4th Doctor Adventures (Part I)

Hornets Nest 1: The Stuff of Nightmares: Can you imagine anything more wonderful than tucking up under the duvet and letting tom Baker regale with a story written by Paul Magrs? Magrs descriptions make this a sensual, atmospheric listen; his use of language paints worlds more enchantingly than any number of sound effects. The story introduces some gorgeous imagery with the hornets and their paper hives inside the skulls of dead animals and from the set up it appears this will be an anthology of separate stories told by the Doctor to Mike Yates. You are put at ease by Tom Baker and Richard Franklin’s charming narration and sudden moments of violence have real effect. This is a subtly different sort of adventure on audio than we get from Big Finish but pleasingly so, The Stuff of Nightmares was as delightful as cuddling up with my hubbie and clutching a freshly brewed coffee: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/hornets-nest-1-stuff-of-nightmares.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Hornets-Nest-Volume-1-The-Stuff-of-Nightmares

The Dead Shoes: Another very strong entry in he Hornets Nest series, The Dead Shoes mixes matinee music and waltzing possession to disturbing effect. If you though things were creepy in The Stuff of Nightmares wait until you get trapped inside the dollshouse of death! Paul Magrs conjures up the evocative seaside atmosphere and being a boy who lives by the sea I could imagine myself down that front, smelling the sea breeze, tucking into salt’n’vinegar chips and crunching my way across the pebbles. If the conclusion feels a little sudden the running storyline remains intriguing and the middle sections of this audio really are skin crawlingly good. More please: 8/10


Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/dead-shoes-written-by-paul-magrs-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Hornets-Nest-Volume-2-The-Dead-Shoes

The Circus of Doom: I love how the Hornets Nest series is telling consecutive stories and setting up the tales we have already heard, there is a fascinating jigsaw being assembled. The circus is an ideal location for Magrs to lose himself in, every bit as eclectic, perplexing and ingenious as one of his works. The Doctor’s narration continues to beguile and Tom Baker’s magnificent voice eases you into the story and is as pleasurable as a neck massage whilst your ears are being nibbled! Reviewing this series is a shame because it feels wrong to break down what should be luxurious swim through the English language and I think I will listen to it again before long to let the sumptuous flood of descriptions carry me along. Doctor Who as a delicious portmanteau: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/circus-of-doom-written-by-paul-magrs.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Hornets-Nest-Volume-3-The-Circus-of-Doom

A Sting in the Tale: The Hornets Nest story is turning out to be as multifaceted as the fractured eyes of a hornet. Another rich brew of atmospheric locations, stylish ideas and rich language but with the added tension of having the TARDIS invaded by the hornets which takes the story to a whole new level. Never before has the ship felt like a magical box with infinite wonders within. This is where the story begins and the Doctor is so desperate to defeat the hornets he is willing to rewrite his own timeline to stop them. Poor Simon was desperate for me to look at possible cruise holidays for the summer but he could not drag me away from this gripping piece, proof that I am hooked on this sumptuous style of narration. Ending on a growling, snarling cliffhanger, I don’t want to listen to the last part because it will all be over: 10/10


Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/sting-in-tale-written-by-paul-magrs-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Hornets-Nest-Volume-4-A-Sting-in-the-Tale

The Hive of Horror: Subverting all of my expectations, the finale of the Hornets Nest series is quite a quiet piece which concentrates far more on character development than macabre ideas like the previous instalments. The Doctor and Mike shine unlike ever before, the former more unpredictable and eccentric than ever and the latter given some healthy development. I was a little disappointed at how easy the hornets were defeated after all of the build up which is a shame but given four hours of exceptional build up I think that was inevitable. The hornets are still terrifying and the sound effects really crawl under my skin and make me shiver. I can only hope that we see more of the fourth Doctor, Mike and Mrs Wibbesey because their interactions here are delightful and I am very pleased that there is another series written by the superlative Paul Magrs: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/hive-of-horror-written-by-paul-magrs.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Hornets-Nest-Volume-5-Hive-of-Horror