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Doctor Who Audio Review: A Celebration Of The Sixth Doctor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment
Doctor Who: The Sixth Doctor Adventures: The Quin Dilemma

Big Finish Productions releases an enjoyable Doctor Who audio boxset celebrating forty years of Colin Baker as the Doctor’s sixth incarnation. The Quin Dilemma contains six interlinked stories written by three authors and directed by Samuel Clemens. Bonnie Langford and Nicola Bryant reprise their roles of Melanie Bush and Peri, respectively. Miranda Raison and Lisa Greenwood return as Constance Clarke and Flip Ramon, a pair of companions created by Big Finish. Phil Labey accompanies the Doctor as a certain Herbert George Wells in one of the stories.

The Exaltation by Jacquelin Raynor kicks off the set and has the Doctor and Mel on the planet Arunopel where the Time Lord is checking out a temporal anomaly. The king is about to step down, but he is uncertain as to which of his five sons is going to inherit the throne. The king believes the Doctor responsible for the disappearance of his wife many years ago and sets his sons out to find him in various points in his timeline.

Chris Chapman picks up the story with Escape from Holy Island where the Doctor, Peri, and a young HG Wells are visiting an island in the year 739 on the eve of a Viking invasion, however the raiders that are coming may be something else.

It’s a pretty good continuation, and the idea of HG Wells being in the TARDIS beyond the one television adventure Timelash is a fun if rather predictable idea.

Robert Valentine brings in a two-part story featuring the Doctor now traveling with Mrs. Clarke and Flip Ramon on a planet in the midst of a civil war, and Sontarans interfering. Sibling Rivalry and Children of the Revolution are the titles of these two episodes. Also, the Doctor has to contend with potential kidnappers in the shape of two of the quintuplet princes on the hunt for him.

Chris Chapman returns to the story roster with The Thousand Year Thaw in which the Doctor and Peri encounter another of the Quin princes, a pleasant walk turns into another familiar fight for survival.’

This story is pretty notable because there is a very charming and enlightening scene in which the Doctor and Peri reflect on their friendship and recall the Doctor’s rather manic reaction to his regeneration. I always thought this Doctor’s introduction was one of the clumsiest introductions in the series. In The Twin Dilemma, the Doctor nearly throttles Peri to death in a fit of mania induced by the trauma of his transformation. Chapman comes up with a pretty plausible explanation as to why Peri decided to continue her travels with the Doctor after that horrendous episode. It was a great scene, and Baker and Bryant perform it masterfully.

Finally, we get the amusing pleasure of watching several versions of the Sixth Doctor interact with each other in Rayner’s The Firstborn. The various companions also meet up to find the answers to this potential paradoxical catastrophe.

Somehow the idea of four different versions of the same Doctor meeting up seems like it wouldn’t work on audio, but it comes off pretty well without as much expected confusion. Colin Baker sounds fantastic throughout this set.

Some stories are a little better than others, and I was rather pleased that some of the seemingly inexplicable choices that Peri made in the television series were addressed.

Jonnie Broadbent is the actor portraying the Quin brothers and does a pretty good job at vocally differentiating between the characters.

I have had mixed feelings about the Sixth Doctor before Big Finish rehabilitated him with much better writing that fleshed out the more appealing sides of his personality. Although much of his familiar brashness was kept, he also displayed far more moments of compassion and cleverness than in the television series.

There is a bit of muddling in the plot, but the performances and intended celebration of this Doctor makes it tolerable. Besides, Doctor Who is a bit of a muddle anyway.

The Quin Dilemma is a set that shouldn’t be passed over. May Colin still have many more years with Big Finish as well.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Big Decisions For The Seventh Doctor As His Time Winds Down

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions has released the first of a two-part audio finale for the Seventh Doctor, and it’s a bit of a confusing jumble, which is often typical of this particular incarnation of the Doctor. The Last Day- Part One is written by Matt Fitton and Guy Adams and has Sylvester McCoy returning to the mic as the Seventh Doctor. Samuel Clemens is the director.

Almost all of the Seventh Doctor’s friends and foes come out to play in this one. Sophie Aldred as Ace come back and gathers a team that includes The Master, played by Geoffrey Beevers, Edward Peel as Kane, and Stuart Margolin as Garundel.

Other followers of this audio range will recognize Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice Summerfield, Philip Olivier as Hex, and Bonnie Langford as Melanie Bush.

All of reality is at stake yet again. Ace is recruiting various adversaries to go against the threat, but that appears to be the Doctor, who is up to some grand plan or other.

Yet again, the performances and the nostalgia of these characters returning helps, but it does seem a little trite to have the Doctor in a such a convoluted mess.

The story is supposed to take the fans up to the moments before the Doctor regenerates in the 1996 television movie which introduced Paul McGann.

There are some interesting moments, and I am sure the second part will clear up some of the threads being laid out here. Still, the ambition by the writers seems to not take account of the challenge of keeping a coherent image in a listener’s mind as this is playing.

I have never been a fan of just throwing every major villain and allies in one story, even if it is supposed to be a finale. Also, I am not sure that McCoy is actually not going to do more of these audios. Also, the whole of reality or the universe being at stake is not a plot that really interests me. One of the best regeneration stories in the series involved the Doctor trying to save the life of his companion.

Fitton and Adams are long-time contributors to Doctor Who fiction in various mediums, but it does feel like they may have bitten off more than they can chew.

Yes, I will purchase the second part to this story and hope the conclusion is more compelling than I anticipate.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Strange Birds, Ghosts, Gigantic Beasts, And One Time Lord

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions returns to the travels of the Eighth Doctor, starring Paul McCann, with an eclectic and entertaining set of Doctor Who audio dramas entitled Echoes. Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan are also accompanying this Doctor as Liv Chenka and Helen Sinclair. Ken Bentley directs this trilogy of adventures and continues to prove himself more than capable of continuing in that capacity for future releases. The guest cast includes Derek Griffiths, Jane Asher, Fiona Button, and Dan Starkey.

Tim Foley starts off the set with his story, Birdsong. The TARDIS arrives on a world where there are apparently two women who were scouting it out for an arriving colony. There are peculiar birds in the distance but coming closer. One of the women the TARDIS encounters is strangely ill. Something in the woods appears to be watching.

Foley has become one of Big Finish’s more prolific and reliable scriptwriters, and this story is a pretty good example as to why. It’s a pretty spooky story with an interesting twist toward the end. The main cast is once again in top form with their performances. Fiona Button and Jane Asher are the only two guest actors, and they are more than capable foils for the well-tuned main cast of this particular TARDIS crew.

Lost Hearts is the second story and is written by Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle. The Doctor, Liv, and Helen have been investigating strange disturbances emanating from an ancient university. Phantoms have been seen, and something odd seems to have an important message for the Doctor. They are assisted by a nervous undergraduate and a writer of supernatural phenomenon. The student has a profound connection to Helen Sinclair, and the writer has an important destiny on the world’s literary stage.

Timothy Bentinck and Steve Brody are two of the guest actors and, as expected, well chosen. Bentinck goes a little over the top with his performance in the climax, but the whole episode is still quite enjoyable. The revealing of the full identity of the Brody’s character, Montague, is kind of a nice treat. The story takes place in a university containing a lot of shadows and dark corners, which is almost always a great place to begin a Doctor Who episode.

Dan Rebellato is the writer tasked with bringing this set to a close with Slow Beasts. The Doctor and his companions arrive on a planet with an amazing sight to behold. A settlement is watched over a group of enormous alien figures standing in the plains. The Renn gain some benefit from the tourism arriving in their midst to see this strange arrangement. It does not take long for the Doctor, Liv and Helen to discover there is a dark secret behind the majestic view. When the secret comes to life, the Renn find themselves facing a retribution that may be well deserved.

The final story is also quite compelling, although there is not a lot of detail about how the Slow Beasts look other than their immense size. Derek Griffiths, Maya Saroya, and Dan Starkey are part of this guest cast. Rebellato is a pretty new writer to me, but this story is a promising introduction. He is not a new writer overall, but he seems to be a pretty recent addition to the Big Finish stable. The story raises some engaging moral dilemmas and questions. I thought Griffiths take on the settlement leader, Mathryn, was very interesting. Mathryn does have some undoubtedly selfish and immoral motivations, but the audience is left with a sense of possible redemption.

I have to say that Echoes pretty much gets high marks from me all the way down the line. It’s hard to say which episode is my favorite because I was pretty impressed with all three of the stories, which is a rarity as much as I love Big Finish and Doctor Who. There was not reliance of old adversaries. Yes, Big Finish has visited its fair share of shady universities in its long catalogue before, but the second episode is still imaginative enough for me to forgive that trope. McGann remains as compelling as ever as his version of the Doctor. The chemistry and banter between Morahan and Walker remain on point, which is particularly impressive since this group of writers haven’t written much in this range. Although this TARDIS team have been around a good number of years for the Big Finish consumers, this collection of stories seems to have found a way to ensure that audiences want more of this particular TARDIS team.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Yuletide Terror With The Doctor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

In the Bleak Midwinter sees the welcome return of Paul McCann behind the microphone at Big Finish Productions in another pretty solid collection of audio dramas with the Eighth Doctor. Ken Bentley returns as director for this trilogy of episodes that has the Doctor and his two companions, Charlotte Pollard and Lady Audacity Montague fighting some pretty eerie manifestations over the Christmas holidays.

India Fisher reprises her role of Charley Pollard with Jaye Griffiths as Lady Audacity for these three stories. The guest cast includes Jason Watkins, Nickolas Grace, John Banks, David Robb, and Lucy Goldie.

Long-time and prolific contributor John Dorney starts off the set with Twenty-Four Doors. As the Doctor shares the delights of an Advent calendar with his companions, Al Norton, a department store Santa, is hearing some strange singing in his mind, and he is about to meet this TARDIS crew for what could be a joyous Christmas or a tragic one.

Jason Watkins I know from a detective series entitled McDonald & Dodds, and he is quite good here as the hapless Al Norton. The episode is pretty well-written and kind of unusual, which is not surprising since it’s a John Dorney script. The dynamic between Charley and Audacity is pretty compelling well. Fisher has been playing this part for over two decades, and I am finding that Griffiths has a very distinctive vocal presence that I am beginning to enjoy.

The Empty Man is the second episode and is written by Tom Foley. This time, the Doctor and his friends meet one Eldridge Brinkwood, an old man who shares his scary stories on the radio. An entity that takes the form of its next victim is stalking him, and the Time Lord may not be able to keep him safe.

Grace is the lead guest star here and is able to hold his own with the main cast. This is another pretty interesting story once I was able to work out the method of the creature. The TARDIS also seems drawn to the Christmas season, which is a bit of a mystery to her crew. Brinkwood is a rather witty character in spite of the fearful circumstances. McGann continues to deliver a familiar yet still compelling performance as the Doctor.

Finally, Roy Gill brings us to a close with Winter of the Demon. An industrialist named Donald Shaw, played by David Robb, is going to light up a city, but he may also be bringing an ancient demon to life

I had a little harder time getting into this one. It wasn’t a bad story, but I guess the other two resonated a little more.

Overall, the collection is pretty good with the performances of the main cast submitting some excellent performances. I enjoy this TARDIS team and hope to hear some more with them together. Paul McGann continues to deliver some wonderful moments as his version of the Doctor. Hearing Fisher back as Charley is a welcome treat as well. Now that I have spent a little more time with Lady Audacity, I have come to really look forward to hear how her character develops. She has taken on the role as a kind of surrogate older sister to Charley, and the two of them have a nice spark to challenge the Doctor at times.

It may have to become a proper Christmas tradition to indulge in the soundscape of In the Bleak Midwinter.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Who Knows More About Metamorphosis Than The Doctor?

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions releases another welcome Fourth Doctor audio boxset starring Tom Baker. Metamorphosis contains three new audio plays that continue the Doctor’s travels with Harry Sullivan and Naomi Cross, as played by Christopher Naylor and Eleanor Crooks, respectively.

The guest cast includes the vocal talents of Annette Badland. Geoffrey Beevers, Nicholas Briggs, Mark Gatiss, Glen McReady, and Lydia West. As usual, I have no complaints about the casting or the performances.

The first story is entitled Matryoshka by Aurora Fearnley and is directed by Helen Goldwyn. The TARDIS has been forced to land on Earth where the Doctor, Naomi, and Harry encounter a toy inventor searching for his missing daughter. They also meet a supposed psychic who has made contact with a Toymaker of the celestial kind.

Annette Badland has taken on the role of the Toymaker, who was originally played by the late Michael Gough. The Toymaker’s inclusion in this story is rather clever because the role was not really recast as a woman. He is communicating with the voice of the psychic. Anyway, the Doctor squaring off against the Toymaker is always fun, particularly when it’s the Fourth Doctor. The friendship between Harry and Naomi continues to be entertaining. Harry is not as enthusiastic about his continued travels with the Doctor as Naomi, but he still manages to brave his way through the chaotic journey. He’s a bit of a bumbler, but somehow, I would still like to have him at my side in a crisis. I did have a little trouble interpreting some of the events in the story. It’s not really a bad effort from the writer, but it isn’t that easy to follow.

The second episode is written by Matthew Sweet, directed by Nicholas Briggs, and is entitled The Caged Assassin. The Doctor and his companions encounter a radioactive tiger that has somehow gotten into the TARDIS. This story somehow seems a little more confusing than the first one. There are alien wombats involved, and the Doctor and his friends meet a historical dealer in exotic animals named Charles Jamrach. The wombats he has in his possession are a bit more exotic than he expected. I was not that impressed with the story overall, but it still has Tom Baker giving a strong, enthusiastic performance even if the actual plot didn’t quite keep me rivetted.

Finally, Metamorphosis by Lisa McMullin wraps up the trilogy. Jamie Anderson directed this entry and does a good job. Geoffrey Beevers returns to the role of his version of the Master. This is the decaying husk version introduced during the Fourth Doctor’s era. Beevers is older, but the silky malevolence in his voice is as captivating as ever. The TARDIS crew lands on a planet known as Jaxus where some of its denizens are disappearing. There is an abandoned prison nearby, but the Master has made use of it and plans to restore his health at the cost of others’ lives. This is a pretty strong finish for this collection. Beevers’ performance alongside Tom Baker really gives the story an extra punch.

Overall, this set ends up being a bit on the disappointing side compared to some of the previous releases. It isn’t terrible, but the stories were lacking a little. I think there were too many moments where the sound effects or the dialogue didn’t paint an effective or cohesive picture for the imagination. The dynamic between the Doctor, Harry, and Naomi does remain pretty amusing. The main cast is still an enjoyable combination, and no one really tanks here. I will likely return to this one, but probably not as quickly as many of the other Big Finish releases.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Doctor Finds The Union

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions has recently released the conclusion a Doctor Who audio saga entitled Once and Future. Paul McGann and Tom Baker are featured the most as the Eighth and Fourth Doctors, respectively. The conclusion does more to strum the heartstrings of nostalgia than actually aim for any real coherence in the story, but it’s still a pretty fun indulgence for the Whovians.

Ken Bentley returns to the director’s chair to coordinate the realization of the script written by Matt Fitton. Carole Ann Ford reprises her role of Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter and the first companion he really wanted to impress. Alex Kingston also returns as the time travelling archeologist and the supposed wife of the Doctor’s. Maureen O’Brien, who would normally be playing the role of one of the Doctor’s early companions, Vicki, takes on the role of an adversary known as the Union. The Union turns out to be someone else who is quite familiar to the Doctor. Other Doctors also appear sporadically during this adventure since this was a release that celebrated the show’s fiftieth anniversary last year.

I have skipped out on reviewing the earlier episodes in this range, so I will offer a brief recap. The Doctor has been the victim of a weapon that destabilizes his regeneration cycle. As he has been trying to reconstruct what has happened to him, he has been suffering from something known as degeneration. He has been erratically returning to his past and sometimes his future incarnations as he has been chasing the cause of his condition through time and space.

Paul McGann and Tom Baker take on the bulk of this particular adventure. The Fourth Doctor rather amusedly referred to it as co-piloting. It was kind of touching and amusing to see Susan interact with other versions of her grandfather. Big Finish has already had the Eighth Doctor and Susan reunite in earlier episodes; however, it was pretty cool to get a taste of what she would make of the Fourth Doctor and his absurdly long scarf.

I have never been a real fan of multi-Doctor adventures like this because the story often takes a back seat to a quality plot. But I am still a fan and some of those scenes where the Doctor drags his other iterations is pretty funny most of the time.

There were times where I struggled to imagine what was going on based on the sound effects. It wasn’t always that clear as to what I should be conjuring up in my mind’s eye.

As usual, the actual performances were really good. McGann and Baker still portray their respective Doctors very effectively. It was still pretty fun to hear a bit of the other Doctors as well during the climax of the adventure even if the plot is a bit of the mess.

This is another sprawling, nonsensical episode that still manages to be entertaining just because the heartstrings of nostalgia are strummed with enough of the right notes. Multi-Doctor storylines do make less sense than a regular episode, but they are usually pretty fun, especially if Big Finish is on the job.