Tag: big-finish

Big Finish Audio Review: On The Isle Of The Dead, Morbius Lives Again

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Dark Gallifrey: Morbius Part Two is the continuation of a trilogy of audio dramas from Big Finish Productions that seems to be a very promising and poignant piece of entertainment. The series explores various Time Lords from Doctor Who and delves into the history of their home planet and their roles. The warlord known as Morbius appeared in the television series during the Tom Baker era, and now we get a taste of his history.

The story is written by Tom Foley and directed by Samuel Clemens. Samuel West is in the title role with Mina Anwar, Rachel Atkins, Justin Avoth, Mark Bonnar, Andrew French, Janet Henfrey, Lara Lemon, and Hywel Morgan making up the rest of the cast.’

The Gallifreyan battleship known as the Proteus has crashed into a realm known as the Isle of the Dead. The crew members find themselves in more peril than they understand when an old enemy thought dead is about to be resurrected. Captain Argento, played by Rachel Atkins, finds herself facing down doubts from her crew and her own health concerns. Meanwhile, the cult of Morbius is awaiting the return of their idol, and the galaxy is in the direst of jeopardies.

I don’t normally enjoy much Doctor Who that doesn’t feature the Doctor, but this is becoming rather fascinating. West has played Morbius in some previous audio plays, so it makes sense to continue to have him stretch himself a little further. West does a great job.

The story is actually supposed to remind the audience of the old sea adventures. The crew of the Proteus aren’t pirates really, but the mannerisms of the characters sort of put forth that vibe. Big Finish almost always gets the casting right, and this adventure is no exception. I kind of find the first mate, Mr. Middlewitch, a rather compelling character. Hywel Morgan has that role and just seems to relish it. I also think the name Middlewitch is kind of cool.

Anyway, I will soon be listening to the third and final episode of this ongoing series. Dark Gallifrey has delivered on an intriguing premise, and I am fascinated to hear the fate of the crew of the Proteus.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Light That Must Never Be Lit

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions has started the Fifth Doctor on a very epic audio adventure with Tim Foley’s Doctor Who-Hooklight 1. Peter Davison is joined by Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Matthew Waterhouse. Ken Bentley returns to the role of director. There is a very intriguing surprise with Paul McGann lurking the shadows of the story as the Eighth Doctor. The guest cast is also impressive with Kieren Bow, Alan Cox, Ruby Crepin-Glyn, David Holt, Celia Imrie, Harriet Kershaw, David Shaw-Parker, Theo Solomon, and Issy Van Randwyck.

This release if the first six episode of what is going to be a whopping twelve when it is all over.

The TARDIS crew has basically landed unwilling on a planet called Morning. The Doctor has become aware of the presence of ancient and powerful substance known as Hooklight. Tegan, Nysse, and Adric are caught up in one of the Doctor’s more epic adventures that could lead to the end of all of the universe. The Doctor rarely plays for lower stakes. There is a being known as the Oracle, and he seems to know the Doctor very well.

This is a very promising story. The main cast puts in a typically compelling performance. Peter Davison is a solid performer, but he seems a little more energetic than usual with this one. Waterhouse is now a man in his sixties playing a teen-ager, and he kind of pulls it off. He sounds very much like he did when he first started in the role in the early 1980’s. Fielding and Sutton remain consistently enjoyable as Tegan and Nyssa.

The soundscape is well executed, but Big Finish has a lot of practice with that. I rarely notice any real problems on the technical end with their recordings,

There is a second half to this story to be released soon, and I am pretty anxious to hear that one. I am a little leery of having more than one Doctor in an episode, but Big Finish is usually considerably more successful in the writing of these adventures than what was aired on the television series. Paul McGann is also pretty much guaranteed to deliver his own captivating performance.

Hooklight appears to be on track to hold a special place in the hearts of Big Finish listeners. It’s a long one and will require a bit of patience, but I am enjoying the journey to unravel the layers of mystery alongside this Doctor and his companions.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Destiny Of Mondas Revisited

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: Genesis of the Cybermen is an audio drama from Big Finish Productions that revisits the origins of the Cybermen, a feat accomplished already in a previous release entitled Spare Parts. This story was originally conceived by Gerry Davis and adapted by David K. Barnes. Peter Davison returns yet again to the role of the Fifth Doctor and is accompanied by Janet Fielding as Tegan, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, and Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. The director is David O’Mahoney. Nicholas Briggs again fires up the voice modulator to portray the Daleks. The remainder of the guest cast is comprised of Michael Abubakar, Nuhazet Diaz Cano, Kelly Price, Colin Tierney, and Evie Ward-Drummond.

The TARDIS has crashed on a world where a king is dying, and one of his sons is trying to save his civilization from a catastrophic shift in the planet’s orbit. The Doctor and his friends offer their help, but he soon realizes that he has arrived on the planet of Mondas at the birth of one of his greatest foes. The Cybermen are about to rise yet again and plan to survive by any means necessary.

This release is one in the range known as The Lost Stories. It was a script that was considered for the television series many moons ago and was ultimately scrapped.

Although this one isn’t bad, I still prefer Spare Parts. Genesis of the Cybermen is still worthy of a purchase and a listen though. The performances of the main cast members remain strong and distinctive. Davison still puts in a compelling performance even is he sounds noticeably older than he did forty years ago. The banter between the main cast is still compelling and amusing at times.

The guest cast is also well-chosen as is usually the case. Colin Tierney in particular has a complex role as the one who is fiercely loyal to this people and creates the Cybermen, one of the most horrific races in Doctor Who lore. It’s a suitably complicated story without going overboard. There are some interesting themes involving family and leadership explored.

The descriptions conveyed of the conversion process to become a Cybermen are as horrific as ever. Genesis of the Cybermen still does better than merely getting the job done as a source of entertainment. More Fifth Doctor is never a bad thing anyway.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Time Lord And The Ghost Hunter

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Seventh Doctor shares a trilogy of audio adventures with an investigator of the supernatural known as Thomas Carnacki in the set entitled Doctor Who: The Doctor and Carnacki. Sylvester McCoy makes a welcome return to Big Finish Productions studio in a trio of macabre episodes. Joe Jameson and Dan Starkey share the role of Carnacki, who is presented in various stages of his lifetime. Samuel Clemens.is the director of this release.

Thomas Carnacki is the fictional creation of William Hope Hodgson, who was killed in 1918 during World War I. Carnacki is probably better known among the more dedicated readers of supernatural fiction. As mentioned before, there are three stories to discuss, so I will get on with it.

The Haunter of the Shore by AK Benedict starts this series off. Joe Jameson plays the younger version of Carnacki with Caitlin Joseph and Shogo Miyakita also lending their vocal talents.

Carnacki is called in to investigate the appearance of skeletons on a lakeshore near an estate inhabited by a recent widow and possibly strange spirits lurking in the shadows. A hermit is also discovered. He has a distinctive Scottish accent and surprising ideas about Time and where the spirits may originate. The Doctor and Carnacki meet for the first time.

Benedict gives the listener a pretty good start to this collection. McCoy still sounds great. Age has had little effect on McCoy’s vocal abilities and performance so far. It’s a pretty solid haunted house story; however, the Doctor discovers a more extraterrestrial origin to the troubles. There’s nothing too spectacular in this one, but it’s pretty good. The performances hold up, and now that I have read up a little on Carnacki, it’s a pretty good idea to have the Time Lord meet this guy.

The House by Georgia Cook has a rather unimaginative title, but the story itself is quite a bit better that it would suggest. Harry Hart plays a friend of Carnacki’s named Arkwright, who is haunted by a house in a most unusual way. His affliction goes back to his and Carnacki’s childhood, and the Doctor has arrived to help find the answers.

Starkey has taken over the role as an older Carnacki and is just as solid a performer as ever. It’s a unique take on a haunted house story since Arkwright is becoming the house or something.

Anyway, it’s a pretty good contribution to the set

Finally, Jonathan Barnes concludes this set with The Institute of Lost Souls. Rebecca Crinnion, Ewan Thomson, and Alan Cox are included in the guest cast with Dan Starkey continuing on as Carnacki.

Carnacki has a story to tell about a refuge for wounded soldiers that comes under attack by strange and savage creatures. The Doctor arrives again, but he is burdened with a terrible secret regarding Canacki’s fate.

The collection is quite enjoyable, largely because I appreciate a good ghost story even if there is an alien malevolence involved. Starkey is always a treat when he performs. He also is a compelling narrator. The last story is framed with a scene of Carnacki recounting his latest encounter with the Doctor to a group of close friends, which apparently was a common literary device used by Hodgson.

There is some real imagination at work in all three of the writers. McCoy remains in top form as the Doctor. The sound effects are great.

I appreciated the introduction to a fictional character of whom I know so little. The Seventh Doctor is a good foil for Carnacki, but I suspect I would have enjoyed it regardless of the Doctor’s incarnation.

Anyway, it’s a fun addition to the series and worth the time to sit back and listen.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The War And Fugitive Doctors Clash

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions brings the Doctor Who: Once and Future audio saga to a close with Coda: The Final Act which stars Jo Martin and Jonathon Carley as the two secret surprising incarnations of the Doctor. Tim Foley wrote the script which was directed by Ken Bentley. Lisa Bowerman reprises her role as Professor Bernice Summerfield. Chase Masterson returns as the glamorous galactic bounty bunter Vienna Salvatori. Nicholas Khan, Richard Reed, and Imogen Stubbs round out the guest cast.

The War Doctor has little time to recover from the effects of a degeneration weapon that had him flitting between prior incarnations when he has to rejoin the fray known as the Time War. A mysterious stranger in a TARDIS attempts to intercept him, but the woman at the helm is a fugitive from a time in the Doctor’s life that he cannot remember. The War Doctor is gathering some unexpected allies, and an old friend is caught in the crossfire as well.

First of all, I am not one of the fans who was overly enthusiastic about the creation of the iteration known as the Fugitive Doctor who first appeared on the television series during Jodie Whittaker’s era. This audio episode hasn’t really changed my mind all that much. Jo Martin in that role is not the problem. I am just one of those old school fans who had no problem accepting that William Hartnell played the First Doctor, and no prior incarnations needed to be invented for the sake of racial diversity or whatever. I know the television producers spin this rather differently, but I believe then to be rather disingenuous.

Saying that, it’s not a bad episode, although it feels somewhat just tacked on. Martin is a talented performer, but I just don’t find her version of the Doctor all that interesting. I have come to enjoy the War Doctor series, although I was a little exasperated with this idea of a sudden secret incarnation of the Doctor which seemed to like just ab excuse to have John Hurt in the role. Carley does a masterful impression of Hurt, and the War Doctor series is actually rather compelling. Maybe I need to give the upcoming Fugitive Doctor a chance before I write her off completely.

Anyway, it was rather interesting when Carley and Martin do get together. There are some amusing moments whenever the pair finally figure out how they are being manipulated by some mysterious opponent.

Even if I am not too keen on some paths the television producers have chosen to take, Big Finish does manage to take the ball, run with it, and come up with a pretty good episode. Any time Bowerman is involved does guarantee a few laughs as well.

Anyway, I am glad that I got to hear the conclusion of this saga despite my reservations, and Foley is a decent and imaginative writer and definitely needs to stay on with Big Finish as a regular contributor. I may even be curious to give the Fugitive Doctor a more serious try when more of her stories are released, but that’s still in up in the air.

This release didn’t really fire me up with unrelenting enthusiasm, but neither did it really bother me as much as I feared.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Escaping From Beyond

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Great Beyond is a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions that is pretty interesting if a little confusing at times. The script is written by James Kettle and directed by Ken Bentley. Peter Davison returns as the Fifth Doctor and is joined by Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Matthew Waterhouse as Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric, respectively. It’s a pretty long story this time, so the guest cast is relatively lengthy and is comprised of Anna Crichlow, John Hopkins, Philip Hurd-Wood, Maggie Service, Paksie Vernon, and Andrew Wincott.

The Doctor and his companions encounter a sentient prison on a distant planet that changes and involves and moves over the surface. Tegan starts off trying to locate the Time Lord and her other two friends, however they have no memory of her when she catches up with them. The prison itself is not the worst of the threats that the Doctor has to overcome. He also has may have to sacrifice his freedom in order to save his friends and live a life of confinement that he has always fought to avoid.

The idea is pretty ambitious and impressive, but it is difficult to picture some aspects of the story in the mind’s eye sometimes. As usual, the performances are terrific. There seems to be some interest in stretching this incarnation of the Doctor into some creative predicaments, and this effort for the most part is worth the journey.

Kettle starts off in the middle of the adventure, and the audience has to go through some flashback sequences to get the proper context. It’s not a bad way to go here.

Big Finish’s intent is to give the Fifth Doctor a six-episode adventure, which was never done on television. There is a risk of the story dragging a bit, and that sort of happens here but it’s not too bad.

Kettle does manage to display something rather creative and unique in this story, which is hard to pull off considering how vast Doctor Who has become. It was nice to not have to rely on some of the old classic enemies to try to carry this longer than usual story.

Anyway, not every aspect of the story was easy to understand, but it was still worth the time. Big Finish continues to often outshine the television series.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Death And Three Doctors

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Deathworld is a pretty decent Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions which would have starred William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee if they were not deceased. Instead, we have Stephen Noonan, Michael Troughton, and Tim Treloar lending their formidable vocal talents to sound like the original actors. This episode has an interesting background. It was apparently a precursor to what became the television serial known as The Three Doctors. The original plot for Deathworld was proposed by Dave Martin and Bob Baker but was adapted for this audio format by John Dorney. David O’Mahoney serves as director and takes on some other minor roles within the episode.

Jon Culshaw returns to voice the role of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, who was originally portrayed by the late Nicholas Courtney. Katy Manning reprises her role of Jo Grant with Frazer Hines returning to his part of Jamie McCrimmon. Ther rest of guest cast includes Joe Shire and Dianne Pilkington.

The story starts off with the President of the Time Lords having a not-so-friendly chess match with Death. It’s an unusual game that brings the first three incarnations of the Doctor into another reality ruled by Death and manifestations of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Jo Grant, Jamie, and the Brigadier are caught up in the abduction as well. The Doctors have to work together again and protect their friends from their most powerful adversary.

I ended up enjoying this one. I actually think I prefer this version over the television iteration.

For one thing, the First Doctor is much more engaged and is teamed up with the Brigadier for much of the story. The Brigadier knew the Doctor in his second incarnation and was present not long after his forced regeneration and subsequent exile to Earth.

The three actors voicing the first three Doctors continue to do well in their efforts to represent those characters. Culshaw, who is known as a talented impressionist, does well with representing the Brigadier.

Some of the scenes portrayed were a little hard to visualize in the mind’s eye, but it was an interesting story. Shire does a great job as Death, War, Pestilence, and Famine. Pilkington plays the Gallifreyan President. and is fine.

Overall, it was a little bit of a confusing story, but I was able to find some enjoyment. Of course, I have found much to enjoy when new stories crop up featuring the earlier Doctors.

Dorney doesn’t always hit it out of the park for me, but he is consistently interesting and manages to not deliver a complete clunker of a story.

Deathworld still had some unique moments such as seeing the First Doctor get more involved with the action, which was lacking in The Three Doctors. Also, it was fun to hear the banter between him and the Brigadier as they complained about their mutual tendency toward gruffness. Michael Troughton taking on the role originated by his father is understandable and poignant, but I still think the better impression is done by Frazer Hines. Treloar is still doing quite well as the Third Doctor.

Once again, the performances are solid enough to make any flaws in the story quite forgivable, and this episode doesn’t even come close to be deserving of being overlooked.

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: The Doctor Goes The Distance

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

All of Time and Space is a pretty compelling trilogy of Doctor Who audio plays that features the Eleventh Doctor. Big Finish Productions has successfully found an actor who can imitate Matt Smith’s distinctive voice and have embarked on a new series of adventures with a new companion. Jacob Dudman continues to portray this version of the Doctor as if Matt Smith was behind the mic. Safiyya Ingar has recently boarded the TARDIS as Valarie Lockwood, a human with some cybernetic enhancements. Nicholas Briggs has returned to the director’s seat.

The first episode of the set is All of Time and Space in which the writer is billed as Ellery Quest. Apparently, Tim Foley is the true author since Ellery Quest is actually featured in the story as a writer pitching a show idea about a mysterious traveler in time and space. However, he finds that the agent he is pitching the idea to has an extraterrestrial history as well. The Doctor and Valarie are trapped in a dimension, and the stories may be their only way to escape.

This is one of those surreal stories that blur the fourth wall a little. It’s confusing and amusing at the same time, but that sort of sums up the whole series.

The Yearn is written by Angus Dunican and has the Doctor meet a group of colonists trapped underground and being hunted by a peculiar entity. People are taken by the Yearn and then reappear. Something appears to be interfering with the Yearn’s efforts to feed, and it may resemble a blue police box.

This second story had a pretty compelling climax. There was a great guest cast. The sudden romance seemed to blossom between Valarie and Mia Tomlinson’s character was a little improbable but handled better than similar moments in the series. Ingar is actually a pretty interesting actor, and Valarie is kind of growing on me.

Finally, James Goss brings this set to a close with Curiosity Shop. Valarie has lost the Doctor and is able to see the TARDIS, which is in the possession of a junkyard proprietor named Mr. Foreman. An alien war is about to break out, and the Doctor has forgotten who he is and what he does.

This actually was a great close. Valarie is losing pieces of herself literally as she hopes that the Doctor remembers her and returns to put things right. There are some great performances, and Dudman’s vocal talents are put to the test. Goss also finds a way to sort honor the legacy of the series as well.

Overall, this set takes the series in some interesting directions. The banter between the Doctor and Valarie is quite compelling. Dudman’s impersonation of Matt Smith seems to improve.

I think the final story is my favorite, but all of the set comes out quite well. I look forward to this particular TARDIS crew continuing their travels.

Doctor Who Audio Review: A Raven, Kippers, And Old Friends

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Michael Troughton returns to the mic at Big Finish Productions to honor his late father’s Doctor Who legacy in Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Adventures: Conspiracy of Raven. He is joined by Wendy Padbury and Frazer Hines, reprising their roles of Zoe and Jamie, respectively. Nicholas Briggs and Mark Wright have collaborated on the three interlinked episodes with Briggs also serving as director.

This series continues on from the saga started in the set entitled Beyond the War Games. Just before his forced regeneration and exile to Earth, the Second Doctor was reunited with Jamie McCrimmon and sent on a series of missions throughout time and space at the direction of a mysterious Time Lady known as Raven. Jamie has been whisked away out of the TARDIS in this chapter, and Zoe Herriot appears to provide valuable assistance to help locate him. Raven has become an unlikely and untrustworthy ally, but she is not in control as much as she initially appeared.

Nicholas Briggs introduces this particular conspiracy with his story Kippers. Emma Noakes returns as the enigmatic Raven. The Doctor and Raven find themselves aboard an abandoned space station, and Jame has disappeared. An alien menace known as Kippers has killed the crew, and the two Time Lords are in their sights. The Doctor finds that Raven may not be working for who she believes. He has to keep them alive and start a search through time and space for his lost friend.

The inclusion of Emma Noakes is actually a pretty good move. Troughton does a decent job of emulating his late father, Patrick Troughton. I still think Hines’ impression was a lot closer, but it seems fitting to have Michael Troughton give his take. He does sound close enough like his dad to not be distracting. Anyway, Briggs provides another intriguing script. The sound effects come off quite well. Overall, a great launch for this particular collection.

Catastrophe Theory is written by Mark Wright. Padbury’s Zoe Herriot has appeared in the TARDIS. Raven has been left behind on the space station, but she is not out of the picture just yet. The Doctor and Zoe trace Jamie a space cruiser on the course to disaster. A savage alien attack is about to commence, and the Doctor is surrounded by catastrophe with time running out on more than one front.

This also is a solid continuation of the journey. There is nothing remarkable about this one, but it’s not bad and serves the purpose of pushing the Doctor and his friends forward into the machinations of a mysterious presence. A few more answers are revealed, and the mystery of who is making alterations to established history and manipulating the Doctor into more dangers continues to build.

Wright and Briggs share writing credit for the concluding episode entitled The Vanishing Point. The Vanishing Point is a mythical place that resides somewhere between science and magic. The Doctor and his friends have arrived to see if questions can be answered and to hopefully confront the threat to all of time and space.

It’s a pretty good set overall. I am a little dubious about this business of shoehorning these series of episodes set between the final television Second Doctor serial and the introduction of the third incarnation. Raven has now become a pretty intriguing addition to the cast. Noakes seems to be pretty inspired casting. The banter between her and the Doctor is quite amusing and compelling. Another notable guest cast member is Jacqueline King, who is best known as Sylvia Noble in the rebooted television series. She plays a different character and does a great job.

Tom Baker is my favorite Doctor, but Patrick Troughton’s performance ranks high up there in my estimation. Michael Troughton speaks about adding some bits of himself in his efforts to honor his father, and he does seem to be getting better as he does more of these episodes. I just like new Second Doctor stories, and I get the emotional significance of adding having Michael to the casting sheet. Even if I think Frazer Hines nails the Patrick Troughton vibe somewhat better, Michael Troughton is still more than capable of satisfying the fans of his father’s era on the program.