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 | If only BBC had made more than 2 |
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Created in the dead time of 1993-1996 when the classic series was off the air BBC radio used three old regulars to create this wonderful drama. Each episode runs for a traditional tv lenght and replicates the standard Pertwee longer story. the beauty of radio is that you can see Nick Courtney as he was in 75 no 93. the story is well paced the villians are excellent too. I wish they had done many more expecially since Jon was a veteran of radio and we never got to hear a BF with him.
Paul Mcgannn gives a dramatic reading of 3 tales for his Doctor. The People's temple is long and a bit slow but that is not Paul's fault. Dead time is very good
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| The very first audio and it shows |
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Orignially recorded and released on LP (vynyl) in 1976 this story is of significance only becuase it is technically the very first Dr who audio. It's a cast of 3 Tom, Liz and the voice for the Pecaton leader. Aimed at children it is a bit silly but at 45 minutes it's a quick listen and still worth hearing as a historical item but don't expect high drama
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| Iris #*(%?&$&?$ Wildthyme |
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| What: | Verdigris (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | , |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 January 2010 |
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| Rating: |   3 |
This seems to me more a book by an author who has created a character he likes - Iris «Annoying» Wildthyme - and wants to plug it in an existing well-loved universe, namely DW, than a novel about the third Doctor. It doesn't make much sense, just weird things happening for a while and when it does finally come together, its a major disapointment. So stay away from it unless you have to read them all or if Iris Wildthyme is on your list of top cool book characters.
Oddly I have listened to many of the later audios before this one but it still holds up and is at least as good as Slipback (the 1986 BBC radio drama). I suspect the review David Leyton above is based on somene who has not listened to radio broadcasts or assesed voice talent for animation. Peter Miles (Nider from Genesis of the Daleks) performance is particularly good.
The fourth Doctor's ghastly tale continues with The Circus of Doom, set in the 18th Century. As the Doctor goes further back in time in an attempt to track down and stop the hornets' origins, he arrives at the "Circus of Delights," where he makes a futile attempt to save Francesca from the terrible fate he has already seen for her in the future. He is also given some information that seems to indicate that all of the terrible things that have happened with the hornets could be his own fault. Is it his destiny to unleash this horrible plague himself, at some point in his future and Earth's past? The trail leads yet further back in time...
In this third part of the Hornets Nest series, Tom Baker and the production team are now giving us a really excellent production. It's a very dark tale, yet rather darkly fascinating. Baker's voice work seems the strongest and liveliest we've seen yet in this series, and The Circus of Doom reminds this listener a bit of the early "Gothic horror" stories of the Hinchcliffe seasons of the TV series.
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| Not a bad start to the season that wasnt |
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What appeals about this tale is not the reutrn of the Toymaker as such, although David does a great job at bringing this villain back to life, after the retiring of Michael Gough from acting. His laugh is memorable, and his games are pretty well presented, considering this is an audio drama. But it is actually the opening which for me is the best part of the story. A real sense that at last the sixth Doctor and Peri were getting along like house on fire. None of the stupid banter and all that. Some nice and relaxed fun scenes.
A slight pity that after such a strong start the story falls into just basically a lot of talking and not too much action. The ending is a strong concept too though, but the middle is far too long. But then again its not as long as some boring television these days.
The acting is good. The few scares are done well. And the actual explanation of where and what the Toymaker actually is is well handled and well scripted. I think you can tell David likes playing the Toymaker, he does it really very well indeed.
Apart from the slighly boring middle section, this is a nice piece of Doctor Who. It would have been a great start to the season that never was.
Well, lets take a look at the positive points:
A: The return of Nabil Shaban as Sil. Just as if he never went away from the part. He clearly relishes this part, bringing wit and laughs to the tale on various occasions. The notion of him being marooned on a planet full of beautiful women is quite amusing. And to me this set piece does work well.
B: The time lord bully Anzor. Not sure the Doctor would be quite as cringy over a daft time lord. But hey, bullies are a bad and universal breed. A good and new fresh idea. Colin Baker's final scene with Anzor though is highly memorable and brilliant. I never thought Id ever hear any Doctor say Get lost!!!
c: The return of the Ice Warriors. In the Ice Warriors they tried to free their ship from the ice, in Seeds of Death they tried to change the earths weather. In Curse of Peladon they were a good and nobel race again, and in Monster just a band of thugs. What I like about the Ice warriors is you never quite know if theyll be good or bad. And so here they are trying to change climate again, but in a totally new way. And this idea isnt bad. In terms of plot, this isnt badly done here at all. This would have been a good piece of Doctor Who for the TV.
D: The decidedly sexist talk, and final mutual coming together of the male and female races. Some amusing and witty scenes.
E: What is a really good bunch of kid actors, if it is kids. Ive only heard the download, so im just guessing. Good whoever they are anyway!
And now the bad things:
1: What happened to the ice warrior ship after the Doc sorts everything out? They disappear from the scene. Maybe there should or could be a sequel whiich sees the revenge of the Ice warriors on the planet Magnus.
And yet I cant think of another bad point. (Apart from the God in her wisdom line, Im not sexist, just a Christian. ) This is a very good Doctor Who story though. The final scenes of men and women coming together is a good point for the conclusion of this story. Just clearly classic Doctor Who.
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| A very very welcome comeback... |
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Welcome back Tom. The BBC have finally persuaded good old Tom back for a set of five linked audio stories, but the overall question is...was it worth it? In my view I can answer that with a resounding YES.
These stories have to be good. Theyre all written by Paul Magrs for a start. One writer who is never ever predictable. He always creates good strong characters and odd situations.
Where these adventures succeed most is in fact the way it captures Tom's original period of Doctor Who so well. It has all the atmsophere and threats, whilst at the same time not being stupidly overcomplicated like some of the more modern Doctor Who stories.
And a great idea is in bringing back old Richard Franklin. Mike Yates was always an interesting character.
There is so much going for this series. It has a great central enemy, with the first four tales brilliantly written. Stuffed animals, wierd shoes, dead lion's mouths, pigs and nuns. Especially a Sting in the tale manages to capture a side of Tom rarely seen on TV, a more vulnerable Doctor perhaps, or at least one more prone to make mistakes.
If there are any flaws then it has to be the last part. Hive Of Horror is not at all bad in itself at all. There are many good moents in this concluding part, its just that after the eerie build up of an enemy supposedly very powerful, it all ends rather normally with a "typical" ending. But with a guy who claims to love simplicity, maybe i shouldnt be so harsh. What to recommend the last part? Mike being given more to do after a run of barely a few minutes per story. Rula Lenska giving a great performance as the Queen of the hive.
And great leading from Tom, who seems to have never even stopped being the fourth doctor.
Overall, a highly entertaining series, good acting and good set pieces. A good piece of relief from over done stories of the modern era. Carry on Tom!!!
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| Great but a little rushed |
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I enjoyed Cyberman 2: it carried on the season 1's compelling plot, still had a great cast and introduced some very good new ones and one of our favourite baddies are still handled very well. All this rolled up and delivered with a great sound track with a strong sense of atmosphere.
Without giving too much away, my issue is the conclusion, it just felt too quick and a little unrealistic. Part 4 could have been 2 parts to flesh out the plot or give the whole thing a better ending. Like many doctor who endings just a little too easy, with a better end it could have been a 9 or perhaps a 10.
However I feel about the ending overall Cyberman 2 is still a great story and worth a listen.
Overall, I'd say that The Dead Shoes is an improvement upon The Stuff of Nightmares (the previous and first story in this series). What we have here is some dry, cobwebby horror, in the form of a fairy tale. In the early half of this story, it seems that Tom Baker is really catching his stride with this material, sounding even better than his best moments in The Stuff of Nightmares, though he seems to lose this edge a bit by the end. The main problem here comes from the gratuitous and plainly ridiculous use of the Doctor's scarf, to lasso a woman who is about to leap off of a cliff, to sort of rappel down from a great height, and as a trip wire, if I remember correctly... Worse than cringe-worthy. Yet, aside from that glaring shortcoming, this remains an interesting production, with a significant creepiness factor...
The final in the trilogy pulls everything together, having zombies was great, the setting dark and holding off the daleks till the end really adds to the plot. Lots of twists and turns some good acting from the supporting cast. Whilst a strong 8 for me if a little darker, chimes of midnight dark, it could have been a 9 or 10 but still great.
The Stuff of Nightmares is really more of an audio book than an audio drama - this is mostly a reading of lines telling the story, rather than characters acting out a story, though there is a bit of that as well. The production (meaning music, sound effects, and so on) is minimal. The scenario of the fourth Doctor calling in an older Mike Yates is a bit baffling, though it does offer a strangely interesting situation - it's a change of pace, at least.
In the favor of this production, Tom Baker really sounds very good here, surprisingly so, especially considering that this his first real foray back into the role in a very long time, and considering that he was given what's really a pretty naff script. The threat so far is mostly a variety of stuffed animals, inexplicably coming nastily to life. One gets the sense that this story was crafted for very young listeners, yet I fail to see how this would appeal to that age group, especially since children haven't seen Tom Baker in the role on TV since 1981.
Unfortunately, at least with this installment, this is really not a return to adventures of the fourth Doctor - not a return to the show of the 70s. Yet, the potential is fairly enticing. It makes me wonder with great interest how Tom Baker would do with, say, Louise Jameson or Elisabeth Sladen, or Mary Tamm for that matter, in a full-on monthly audio drama from Big Finish with a really good script to work with...
| What: | Time and Relative (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 December 2009 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
Time and Relative is indeed a fairly juvenile story, which takes the form of entries in Susan's diary, and is very Doctor-lite, focusing more on the details of Susan's school life in England and her friendships with other teens and kids, in the midst of an invasion by the Cold. And yet, in the middle of all of this, Time and Relative captures the stark mystery that's found in An Unearthly Child, and gives us another look at that rough, early first Doctor, in his alien glory and unconcern for much of human life. That rough, stark alienness was lost fairly early on in the early years of the original series, so it remains a bit fascinating to see, even viewed through the lens of a strange teenage girl's personal writings...
| What: | Relative Dementias (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | , |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 December 2009 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The story takes a long time to get into gears and is rather boring at the beginning. Once all the pieces are clear, it's a bit confusing but entertaining nonetheless. Ace plays a major part so be warned!!!
| What: | Tomb of Valdemar (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | , |
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| Date: | Thursday 24 December 2009 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
The central plot is quite allright but the telling of the tale on the ice planet is pretty useless, although in the end everything is tied. The book would have been much better had it concentrated on the main Valdemar story. Also Romana si quite out of character and really annoying!
| What: | Blue Forgotten Planet (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 December 2009 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Well, everything must eventually come to an end. For Charley, and her twisting & turning of the timelines, it appears that this is the end, and I'll say that it's more like most of the classic Who partings we remember from TV. I've personally enjoyed the character in her many appearances in these audios, but I'd also say that the character has been pretty well exhausted in her nine-year run. Happily, this is a better final story for her than The Girl Who Never Was. Yet, at the same time, there's a bit of a bleak shallowness to Blue Forgotten Planet that keeps it from being a truly outstanding release.
It's great to have the Viyrans back again, once again voiced by the superb Michael Maloney (plus effects). There is actually a good deal of mystery surrounding who they really are, where they come from, and how they could be as powerful as they are. It all leads this listener to believe that they could somehow be involved with some Time Lord faction that is very much in favor of intervention... but we'll have to see if anything is ever revealed about their true origins.
With its orchestral (pseudo-orchestral?) score and moments of high intensity, Blue Forgotten Planet tries to be somewhat cinematic in style, at least in the first half or so. It comes pretty close, but doesn't quite make it, and as I say, parts of the story end up feeling a little thin. Granted, much of what's happening here really is primarily a means to an end - the end of wrapping up Charley's story with the sixth Doctor, settling the Mila situation, and getting the sixth Doctor out of the obvious temporal contradiction issues that come up with all of this, so there's already a lot on the "to do" list here. Having said that, the final scenes between Charley and the Doctor here are nicely done and emotionally poignant, and though perhaps the final resolutions to the central issues of the story are a bit too magical and far-fetched, the tale is concluded rather nicely by the end, and it all works.
Though perhaps not a truly outstanding story, Blue Forgotten Planet is essential listening for the fan of the monthly line.
Relatively clever plot, excellent characterisation of the Doctor, especially in relation to the Daleks. Good application of not just the Daleks and the twisted timelines but also simple but intelligent use of some OldWho Dalek mythology.
Good original characters thrown into the mix, though they may have been used better. Great use of a Space-faring empire and war setting, interesting interactions and a very good climax to finish.
Definitely recommend this book to any fan.
The Doctor is out to stop a troop of ever-dutiful Judoon from creating absolute havoc while in pursuit of 'The Invisible Assassin'.
The Doctor is well written and it uses interesting and creative characters with their own important roles to play and memmorable pesonalities. Parallel plot lines with interlinking consequences, twists, red herrings all spiced up with some good jokes.
An excellent new installment.
| What: | Autonomy (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Tim, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 December 2009 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
It was great to see the Autons again, but I was unimpressed from early on in the book with way too much contrivance in the plot. The characters were shoddy, the Doctor's characterisation was way over the top and didn't fit the situations.
Less action seens with more detail and content would have served better than the repeated dashing about blowing up Autons and running from Autons which filled up a lot of the book.
The climax was thoroughly dreadful. It isn't even really explained, the Doctor saves the day with a MacGuffin he retroactively inserts into the plot. Cheap, nasty and forgettable.
