Drax to have a scheme. The supporting characters of Rosser and Kirkland were really strong and the revelations that they were just different incarnations of Drax was hilarious. It almost got to the point of being silly, especially when Inspector McCormick was also revealed as a future incarnation when arresting the other incarnations of Drax! But I couldn’t help but smile and I think the fact the Doctor also admired his plays helped the listener. He wasn’t exactly evil, just a little meddlesome. But he was never going to pass as the Master as he initially hoped when Romana realised there was another Time Lord present from the body replicator device. The use of a Blinovitch Limitation Effect inhibitor was good and I liked how that only aided Drax in his scheme. He was always one step ahead of the game given that he retained knowledge of meeting his other selves so he could anticipate the next move. The moment where Drax revealed that the Doctor had actually stolen the inhibitor for Drax was tremendous. He’d been using it throughout ten incarnations! The scale of Drax’s plan was quite something and was to be admired. He was committed to the cause that’s for sure. I thought the early continuity from the Key to Time saga was a nice inclusion and set the timeframe well as K9 was still leading the Black Guardian on a wild goose chase whilst Romana wanted to make good use of the randomiser. I appreciated that. K9 didn’t have a huge amount to do here but when he was called into action he was usually effective. The state of temporal grace was an amusing moment though as Time Lord technology was shared ensuring K9 couldn’t use his stun gun. Drax’s comments on the first incarnation of Romana were further comic value and the moment where Romana revealed she was the very woman he’d described was terrific. Overall, the plot of this one was ludicrous and just great fun with the Doctor not even getting the upper hand on the fellow Time Lord. A hugely enjoyable listen!

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Who and the Dæmons

"This is the supernatural at work."

Writer: William Gallagher

Format: Novel

Released: October 1974

Series: Target 15

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

Doctor Who is strangely concerned about Professor Horner's plan to cut open an ancient barrow near the peaceful English village of Devil's End; equally worried is Miss Hawthorne, the local white witch, who foretells a terrible disaster if he goes ahead; determined that the Professor should is Mr. Magister, the new vicar (in truth the Master) whose secret ceremonies are designed to conjure up from out of the barrow a horribly powerful being from a far-off planet... The Brigadier and Jo Grant assist Doctor Who in this exciting confrontation with the forces of black magic! 

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Dæmons was a fantastic novelisation of the Season 8 classic! I really enjoyed this read on the aeroplane to Croatia and subsequent layover, and it’s a fine adaptation of the televised version. It’s obviously a well regarded story and it’s clear to see why from this novelisation, which I might even suggest is better than the version we got on television! I think the dated effects may have something to do with that and I ought to try and give the BluRay versions a chance as I’m sure everything will be enhanced there. In the book though it was helpful to not have the special effects of Bok and Azal with the illustrations provided being a tremendous resource! They came intermittently but it was really helpful to provide some images to go alongside the words and I imagine that would have been even better back when this novelisation was released nearly half a decade ago. It’s pretty crazy to think that the book I was holding was forty-nine years and that was something that my brother even noticed how old it was when we were waiting for our next flight. It really gave me an appreciation of what I was privileged to read. I thought the characterisation of the Third Doctor and Jo was really strong throughout, but the moment where he was quite firm with his companion was powerful stuff. Jo took it in her stride though and showed her qualities as she didn’t let it get to her and realised that it just meant the situation at hand was pretty troublesome. I thought the arrival and disguise of the Master was magnificent with him taking the moniker of Magister, and he was not welcomed in the village of Devil’s End by Olive Hawthorne. That was a strained relationship and she was a superb character. I think she stole the show even more in the book. Her thoughts on the debate between science and magic was tremendous and she would not accept that the Doctor was right in believing that there was always a scientific explanation. The evidence did seem to point towards magic though! The Brigadier was pretty humorous in this story with him actually being a little useless when it came to the heat barrier. The Doctor trying to get his scientific methods and knowledge to Osgood was hilarious stuff as his intellect was no match to that of the Time Lord. The Master trying to grant himself the power of Azal was brilliant and I really enjoyed the interaction between the renegade and the Dæmon. The legend of the Dæmons was impressive and the Doctor having a nagging mental itch about Devil’s End was good. I thought the interaction between the Doctor and Master was actually pretty limited here, but the latter pondering over their schooldays and early relationship was a really nice touch. Any exploration of the early days on Gallifrey is a bonus in my book, especially from 1974! I thought the coming and going of Azal was a little odd but the power he emanated really did ooze off the page which was impressive. I thought Yates and Benton had a fun outing here too with trying to tackle the barrier and driving Jo around. UNIT really was split up throughout this story and that was beneficial to the storytelling in my opinion. Spreading characters across a village setting was really good stuff. I thought the ending was a little sudden but really strong with Jo sacrificing herself in front of the Doctor, and that just didn’t compute with Azal’s logical mind. After centuries of laying dormant waiting, he either had to destroy all or give his power to someone else, in this case being the Master. The fact that Jo’s action was so against logic meant that Azal’s power was turned against him, something Hawthorne was trying to do in the first place! The Master being caught thanks to the Doctor’s control over Bessie was very amusing. A magic trick all on its own! Overall, a really great read. 

Rating: 9/10

Wirrn Isle

"I've come to know the cold."

Writer: William Gallagher

Format: Audio

Released: March 2012

Series: Monthly Adventures 158

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Flip

Synopsis 

The year is 16127. Four decades have passed since the colonists of Nerva Beacon returned to repopulate the once-devastated planet Earth – and the chose few are finding the business of survival tough.

Far beyond the sterile safety of sanitised Nerva City, transmat scientist Roger Buchman has brought his family to an island surrounded by what they once called Loch Lomond, hoping to re-establish the colony he was forced to abandon many years before.

But something else resides in the Loch. A pestilent alien infestation that the Doctor, beaming in from Nerva City, remembers only too well from his time aboard the Beacon...

The Wirrn are back. And they're hungry.

Verdict 

Wirrn Isle was another great adventure as I continue my way through Big Finish’s Monthly Adventures, concluding a really strong trilogy for the Sixth Doctor and new companion Flip. The prospect of the Wirrn returning was good stuff and I liked the early mention of Nerva City as we were introduced to the family of Roger, Veronica and Toasty after they had started a new colony back on Earth now it was habitable again. The arrival of the Doctor and Flip via transmat was entertaining and the latter was still clearly in her early days as companion as the transmat experience made her vomit. She was also complaining of the bitter cold with the setting being a Scottish island and a mere -15 degrees. That’s certainly another level of cold! The heated coat was more than enough to bring her back to a normal temperature. The situation on Earth was pretty bleak on humanity’s return as resources were scarce and the advance colonist party had vanished. The Doctor finding them in the pantry as husks was pretty brutal and how close everyone was to eating porridge that actually turned out to be Wirrn mucus was quite something! It was enough to make you feel sick on a morning listen before work. Paul was a good character as the head of the colony program and I enjoyed hearing his message that explained the situation. The cliffhanger of part one with Flip crashing as she headed for the transmat system worked well and that was coupled nicely with Roger sneaking around on the communication line with someone hidden on the other end. He was up to no good. The threat that came from Flip literally being stuck the ice and having the very dangerous threat of being frozen to death was sublime. That felt very real. The man on the communicator turning out to be Iron wasn’t much of a surprise once we learned of the fact that Roger and Veronica had lost their son, but the way he taunted Flip showed he wasn’t how they remembered their little boy. It had been fifteen years after all! What Flip thought of as branches in the ice being very different indeed was fun as they were actually Wirrn trapped under the ice! They’d been there for two decades and explained the four hundred life forms that Roger found on the map. The story from Roger where he explained to Toasty that he actually planted his son’s jumper on the ice so Veronica actually thought he had drowned. That was pretty cruel. Roger being a transmat scientist expert following this because Iron had actually been beamed inside a Wirrn was not something I anticipated! It was a fascinating concept though. He now believed he could get his son back at the transmat station but needed Toasty’s DNA to help, and she was almost destroyed when she vanished in another strong cliffhanger. Flip being transmatted to Nerva city was good and I liked that Sheer and Dare became noticeable characters from there. Iron taunting his dad over the fact he wasn’t saved was pretty brutal before the Doctor was able to shut things down and ensure Toasty was okay. Roger’s DNA not being a match was a great twist as Toasty was actually Sheer’s daughter! That explained why he cared so much about her. Iron killing Roger really saw the Wirrn within him coming through and the threat of thousands of copies being delivered across the world through the transmat was a big one! A solid cliffhanger. I enjoyed that the Wirrn were taking over the city and the pun line of Wirrn business was pretty creative. I didn’t hate it! I liked the use of electricity against the Wirrn and the threat of the next use of transmat killing whoever used it was shocking. The Doctor despised that. His plan to melt the loch was pretty large scale and overloading the transmat worked well as all of the Wirrn copies were beamed to the loch to then have it freezes again. The significant element was that the eggs were not transmatted with them so both sides would now have to broker a peace. I wasn’t so thrilled with that ending as it felt a little incomplete, but as a whole this was a really strong audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10