Tag: doctor-who

Doctor Who Audio Review: A Police Box Full Of Hope

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Christopher Eccleston continues his deservedly popular journey as the Ninth Doctor in the audio boxset entitled Travel in Hope from Bog Finish Productions. Helen Goldwyn returns to direct the three episodes that make up this set.

Below There is written by Lauren Mooney and Stuart Pringle and has the Doctor lend a hand to a lonely monitor named Vyx who is assigned to a teleport relay in space. She is having visions, and the teleport system she helps maintain may not be as safe and reliable as billions of galactic citizens would expect.

Kelly Adams, Daniel Cerqueira, and Homer Todiwala make up the guest cast to an effectively spooky episode. The small cast and rather claustrophobic setting are well realized through the sound effects and performances. The writers draw inspiration partly from a short story written by Charles Dickens called The Signal-Man, which has been mentioned before in the television series by this particular Doctor.

This was a pretty good start top the set. The banter between the Doctor and Vyx is quite profound at times. The episode begins with a rather lengthy section where they are communicating through transmitters, which makes the Doctor’s arrival on the station itself seem like a bit of a payoff for the listener.

Anyway, the episode gives this a set a promising start.

The Butler Did It is written by James Moran and is an homage to the classic mysteries written by the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Emma Swan, Andrew French, Paul Thornley, and Louise Fletcher make up the guest cast.

The TARDIS is in need of a tune-up as usual and arrives at a spaceport where he encounters a couple of old friends who also happen to the last of their species. One of his friends is poisoned, and the Doctor has the chance to brush up on some old-fashioned investigative skills. He is aided by a medical tech with a bit of s confidence problem and hampered by a collection of some of the surliest suspects gathered in one place.

Moran was going for something pretty light-hearted here and pulls it off quite nicely. The story does intentionally lean heavily on the some of the tropes of the mystery genre without being overdone. Basically, I got the joke. Also, in spite of the cheeky rip-off, the plot still had a sense of originality and was at times even unexpectedly amusing. Eccleston seems to have a rarely tapped knack for comedy in which this episode brought out.

Run completes this set and is written by Robert Valentine. Jane Goddard is back as the Doctor’s old friend, Alpha Centauri, who from its perspective has yet to meet the Doctor’s earlier incarnation. David Langham, Jane Asher, and Philip Pope make up the guest cast which also includes Nicholas Briggs playing the role of Martian senator Zzargol.

A dangerous demagogue is poised to take control of the Galactic Federation by any means necessary, and the Doctor convinces a very young representative named Alpha Centauri to run against her for the presidency. Politics is often a dirty business, but when the Doctor steps into the ring, it gets deadly.

I sometimes get rather cynical with some of these recurring character bits. Alpha Centauri was first introduced many moons ago during the Jon Pertwee era on television. It is a species of hexapod with one of those most shrill, squeaky vocalizations one could imagine. Goddard actually emulates the original performance and manages to tone down the more grating qualities about the character. I actually don’t dislike Alpha Centauri, but a little of bit goes a long way. The interaction between it and this Doctor were quite well written. It’s pretty obvious what political circumstance inspired this story, but Valentine manages to still present it without any real effort to offend any group of voters. It’s a clever, fun story to close out a highly entertaining collection.

I have enjoyed the Ninth Doctor audio series pretty consistently; however, this particular set brought its A game. All three stories were diverse in all the right ways. Eccleston’s performance was captivating in all three episodes. Even though the inspirations for these stories seemed a little too obvious at times, they still displayed some creativity and wit from all of the writers here.

Travel in Hope gives me hope that Big Finish may still have some great ideas left in the tank.

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: Time Lords And Vampires Still Don’t Mix

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Goth Opera is the latest Doctor Who audio drama adapted from a pretty good novel by Big Finish Productions. Lizbeth Myles is the scriptwriter who adapted this episode from the highly regarded novel written by Paul Cornell. David O’Mahoney serves as director as Peter Davison, Janet Davison, and Sarah Sutton reprise their usual roles as the Doctor, Tegan Jovanka, and Nyssa, respectively. Natalie Gumede, Micah Balfour, Ewan Goddard, and John Schwab are included in the guest cast.

The Doctor is indulging in a game of cricket while another Gallifreyan named Ruath is arranging for the vampires on Earth to encounter their messiah named Yarven. Ruath also has a bone to pick with the Doctor, and Yarven is well aware of the Doctor’s encounters with his species as well. Nyssa is attacked and bitten by a vampire, prompting the Doctor and Tegan to frantically save her from a full transformation. The Doctor finds himself the target of another vendetta for events that reach back to his academy days. Ruath also wants to create a hybrid comprised of Time Lord and Vampire DNA, and the Doctor will have quite a lot to say about that.

The plot is actually kind of interesting because Ruath’s motivations and her resentment of the Doctor’s decision to leave Gallifrey are a bit complicated. The nature of their past relationship is left a little murky, which I liked. The performances from the main cast members are as on par as a long-time listener of this series would expect. Davison still doesn’t sound like he did forty years ago, but it’s still great to listen to him. There is quite a bit of exasperated banter between him and Janet Fielding’s Tegan Jovanka that has yet to get old. Sutton has quite a sizeable part in the story and handles it more than capably.

The story was kind of interesting, but the original novel is a little overrated in my estimation. It took me a bit to warm up to Balfour’s performance as Yarven, but I got there. Schwab plays a Southern evangelist, and his accent is somewhat distracting because of the exaggeration of it.

I am curious of there is a plan for Big Finish to adapt the sequel novel Blood Harvest which would feature Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor. I think that would be a good, if somewhat predictable, decision for the company to make. I would listen to that one too.

I don’t usually comment on the music score on these things, but this release did have a rather distinctive composition which I rather enjoyed throughout the adventure.

The episode is an enjoyable addition to the range but necessarily a standout.

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: 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.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The War Doctor Signs Up

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The War Doctor Begins: Forged In Fire is the beginning of what appears to be a promising series of Doctor Who audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions. Jonathon Carley steps into the role created by the late John Hurt of what has become known as the War Doctor. This is when the Doctor as regenerated into an incarnation intending to enter the Time War as a participant. This Doctor has rejected the moniker he has used for centuries because he is about to engage in methods of fighting that none of his other selves would condone. This trilogy is directed by Louise Jameson, who is basically immortalized in the Doctor Who canon as Leela of the Sevateem. Jameson has been indulging her creative talents outside of acting and seems to be doing quite well at it. Nicholas Briggs returns to voice the Daleks. Adele Anderson, John Dorney, Helen Goldwyn, and Tracy Wiles are some members of guest cast making their welcome contributions.

The first of the three episodes is entitled Light the Flame by Matt Fitton. This picks up moments after the Eighth Doctor has regenerated on the planet Karn before the Sisterhood of the Flame. The War Doctor already has to decide what his fight in the Time War will entail, but he first has to save Karn and the Sisterhood from a ruthless plan concocted by his own people.

I am not too sure of the main story, but Carley puts in a wonderful performance. It is almost eerie how much he can make his voice emulate John Hurt’s. As the War Doctor regains his footing after a traumatic regeneration, the audience gets treated to a compelling emotional journey as the differences from his pervious selves becomes more evident. It’s not always easy to follow, but Fitton still provides a strong introduction for this actor and this early version of the War Doctor.

Lion Hearts is the second story provided by Lou Morgan. The Tharils, who were first seen in the television serial, Warriors’ Gate, are now caught up in the Time War. The War Doctor has joined a rescue operation of a captured friend, but that of course becomes even more complicated than he anticipated. Morgan does a really good fake out as she teases the audience with how ruthless the War Doctor may actually become. I really enjoyed the story once I remembered how I first saw the Tharils and could more properly picture them in my head. Yet again, Carley continues to impress with his version of the War Doctor.

It is long-time contributor Andrew Smith who closes this set out with his script, The Shadow Squad. The War Doctor is going after the Dalek Time Strategist, but he learns of an even more devastating weapon. The Daleks has developed a plan to erase the contributions of certain Gallifreyan fighters from all of history in order to turn the Time War into their favor. The War Doctor meets the Temporal Eradicator, and he will find out just how merciless he is willing to be in order to end this terrible threat to the cosmos.

It gets a little confusing discussing this series since the main character has rejected his title and identity at this time. I guess for purposes of clarity, the audience knows this is still the Doctor in spite of his protestations. However he wants to be addressed, Carley seems to be the right actor to carry off the role. I was skeptical when the producers of the television introduced this secret incarnation in the fiftieth anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, however I think I will enjoy these releases and exploring this era of the Time Lord’s long life.

Big Finish continues to display a mastery of the sound design and casting of talented actor. The scripts are all interesting at varying degrees. As usual, I have a preference, but all three stories are solid. Even though John Hurt’s death is sad, Carley’s performance is more of a way to honor his legacy than actually replace him.

There are still a lot of other ranges I will be listening to, but it will not be long before my next foray into the era of the War Doctor.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Genesis Revisited

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions does not make that many mistakes when it comes to their Doctor Who audio range, however Daleks! Genesis of Terror appears to be one of few outright missteps. This is basically a retelling of the classic serial known as Genesis of the Daleks, which starred Tom Baker. This version is based on the first draft submitted by Terry Nation. Baker returns to perform the first part and is joined by Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith and Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan. Nicholas Briggs provides much of the narration, and other cast members read much of the synopsis for the remaining five parts.

The Doctor is sent by the Time Lords to the early days of the creation of the Daleks where he is tasked with trying to avert the terrible genesis. He meets the creator, Davros, while the war between the Kaleds and the Thals raged mercilessly.

The screen version is one of my favorite stories, but this is essentially a repeat of that although most of it was just summarized by Briggs and several other narrators.

I guess there is some mild interest to be found here, but I am not sure retelling one of the most popular serials was all that necessary. Big Finish releases this as part of the Lost Stories range, but this was just an early draft or treatment of something that’s already considered a classic among the fans.

There is another release of this sort from Big Finish based on The Ark in Space, and I am not that motivated to try that one…at least not yet.

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.