The Time Meddler

"He's only one monk - what possible harm can he do?"

Writer: Nigel Robinson

Format: Target

Released: March 1988

Series: Target 126

Featuring: First Doctor, Vicki, Steven

Synopsis 

"How do you think it would affect galactic history? Think if the tyrants of the Middle Ages; imagine them roaming the universe!"

The TARDIS materialises on a deserted Northumbrian beach. The Doctor says that he and his two companions have arrived in the eleventh century – but Steven finds a modern wristwatch in the nearby forest. 

However, the year is AD 1066 and the Doctor's arrival has been noticed by a mysterious monk who recognises the TARDIS as a time machine and its owner as a threat to his carefully laid plans.

Verdict 

The Time Meddler was an excellent novelisation of the televised serial of the same name! Whilst I don’t quite give this book or its TV counterpart a perfect rating, this story is right up there with one of my favourites. It’s such an important adventure too as we see the Doctor actively trying to stop interference with history. We meet another of his species and the cliffhanger where the Monk also has a TARDIS must have been extraordinary on broadcast! It had such a profound impact even on me when I first watched it as I wasn’t aware of other Time Lords encountering the Doctor prior to the Master. Knowing what I do now, the moment is still as wonderful and was what I was waiting for throughout the book. It’s also easy to forget that this is Steven’s first full adventure as companion which was a lot of fun with how sceptical he was about the TARDIS and its ability to travel in time. That was the perfect attitude for a story where time meddling was occurring and provided some strong humour. I loved how the novelisation went beyond the television story, particularly at the start and conclusion of the book. Depicting Steven’s escape to the TARDIS at the end of The Chase was magnificent but perhaps even more so was the epilogue with the Monk still trying a number of methods to alter the course of history and not have William the Conquerer the victor in the Battle of Hastings. That was tremendous fun and actually quite a treat. Before we got there though, we had a brilliant story! The idea of a meddler in time for the First Doctor era is excellent and it was done so well. The meddling Monk is obviously a historic character and his introduction is just glorious. I love the presentation as a bit of a baboon which gives him a glorious childlike quality. The Doctor being about fifty years earlier than him as far as their home planet is concerned is great because that gives him a good sense of maturity. Having the Monk using the gramophone to provide the noise of the other monks at the monastery was hilarious, but not as much as him using a toaster and non-stick frying pan to make the Doctor breakfast when he had him as a prisoner! Quite the treatment. I’m surprised the Doctor did throw it back at his face, but he wouldn’t be woken until he was good and ready. The characterisation of the First Doctor throughout was impressive and it was a little sad to see him pondering over Ian and Barbara after their departure. The comfort of Vicki was lovely to read too as he still missed his granddaughter Susan. The potential of the Monk’s TARDIS being around was good and the meddler mocking the Doctor for not having an operational chameleon circuit was fantastic. The Doctor also seemed envious of its ability to drift in space and actually have direction. Steven’s comment about the chameleon circuit and using their exact situation on the beach as an example was a bit harsh and made me feel sorry for the Doctor with his pride in the TARDIS, but I certainly understood where he was coming from. I thought Edith and Wulnoth were strong characters and their positions as locals in both geography and history was terrific. The looming threat of the Viking invasion was brilliant and the Monk posing as his profession to try and get those devoted to his religion to light the way for the conquering was tremendous. It’s such fun that seemingly a guide and scheme here has seen the name of the Monk stick. It’s great fun. The Doctor giving the Monk a note and removing his dimensional circuit from the TARDIS is such a fun end, leaving him stranded in 1066! Overall, a magnificent read!

Rating: 9/10

The Winged Coven

"She's been dabbling in the darker arts."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: April 2019

Series: BBC Audio 06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

When the Doctor returns to Nest Cottage, in the village of Hexford, England, he discovers strange things afoot in the local woods. Together with the redoubtable Mrs Wibbsey he discovers the local postmistress in an almost desiccated state, and witness sinister behaviour at the local mini-mart.

The old team investigate a new shop that has opened in the village, run by the glamorously beguiling Camilla Cookson. Soon they realise that a secret society has formed in Hexford under their very noses. But what role has Mrs Wibbsey herself unwittingly played in all of this? It may be time for a few confessions to be heard.

Recruiting Mike Yates, Tish Made and Deirdre Whatsit to the cause, the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey set out to penetrate the winged coven – but what they discover at its heart is the greatest horror of all.

Verdict 

The Winged Coven was another strong audio to, at this moment in time, conclude the adventures of the Fourth Doctor at Nest Cottage! It’s been an eventful ride and it’s quite staggering to think that the extended series has lasted for seventeen episodes now, and it’s been quite the run! His relationship with Mrs Wibbsey is tremendous and it was lovely to have her back in the narration role. Susan Jameson is magnificent and once again starred in bringing Wibbsey back to life. I was quite surprised that it had been another two years now since she’d last seen the Doctor and I would assume that would be since the events of The Thing From the Sea, and a lot had happened since then! It was good that in what I assume will be the final story in the series that Mike Yates featured. It was nice to know that he had now retired to Hexford and was potentially in a relationship. The arrangement of his living conditions was fun to discuss and I liked that things stayed ambitious. It was good though to have him here and he played a big part. I thought it was great to have witches involved in events at Hexford and Wibbsey being suspicious of them in the village was brilliant. She’s like a hawk when it comes to protecting her village and when danger was around, she could spot it. I thought the cake shop was a good front for the coven and Wibbsey knew that it couldn’t possibly just be that. It wouldn’t be profitable with the population of Hexford so it was hiding something. Queues were forming to get a cake but I did like how the Doctor even commented on the decoration being there to hide something. It was just too elaborate. I thought the impression of the Doctor was decent if not spectacular but the effort was there so I certainly appreciated that. The makeup of the coven was very strong with Cookson being a strong lead witch. She wasn’t afraid to step up to Wibbsey and even suggesting that she was disliked in the village because of her dedication and loyalty towards the Doctor was brilliant. It was a powerful moment and sent her into a strong defence as she did actually care very much about Hexford. Vera and Wanda completing the coven was very good and together the trio was certainly one to be feared! Having the Doctor dealing with the darker arts is always good stuff, but it seems his bigger issue in this story was actually with his housekeeper. His reaction when he found out that Mrs Wibbsey had been using some of his advanced equipment was tremendous and fantastically in line with the personality of the Fourth Doctor. I thought this incarnation was written very well here. The emergence of the owl was strong and I very much enjoyed the pace and excitement of the conclusion. That’s often missing from the BBC Audio range so that was most welcomed. The fate of Cookson was rather extraordinary as the owl she had worshipped and claimed to be serving ended up eating her! It was a clean consumption in just three bites which was some graphic description, but I was impressed with the imagery presented throughout this audio. It felt visual and matched up nicely with the CD artwork. Overall, a really strong audio! A most enjoyable listen.  

Rating: 8/10

The Thing from the Sea

"We are under a spell."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: March 2018

Series: BBC Audio 01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

In 18th Century coastal Italy, the local fishermen haul in an extraordinary catch: a gigantic serpent. The Doctor identifies it as an alien, but to the ailing locals this fabled sea creature has the capacity to heal them – if only Count Otto will share it with them. When Mrs Wibbsey comes under the influence of the Count, the Doctor finds himself snared by the wicked power of a seemingly immortal magician, the infamous Cagliostro!

Verdict 

The Thing from the Sea was a very strong BBC Audio adventure! I’m always slightly hesitant when it comes to these stories purely because of their format in being a performed story with just one actor. It’s not quite prose but it’s obviously far from being a full cast audio drama. However, this one felt a little more ‘normal’ in the format and I think that’s because of the narrator and lead character. I’ve listened to this immediately after finishing the Serpent Crest series of stories with the Fourth Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey, so having the latter in that narrator role was great because that’s the kind of style I’m used to with this pairing. Susan Jameson is really good as the almost companion and she jumps back into the role with ease! It felt natural and right back at home around Nest Cottage. That’s a fun home setting and the idea of her always being on call as the Doctor’s housekeeper is rather fun. He certainly would need to be kept in check! It was really lovely though for him to drop in on Mrs Wibbsey because he knew she was about to face danger. It’s good that he’s looking out for her and that’s what you want from the Doctor for his friends and companions. He would always be there to help. Wibbsey recalling that she’s still haunted by the sound of buzzing going back to the Hornet’s Nest and Demon Quest set of stories was excellent and strong continuity, although with the surprise mention of unrelated serpents in this episode I was expecting more mention of the most recent series. I thought the Doctor whisking her off to 19th century Italy was excellent and that was a setting I really enjoyed. They soon got embroiled in some mysterious fishing as the story’s title might suggest and the thing from the sea was not a typical catch! It was described as being large and tentacled which didn’t sound too unordinary, but the Doctor knew it was extraterrestrial as he locked eyes with it through the netting as it was calmly suffocating. That was a bit disturbing. The enigmatic characters of Count Otto and Cagliostro were brilliant and really sparked up the episode. They felt authentically historical and Italian which was important. It was also good to have an established hierarchy between the pair. The revelation about the serpent thing from the sea was great with it being consumed meaning that human life was extended. I’m always a fan of people trying to extend mortality and if it was feasible scientifically then I think I’d be doing the exact same! The early comment from Otto about fishing up these creatures over the centuries was good and showed right away that there was considerably more to what met the eye. The Doctor cottoned onto that right away! Cagliostro being in the mind of Wibbsey when they wanted to use the TARDIS and go back in time to when the serpents were plentiful was good, and she felt quite guilty about being used again for TARDIS access and information. The concept of the shadow form was good and that being shunned out from Wibbsey’s mental power was terrific, and it almost seemed fitting that Otto was eaten by a serpent in the past. That rounded things out nicely! Overall, a really strong audio adventure.

Rating: 8/10

Survivors in Space

"We're all having bad dreams."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: January 2012

Series: Serpent Crest 05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

It has been three months since the Hexford catastrophe, and Mike Yates is trying to show strength of leadership to the villagers. But with morale low and supplies running out, it is increasingly difficult to keep his own hopes up. Unless somebody finds them soon, the future looks bleak. 

So when the TARDIS materialises on the village green, it seems that help has arrived at last. But with two Doctors apparently at large, there is still the small matter of what was buried under Nest Cottage – not to mention who is clamouring to break through the protective force field. Soon Hexford is under siege once again, and this time an ancient hunger will be sated. Time has run out for the keepers of the Skishtariegg

Verdict 

Survivors in Space was a strong conclusion to the Serpent Crest third anthology of Nest Cottage Chronicles! This has been a fascinating journey through the chronicles of BBC Audios at a time before Tom Baker seriously took on the role of his famed and adored Fourth Doctor for Big Finish. This is a strong finale and rounded out the story arc very nicely. In another time jump in similar vain to The Hexford Invasion, events carried on here three months after they left off with the entire village of Hexford being transported through the wormhole into space. It had been three months of captivity and being stuck in the domed village which just had to be tough. The fact that it was always night must have been incredibly disorientating and it was nice to acknowledge that the village clock was able to help maintain some sort of daily schedule. I can’t imagine living in perpetual darkness and the potential effects psychologically. It was really strong to have Mike Yates in the narration role and it was important to get that perspective from the Hexford side of things. The imposter Second Doctor was fun this episode with us knowing he wasn’t the real article. He did a decent job in convincing Yates that he was the Doctor whilst other villagers remained somewhat sceptical. Yates was actually quite saddened when the truth was revealed. I thought the fake Doctor’s continued messages being sent out to the Skishtari were good and it was fun that it was actually one of these that helped the Fourth Doctor and Wibbsey to find where Hexford had been transported to. Wibbsey’s suggestion that it had taken umpteen months was good because that opens potential for future adventures with her in the TARDIS during events preceding this episode! She’d make a decent full time companion and I was surprised she almost seemed saddened at the end when the Doctor dropped her back to Hexford when it was returned to its rightful place. I thought how that happened was really good as just when the imposter Doctor thought he’d fulfilled his mission, it turned out to be his downfall. The way he was eavesdropping on the Fourth Doctor’s conversation with Yates about the gene egg and it being in the TARDIS was great as that set about a method of getting the key in a very brutish fashion. The imposter physically taking it from Wibbsey’s cardigan pocket was almost uncomfortable as she was pretty much helpless! The imposter obtaining the egg within the TARDIS was good but it starting to hatch after he sent news to the Skishtari was exciting. The Doctor knew of the danger it entailed. I thought the return of Alex some twenty years older and a grown man was excellent and it was nice to know that he was installed as Tsar and had brought peace in the Robotov Empire. The robotic guards arriving on the scene here was great and really helped round out the boxset. The turmoil in the village as rumours of supplies dwindling was good and a big threat, and it was fun for a lot of them to be sceptical of the Doctor’s ability to get them home. But get them home he would. Alex was able to command the Skishtari egg given that it was taken from within him and the connection built meant it acknowledged him rather than the Skishtari as a whole. They were rather shocked by that! Alex was able to command it to eat the Skishtari and do that they did! It was a fitting end and the image of the serpent eating itself was visually presented here. That was cleverly done. Using the trees and the imposter Doctor realising that he was never going to have his wishes adhered to as a clone meant that Hexford would be returned. Overall, a strong conclusion! 

Rating: 8/10

The Hexford Invasion

"The aliens are coming!"

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2011

Series: Serpent Crest 04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

It's been many months since the Doctor was in Hexford, and Mrs Wibbsey keenly feels his absence. As her grave suspicions about her new neighbour grow, she is in danger of becoming ostracised from village life. When Mike Yates turns up at Nest Cottage with a visitor in tow, Mrs Wibbsey's life is turned even further upside down. Why has this strange new fellow appeared – and can he really be who Mike thinks he is?

With UNIT watching the skies, and a strange forest growing daily around the village perimeter, it comes as little surprise when an enormous spaceship slides into view and dominates the skyline. Who is watching Hexford, and what do they want? Never has Mrs Wibbsey needed the Doctor more. But can she cope with two...?

Verdict 

The Hexford Invasion was another great episode to continue my way through the Serpent’s Crest third anthology within the Nest Cottage Chronicles! This was not the follow on I was expecting to how things finished in Aladdin Time with the Doctor leaving Mrs Wibbsey to her own devices in Hexford, because it turned out he’d been gone nine months now! That was a big surprise and whilst it’s no shock that the Doctor got his timings wrong, I felt quite bad for Mrs Wibbsey! I thought it was great to have her as the narrator though and it seemed to add some authenticity to things which might have been missing in the past couple of episodes in this series. This story also saw a welcomed return for Captain Mike Yates! I must admit I wasn’t expecting to hear from him again this series so that was a really nice treat. He came with important business to Wibbsey though as Nest Cottage was being commandeered by UNIT! Wibbsey didn’t really have any time to question that and her reaction to the Doctor being there, but not the one she was expecting, was marvellous. It was such a treat to have the Second Doctor appear on the scene at the door. It was a brilliant surprise and whilst it played out in the episode that he wasn’t necessarily the true article, it was a delight whilst we thought it was. The reaction of the Fourth Doctor when he was told his second self was around was excellent. He even provided a completely valid and feasible explanation for why he might not remember the events from his second incarnation’s perspective because of all of the Time Lord involvement post-The War Games in erasing and altering his memories. I thought that was pretty excellent. It soon became clear the Second Doctor wasn’t who he said he was with his private outburst towards Wibbsey about her only being a housekeeper. That took her aback and it made me do a double take as a listener! I couldn’t believe it and I knew it just couldn’t possibly be the true Second Doctor. The in-story duration lasting over a fortnight was good and a fine use of scale which allowed time for the imposter Second Doctor to be building a perimeter with the planting of trees. I liked the emergence of the spaceship and it bearing the Skishtari crest of the serpent and the entire area was now cut off. No signals were getting in or out and that helped explain why no journalists were coming to report on the situation. That was a good point to make. The arrival of the Skishtari was strong and a fine way to setup the finale. They were looking for something, and it was pretty obvious that this was going to be their egg that was buried 150 years previously. Still, Hexford was essentially being taken and Yates and company were transported with it with the Doctor and Wibbsey left behind to now take the fight. Overall, a strong episode!

Rating: 8/10

Aladdin Time

"How can a tale begin to tell itself?"

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: November 2011

Series: Serpent Crest 03

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

Trapped underground, the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey encounter a small boy who claims to be Aladdin, in search of a fabled lamp. He joins them on their own quest, to find a power source in this weird domain and switch it off. 

Many obstacles lie in their way. Vast rooms stuffed with exotic items give way to torch-lit tunnels and deadly precipices. Creatures of mythical proportions lie in wait. Peculiar atmospheres take their all on them. Perhaps strangest of all, the Doctor's multi-coloured scarf appears to take on a life of its own...

As friends are separated and uneasy alliances are formed, the strange environment attempts to claim them. Will the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey ever get back to Hexford? And will Aladdin discover who he really is?

Verdict 

Aladdin Time was a great episode to continue my way through the Serpent’s Crest anthology of Nest Cottage Chronicles! This was an intriguing continuation for the story arc and it was fun to play with fiction. I’m always a big fan of tapping into story and I think the Land of Fiction is a severely under-utilised resource in of itself. Unfortunately we weren’t having another visit here, but the premise was much the same. I thought it was rather clever to incorporate the narration into the story as a pretty crucial element. I thought that was very unique. It was fun to have Scheherazade telling the story to the King and he was keen to hear more as peril came and went, but the moment at the end where the Doctor actually caught up with her was excellent. It seemed to be a blend of two worlds within the story. And the story itself had worlds within worlds with itself being contained within the Skishtari egg. We learned a bit more about that in this episode which was welcomed with it containing the gene of the race. I liked how it had powerful defensive capabilities as well as if the egg was even scratched or dented then a spawn of Skishtari seeds would be propelled to ensure the race took charge regardless. It was an impressive defensive mechanism. I thought the inclusion of Aladdin as a character was intriguing and it was done actually quite well. I’m not entirely familiar with the famed story which seems weird but the fact this gave us a sentient version of the Fourth Doctor’s infamous long scarf was brilliant. That’s an incredibly audacious idea and it was done rather well here. It is a bit silly but in a realm of fictionalised stories you can get away with that. The Doctor’s reaction to his scarf being the genie was amusing and everything you would hope for really. Tom Baker played it in tremendous style and the artwork on the CD cover is sensational. It’s clever because this story could only happen with this incarnation of the Doctor so it’s a clever use of the era and its elements. Mrs Wibbsey took to the new realm rather well but after all that’s happened to her in recent days, it was just another occurrence to add to her bundle or irregularities. I thought her recognition once again of Alex and Boolin was terrific and she didn’t waste time in revealing it. Her explanation of the egg and everything it entailed was good, and I thought it was quite fun when they exited the egg that she commented on its size and appearance. Could they really have been inside? Well they were! The resolution to the cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode of The Broken Crown was incredibly poor with the door suddenly appearing and not much being made of it, but the use of Aladdin’s lamp to get out of the egg was superb. The lead into the next episode was unexpected with the Doctor leaving Wibbsey alone in Hexford. I’m intrigued to hear where things go from there in the next episode. But for now, this was a very solid continuation. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

The Broken Crown

"Make the stories real."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: October 2011

Series: Serpent Crest 02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

The year is 1861, and the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey find themselves in the right place at the wrong time. At the rectory they encounter the ill-tempered Reverend Dobbs and his young ward Andrew, whose paper faces hide whatever horrors lie beneath. Tutoring him is one Mr Bewley, whom Mrs Wibbsey is startled to recognise. In Hexford Woods, the Doctor uncovers a secret which Andrew and his friends have been keeping. As the truth begins to emerge about the rectory's occupants, it also becomes clear why so many people have disappeared from the village. Unless the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey can help, the whole village will soon be terrorised by a child's imagination...

Verdict 

The Broken Crown was a decent story to continue my way through the Serpent Crest third segment of Nest Cottage Chronicles! I must admit that I was slightly underwhelmed by how this one started as it didn’t seem to be doing much to follow on from a very strong opener in the form of Tsar Wars, but it did finish strong which was most welcomed. I wasn’t a huge fan of the utilisation of the 1861 setting because for the first twenty minutes or so the story was just a bit boring. It took too long to catch up with the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey after they realised the wormhole had made them arrive too early in time, and the introduction of some of the characters just wasn’t exciting. Thankfully what came later was a vast improvement once our main characters were on the scene. It was amusing to hear Wibbsey come to terms with being in her personal past and I actually thought she did so quite well. She was accepting of there being no TARDIS around and almost was confined to her fate. Or was she just that confident in the Doctor’s abilities to get them out? Either way, it was calm and assured which is what you want in a companion. I’m not sure if I would consider Wibbsey a companion, but she’s essentially filled that role whether she likes it or not. The narration role this time around being filled by Andrew was not something I was on board with. It didn’t feel right and I just didn’t find him entertaining or really worthy of taking on the telling of the episode. Before the truth of him as being Alex from the previous episode was revealed, I didn’t think he had much going for him. Bewley was a very strong character on the other hand and Wibbsey wasting no time in recognising him as Boolin was great stuff. She made no qualms about pointing things out and that’s something I enjoy about her. We soon learned that Boolin and Alex had crash landed out of the wormhole a decade ago taking the protection of the Skishtari egg to a whole different level. It’s amazing they kept in tact for this long and Andrew just believing it to be an attractive item was good. He didn’t quite realise the power it held and it being responsible for a spate of disappearances in the village of Hexford. Exploring Hexford could have been done a bit more, but there’s plenty of time to do that as the series goes on. I liked how the wormhole crash meant both had experienced severe memory loss but it was through Boolin that recovering that was best highlighted. It was done subtly at first by calling the Doctor by his name and then going so far as to referring to Alex by his true name. Coming to terms with the realisation of being the true heir of a robot empire millennia into the future was nicely done and something good to explore. The cliffhanger finish was a very strong setup for the next episode with the prospect of the Doctor and Wibbsey being transported somewhere with no air, and it didn’t seem Wibbsey was taking the Doctor’s instructions to be calm too seriously. Overall, a decent listen!

Rating: 7/10

Tsar Wars

"You can't possibly have invented yourselves."

Writer: Paul Magrs

Format: Audio

Released: September 2011

Series: Serpent Crest 01

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Mrs Wibbsey

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are catapulted from present day Earth to a futuristic civilisation in a distant galaxy. At the Robotov Palace they find the Tsar and Tsarina ruling over their empire whilst human workers toll on satellite moons. The Doctor is mistaken for an old ally of the Tsarina's, but then suspected of treason when the Palace comes under attack. Dark secrets are lurking in the shadows, and the mysterious Father Gregory will set off a chain of events which have long-last consequences for the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey.

Verdict 

Tsar Wars was a brilliant start to the Serpent Crest third series of Nest Cottage Chronicles! I thought this was a really strong episode from start to finish and after the cliffhanger finish on Christmas Eve at the end of Sepulchre, this one didn’t waste anytime in getting going! The pace was frantic to start with and before anything was done Yates was knocked out and the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey were kidnapped and transported through a wormhole. It was fun to fully take Wibbsey from the comforts of Nest Cottage and looking after to the Doctor to the other side of the universe. She was thrown into an intriguing political conflict between organics and robots which I thought was fascinating. It was an exciting setting and the Robotov Empire was really fun to explore. This play on the Russian ruling family of the Romanovs and their name was good, if not a little silly but definitely something I could bypass because of it being very comedic. It never felt ridiculous but at the same time I couldn’t help but smile every time the name was mentioned. The Tsar and Tsarina were strong characters and it was lovely to hear Michael Jayston as the former. I knew I recognised his voice immediately and it was fun when I realised it was the famed voice of the Valeyard. He wasn’t as evil here, but he played the role so well and he wasn’t exactly thrilled with what his wife had done. His constant referring to Alex as her son rather than theirs was intriguing but it soon became clear why. The Doctor’s arrival being greeted with familiarity was fun as he embraced that and went with the flow as we soon learned more details about Father Gregory. This Russian sounding medical man was a strong character and his representation as a Rasputin-type figure was terrific. I’m a huge fan of Russian history and taking it to space was  an ambitious idea that worked well. It didn’t overstay its welcome which is always good. The way Mrs Wibbsey learned of the umbrella title’s significance and the arc to come with the serpent crest representing the Skishtari was fantastic. It was actually Father Gregory who brought the Doctor through the wormhole as he’d always envisioned him replacing him given their almost identical appearance, but he was serving the Skishtari who he proclaimed would be their new masters. It all linked up well. Alex being an amalgamation of organic and robot was excellent and I liked how the human part was being rejected. Him literally being a conception between the Tsarina and Gregory was brilliant as we learned of their historic relationship. That was something the Tsar was not too happy about. He didn’t shy away from his thoughts on the matter and didn’t seem to believe that reparations could be made between organic and Robotov. The resolution to saving Alex being that Father Gregory would actually give his heart in a transplant was unexpected but an admirable sacrifice! Boolin performing the surgery was good and I liked the danger of the Skishtari egg that was held within Alex. That would be taken and the threat of it hatching was exciting as I’m sure that’ll actually happen in a future episode. But for now, the wormhole didn’t quite get the Doctor and Wibbsey back home. They were in the right location of Hexford, but there was no Nest Cottage. At least not yet! They were early, and there was no TARDIS! That was really fun and I’m looking forward to hearing where things go from here. Overall, a very strong start to the series!

Rating: 9/10

Among Us: Pariahs

"Why did you ruin your life?"

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: June 2023

Series: Torchwood 7.08

Featuring: Yvonne, Orr, Ng, Tyler, Mr Colchester

Synopsis 

A group of urban explorers break into the Torchwood Hub. They disturb Bilis Manger who has his own plans for the evening.

Verdict 

Pariahs was a very strong episode to conclude the second volume of Among Us as part of Torchwood’s seventh series! This really felt like things were coming together in terms of an arc and continuity as we head into the finale. It was quite refreshing to get a number of familiar characters all together as that doesn’t seem to have happened a great deal since the relaunch of the series, and I do hope that’s something that will remain moving forward into the finale. Torchwood is really good at tackling real world issues and tapping into the after effects of the Covid pandemic is a brave decision, but one that worked very well. The synopsis for this one was rather frightening as a majority of the population would have sent their DNA willingly in the post at some point in the last three years. So what happens to it once it was tested? That was a brilliant basis for an episode and the plot focusing on the Phlobos being implicated for their mass data breach and collection was terrific. Mr Colchester having a history with Graham Graves was good and their relationship was an intriguing one. He’d gone on to be considered a war hero whilst Colchester’s sexuality had seen him dismissed from the Army. How times have changed! I thought Ng had a pretty quiet episode which was unusual for her as she seems to be the forefront in things when she appears in an episode. Orr though was able to shine with her empathic abilities coming through once again to serve her well when it came to infiltration. Her reference to Propaganda in regards to the plane journey and mentioning how unlikely it was for the plane to crash given that’s what happened on her last flight was excellent. But the references to this volume’s opener didn’t stop there. The fact that the weapon created from the DNA samples, of which there were millions, was what happened to Veloshnik was an unexpected treat. It was brilliant to get an explanation and brought this volume around full circle in very nice fashion. Weaponising the pandemic is rather extraordinary but it’s terrifically Torchwood to do that and tap into the real world. Ng’s reaction when Tyler knew who was in charge of their temp agency was fun because Yvonne burst onto the scene to take back her position as essentially the head of Torchwood. Colchester even feeling that everything felt right when she was around was a bit of a shock but it’ll be fun going into the next series with her in a prominent role. Kyle being infected and that actually playing a big part in Torchwood being set up was a fine cliffhanger as the DNA was synthesised to kill everyone in the room except them. And the authorities were coming to a room where everyone was dead except them. I wonder who would get the blame there. It was a really well done setup for the next volume which should prove to be great! This one did get slightly convoluted in parts with the different relationships, but as a whole it was a very solid finale. Overall, a great listen!

Rating: 8/10

Among Us: Cuckoo

"We're going to find Cardiff's biggest secret: Torchwood."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: June 2023

Series: Torchwood 7.07

Featuring: Bilis

Synopsis 

A group of urban explorers break into the Torchwood Hub. They disturb Bilis Manger who has his own plans for the evening.

Verdict 

Cuckoo was an excellent episode to continue my listening of the second volume of Among Us as part of Torchwood’s seventh official series! This was a rather unique instalment and one I thoroughly enjoyed as it seemed to blend between the Torchwood of old and the Torchwood that’s to come as Big Finish advance the story. The continuity from God Among Us in particular was excellent and I loved how Bilis showed quite a lot of distain regarding recent events in the city. His relationship with Time is an enigmatic one which was explored very well here. His suggestion of Torchwood being a fixed point in time was fascinating and I loved that he felt that the man who was resurrected, the woman from another universe and then the Herald were all interfering in that. He was obviously referring to the likes of Jack, Yvonne and God in recent developments in the Torchwood series and that was really good stuff. He was angered. He’s had a troubled relationship with Torchwood so with them now on their knees it was fun to think of him scourging around what remains of the Torchwood Hub. It was in a bad way, but some of the technology there was salvageable. That was fun to explore and Bilis really was on a mission to collect all he could. The trio of Bryn, Vijay and Diana were excellent and a really strong hint at what the future may have in store for Torchwood with these three at the helm. I’ll jump ahead to the ending where it was very ambiguous and with Bilis being involved I really liked that. I could certainly see this being the route for Torchwood ahead and if it is then this was a really solid loose pilot. It’s quite fun for them to have investigated and stumbled their way into Torchwood and their comments about the hexagonal stencil logo were amusing. I wonder if that would be their first point of change? Of course, before we had the ending we had an apparently brutal death of Bryn. He was broke after losing his job and quite amazingly saw the investigation into Torchwood as a potential property development recce! That was stunning and certainly an intriguing angle. Vijay was the lead of the trio with his desire to document their discovery for his following, but the fact he had Bryn’s death on film was shocking. We know all about the elevator up to the water tower at Roald Dahl Plas on the Cardiff Bay, but after all of the damage suffered to Torchwood it was only partially working. The lift went up but there was no opening for it to go through which meant Bryn was crushed in brutal fashion. The calm callousness of Bilis was a stark reminder of how uncomfortably brilliant his character is. He had a hunch that would happen but didn’t really warn them. It was not  the escape Bryn was hoping for which was a line dripped in horror. It was fantastic. The inclusion of Ianto as a hologram program was good stuff and another great way to blend the past and future eras of Torchwood together. I was impressed with that. Bilis wanting to see him was amusing and everything being a game to him was excellent. Never has an old man been so frightening! This being a posthumous release for Murray Melvin is such a shame as Bilis is a sublime character who has left an indelible mark on Torchwood. He will be forever remembered and this is a fine way to bow out with a wonderful performance. Vijay accepting his new role within Torchwood was very good but he didn’t seem too bothered about his duty when it came to saving the technology ahead of himself. Finding the morgue was eery and for a moment it seemed he’d end up there too like so many operatives before him. The distorted credits marked the ending nicely as we weren’t sure which version was real. Neither was Vijay, was it all a dream or was he now dreaming of a potential future? I hope we haven’t heard the last! Overall though, a brilliant listen. 

Rating: 9/10

Among Us: At Her Majesty's Pleasure

"No prison could possibly hold me."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: June 2023

Series: Torchwood 7.06

Featuring: Yvonne, Andy

Synopsis 

Yvonne Hartman is in a very special prison. And there's absolutely no way out of it. So why is she convinced she's escaped?

Verdict 

At Her Majesty's Pleasure was a great episode to continue my way through the second volume of Among Us as part of the seventh series of Torchwood! I really enjoyed the basis of this one and after the events of God Among Us, the prospect of Yvonne returning was very fun indeed. She’s a dangerous character and very unpredictable which makes her an enticing listen. The dynamic with Andy is not new but it’s quite amusing because she’s so obviously in control. The revelation towards the end of the episode that she’d planned everything right down to the finest detail including planning the break up before she’d even gone on a first date with Andy was brilliant. It showed the scale of her planning and the intricacies she’d gone to in order to plot her escape. The relationship between Andy and Yvonne is an unexpected treat from the last couple of series of Torchwood but it’s quite sad to see how one sided it is. Yvonne doesn’t seem to truly care about him whilst he can’t forget about her and she used that to her advantage here. Yvonne just being in prison was great and the inescapable claims of it made it clear that she was going to do just that. The way she was slowly building her way into controlling the prison was terrific and it was so obvious that everything was feeding into what she wanted. The first time she’d had a visitor like Andy, the first time she was actually out of her cell. It was all working in her favour and what was amusing was that Tilly knew that. Asher was a good character as someone on the inside that could make things happen although her profanity was a bit over the top and not really necessary. The prison cards were good element and I liked the mysterious low payments that were being sent to Yvonne and Asher. It was too coincidental for them not to be working together and the figures actually correlated with incidents that had been happening at certain cells. That was good stuff, but again it was what Yvonne wanted to be believed. She was in control. Charlotte was a strong character and the way she ended up essentially replacing Yvonne was excellent. The use of block transfer computation but in a purely financial and transaction sense was a very intriguing concept and one that I felt worked very well. It was fascinating stuff and took the use of Torchwood technology to another level! It was really good stuff. Andy’s inventory on Torchwood tech being into figures reaching nearly one thousand was good too, and it’s a little sad to hear how much he still yearns after Torchwood and all the connections he had there with his history with the organisation. He so desperately wanted to be a part of it and it seems he’ll always just be on the periphery. Andy having to teach a point where he would let Yvonne go finally was a very interesting way to see that she would be let of jail, but that was the beauty of block transfer computation in this context. The threat of Asher having a bomb inside her and then Andy also having something within was good stuff and I loved that a French baguette was a link to him being drugged and the memories of a meal with Yvonne in Paris. The forced dream was a good element. Tyler being the one that was funding the small payments was nicely done and a good link back to the wider Torchwood team. I’m intrigued to hear where things will go from here now with Yvonne back on the outside and this whole seventh series so far has a feeling of it building towards something. I do hope that’s the case even if it is a bit nice to feel a bit relaxed. Overall, a very good listen!

Rating: 8/10

Among Us: Propaganda

"A doomsday cult called Torchwood."

Writer: Ash Darby

Format: Audio

Released: June 2023

Series: Torchwood 7.05

Featuring: Orr

Synopsis 

Orr is desperate to get to Voloshnik. The city's sealed off in the middle of a war the world's forgotten. There has to be someone left to save.

Verdict 

Propaganda was a sensational start to the second volume of Among Us to continue the official seventh series of Torchwood! After a really strong first opening that almost served as a reintroduction to this era of the show after an absence of a few years, I liked how this one opened and it may have suggested a bit more of a story arc for the series direction. I thought this was just superb from start to finish and Orr was a sublime main character. She’s really come into her own this series and I liked that she was heading for Veloshnik. Tapping into the current political tensions of Eastern Europe was brilliant and I loved going to Belarus. You don’t get much more controversial than this country as a Russian alley that’s rather difficult to get into. The situation a couple of years ago with them diverting an aeroplane was scary stuff so having Orr visit the country was fascinating. Minsk was supposedly home to some devastating nuclear and experimental weaponry and the basis of this episode was that one had gone badly wrong. Robert was seemingly the only survivor left in the town, or at least the only one communicating, and the disaster recovery specialists were on their way. So when their plane crashed things got very serious. Orr waking up two days later as the rebels were still scouring over anything they could get their hands on from the likes of credit cards and cash to duty free alcohol was quite something. The General being the one to travel with Orr was fun stuff as we didn’t know his rank until much later. So it turned out to probably not be a good idea to kidnap him as she was intent on getting to Veloshnik. Orr’s abilities showing herself as manly was good as she dealt with the physical empathy. Her introduction to Tania came in unusual circumstances as the doctor was actually conducting Orr’s autopsy! That was a fantastic scene and Tania was rather shocked to say the least. Their journey to Veloshnik was brilliant and I must say I was pleasantly surprised that Tania’s mum didn’t betray them. I was convinced that was going to happen! Their arrival at Veloshnik was very good and the scene they greeted was incredible. It was eerily quiet and that was presented well on audio. I thought the moments where Orr and Tania managed to find their way to Robert were terrific and I really enjoyed the slow build to reveal the truth about him. The constant mentions of propaganda throughout the episode were fantastic and it’s always a tool I’ve found hugely interesting throughout history. Media is essentially a form of constant propaganda and it was used great here. Robert actually being part of a propagandist group was extraordinary and was a big surprise to me purely because the scale was audacious! The dust that Orr and Tania found actually being the dead people was outstanding and injected a big sense of horror. When Orr worked out the truth about Robert I was a big fan of her need to vent her anger and frustration at what she’d learned. She was rightfully disgusted and the fact he said he’d personally killed ‘just’ one person and had to listen to the screams of others showed what kind of man he really was. He hardly showed remorse for the fact the plane that came to save him was shot down when the help wasn’t even needed. The ending with Robert potentially being immune to the new strain of measles was intriguing and he got shot when advancing too quickly on the troops. It was a somewhat fitting end. Overall, a sensational start to the series!

Rating: 10/10

Planet of the Dead

"There's something in the clouds."

Writers: Russell T Davies & Gareth Roberts

Format: Audio

Broadcast: 11 April 2009

Series: 2009 Easter Special

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Lady Christina

Synopsis 

A London bus takes a detour to an alien world and the Doctor attempts to defeat the terrifying Swarm by joining forces with the charismatic Lady Christina de Souza.

Verdict 

Planet of the Dead was a great episode to continue my way through the modern era rewatch! I’ve not got any kind of consistency lately which is quite fine when I’ve got to the Specials and it’s quite good to actually be treating this episode in isolation and not judging it alongside the other Specials as I might have done if I kept up with the rewatch any kind of way. It’s actually rather painful to think that this episode was broadcast fourteen years ago and I remember exactly where I was when watching it and it makes me feel rather old! It’s a fun episode and rather chilled despite the stakes. It really is Lady Christina’s story and she doesn’t waste time in stealing the show, almost literally! The fact she stole the gift to the King was terrific and her escape route being on a London bus is spectacular in its simplicity. The directing for the Doctor getting on the bus by shooting those famous converse (whatever happened to them?) from underneath was brilliant and having him there with an Easter Egg was a lot of fun. The journey through the wormhole was great and it always baffles me that the damage clearly evident on the bus was not supposed to happen! It’s so much better this way around and it wouldn’t have been believable if the bus was completely intact, especially once the driver walked through and instantly became a smoking skeleton. That was rather brutal. I liked the setting of San Helios with the desert looking rather impressive and on a massive scale. The Doctor immediately setting in motion the idea of the sand not being ordinary sand was good as we’d later learn that it was an entire civilisation reduced to rubble. Metallic cities, oceans and a hundred billion people all wrapped into one. It was essentially the dust left behind which was almost unfathomable in scale. I liked how Christina tried to take charge of those that were also on the bus as they tried to free it from the sand, and the Doctor’s reaction when he found out it was out of petrol was outstanding. He did feel helpless for a moment. Tennant sold it so well. I thought the relationship between the Doctor and Christina was great but I was a little surprised with how flirty he was. He also didn’t resist the kiss on the bus at the end which makes it all the more confusing that he wouldn’t take her as a companion at the end. It was fun stuff for him to let her escape on the 200 bus though! That was a comical and good hearted ending. Carmen was a brilliant character with her psychic capabilities, and the foreshadowing of events to come for the Doctor was superb as he was warned of four knocks. The Tritovores were decent but like the Hath in The Doctor’s Daughter I would have much preferred if we could actually understand them. The one way translation didn’t cut it for me. Their makeup as humanoid insects was good and nicely unique though! Malcom as UNIT’s scientific advisor was just tremendous and whilst it may go overboard by the end as we close the wormhole, he’s so much and injects a lot of comedy. It’s a shame we didn’t get more face to face moments between him and the Doctor. Erisa as the UNIT Captain was good too although I don’t think she should have pointed the gun at Malcolm when he refused to carry out her order and leave the Doctor stranded on the wrong side of the wormhole. That was great defiance. The Stingrays are a strong threat and I liked seeing them in action. Their metallic exoskeleton was good although I think it would have been better if none of them made it through the wormhole. They seemed slightly weak to then be defeated. Overall though, a very strong episode that was a lot of fun!

Rating: 8/10

Here There Be Monsters

"There are currents in space."

Writer: Andy Lane

Format: Audio

Released: July 2008

Series: Companion Chronicles 3.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis 

"It was a terrible sound like someone had just stabbed the Universe and it was crying out in pain."

The distant future. The TARDIS, with the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara aboard, is drawn out of the Vortex and lands aboard the Earth Benchmarking Vessel Nevermore, where Captain Rostrum is navigating by punching holes in the very fabric of space. The Doctor is appalled by this act of vandalism, and fearful that it could unleash monsters from the dark dimensions.

As the benchmarking holes begin to fray, the fate of the universe is at stake. And while the Doctor contemplates a terrible sacrifice, Susan befriends the Nevermore's First Mate – someone she will remember for the rest of her life...

Verdict 

Here There Be Monsters was a very decent episode to kick off the third series of Companion Chronicles! This is such a strong range and it’s fun to see it still in its relative infancy here. This is only the ninth release in the range and staggeringly the first story in which Carole Ann Ford plays the role of Susan that’s not in the Unbound universe, but you wouldn’t have guessed it. It’s actually my penultimate listen of the range as I’ve done it in a roundabout way and it will be weird to have completed the range tomorrow! I’m once again utilising the Scribd free trial and completing the spin-off is incredibly exciting. It was so lovely to hear Carole Ann Ford back as Susan and the insistence from these early stories to have Susan telling events far into her future is fascinating. She was quite brash and confident which is a little different to the Susan we would see on television, but I think that’s good and shows that she’s matured. It’s nice to know she had a life with David and quite fun that he didn’t know everything about her. It’s always fun to go back to the original TARDIS quartet as it’s such early days and the show was honestly so different to what it’s become now which I just adore. It feels retro and just classic so I was impressed that a similar feel was presented in the audio. It definitely felt like this could slot in somewhere in Season 2 and with Susan indicating that she would have to depart soon and lead her own life it probably was somewhere close. I enjoyed the setting of the EBV Nevermore very much and it was quite refreshing for a slightly different representation of space. The Doctor having knowledge beyond space is excellent and I think exploring what is beneath space is so exciting. There’s so much potential there and I think this was only touching the surface if I’m honest. There was a great deal more that could be done and I do hope it’s something explored further in the future. The Doctor believing that only monsters lay beneath space was intriguing as I do wonder what kind of lessons he was taught on Gallifrey, so having him being able to communicate with someone from the other side was terrific. He was quite stunned to find that he could communicate with someone from the other side in the form of the First Mate. He was an intriguing character and I was fascinated by the relationship had with Susan and how he was always with her by the end. Suggesting that he was a big reason why Susan had the courage to live on after the Doctor left her behind was a bit much for me though, but a combined fate was decent. He was a strong character to supplement Susan, although I do think that Rostrum might have been better served with his own voice. I was impressed with Ford’s narration though and hearing her voice her own character as well as the alien monster was good stuff. She did it admirably. I thought Ian and Barbara were quite quiet which was a shame but in a range like this it’s not surprising to just focus on the performing actor’s role. The Doctor’s anger at Rostrum for punching holes in space was good though and felt right at home for the First Doctor. The First Mate making those around him weak was decent and I liked how that provided an extinct conclusion to get back to the TARDIS. Overall, a good episode!

Rating: 7/10

The Final Phase

"What's so sensible about forming an alliance with the Daleks?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 2.07

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis 

"The raw power of the very fabric of reality itself. And you dare to think you can conquer it?"

Cuthbert's plan for the Proxima System is reaching its final phase.

The Doctor and Romana have been separated. The Doctor is aiding the Proximan fight-back. Romana and K9 are prisoners of the Daleks.

And as the countdown to the opening of the Quantum Gateway begins, the Daleks reveal their true intentions.

Verdict 

The Final Phase was a superb episode to conclude the story already started in The Dalek Contract and the second series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures overall! It’s been an excellently consistent series and whilst she is far from being my favourite companion, it’s a shame that this brings an end to the audio adventures of Romana I following the sad and untimely death of actress Mary Tamm. It’s been lovely to get a full series of stories not too focused on the search for the Key to Time as took over her entire run on television, and the way things ended for her here was really quite lovely as she begrudgingly admitted to actually being quite fond of the Doctor and not wanting to go back to the normality of Gallifrey. She would want to continue travelling the universe in the TARDIS for just a little while. I thought the immediate continuation from the previous story was nicely done and the Daleks really came into their own this time around as I expected. Cuthbert felt a little more vulnerable which was different and quite refreshing as he used the terms of the contract agreement with the Daleks to somewhat keep them in check. It was amusing though when they used that back at him when threatened. They were obviously after something from the experimentation of Cuthbert and the Conglomerate and it was quite funny that he even admitted that the Daleks came to him offering their services. They clearly had knowledge of the quantum gateway already and that fitted in nicely with their plan for conquering infinity. That was a brilliantly Dalek plan that didn’t surprise the Doctor and they just weren’t content with having one universe to rule. They wanted them all! The battle for power between Cuthbert and the Dalek Supreme was fantastic to hear play out and the helplessness of the crew along with Romana and K9 when the cliffhanger occurred with the Doctor’s ship blowing up was terrific. It really did feel like the Conglomerate and the Daleks had won. I really felt like this episode was going to wrap up the story for Cuthbert but it actually leaves me with more questions than answers regarding him! I can’t wait for his inevitable return as the idea of him being a paradox was tremendous. It added a new dimension to his character and the idea of him actually going back in time through the quantum gateway to set up the Conglomerate that he was already heading was intriguing. It was an end goal I didn’t expect and he almost taunted the Doctor and his being a Time Lord to work it out which was good stuff. His fate by entering the gateway and then it imploding was emphatic but K9 detecting the chronon particles about him suggested he wasn’t destroyed. That opens him up for a return which is very exciting. I thought the fate of the Daleks was also excellent as the Doctor had delved into his five hundred year diary to find the Dalek DNA and fed it into the gateway controls so it destroyed everything Dalek. That was pretty effective it has to be said! It was a fine final phase and rounded out a terrific series. Overall, a fantastic finale!

Rating: 9/10

The Dalek Contract

"If you don't work together, you'll die together."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 2.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis 

"These creatures have ravaged half the cosmos. They're experts at this kind of thing. Nothing can stand in their way."

The Doctor and Romana find themselves in the Proxima System, where enigmatic Conglomerate CEO Cuthbert has been conducting his infamous 'experiment'. An experiment which might accidentally rip the universe apart.

Meanwhile, living conditions on Proxima Major have become harsh and hostile. Climate change has turned the landscape into a freezing wasteland and an alien power has condemned much of the population to life inside internment camps. For those still clinging to their freedom, the struggle for survival is now beyond desperate and outsiders such as the Doctor and Romana are only seen as a threat.

What is Cuthbert really up to in the Proxima System, and just how does he expect the dreaded Daleks to fit into his plan?

Verdict 

The Dalek Contract was a strong start to the two-part finale of the second series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures! It’s always exciting when the Daleks are involved and it’s quite staggering that throughout the lengthy tenure of the Fourth Doctor’s run on television, he only encountered his greatest foes on two occasions. Of course, Energy of the Daleks saw to rectifying that and it’s just nice to be getting Dalek stories with this incarnation of the Doctor that don’t involve Davros. I’m all for more of the evil Dalek creator, but it does allow the Daleks to shine by themselves as was the case here. It was amusing to think of the Daleks as acting as a security force and it’s actually quite fun to think this came a decade or so before that happened on a political scale in the Revolution of the Daleks special. We always knew that the Daleks would have a motive other than acting as a security force, but it’s fun to hear them play the game. It’s important for the Doctor to acknowledge that the Daleks won’t adhere to the terms of their contract, but someone as self-righteous as Cuthbert was always going to think he was in control. I’m really enjoying the continuity throughout this series going back to The Sands of Life/War Against the Laan with the Conglomerate making their return. I liked how Cuthbert had spent time building his popularity back up after the events of the aforementioned episodes and he wasn’t so fussed on seeing that Romana was back in play. It was fun to have Dorrick back again and his awkwardness in delivering the message of the slowly increasing and yet unidentified particles was terrific. He’s a good character and just helps highlight the villainous nature of Cuthbert. Having him team up with the Daleks is a fine combination and I look forward to that inevitably collapsing in the final episode of the series. Romana mentioning how she’d heard of the Daleks was fun and I liked that she knew the Doctor always got the better of them. The Doctor knowing that the unidentified particles were a result of the Laan time experiment was good and I’m looking forward to finding out what Cuthbert’s ‘final phase’ will be. It’s a little weird to me still to have what is essentially a four-parter released as two different episodes as whilst a cliffhanger finish is nothing new, that usually leads us somewhere else with the story resolved. Here, the Doctor’s surrender will simply be an immediate continuation. That’s no problem, but there was just a little feeling of openness as the episode concludes. I can’t imagine having to wait a month for the next part as would have been the case when released! The Proxima System setting worked well and I thought it was wonderful to hear Romana’s reaction to the Doctor overwriting the randomiser once again. He really didn’t seem to be taking the Black Guardian threat seriously at all! The moment when the claw was coming for the TARDIS and the Doctor mentioned that he’d cancelled Romana’s modifications that would enhance the exterior shields because he didn’t like tampering! That was glorious and so perfectly in line with the Fourth Doctor’s personality. I now look forward to what’s to come in the second half and series finale, with the Daleks hopefully putting their plan into motion and the Doctor revealing his plans in surrender. Overall, a great episode!

Rating: 8/10

Phantoms of the Deep

"You're not alone down here."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: April 2013

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 2.05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis 

On their mission to explore the Mariana Trench at the very bottom of the ocean, the deepest and most inhospitable place on Earth, the crew of the deep sea vehicle Erebus make an unusual and startling discovery.

A battered blue police box.

As the Doctor, Romana and K9 join them on their journey, the submariners soon discover that the TARDIS is not the only unusual find lurking on the sea floor. 

Super-intelligent squid, long-lost submarines and their miraculous occupants are only the start of their troubles. The Goblins are coming. And they won't let anyone out alive.

Verdict 

Phantoms of the Deep was an excellent episode to continue the second series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures! This was a really thrilling story  that had me captivated from start to finish. It was fun to start with Romana not exactly being thrilled that the TARDIS had landed on Earth once again and I mean she did have a point when it came to supposedly using the randomiser to keep off the track of the Black Guardian. It wasn’t entirely believable but at least this time around they weren’t landing on the planet’s surface. The TARDIS being found under a pressure of ten atmospheres and some eleven kilometres below the surface in the Pacific Ocean was excellent because that felt so dangerous. It’s obviously topical news at the moment with the recent implosion of the Titan on its voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic, so the threat of water pressure that deep was palpable. I always feel that real life natural threats like this one carry more weight and when Romana and Terri were ejected by the possessed K9 for the cliffhanger I was certainly shocked! I know that Romana and K9’s adventures do go on but that was superb and left me wondering just how they were going to survive. It was really impactful and certainly did leave them in a helpless position which I enjoyed. I thought the crew of the Erebus were fantastic and the reaction when they saw the police box hut exterior of the TARDIS in the water depths was tremendous. Of all the things to find! The crew seemed to think they were hallucinating with the Doctor and Romana emerging, but that was not the case. They weren’t having a shared hallucination. I thought the near future setting of 2040 was excellent and felt futuristic with the technology of the sub but also not so removed from our time. Radio communication was still a thing so that was nice to keep simple. Patricia was a tremendous character as a marine biologist and I liked her relationship with the Doctor. She was handy in explaining the situation and the science behind the submarine and pressure of the water which is almost unfathomable. Even Romana was quite admiring of the technological advancement for a level five planet. The discovery of Jack Hodges was really good and whilst the saviour of an air pocket was more than feasible, it keeping him alive for a century was not! That was a strong revelation and he was very shocked to find how much time had passed since the ship went down, as you might expect! I thought the goblin phantoms were an intriguing element of the story too and it fitted the loose horror theme for them to be the remains of those who sunk with the ship back during World War Two. The scale of the story there was brilliant with the passage of time proving pivotal. It was lovely to have K9 repaired and I liked the continuity with War of the Laan to have him back in action now. His ability to translate the logical communication of the squids was terrific and instantly showed his value. I love having the little robot dog around because he does offer so much. Maybe a bit more humour would have been beneficial here though? The squids helping the Doctor to save himself from the immense pressure of the ocean was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the community effort in ridding their minds of the phantoms, as they simply were just illusions. Overall, a fantastic episode!

Rating: 9/10

The Justice of Jalxar

"It searches your mind for evidence of guilt."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: March 2013

Series: Fourth Doctor Adventures 2.04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, Jago, Litefoot

Synopsis 

They call him The Pugilist. 

It is the dawn of a new century and a vigilante is on the loose. The scourge of the criminal underclass. the saviour of the virtuous and the protector of the weak. The police are baffled, the public enamoured... but Professor George Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago are on the case. Or at least they will be when they've finished their beer.

What is the source of The Pugilist's spectacular supernatural powers? Is he alone in his noble quest? And what is his connection to the spate of corpses discovered around London?

As they descend further into a nefarious netherworld, the infernal investigators may be out of their depth. They're going to need help if they're to get out of this alive. The help of an old friend and his new assistant. The help... of the Doctor and Romana.

Verdict 

The Justice of Jalxar was an excellent continuation of the second series of Fourth Doctor Adventures! I had planned to do this quite a few weeks ago but for some reason in my Scribd free trial a number of the Doctor Who titles I had downloaded mysteriously were unavailable until the start of this month which was frustrating. But better late than never! I have been excited about this one for a long time and even more so after delving my way into the Jago and Litefoot spin-off range because the prospect of these two tremendous characters being reunited with the Fourth Doctor was too good to pass up. I’m so glad it happened! The pair made a big impact in The Talons of Weng-Chiang and the reunion here was as fun as I hoped it would be. It was a different dynamic with the first Romana in the companion role instead of Leela, but that was really great and Jago’s reaction to seeing her exit the TARDIS was as wonderful as I would expect. He’s just a glorious character and clearly enjoys the company of women so he was quite flustered by the classy Romana. He was even admiring her name. The moment that Litefoot spotted the Doctor in the tavern was brilliant and he seemed genuinely shocked to be seeing him back in the incarnation they were familiar with. A decade had passed since their initial meeting, but for Jago and Litefoot it had been some years since their travels in the TARDIS with the Sixth Doctor. I was surprised they didn’t allude to that more, but it was just fantastic to get this reunion. When the Doctor was in Victorian London and he needed some local knowledge, it’s nice to know he felt he could rely on his old chums. The Doctor landing the TARDIS nearly a month after the vigilante they were chasing had arrived was humorous and that had allowed it to be causing chaos in London! I thought the concept behind the Pugilist was excellent and whilst the cliffhanger of it delivering justice was needlessly repeated, I loved the idea of it extracting mind control as a means of deciding guilt. There was no escaping the truth when it was literally ingrained in your thoughts and memory, so the automaton only needed to delve into the mind to find the answers. It dealt in the laws of the planet or locale that it was located and that meant even petty crime could prove deadly because it seemed the only means of justice it delivered was death! That fate befell Stone which was quite surprising but was a fine example of how deadly the Pugilist could be. Romana recognised it as part of the Jalxar and Jago’s line of thinking she said jigsaw was glorious. He was on top form for comedic value here. Harvey Marsh was a strong character and instantly hate-able which was exactly the intention. His attitude towards Mary and how he seemed to think he owned her just made him out to not be a great guy. Mary as a younger girl in Victorian London felt like she was in danger with her thieving profession, and Harvey was clearly taking advantage of her. The plot was very well suited to Victorian London and even felt like it would be right at home in the Jago and Litefoot spin-off if the Doctor and Romana didn’t appear. That was terrific because it felt of the era and time which is precisely what you want. The conclusion was fun with the Doctor simply overloading the Pugilist and it being made of wood meant it didn’t mix well with water and fell into rotting. Overall, a really strong and fun adventure!

Rating: 8/10

Lost in the Wakefield Triangle

"The tenderest rhubarb in the galaxy, grown at a rate unheard of on Earth."

Writer: Vin Marsden Henrick

Format: Audio

Released: August 2011

Series: Short Trips 4.03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Jo find trouble in the most unlikely of places when they stop off to buy some West Yorkshire rhubarb...

Verdict 

Lost in the Wakefield Triangle was not the greatest of Short Trips adventures by any stretch of the imagination. I just couldn’t enjoy any of this story really which is such a shame to be saying because it really did feel like the talents of the wonderful Katy Manning were somewhat wasted here. She’s so talented and she did her best with the materials she was given here, but they just weren’t awfully good. I’m not sure if I have ever given a lower rating in the history of my blog entries over the last decade or so, but I do think her narration alone saved it from complete disaster. The way she read the story was brilliant and her enthusiasm really is infectious. I’m always impressed with how easily she switches between characters when it comes to these early Short Trips stories because it’s not an easy task to be the sole narrator in an adventure containing multiple characters. Her impression of the Third Doctor is tremendous and it’s so nice to hear her put in considerable effort. She does sound authentic and given her gender and the elderly nature of the third incarnation, that’s a real achievement and it was no different for this story here. A story that I’m sad to say was just rather boring. I mean, when the whole premise of an adventure is some dodgy rhubarb that doesn’t exactly sound enticing. I was fine with the Doctor and Jo landing the TARDIS because they were after some rhubarb because that’s a good way to introduce them to the locals of wherever they have landed, but that shouldn’t then become the whole story. This just felt more like it was an introduction that never stopped until it was over. That’s not the right approach for an enjoyable story. Martin Chisom falling victim to the mysterious rhubarb was decent but it all just felt a little silly. Even the culprits of the metal big enemy just felt flat and never something that could be taken seriously which was a big shame to say. I thought Brian and Claire Forrest as the ones who found Martin in his condition were pretty good but they didn’t really have enough time to fully embellish themselves into proceedings. I do think that is a shortfall of these early series Short Trips in that for the most part, the running time just isn’t long enough for an entire adventure. There’s not enough time for a structure to take place that has some kind of impact. I thought Manning’s take on the metal bug was a decent attempt but it did feel a bit silly. Their claim of taking the world by conquest but getting confused and them actually just referring to Martin’s shed was a bit bland and just bang average to be honest. It was a bit of a sigh moment as I listened to the story on a rare office day commute. It wasn’t exactly my favourite conditions to be listening, but this didn’t brighten my day ahead of a shift! The absence of Jo from going to the wrong shed was also just a bit rubbish and sounds so stupid. She’s better than that. I thought the way things concluded was slightly underwhelming as Brian and the bug reached a trade agreement that meant the bug was happy enough staying in the shed with its supply of rhubarb. The Doctor assuring Jo that it wasn’t actually dangerous felt a bit like cheating and not entirely convincing as I’m not sure he’d had enough time to make that judgement! Overall, I just felt like this was a poor story that didn’t have enough time but to be honest by the end I was glad for it to be done. Considering it was only sixteen minutes long or so, that’s far from ideal!

Rating: 4/10