Hi guys, I am about to crack on with McGann's second season and after which I will move onto another spin off series so I thought this was a good time to have a little catch and see how well Big Finish have done to this point. I'm sure you will agree with me that the first 25 stories saw some of the absolute finest that Big Finish would offer...
The Sirens of Time: Overly ambitious but with some lovely ideas, a historical episode that works better than the others combined and promising great things for the future: 5/10
Phantasmagoria: Confident, assured and as traditional as they come, this is a positive step in convincing that Big Finish could pull of classic Doctor Who with aplomb: 8/10
Whispers of Terror: An aural masterpiece with some excellent sound design and a brilliantly bombastic sixth Doctor: 8/10
Land of the Dead: The first Big Finish disappointment which lacks a strong plot and features one of the most irritating characters in Monica Lewis: 3/10
The Fearmonger: A world of bombs, politics and guns awaits and Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred both give strong performances in this hard hitting drama: 8/10
The Marian Conspiracy: A feel good introduction of Evelyn Smythe and a superbly written historical romp to boot: 9/10
The Genocide Machine: A script that undersells its threat, introduces the Daleks as faceless thugs and reduces the regulars to stereotypes: 3/10
Red Dawn: A confident production of a poor Justin Richards script that lacks punch and takes ages for anything to happen: 4/10
The Spectre of Lanyon Moor: A gothic fantasy, a spooky setting and nice dose of nostalgia awaits the sixth Doctor and the Brigadier in their long overdue meeting: 8/10
Winter for the Adept: A beautifully scored and atmospheric ghost story which comes unstuck in its last episode when it jettisons the paranormal for science fiction: 7/10
The Apocalypse Element: Grossly undervalued, this is a Hollywood blockbuster that gives the Daleks a chance to kick some serious ass and presents its threat in as grander fashion as I could imagine: 8/10
The Fires of Vulcan: A brilliant use of Melanie Bush is the icing on the cake of this beautifully produced and intense historical drama: 10/10
The Shadow of the Scourge: Paul Cornell writes with wit and beauty and Gary Russell masterfully opens out the world of the New Adventures: 8/10
The Holy Terror: A flawlessly intelligent and witty script which gives Colin Baker the chance to become the best Doctor we have ever seen (or heard): 10/10
The Mutant Phase: An interesting paradox tale which gets more complicated and enjoyable as it goes along: 8/10
Storm Warning: A sublime re-introduction of the 8th Doctor which introduces a brilliantly alien new race and sees the beginnings of the Doctor/Charley partnership that teams with energy and chemistry: 9/10
Sword of Orion: Thunk goes Sword of Orion, a story that trades intelligence and fun for atmosphere and violence. A spectacular failure and a chore to listen to: 1/10
The Stones of Venice: Delicious dialogue, an evocative setting and a real sense of magic and wonder sees the Doctor and Charley enjoying their best adventure yet: 10/10
Minuet in Hell: Dull characters and banal dialogue wound this excursion to the US and sees the inconsistent first year for McGann end on a low note: 2/10
Loups-Garoux: An evocative production, a complex script and some unexpectedly deep characterisation of the fifth Doctor and Turlough: 9/10
Bloodtide: A traditional story told with some real gumption, Jonathon Morris gives the Silurians some fascinating development and writes a fantastic Evelyn Smythe: 8/10
Dust Breeding: Handicapped by the regulars by featuring a strong number of imaginative concepts that keep this mildly diverting story ticking over: 6/10
Project Twilight: Surprisingly nasty with some real horror and character drama, the sixth Doctor and Evelyn tip toe their way through this ultra modern and yet surprisingly tradition piece of storytelling: 8/10
Eye of the Scorpion: A rip roaring tale of politics and history that introduces us to a fascinating companion in Erimem. Nicola Bryant steals the show throughout: 9/10
Colditz: A mixture of the sublime and the ridiculous, Lyons fascination with history and time travel continues and the script enjoys a number of excellent twists. However both Ace and Sophie Aldred need to be toned down: 6/10
Primeval: Quiet, uneventful but also polished and rewarding, Primeval sees some fine development of Nyssa and Traken: 8/10
The One Doctor: A real achievement, a hilariously funny and entertaining story which delights and thrills in equal measure and has some of the best performances and wittiest lines of any Big Finish story: 10/10
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