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| What: | The One Doctor (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 2 October 2010 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
I really enjoyed this story it was nice to have a break with a light hearted comedy style story, I didnt know what to expect at first but once into the story I didnt want to turn it off, because I only get a chance to listen in parts, I suppose it gives the feel of episodes. The only thing is I would have liked to know more about the Cylinder and why they were after the Doctor ( hopefully there might be a follow up about this)
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 | The Doctor is very upset about going. |
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I recomend them to any one who likes Doctor Who but hasn't seen this. I love it!
| What: | Castle of Fear (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 30 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Because I think is rather a brilliant start to the Stockbridge trilogy of audio stories starring Peter Davison.
The scene is set very well, beginning after the main bulk of the story has taken place, with the Doctor going back in time after its revealed that the natives of Stockbridge have put on a play about him coming to save their skins from an alien invasion.
The rutan is very very well charecterized and realised, its voice echoing the tones of the oriinal rutan that appeared in Horror of Fang Rock. That this should turn out to be the rutan in pursuit of Commander Linx too is a nice little piece of continuity. This story is very solid indeed and the comedy isnt as weak as most of the other reviewers seem to think. It is never less than funny and gripping and highly rewarding. The boars running amok for a start is a well crafted scene. The Earl of Mummerset is a real comic character realised very wekk indeed. And also the cliffhanger is a very good one indeed, beating a lot of others into a copped hat.
And as per usual Sarah Sutton is excellent as Nyssa. She always shines as such a likeable and dependable character. And the rest of the cast help to bring this story to vivid believable life. Not a bad start at all to the stockbridge trilogy.
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| This is better than the new Doctor Who! |
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Elisabeth Sladen always was one of the strongest and most enduring of the Doctor's companions. She had guts and was never afraid of shpwing what she feels about every situation she found herself in. But after the Tom Baker story Robot, her character seemed to become on the whole rather 2d, lacking the initial punch of he first Jon Pertwee season, where she was mouthy, took iniative, and wasnt just there for asking silly questions.
But now she is back again with a fantastic series of her own! And wow was the first series good or what? She grabs the role and breathe tonnes of new fresh life into it. She now once more has the gusto of her first season of Doctor Who, and that is a brilliant thing indeed. She has a moral strength missing in most other so called tv heroes of our day.
These stories on the whole are far better than most of the new series Doctor Whos. The characters are actually very likeable indeed and the villains are far from forgettable and characature. This series may well have been formed with children in mind, but it is so good as to be of the highest quality entertainment for a 24 year bloke like me even. There is so much going on, so many interesting twists and turns along the way. The writers have all been very well chosen and the stories are decent and involving. And the Trickster especially is a pretty creepy creation, as good as any Doctor Who villain. The Eye of the Gorgon is another very well produced episode, and all the characters, especially Phylidda Law's are excellently acted and totally believable.
The Lost Boy rounds the first series off in very fine form indeed. This is as impacting (in fact even better) as any of the new series Doctor Who climaxes. This is more special and watchable too. I am so glad the BBC saw the potential in Liz's character Sarah Jane Smith and crafted such a brilliant story that really does make the most of her character. And boy, this was only the debut series. A very high standard indeed.
One laments the slacking and sliding of many of the new Doctor Who stories. So why is this series so much better? Because of many elements, you have to get it and watch to discover just what i mean, but you wont regret it. This is one of the finest shows on TV, of any genre. Great stuff!
| What: | City of Spires (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 29 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Frazer Hines.
That is the main reason for me wnting to get this story. I loved his portrayal of Jamie on the TV, the most likeable of the Doctor's companions. Strong and dependable and reliable. Fiercely loyal to the Doctor through all their many travels, overcoming even the relevant hiccup in The Evil of the Daleks. And that is why I liked him so much in those classic stories.
And now that dear Pat is gone, he is one of the few remaining reminders of that series. And so what was he like once more appearing with Colin Baker?
The answer is excellent.
This is a pseudo historical that starts the Doctor/ Jamie trilogy off very well indeed. Their are real characters here. But Georgia Moffett and Frazer definitely shine along the way. But the whole cast is fine picked and brings the story to life. Red Cap is an interesting little villain too.
Frazer is as great as he ever was. He gels with Colin just as much as he did with Patrick. He is such a fine actor. And the end of this story is marvellous. It leaves questions and so you really want to find out what happens next in the trilogy.
| What: | The Lost Stories: The Macros (The Lost Stories audio dramas) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 29 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
1: The Nightmare Fair began this series on a rather high and interesting note.
2: Mission To Magnus was such fun, with Sil and the Ice Warriors together for a story of the battle of the sexes really. But so very amusing.
3: Leviathan was the nit and grit of this run, like a Bob Holmes tale this one, so very many good elements in it.
4: The Hollows Of Time had a really twisting plot but was highly entertaining.
5: Paradise 5 was a creepsville tale, with many bold script points. A particular high of this run of stories.
6: Point Of Entry was the horror story of the series. Full of grimness and brilliance and subtlety.
7: The Song Of Megaptera was a real space opera. And it worked. The idea of the space whales was awesomely realised.
8: And now here we are for the finale.
Colin Baker leads a really good cast in this finale, written by none other than Ingrid Pitt with her partner. Really, what were the BBC thinking of, not publishing this script? For goodness sake this script as with all the others of this lost season boasts so much that is enjoyable.
Linda Marlowe is frankly excellent as Osloo. She seems to play the tyrant with relish and her demise is brilliant too. It may be a little similar to Pangol in the Leisure Hive, but it is done great here. She is as good as any of the actors to act these sort of parts in the original series.
And the plot is easy to follow but innovative and different. This could have fitted in perfectly into the Colin Baker era of Doctor Who. And there are some very good scenes, such as when the deck of the ship is disintigrating. And there is some nice moral pointers along the way too.
So all in all, this first lost season of adventures has been of a very high standard indeed.
| What: | The Wheel in Space (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 29 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Patrick Troughton never had a really bad story. About the worst is 7 out of ten. But this is an often wrongly maligned classic of the series, as it boasts so much that is excellent.
The cybermen are back to finish the fifth season of Doctor Who, and it is no wonder they are such a popular monster when they are portrayed as they are here: the original outline for the monster: totally emotionless and flat and just determined to gain their objectives simply and effectively. These monsters were always excellent, but later in the series they seemed to be a little bit more emotive (although that in itself aint bad, its a big universe...different corners of it may have had different types of cybermen) But here in the Wheel In Space they are the most emotionless they have ever been. They are expertly written. They just tower over all the cast as well.
And for the introduction of Zoe, Wendy gives a brilliant performance as the cheeky astrophysicist! I love her character as I love all the other female companions of this time. She immediately seems to gel with Pat and Frazer, and they work so well together. They steal all the scenes they are in. The way she joins the crew is brilliant too.
And the rest of the cast are of a very high class indeed. And one can easily forgive Pat's huge fluff (you know what it is) as the story is so brilliant. The cybermen may be in the background, but their presence is shadowy and very menacing indeed. And especially considering the fact that they only had two complete cybermen for this whole story.
The "I imagine you have orders to destroy me" scene for me is one of the best of the whole series. And again, the plot here isnt too over the top and isnt difficult to follow. David Whitaker has just given us a classy piece of Doctor Who. There were many brilliant episodes to come with all the following Doctors in line, but they never had a complete run of excellent stories as Pat did, except maybe Sylv McCoy. Pat for me was the best Doctor, but all the rest are excellent too. Just a great shame that the new series isnt as consistant as Pat's time in the series.
It is so sad that this story only has two television episodes remaining. Its a travesty that all the best stories suffer such cuts. The BBC should have auctioned all their stuff off. Theyd have got money for it!!!!!! Just glad that it is available on audio, that at least!!!!
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| The Sixth Doctor at His Very Best |
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Yes. Now this is one lost story I definitely like! Since Colin Baker was on TV screens in the 80s, I felt that his was an interesting Doctor but that with the possible exception of one or two, he never got any really good stories to work with (until the audios). Leviathan is a really good Sixth Doctor story, that gives us a Doctor who is robustly heroic and physical in ways we really never saw on television. He is very much the Sixth Doctor of 1984, yet scripted in a much more impressive and satisfying way in a story of high quality. Leviathan is a bit like an early Tom Baker story on steroids, directed by someone like Joe Ahearne, Euros Lyn or James Hawes (of the new series). As such, this really doesn't feel much like a Season 23 production, as it's too good, but I suppose one can dream. As it turns out, this story was actually commissioned for Season 22 and rejected, probably due to budgetary constraints. To say much about the plot would be to spoil it for those who haven't heard it yet, but I'll just say that the Herne and the Zeron are superb, monstrous characters for audio - they sound great here. Again, doubtful that we'd actually get something as well realized as these in Season 22 or 23 though, as even three seasons later, the Destroyer (of the story Battlefield) couldn't measure up to these characters on screen. So Leviathan gets a failing grade for fitting into this "lost season," but because it's so good while doing so, it doesn't matter.
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| It may well be silly but... |
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| What: | The Underwater Menace (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 28 September 2010 |
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| Rating: |  9 |
For me The Underwater Menace is nothing short of entertaining. Yes, it may well be silly and camp and may be full of cliches as the other reviewers below have said, but the way they are all portrayed has never been more entertainingly done.
Joseph Furst maybe one of the most over the top actors here as the insane Zaroff, but this for me is by no means a really bad thing. You can sense the fun people had making this kind of story. It may not be oscar winning stuff, but for me it is so flipping cool and brilliant that that doesnt really matter or bother me in the slightest.
And as for any Doctor Who, there are some rather nasty bits thrown amoungst the laughable bits. The shooting scene on screen of Thous and his guards may be far from convincing, but on audio it doesnt matter, and Joseph's delivery of that oh so famous line is oh so memorable. But the drowning of Zaroff is again memorable and pretty explicit. And actually, the plot of the story isnt too unbelievable either.
And the fish people design isnt too bad either. And you cant see the strings on audio holding the poor fellows up. Theres even a shark filled well and a pet octopus. So this is not the allround goof so many people seem to think it is, by any means. Robots of Death and Pyramids of Mars are far more tedious than this nice little ott tale.
And the cliffhanger ending to episode four is excellent too, really making you want to come back to see what will happen to the crew of the TARDIS. The episode endings of Pat's time have always been amoung the best the series ever done.
And Pat Troughton again is in fine comic form. And yet again he fits all his disguises so very well indeed. Pat brought so much brilliantness to the role of the Doctor. Him as the gypsy sailor is one of the most memorable of his disguises, he does look rather wierd to say the least with those glasses!
And the thought of being turned into one of the fish people is a good plot line for Polly. Though she doesnt quite get as much to do as in some of the surrounding stories. But she is such a good actress and it is clearly evident on screen or as in here, just on audio.
Perhaps the only oddity here is that there is no narration at all to explain the fish strike action bit in episode three. So for nearly two minutes one still wonders what the fish people are actually doing. It could have been explained so its totally clear. But aside from this, I still really like and enjoy this romp which was Pat's third story in the role of the Doctor. And he already seemed to know the part so well, with all his foibles and isms.
Patrick Troughton's time in Doctor Who for me ranks as the best period in the shows history. Never again would Doctor Who for me continually boast the brilliantness of his era. He was a clown and a buffoon, but also caring and deep, and still true to the original outline of the character, in that he still kept the mystery inherent in the character. One can never quite figure him out. And that is a good thing.
So, the Underwater Menace is silliness. But its about the most highly enjoyable silliness ever to have been experienced by me!!!!
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| An excellently read piece... |
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One thing you can be sure of with Terrance Dicks is a sure and solid story, whether it be all his original novels, or his novelisations of the classic series of Doctor Who. He is a man whose writing has never before dissappointed me. He may not go for the absolutely mind blowing twisting plots of many other Who writers, but that is no bad thing as his stories are always so very very easy to follow or read or listen to as is the case here with this new reading of Planet of The Spiders by Elisabeth Sladen.
And what really helps here is Elisabeth has got such a nice voice to listen to. Her reading is never less than enjoyable, and in places is wickedly pronounced and memorable. Some readers never can quite bring all the many characters to life in audio readings, but Liz seems to manage it with consumate ease.
The story here is written in Terrance's usual way. Never too thick on explanations, more just getting on with telling the story, so as to not leave one bored after a few minutes of reading. And what also really adds to any audio reading is new sound effects and music. This also helps to stilt any boring long chapters, and Planet of the Spiders is never boring.
The characters are all very close to tv serial of the same name. The only slight let down of this audio reading, and this is by no means Liz's fault, but the spider voices here are so very far from scary. Excpet for maybe the more guttural sound of the great one. But the Queen and the other spiders just sound so babyish. But otherwise this audiobook is very well done. Liz's characterization of Tommy and Cho Je are particularly impressive, and add 3D to the characters.
The prologue is also an excellent little intro to the story that could have been done with the serial but wasnt, sadly. A nice little bit with Jo sending the crystal back to the Doctor and starting all the trouble without even realising. And just the notion of the spiders crowding in to eat Lupton's body near the end of the book is rather nasty and very well done. Another element not featured in the serial on the screen. And as you never see anyone being eaten by the spiders on the screen, at least you get the notion of it happening here, which adds a bit more realism to the climax of the story.
So,all in all this is very well done indeed. Oh, yeah, but they could just have had the Doctor Who theme too in there, would have made it feel even more authentic as part of the Doctor Who label. But im not complaining. This is very good stuff indeed.
| What: | Invaders from Mars (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 26 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I admit that during my first listen, I was not fond of "Invaders From Mars." However, when I listened a second time, I found the whole thing very amusing. The story is set in New York, 1938, but one that is more like a collection of movie cliches from that period than the real thing. We get stereotypical gangsters, stereotypical spies, stereotypical social gadflies, a seemingly stereotypical hardboiled detective mystery, and several horrid accents to top it off. In other words, audiences are fairly warned not to take any of it seriously. Then come the aliens, sort of space bat versions of the Dominators, with one ready to kill and destroy just about anything he sees and the other constantly talking him down by pointing out just how stupid it is to kill and destroy everything. In this sense, the story sends up not just films of 1930s New York, but also certain aspects of "Doctor Who" itself. There are many genuinely funny lines, such as the aliens' mistakenly thinking that Cosmo Devine's name is Scum Devine. The only perplexing thing about it is the Doctor's naive innocence throughout the story. Who could possilby be fooled by the name "Glory Bee"?
In terms of the revival of the original Season 23 "lost stories," Mission to Magnus achieved the desired effect even better than The Nightmare Fair. My rating of 7 on this is not for the story, which isn't actually that great, but for the overall production. The entire cast, most notably Colin Baker and Nabil Shaban, really threw themselves into this fully, and the result sounds quite competently like an audio soundtrack from a TV story made in 1985. Colin Baker really recaptured the sound of a younger Sixth Doctor here. And in this story, Sil actually provides some genuine humor on the whole, rather than being mostly nasty, as he was in the televised stories featuring him.
So far, these alternative Season 23 stories look like a kinder, gentler route, which unfortunately probably would have also produced a rather lackluster season. The Trial of a Timelord, while offering the very intriguing ideas of the evil half-Doctor as it were, and the Time Lord cover up of the Ravalox/Matrix situation, just didn't work well in its final form. Mindwarp was the most troublesome story in that season, with its very dark tone and the confusion around the falsifying of the Matrix record of what actually happened. I actually would have much rather seen Mission to Magnus instead. And speaking of that story, it is now difficult to know how to look at Mission to Magnus if you're talking about what is canon and what isn't. Mission to Magnus clearly would've taken place after Mindwarp, and this is a fairly unsolvable problem. So it's probably best to look at Mission to Magnus as a standalone, or an alternate universe story, or something...
Part 2 of the CD extras includes some of the funniest banter I've yet heard on these. However, I would have liked to have heard something from William Townsend who was notably absent in the extras. He is the child actor who plays Vion in the story, and does it fairly well, I'd say.
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| three slightly below-par stories |
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| What: | The Black Guardian Trilogy (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Francis Salvi, Chester, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 23 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Peter Davison is probably my least favourite Doctor, the only reasons I got this set were to see what the stories were like and to help complete my collection. And unlike the recent Cybermen set and Time and the Rani releases, this is a below-par release (albeit a slightly old one).
Mawdryn Undead is an average tale which contains a mamorable flashback sequence and re-introduces the Brigadier well, as well as having a good, but short subplot in which Mawdryn tries to impersonate the Doctor. The downside is that the story drags terribly in places, at times seeming to come to a complete standstill.
Terminus is probably the best story in the set, quite a dark tale helped by the dull sets for the space station. The Vanir are admittedly a bit disappointing, and the Garm is quite impressive. Nyssa's departure feels quite rushed, but it is an original leaving scene, and one of the most memorable in Doctor Who.
I am sorry to report that Enlightenment is second in my list of 10 Worst stories. It suffers the same problem as Mawdryn Undead, in that the pace is sometimes non-existant, but unlike that story it doesn't have any redeeming qualities, save for the fantastic model-work.
All in all, a disappointing set that could have been so much better were it not for the quality of the first and third stories.
Producing these "lost" scripts from the original Season 23 was a great idea, especially to us fans of the sixth Doctor. This audio version of The Nightmare Fair does indeed give us a much more enjoyable realization of it than can be gotten from its print form. Having said that, I must once again contradict Colin Baker's comments in the extras and say that this story really doesn't work all that well on audio. Too much of the action is difficult to decipher, which probably wouldn't have been a problem on video. One example would be that the big scene of the Doctor's videogame challenge is rendered fairly ineffective on audio. Still, the Toymaker is a fascinating villain, and we learn much more about the nature of his existence in this story. And the relationship between the Doctor and Peri is much more fun here than it probably ever was on TV. And thankfully, after a rough start, in episode 2 Colin's voice comes back to full strength, and combined with the way he's playing the Doctor here, one can really imagine that this story was done back in 1985. We also get the added bonus of a script apparently unsoiled by the script destroying, I mean, editing... talents of Eric Saward...
Destiny nicely comes full circle with Hex and the long standing sub plot of "whose my mummy". At first the alien plague takes centre stage with the forge lurging but quickly flips and brings together the Project series and latest 7th doctor's run in an exciting, twisting and turning story. A great story that finishes with many questions and leaving you hungry for more.
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| You dont get better than this... |
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| What: | The Enemy of the World (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Patrick Troughton as the Doctor was always magic. To have Patrick Troughton as the villain of the piece to was a spot of brilliance! This i feel is by far the best of the doppleganger Doctor Whos, although the Massacre isnt very far behind at all.
Patrick is very impressive as the mexican psycho Salamander. And yes, this story definitely has tones of James Bond about it, as Salamander would have made a brilliant James Bond villain. And he is pretty much better than any of that line of villains. Aside from The War Games and The Two Doctors, I would quote this story as being Pat's finest acting in Doctor Who.
The whole underground sequence with the people kept in ignoance of what Salamander is really doing is particularly effective. And the last minute plot twist of Giles Kent being another psycho isnt totally unbelievable either. The acting allround here is excellent, and Salamander ranks amoungst the ost memorable of Doctor Who baddies.
What also shines through this story too is the comedy. The scenes of Victoria in the kitchen still have me in stitches, especially the writing of the menus scene. Griffin might just be a bit of comic relief, but boy is he brilliant!
And once more, the plot isnt too complicated. The new series often fales because the plots of the stories are unfathomable. But here we just get a good central premise and the story rips along at a breathtaking pace and never lets up. The ending is particularly good, with the members of the TARDIS holding on for dear life as the TARDIS hurtles into the vortex with the doors open.....all in all, another dose of top quality Doctor Who.
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| This WAS the season 4 premiere! |
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| What: | The Smugglers (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Here we go again. The third to last totally historical story. Tragic thinking on behalf of the bbc, to cut out these highly engrossing tales that very often put their sci fi tales to shame around them.
From the outset where a grumpy William Hartnell "welcomes" his new guests aboard the TARDIS, in the guise of Ben and Polly, this story really shines. It boasts some evry well recorded location work, possibly the best for the whole of the First Doctor's era. It is nice to see (or hear) a location beyond London for once. And you really notice it.
The script is ripe and full of lovely little nuggets of glittering dialogue. "Ill have the words spilling from him like blubber from a whale" is aparticularly well crafted line. All these one liners add that extra touch to an already brilliant story.
And Michael and Anneke work so well together, theres a good chemistry between them and overall they deserved a better run than they had. They were a great duo with all the vital elements of a brilliant character.
And considering that Bill Hartnell was very ill during the making of his final season, he gives a brilliant performance here, perhaps another of his strongest. I love the way he is perturbed by Pike and stands up to him and talks to him as he does everyone else along the way.
This also has its share of usual excellent done action scenes, never done in pantomime and so very convincing indeed. Cherub's character is one of the best and nastiest villains of the First Doctor age of the programme.
It really doesnt matter that the code changes halfway through, for the rest of the story is so brilliant that this little fluff can be totally forgiven and easily overlooked. Its hard to see why so many didnt like these historical tales. They cut them at their height, and The Smugglers is definitely Brian Hayles finest Doctor Who script (that he actually did most of the writing of!) I would recommend this story to anyone. It has everything.
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| Excellent piece of storytelling |
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| What: | The Aztecs (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Why so many feel that the historical stories arent all that good is a notion i will never get to grips with. There are so many inhuman periods in our own past to write about without the alien threats from outer space all over the universe.
The Aztecs represents historical Doctor Who at its height. Following after the brilliant Marco Polo earlier in the season, this is a memorable third look into a part of Earth's history. The sets for a start are again very very good. It doesnt look like the cheap tacky stuff that frequently gets shown on Doctor Who.
And all the cast are perfect here. There isnt one character who is boring or even particularly sidelined. But who really shines here is Jacqueline Hill. This is her story really. A story of her moral struggle set against the Doctors firm notion that one cant interfere with time (even though he does it more than anyone!) The tension, like the Edge of Destruction between her and the Doctor, is palpable and effective. That is the thing with Doctor Who: most of the laughs were had in the rehearsals, and then when it came for the recording, it was treated with absolute conviction and zeal by all involved.
And another wonderful element is the obvious chemistry between the Doctor and Cameca. His accidental proposal is very nicely handled, and is rather charming. And its good to see Carole Ann Ford being a bit more gutsy than usual within this story, refusing to marry the man chosen for her.
This is good in the fact that it keeps to telling a brilliant story with well rounded characters who pull you into the story. And that it presents history as not being funny or forgettable or something to lightly pass over. History will always be important. This is one of the best earlier Doctor Whos. The new series could learn much from stories like these.
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| An unfairly maligned piece of brilliance |
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| What: | Time and the Rani (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 18 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I have to agree with Francis review below. Time And The Rani is far from the worst Doctor Who story ever. It has much to recommend it above a lot of other stories from the eighties, and indeed from Sylvester's own time as the Doctor.
Time and the Rani firstly boasts some of the very best effects used on the classic series. The regeneration may not be the best ever, but its not Sylv's fault that Colin didnt want to come back to do just a silly regeneration scene (and i cant blame him, his treatment by the BBC was frankly disgusting) Those swirling traps were quite frankly the best effect ever, including the so called brilliant new series.
The acting is also very commendable and brilliantly done by all the main actors. The scene were Faroon finds out it is her daughter who has died is a particularly well handled and touching little scene, which puts padi yet again to the theory that classic Doctor Who was never all that high on emotion.
The tetraps too are one of the better Doctor Who monsters, those rotating eyes look brilliant and the voice is excellent too. The neat little plot twist once Urak discovers the extent of the Rani's plans is brilliantly subtle, so he goes and gets ready to take his revenge on her! Brilliantly done.
Bonnie Langford too was nowhere near as bad as a lot of people made her out to be. She was a dependable and honest and above all else interesting companion. Her scenes with the newly regenerated Doctor are memorable and brilliantly done. Andrew Morgan didnt do too bad a job at all on this excellent piece of Doctor Who.
Doctor Who is often maligned for its use of comedy, but the comedy in Doctor Who is quite frankly totally awesome and funny and is a vital ingredient of the best Doctor Whos. The comedy here, particularly in the amnesiac Doctor misquoting phrases is particularly brilliant.
And to top it all of Kate O'Mara puts in a far better performance than her first outing as the Rani, and that was excellent enough. She does Mel absolutely comically and excellently. One of the best performances ever in Doctor Who. Add to that mix a brilliant debut from Sylv who looks like he's been in the role for ages and you get one of the finest examples of eighties Who. Even the usual quarry setting is handled better than usual, with the sky tinted red. It truly does feel alien.
John Nathan Turner seemed to be often accused of bringing Doctor Who down into the dumps. A lie. Thanks John for having the eye to notice a good story when you see one! Its sad he's gone. He was a real breath of fresh air for Doctor Who.
| What: | Time and the Rani (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Francis Salvi, Chester, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 17 September 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I'm a big fan of Season 24, and the Seventh Doctor is my favourite. Shoot me. If you watch Time and the Rani with the same attitude as I do, its a really enjoyable story.
People criticise McCoy in this story for being too clownish, but if you look at some of his scenes with Mel in the Rani's laboratory, he takes on a melancholy feel. And for those criticisong the regeneration, might I recommend the novel 'Spiral Scratch'?
The Rani is on top form here. I didn't like Mark of the Rani all that much, maybe because it felt too out of place in the mostly sci-fi centred Season 22, but here the Rani is brilliant. Her plan is a good one, and as a rarity in Doctor Who, is scientifically feasible.
All in all, another under-rated story that really doesn't deserve the stick it gets.
