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| What: | Minuet in Hell (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
This story is longer than The SPectre of lanyon moor, but the 43 minute first episode is not boring in the slightest, and neither does the tale peter out as it goes along. In fact, it just keeps on building up menace and momentum until a great end, with the good old Brig again saving the day. Paul Mcgann and Nick Courtney sound great as a team in their scenes together. Nick Courtney always was a favourite of mine. Minuet In Hell is a small tale though, all in all, a few little things put together for a grand finish. But even the rather silly voice of Marcosius doesnt let this story down. Nick Briggs directing is top of the class again. And he gives a good and jolly performances as Gideon Crane. So altogether, a brilliant story.
| What: | The Stones of Venice (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This story feels detached and different from any other Paul Mcgann big finish outing. this is a relaxed and easy flowing story which is very nice to listen to. However this doesnt make the stroy plodding or confusing in my opinion at all. And we have a great last doctor who appearance from Michael Sheard, who plays the lead role very well indeed. This really does have the feel of a shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet comes to my mind. A city cursed by a betrayed alien lady. This story is one i can play whilst settling down at night to go to sleep, and not because itll send me to sleep either, more other it will make me smile before drifting off. Paul Magrs tales are always fresh and imaginative to say the least. And India Fisher impresses again as Charley doesnt she?
| What: | Sword of Orion (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The return of the cybermen pon audio. So much mroe frigtening on audio than on screen i feel. Much more in depth stories too.
For the people who quibble about Charlie getting too used to future tech, how much time could have passed between the first two stories eh? Leave it to the imagination. This is such a classy tale.
Yet again Nick Briggs brings us a tale with two things: great plot and a strong female character again. Deeva Jehnsen is quite a cool creation i can tell you. Pity she dies in the end though. Why is it people always see fit to kill great characters for pitys sake?!
And Bruce Montague as Grash is a real good piece of acting too. Nasty and loud mouthish to the extreme. Some quite graphic scenes of death if this had been on screen. A pulverised body, cybermats make a great return in there only audio so far. Come, bring back more of the cybermats soon please!
ANother strong story that lifts the first four Paul McGann tales, after a weak start in Storm Warning. This is great stuff!
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 | Great acting by two people... |
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| What: | Storm Warning (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: |  5 |
This is one of the few run of the mill stories produced by big finish. This is quite forgettable had it not been for the saving and brilliant performance by the great Paul Mcgann on return to the disc as the eighth doctor. He is a great actor, and an even better Doctor. And the introduction of formidable companion Charlotte Pollard is great too. Pity the rest of the story is so boring and unenguaging, a rare let down for an otherwise classy series from big finish...
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| Let down by a stupid ending.... |
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| What: | The Mutant Phase (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This story would have been one of the best dalek stories ever if it hadnt of been for the totally woeful it never really happened ending. Really for such a great writer as Nick Briggs this really is rubbish. If you can ignore the last few minutes of this tale though, then you are in for a treat. The daleks are afraid of something for once. Mutant infected daleks yucky stuff i can tell you. Sarah Sutton is great again as Nyssa, and all the cast involved are on fine form once more. This is a story that would have benefited though from having an alternate ending i must say, as it makes the rest of the story slightly stupid doesnt it? Cut out the ending and you have brilliance. But far better than the next story in the big finish range by a long chalk...
| What: | The Holy Terror (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The Holy Terror has the unique feel of a stage play on disc. Like it really is set in a few cramped stages in some theatre somewhere. But this is not a bad thing by any means. Im afraid that The Holy Terror is faultless in my opinion.
List of reasons for this comment are below....
Well, firstly you dont get a run of the mill monster runaround. You get kings and queens and deep dungeons and people wanting to be hurt and babies who are not all that they first appear to be. That baby's voice is so creepy let me tell you. This story would be classed as a go between of horror and comedy. the line "last time i try to get to power by marrying a moron" made me crack up when i first heard it. This is total class.
Rob Jezek happens to be great as Frobisher too i have to say. he seems to relish being a penguin. The scenes with Colin in the TARDIS are so cool and well scripted, they could have worked on screen so well i think. This story is packed to the brim with memorable doctor who moments that the new series on tv should take some lessons from...
| What: | The Shadow of the Scourge (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 16 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Dont really like many of the new adventure books. All they are is the doctor hardly ever present, and benny and ace at each others throats most of the time. a total waste of time. at least Paul Cornell has had the sense to tone down that line of writing in this epic and brilliant scary sci fi at its best story. The Doctor is pushed to the limit again. Is it mhy imagination or in the big finish range isnt it always Sylvester's doctor who gets pushed to the limit the most?! But Sylv Mccoy is such a great actor that he can afford to always be given the most intense and horrible scripts to do. He's leading a great cast in this story. Yet another filmic adventure to me. A great new monster in the Scourge, praying mantis with attitude. And Lisa Bowerman returns as Benny. The audio stories of Benny are classic, and here she goes again, giving it her all to save the Doctor's sanity in a plot full of originality and twists and turns all along the way. Sophie ALdred is great as Ace too, being deaf and all that. Ouch! But definitely classy stuff!
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| cant see what all the fuss is about... |
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| What: | Dreamtime (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Dreamtime is another badly rated story from big finish i see from many other reviewers. This is my personal thoughts on this interesting and well paced story.
Hex gets off a far better start than some other companions i could mention in this series. Philip Olivier is a great find. He seems to like his character a lot.
So anyway, back to this story. A strong feel of myths and aboriginal thoughts laced through this great story. A story still though with plenty of sci fi and galyari to stop you from getting bored. This tale is highly thought provoking. Talks about the bond we share with the land we were born in or belong to. The ties that bind, you might say. How our thoughts could affect the land. Some of our thoughts may well make a land wanna shoot off into space as quickly as it can. And the Doctor makes a mistake again, he is fallible and therefore far more believable too. Love the music score, especially the digeridoo. Love it to bits. This story is entertaining, it just depends on whether you like myth or not at the end of the day. But i find it so interesting learning of other traditoins and cultures. SO that is why this story is a winner for me.
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| History at its very best... |
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| What: | The Fires of Vulcan (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Bonnie Langford makes her return to Mel Bush and doesnt scream, thank goodness. She was another undervalued companion wasnt she? She has a great meory and brain like a computer and just never got to really use it on screen. But she is back now and better than ever when teamed mostly in this great story with Gemma Bissix as Aglae, a roman prostitute! Man, but you really like the girl. Steve Lyons is a great Doctor Who writer. Ive liked every story ive read or heard of his. And he seems to like his history. And The Fires Of Vulcan is a fantastic story. Hate the new series when its supposedly an alien invasion that sets of the volcano, boy what a load of rubbish. Some moments in history surely can be attributed to natural causes cant they for goodness sake?!! I hate discontinuity. It eats me up. Probably wont liek the series four episode at all either, but i may be wrong. Have to wait and see. Just seems the bbc pay no heed at all to big finish recordings at all. Cant they at least try?
| What: | The Apocalypse Element (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This would have made for a far better movie than the Paul Mcgann one i can tell you. This story has an epic feel to it, almost filmic quality. I can imagine this being played in the cinema, a great soundtrack with great music. The daleks are back and more scheming and evil than ever before. Nasty dialogue...i found the eye scene completely gross and unnerving, despite it still only being audio, visualising some things can be yuck! Colin Baker leads a grand cast with Lalla Ward returning greatly as Romana. This is brilliantly directed by Nick Briggs!
| What: | Winter for the Adept (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Nyssa gets to dominate the script for once, with the Doctor hardly even in the first episode. Sarah Sutton always was good as Nyssa and here she reallyn shines in a story that is nearly all hers. She even helps to stop the Spillagers from coming through into our space in the end. This is a real comapanion piece and thanks to big finish for that! Nyssa gets a lot to do throughout and that is great. Its great to hear Sarah cutting her teeth as Nyssa for a change. She used to just be left as a spare part in the TARDIS in most of her tv appearances. This is a real pleasurable break from the norm for her. She is really a cool companion and we can all see that here in this wonderfully spooky tale. This story works on all fronts though. Decent aliens and decent plot, decent India Fisher before she came to be the great Charlotte Pollard too. But this story won me over the most for Sarah Sutton, as if you couldnt guess from my review!!
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| Slow but sure at the end... |
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| What: | The Spectre of Lanyon Moor (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Episode one is very very slow isnt it? And there is a little continuity snag, as the sixth doctor is told abotu the brigs wife yet in Battlefield the seventh doesnt know her, maybe he's forgottern, so i wont hold that against Nick Pegg!
But apart from that this story is a return to classic and totally not outdated who. A great monster. Nick Courtney churning out another first class stab as the Brigadier. A warlock and cellars and goblins and underground passages. What more could one ask for. And the good Brig gets to save the day too for once! This is overall a great return to the days of old. Tea and biscuits time in front of a walkman instead of the tv, but it still feels just as good!
| What: | Red Dawn (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The ice warriors, in the annals of doctor who history, are one of the most interesting races. You never know wether they are gonna be good as gold or a black hearted as hell. They have a civilisation, not just a cry of exterminate or you will be like us. The ice warriors are a noble race, one of the best alien sects created for doctor who, and they lookm fantastic too on screen and just sound cool on audio as well. The ice warriors are also one of the only monsters to have ever scared me as a child. The seeds of death freaked me out when i first saw it, and its still a brilliant yarn now, and the Monster Of Peladon is one of the best stories ive ever seen or heard. And Red Dawn continues the tradition and development of this truly great race of green reptiles. Here they are noble and peaceful, but attack only in defence of their honour. Its all human evil in this one again. The worst evil out there too of course. Georgia Moffett is great int his story. Peter Davison is also great as usual. Rob Jezek as Lee Forbes is cool, but not a patch on Frobisher, but he still never lets the story down in any of the adventures he's in. This is a great tale of honour and glory Peri gets a bit more to do for once too. Great stuff!
| What: | The Genocide Machine (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The return of the daleks.
Nasty as ever.
Sylv and Sophie are on fine form.
The emporer dalek has a brilliantly horrible voice..
Bev tarrant is a great invention.
Living rain is a cool and fresh idea again.
Will the big finish tem forever be brilliantr at finding great writers to write actually decent stories for the daleks?!
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| A Hartnell tale for Colin Baker |
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| What: | The Marian Conspiracy (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This really does feel like a William Hartnell tale. A true historical with hints of the past. You can tell Jac Rayner loves the historical stories cant you? Here in this great tale we see two things. firstly, the intro of Maggie Stables as the great Evelyn Smythe, the big finish teams second best companion, she sounds like shes been in the part for years on this tale doesnt she? then secondly theres the historical's return !Yippee! I love historical who stories! We go back to the reign of Queen Mary in this one, maybe not the most likeable queen ever, but despite this Jac somehow makes you feel sorry for her. Her phantom pregnancies and fears of plots are all elements that are portrayed very well and realiswtically here. Makes you feel you really have gone back in time and are there! Colin Baker of course needs no mention, he's as brilliant as ever. Nearly gets married in this one, that was a laugh!
| What: | The Fearmonger (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Sylvester Mccoy and Sophie Aldred always were a winning team on screen, and in their debut big finish tale they continue to impress and endear me!
The Fearmonger in fact is the only story ive ever liked written by Jon Blum. The eighth doctor book range, dont even get me started. But this is a great and gripping tale from beginning to end.
I love stories that leave you wondering how it all started, some people would say its not a whole story without an intro as to how and why the doc first got involved, but its not always essential to the story. And here is a case where it isnt again. Just dive on in deep in the realm of dissemodied fuzzy aliens that feed on emotion with frying pans and neo nazis and all that. Put these elements together with a strong cast and strong script and you get a cracker of a story. This is an intriguing and thorougly modern tale, this could have suited the new tv series. Jon Blum's only brilliant success at Doctor Who writing. This is a story that shines.
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| Not one of the best stories... |
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| What: | The Land of the Dead (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
But not the worst either by a long chalk. When I first bought this story i thought it was complete garbage. But ive listened to it a few times since and have grown to like to slightly more now. There are some very good ideas floating about. But this is one story that does suffer from being just too long. The new 25 minute format of recent adventures would have suited this tale. But its not all bad, by no means. Peter Davison for a start gives a solid and entertaining performance as the Doc. And Nyssa is and always was a favourite of mine, wonderfully played by Sarah Sutton. Just a pity that the monsters are good too but lamley written on the whole, the first episode still to me is utter tedium. The story picks up pace as it gets going though, and Monica is another great invention. Shes so real. But the most of this tale is sadly a little bit of a let down.
| What: | Whispers of Terror (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
There are few stories that actually benefit from just being audio stories. Dont think this story would work so well as a screen adventure, but on audio its brilliant. This story does have a plausible feel to it. Its along the lines of a horror movie idea in my book. Man always seeks new ways to extend his life. And here we have a sound creature! Wow, fresh new idea. And a great new start to the big finish adventures! The big finish range has overall been incredible in quality. Loads of good story ideas, and many fantastic ones. There have been very few audios i havent liked. There have been none ive thought of as a complete waste of time at all.
Colin Baker leads a great cast, along with a great new role for Lisa Bowerman, the ever brilliant Benny Summerfield. No better actress to play her. Here she is nasty for a change. A real piece of nasty at that. Great plot twists and turns along the way too. Nicola bryant doesnt scream her head off either, which is great! Another awesome and highly original tale. Great to see Peter Miles in a Good guy role too at last!
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| A great historical feel with scifi twist |
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| What: | Phantasmagoria (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Mark Gatiss is one of the few writers of the new tv series who dont seem to tread over old ground in any of his scripts. he seems keen to create new stories with fresh ideas, not run of the mill garbage like some people seem in fact to love to write. But Mark is gladly not one of those writers. And that is the same for his audio plays too. Why has he only done two eh? Come on Mark, do us another soon!
Phantasmagoria has a first doctor story feel to it, one where he would not have been out of place in the slightest. Mark has brilliantly brought us a pseudo historical with bite! Phantasmagoria has it all, blood and guts, well liver and guts any rate, nasty playing cards, disguised aliens and a scary little casino. These elements all come together and work so well in this story. not an all out horror tale but with plenty of thought provoking eurghh moments! Sir Nikolas Valentine is a dark creation, a nasty villian well written and realised. A good hammer horror git he seems to me i can tell you. Mark Strickson actually getting a half decent part of the action is flaming brilliant too, he was the best wasted oppurtunity in the companion department. the brilliant guardian trilogy and then nothing really. And itd be cool to see a few more tales with him too. He is a great actor and works well alongside Peter Davison. A very worthwhile tale, only a little to short...
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| Brilliant new chapter begins... |
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| What: | The Condemned (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 March 2008 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I was very sad when i thought India had had her last stab at Charlie in the Girl Who Never Was, but there was no need to be. Teaming a future companion with a different doctor is a great idea and in this play by Eddie Robson. it really works!
This story starts with a great scene of the Sixth Doctor's rescue of poor Charlie from the year 500002 on a deserted earth. I love continuity. And they already sound as good together as India did with Paul McGann for so long. In fact, it sounds like theyve known each other for ages! Colin really gets into his role as the good Doc in every story and Charlie gives a new beautiful boost to her role as Charlie.
I can see why she is confused at having the "wrong" doctor!
The story is fresh and actually seems far more real in pace and setting than a lot of other audio adventures. This really does build suspense and keeps you guessing from the word go. I love the actors involved with this one. William Ash for a start gives a great performance as Sam, making him likeable despite the fact that he has killed someone. But he's paid for it. And Anna Hope is totally cool as the ice cool DI Menzies. The best should have been a companion for a long time. Great invention and great acting! This big finish scene is still nowhere near stagnant. Eddie Robson is a great writer too. He seems to me to write small stories with big aftermaths. Something different in tone and velocity that still is not stilted or boring. In a few more words...get this story, its brilliant...
