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| What: | The Green Death (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 November 2010 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
The Green Death has always been one of the strongest Doctor Who stories ever to grace the TV screen.
From the outset this story has a moral focus that is at once jarring and impacting in equal doses.
The Giant maggots are a very effective design, what with that fearsome hissing and very well directed movement. They are never less than totally convincing. And the Fly isnt bad either! Some great monster effects. But its the maggots in the slime of the mine that is the most effective scene, squidgy disgusting stuff.
The BOSS is an excellently OTT part. A computer that has a real character. As good a Doctor Who villian as ever.
And Jon Pertwee is on excellent form all the way throughout. And his final scene when Jo has just left him is one of the best farewell scenes in the history of the show.
All the plot elements come together well for a brilliant and memorable climax. A few six parters drag, but this story simply flies by due to the fact that it is so very well written and directed.
This is in the vein of Trial of a Time Lord, The Seeds of Doom and The Seeds of Death, excellent long tales that fly by in minutes. These put films with the same ideas to shame more frequently than not. Doctor Who is at its best when making a point.
The Green Death makes its point very strongly indeed.
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 | Better than Triffids by far.... |
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| What: | The Seeds of Doom (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 November 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This tale is one that has stood the test of time very well indeed.
It is packed with some of the most intensely gruesome scenes of the whole original series of Doctor Who. We have a lumbering vegetable, a psychotic botanist, a sick henchman, great looking seed pods...and that churning compost machine is always a menacing presence throughout the tale.
What also shines in this tale is the acting. Everyone is on top form, giving the script as good as they get. Even Elisabeth Sladen seems to get the backbone she had during her Jon Pertwee stories once more. Which is excellent. She was rather lost in most of the Tom Baker tales, but certainly not here.
John Challis and Tony Beckley in particular are brilliantly over the top and wonderfully psychotic. Its no wonder Tom's Doctor here is perhaps at his most fiercely protective of his friend. And his violent streak isnt unfounded either. This story shows how much his friendship with Sarah means to him, so it really makes it all the more odd that his goodbye to Sarah in a few stories time is so unemotional, when here he is smashing through roofs, knocking out hitmen, almost neck breaking all for Sarah. Very strong charecterisation between the two main stars of the programme here. Robert Banks Stewart is an excellent writer. (Especially considering he says he was never really a sci fi writer!)
And another character I really like here is Amelia Ducat. Shes one of those intensely likeable one off characters that deserved to come back again and again! Even UNIT come back pretty well at the end. One can even forgive the totally odd final scene. (The Tardis never went to the antartic, so why does Sarah say the Doc forget to switch off the coordinate programmer?)
The transformation of human to Krynoid too here really is freaky. The creature looks incredibly realistic, even if it is an Axon painted green. This story is one that really prooves how Doctor Who excelled at producing great stories on pittance. Definitely a classic!
Tom's first season of audio stories were brilliant enough, he stepped back into the role of the fourth Doctor as if he'd never been away. It was rather nostalgic listening to that five story arc, and the stories themselves were excellent enough.
But this second season already is at once more darker, has more characters within each tale, and paced even better. The Demon of Paris is nothing short of an excellent chiller of a tale. The characters are all very well presented, La Charlotte in paticular. These series too are so tantalisingly left at cliffhangers, making me mad to find out what happens next along the line.
Its a really good idea having a different person doing the lead narration of all these different tales. Susan Jameson is getting better and better all the time. She seems to be quickly losing the raspy edge she had to her character in Hornet's Nest. And one is beginning to wonder what her nightmares are going to come to soon.
Another excellent piece of this story is the score, it gives a unique feel to this story. City of Death never had a french Paris sounding theme to go along with it, and was lacking for that very reason. But the score is never overly intrusive either.
This story has the feel of a Jack the Ripper mystery. My favourite kind of story these days. Ones that make you think and have you guessing. And of course the plot again though isnt over complicated and is easy to follow. Paul Magrs just brings to life excellent tales that have totally excellent characters and great situations and suitably different ideas inherent in every tale along the way.
Im looking forward to A Shard of Ice, cant wait to find out what happens next. These series truly do capture Tom's era as the Doctor so very well indeed.
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| flat and a little lifeless |
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Nevermore, never really goes anywhere convincing. Whilst the plot is clever and generally entertaining, over it feels flat and at times rushed.
As the first story with a new companion there is nothing that stands out or gives anything original from the new partnership. Only time will tell if this new duo is to bring in the crowds.
| What: | The Caves of Androzani (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 November 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The Caves of Androzani is definitely a very fine piece of storytelling. It is riddled with echoes of Phantom of the Opera, but it is by far better than any version of that film Ive ever seen. If a lot of Doctor Who stories can be called gritty and brilliant and shocking, then this tale is a real stone!
The strength of all the characters is one of the best things here. All the cast have such meat given to their characters. They all act with such zeal and relish too. This in fact is highly unbelievable as this was Grahame Harpers first directing job for Who. It really is excellently shot too.
Sharaz Jek is a supremely excellent and exciting character. Chris Gable gives one of the single finest acting turns as the horribly burnt scientist. And his scenes with Nicola Bryant are very emotional indeed. the scene where Jek has had his mask pulled off and goes to see if Peri is alright is an exquistiely directed scene, as Jek recoils and breaks down because he knows just how ugly he looks now due to that other extremely strong character Morgus. "Do you think bullets could stop me now?!" is one of the best lines in any story ever.
From the word go, this plot is so vividly brought to life, everyone gives the script a 110 percent. And to end it all with one of the best regeneration scenes is just the icing on the cake.
Peter's acting for the cliffhanger to part three is incredible. This is by far his best acting as the Doctor. He has a strength and heart that quite frequently wasnt present in a lot of other Doctor Who stories. Like another reviewer said, its no wonder he had second thoughts about leaving. But as a final story, he couldnt have gone out on a higher note.
This story's lighting too is spot on. Its so dark and effective and chilling. Even the Magma Beast isnt as bad as all that, and isnt shown too often either. The head of the thing is actually quite gross in fact. I love the twist of when Timmon takes over from Morgus! That scene is again awesome. I love it when the psychoes get their just desserts!
Rob Glenister too gives a brilliant turn as Salateen, well Ive already said this story is one of the most tense, gripping and thoroughly brilliant stories ever to have graced Doctor Who. Robert Holmes certainly returned with such gusto. No other Peter Davison tale was quite as emotionally driven as this final outting, except Kinda and Snakedance.....
| What: | Spearhead from Space (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 November 2010 |
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| Rating: |  9 |
Spearhead is yet another story that I didnt gel with when I was young, but I certainly gel with it now.
I love the comedy throughout this tale, its a good reprieve from the far harder and more sinister moments along the way.
Caroline John makes a really good debut as Liz Shaw. Shes such a cool companion and I dont know why they got rid of her after only one season. She deserved a far longer run at the role. She gelled with Jon Pertwee so very well indeed.
Nicholas Courtney also just gets better and better as the arrogant but basically lovable Brigadier. Although I never have been able to figure out what gave him the right to take the TARDIS key from the Doctor in the first place. He had no ruddy right! A pig headed lout most of this first season was all his character was!
The autons here are so much more scary than the pathetic new series takes. They are so freaking unnerving, with their lumpy and unfinished appearance. They ooze menace in every scene. And the fight sequence at the end of this tale rates as one of the finest in the shows history, throughly taught and realistic.
Hugh Burden is chilling as Channing also. He really acts totally inhuman, and his presence steals every scene he's in. John Woodnutt is excellent as Hibbert too. And his character develops well all through the story.
The only let down here is that Jon Pertwee gets sadly rather a sad amount of stuff to do throughout. He's almost like a spare part, and the Doctor should not be a spare part. Although at least after part two he gets someserious action, and immediately begins to make his presence known.
This story overall was a powerful start to Jon's time as the Doctor. The best scenes are when the autons come to life and step out of the window onto the street. A brilliantly recorded scene. This is one of the greats of Doctor Who in my opinion, with very little that lets it down along the way.
And I dont think the consciousness is actually that bad a design. As it animates plastic, then its body isnt going to look totally relistic is it? Its a plastic octopus. And just to add to that, Jons struggling with the nestene is brilliant to say the least! This is a very good Doctor Who story indeed.
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| Very, very good indeed... |
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| What: | The Five Doctors (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 November 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
When I was younger I didnt use to like the original version of this story at all. I thought it boring and lumbering, like one of the monsters itself. But this extended, amended addition of the story is far far more enjoyable than the original televised version. And anyway, now I cant see why I didnt like it that much, for there is much to enjpy within this splendid anniversary tale.
Peter Davison leads a brilliant cast. This story gets going straight away. And one thing Terrance Dicks does excellently within this story is get all the different Doctor's personalities spot on from the word go. Pat Troughton is wonderful again as the impish and loveable second Doctor, Jon Pertwee is as strong and powerful a presence as he ever was in his own run on the series back in the seventies. But what is particularly excellent here is Richard Hurndall's brilliant interpretation of William Hartnell. He captures Williams persona excellently. No other actor could have nailed the first Doctor as expertly as Richard does here. He does a very fine job indeed. It is really sad that Tom Baker souldnt have been in this tale properly, but clever use is made of some of the matierial from Shada. Another great part of this tale is that I really didnt expect it to be the President who was the treacherous lout. The devious git is very well portrayed. And its highly nostalgic seeing all the old monsters back for either cameos or longer sections, like the Cybermen. (Brilliant that in this film version they actually have them fire back at the Raston Warrior Robot, unlike in the sad original!) And the Raston Warrior Robot scene is excellently done, one of the finest action sequences ever to have graced Doctor Who (Except maybe that one cyberman with his arm clearly inside his suit!)
And there are so many wonderful pieces of scripting all the way through this tale:
"Its a game within a game..."
"Oh there I am, I mean there you are!"
"Of course I can young woman, and kindly refrain from addressing me as Doc!"
"Its an entry coder!"
"Youve had this place redecorated, I dont like it!"
"Dont worry, Tegan will look after the old man"
"I am president am I not? You will obey my commands!"
"You mean youre deliberately going on the run from your own people in a rackety old Tardis?!"
"Great balls of fire!"
"You attract trouble Doctor, you always did! Where the devil are we?"
"You? Help me? Rubbish!"
Classic dialogue!
But even so, I still cant escape from the fact that after such a monster strewn beginning and middle, this story still ends rather flatly at the end. With just that prat Borusa being sealed away for eternity in the Tomb of Rassilon. They should have had one more threat come up then, that would have made the ending far more memorable for me. And the other bit Im miffed at in this film version is that they cut out that Cyberman saying "Ah!" when it locates the Doctor and the Master. I dont know why but I always have loved that single moment! But this film version is definitely far better than the 90 min original, that is evident from the word go.
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| Three stories that proove a point.... |
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| What: | Myths and Legends (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 1 November 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
These three stories within this boxset are always known as three of the dud stories of the Doctor Who cannon. I find it difficult to see what is so bad about all of these tales to be quite honest.
I loved the Time Monster from the very first time I saw it. It is a story that has it all: time experiments going awry, the Master is back again, and Roger gives one of his best performances here, theres Ingrid Pitt as Queen Galeia, and then theres the excelllent looking Minotaur played by Dave Prowse (where have i heard that name before?) and just to top it all off it has a buzz bomb and some excellent cliffhangers. Also the Doctor recalling his memories of the hermit on the mountain is quite a beutifully acted scene, Jon's delivery is perfect. And then if you need anything else just watch the oh so funny John Levene in a nappy at the end of the tale, which in my book rates as one of the funniest endings of a Who tale ever. The acting from all involved in this tale is excellent, and this to me doesnt seem like a six part tale. And Kronos is a brilliant design, original and wonderfully directed. And the fact that Kronos is uncontrollable is a neat little twist at the end, and that Kronos is actually not totally all bad. And what with the memorable time ram scenes and all that, then what is not to like about this brilliant tale?
Underworld is a tale that I have always liked too. I think that actually the CSO caves look highly effective. And from what Ive seen theres actually very little scenes where you can see the actors going through the wall. The characters all act very believably too, as a tired race searching for their race bank for millennia. And I like the passiified Leela for that short time, Louise's smile is quite something. The only slight quibble which isnt too bad when watched on the DVD is that at times its hard to make out what the mad Oracle is saying. But the voice itself is wonderfully done, and is one of the better computer voices within Doctor Who in my opinion. And Tom Baker is on excellent form throughout the story too. This must have been a hard tale to act in, as nearly all the scenes are shot against CSO backdrop. Give credit to all the guys then, this tale is riveting to say the least. Too short in all. More tales like this would have been nice from the BBC. A tale that relies far more on character than action. A really intelligent piece.
The Horns of Nimon is extremely likeable too. The Nimon have a brilliant resonating voice and Graham Crowden is wonderfully OTT as Soldeed. He's a right flaming theatrical jerk all the way through the story. Lalla Ward shines in a tale that really is more of a Romana story, but Tom never just fades into the background. Its just great to see a companion used so well within the story for once. And I just love the characters of Seth and Teka. Janet Ellis is a bit like Nina Thomas, in the fact that she plays a scared youngster so brilliantly. And that the Nimon's whole base should be part of a circuit is a highly original idea. This is a brilliant take on the Minotaur tale. And its paced very well indeed. The plot too is not overcomplicated, and is so easy to follow. I do not agree with a lot of people who say that the Graham Williams period of Doctor Who started its overall downfall. He produced some of the best tales in the history of Doctor Who. This trilogy set of Myths and Legends is brilliant all the way through. These three are more nearer some of the best Doctor Who's, rather than the worst....
| What: | Echoes of Grey (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 29 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
i always really loved the Patrick Troughton time of Doctor Who. I cant put my finger on exactly what was so brilliant about this period, but it was oh so special. The stories were just so consistently good, with very few let downs amoungst the brilliance. Perhaps it was his clownish approach to the role of the Doctor, perhaps it was the fact he had some of the best companions, perhaps it was down to the best villians to ever grace the TV screen. Well, whatever it was, lets just say that with Echoes of Grey, John Dorney captures it all so well and yet also gives something new to the mix of the era too.
The Acromatics are at once a sad, and yet also highly believable set of "aliens". The best intentions that go wrong yet again, as with humanity they always seem to every day. But the thing is that they are not truly evil, they just fulfill the purpose they were created for. This adds to the impact of the play. And the sound score on this play here is excellent, haunting and vibrant, it fits the story perfectly. And that the Doctor should realise that even though he has to end the scheme and destroy the Acromatics, he can see the good points to their creation.
Wendy Padbury does a brilliant job here. Her first story in the Chronicles series was far more traditional, and here there is a lot more to the story than just traditional plot threads. Echoes of Grey has a lot that is fresh and imaginative about it. It is one of the very best companion chronicles Ive heard so far. It is just sad that the second Doctor didnt have this story all those years ago when Pat was still alive, but one cant have it all at once. And at least we have it now!
I could guess that Ali was not who she made out herself to be, but this little thing doesnt mar the overall impact of the story. And I love the conclusion to this tale. Wendy breathes such life into her character again, and reminds us why Zoe Herriot was such a brilliant companion. This story comes highly recommended.....
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| Excellent whims and ways... |
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| What: | The Reign of Terror (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The first thing i like about this story is that it boasts an excellent cliffhanger to episode one, of the best of the first season of Doctor Who, with the Doctor unconscious as fire engulfs the farmhouse.
The second cliffhanger too isnt bad, and one can note real horror in Ian's face as he sees Barbara and Susan being carted off to the guillotine. These scenes are quite heady and forthright and dont mess about with the true sickness of that method of execution.
And the comic element brought to the character of the Doctor is believable and warm. Him hitting that bloke over the head is brilliant. He is always with the underdog, and never has any quarms of knocking the occasional idiot out.
The scene where Barbara tells Ian to read his history books too before openly judging a person is a real good script point. Wish more people would do this sort of thing nowadays rather than blowing each other away. Doctor Who always does have a lot of good and insightful things to set about history and the present.
This tale begins strongly, with the Doctor ranting at Ian for nothing at all from the previous story. That he should be saved from the barn by the little boy he had earlier talked to is great, and wakes him up to the fact that they arent all that bad actually. This historical story is really strong for a whole host of reasons. The acting is strong, the themes are goos, and the sets are highly credible. This is another excellent historical tale...
| What: | Circular Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Spring is the weakest of the pack. But even this is very easy to follow and listen to. The tale is just nicely paced and unravels with a speed that is acceptable. The characters are well brought to life by all those involved. The bird people are a very believable race. The moral tone to this tale too is hard to miss. It may not be totally original, but it is fun and a good start to the four short tales here. Tales of the Unexpected to the fore again here.
Summer boasts a great performance from David Warner as Isaac Newton. He captures the mentality of this very well known historical figure and makes it his own from the word go. He kept me gripped all along the way with his delivery of every line. Its sad he's only in one episode of these four. And again the plot of this episode is so easy to follow and isnt overburdened by padding either which is great.
Autumn is the best. A bit of a love tale for Nyssa. This is touching and totally relaxed. A neat little slice of story. And the cricket isnt boring in the slightest. I love the game. And again here the plot is just so easy and clear. Sarah Sutton seems to relish her chance to shine here. She's so very good here. The ending of the episode is really sad though. I was upset that Myssa felt she had to leave Andrew in the end. But as she left in Terminus then that couldnt ever happen I suppose.
Winter is slightly more brainy than the other three episodes. Built around a trap set by the Doctor as he nears the end of his fifth life. Nyssa is well brought into the tale. Winter is also sad, as the Doctor has to let go of all the characters who are now present within his dream. These four little tales are excellently done. They are not brain freeing, they are just charming and rather victorian in feel. What more could a Whovian ask for?! Sheer and utter brilliance.
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| I love this one to pieces.... |
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| What: | Other Lives (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Other Lives is in the vein of Arrangements for War and Catch 1782. In the fact that it is more character based than action packed. But I have to admit that Gary Hopkins has created here a story that is really nice to listen to. And it is a break from the heavier sci fi tales around it.
The characters here are so well rounded and lovely. This has the feel of a Charles Dickens tale. And all the main three cast get a good slice of action. I love the fact also that this story isnt totally rushed. It just plods on at a nice and warm pace. The plot threads for all three of the TARDIS crew are nothing to do with each other either for the most of the story, which is interesting and different.
Ron Moody too appears here! Probably no wonder its like a Charles Dickens then! Although theres no singing here, thank goodness! You could imagine sitting down in front of the fire with a cup of tea and just falling asleep to this story.
C'rizz's predicament is believable and strong here too. And Paul's main line of story is excellent what with the woman who thinks he's her husband. And Charley is wonderfully played again by India. All of them seem to be glad with this tale, its so easy to follow, and is roundly satisfying. And a nice ending too for once. One would wish for more stories like these please...
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| For once I agree with the main... |
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| What: | Scaredy Cat (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
Yes, for once the other reviewers are totally right about this story. It is not highly original, or even well paced, which is bad for a story thats hardly over an hour. And for once sadly, not Even Paul McGann can save this one. The characters are all bland and boring. The plot is weak and irrelevant, and doesnt really make a whole lot of sense to me. And with those woeful ape blokes all over the place. This is one of the few Big Finish tales that really is very bad indeed. I cant even think of anything that is memorable about this tale apart from after Will Shindlers first audio for Big finish, this is a massive let down. One doesnt know why this story was done. Gladly, this isnt often repeated to such bad effect from this point on with Big Finish, sigh of relief....
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| An excellent bit of difference.... |
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| What: | Unregenerate! (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
One could never accuse the televised period of Sylv as being predictable. That was always one of the best things about his time on the show, there wasnt a weak show in his run as the Doctor. Because they all had so many different and new elements pumped into the scripts to make them all at once brilliant and beefy and suitably original. And both his companions were two of the best of the series. Sylv in audio too has been given some of the best audio stories ever too. And here is another one.
Unregenerate has it all, except the monsters. This is more of a character study in the vein of Arrangements for War and Catch 1782. And like these two tales, this story delivers big time. Sylvester for a start is brilliant as the disturbed Doctor. And the fact that this a time lord tale is surprising too. The ending to part three was totally unexpected and welcome. The story is well paced too, and its nice to hear Jennie Linden again after so long.
Actually all the episode endings here are believable and very well done indeed. This should have been thought of a lot sooner and should have been on the screen. David A Mcintee always has been a very good Doctor Who writer. Sad that this has been his only foray into Big Finish's main Who range so far. You should come back David, youre stories are classy!
I like it that Bonnie is again well portrayed and gets more to do, and she actually does something with a computer too along the way, which is good as she is a computer programmer after all. She was always a brilliant companion on screen, and she is again here. Carry on Bonnie!
Big Finish overall are so much more consistent and brilliant than the BBC with the new series of Doctor Who. They still stay true to the feel of the old series, whilst bringing original elemnts all the time along the way. I would like to see far more stories like this please. These kinds of stories just remind me of why Who is such a strong series. Its always surprising me, which is pleasing.
Unregenerate is brilliant!!
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| Not as bad as all that... |
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| What: | The Creed of the Kromon (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 26 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
The Paul McGann era on big finish audio, up until Terror Firma, possibly yes was a very weak story block overall. Only a few tales from this time actually would I call brilliant, such as The Chimes of Midnight, The Last, and Sword of Orion. Here is a tale that isnt too bad, but is let down by a seriously mixed up ending.
What begins with an excellent sequence of the Kroka taunting the Doc and Charley soon begins to dissolve into a very run of the mill story, especially at the climax. One cant see how this ending didnt get changed. Usually Phil's scripts are excellent, but after a fine first ten minutes it all goes stale very quickly. The Kromon may be an OK monster for audio, the voices well realised. And the scene of C'rizz killing his love is sad, but aside from this this is still a bit of a letdown....
Only Paul McGann really saves this one. He always has been a good doctor, its just sad that up til a certain point his story arc was overall the worst produced by big finish. Gladly, it improves a lot onward from The Next Life....
| What: | The Magic Mousetrap (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 24 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
A stagey one! A stage play thats as gripping as An Inspector Calls or any such memorable stage plays over the years.
I love theatrical stories. One can easily imagine this story being put on the stage anywhere in the country. And it should be a sellout if they ever do.
The return of the Toymaker to the main range of audio adventures is handled very well indeed. After his brilliant Year of the Pig, Matt Sweet is back with yet another character piece. The games scenarios are all rather creepy and imaginative. This could have easily been too similar to The Celestial Toymaker, but it isnt and its an excellent sequel (as IS The Nightmare Fair) to that brilliant original outting.
Sylvester McCoy's Doc may once again have amnesia, but here its more believable because the story is told at pace and is menacing and effective. That the Toymaker here is little more than a creepy talking doll is a great piece of stuff.
And Sophie is better at voice hiding than Phil, the poor bloke. He is good, but not a patch on that stalwart brilliant companion Ace. I love Sophie, her character ooes brilliance. She was and still is one of the classiest companions ever. She beats Billie and Karen into a copped hat at any rate.
I wish that these guys at big finish though would stop doing these trilogies though. Having connecting themes for so long is beginning to get a little stupid and strenuous now. Get back to the Doc just flying anywhere. Give it its due though, this trilogy of stories is far more loose than all the others, which is a very good thing. One wants just a story to go into another. One wants a different Doctor story every month. One wants a little more of the feel of the classic series again.
But dont get me wrong, The Magic Mousetrap is imaginative and never less than highly entertaining.
| What: | Survival of the Fittest (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 24 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
What I really like here about Jonathan Clement's tale is the charecterisation of the insect race. Its not just a bland space hopper like the wirrn or an out and out killer like the krynoid. No, this is a far more likeable race, with a lot of background given to them within the three episode tale. I really like the voices too, very insect like and very cool.
The human characters too are all very well and believably characterised along the way. This is set on a planet in the future, and man's still as moronic and lacking morals which is no surprise and is always a good plot element that I like a lot. The fact that this story is but three episodes helps a lot, this could have been a bit long winded otherwise.
The one thing that mars this tale is the sloppy device by which Klein knicks the TARDIS. Man, after what he knows about her, youd think the Doctor wouldnt even keep the key on him if there was a chance of her getting hold of it. Him dropping it is bordering on just a little bit stupid for me, sadly bringing the tale just a little bit. Because apart from that little niggle, this story is an excellent one.
Johann Schmidt segment with Paul McGann is brilliant here. It gives us a believable back story to Klein, that oh so good character. Tracey Childs is excellent as the Nazi. This is a nice little tales of the unexpected style segment that is highly enjoyable.
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| You MUST listen to this masterpiece! |
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| What: | A Death in the Family (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | PJ Johnson, Hoddesdon, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 23 October 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Wow.
Just... wow.
A Death in the Family is without a doubt one of the cleverest, most enjoyable stories Big Finish have ever produced.
The returning Word Lord is wonderfully played by Ian Reddington, who would have easily stolen the show if it weren't for the equally stunning performances of Sylvester McCoy, Maggie Stables, Philip Olivier and particularly Sophie Aldred, who clearly relishes the emotional depth of the script and turns in the performance of her life.
The structure of the play is intriguing, essentially separating our heroes and really giving each character a chance to shine, before the twisting, turning narrative draws them all together again for the ingenious, dramatic and poignant final episode.
I honestly cannot fault this story. Not only does it work as an incredibly satisfying piece of science fiction in its own right, but it also finally resolves the Cassie/Evelyn/Hex storyline which has been hanging over the Sixth and Seventh Doctor adventures for almost ten years - talk about a slow burner of a story arc! I was really worried that when they did finally tie up all the loose ends I would be disappointed, but thankfully I couldn't have been more wrong.
Oh, and if you survive the final scenes without shedding a tear, you are certainly more of a man than I!
More of the same please, Mr Briggs, and many more scripts from Steven Hall while you're at it!
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| Laugh, cry, edge of your seat - the best |
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Death in the family has to be one of the best stories for a long time. The word master is perhaps one of the most crazy, fun and clear monsters for a long time.
I dont want to give too much away but have already listened to this three times. One of my all time best from big finish.
Cradle brings back perhaps one of the most original foes of the doctor. Playing on the same weeknesses of mankind at previous TV stories, but with a great and enjoyable twist.
I was pleased to see the companions remain and hope to see a lot more from the old gang with big finish.
