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Featuring:  Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier as the companions  

Set Between: After The Harvest

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 8/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the plot

As the TARDIS materialized, The Doctor Ace and Hex find themselves in 2020, in a living room of a seemingly ordinary house. As they explore they begin to realize that things are not so ordinary. The house is abandoned and the doors are locked, but they aren’t alone.

Review

Katherine Armitage has penned a much more disturbing and tension filled story, incorporating technology in what at first appears to have rather a ‘black mirror’ type feel. In some ways this plot line reminded me of “Protect and Survive”, where the main characters were trapped in a house and the only way out was to solve the mystery.

I definitely felt that this was the better of the two stories as the creepy mysteries are usually the ones I enjoy best. The story starts in a rather simple way and as Armitage slowly builds up the plot questions begin to build up too, and in a rather Stephen Moffat way it’s pretty hard to decipher what exactly is going on here. The recordings of singing on the A.I and other reminiscences of the family provided a particularly unnerving note.

I’m not whether this was deliberate but a story set in 2020 with the characters being stuck in a house where tensions are rising and desperation builds is rather fitting to current events.

All three actors performed brilliantly here, with a real grasp on the story. Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier’s chemistry here was particularly good and there’s a real sense of it being set in Hex’s early days in the TARDIS.

 Buy it here

#Displaced #doctor who #Kathrine Armitage #Sophie Aldred #philip olivier #sylvester mccoy #The Seventh Doctor #SeventhDoctorAudios #hex schofield #Ace McShane #big finish audios #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #doctor who review

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Featuring: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier as the companions

Set Between: Likely after the settling

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 6/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the plot

With the Doctor eager for another adventure, He, Ace and Hex soon find themselves on board a ship, where they are soon captured and accused of being specters of the ghostly ship “The Flying Dutchman”

The Doctor and Ace know there’s no such thing as ghosts, but after they too catch sight of the sinister ship and its ghostly crew, Hex isn’t so sure.

Review

Set in the early days of Hex’s run in the TARDIS, new Big Finish writer Gemma Arrowsmith has penned a fun adventure. Being a one part story, “The flying Dutchman” is an extremely fast paced and action packed story which almost felt like it was over too soon. Whilst at its heart the plot is rather simplistic, the whole cast do a fantastic job of bringing it to life. With realistic portrayals of the suspense and desperation of the scenario together with Big Finish’s fantastic audio effects team, it was easy to picture all that was going on and get fully emerged in the story. I just wish they had made this a two-parter to really build up that initial atmosphere and suspense before the pay off. 

Once again, as she does in most stories, Ace has found another partner in crime on board the ship. Sophie Aldred and Carly Day bounced off each other well. I particularly enjoyed Archie’s story in finding a place aboard the ship. I won’t give too much away here but the message this character portrayed is always an important one, particularly for younger listeners.

I will say that my opinion of the writing of Ace’s character on Big Finish seems to be somewhat varied these days. A lot of writers have a tenancy to make her angsty and shouty as she was in the televised series which coming from a now much older actress can be a bit grating. I much prefer Aldred’s toned down scenes where she can give a lot more range of emotion to the performance.

Buy it here

#the flying dutchman #Gemma Arrowsmith #sylvester mccoy #The Doctor #Doctor who #big finish audios #Big Finish Reviews #SeventhDoctorAudios #doctor who review #Sophie Aldred #philip olivier #Hex #Ace #Ace McShane #Carly Day #Stephen White #Nicolas Khan

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Featuring: Eve Myles and Freema Agyeman

Set Between: Before ‘The End of time’

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 9/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the plot

When Gwenn Cooper seeks out former colleague Dr Martha Jones to carry out an autopsy in secret, Martha’s not too happy about it. She’s keen to perform the task quickly and correctly and leave. But Gwenn has a bad feeling about all this, things are never that black and white with Torchwood and although the man is unmistakably dead, Gwenn’s scanner shows clear signs of life.

Review

When I saw that Big Finish had released a two-hander audio with Even Myles and Freema Agyeman I jumped at the chance to listen to it. For the most part it’s a character piece which gives both actors equal chance to show their skills, and they really do! The two clearly have great chemistry and bounce off each other well.

Tim Foley’s writing for both characters is spot on. What we have here is two confident and assertive people working together and understandably there’s clear friction between them. At times it’s almost a fight to be heard and respected but underneath that the compassion that both characters have also shows through. I find it hard to understand how Martha was such an underrated character in her time on Doctor Who. This story is set sometime before the events of “The end of time” and you can get a sense of a similarity in characterization. She’s far from the person who first stepped on board that TARDIS. This story bridges that gap nicely.

Despite the short length, the pacing is also spot on, shifting smoothly between each scene. Since the entire audio is set in one location and has a clear focal point that it is centered around, this made for a well-grounded and structurally sound story. I love a creepy story and, although they didn’t appear until later in the audio, there were some definite disturbing elements to this. Once again Big Finish’s sound department nails the atmosphere. Even in audio form, you can really sense the tension and claustrophobia in this lab and the sounds of the body at some points of this audio were just skin crawling.

This is Agyeman’s first Big Finish story, but after her strong performance here, I really hope it isn’t her last.

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#Torchwood #torchwood dissected #Tim Foley #TorchwoodAudios #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #big finish reveiws #big finish audios #audio drama #freema agyeman #martha jones #Eve Myles #gwenn cooper

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“There’s something in the air tonight definitely, multiple somethings.”

Featuring: David Tennant as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as the companion

Set Between: Somewhere before turn left

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 8/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the plot

When the TARDIS gets things purposely wrong yet again, The Doctor and Donna find themselves in London, 1952. A deadly thick smog has settled in the streets but that’s not the only cause for concern. There’s something lingering in the smog.

Review

It’s always refreshing to hear Big Finish exploring a new element of history in their continuing catalogue of brilliant historical audios, and what a fantastic choice for a sci-fi story this is, I’m honestly surprised that The Great Smog of 1952 hasn’t been covered in a televised episode as there is so much that can be done with it. Similarly to Pompeii, it is a very real and tragic event that killed thousands and this causes much debate between Donna and the Doctor.

Despite the foggy setting Roy Gill has managed to paint a pretty clear picture. Penning an engaging and atmospheric character story, which after a creepy build up in the first half, moves swiftly into a number of action packed scenes. Gill’s characterization and the vibe of this era of Doctor who is pretty spot on, with plenty of wit and banter, and David tenant and Catherine Tate have once again done a fantastic job in bringing it to life. In fact there appears to be a natural chemistry between all the members of the cast. The supporting characters are really well established throughout the story despite its short length.

Buy it here

#the creeping death #roy gill #David Tennant #the tenth doctor #NewWhoAudios #Donna Noble #doctor who #new who #review #audiobook #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #catherine tate

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Featuring: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Michelle Gomez as the companion

Set Between: Some time shortly before the Seventh Doctor’s regeneration

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 8/10 

Review

I’m not sure I know how to begin writing about this audio. Well, it’s just a typical Marc Platt penned story isn’t it. Fantastically well written with clever ideas and descriptive world building that never seizes to amaze, and confuse the audience. Emphasis on confuse, because let’s face it, has anyone ever really got a clue what’s happening in a Platt plot. And yet I’m always utterly compelled from start to finish. Although, I probably wouldn’t put this audio up there with the likes of the silver Turk, Spare Parts and Ghost light, it is certainly an entertaining listen.

The audio jumps in at the heart of the story, with the first half introducing characters, providing back story and building up some pretty creepy tension. Things take a turn half way through when I found myself simply smiling and laughing at how insanely odd it was. Yet not odd in a grating way. This seems to be very much a base under threat story and in that sense, the underlining idea to the audio is not original. However it’s the ideas woven in that provide a story like no other. Futuristic capitalism, barcoding workers to sell as slaves and an invasion of termites with a twist.

The highlight of this audio was probably the strong performances of Michelle Gomez and Silvester McCoy. McCoy’s portrayal of a Doctor growing lonely and almost giving up worked really well in this story and is a nice contrast to the other stories he’s done earlier in his run. I particularly enjoyed McCoy and Gomez’s scenes together. It’s a shame that this is the only story Jevvan appears in but also nice to see characters going against the grain from time to time and refusing to be part of the Doctors dangerous and sometimes cruel world. Perfect casting of Susannah York in the role of Our Mother, her performance is simply chilling.

Perhaps this story could have benefited from being slightly shorter.

Buy it here

#valhalla #doctor who #michelle gomez #sylvester mccoy #The Seventh Doctor #SeventhDoctorAudios #doctor who audio #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #marc platt #susannah york #Classic Doctor Who

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Featuring: Colin Baker as the Doctor and as the companions Set Between: After ‘The Middle’ Stand alone? : Yes Marks out of 10: 10/10 *Jump on point*

­

Summary of the plot

The Doctor and his companions stay at a caravan site where something rather disturbing and unusual is occurring. The use of radios, cassette recorders and portable televisions is strictly forbidden as something lingers in the static and the guest soon realise that this is not the quiet break they were expecting.

Review

I don’t know how much I can say without spoiling this audio because you really should go into it blindly. Another wonderfully disturbing and compelling story penned by Jonathan Morris. I love a chilling ghost story and this one truly gave me goose bumps. It just gets better and better as the audio goes on. Not since The Empty Child has the ringing of a telephone been so disturbing. In fact everything about the setting of this story is disturbing. An almost deserted campsite beside an old monastery and stone circle, owned by an old man who just gives you the creeps. A fantastic performance throughout by David Graham.

It seems the sixth Doctor is where it’s at for stories right now, and about time too because Colin Baker is more than capable of delivering a good script. There’s something about his performance here that is unlike his cuddly persona in other audios but also unlike his erratic one in the TV series. I can’t lay a finger on why but it feels fresh. As for the companions, this is the first audio I’ve heard of companions Flip and Constance Clarke and although it is part way into their time line with the Doctor, I once again found that this didn’t matter; there was no need to listen to their introducing stories. If there’s one thing Big finish’s writers do well its characterization. Slipping back story naturally into the dialogue and adding many layers to their characters. 

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#flip jackson #lisa greenwood #Doctor Who #classic doctor who #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #the sixth doctor #SixthDoctorAudios #colin baker #constance clarke #miranda raison #Jonathan Morris #David graham #static #doctor who review #Audio Play #review

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Featuring: Naoko Mori, Robbie Jarvis, Ashley Kumar, Rachel Handshaw 

Set Between: Season one and season three

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 8/10

*Jump on point*

Review

Ever feel like you’re listening to the same line over and over again! Ever feel like you’re listening to the same line over and over again! Ever feel like you’re listening to the same line over and over again! Don’t read on! This file has been corrupted.

Scott Handcock has penned another fantastic story. This time in the format of a corrupt audio file. Understandably, it’s a little hard to follow at first and you really do have to listen to the whole thing before you can get the full picture and fully understand this brillient concept, but if you can get passed the jump cuts, buffering and repeated lines then this really is worth a listen. Scott Handcock has penned another fantastic story. This audio shares similar ideas to the televised Doctor Who episode “sleep no more”, only with this being audio rather than visual its far more sinister and really plays with your mind. I love a good psychological thriller, and those final few scenes are particularly disturbing. Scott Handcock has penned another fantastic story. This time in the format of a corrupt audio file.

I was excited to see a solo mission for Toshiko Sato since she really didn’t get a lot of focus back in the televised series. On a whole Toshiko was probably one of the most underrated characters on Torchwood. Which is a shame because she is certainly an interesting character. Naoko Mori preformed brilliantly, it’s like she’s never been away from the role. Scott Handcock has penned another fantastic story. This time in the format of a corrupt audio file. Robbie Jarvis also did a great job portraying the supporting role in this audio, its heartbreaking that this love story will never come to be. 

Buy it here

#torchwood #torchwoodcascade #Big Finish Reviews #big Finish #review #audio play #toshiko sato #naoko mori #scott handcock #Robbie Jarvis #TorchwoodAudios

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Featuring: Gareth David-Lloyd, Bethan Rose Young and David Shields

Set Between: Season one and season three

Stand alone? : Yes

Marks out of 10: 9/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the plot

Ianto Jones investigates an empty office block where strange things are happening.

There’s really nothing more I can say to that synopsis without spoiling the story. Like with most big finish stories, the less you know before listening the better it will be.

Review

This is Torchwood meets haunted house type thriller, and why it’s taken this long for us to get a story like this is beyond me, because this is exactly the kind of material that the Torchwood series should have been incorporating. Right from the get go there’s a sinister vibe. I think the reason I enjoy James Goss’s writing so much is not so much the concepts and ideas themselves, but the detail in his world building. In true James Goss fashion, there's some unexpected twists and turns and each time you think you are going to receive answers you are left with another question. Goss defiantly keeps the listener on their toes and I love that. 

Rather than portraying that loveable coffee boy side of Ianto, this story explores a different, darker side of him. We are somewhat aware that Ianto at least has a slightly darker side from episodes of torchwood such as Cyberwoman and giving a character new layers is never a bad thing, but this doesn’t quite feel like the same Ianto we know.

Whilst Gareth David-Lloyd is brilliant as ever, I have to say I was glad when another actor was brought in. When you have a one hander audio, you’re often left with someone simply talking to themselves, there's really no way round it. Sometimes that works well, but often it seems forced and unrealistic. Both Bethan Rose Young and David Shields did an excellent job with their charecters.

Buy it here

#Torchwood #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #The office that never was #james goss #gareth david-lloyd #bethan rose young #david sheilds #reveiw #audio drama #Audio Play #TorchwoodAudios

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“You will never escape Nivana.”

Featuring: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier as the companions

Set Between: After ‘Shadow Planet’

Stand alone? : Yes but part of a boxset

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Summary of the plot

The second story carries on from the first’s dramatic cliff hanger. Making an emergency materialisation on an unknown planet, the Doctor and Ace are eager to explore. But something is not quite right here. Infact it's very wrong indeed.

Note: You should probably go into this one fairly blindly. It's much better that way

Review

Despite following on from the cliff hanger, both stories are completely separate and can easily be listened to as stand alones. This is easily the better of the two. Scott Handcock has penned a much more atmospheric piece which progresses slowly, allowing time to build up tension and room for some fantastic and detailed world building which draws the listener in. Rather than throwing you into action scene after action scene as with “Shadow planet”. I love an eerie story and there is definitely something about this one that sends a shiver down your spine. Steven Foxon's music certainly helps provide that vibe, it’s a quiet and subtly creepy piece which works perfectly here. There were elements that definitely reminded me of Big Finish's "The Ghost in the machine", whilst still maintaining originality.

Overall, 'World Apart' is another character story. It’s a three hander set at the beginning of Hex's time in the TARDIS, leaving time to explore deeply into the dynamic between Hex and Ace. All three actors were at the top of their game, delivering the dialogue with raw emotion. They've rarely been better!

Buy it here

#world apart #scott handcock #Docto0r Who #Classic Doctor Who #Big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #Ace McShane #Sophie Aldred #sylvester mccoy #The Seventh Doctor #SeventhDoctorAudios #To The Death #thomas hector schofield #philip olivier

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“A revelution and all our heads are on the rocks”

Featuring: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier as the companions

Set Between:Sometime during Hex’s first trips in the TARDIS

Stand alone? :Yes Marks out of 10:8/10

Summary of the plot

With Ace choosing the TARDIS’S next destination there’s bound to be adventure and there’s bound to be trouble. Landing on the planet Unity they soon discover that those on this planet are using a device that brings people face to face with their inner, weaker and possibly darker self.

Review

You can always count on Big Finish writers to churn out some fantastically complex and sometimes disturbing concepts, although as with many it could have benefited with some more time to explore these concepts. With futuristic technology and psychology as the villain, I was reminded heavily of Black Mirror. AK Benedict, writer of many Torchwood audios, did a good job of exploring deep into these already well established characters, pulling out and touching on aspects not seen or heard previously. His writing appeared to paint the picture rather well.

I’m thrilled to hear Philip Olivier returning to his role as Hex after a somewhat shaky last few audios in his timeline. Both Olivier and Aldred did a fantastic job of portraying the contradictory contrasts between their true characters and their shadow selves. Belinda Lang also did a fantastic job as Mrs Wheeler who somewhat reminded me of Sherilyn Harper from ‘The fear Monger’ as the character gave off a little bit of a sinister political vibe.

Buy it here

#philip olivier #hex schofield #Sophie Aldred #Ace McShane #ak benedict #shadow planet #sylvester mccoy #SeventhDoctorAudios #The Seventh Doctor #doctor who #Classic Doctor Who #big finish #Big Finish Reviews #review #audioplay

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“The trap one sets ought to be appropriate for the pest one hopes to eliminate.”

Featuring: Paul McGann as The Doctor and Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan as the companions

Set Between:  ‘The galileo trap’ and ‘Doom Coalition 2’

Stand alone? : No, Part of the 1st Doom Coalition boxset

Marks out of 10: 6/10

Summary of the plot

Whilst in search of The Eleven, The Doctor and his companions stumble across a factory orbiting the sun. The people in this factory are hypnotised and enslaved by robots into walking tread mills to provide power. 

Review

“Well, can somebody tell me what just happened?”

Yes I’d like to know that too.

This is one of those cases where I sing high praises of the concepts but wish the actual story was strong enough to carry it. The story starts off with a fantastic idea of people powered factories and stripping people of rights, it’s all very Seventeenth century and yet we know almost immediately that it is a futuristic story due to the robots. At first I was reminded hugely of ‘Time Works’, what with slavery and robots, but whilst ‘Time Works’ came across as more fairy tale like, there’s a more disturbing vibe from ‘The Satanic Mill’.

Things quickly take a different turn in the second half which rather than flowing on smoothly and continuing this brilliantly disturbing concept, revolves around The Eleven’s new scheme, which again is a brilliant concept but it feels like the two mismatched halves have simply been shoved together. All in all there isn’t a great deal of direction and it’s pretty hard to follow.

Once again Mark Bonnar gives a phenomenal performance. He’s terrifying but I’d definitely like to hear his character explored in greater depths in future stories. Liv and Helen are once again characters that fit perfectly alongside each other and work extremely well as a team, I look forward to hearing where their story takes them and hearing a bit more of each of their back stories in future audios. 

Buy it here

#The Satanic Mill #Liv Chenka #helen sinclair #nicola walker #Hattie Morahan #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #doctor who #the eighth doctor #EighthDoctorAudios #Paul McGann #Doom Coalition 1 #doom coalition #audio review #Classic Doctor Who #Edward Collier

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Featuring: Paul McGann as The Doctor and Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan as the companions

Set Between:  ‘The Red Lady’ and ‘The Satanic Mill’

Stand alone? : No, Part of the 1st Doom Coalition boxset

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Summary of the Plot

Following a message sent by Galileo Galilei, The Doctor, Liv and Helen head to Italy, where what locals believe to be a plague is in fact something far more deadly. If Galileo didn’t send the message, then who did?

Review

I’d forgotten this third story was penned by Marc Platt but once I realised it is it made perfect sense. Platt tends to stray away from action packed plotlines and tends to instead focus on the little details, characterizations and atmospheric feels. Which is perfect for an audio set in the past. You want to be able to shut your eyes and imagine you’re there walking these streets in history and with this story you can. All in all this story had a similar vibe to ‘Point of Entry’ and if you enjoyed that, you’ll probably enjoy this too. The first half is considerably more detailed than the second which is a lot harder to follow, but that’s not to say that it dropped considerably in quality.

Helen experiences a great deal of culture shock here which works well and is relatable. Too often New WHO has the companions simply excepting things as they are and not questioning, and it’s just not realistic at all. Theres a genuine excitement as she experiences this new world. I loved the dynamic between Liv and Helen. The two appear to get on well together and there’s no irritating jealousy. The companions are quite different and each provide a different perspective to the story. Nicola Walker and Hattie Morahan are both incredibly talented actors who perform fantastically alongside Paul McGann.

I probably mentioned this in my Dark Eyes review but I have to say I’m enjoying the darker portrayal of the Eighth Doctor, it provides a bit of differentiation to the ‘New Shoes’ persona McGann took on in the Charley Pollard era and fits in perfectly with the atmospheric feels of the boxset.

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#The Galileo trap #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #review #doctor who #Classic Doctor Who #Paul McGann #the eighth doctor #EighthDoctorAudios #Doom Coalition 1 #doom coalition #marc platt #nicola walker #Liv Chenka #helen sinclair #Hattie Morahan

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“She's here...”

Featuring: Paul McGann as The Doctor and Nicola Walker as the companion

Set Between:  ‘The Eleven’ and ‘The galileo trap’

Stand alone? : No, Part of the 1st Doom Coalition boxset

Marks out of 10: 10/10

Summary of the Plot

The Doctor and Liv are hot on the trail of The Eleven. A trail which leads them to a museum containing a rather strange and sinister collection. The mysterious Red lady appears in the distance of all this artist’s paintings and the writing on the artefacts is too old even for the Doctor to translate. The Doctor is determined to discover why he can’t translate the writing, but consequently leads Liv into a far more dangerous mystery.  

Review

Taking extra time to establish a strong plotline base and flesh out the environment before bringing in the main events is the key to a good solid story. It’s the kind of writing which made Sarah Dollard’s televised stories stand out so much and half the reason why I have been so utterly compelled by the stories in this boxset so far. John Dorney has penned a good old fashioned horror story and what makes this particular story so intriguing and chilling is the fact that the Doctor has no clue who this mysterious red lady is and how to defeat her. It’s something that rarely happens in Doctor Who since the Doctor knows so much and always saves the day but in this case there is a real feel of danger that he may not.

The second story joins the first in its clever dialogue and strong characterizations. We are introduced to yet another strong, empowering female character with Helen Sinclair, who no surprises will later turn out to be a new companion to the Doctor. It’s always interesting to see (or in this case hear) actors portraying the struggles of the era (1963 surprise, surprise) particularly when they are centred around the gender gap and stereotypes. For the most part Hattie Morahan is thrown into centre stage and gives a wide range of emotion to her performance.

Buy it here

#The Red Lady #John Dorney #Doctor who #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #Liv Chenka #Nicola Walker #Helen #hattie morahan #Doom Coalition 1 #Paul McGann #the eighth doctor #EighthDoctorAudios #Helen Sinclair

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Featuring: Paul McGann as The Doctor and Nicola Walker as the companion

Set Between:  ‘Dark Eyes 4’ and ‘The Red Lady’

Stand alone? : No, Part of the 1st Doom Coalition boxset

Marks out of 10: 9/10

*Jump on point*

Summary of the Plot

A dangerous Criminal has escaped from a Galifreyan prison and is wreaking havoc. A criminal who has all Eleven of his time lord incarnations living inside his head.

Review

The idea of the character of The Eleven was incredibly sinister and Matt Fitton executed that idea very well, penning this sinister villain into what seems like a fairly simple but effective opening story, which sets the scene fantastically. In my opinion Gallifrey rarely provides a good setting for an action packed Doctor Who story but Fitton has proved here that it can. I’d certainly be up for hearing more about the inhabitants of Gallifrey’s prison and more of the non-political aspects of this planet.

The depth of the writing really plays out through its characterisation. Mark Bonnar plays all eleven incarnations within one and my god is it one of the most terrifying and well preformed pieces of dialogue on Big Finish. Amazingly he manages to make it seem as though each incarnation is played by a different actor. His actions appear very John Simm master-esque but Master/Missy eat your heart out because this time lord is crazier.  

This story was also my introduction to Liv Chenka. On first impressions she’s a warm, likable character who plays a strong role within the plot and is a down-to-earth kind of woman. Let’s face it the writers at Big Finish rarely bring in a poorly characterized companion. There are some people who are born to act on audio, Nicola Walker’s delivery of the lines is very natural.

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#doom coalition #1 #Liv Chenka #Nicola Walker #big Finish #Big Finish Reviews #Eighth Doctor #EighthDoctorAudios #Paul McGann #The Eleven #Mark Bonnar #Gallifrey #Matt Fitton #Doctor Who #Classic Doctor Who

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“Once more the lights of Skaro blaze out across the universe and they shall never again be extinguished!”

Featuring: Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor and Lisa Bowerman and Sophie Aldred as the companions

Set Between: After ‘Random Ghosts’

Stand alone? : No part of a Boxset

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Summary of the plot

SPOILER WARNING! Listen to Random Ghost before reading on.

Lost and trapped on Skaro Bernice Summerfield tries desperately to escape, whilst learning of the history of the Kaled and Thal along the way. But with Daleks around every turn it will be difficult to escape unharmed.

Review

Despite what it says on the Box, this is less of a Doctor who boxset and more of a Bernice Summerfield one, containing three strong stories (We won’t talk about the first one) which all have that old school Benny series vibe. James Goss has penned a strong finale which once again requires a great deal of focus to follow and gives back story to ‘Random Ghosts’. With time still broken it’s another timey whimey format and I suppose you could say a time line maze, whereby you just don’t know what will be around each corner. On a whole it’s a story of mistakes and their consequences.

Despite being a little bored by the Daleks I do highly enjoy the character of Davros. Terry Molloy does as good of a job of bringing him to life as he did in Rememberance of the Daleks, his few lines of dialogue are dramatic and chilling. It’s such a shame that his appearance in the boxset was so sparse.

Is there any Bernice Summerfield reviews where I haven’t ranted about how good Lisa Bowerman’s acting skills are? James Goss has characterized Benny fantastically well in this story and given her a variety of different layers which Bowerman nails, particularly in the scenes where Benny is scared beyond measure. She also appears to be almost narrating this one.

The Doctor and Ace seem to have had very little part in any of the stories in this boxset other than to simply provide a bit of back story and mostly they fell into the background. Which was okay in my books because as I said previously I came here for more Benny and certainly didn’t go away disappointed.  

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#The lights of Skaro #James Goss #big Finish #The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfeild #volume 1 #Big Finish Reviews #SeventhDoctorAudios #BerniceSummerfieldAudios #Bernice Summerfield #Lisa Bowerman #Ace McShane #Sophie Aldred #Terry Molloy #doctor who #Version New Adventure #Daleks #Davros #Skaro

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“Time doesn’t like it when you interfere with it, it tends to fight back”

Featuring: Lisa Bowerman and Sophie Aldred

Set Between: ‘Good night sweet ladies’ and ‘The lights of Skaro’

Stand alone? : No part of a Boxset

Marks out of 10: 8.5/10

Summary of the plot

Hot on the trail of Ace, Benny arrives on a planet where time has gone wibbly wobbly, forcing her to relive events over and over.

Review

Guy Adams’s addition to the boxset reminded me of Big Finish’s “Ghost in the machine.” Despite the fantastically creative and well thought out ideas Adams has pieced together, the found footage type plot line makes it a little hard to follow. However if you keep on listening through all the confusion and mystery you’ll soon discover that this story is purposely being told in a non linear way, gradually building up suspense which all leads up to a dramatic and unexpected finale.

I loved the large array of emotion behind the dialogue, preformed brilliently by the cast. It’s all rather dramatic but not in a way which is over acted or grating. You can really sense the desperation these characters are feeling. Once again the plot throws Benny into centre stage and once again Lisa Bowerman proves what a phenomenal actor she is. She’s a real powerhouse.

Ace on the other hand slightly annoyed me here. If you’ve read any of my reviews you’ll have guessed that Ace is my favourite of the classic companions. She was and still continues to be a layered character with a good balance of vulnerbilty and strength and Sophie Aldred does a fantastic job portraying her. However the VNA version of Ace seems to have one single layer of “overly aggressive and stroppy.” I understand that her characterization here stems from what happens to her in ‘love and War’ (read it its brilliant) and her ending up in what is basically the space version of the Army.

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[bigfinishaudioreviews]

“Good night ladies, good night sweet ladies.”

Featuring: Lisa Bowerman as Bernice Summerfeild.

Set Between: ‘The revolution’ and ‘Random Ghosts’

Stand alone? : No part of a Boxset

Marks out of 10: 8/10

Summary of the plot

Whilst searching for Ace on a supposedly uninhabited moon, Benny encounters some very confused people in need of her help and a labyrinth where ghosts try to make contact. Things only get worse when the monster of the labyrinth makes an appearance.

Review

Now that’s more like it! This is the Bernice Summerfield I came here for. Bernice Summerfield in a remote place doing what she does best: adventurous archaeology and solving a mystery with limited resources and information. Una McCormack has penned a story which really feels like it’s been plucked straight out of Big Finish’s old Benny range. It’s atmospherically creepy, packed with suspense and keeps you guessing until the big reveal before ending on an exciting cliff hanger which made me eager to listen to the next story.

Unlike so many other newer stories, Good Night Sweet Ladies isn’t so action packed that the characters disappear into its plot, it’s pacing is fairly slow and leaves plenty of space to establish and develop each character, with some fantastic pieces of dialogue, particularly in the final few scenes where there is some real emotional acting. Lisa Bowerman is back on top form too, and with the absence of both the doctor and Ace she is given the chance to really get stuck into the lead role once more.

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#Bernice Summerfield #The new adventures of Bernice Summerfeild #Good Night Sweet Ladies #una mccormack #Lisa Bowerman #Sheila Reid #Big Finish Reviews #big Finish #BerniceSummerfieldAudios