Doctor Who: Immortal Beloved Review

Released in April 2007, Immortal Beloved was the fourth Doctor Who audio in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor Adventures range. It stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller. It is written by Jonathan Clements and directed by Jason Haigh-Ellery.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"Theosophy? Ha! Surely you mean theophany? Because we're not talking about real gods here, are we? We're talking about the appearance of gods. Your heavenly powers are a little too mechanical for my liking. And, if I may be so bold, Lord Zeus, your demeanor is not very godlike."

I started listening to this story expecting next to nothing, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it's actually very good.

The story starts with a loving couple, Kalkin and Sarati, umm... Standing on the edge of a cliff, about to kill themselves. Before the two get a chance to jump, they hear the TARDIS.

The entire cast is brilliant and they all provide believable performances. Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are at their best so far, Ian McNeice does a wonderful job of Zeus, Elspet Gray's Hera is very good although a little underused, Jennifer Higham's Sararti is great, Anthony Spargo is excellent as Kalkin and David Dobson is good as Tayden. Paul's son, Jake McGann, plays Ganymede very well but he only gets one or two lines, unfortunately.

I'm not really sure what to think of the setting as we hardly know anything about it, other than the fact there's a palace. I do like what I imagined, though!

I think the engine of incarnation is an interesting idea.

Zeus is really, really, really creepy when he's in Lucie's room. After watching his comedic appearances as Winston Churchill in Series 5 and 6 of new Who, I wasn't expecting Ian McNeice to be able to act so creepily.

My favourite non-main character in this story is, without a doubt, Zeus. An excellent, chilling, performance.

Some good lines from Immortal Beloved are:
"Your clothes have gone see-through!" "As have yours', my lady. That is why we close our eyes."
"I am Zeus. Lord of the skies. Bringer of storms."
"What is this? The planet of idiots?"

Overall, the weakest story so far in this range but still incredibly entertaining. Definitely worth the money. I wouldn't recommend it as your first audio because I recommend listening to the Eighth Doctor Adventures in order. Then again, if you're already familiar with Lucie Miller, you should understand everything perfectly.

Overall Rating: 8/10

You can buy Immortal Beloved for £8.99 download or £10.99 CD here.

Doctor Who: Horror Of Glam Rock Review

Released in March 2007, Horror of Glam Rock was the third Doctor Who audio in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor Adventures range. It stars Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller. It is written by Paul Magrs and directed by Barnaby Edwards.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"The Doctor and Lucie go glam when the TARDIS makes an unexpected landing in 1974. Slade, The Sweet and Suzi Quatro are Top of the Pops - and brother-and-sister duo The Tomorrow Twins will soon be joining them, if the starmaking Svengali Arnold Korns has his way. But will their dreams turn to dust at a service station somewhere on the M62, besieged by a pack of alien monsters?"

As soon as I saw the title and the writer, I was 99% sure this was going to be good. Well, it's not really what I expected, but I'm certainly not disappointed.

The story starts with The Doctor and Lucie landing in 1974... Then all of a sudden, they find themselves staring at a corpse. Excellent way to start a story!

The entire cast is great. Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are good as ever, it's fantastic to see Bernard Cribbins - one of my favourite actors, the late Stephen Gately does a great and almost creepy job as Tommy and he reminds me of the kid from Planet of the Spiders, Claire Buckfield plays Trisha very well and Lynsey Hardwick does an excellent job with auntie Pat although she sounds very similar to Sheridan Smith making it a little confusing at times.

Horror of Glam Rock features what is probably the best possible Earth-based setting. Absolutely fantastic.

Some things I found out from listening to this story are that Lucie thinks the Doctor 'Always takes over' and that 1974 is as close as the TARDIS can get to Lucie's time.

I really like what they did with the ending music. Great stuff.

My favourite non-main character in this story is Arnold Korns, mainly because of Bernard Cribbins but hey. That said, it does feel kind of strange to hear him being such a bastard after watching him play Wilfred.

My favourite line is "Torn apart, just like my Bentley. Only less expensive to replace" from Arnorld. How horrible can a human being get? Another line I like is The Doctor's "Magnificent, aren't they?" - reminds me of the Tenth Doctor in Tooth and Claw.

Overall, a great story - recommended. Not exactly top notch, but still of a very high quality. Great stuff and certainly worth the money. I wouldn't recommend it as your first audio though, because I recommend you listen to the Eighth Doctor Adventures in order.

Overall Rating: 8/10

You can buy Horror of Glam Rock for £8.99 download or £10.99 CD here.

Nick's Picks Big Finish Sale

Nicholas Briggs has chosen nine Doctor Who audios, along with one Sherlock Holmes audio, to go on sale for the weekend.

The Doctor Who audios on sale are:
The Condemned (Sixth Doctor)
The Girl Who Never Was (Eighth Doctor)
The Bride of Peladon (Fifth Doctor)
Max Warp (Eighth Doctor)
Grand Theft Cosmos (Eighth Doctor)
Lucie Miller (Eighth Doctor)
To the Death (Eighth Doctor)
Son of the Dragon (Fifth Doctor)
The Rocket Men (First Doctor Companion Chronicle with Ian Chesterton)
The Adventure of the Perfidous Mariner (non-Doctor Who; Sherlock Holmes)

They are priced at £5 each (CD and download) or £45 for the lot. You can buy them here. Sale ends Monday.

The Light At The End - Official Video

Big Finish have uploaded this video to advertise their 50th anniversary special audio drama The Light at the End, starring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann and various companions. The more expensive collector's edition release features Companion Chronicle The Revenants starring William Russell.

You can pre-order The Light at the End from BigFinish.com here or from Amazon UK here.

Doctor Who: Afterlife & Antidote To Oblivion Covers

The covers for upcoming Big Finish audios Afterlife and Antidote to Oblivion have been revealed. Afterlife is written by Matt Fitton, directed by Ken Bentley and stars Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, Philip Olivier as Hex and Amy Pemberton as Sally Morgan while Antidote to Oblivion is written by Philip Martin, directed by Nicholas Briggs and stars Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Lisa Greenwood as Flip and Nabil Shaban as fan-favourite monster Sil.

Afterlife synopsis:

"Hex is dead. And a distraught Ace holds the Doctor responsible.

She forces him to take a trip to 21st century Liverpool to break the news to Hex's beloved nan and, to pay tribute to Thomas Hector Schofield, the pair seek out his family and friends to tell them of his adventures. They're helped by Private Sally Morgan, who has her own peace to find.

The Doctor, Ace and Sally must each face the fallout of the loss of their friend - to commemorate him, remember him, and finally to move on. But can they do it together, or will their attempts drive them apart?"

Antidote To Oblivion synopsis:

"Future Britain is bankrupt, its corporate owners facing financial ruin. Fortunately, the Universal Monetary Fund, and its slimy representative Sil, are willing to give its President a multi-billion credit bail-out... but terms and conditions apply, and Sil's proposed austerity measures go far beyond mere benefit cuts.

Responding to a distress call, the Doctor and his companion Flip land in a London whose pacified population has been driven largely underground. But the horrors down there in the dark are as nothing to the horrors that await them at ConCorp HQ, where a young biochemist in Sil's employ is working on a permanent solution to the nation's terminal unprofitability.

Because in the final account, Sil plans to make a killing..."

You can pre-order Afterlife for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here. (Released December 2013)
You can pre-order Antidote to Oblivion for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here. (Released January 2014)

Doctor Who: Upstairs Review

Released in September 2013, Upstairs was the third Doctor Who audio in the eighth season of Big Finish's Companion Chronicles. It stars Maureen O'Brien as Vicki and Peter Purves as Steven. It is written by Mat Coward and directed by Lisa Bowerman.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"When the TARDIS lands in a dilapidated attic, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven discover they are on Earth, in London… in Number 10 Downing Street.
However alien forces are at play here, affecting the very fabric of the building… and adjusting the very essence of history itself."

Believe it or not, this is the first Companion Chronicle I've listened to, seeing as I've always spent a good chunk of my money on main range and Eighth Doctor Adventure audios. Naturally, I became curious about this little range of audio drama-like audiobooks after hearing so many good things about it and I thought that, since Steven is my favourite Hartnell era companion, pre-ordering this release might be a good way to see what all the hype is about. Well, it certainly didn't disappoint me!

Like most Companion Chronicles, the cast is made up of just two actors. A lot of the time, it's one companion and one random actor but this time, it's two companions and no one else. Maureen O'Brien sounds a lot older, but of course, she was (and obviously still is) a little bit younger than Peter. She does a legitimately great job with some of the voices, and I really do like her Hartnell impression. Peter Purves doesn't sound a day older than he did in The Savages - I certainly wouldn't have guessed he was in his 70's now! Excellent performances from both actors!

The setting of 10 Downing Street in 1900 is great, and the more you learn, the creepier it gets. Not the Chimes of Midnight or The Holy Terror kind of creepy, but still, creepy. I bet conspiracy theorists are going to love the setting and the storyline.

I think the villain in Upstairs is one of the most interesting villains of all time although, to some people, it's name is probably a huge spoiler so I won't mention it. It's very wibbly wobbly timey wimey near the start of the story and actually makes you think "How are they going to get out of this one!?" near the end of the story.

My favourite line is "NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET, AHA!" - it doesn't make an amazing quote, but Maureen O'Brien's eccentricity while saying that line was amazing.

There are some good funny moments, such as The Doctor, Steven and Vicki walking in on someone in the washroom. Even if it's not very much, I always appreciate a little humour in sci-fi!

It's nice to hear something about the TARDIS food machine for the first time in a long while. Something I really like is how the story gives us some insight on what was going on in Vicki's head during her travels with The Doctor.

Mat Coward is just one of many new Big Finish writers in recent months, and if his future scripts can live up to this standard, then I know they will all be a joy to hear. Looking forward to more from him.

I highly recommend giving this a listen. Full of great ideas, great characters and great music / sound effects. Excellent stuff.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

You can buy Upstairs for £7.99 download or £8.99 CD here.

Jago & Litefoot Series 6 Is Out Now!

The sixth series of Big Finish's Doctor Who audio spin-off Jago & Litefoot is finally available! These audios star Trevor Baxter as George Litefoot and Christopher Benjamin as Henry Gordon Jago - the two incredibly popular characters featured in the incredibly popular Tom Baker story The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The stories are written by Jonathan Morris, Matthew Sweet, George Mann, Justin Richards and directed by Lisa Bowerman.

Synopsis:

"After returning to Victorian London, Jago and Litefoot are approached by the enigmatic Colonel and offered a role they cannot refuse – investigators by Royal Appointment to Queen Victoria!
Their missions include a mystery on the Suffolk coast where strange things lurk in the sea mist, an encounter with Freud and a threat to the realm itself… But who can save Professor Litefoot when he is accused of murder, and no one can be convinced of his innocence?"

You can buy the series 6 box set for £30.00 download or £35.00 CD here.

Doctor Who: Persuasion Review

Released in July 2013, Persuasion was the 175th Doctor Who audio drama to be released in Big Finish's main range. It stars Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Tracey Childs as companion Elizabeth Klein and Christian Edwards as companion Will Arrowsmith. It is written by Jonathan Barnes and directed by Ken Bentley. It is the first part of the 2013 Seventh Doctor/Klein/Arrowsmith trilogy.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"The Umbrella Man is back. But when the Doctor recruits UNIT's Scientific Adviser Elizabeth Klein for an off-the-books mission to the apocalyptic final days of Hitler's Germany, he isn't expecting Klein's hapless young assistant, Will Arrowsmith, to be joining them too.

The Doctor isn't the only alien creature seeking to loot a very particular secret from a Nazi base in Dusseldorf, however. Strange and sinister beings are converging on the same time/space location in search of the scientist Schalk, whose experiments are the key to a devastating power...

The power of Persuasion."

So, the umbrella man is back but unfortunately, I've yet to see a positive review of Persuasion and so I started listening to it with incredibly low expectations. Well, I was pleasantly surprised and I actually think it's quite good! Certainly not as good as The Chimes of Midnight, but still, good.

This is the first story I've listened to that features Klein, and of course, the first I've listened to that features Arrowsmith. I think they're both good, likeable characters and I can't wait to hear more. I just hope Arrowsmith stops being so clumsy because it'll get old after a while!

The villains in the story, the Shepherd and the Khlecht are both very good. The Klecht are pretty funny with the way they destroy stuff, actually. "Heeey guys, good news!"

There are quite a few settings, and while they are pretty good, I can't say I'm overly impressed by any of them. Unfortunately, I didn't really get the feel of the setting that I generally get with Big Finish's audio dramas... It's probably because there isn't any great music or sound design.

My favourite lines are "Hello there, I do hope we're intruding!", "Looks like the first in line to punch you on the nose, Schalk!" and this incredibly long piece of dialogue from Arrowsmith: ''My heart rate has increased and I've started to perspire. I admit I didn't expect to find this so alarming, I have already passed through numerous peculiar rooms full of the most bizarre and unexpected things. I've seen cupboards the size of cathedrals, and what I think must have been a fridge freezer full of vegetarian food which extended as far as the eye could see. There are libraries stacked with impossible books, a cinema showing films in five dimensions, though I have yet to see the slightest sign of the Doctor... Somehow being here... it  feels more like stepping into a man's mind than into a real place.''

The title Persuasion is more than appropriate because the words "persuasion" and "persuade" are used countless times throughout the story. Hell, it revolves around something called a Persuasion Machine. It's nice to see such a simple, one-word title once in a while.

The story runs at a very nice pace. It didn't feel slow at all to me.

While in the TARDIS with Mr. Arrowsmith in episode 4, McCoy is very enthusiastic which is, of course, fantastic (oh hey, that rhymed!). When Hinterberger realises that Arrowsmith can record audio with his dictiphone, he sounds extremely happy. Very good acting there!

...And, since there isn't much more to say, I guess I'll let you find out the rest for yourself!

Overall, a pretty good story, but not without it's fair share of flaws. It's much better than people have been saying it is and it certainly doesn't deserve the awful reputation it has. I've heard that the next story in this trilogy, Starlight Robbery, is a lot better and so I can't wait for the chance to listen to that - the trailer makes it seem very interesting!

Not absolutely amazing, but not bad either. I recommend giving it a listen, as long as you're already familiar with Klein. If you're not, then you might want to listen to Colditz.

Overall Rating: 7/10

You can buy Persuasion for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here.

The Light At The End Cover (Standard Edition)

Big Finish have revealed the cover for the standard release of their 50th anniversary audio drama The Light at the End. The story will be written and directed by Nicholas Briggs and will star Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann.

Synopsis:

"November 23rd 1963 proves to be a significant day in the lives of all eight Doctors…
It's the day that Bob Dovie's life is ripped apart…
It's also a day that sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events which forces the first eight incarnations of the Doctor to fight for their very existence. As a mysterious, insidious chaos unfolds within the TARDIS, the barriers of time break apart…
From suburban England through war-torn alien landscapes and into a deadly, artificial dimension, all these Doctors and their companions must struggle against the power of an unfathomable, alien technology.
From the very beginning, it is clear that the Master is somehow involved. By the end, for the Doctors, there may only be darkness."

The Light at the End will be released in November and you can pre-order any of the three versions here.

Big Finish Weekend Klein Sale

To celebrate the release of Daleks Among Us, Big Finish have put three previous stories on special offer for the weekend, all starring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Tracey Childs as Elizabeth Klein. The stories on offer are A Thousand Tiny Wings, Survival of the Fittest (includes Klein's Story) and The Architects of History.

They are currently priced at £9 each or £25 for all three. For a little extra money, you can add Colditz into the bundle as well.

Click here to view and buy the audios on sale.

The Dark Planet & Upstairs Are Out Now!

Following the releases of Daleks Among Us and 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men, Big Finish have released Lost Story The Dark Planet written by Brian Hayles and adapted by Matt Fitton along with Companion Chronicle Upstairs written Mat Coward.

The Dark Planet Synopsis:

"Somewhere far back in the early days of the universe the TARDIS lands on a world lit by a dying sun. Missing from the Doctor's star maps and dotted with strange crystalline statues, it is a world ripe for exploration. But it is also a world of destruction.
Venturing out onto its surface, the time travellers find themselves drawn into an age-old conflict between the two species residing on the planet - people of Light and Shadow. Proving a catalyst for the escalation of the conflict, the Doctor and his friends need either to create a peace or to pick a side.
Because in times of war, nothing is ever black and white."

Upstairs Synopsis:

"When the TARDIS lands in a dilapidated attic, the Doctor, Vicki and Steven discover they are on Earth, in London… in Number 10 Downing Street.
However alien forces are at play here, affecting the very fabric of the building… and adjusting the very essence of history itself."

You can buy The Dark Planet for £14.99 download or £16.99 CD here.
You can buy Upstairs for £7.99 download or £8.99 CD here.

Doctor Who: 1963: Fanfare For The Common Men Review

Released in September 2013, 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men was the 178th Doctor Who audio drama to be released in Big Finish's main range. It stars Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Sarah Sutton as companion Nyssa. It is written by Eddie Robson and directed by Barnaby Edwards. It is the first part of the 1963 trilogy.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"If you remember the Sixties, they say, then you can’t have been there.

The Doctor remembers the Sixties. That’s why he’s taking Nyssa on a trip back to November 1963. Back to where it all began. Back to the birth of the biggest band in the history of British music. Back to see those cheeky lads from Liverpool...

Mark, James and Korky. The Common Men. The boys who made the Sixties swing with songs like Oh, Won’t You Please Love Me?, Just Count To Three and Who Is That Man.

The Doctor remembers the Sixties. And there’s something very wrong with the Sixties, if the Beatles no longer exist…"

After listening to the amazing 1-part story Urgent Calls (also by Eddie Robson and available free of charge on Big Finish's Soundcloud), I was expecting a lot from this. Does it disappoint? No. It's absolutely brilliant. Best main range release this year. Crazily creative and a great idea overall.

If I were to tell someone about this story, I'd say something along the lines of "A thrilling adventure where The Doctor and Nyssa go to England in 1963 to see the Beatles, but when they arrive they find out that the Beatles don't exist and they're going to be seeing the Common Men instead. Somehow, Nyssa ends up in Germany and The Doctor soon realises that someone is messing with time. I'll let you find out the rest for yourself."

I can't say a bad word about the cast - full of amazing actors, especially Peter Davison. I'm starting to like the Fifth Doctor more and more which surprises me as, in the past, he's always been my least favourite Doctor! And of course, most of us will recognize Lenny's voice actor, Ryan Sampson, as young genius Luke Rattigan from Series 4's The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky.

The various settings are all very similar and they're all brilliant. I wasn't around back in the 60's, but this gives me a feel of what I imagine they'd be like. Great to see The Doctor go back to 1963 and the few seconds we heard of 1940 were good too.

My favourite character featured in this story other than the main two is probably the mysterious-for-a-couple-of-minutes Paravatar. I found him to be very interesting.

There are quite a few good lines - some funny, some powerful and some just sound good:
"Kids like pop music, job done, there you go."
"An alien? Hahahaha, I think I'd know if I were an alien, Nyssa!"
"Kids don't want to go to church anymore to feel bigger, they go to our gigs."
"I don't want to be helped, I want to burn everything that refuses to be mine... And I'm gonna start with you!"

Some more things I like about 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men are: It's nice to see The Doctor up against a time travelling villain and the reference to Susan and her music.

One thing I don't like about the story is that Lenny's voice sounds extremely generic for a villain but maybe that's just my brain. Other than that, I can't really fault it.

Overall, an incredibly creative idea of mixing Doctor Who with 60's music and it works very nicely. Not something I'd want to hear every month, but it makes a very good one-off and it's certainly an enjoyable two hours. I think it would make quite a good first audio for most people and I hope it isn't forgotten when it's as old as stories like Phantasmagoria and Winter for the Adept. As I said before, it's the best Doctor Who audio of 2013... So far.

Definitely worth the money and hopefully The Space Race, The Assassination Games and The Light at the End are just as good!

Overall Rating: 9/10

  

You can buy 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here.

Two New Big Finish Audios Out Now

Seventh Doctor audio Daleks Among Us written by Alan Barnes and Fifth Doctor audio 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men written by Eddie Robson are both available now!

Daleks Among Us Synopsis:

"AZIMUTH DEPARTMENT OF RE-EDUCATION
REMINDER: TO ALL CITIZENS
There are no Daleks on Azimuth. There have never been Daleks on Azimuth.
Twenty years ago, the Daleks did not invade Azimuth. There was no war. There were no death camps. A man named ‘the Doctor’ did not help liberate Azimuth.
There are no such things as Daleks. They do not exist. There are no Daleks among us.
UPDATE: TO ALL CITIZENS
A strange blue box has not appeared in Monument Plaza. Off-worlders named ‘the Doctor’, ‘Elizabeth Klein’ and ‘Will Arrowsmith’ are not at large in the city. For your own safety, should you not see any of the above, report at once to the Department of Re-education, Azimuth Central.
NEVER REMEMBER"

Fanfare for the Common Men Synopsis:

"If you remember the Sixties, they say, then you can’t have been there.
The Doctor remembers the Sixties. That’s why he’s taking Nyssa on a trip back to November 1963. Back to where it all began. Back to the birth of the biggest band in the history of British music. Back to see those cheeky lads from Liverpool...
Mark, James and Korky. The Common Men. The boys who made the Sixties swing with songs like Oh, Won’t You Please Love Me?, Just Count To Three and Who Is That Man.
The Doctor remembers the Sixties. And there’s something very wrong with the Sixties, if the Beatles no longer exist…"

You can buy Daleks Among Us for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here.
You can buy 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here.
Companion Chronicle Upstairs starring Maureen O'Brien and Peter Purves will be released later this month.

Doctor Who: The Holy Terror Review

Released in November 2000, The Holy Terror was the 14th Doctor Who audio drama to be released by Big Finish. It stars Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Robert Jezek as companion Frobisher. It is written by Robert Shearman and directed by Nicholas Pegg.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"The TARDIS lands in a forbidding castle in a time of religious upheaval. The old god has been overthrown, and all heretics are to be slaughtered. Obviously it isn't the sort of thing which would happen there every day - just every few years or so.

And when the Doctor and Frobisher are hailed as messengers from heaven, they quickly become vital to opposing factions in their struggle for power. But will they be merely the acolytes of the new order - or will they be made gods themselves?

An evil destructive force is growing deep within the crypt. And the pair soon find out that they will be lucky to escape their new immortality with their lives."

When it's written by Robert Shearman, it's gonna be good, and this is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through. Creepy, thrilling, just completely brilliant!

This was my first experience with Frobisher the shape-shifting penguin and my first thoughts were "he's hilarious" and that he reminds me of Pingu. Such a brilliant and creative idea for a companion! Robert Jezek does a great job and it's a huge shame that this and The Maltese Penguin are the only audios that feature him.

Right, let's move on to the acting: Robert Jezek basically steals the show - he's excellent, Colin Baker is just fantastic, Stefan Atkinson gives a very believable performance, Sam Kelly is great, Peter Sowerbutts is great, Peter Guinness is an amazing choice to play an amazing villain and the rest of the actors are all good too.

The setting (a castle) is quite creepy because, for most of the story, The Doctor and Frobisher aren't completely sure about where they are. Actually, the reason the place exists is extremely creepy. The idea behind the actual setting is very good and the production team manage to pull it off perfectly.

My favourite character featured in this story other than the main two is Pepin VII. I can't really explain why, but if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have enjoyed the story quite as much. I'd like to give Eugene a special mention as well.

My favourite line is more than just one line but here it is anyway:
"Your father comitted the ultimate blasphemy." "What's that?" "He died. Gods aren't supposed to do that sort of thing." - There are loads of great lines scattered throughout the story and this is just one of them.

The religion of the castle is extremely messed up but no one wants to change it. The main villain in this story is Eugene's son (spoiler, highlight to see it) and wow, just from hearing him, I know he's creepy! I was listening to it in the dark at 2 AM and I had to turn the light on! Just why, Robert Shearman, why do you have to be so good at writing scary stuff!?

I think the way the TARDIS goes on strike is great. Frobisher thinks it's just because she wants attention but it's actually been drawn there for some reason. I'll let you find out why.

The fact that Pepin VI fell asleep in the bath and drowned put a smile on my face. It's probably not good to laugh at death, but that's a brilliant way for someone to go, especially a God. Hell, if I were a God, that's how I'd want to die!

The Holy Terror is a perfect mix of creepiness, funniness and entertainingness (wait, is that even a word?) An amazing story full of fantastic, creative ideas. Frobisher is extremely underappreciated.

It would definitely make a good first Big Finish audio - It's a must-have for pretty much any Doctor Who fan!

Overall Rating: 10/10

You can buy The Holy Terror for £2.99 download or £5.00 CD here.

Doctor Who: The Space Race - Cover Revealed

Big Finish have revealed the cover for upcoming full cast audio drama 1963: The Space Race. This story will star Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri. It is written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Nicholas Briggs. It is one of the audios with the 50th anniversary logo and will be released in October 2013.

Synopsis:

November 1963, and the Soviet space programme reigns supreme. Having sent the first animals, then the first men beyond Earth's atmosphere, now they're sending a manned capsule into orbit around the Moon.
Just as Vostok Seven passes over into the dark side, however, its life support system fails. Only the intervention of the Sixth Doctor and Peri, adopting the identities of scientists from Moscow University, means that contact with the capsule is regained.
But something has happened to the cosmonaut on board. She appears to have lost her memory, and developed extreme claustrophobia. Maybe she’s not quite as human as she used to be…

Doctor Who: Enemy Aliens Review

Released in August 2013, Enemy Aliens was the eighth Doctor Who audiobook to be released by Big Finish and AudioGO for the Destiny of the Doctor range. It is read by India Fisher who plays Charley Pollard and also features Michael Maloney as Hilary. It is written by Alan Barnes and directed by John Ainsworth.

Synopsis:

"1935: a message from a Time Lord in trouble sends the Eighth Doctor and Charlotte ‘Charley’ Pollard to the streets of London’s West End, in search of a mysterious alien adversary – unaware that something monstrous is already on their trail.
They soon discover that an insidious conspiracy is indeed at work, its tentacles extending the length of the British Isles. Proving its existence won’t be easy, however, after a confrontation in a music hall ends up with the Doctor under arrest and Charley on the run, suspected of murder. All their hopes rest in a musical clue and a man named Hilary – neither of which are much consolation, with the two time travellers the object of a nationwide manhunt.
And all the while, the enemy aliens are drawing closer and closer still…"

Paul McGann is among my favourite Doctors and Charley is among my favourite companions so I was really looking forward to this and it does not disappoint. I'm glad they chose Alan Barnes to write the story because he knows Charley better than anyone, seeing as he brought the character into Doctor Who. I'm also very happy that they chose Charley over Grace, Chang Lee, C'rizz, Lucie or Molly - don't get me wrong, they're all great, but I think Charley has become the iconic companion for McGann's Doctor but then again, since not all listeners will know about Big Finish's Eighth Doctor audios, it might feel a bit confusing to some. Well, it's fantastic to see (actually, I mean hear) her again as it's her first appearance since Solitaire in 2010!

India Fisher is a great audiobook narrator, but we already knew that thanks to an amazing 2010 Companion Chronicle! Michael Maloney does a brilliant job too - he's every bit as good as India Fisher and his Hilary voice is incredibly chilling and absolutely fantastic! Oh, and the vicar voice is great too!

The story basically revolves around William Tell so that's quite interesting.

There are quite a few sneaky references to past Eighth Doctor / Charley stories which I enjoyed spotting, even if things like this are the main reason Attack of the Cybermen gets so much (in my opinion, undeserved) hate.

I was a bit disappointed by what the "enemy aliens" turned out to be. I'm not going to spoil it, but don't assume they're going to be something ridiculously crazily awesome because they're really not. The build up is brilliant but then you realise what "enemy aliens" means...

The setting is wonderful even if it is just 1930's London, it's done brilliantly. Captures the place almost exactly as I'd imagine it!

Some good lines are "The key is in the house with the straggly witch... That's where the aliens are!", "Ahh, scrambled eggs... Oh lord! Ah, they're ruined!" and "Time Lords United 2, Enemy Aliens nil". Of course, "But we'll have to get those clothes off you first!" was kind of funny, but we had the same joke in the 2012 Christmas special The Snowmen so that ruined it a little.

Charley is the master of disguise she's been since her very first adventure (Storm Warning), the strange drumming noise thing reminds me of The Master and the Eleventh Doctor cameo was quite good.

My only problems with the story are:
#1. Somewhere near the start, there is a dog barking and that can be a little distracting at times.
#2. It can be a little bit slow at times.
#3. When the cavern roof comes crashing down, it's ridiculously loud, especially if you're a headphone user.

Overall, it's a very good, solid, enjoyable story despite a couple of minor flaws and so far, it's my favourite story in the Destiny of the Doctor range. Fantastic to see the Eighth Doctor with Charley again, everyone involved did a great job and we've got the amazing Alan Barnes to thank. I'd recommend it to just about anyone who likes the Eighth Doctor or Charley.

Overall Rating: 9/10

You can buy Enemy Aliens for £3.99 download or £5.10 CD here.

Doctor Who: The Marian Conspiracy Review

Released in March 2000, The Marian Conspiracy was the 6th Doctor Who audio drama to be released by Big Finish. It stars Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Maggie Stables as companion Evelyn Smythe. It is written by Jacqueline Rayner and directed by Gary Russell.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing.

The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn's life. But there he meets the Queen of England and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman's block..."

After listening to the amazing Jubilee, I thought I should listen to some more Evelyn stories, and where better to start than her first adventure? More on Evelyn in a minute, for now I'm going to say that this story is absolutely fantastic. No aliens, just a pure historical story - something that has been very rare since the Hartnell era.

I thought Evelyn seemed like a brilliant companion in Jubilee and it turns out she's amazing from the second she first speaks! I really like the fact that she's a historian as history is one of my favourite subjects. Maggie Stables is an amazing actor, and it's a huge shame that she hasn't been in any recent audios due to her poor health - I really hope she gets well soon. A simply amazing character!

As for the acting, everyone is good but this is not The Doctor's story. This is Evelyn's story. Maggie Stables does a better job than anyone else involved, including Colin Baker (although he too does an amazing job!). Other actors involved are Sean Jackson (George Crow), Gary Russell (John Wilson), Jez Fielder (William Leaf), Jo Castleton (Lady Sarah), Anah Ruddin (The Queen), Nicholas Pegg (Reverend Thomas), Barnaby Edwards (Francois De Noailles) & Alistair Lock (Royal Guard). I can't fault the cast at all. Every single person in it does an amazing job and I'd love to see this entire cast in another audio!

The setting of London in 1555 is captured exceptionally well and the music is great too. The Marian Conspiracy features some of the production team's best work, even as of 2013.

My favourite character in this story other than the main two is Francois De Noailles. Barnaby Edwards plays him extremely well and, honestly, I wouldn't have expected him to be part of a plot to kill Queen Mary. (Highlight that to see it, but please note it's quite a big spoiler).

My favourite line is "What would you say if I were to tell you that I once destroyed an entire race, that I have led friends to their deaths and caused numerous wars, that my intervention has led to peaceful people taking up arms and good people having their faith or reason destroyed? Because I failed to act, millions upon millions of people have been enslaved or killed. What if I had done all of those things but had always, always believed I was doing the right thing?" from The Doctor. As I said before, it's basically Evelyn's story but it does have some very memorable moments for the Sixth Doctor such as this one.

Absolutely excellent story and that's all I have to say. I'd definitely recommend it as your first Doctor Who audio drama, it's a great re-introduction to the Sixth Doctor and I can't recommend it more. I feel I've been giving too many near-perfect & perfect ratings recently, but this one definitely deserves it. I'll review some more average (aswell as some extremely bad) audios soon.

Considering it's just the sixth Doctor Who release from Big Finish, The Marian Conspiracy is a masterpiece!

Overall Rating: 10/10

You can buy The Marian Conspiracy for £2.99 download or £5.00 CD here.

New Big Finish Cover & Trailers

Big Finish has revealed the cover of upcoming audio drama 1963: The Assassination Games. This story will star Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace. It is written by John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley. It is to be released in November and is one of the 50th anniversary audios.

Big Finish's synopsis of 1963: The Assassination Games:

"London. The end of November, 1963. A time of change. The old guard are being swept away by the white heat of technology. Political scandals are the talk of the town. Britain tries to maintain its international role; fanatics assassinate charismatic politicians and Group Captain Ian Gilmore is trying to get his fledgling Counter-Measures unit off the ground.

Lords of the Red Planet cover

When his life is saved by a familiar umbrella bearing figure, he knows something terrible is going on.  Whilst Rachel investigates an enigmatic millionaire and Allison goes undercover in an extremist organisation, Gilmore discovers a sinister plot with roots a century old.
The Doctor and Ace are back in town. A new dawn is coming. It's time for everyone… to see the Light."

There is also a trailer which you can listen to here. Also available are trailers for Lords of the Red Planet and The Beginning.

The Beginning Cover

You can pre-order  1963: The Assassination Games for £12.99 download or £14.99 CD here.

You can pre-order Lords of the Red Planet for £14.99 download or £16.99 CD here.

You can pre-order The Beginning for £7.99 download or £8.99 CD here.

Doctor Who: Night of the Whisper Review

Released in September 2013, Night of the Whisper was the ninth Doctor Who audiobook to be released by Big Finish and AudioGO for the Destiny of the Doctor range. It is read by Nicholas Briggs with John Schwab as McNeil. It is written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright. It is directed by John Ainsworth.

Big Finish's synopsis:

"New Vegas, 23rd Century – a sprawling city huddling beneath an artificial atmospheric bubble on a distant moon. Pleasure seekers flock there from every corner of the galaxy, to take in the shows and play the tables in the huge casinos. But beneath the glitz and the glitter, organised crime rules the streets.
Whilst Rose Tyler works as a waitress in the Full Moon nightclub, Jack Harkness poses as a reporter for the Daily Galaxy. Meanwhile, the Doctor is helping the police department with their investigation into The Whisper, a strange vigilante that has been terrorising the city’s underworld. But the Doctor is also on a mission of his own – to save Police Chief McNeil’s life at all costs."

It's Ninth Doctor month so let's get this reviewed! This was quite an interesting audiobook. Not the best in the range so far, but still, interesting. Due to the rights issues with Big Finish and new Who, it's the first thing Big Finish has produced that features the Ninth Doctor, Rose or Captain Jack. It appears to be set between Boom Town and Bad Wolf as Rose claims she's been to Raxicoricofallapatorius and Woman Wept.

The story starts with The Doctor, Rose and Jack visiting New Vegas in the 23rd century. While there, Rose gets a job as a waitress in a night club called The Full Moon, which is owned by Wolfsbane (not sure if that's how it's spelt but let's just leave it at that). Shortly after the story begins, the night club gets attacked. What's going to happen next!?

Nicholas Briggs did quite a good job for the most part - especially with the Eccleston voice, but the Captain Jack voice was just awful and McNeil sounds more like Jack than Jack! There's a nice little cameo from the Eleventh Doctor and he was voiced very well so that's certainly good. The Rose voice... Well, I'm not going to talk about that since it was basically just a slightly higher version of Nick Briggs' (extremely awesome) normal voice. The Wolfsbane voice was very good and I'd actually recommend this audio just to hear it. The voice of the Whisper was great - very sinister sounding.

The Whisper is a great villain - "Justice will be served - justice for all!" and what's more interesting is what the mysterious figure turns out to be. It's a legitimately creepy villain for a while.

I think the setting of New Vegas was pretty good. I'm guessing it has something to do with New Earth, especially with the slightly funny New New New Scotland Yard?

My favourite character featured in this story other than the main three is Wolfsbane. I kind of want to say the Eleventh Doctor but I believe that would be cheating, but that actually brings me onto the next bit...

My favourite line is "Just something Pond used to say!" from the Eleventh Doctor. Some other lines I like are "Stupid, stupid apes! You hit me, I'll hit you harder! Like that ever works!", "Justice will be served" and "Evil Knievel taught me everything I know!"

There are some legitimately great scenes such as the spud gun and banana thing. Daisy's scream really makes me feel uncomfortable because it's so loud - horrible for your ears, especially if you use headphones! Wolfsbane being addicted to e-cigars kind of reminded me of the First Doctor in An Unearthly Child so those were some nice scenes. The Doctor pretending to be Inspector George Dickson certainly put a smile on my face.

Overall, a nice addition to the Destiny of the Doctor series. Not overly amazing but certainly not bad. I think I'd just about recommend it, provided you're okay with audiobooks instead of full cast dramas. Nicholas Briggs is very good as usual, it's just a bit of a shame they couldn't get Billie Piper or John Barrowman to read this one.

Overall Rating: 7/10

You can buy Night of the Whisper for £3.99 download or £10.20 CD here.

Doctor Who: Blood Of The Daleks Review

Released in January and February 2007, Blood of the Daleks parts 1 & 2 were the first and second Doctor Who audios in Big Finish's Eighth Doctor Adventures range. The two episodes star Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor and Sheridan Smith as Lucie Miller. They are written by Steve Lyons and directed by Nicholas Briggs.

Big Finish's synopsis of both episodes:

"People of Red Rocket Rising, my fellow citizens. Our long night is over. I've been contacted by a benevolent people. They too have known great trials, but they have overcome them and made it their mission to help others do the same. They have offered us refuge, and passage to the nearest human worlds. They have the resources, and the patience and compassion, to evacuate every one of us. My fellow citizens, my friends, rescue is at hand!"

"The crashed ship. The one Tom Cardwell saw all those years ago. And you borrowed its technology, didn't you? Maybe even found a Dalek or two in the wreckage. Dead, but intact. And you began to turn human beings into creatures like them. You did that? I'm right, arent I?"

This is a bloody amazing story and the Eighth Doctor Adventures range is fantastic - if you're in to new Who and want to get into the world of the Eighth Doctor, this lot of audios would be a brilliant starting point as these are 45-60 minute episodes as opposed to 120 minute stories told in four parts, and Blood of the Daleks is a great introductory two-part story.

I must admit it makes me a little bit sad to see the Eighth Doctor without Charley Pollard but my first impressions on Lucie are that she seems like a great character. Basically a younger version of Donna, although not quite as Donna-like as Molly O'Sullivan. Donna is definitely my favourite new Who companion so far, so I consider this to be a very good thing. I've already listened to a couple of later Lucie audios but I don't remember enough about them, so this is my first real experience with her. I'll be buying more from the EDA range soon!

The story starts with The Doctor in the TARDIS when all of a sudden, Lucie bleedin' Miller appears. For some reason, she seems to know that the TARDIS can travel in space and time. It doesn't surprise The Doctor to find out that this is the work of the Time Lords...

Everyone in the cast is a very talented actor. Sheridan Smith is absolutely amazing as Lucie, Paul McGann is as good as always, Anita Dobson and Hayley Atwell both give very good performances and Kenneth Cranham is pretty funny with his tin foil hat and stuff. As always, Nicholas Briggs provides fantastic Dalek voices.

The Daleks are as good as ever in this story. Wait, no, they're better than they usually are. I really like the idea of the Daleks made by Martez - they pulled that off much better than the Dalek Sec Hybrid thing in Series 3.

Red Rocket Rising is a great name for a planet and yet again, the production team does a great job at making it feel realistic. Red Rocket Rising... Who couldn't like that name?

My favourite character featured in this story other than the main two is Asha... Or Martez... Whichever you want to call him/her... Very interesting character and something she did was really horrible but more on that in the story!

My favourite line is, without a doubt, "LUCIE BLEEDIN' MILLER!" which comes out of Lucie's mouth while she's with the Daleks. Lucie's jokes about Tom's tin foil hat put a smile on my face as well.

Overall? A really nice two parter to begin the EDAs and introduce a new companion. There's some great Dalek action, fabulous performances, and it's a great listen. Highly recommended.

I'd definitely recommend this as your first audio. It's the absolute best way to get into the world of Big Finish. It's a simply amazing starting point and if Doctor Who: The Movie were like this, I doubt it would have failed! I've given a lot of 9 and 10 ratings lately so maybe I need to review some worse stories soon!

Overall Rating: 10/10

You can buy Blood of the Daleks part 1 for £8.99 download or £10.99 CD here.

You can buy Blood of the Daleks part 2 for £8.99 download or £10.99 CD here.