Doctor Who: Short Trip Rarities is a collection of audio short stories featuring the Eighth Doctor, as played by Paul McGann. McGann isn’t really in these since they are narrated by a pair of compelling performers. These stories were previously released only to Big Finish Productions subscribers. Hugh Ross narrates the first one while Stephen Critchlow relates the remaining three.
Late Night Shopping by Matt Fitton has the Doctor and Lucie Miller help a shop worker fend off some peculiar alien tomatoes or something like that. It’s a strange yet amusing tale. There’s not much very notable here, but at least it wasn’t terrible.
The Caves of Erith by Alice Cavender has the Doctor and Lucie spending Christmas at a remote village. There are some strange bats living nearby, and the innkeeper has a secret of his own.
This story was a little better. Steven Critchlow is a talented enough narrator. He has shown up in much of Big Finish’s works.
Tuesday by Tony Jones has the Doctor reunited with an old friend in the shape of Harry Sullivan, however Sullivan has no recollection of his previous encounters with the Time Lord. Also, this is no ordinary Tuesday. It is supposed to be Christmas, but that doesn’t appear to exist either.
I am not one who needs to have old companions revisited all the time, but I sort of liked this meeting. Harry is older and maybe a little wiser but still familiar. Jones did a good job imagining Harry at a different stage in life than what was seen onscreen.
Finally, Paul Starkey’s An Ocean of Sawdust brings this set to a close. The TARDIS brings the Time Lord to a young boy’s bedroom where a wooden eel acts as the flooring, and the boy won’t get off his bed, which he treats as a life raft. The Doctor may be trapped in someone’s imagination and is not sure how to return to reality.
A rather imaginatively surreal story is presented here that is a little hard to conjure in one’s mind.
This is a reasonably entertaining release, but there is nothing that really stands out here.
Doctor Who: Broken Hearts is a pretty good audio play from Big Finish Productions with only two performers in the shape of Jacob Dudman and Safiyya Ingar. Lisa McMullin is the writer of the script which has Helen Goldwyn skillfully leading the production as director.
Jacob Dudman is winding down his time as the Eleventh Doctor, who was initially portrayed by Matt Smith. Ingar portrays cybernetic companion, Valerie Lockwood, and also puts forth a powerful performance.
Dudman and Ingar also portray two search and rescue robots on a desolate planet which was once visited by an earlier incarnation of the Doctor. Recent adventures have fractured the friendship between Valerie and the Time Lord, and they have the time during their own investigation of a distress signal to come to terms with heartbreaking decisions that were made.
Dudman gives a phenomenal impression of Matt Smith’s unique take on the Doctor giving Ingar plenty to play against in her own performance. Valerie is a Big Finish creation, and the writers did a pretty good job with this one.
The cast also portrays a couple of robots dubbed Lionel and Augustus, whose relationship is supposed to kind of mirror the Doctor’s and his companion. It’s a somewhat intimate performance with a pair of actors who have been recording together for some time, which is coming to a close as the range goes into other directions.’
There is another moment which is often repeated in the series, in which the Doctor reminds his companion of the tragedies he had witnessed during the Time War and the terrible decision he was forced to make which resulted in the destruction of his own people. Dudman hits that moment out of the park as he portrays the boundless sorrow and pain the Doctor still lives with in spite of his cheery and reckless manner.
Ingar gets her fair share of heart-wrenching moments as well which compels me to agree with the Doctor’s sentiment stated to his TARDIS that he doubts he would ever be ready to say good-bye to Valerie Lockwood.
It’s a poignant interlude in the Eleventh Doctor range and gives two fine performers a deserved moment to shine together before the curtain call.
The Imposters is a Doctor Who audio drama which turned out to be a pretty average story featuring the Third Doctor with Tim Treloar in the role originated by the late Jon Pertwee. Long-time contributor Alan Barnes is the author and is talented enough to avoid turning in something truly awful, but this just isn’t one of the better ones. Nicholas Briggs has returned to the director’s seat, which is also likely why I was able to get some enjoyment in spite of some reservations about this particular release.
Treloar is joined by Daisy Ashford, Sadie Miller, and Jon Culshaw in their respective roles of Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith, and Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, who were also initially played by actors who have been deceased for some time.
Other cast members include Grace Darling, Simon Kane, Mark Elstob, and Gary Turner.
The Brigadier and the Doctor are trying to trace some stolen advanced technology and find themselves embroiled in a peculiar plot involving an egotistical schoolgirl, a gregarious wrestling star with abilities that were not taught on Earth, and a dubious military officer from France. There is more than one alien invasion afoot this time, and Doctor finds himself in the midst of a battle in which the attacks are threatening from all manner of directions. He also encounters an old friend in the shape of Dr. Elizabeth Shaw who doesn’t appear to be herself. She may not be the only Liz Shaw in the midst of this unearthly trouble.
I am basically of the opinion that there was a bit too much going on in this story to be all that coherent for an audio release, at least on the first listening experience.
The performances were outstanding from both the main cast and the guest actors. Big Finish never seems to fall short when it comes to finding talent. Treloar continues to present a pretty convincing facsimile of Jon Pertwee’s vocal patterns. Daisy Ashford is playing the part of Liz Shaw, who was played by her own mother, and likely has an easier time replicating that initial performance by Caroline John. Sadie Miller is also doing well in her role as Sarah Jane Smith, which was originally played by her mother, the cherished Elisabeth Sladen. Jon Culshaw, who is known as a talented impressionist in England, is more than convincing as the Brigadier, initially portrayed by Nicholas Courtney.
Alan Barnes is an ambitious writer and likes to throw in a lot of conflicts in his scripts. I look forward to hearing more of his works, but this particular script felt a little too padded at times. I understand that he is trying to replicate the Pertwee era as close as he can while coming up with new plots. This episode just felt longer at times. The wrestler, Sam Samsonson, could be amusing at times, but I found that I was relieved he was not likely going to be a recurring character. I know that one needs to forgive a bit more over-the-top acting when it comes to audio, but I found this guy to be a little more wearying than usual.
The adventure was not devoid of charm and wit because Alan Barnes is still immensely imaginative and just a gifted writer. He understands Doctor Who in each era, which shows even in this script, which did not impress me as much as usual. Of course, the cast and post-production team are certainly reliable enough to keep the whole thing from being a disaster.
I certainly want more Third Doctor content and Alan Barnes’s input, but this story just kind of missed the mark for me but fortunately not by that much.
Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins: Enemy Mine is another compelling audio play boxset with Jonathon Carley continuing his performance as the War Doctor, which was originated by the late John Hurt. Helen Goldwyn served as director for this collection of three episodes. Also, Paul McGann, the Eighth Doctor, is included in the cast.
Ajjaz Awad continues in the role of the cybernetic hybrid known as Case who has been weaponized by both the Time Lords and the Daleks. Nicholas Briggs continues his role as all sorts of malevolent, scheming Daleks. Adele Anderson, Tiegan Byrn, Beth Chalmers, Louise Faulkner, David Monteith, and Becky Wright complete the talented cast.
Case herself has written the first episode entitled The Hybrid’s Choice. Case is in the custody of the Daleks and is encouraged to embrace that side of her nature. The Daleks now have a therapist for her. The War Doctor had thought she had died, but he soon learns the truth and tries to regain his former companion before she unleashes the full capacity of her weapons on the Time Lords.
It’s an interesting idea which stretches the Daleks’ capability for deception and manipulation. Awad gives an impressive performance. Carley continues to perfect his vocal impression of John Hurt. He also gives a compelling performance and continues to develop this hidden version of the Doctor, although we are not supposed to call him that anymore. It’s a great start to this little series.
Fear Nothing by Mark Wright continues the Time War. The War Doctor is recruited to captain a TARDIS dreadnought. Case is sent by the Daleks to assassinate a Time Lord asset. They are about to clash, and the War Doctor is as dangerous as he has ever been.
Wright has contributed to Doctor Who for many years, and this episode indicates that he should continue to add his talents to the mix. The War Doctor is finding himself in ever evolving alliances with his fellow Time Lords, who do not always trust this version of the renegade who is much more willing to engage in battle. The War Doctor also shows a complexity in that he wants so much to have a relationship like his previous selves did with their companions.
This is another strong entry into the set. Both the leads are engaging, and Case’s plight and emotional journey is fascinating to hear.
Finally, Matt Fitton closes out this set with Exit Strategy. The Dalek Time Strategist wants to have Case readjusted, and the War Doctor wants to rescue her even though the Time Lords want a more permanent resolution. Case gets to indulge in a fantasy in which she can interact with her other self before the enhancements that turned her into the Daleks’ most dangerous weapon. The War Doctor turns to another version of himself who has yet to become the Time Lords’ most effective warrior.
The conclusion to this set is quite thrilling a little heart-breaking. It’s always good to spend a little time with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. He has to help his future incarnation with extricating Case from the Daleks.
All three of the stories here are very engaging. The development of the character known as Case was fascinating. Carley does a bit more than impersonate Hurt’s peculiar voice and delivery and gives a powerful performance.
I was not sure I would enjoy this range as much since I was hesitant to deal with a version of the Doctor that was not known of until the fiftieth anniversary episode.
The War Doctor is done beginning, but he is soon to start rising.
Doctor Who: The Ministry of Death is another reasonably enjoyable audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and features Tom Baker returning to the microphone as the Fourth Doctor. He is joined by Sadie Miller, Christopher Naylor, and Jon Culshaw reprising their roles of Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in two new adventures.
The Ministry of Death, the first story, was written by Robert Valentine and directed by Jamie Anderson. The guest cast includes Carolyn Seymour and Richard James.
The Brigadier has asked the Doctor and Sarah Jane for assistance when a strange murder has occurred. When other murders occur, the Doctor learns of a tragic lab experiment gone wrong, and a hideous revenge is in the works. Human beings are being experimented on and mutated as well with the assistance of alien technology.
The main cast being together is always a treat, but the story was pretty average on the whole. The cast was fine, and the sound engineering was quite good. Tom Baker retains his usual enthusiasm as the Doctor. All of the other main cast members have been playing roles originated by deceased actors, and they do sound pretty convincing. Sadie Miller is actually the daughter of Elisabeth Sladen, who initially played Sarah Jane and can sound remarkably like her mother. Ian Marter was the original actor who played Harry Sullivan. Jon Culshaw, who is actually a brilliant impressionist, makes a convincing Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier.
This audio play is a decent addition to the catalogue, but it isn’t going to be all that memorable for me.
Phil Mulryne closes out the set with The Inhuman Empire. Jayne Ashbourne plays Alison Carmichael, an old friend of Sarah Jane Smith’s, who requested her help to look into some mysterious activities at the National Museum. When the Doctor, who is pressganged by the Brigadier to help with the aftermath of their previous escapade, tags along, they discover an old adversary of UNIT’s has returned to cause mayhem. The Autons are back threatening total destruction of all who stand in their way in their service to the malevolent Nestene Consciousness.
This story is the better one of the two. I usually prefer the Doctor to face new enemies, but the Autons being featured here works pretty well. It was also pretty intriguing to have Sarah Jane’s other friendships outside of the TARDIS.
Overall, the set was above average but not really any sort of unique masterpiece. Tom Baker is delightful as usual. His advanced age is only somewhat detectable. The main cast do play well off each other, so there are plenty of elements that make this a worthy purchase. There are still just better selections out there.
Doctor Who: Bad Terms contains a pair of decent audio dramas starring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. Neither story is especially terrible, but the first one is little less memorable or interesting than the other. In spite of some mild exasperation with this set, it was still great to indulge in the performances by Baker and Bryant once again.
The first story has some problems. Nina Millns wrote Saoirse of the Seven Seas, which was directed by Scott Handcock. Rebecca O’ Mara portrays the title character Saoirse O’ Grady, probably the only female pirate who never existed. Other cast members include Ayesha Antoine, Amanda Shodeko, and Barnaby Edwards.
The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Peri on board the ship belonging to the Queen of the Irish Seas. Saoirse O’Grady has been sought after by an alien visitor who has enlisted the services of her English rivals. The reason for this intrusion has little to do with world conquest or some of the usual motivations for which the Doctor usually discovers.
The performances are engaging enough to not exasperate this particular listener too much. Female pirate captains are just not captivating enough to keep me hooked. It’s just a little too unlikely and silly to buy into this even from a Doctor Who episode. considering the prevailing attitudes regarding women with authority at the time.
The plot twist as to what was motivating the alien known as the Xeneroth was somewhat clever but not entirely unforeseen when Saoirse suddenly experiencing moments of unexpected illness.
Anyway, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant together are a treat regardless of any reservations I may have regarding the plot.
Red for Danger! is penned by Nev Fountain and directed by Barnaby Kay and is the more engaging of the two entries in this set. Cast members include Charlie Hemblett, David Holt, Martin For, and Andre James.
The Doctor and Peri are in disguise at an English boarding school where not everyone is native to Earth. There has been a strange message sent to the Doctor that contains a psychic image of a screaming red-headed child. A boy named Malcolm makes a startling claim about his connection to the Doctor, but someone else also seems too strangely familiar with the Time Lord.
This one was much better. It has kind of a dumb title, but the episode is much better executed. There are some outlandish plot twists toward the end, but I was much more engaged with this one.
A surprise revelation is made at the very end which is going to select the next foray into the adventures of the Sixth Doctor. The revelation at the end was not that much of a surprise, but it was still delightful to have some suspicions confirmed when the disguises were dropped.
Anyway, the set is adequately pleasing on the whole. It’s one of those I would call competent and reliable without not being one of the standouts.
Dark Gallifrey: The War Master Part 3 is an audio drama from Big Finish, which is still highly entertaining in spite of a muddled plot. It is of course a Doctor Who spinoff and also features the War Doctor as portrayed by Jonathan Carley, who took over the role after the death of John Hurt.
Derek Jacobi returns as the version of the Master who was present during the legendary and devastating Time War. Lisa Bowerman returns as Professor Bernice Summerfield. James Marsters continues in his role as Captain John Hart, crossing over from another spinoff, Torchwood. Tariyé Peterside returns on from previous episode as the Imbomination. Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Jason Forbes, and Homer Todiwala round out the cast.
James Goss is the writer while Scott Handcock pulls the whole thing together as director.
The Master and Captain John are consumed by the Imbomination and have to navigate their way through various false realities and other possibilities. They are trapped within the remains of Dark Gallifrey, and they may learn the wisdom of allowing the realm to keep its secrets.
Jacobi is utterly terrific as usual in this role. Television viewers only got a small taste of his version of the maniacal renegade Time Lord, and Big Finish continues to expand the role as competently as expected.
Goss takes the surreal madness to the max in this episode. As usual, some of the scenes are hard to picture in the mind’s eyes. Not everything makes sense when listening to it the first time, but I had a good time with it anyway.
It seems some version of the Doctor is going to appear in these trilogies, and Carley takes his turn as his impression of John Hurt’s the War Doctor. I wasn’t sure about expanding the War Doctor’s role when first announced, especially after Hurt had died, but I enjoy the range more than I expected.
As usual, the sound design remains top tier. I think the performances and the technical aspects being so well done help one to enjoy a somewhat perplexing episode.
This trilogy is really my first full experience with Jacobi’s participation in Big Finish audio dramas, and there is a whole other range I have yet to explore. It certainly encourages me to reach back into the archives and properly delve into the War Master audio range.
Doctor Who: The Time Splitters and Dimension 13 is a set of two audio novellas released from Big Finish Productions, and both are worthy beginnings to a new range.
Colin Brake starts off with The Time Splitters, which features the First Doctor and his companions, Steven and Dodo. Peter Purves returns to narrate this story with his usual reliably enjoyable delivery.
The Doctor and his companions arrive at Lunar University, which is based on the moon. Steven disappears soon after and finds himself eight years into the future. The university is abandoned by then, but that doesn’t mean that Steven is alone. There is another presence, and the Doctor and Dodo are having their own challenges as they try to rejoin him.
This is a pretty good story, and Peter Purves, who had portrayed Steven many decades ago on television, continues to deliver a riveting narration. Purves can still capture the spirit of the late William Hartnell’s performance as the Doctor even if he cannot really imitate his voice. This story is a little more complicated than what was usually transmitted in the original era, but it still works.
The sound design is also compelling.
I don’t know if this story can really be considered one of the best in the franchise, but it’s a solid enough contribution.
A couple of regenerations later, the Third Doctor finds another temporal catastrophe in David Llewellyn’s Dimension 13, which is narrated by the always compelling Jon Culshaw.
The Doctor, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, and Liz Shaw travel to Antarctica to investigate strange disappearances and time anomalies at a Shackleton Base. Another dimension has been accessed, and the Doctor finds himself in the position of having to save more than just the planet yet again.
Culshaw has become one of my favorite narrators and guest actors employed by Big Finish Productions and continues to justify my fondness with his delivery here.
Llewellyn is also another solid writer as well. He does a great job of capturing the characters familiar to fans and placing them in a new situation. An isolated base in Antarctica is a somewhat familiar trope of a setting, but it works yet again. Llewellyn knows how to ratchet up the suspense,
Unlike Peter Purves, Jon Culshaw is actually a gifted impressionist and can deliver a pretty convincing Third Doctor and Brigadier. He also does a fine job of straight narration as well.
Anyway, the release is a great addition to the massive catalogue of Doctor Who presented by Big Finish Productions.
Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Adventures: The Potential Daleks is another pretty interesting audio collection from Big Finish Production which was directed by Nicholas Briggs. Michael Troughton returns to the recording booth as the Second Doctor, originally portrayed by his father Patrick. Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury reprise their longtime roles of Jamie and Zoe. Emma Noakes continues her time aboard the TARDIS as Raven, the Doctor’s fellow Time Lord, who is thought to be working on behalf of the High Council of the Time Lords to handle the renegade.
Briggs and Mark Wright split writing duties on the three interconnected episodes in this particular set which also feature the Daleks, who is also voiced by the versatile Mr. Briggs.
The guest cast is also comprised of Clare Corbett, Jacqueline King, Lara Lemon, Callum Pardoe, and Gary Turner.
Nicholas Briggs’ script, Humpty Dumpty kicks off the collection. The old nursery rhyme seems to be the catalyst for a temporal disaster. The planet Skaro is about to be resurrected a million times over. This is the planet where the Daleks originated. The Doctor and his companions will be split between two time zones as they begin a final battle.
This isn’t the first time a common verse is a significant clue to a nightmarish plot in a Big Finish story, but the device is compelling yet again due to the reliable talents of Briggs. The performances are as usual just as compelling. Troughton continues his efforts to breathe new life into his father’s Doctor Who legacy and does an admirable job. Troughton’s impression of his father still sounds a little off at times, but he generally gets the job done.
Padbury and Hines are portraying older versions of their characters, so they don’t have to bother with trying to sound several decades than their actual ages. They still sound great in spite of their understandable vocal variances.
Mark Wright, who is also producer of this release, follow up with Secret of the Daleks. The TARDIS has followed a space/time corridor created by the Daleks to a peaceful tropical world. The inhabitants seem peaceful enough, but there is a menace lurking underneath the paradise. A confrontation with the new Dalek Emperor is imminent, and one member of the Doctor’s party has a secret of their own.
Wright cranks up the action in this script quite effectively. As usual, some of the action moments are a little hard to determine just on audio, but it’s still enjoyable. Noakes gets to show off her versatility as an actress in this one when she gets to do her own take on the Doctor as well. It turns into a bit of a jumble of a plot, but in all the right ways.
Troughton may not always sound like vocally identical to his late father, but he brings a similar enough energy in his performance where it isn’t too distracting. I can still recognize and imagine the Second Doctor in the midst of this chaos seemingly on the edge of panic but holding on to that heroic determination to defeat the monsters. The humor of that era is also quite intact.
Finally, it takes the combined writing talents of Nicholas Briggs and Mark Wright to bring this collection to a conclusion with War of the Morai. The Doctor and his friends are back in a region known as the Vanishing Point where they try to help some old allies known as the Morai to avoid the ruthless intentions of the Daleks. A friend who was thought to be lost has returned, and the mysterious Raven must make a choice.
This story refers back to a previous boxset in which I shall have to listen to again to remember the significance of the Morai.
It was still a fine conclusion, and there were some interesting character moments. Noakes also was a delight as a recurring character. She was basically an original companion created by Big Finish and seems to be an amusing and interesting foil to the Second Doctor. There were also times when Raven and Zoe were forced to collaborate, and an interesting dynamic was forged there as well. Raven had a typical haughtiness displayed most of the Time Ladies the audience have met over the years, but Noakes brings in something more than that as well. Really, the writers gave her a depth for Noakes to play in, and she uses that quite nicely.
As a reminder, this range takes place after the Second Doctor’s trial just after he was sentenced to be exiled to Earth with a new appearance but before that sentence was actually carried out. Jamie and Zoe had been sent back with most of their memories of the Doctor erased but have returned to fight alongside him after they had lived their lives in their respective time zones. I am not a fan who was all that interested in what has become known as season 6b, but Big Finish has won me over in this one. Although it seems that something in this range has concluded, there is a new series in the works and there are certainly more adventures and troubles awaiting this version of the Doctor.
Doctor Who: Dracula! by Paul Magrs is a surprisingly good addition to the BBC novel range, and it features the First Doctor which is kind of exciting.
The TARDIS brings the Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and Susan to an English seaside called Whitby, a place where another otherworldly creature arrived from a far-off land and terrorized the citizens. The Doctor and his friends attend a play that depicts the period where Count Dracula hunted among those residents. New murders are occurring around them, and an ancient evil may have returned. Fortunately, the Doctor and his friends have the help of a certain Abraham Van Helsing and his eager nephew. The undead count may have returned or there is another dark threat on the scene.
I found this to be a little better than I expected. Magrs does well with depicting this version of the Doctor in print. I found it an interesting choice to have Dracula encounter the First Doctor.
It’s a nice blend between the traditional story and something new to menace the TARDIS crew.
Magrs has been writing various Doctor Who stories for years and is usually quite interesting as a contributor, and he has not lost his touch.
I am not sure that Magrs has ever written anything with the earlier Doctors, but he did a pretty good job here. His prose was easy to read without feeling too elementary even though the target audience is for younger readers.
There were some unexpected plot twists that were pretty well orchestrated.
I could also almost imagine the late William Hartnell uttering some of the dialogue as well.
Obviously, this isn’t going to be considered a great literary feat, but it is a fun read and one of the better Doctor Who novels I have read in a while.
I am staying in the realm of fantasy or science fiction with another long-time series. I have heard of Doc Savage, a very early template for a superhero. I happened to have a novel written by Kenneth Robeson, which is actually a pseudonym according to some research I have done. Anyway, the Man of Bronze uncovers the mystery of The Sea Magician.
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