There are 4,137 reviews so far. To add a review of your own, click on the item in question, then click the Vote link.
I always seem to miss it on TV, but watched this DVD and loved every minute of it. Well done RTD!
 |  |  |
 | Please dont do this again to the Zygons! |
|
| | |
| What: | Sting of the Zygons (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 10 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: |   3 |
I have read a few of these New Series novels, and this one i didn't enjoy. I found it was a book that tried to be to cleaver for its own good. The book takes to long to get interesting then when it finnaly gets going I thorught to myself "Ok, Why do I care about this".
There is no charecter development, and the one i realy disliked was the French jounerlist. Although I love the Zygone and hope to see them soon in the New Series I just didn't find them belivble (and dont get me starteds on them shape changing into a herd of cows.).
It normaly takes me a week or so to read one of these books (not the fastest reader in the world). For me the sign of a book I'm not enjoying is that I keep looking at how many pages i have left to read, and i did this alot.
I was also forgeting who all the charecters where so spent a lot of time going back to recheck who everyone was. But having said all that even bad Doctor Who is better than 90% of most other crap out there.
To sum it up, Love the Zygons, love to see them on TV again, but Hated (no thats not true) Disliked this book. 3 out of 10
| | |
| A good historicle adventure. |
|
| | |
| What: | The Stone Rose (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
|
| Date: | Monday 8 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
I enoyed this book, but didn't like the Genie, it only complicated the story in the end. The only other problem i had with this book was the the gladiator’s arena, I agree with everybody else that it was too long. As a historicle story this works very well and she has got the Doctor and Rose spot on, I even didn't mind Mickey in this.
An enojyable read but i enjoyed her Winner Takes All more. but they were both good and enjoyable 8 out of 10
| | |
| A Terrific Low Budget Thriller |
|
| | |
In 1993, BBV gathered four of the living actors who had played the title character on the BBC's classic science fiction series Doctor Who together for a special film. But instead of getting Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy to reprise their respective Doctors BBV produced something completely different. Not a Doctor Who story, but a low budget environmental thriller that gave each actor a chance to show something different.
Colin Baker is TV weatherman Arnold "Archie" Davies. In the role, Baker shows off an almost perfect blending of comedic and dramatic abilities as he goes from lowly weatherman to environmental crusader. Baker proves once and for all that he is more then just the colorful jester version of the Doctor. He is a serious actor with some serious ability. Baker isn't the only one to step out form his shadow though. McCoy plays the tireless activist/reluctant ally to Davies and shows off his ability to convince anyone of strange things being real. Davison, who plays reporter Al Dunbar whose ghostly appearances send Davies on his quest, shows off a more serious and frustrated side of his acting abilities. Last, but not least, is Jon Pertwee who pops in every so often to give commentary and words of wisdom as Dunbar's mysterious mentor. Each proves to be more then just the Doctor of their respective TV era's.
The supporting cast is just as good. Nicola Bryant and Michael Wisher (who had also appeared on Doctor Who) step out of their shadows from the series to bring to life two curious characters who push the story along. The former Doctors are further supported by the venomous performances of Bernadette Gepheart and the soon to be discovered Alan Cumming. Rounding out the cast is Nicholas Briggs (who now does voices for the revived Doctor Who series) as Sam Flint, the news editor with divided loyalties. The cast is certainly a mix but they strength to the production.
Considering the low budget nature and short length (around an hour) of the Airzone Solution it is still quite effective. From the opening shots of Dunbar's documentary to the climatic scene at the trade convention, writer Nicholas Briggs and director Bill Baggs keep up the tension and audience interest. If there is a big fault in the film, it's the low budget. While set in the near-future there's enough to date the film to the early 1990's, mostly it is the technology, such as the old computers and floppy disks that look ancient just fifteen years after the film was made. A story like this requires depth, certainly more then the films; low budget could give.
The special features also make this worth your money. There's an interview with Peter Davison who talks about his work on this production and the challenges of doing a low budget film from an actors point of view. There are some hilarious outtakes which shows that even on low budget things can go wrong. There's also some behind the scenes footage showcasing the making of the film along with interviews with fans, and two trailers for the film. For a low budget film, these are some terrific special features for a DVD release.
Yet despite the low budget, the film still works from the script and direction to the actors, this film proves that low budgets can't weigh down a good story under good circumstances. While Doctor who fans might be disappointed in not seeing their favorite Doctor's in action, they can enjoy something different. They can enjoy a taut, low budget thriller that beats most Hollywood movies.
| | |
| The Best Story Of The McCoy Era |
|
| | |
There is a saying about going out on top. Sylvester McCoy (and indeed Doctor Who itself) found itself coming to an unexpected end in 1989 with some of the original series best stories. Of those the best of them would be The Curse Of Fenric. With this DVD release this classic story is seen not only in its original form but in an expanded "special edition" that presents the way it was originally intended. The result is a unique release of what I consider to be the second best Doctor Who story ever.
Any good production must have a god cast and this one has one of the best of the series. The performances start with the regulars: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace. McCoy gives his single best Doctor Who performance in this story as he strikes just the right balance between his more comedic Doctor of season 24 and the more serious Doctor of season 25 and earlier in season 26. Just look at the final episode (or the last half-hour of the special edition) to see McCoy at his best. Sophie Aldred also gives one of her best performances as Ace. This was the middle story of what has become known to fans as the "Ace Trilogy" (the other two stories being Ghost Light and Survival) due to their heavy focus on Ace and giving Aldred a chance to show off her skills as an actress. Aldred doesn't disappoint with a strong disappointment with a strong performance as the companion who discovers that her past is interlinked with the vents unfolding around her. Despite their excellent performances, McCoy and Aldred is just the tip of the cast.
There is also an excellent supporting cast as well. There's Dinsdale Landen as Dr. Judson, the crippled computer scientist who unleashes the title and effectively embodies it. Alfred Lynch gives an excellent performance the obsessive Commander Millington who grows more and more paranoid as the story unfolds. There are also excellent performances from Tomek Bork as Soviet Captain Sorin plus Joann Kenny and Joanne Belll as the two teenagers Jean and Phyllis. Even the smaller roles are filled with good actors and actress like Anne Reid (Nurse Crane), Steven Rimkus (Captain Bates), Janet Henfrey (Mrs. Hardaker) and Raymond Trickett (the Ancient One). The true highlight of the supporting cast is Nicholas Parsons as Reverend Wainwright. Parsons, who apparently is better known in the UK for his more comedic roles and game show hosting, gives one of the best performances of the McCoy era as the priest who lost his faith and pays for it. There is a wonderful scene in the church where he is giving a sermon to an empty church that illustrates this beautifully and gives Parsons his best moment in the story. All together they form one of the show's best casts.
The story also has some strong production values as well. From the outset we get a rather well-done recreation of a WWII era army camp complete with trappings of the era (including a well done 1940's computer). Then there's the Haemovore's: the vampire possible future evolution of humanity brought back to the past. The Haemovore's, especially the Ancient One, are amongst the best monsters ever designed for the show as they are incredibly spooky and convincing. Couple this with the underwater filming and excellent location work and the result is a story that proves that under the right conditions a low budget can be overcome.
Then there's the heart of it all: the script. This is a story with many threads and layers. It is a story about war and faith that explores the nature of evil plus the lengths one must go to fight it. On top of all that there is the obvious horror aspect in the form of the Haemovores. Ian Briggs also manages to tie together stories from the McCoy era (Silver Nemesis, Dragonfire) to explore the background and character of Ace. Above all, this story is a sort of chess game between the Doctor and is ancient enemy named here as Fenric in which all the other characters act as their pawns. This is a story where one must watch to get everything that is going on making this not only a action story but one of the show's most cerebral as well. It is because of its complexity that the "special edition" is worth watching.
The DVD is packed with special features including interviews, commentaries, making of stuff etc but the true star of this release: the "special edition" version of the story. This version is movie length with new scenes, CGI effects and a 5.1 soundtrack which makes it the superior of the two versions. This is not only because of the CGI effects and the excellent 5.1 soundtrack but because of the new scenes added to the story. The new scenes add a new depth to the story that expands on the backgrounds of some character sand the actions of others. This version also is helped by the regarding done the story which brings a new degree of atmosphere that the story was previously missing. The result is a classic story made all the better and this version of the story alone is worth the price of the DVD.
The Curse Of Fenric is Doctor Who at its finest or close to it. It is defiantly the best story of the McCoy era at any rate with its strong performances, good production values and a strong script. This DVD release, with the "special edition" version, is the definitive version of this classic Doctor Who adventure. Believe what you've heard: The Curse Of Fenric is excellent.
| | |
| The Doctor Comes To Audio! |
|
| | |
Doctor Who And The Pescatons, originally released in 1976, is interesting for a number of reasons. First it was the first Doctor Who story specially done for audio but more importantly perhaps, it is the only Doctor Who audio drama to feature the classic teaming of Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen. So how does this thirty year old audio drama hold up? The answer: surprisingly well.
Why? For starters if you're a Tom Baker fan you will love this. Baker not only gets to play the role of the Doctor, he also gets to narrate the story as well. It is Baker who serves as our guide through the story and he is one who sells it. His voice takes us underwater towards the beginning of the story and to the far off world of Pesca in part two. Baker's acting chops are huge and here, more then anytime in his tenure on the TV series, he gets to show them off.
Backing Baker up is Elisabeth Sladen and Bill Mitchell. Sladen, of course, reprises her role as Sarah Jane Smith from the TV series. While she doesn't appear near the amount that Baker does, she does add a lot to the story. Her presence helps sell the terror of the first scene on the beach and later if a desperate rescue attempt the Pescaton invasion. Mitchell's appearance is the smallest of the three roles but he is the story's villain. And what a villain he makes as one can only wish we could have heard more of him in the story.
Despite the fact that this is only a three hander (the technical term mean "this only has three actors in it") this story still manages to feel epic. The sound effects are exceptional and one only needs to listen to the segments featuring London first in peace and then in terror from the Pescaton invasion to realize that point. I should also mention that this story has a few well placed sound effects that will more then likely make you jump. To back these sound effects is the music. The music by Kenny Clayton could easily rival anything composed by then series composer Dudley Simpson. What does this lead to in the end? An eerie Doctor Who story without some of the laughable special effects from the series (even as a fan one has to admit how the bad effects often hurt the series). But that's the obvious fun of audio drama: you create the adventure's visuals.
The story isn't perfect of course and does have flaws. Victor Pemberton's writing is terrific in terms of plot (even though one can trace the stories origins to other Doctor Who TV stories especially Jon Pertwee's story The Sea Devils), but it is in the narration that the flaws in the writing can be found. Scenes seem to jump too quickly, for example how the opening scene on the beach jumps to the Doctor's underwater exploration with a quick piece of narration. The story needed development in terms of bringing in more scenes and character to add depth to the story. But this can be forgiven when keeping in mind the limits of the LP technology thirty years ago. Yet even when this forgiven, it is an inescapable fact that this is still a major flaw.
The other interesting aspect of this release is the contents of the second disk. Disk one is the actual program (the story is only about 45 minutes long) while the second disk contains a treat: an interview with Elisabeth Sladen. She discusses (along with interviewers Mark Ayers and Michael Stevens) the rather rushed production of this story. But outside of that discussion they go into Sladen's time on the TV series. It offers a behind the scenes glimpse into the series, in particular why Jon Pertwee left the series and Sladen's view on the controversy surrounding the "horror sequences" of the series. It's interesting to listen to, especially if one is a fan of this era of the series.
As a fan of Doctor Who, it is hard not to enjoy this story. It's the only audio adventure featuring Tom Baker's fourth Doctor after all. Yet this offers a chance any fan can, and should, relish: a chance to take a classic Doctor and a great story and create the visual aspects of the story in our minds. No bad special effects to hamper the terror and thrills. Instead we have only the sounds of the actors, the incredible sound effects, and the creepy music of Kenny Clayton. If that's not worth a fan's time and money, what is?
| | |
| A Good Idea With A Mixed Result |
|
| | |
Following on the release of the 1996 TV movie with Paul McGann as the eight Doctor, BBC Books decided to launch a new book series featuring the adventures of the Eighth Doctor. To start if off they brought Long-time Who script editor and writer Terrance Dicks. What Dicks produced is an enjoyable trip through the best moments of the original series.
Dicks was script editor of the series during the Jon Pertwee years and was the writer of most of the novelizations published by Target books during the 1970's and 1980's so he was a good choice to start off the adventures of the (then) new Doctor. How better to do that then have the new Doctor go back and meet his past selves?
But instead of having it done along the lines of his own story The Five Doctors, Dicks chooses to do a direct continuation of the TV movie. While that idea is a good one, the downside of it is that Dicks does tend to spend a lot of time on some Doctors (especially three and six) while devoting as few pages as possible to others (the seventh is really short changed). It's a good idea with a mixed result.
The charm of this novel is that it makes good use of the continuity of the series...for the most part. Dicks uses the concept of the Doctor visiting his past selves to fill in the occasional gap in the series like how the Master escaped after The Sea Devils or the downfall of the government on Gallifrey mentioned in The Trial of a Time Lord. There is also some good use of Sontarans, the Master, and even the return of his own Reston Fighting Robot. That said Dicks also creates a few continuity problems such as setting the seventh Doctor down on Metebelis Three. After doing so well with the continuity of the other Doctors, Dicks goes and messes up big time. I don't mean to sound like a raving fan boy but this was more for the third Doctor not the seventh. Its Dicks one bad use of continuity (if one can call it that) and like the novel's concept proves to be a good idea with a mixed result.
Another big problem of the novel is that the addition of introducing a new companion. Samantha Jones, who would go on to become a companion of the eighth Doctor, is given a rather poor introduction in The Eight Doctors. It's not that the character was badly written, but the fact that the introduction seems a bit forced and awkward in the midst of a trip down memory lane (or is Totters Lane?) which doesn't help the novel out at all.
While it does have its problems, The Eight Doctors is far from the worse Doctor Who novel. In fact it's one of the better ones I've read. Dicks' novel is not a piece of literature (far from it in fact) it is fast paced, fills in a few plot holes from the series (along with creating a few), and is above all enjoyable. And that's what Doctor Who is first and foremost: enjoyable.
| | |
| A fair start but not the best |
|
| | |
| What: | Dead London (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
|
| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
|
| Date: | Saturday 6 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 6 |
Usally the opening story to a new season of anything is a little slow. Which is what i found about this new BBC7 Production. I was in the garden while i listened to this, and I had to go back more than a few times. This story just didn't grip me.
The pase and plot was very slow and then the ending seamed rushed. Which is a shame as this is the first BBC7 I have come across that i didn't want to listen to again. But I supose that just proves that you can't please everybody.
This story will not put me of BBC7 audios as i have loved most of them (out of my top 5 Audio adventure 3 are BBC7). If it has put you off them then i sagest you go and listen to the next one in the series Max Warp - Its absolutly brillant!!!
| What: | Shada (BBC classic series videos) |
|
| By: | Matthew Kresal, United States |
|
| Date: | Saturday 6 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 9 |
Shada may have one of the most complicated behind the scenes stories of all time. Originally conceived as the six-part finale of the 1979-1980 season of Doctor Who by Douglas Adams (then script editor and creator of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy) and was extensively set at Cambridge University. Now all of the location filming at Cambridge had been completed and some of the studio work done before an actors strike halted the production. Then the decision was made not to finish all of the filming. Then in 1992, the BBC finally decided to take the recorded footage from 1979 and use Tom Baker to help tie those sequences that were never filmed with narration. This is the result.
To say the least this is one of the most impressive Doctor Who adventures. Adams script is taught, tense, and even fun at times. The story is complicated to say the least and is virtually impossible to quickly summarize. Yet despite this (or rather because of it) the story keeps your riveted to the screen and waiting for the next scene right up until the very end.
The performances by the actors are good and amongst the better ones of the series. Tom Baker is at his height as the Doctor, playing everything so well that it is hard to find a problem with it. Lalla Ward is well as Romana and this is one of her better episodes as well. Beyond them is a strong supporting cast in the form of Denis Carey as Professor Chronotis, the retired Time Lord who is not what he seems. Christopher Neame as the evil Skagra, who is evil despite the laughable costume (white outfit, complete with silver cloak and hat) and the addition of the mind draining sphere helps immensely.
The story was never fully filmed and is tied together by clips of narration featuring Tom Baker. This is actually a pro rather then a con. Baker brilliantly reprises his role of the Doctor and narrates the story's missing parts expertly. Baker gives in his narration an inkling of what Shada could have and should have been. It is a testament to his power as an actor that the story works as well as it does in an uncompleted form.
The one big minus of the story is in the special effects. The special effects are up to par with those of the series at the time. Yet there are some special effects featuring spacecrafts that don't work at all. It seems that the producers of the video decided that these special effects should only give an inkling of what was intended. A great shame really.
Shada is the sum of its parts. With the combination of a fine script, fine performances, great humor, some terrific location filming, and some brilliant narration by Tom Baker, Shada is more then just a lost story from a classic series. It is an inkling of what could have a Doctor Who classic. While it is isn't as good as seeing a full-fledged story (though Big Finish audio did the full story in audio form starring Paul McGann's eighth Doctor) this is still an amazing sci-fi epic. For any serious fan of Doctor Who or Douglas Adams, this is a must see.
| What: | The Skull of Sobek (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
|
| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
|
| Date: | Friday 5 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 5 |
Another nice production. But a lot of it doesn't make much sense, and it needed to be longer and better developed. If stories were people, The Skull of Sobek would be a small, retarded cousin of Time's Crucible...
(Btw - points deducted for 'Lucie the croc'.)
| | |
| Best Companion Story So Far |
|
| | |
| What: | Here There Be Monsters (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
|
| By: | Charles G. Dietz, San Jose, CA, United States |
|
| Date: | Friday 5 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 9 |
This story is exciting and Carole Ann Ford does an excellent interpretation of the 1st Doctor and her fellow travellers.
| | |
| Disturbing, Thought Provoking, A Classic |
|
| | |
Since their first appearance in The Tenth Planet back in 1966, fans have been debating the origins of the Cybermen, the half human half machine race from Earth’s long lost win planet Mondas. So it seems natural that Big Finish would eventually take the Doctor and companion to Mondas at the point of the Cybermen’s birth. What doesn’t seem to be natural is what writer Marc Platt did with the story. Spare Parts isn’t just another Doctor Who adventure by any means. It’s a compelling blend of science fiction and drama in a story that asks one of the most basic questions of human nature: how far would we go to survive?
The performances from the regulars are nothing short of astonishing. Peter Davison what I consider his single best performance as the fifth Doctor, going from reluctant innocent abroad to the man trying to change history for the better. Late in the story there’s a plot twist that shocks the Doctor and Cybermen battle to its core and Davison plays it incredibly well. Spurring him on is companion Nyssa, played to perfection by Sarah Sutton who also gives her single best performance in the role. In fact it is Nyssa’s friendship with the Hartley family that makes her force the Doctor to make that change. The performances of these two give the story much of its emotional depth and make it even more compelling.
The supporting cast is just as phenomenal. The Hartley family as played by Paul Copley (as the Dad), Kathryn Guck (as the optimistic and sickly Yvonne), and Jim Hartley (as the impatient Frank) serve as a microcosm of the people of Mondas, trying to remain hopeful in a world fast running out of hope. On the other side of the spectrum is Darren Nesbit as the spare (body) parts dealer Thomas Dodd, the shady businessman thriving on the pain and suffering. Yet he’s the sane one when compared to Doctorman Allan (Sally Knyvette) and Sisterman Constance (Pamela Binns), just two of many scientists and doctors slowly converting the population into Cybermen for work on the surface…or so it starts out. Then there’s the voice of the Cybermen, Nicholas Briggs. Briggs provides the voice not just for the various Cybermen but for the Central Committee who runs the city and there’s something about the voices (the Cybermen’s based on their voices in The Tenth Planet and the Central Committee’s on the Cyber-Controller’s voice in Tomb of the Cybermen) that sends chills down the spine and makes one listen.
If the performances weren’t enough, Marc Platt’s script is enough reason to consider this story amongst the best for the show in any medium. Platt made the smart choice not to do a Cybermen version of the classic TV story Genesis of the Daleks (not that’s a bad idea: see the new series two parter Rise of the Cybermen / Age of Steel) but to do a story entirely different. At its heart Spare Parts is the story as old as history of a civilization on the verge of collapse desperate to survive by any means possible. The means in this case is the use of saws and laser scalpels to remove emotions and insert cold logic, in essence the death of humanity and the birth of machines with human bodies.
In fact, the most chilling sequence of the story comes when a member of the Hartley family finds themselves in the assembly line for that process. To hear those saws and lasers coupled with screams, tears, and cries for help makes for a moment where even the most hardened listener stops to feel the shiver going up one’s spine. Platt plays the horror of that and when coupled with how closely Mondas is like our own world in the mid-1950’s (a fascination with television and even a form of Christmas) there’s only one description for it: chilling. The dilemma faced by the people of Mondas is only slightly different from the questions we face regarding genetics and other scientific advances that give us reason for pause.
The fundamental question of Spare Parts is how far must we go to survive and what must we sacrifice to do so? Marc Platt’s script asks that question and gives us a horrifying answer. That script, when coupled with the excellent performances, makes for one of the best Doctor Who stories ever. Science Fiction works best when its not just adventure but a question of moral importance. There are few examples as great as Spare Parts. Perfect for old fans and those new to Doctor Who (I once had two friends sitting around a CD player for the full length), Spare Parts may well be Big Finish’s best Doctor Who story. If not, it’s defiantly the most disturbing.
| | |
| Let This Be One Of The Novels You Read |
|
| | |
This is Human Nature: The basis for the revived TV’s series two part story Human Nature / The Family of Blood. Written by Paul Cornell and published back in May 1995, this novel has earned a reputation as one of the best Doctor Who novels ever. Having read quite a few of them I’m willing to go one step further: Human Nature is the best Doctor Who novel ever written.
Human Nature is (to paraphrase a famous quote from the series) far more then just another Doctor Who story. It is a strong story about love, war, and what makes us human. One of the reasons for this is because it’s a novel full of real characters, not just one or two dimensional cut outs. This is especially true of the malevolent seventh Doctor, who becomes a human being and leaves his companion Professor Summerfield having to save him.
While the novel features a fair amount of action and typical science fiction material, the story has a love story running through it. That is the love between the humanized seventh Doctor (Dr. John Smith) and Joan Redfern that while it might initially seem out of place, Cornell makes it fit. Cornell creates a realistic relationship between the two and whenever they’re together the pages really do light up. In fact, Smith and Joan are the literal heart and soul of Human Nature. It is there relationship, and its climax that really make this novel standout.
The novel’s only real flaw is it’s villains who are a bit of a joke for the most part. The Aubertide shape shifters are clumsy to say the least and very rarely (if at all) to they have menace. That said they have a great moment in chapter six, but for the most part Cornell drops the ball in terms of the villains and in turn creates the novel’s only real problem.
Don’t let that flaw deter you though. This novel is what science fiction is at its best: a morality tale in a very different dressing. To put it another way: If you read only one Doctor Who novel let this be the one you read.
After viewing Season 24 of the original series, I never thought I would have to cringe at another Sylvester McCoy Doctor Who story ever again. And then I listened to Bang-Bang-A-Boom! Needless to say I discovered how wrong I could be in what could be the worst story Big Finish has yet released.
Bang-Bang-A-Boom! is set between Paradise Towers and Delta and the Bannerman, which are both from season 24 and the latter considered by many to be the McCoy era’s worst story incidentally. And this story feels like it belongs next to it. Why? Because this story was deliberately meant to be a parody in its tone and nature and that is exactly what it is: a parody and a bad one at that. It takes the clichés from every TV series ever set on a space station, combines that with every murder mystery cliché and the result is this story. The story's problem: it doesn't take itself seriously so nobody takes it seriously. Which is a shame...a crying shame.
To be fair Yes it has (some) funny moments with McCoy mixing up metaphors. It isn't the actors fault that their given a script this bad to work with. That said, outside of McCoy and Bonnie Langford, none of the cast members seem to really care just how bad this really is or how bad they sound doing it.
Bang-Bang-A-Boom! is a story that is clichéd and cringe-worthy all the way through. It doesn't take itself seriously either as a Doctor Who story or as a parody of... well space station shows or murder mysteries or anything in-between. Recommended for those seeking to complete their collections only.
| | |
| Perhaps The Worst Story Ever |
|
| | |
| What: | Slipback (Miscellaneous audio dramas) |
|
| By: | Matthew Kresal, United States |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 2 September 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 1 |
In 1985/1986, Doctor Who found itself on hiatus. In an attempt to give fans something during this, this radio story (the first Doctor Who story made especially for radio) was made. It plays like some of the worst stories of the Colin Baker era. This isn’t Baker’s or Nicola Bryant’s fault though as much as it’s the fault of the writing and other actors. In short, Slipback is amongst the worst Doctor Who stories ever made.
Baker and Bryant though aren’t at fault. Hey manage to play Eric Saward’s script as well as they can. In fact they make the story worth listening to just to hear their chemistry together. Baker in particular seems to be a little more human and less arrogant then his TV performances in the role. Bryant plays the only really sane character in the story, which gives her a chance to shine. They do their best with the story.
The rest of the cast is a let down. Valentine Dyall in his final performance as Captain Slarn, is a real let down with some odd line delivery and a poor performance all around. Jane Carr seems to have fun in the dual role of the ship's computer with two personalities. While the hidden personality is fine to listen to, the public voice of the computer is very annoying and while meant to be humorous, it isn’t in the very least. The other characters are just there for the laughs and are really dumb…and that’s being nice.
The main problem with the story is the writing. Eric Saward, the show’s script editor and some time writer, had done some good stories in his time (Earthshock, Revelation Of The Daleks) and this is not one of them. In fact, this may be his worst piece of work on the series. The main story is perhaps the most improbable collection of characters and circumstances ever to be put together in a single Doctor Who story. The characters are bland and played for laughs to the point of annoyance. In particular the whole section featuring Dyall’s Captain Slarn could have been left out without making a single difference to the story considering he does absolutely nothing in the story! Sawrd seems to have forgotten what makes Doctor Who work and instead creates, or rather tires to create, a poor man’s version of Douglas Adams’ classic Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. And, as I said, it’s a poor man’s version.
Is Slipback worth listening to? It depends on how much of a fan you are. If you’re ea casual fan, avoid this and listen to one of the Baker Big Finish stores or one of the other BBC audio stories. If you’re a die-hard fan of the series then yes. But keep this in mind: listening t this is a really bad way to die. Slipback is perhaps the worst Doctor Who story ever and I do not recommend it.
| | |
| How The McCoy Era Should have Ended... |
|
| | |
Ah Death Comes To Time…The BBC’s first serious attempt at bringing Doctor Who back after the 1996 TV movie. First aired as a webcast in 2001 and 2002 before being released first on audio CD and then on MP3. Since then it has seemingly divided fans that have seen / heard it into two groups: those who love it and those who hate it. I fall into the former category and here’s why: because Death Comes To Time does two very important things. First it sets out to be something different and more importantly it offers a more satisfying end to Sylvester McCoy’s seventh Doctor.
Death Comes To Time features one of Sylvester McCoy’s best performances as the seventh Doctor. Long known to fans as both a master clown and as a dark manipulator during his TV era, McCoy finds the right balance between the two here. There are moments where McCoy’s comical side shines brightly (especially in his scenes with Antimony) without it being either forced or intrusive. Yet that is just the tip of what makes McCoy’s performance so good. The Doctor of this story isa tragic figure: a tired old man who is watching everything he has spent his life fighting for being brought to the edge of destruction. McCoy conveys this tragic sense well and no more so then in the final moments of the story. The result is a much finer exit, both writing and acting wise, for McCoy’s Doctor then was provided in the TV movie.
On top of McCoy’s performance there is one of the best casts ever assembled for a Doctor Who story. Sophie Aldred returns as the seventh Doctor’s companion Ace and like McCoy gives one of her best performances as older, wiser Ace training for a new destiny. John Sessions (who incidentally auditioned for the role of the eighth Doctor) plays Tannis, the villainous Supreme Commander who is not only bent on universal domination but is far more then just another megalomaniac. Stephen Fry gives an apt performance as the Minister of Chance, as does Leonard Fenton as Ace’s rather poetic Time Lord mentor Casmus. Then there’s the Doctor’s newest companion: the naively happy fisted Antimony played with great humor (and even sympathy before the story is over with) by Kevin Eldon. Then there are also strong performances from Britta Gartner, Robert Rietti, Charlotte Palmer and Peggy Batchelor. Add on cameos from Antony Stewart Head, Jacqueline Pearce and even Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier and the result is one of the strongest cats ever assembled for any one Doctor Who story.
Death Comes To Time seems to have received a lot of flack from some fans for doing something different then being just another Doctor Who story. To begin with this is a story with an epic feeling. Many have called this epic feeling more akin to Star Wars, but in the past we’ve seen Doctor Who successfully emulate things like the James Bond Films in stories like the Enemy of the World and the Ambassadors of Death and this story proves Doctor Who can do epic stories just as well. For a story like this it needs to be. It travels from Santiny to Micen Island to the Canisian Empire to Earth in a story that crosses space and time in a epic fashion not previously seen in the series.
That brings us to the most controversial aspect of this story: where (or rather if) it fits into and mucks about with the established continuity of the series. First and foremost is the fact it gives the Time Lords seemingly god-like powers over Time. Now to be fair this isn’t the first time we’ve seen them with such powers because we need see them briefly with such powers in Patrick Troughton’s last story The War Games. This is also not the first time the series has tried to rewrite its own continuity either (the Daleks for example had their back-story rewritten several times during the run of the original series especially in Genesis Of The Daleks) . In fact many elements of this story have similar aspects in the series. For example the background of the Fraction regarding the events on Micen Island bares quite a resemblance to the Minyans in Underworld. In fact Ace’s training and the Doctor having god-like powers were both aspects that would have been explored had the series not been canceled after the airing of Survival in 1989. In fact the Doctor’s new abilities bring a new aspect to a character we think we know.
Now for the ultimate question: is Death Comes To Time cannon? I approach that question from the angle of also being a Sherlock Holmes fan. The novel the Seven Percent Solution by Nicholas Meyer is a terrific Sherlock Holmes pastiche that mucks about quite heavily with the cannon of that character (sound familiar?) but that makes it no less enjoyable. Does a story really have to be cannon to be enjoyed? In the final analysis, I believe that that Death Comes To Time can be enjoyed whether or not it fits easily (or at all) into the continuity of the series.
Cannon or not, there can be no doubt that there is something truly special about of Death Comes To Time. From strong performances to a galaxy spanning story, here is a story that takes much that we know about our favorite series and gives us something new and different. It proves to be both something different from other stories of the series and a more satisfying conclusion to the Seventh Doctor’s era. For fans of McCoy’s Doctor looking for something different from their favorite show, Death Comes To Time is recommended. This is how the seventh Doctor era should have ended and it is a shame it didn’t.
Lungbarrow: The last of Virgin’s New Adventures to feature the seventh Doctor that is perhaps the rarest Doctor Who novel ever and deservedly so! Lungbarrow is an epic conclusion not only to the New Adventures of the 90's but to the seventh Doctor era in general. It is an epic journey into the question at the heart of the series: just who is the Doctor?
Like Marc Platt's TV story Ghost Light which was an alien invasion story wrapped up in a ghost story, Lungbarrow is a "who is the Doctor really?" wrapped up in a murder mystery / conspiracy thriller. In fact Ghost Light evolved from what would have been the TV version of this story which is interesting to note because of some of the similarities between the two. Both stories find a central character (Ace in Ghost Light, the Doctor here) to a house that hides of the darker aspects of their past. Here though the Doctor is accused of not only causing the house of Lungbarrow to fall into chaos but accused of killing its leader as well in his first incarnation (the Hartnell one). While it is a murder mystery with the Doctor and his companion Chris seeking to prove the Doctor’s innocence, there is also a conspiracy story unfolding on Gallifrey with Romama, Leela, and Ace as the Celestial Intervention Agency puts some plans into motion of their own which also include the Doctor’s past. Yet while all this is going on there is a running question throughout: who is Doctor and where did he really come from? By the end of the novel there are plenty of answers and a few more questions raised as well. It’s a complex story that means that unless you have a very good knowledge of the series (or a good reference work like Lance Pakrin’s Ahistory near by) you may get a little lost But don’t let that deter you.
Platt seamlessly, and epically, brings together elements from the entire history of the series up to that point. There are appearances or references to companions from throughout the New Adventures run plus plenty of references to the books and TV stories as well. Here we finally get to see the background of the first Doctor’s “granddaughter” Susan and discover how she fits into the entire equation of the series as well. Platt is dead on in his characterization of each of the TV characters which helps to make Lungbarrow one of the truest to screen Doctor Who novels of all time.
One of the true highlights of Lungbarrow is Platt also gives some much needed back story to the Time Lords, their home world Gallifrey and to the Doctor himself. Platt takes back to the founding of Time Lord society to reveal few surprises. We get to see the much fabled “dark times” of Gallifrey’s past and finally meet the mysterious co-founder of Time Lord society known simply as the Other. The Other in fact has a strong connection to the Doctor’s past which is only revealed as the novel is coming to its climax in one of the best pieces of Doctor Who writing ever. Plus Lungbarrow makes a nice intro for the 1996 TV movie as well making this the last true story for the seventh Doctor. While it is loaded with enough connately references to make any new fan scratch their heads this is novel that any serious Doctor Who fan should enjoy
It is the broad range of things brought together that makes Lungbarrow is the true epic that it is. It is the culmination of the (nearly) first thirty-fve years of the series in all its forms. With its answers to some of the show’s fundamental questions, to the reappearance of old characters, to the “dark times”, the revealing of the Other and the lead in into the TV movie Lungbarrow covers a lot of ground and covers it brilliantly. Lungbarrow is an epic story that only a handful of other Doctor Who stories can come close to matching its scope, characters, and (for lack of a better word) brilliantness.
Sadly it is (and almost certainly will remain) out of print, a hard copy of this will cost you a chunk of money. Is it worth that chunk of your money? Well worth the price of buying it in my opinion because if you love the series then this is a must-have.
| | |
| An Amazing Look At The UNIT Stories |
|
| | |
The assassination of JFK remains one of the greatest unsolved murders of all time. Doctor Who is the longest running science fiction series of all time and arguably the most popular. They seem like two separate things that couldn't possibly be connected. But to believe that is to be proved wrong. For author David Bishop has brought the assassination of JFK and the Doctor Who UNIT stories together to present: Who Killed Kennedy.
What separates Who Killed Kennedy from the other Doctor Who novels is the fact that the Doctor is not the main character. In fact the Doctor barely features at all. Instead the novel features on fictional reporter James Stevens who serves as the narrator. Stevens is a believable character who starts out as an innocent reporter investigating the appearance of a strange man at a country hospital (Spearhead From Space) and soon finds himself crossing the path of the mysterious group called UNIT.
The story itself has very little to do with the JFK assassination. Instead the majority of the novel is spent covering the several years Stevens spending investigating UNIT. Little details from the UNIT stories pop up here and there including the cover stories given to hide each alien invasion. But the tension of the book comes from how much Stevens knows...or thinks he knows. There is a mysterious man helping him who seems to know all about UNIT and what it's really up to. In the end it all leads to the Doctor, his arch-enemy the Master, a brainwashed UNIT private, and to a tragic day in Dallas.
But what makes Who Killed Kennedy interesting is how it seeks to bring authenticity to the Doctor Who universe. While the UNIT stories were always grounded in some sort of reality, the novel brings focus to that by making the book feel not like a novel but like a conspiracy theorists book. It is also a novel full of personal details and ideas that give it an air of authenticity that helps to bring some much needed reality to the story. Even in the finale set in Dealy Plaza, Bishop brings details of the assassination to life in new and exciting ways.
But the novel isn't perfect. It does have issues with the UNIT time line which as always been controversial. It does very little to back up its dating scheme though and this hurts when trying to make it fit into the series. Also while Bishop seems to have a good grasp of his own creations, he does have problems with bring familiar UNIT characters to life. I also have issues with Stevens' relationship with Dodo. It didn't seem to work well in my opinion and seemed like an unnecessary add on and its resolution isn't very well handled.
Yet despite these faults, Who Killed Kennedy makes for an interesting Doctor Who based read. More spin-off then anything, this novel brings an outsider into the UNIT stores and shows it from the point of view of an ordinary person. That and an interesting answer to the crime of the century make this a must-read for Doctor Who fans. It’s a shame this book is now out of print and hard to find for it is an amazing look into the Doctor Who universe.
It's a weakish story on a strongish disc. Good commentary and some imaginative extras (given the options) which are well-presented. Enjoyable commentary and excellent information text.
| | |
| The Boy is ................... |
|
| | |
| What: | The Boy That Time Forgot (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
|
| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 27 August 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
Hard to review this without giving away the big reveal. However this is a very exciting,interesting & well written story.
