In Living Memory written by Scott Handcock & Gary Russell and directed by Gary Russell

What's it about: Bernice Summerfield is alone… Having been captured – albeit technically rescued – by an old enemy, she finally learns the truth her friends and their disappearances… and realises that she is a cog in a far greater machine. Whatever happens, this is now the end for Bernice Summerfield… and she’s determined to go down fighting. But how long can she resist when the odds are stacked against her? And is there really such a thing as a happy ending…?

Archaeological Adventuress: Okay...this is going to get a little bit complicated. In Living Memory chronicles the lives of three different versions of Bernice Summerfield as set up in Judgement Day a million years ago so do try and bear with me. Benny is writing her diary once again and because it has been so long she isn't sure what she is supposed to say. The Epoch say that she is the threat and she is the scheme, whatever that might mean. She can deal with robots, mad scientists, religious nut jobs, intergalactic mobsters, bounty hunters, Gods...anything they care to throw at her really. She can't believe that she would ever forget Peter and is furious that the Epoch would take something so precious from her memory. It was never their intention to take away everything so he never had anything to fight for but it certainly seems to have worked out that way. Apparently Benny exists at al points in time, at the start and end and all points in between. She never shuts up, or at least at any point she is aware of. She always makes it up as she goes along and things usually turn out for the best. The Bernice's have to decide which of them should throw themselves into the vortex for all time and it falls to the one who has been on Legion for months and forged a relationship with Peter to hold back. She's the mum he knows. Before she goes, the paradoxical Benny orders her counterpart to use the Epoch technology to do something for herself for a change. To change the timelines and get back all her friends. The whole of time and space is open for them to re-map and have one last grand adventure.

Dog Boy: I really love Peter. More Peter please.

Super Villain: I hope this version of Braxiatel makes it into the next era of the Bernice Summerfield range otherwise I have to wonder what the point of him was (besides them wanting to continue to use Miles Richardson). We haven't learnt a great deal about him, he hasn't come face to face with his evil predecessor and his story hasn't come to any kind of climax. He was just sort of there because Brax is always there. Weird.

Jumping Jack Flash & Mysterious Girl: A shame that in what could be their last story Jack and Ruth spend the majority of the time as either different personas or caught up in the convoluted plot mechanics at the end of the story. We don't really get to spend much time with them or explore their characters. As such it is hardly a fitting send off for either of them.

Standout Performance: Unusual to hear Sean Carlsen playing a part that isn't Narvin (from the Gallifrey series). I kept expecting a twist that somehow he had wormed his way into the Bernice Summerfield series via Braxiatel. Bowerman excels, as ever and I think she could play this part in her sleep now (although there is never any danger of her phoning it in, she's always superb). It could be the last time that this cast of regulars are all together so relish this opportunity.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'You've sliced a hole in history itself! Have you any idea how dangerous that is?'

'And now it's all over for Bernice Summerfield!'

'This is the first time we've had you all in the studio at the same time, isn't it?' 'Apart from the script I wrote, you mean?' 'Funny enough I always forget about that one' - I had to chuckle at this.

'Would actors have red glowing eyes and look like a Killoran?' ' Tom's...method.'

Great Ideas: The Epoch are from the realm of time and their station is at the heart of time. It transpires that the Benny that landed on the world from The Living Memory is a completely different Benny to the one who was depicted in the carvings and brought the planet to its knees - I told you this was going to get confusing. As soon as I heard the name Bernard Springwell I should have figured out who he was...especially given the Epoch's ability to re-map people. Temporal instabilities were detected around Bernice even before Saravas and at first the Epoch thought they were centred around Jack and Ruth, two people out of time. So they removed them. Even after the removal of them from her timeline, the instabilities around her continued to flourish. Further action was required and Braxiatel was also seized and removed from her timeline. They had to determine her friends origins and establish all the external factors. Even her son was taken. I have to admit the way this has been segued into the Missing Persons box set has been excellent, allowing each of the regulars a chance to shine in their own story and then snatched away in a very subtly handled moment at the end of each one. It has been an intriguing mystery, although I never imagined a million years that they would wind up in an idealised version of The Archers. The Epoch channel and co-ordinate history through the vortex, re-mapping events whenever the scheme is threatened. That's a fantastic idea, and potentially the greatest threat that Bernice has ever come up against given she could be written out of existence in a heartbeat. A temporal traffic control centre, the Epoch monitoring and correcting. If Bernice was pushed into the vortex she would be scattered through space and time, the energies would rip her apart before she even had time to die. A million tiny fragments splintered throughout history. The Epoch figure that if they keep re-mapping time until Bernice Summerfield never existed then the threat that surrounds her will never exist as well. They had her timeline isolated so that her removal will barely cast a ripple. The Epoch split Benny up into three versions Judgement Day. There was one in Victorian London, one who was a caveman and the normal Benny. The caveman was eaten by a dinosaur (no I'm not kidding) but the Victorian Benny survived and has been off having adventures right across the universe, looking for Legion, searching for Peter whilst the normal Benny has been there, done and bought the T-Shirt. The Epoch always do things in threes and Bernard Springwell has been re-mapped so many times that he has forgotten that he was ever Bernice Summerfield. I never saw that one coming, admittedly. If one of the Bernice's throws themselves into the Epoch's rent in time they will reset the universe and exist throughout time and the scheme will be redundant.

Audio Landscape: Lading bay doors opening, ship descending, birds chirruping, a cow mooing, a cock crowing, the Epoch stomping about, rain falling, mobile interference, phone ringing, a door opening,

Musical Cues: Enough terrific soundtrack giving the story a good kick up the ass on occasions. The closing piece of music that builds to a dramatic and optimistic crescendo is particularly excellent. The final musical suite was gorgeous and it really feels like an end of an era...more than the story did in fact.

Isn't it Odd: The Epoch set up a false life within a false life for Benny's friends. The first is an Archers style scenario where they are all living in and around a farm where bizarre soap opera style events take place. And the second is a recording studio for Big Finish Productions where they are all actors taking part in a range of stories under the title of Bernice Summerfield. Whilst the latter worked for me in a post modern, cheeky kind of way I fail to see the point of the former beyond a few digs at soap plotlines and some 'aren't we clever' dialogue that parallels their characters in the simulation to their characters in normal life. It is no where near clever or funny enough to justify this bizarre setting. I was left scratching my head mostly until they reached the audio productions simulation. I was wondering why the writers were taking such a facetious approach to what could be the last ever Bernice Summerfield adventure. The gags come thick and fast in the 'audio drama' scenario; some of them work brilliantly (the dig that Lisa Bowerman is involved in every spin off series, 'Two words: Beth Chalmers') and some of them were real stinkers (Hierophant Russell, 'Bernice Summerfield is a part she just happens to play...and rather well it seems.'). If these reality as fiction scenes were trying to be unnerving, they fail but you have to give them marks for sheer bare faced cheek. Russell and Handcock writing a part for themselves slagging off of their own script achieves a certain mischievous grandeur. We spend far too much time with the regulars in their faux-Archers guises trying to escape out of that reality, it is a scene that plays out for nearly ten minutes when all it does is push the plot into another illusion and the same thing has to be achieved all over again in that false reality. It feels like the writers are deferring the climax. I can't decide if having the actors asking the script writer to explain the plot because the whole thing is getting too convoluted is ingenious or just really lazy scripting. I honestly had forgotten all about the three Benny's from Judgement and to suddenly bring it up now just to tie up a loose end seems...pointless. If it was never going to be a relevant plot point throughout the post-Year Zero adventures it feels senseless to dump it on us at the end of the road as if it was important all along. The point where we had Bernice Summerfield talking to Lisa Bowerman with the actress thinking she is an over excited fan I thought the writer(s) had lost the plot. It had gone beyond a joke at that point. There is some very bizarre box ticking that goes on at the end of this story with the Doctor sending the Epoch off to extract Bernice from Zordin because that is what happened in the Epoch box set and Handcock hasn't yet explained why. It is masquerading as Bernice doing something clever and paradoxical when the answer is they did it...because they did. So the Epoch's plans were to what exactly? Get rid of Bernice because she might threaten their plans? But what plans? Are we ever told or did I miss that bit?  And they are defeated because Benny tricked her Bernard Springwell persona into bringing herself and her doppelganger here. Or something. I'm so confused. As far as I can tell by involving Bernice at all in their plans has been their downfall. And the only reason she is their downfall is because they are so obsessed with her potential ability to bring about their downfall. Or something. To be honest I'm not entirely sure but this whole thing feels like a pre destination thingamajig that's wound up around a rent in space that's coiled up with technobabble. Or something.  It's a load of technical jargon that doesn't mean a great deal and about as far from a satisfying, dramatic climax as you can get. None of it means anything. Even the sacrifice of Bernice doesn't mean anything because we have only just become aware of the doppelgangers continuing existence. And Brax, Peter, Ruth and Jack are just bystanders to all this technobabble - none of them are actually instrumental in the plot at all. It lacks the personal touch and therefore is hard to get emotionally involved. The Epoch sought out a Bernice Summerfield thinking that she would want to end the potential chaos they could see her causing but instead she re-mapped and re-mapped new alternatives and became Dr Bernard Springwell. Why did Benny do that? When did Benny do that? Why would she start playing God with peoples lives and turn herself in a bloke? The idea of Benny herself being the villain of this entire arc is a phenomenal idea but it needs far more attention and explanation than this backhanded account. This should have been the focus of the entire story, not the faux-Archers bollocks. Why would you avoid a dramatic scenario like that and instead just throw it in as an unconvincing, throwaway piece of exposition? 'Ultimate power, ultimately corrupting...' is the only motivation we get but that just isn't the Benny I know. She wouldn't play about with the lives of everybody in the universe, even if she thought it was for the best. The ending with Benny leaping into the time vortex, scattering herself about and resetting everything that has happened since the Epoch set gave me flashbacks to Clara in The Name of the Doctor. And it made about as much sense and left as many questions of illogic hanging.

Standout Scene: 'Or we use the Epoch's technology one last time. Use it to find the people we've lost. Bev and Adrian. Jason' 'Antonio' 'Lara' 'Leo' 'My home...' 'There's nothing stopping us now. Nothing at all. We literally have the universe at our fingertips. So come on...one very last great big adventure! Out there...real life! What do you say?'

Result: I've heard some very dramatic things said about In Living Memory, some stating it is a fatally misjudged piece. I don't think it is anywhere near as bad as all that although it is spoilt by one very unfortunate error - there is no way this should have been the season (and potentially the series) finale or the final story of the  Handcock/Russell era of the Bernice Summerfield range. If this was a mid season affair and touting the same ideas, I think it would have gone down a lot more favourably. The problem is that these two men have posed a number of mysteries that they feel have to be answered before they move on and so instead of presenting a piece of drama (much like The Curse of Fenman before it) instead we get a series of long winded explanations trying to tie up plot elements that occurred in releases three years previously. If their aim was to push the range forwards away from the complicated arc plots into more standalone territory then clearly they failed because this is precisely the sort of tidying up that Eddie Robson had to do with his superlative two parter Resurrecting the Past/Escaping the Future. Not only that but the finale is hopelessly complicated and technobabble ridden, not so much elucidation of the Epoch/triple Bernice storyline and more a ridiculously complicated way of pushing a giant reset button. It left me wondering if this storyline had been worth pursuing if this was the outcome and pondering whether the series should have simply pushed ahead with an anthology series of standalone adventures. So what did work here? For a start it is fantastic to have the entire cast working together again and as an endorsement of the actors that Handcock and Russell have brought together to front this range, In Living Memory stands proud. Where I imagine Bernice, Peter and Brax always being part of this series, I hope this isn't the last we have heard of Ruth and Jack. Especially since they do nothing of worth here beyond playing other parts. Where some found the fourth wall breaking scenes in the sound booths a chore, I thought they were a rather nice flourish. It is smug as hell with far too many in-jokes but as a piss take of the 'behind the scenes' featurettes and a puzzle within a puzzle for Bernice to try and figure out I thought it was quite imaginatively done. It is another superb opportunity for Lisa Bowerman as well, acting her heart out as multiple Benny's and doing her damndest to try and make this web of explanations make sense. To her credit, she almost succeeds while you are listening, it is only when you start to think about it afterwards that it all falls to pieces. Besides I would listen to Bowerman read a shopping list and she is given plenty of witty lines and moments to shine here. The final scene leaves the series in a state of flux and an opportunity to mould itself into whatever it wants to be. I have no idea what the Bernice Summerfield range has to offer next but needless to say that I am still head over heels in love with the character and am excited to listen to what is coming. Whilst I have some issues with the over arching storylines that they have produced (more often than not promising far more than they ever delivered) over the past five box sets, I have been impressed with the overall standard of individual adventures that have been told. I do feel that Handcock & Russell are departing just as they have hit their stride (the Missing Persons box set has had two standout classics) but it has been a fun ride with them at the helm. In Living Memory is an average conclusion to their tenure, which is a shame, and it doesn't really sum up the enjoyment they have provided along the way: 5/10

The Kraken's Lament: 8/10

The Temple of Questions: 6/10

Private Enemy No.1: 9/10

Judgement Day: 8/10

Brand Management: 7/10

Bad Habits: 9/10

Paradise Frost: 9/10

Vesuvius Falling: 9/10

Shades of Gray: 9/10

Everybody Loves Irving: 5/10

A Handful of Dust: 5/10

HMS Surprise: 8/10

The Curse of Fenman: 4/10

The Big Dig: 10/10

The Reverent's Carnival: 7/10

The Brimstone Kid: 7/10

The Winning Side: 10/10

In Living Memory: 5/10

Many Happy Returns: 10/10

The Winning Side written by James Goss and directed by Scott Handcock

What's it about: Bernice is lost in the ruins of an alien world. Long ago, something arrived there. Something arrived and found an idyllic civilisation: a city of wonders full of artists and scientists and poets… Something came to this world and destroyed it. Wandering the ruins, Bernice tries to solve the mystery. What came to this planet? What wiped out its people? Was it a plague? An alien invasion? Bernice Summerfield explores all that remains of paradise. And she discovers the name of the creature that came and wiped it out...

Archaeological Adventuress: Trapped on a world with no supplies and barely any water, close to exhaustion and de-hydration, Bernice stumbles across the ruins of an ancient city. It is the sort of thing that under any other circumstances she would be incredibly excited. Unfortunately she cannot remember any of the events depicted in the carvings, it is almost as if it happened to somebody else. She cannot remember being the woman who destroyed the world. They called Bernice the Sky Witch because she literally fell from the heavens into their laps. It has been a while since Bernice has fallen head over heels in love with somebody on their looks alone - her role as a mother has changed her in that respect - and Theon's stunning beauty turns her head and tickles her fancy. He seems to have sent out a whole flotilla of stone masons out to depict their athletic activities - how humiliating. Theon declares Benny the most amazing woman he has ever met...and he offers her his hand in marriage. The relationship between Benny and Theon is very believably written and played, the pair of them in love but joking about her supernatural ability to crush him and destroy his city. Benny thinks she is doing the right by using the ship and it's weapons as a deterrent but forgetting that these are desperate people who will go to any lengths to destroy their enemies. She is appalled that he killed all of the retreating Garren, not even giving them a chance to surrender. Indirectly she is responsible and she knows that. In the most dramatic way you can imagine, Bernice gets to experience the Rapunzel life. Stuck at the top of a tower to 'celebrate her achievements', she is forgotten and has a birds eye view of the city going to wrack and ruin as the people of this world misuse the technology she brought with her.

Standout Performance: It has become too easy to take Lisa Bowerman for granted these past fifteen but the truth of the matter is she has not given a poor performance in all those years which is extraordinary given the prolific number of releases. Of there are stories which give her more opportunities than others where she shines bright like a diamond - Just War, Death and the Daleks, The Masquerade of Death, Timeless Passages, Absence, Year Zero - and although she has still been on cracking form since Gary Russell and Scott Handcock took over the range it is true to say that the series has become more of an ensemble piece. The Missing Persons box set is their gift to Lisa Bowerman, a chance for her to truly claim back ownership of her series by fronting five very diverse releases and The Winning Side is the crown jewel in that respect. Bowerman is extraordinarily good in this story, offering two very different versions of Benny. An older, desperate, bitter one and another version more akin to the adventurous and mystery solving archaeologist that we are used to travelling with...albeit one who loses all hope before the story is out. Sometimes Bowerman is pushed to deliver something extremely memorable and the emotion that she expresses by the end of this story gave me goose bumps. Bravo, that woman. It is really nice to hear Geoffrey Beevers play a character that isn't the Master too and he proves to be wildly sinister and believable as the court advisor Meriol. It is a guest performance that stands out because he genuinely gave me chills at points.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'Here I am now dying of thirst first, dying of hunger with sunburn coming a poor third and I'm reading fruity postcard from a holiday romance that I can't even remember!'

'Oh drop dead!' - not the best of retorts when you are accused of being a supernatural being capable of cursing the populace.

'Take me to your bleeder!'

'The truth is there are no heroes or villains. We're all on the grubby side of in between. And sometimes our behaviour tips us one way or the other because we're striving to be better or just because we're afraid.'

'You have helped bring us to a golden age...'

'You are the only unhappy person in this world!' 'That's because you slaughtered all the unhappy people!'

Great Ideas: Sand is the archaeologists best friend because you can wrap anything in it from a child's body to an entire city and it will still be there thousands of years later patiently waiting to be discovered. But it is only of use if you're dead. The hopeless, scorching pre-titles sequences sets the tone for the rest of the release. Bernice discovering a statue of herself inscribed as the woman who killed the world is an excellent, dramatic starting point for the story. The sort of thing they used to do on Star Trek in the pre-credits and build a plot up around who this happened. Piecing the story together through a range of hieroglyphs that have been drawn to depict the downfall of the world is another ingenious notion, the story flitting between the older Bernice trying to make sense of the pictures and the audience actually experiencing what happened. It is fascinating to see the effect that Bernice has on a society that isn't ready for the knowledge and technology she brings. Theon is entranced by her and Meriol fears her. Just like the gutter press, it is amazing how the carvings depict events from a very biased point of view. As Bernice says, history is written by the victors but in this case...who are the victors? The way Bernice starts putting together the answer to the cause of the epidemic is gripping, the clues all leading her back to where she arrived on the planet. The engine of the ship that she landed in is cracked and leaking lethal radiation into the atmosphere. Dalien radiation is handy for powering a space/time craft but very delicate. A nearby five dimensional event ruptured the engine and caused the ship to crash. Even on low power the radiation causes sickness, mild organ failure and finally total cellular collapse. I love the way that Bernice predicts how the story should end now with her discovery as the catalyst for the happy ending, the sickness being prevented and the Sky Witch declared a heroine of the people. That's how it would end in an ideal world but that doesn't take into account human stupidity and greed. With powerful technology for the taking and conflicts brewing it was only a matter of time before somebody tried to exploit it and biting off far more than they can chew. Meriol uses very manipulative language to push Theon and Bernice apart, suggesting there must be a reason that Benny is the only one who is allowed in the ship and that there mist be weapons on board that she is stockpiling. During the battle sequence featuring the Garren the story falls into narration which gives the attack a genuinely epic feel (the stirring music and dramatic soundscape help too). As soon as they realise that the ship can be used for defensive (or rather offensive) purposes, they start abusing the technology, raping the ship of every resource. Playing God with a technology they do not understand. She watches the city sprawl out into the desert, stone buildings supplanted by metal towers and statues erected to honour the people that made these recent developments possible. The story turns from a triumphant one where the spoils of war destroy their enemies to a sickening nightmare as those spoils turn on them, start poisoning the people and in desperation they all start to turn on each other. When it comes to survival, people will go to any lengths and trample anybody. The relationship between Meriol and Theon transforms from that of good friends to bitter rivals, both stockpiling medicine so they can whether this crisis. Bernice notes that the carvings get less detailed as the radiation tore through the city, it is hard to be an artist of integrity when your internal organs are melting. The idea of Theon using a replicator he doesn't understand and duplicating his mind is terrifying, a horrific representation of using technology you are not ready for. The imagery of Bernice and Theon walking through the dead city, lit up by the column of radiation is devastating. This is the world they created because of their union and their poor choices. The twist of Benny finally being rescued by the Epoch after thinking she is going to die is terrific. She's so grateful to be rescued until she realises who has come for her...

Audio Landscape: Screaming wind, chatter on the streets, Bernice falling from the sky screaming, chants of 'Burn her!', birds singing, coughing, crickets humming at night, screaming, flames raging, stabbing, growls, firing the weapons on the ship, laser pistols, flames crackling, the radiation burning bright, screams of 'Free the Sky Witch!', screaming, the Epoch ship descending.

Standout Scene: Lisa Bowerman's final, powerful monologue. Unforgettable.

Result: 'You have to know how to use these things...and no-one asked me!' Stunningly good, the Russell/Handcock period of the Bernice Summerfield range delivers its strongest story as the penultimate adventure. The Winning Side is a staggeringly powerful story, beautifully written and performed and strong enough to stand up there with the other greats of this series. Bernice is trapped and alone on a world that initially appears to be like any other in this series (complete with a King to shag her and a Courtier to distrust her) which slowly and dangerously turns into a nightmare as they greedily rape the transport she arrived in of technology they are not ready for. Lisa Bowerman delivers her strongest performance for many a season (and she is always excellent) and she is backed up by a pair of awesome guest turns from Geoffrey Beevers and Hugh Skinner. Like The Big Dig, Scott Handcock proves why he is the best in the business in the directors chair, giving the story an incredible pace but allow us to take the time to savour the nuances in the script and performances. I've been singing James Goss' praises for some time now (ever since his stunning pair of companion chronicles The Scorchies and The Last Post) but this is his finest achievement to date, a script that genuinely innovates this series - not an easy thing to accomplish given it's longevity. The dialogue is sharp, the story continually surprises and it affords the actors some incredible opportunities. It is a very generous script. What else is there to say? Even if you're not sure about Bernice Summerfield and her whacky world you need to check this story out. Like Just War, Absence and Year Zero, they deserve to be ripped out of the range they are a part of and made available to a wider audience. Sublime: 10/10

The Brimstone Kid written by David Llewellyn and directed by Gary Russell

What's it about: “Welcome to the White Rabbit. What’ll it be?" “You can start by locking and bolting the doors. Then everyone in here can keep real calm…” Bernice and Irving were expecting another quiet night at the White Rabbit saloon – their only customers a veteran prospector named Toothless Bob and timid schoolteacher Miss Hannigan. But the evening takes a sinister turn with the arrival of the Brimstone Kid, a wanted outlaw, and the terrifying bounty hunter Cazador hot on his trail… Soon, Bernice and Irving find themselves caught up in an adventure involving giant, flightless crows, buried treasure and the galaxy’s most ruthless detective agency.

Archaeological Adventuress: Benny to her friends, that infernal Summerfield woman to her enemies. There isn't a university on Legion but if there were she would be a Professor. Irving likes to label Bernice as competent rather than good because the latter suggests moral fortitude.

Super Villain: One thing that this Brax has in common with his predecessor is his love of money. He can be counted on to do practically anything so long as the price is high enough. It turns out this has all been a heist to entrap a very different kind of treasure Braxiatel himself. Unfortunately they have got the wrong Braxiatel and when the crimes are laid bare (larceny, theft, vandalising a religious icon, assault, fraud, corrupting the clergy, arson, criminal damage) that becomes increasingly more obvious. The other Brax is one of the most wanted men in the galaxy.

Standout Performance: I thought we were entering The Gunfighters territory of hideous faux American accents when I was confronted with the character of crazy Hank but fortunately my pal Peter Sheward seemed to be the only actor who struggled. Toothless Bob might be a terrible old stereotype but he is charmingly played and I was happy to see that his presence propping up the bar of the White Rabbit was referred to before the story that he was clearly designed to be a part of. His drunken singing halfway through the story had me in tears, particularly Irving's dramatic method of getting him to stop. The interaction between Miles Richardson and Lisa Bowerman is so instinctive and natural at this point I was having great fun with the pairing, as much fun as they seemed to be having with the story.

Great Ideas: I can't decide whether the format of the Missing Persons box set is a good one or not. Basically every story features Bernice having an adventure with one of her colleagues on Legion (The Big Dig features Ruth & Jack, The Reverent's Carnival is fronted by Benny and Peter and this story gives Irving Braxiatel another chance to step into the limelight) and at the end of each one they are spirited away into the ether never to be heard of again. Bernice's (and everybody else's) memories have been altered so that it is like they have never existed in the first place. An intriguing notion and one which picks up steam until Benny is all on her own in the fourth instalment of the set, The Winning Side. On the one hand it is great to see each of these characters getting a lot of attention in one story and showing how well they interact with Bernice (in every case the chemistry between the actors is fantastic) but it is sad that in their last run of stories together that they should be excluded from all the other stories and that there should only be one story in the entire run where they are all together. The missing persons idea is a marvellous hook for the season to be hung but it has both positives and negatives. There is no reason why the main street of Legion cannot be depicted as that of a western town in space given we have spent very little time there since landing on the planet. Given that this is supposed to be a hive of criminals and cut throats, this is just about the perfect place to pull off a western in the Bennyverse. I would question why everybody has started talking in an American drawl but that just comes with the territory. Are the children on Legion so ill bred that a school teacher looking for work on the planet is so deeply amusing? A school ma'am coming to town is another delightful cliché that is ticked off the list. A Cyber-saw is part lizard, part machine and this one is a particularly nasty bounty hunter (what else?). Miss Hannigan is the Brimstone Kid, Billie Ford. The ending is fabulous, Braxiatel stolen away from Bernice and her memory wiped as we witness. What the hell is going on?

Audio Landscape: Club music, party atmosphere, hover cars, hydraulics, footsteps on the boards, growling, computer voice, alarm, flying on the land crow, smashing a bottle, walking into a cave, an explosion that brings the 'diamond mine' down.

Musical Cues: A delightful soundtrack that lives up to the genre by providing some catchy ambient music for the White Rabbit (the Harmonica and piano are staples of a good western) but also some deliciously upbeat plucking on the guitar as Bernice and her fellow conspirators take flight on the land crow.

Isn't it Odd: The second that Miss Hannigan came into the bar I had feeling that she wasn't everything that she claimed to be. It's the nature of these Bernice Summerfield CDs that with their economic number of cast members the characters have to come packaged with surprises to justify their inclusion. Throughout I wondered if she was the real villain of the piece. It doesn't affect your enjoyment of the piece one iota to be proven right on this occasion. Cheekily, Llewellyn has Bernice point out the twist halfway through the story by mocking Cazador's wish to take a genetic swab from her to prove that she is not the Brimstone Kid because she's a woman.

Standout Scene: How bizarre to take out Legion is such a frothy story. It was location for the range to establish itself in (indeed Everybody Loves Irving spend an inordinate amount of time setting up a new base of operations for them to work from) and yet most of the stories seem to have taken place away from Legion City itself. I don't know if it is because the production team want to move on or that Big Finish want try the series in fresh hands but it feels as though the series is keen to hurry along into another format just as it was starting to establish itself nicely. A shame, I could see real potential for another couple of series set on Legion featuring Bernice, Brax, Peter, Ruth and Jack. Gary Russell and Scott Handcock have successfully rebooted the series and promoted an engaging new cast of regulars. What a pity to lose all of that so quickly.

Result: 'That was Legion...' Inconsequential, and yet hugely entertaining regardless. I have never been a huge fan of western movies (which is mostly down to them being forced down my throat on Sunday afternoons as a kid) and yet every time a SF show has attempted a spin on the genre I seem to find it a lot of fun (The Gunfighters and A Town Called Mercy are both favourites of mine, I love DS9 which incorporates many aspect of your typical western into it's setting...and how much fun is Back to the Future Part III?). The Brimstone Kid rattles along pleasantly enough, paying homage to many western stereotypes and indulging in the atmosphere of the genre. There isn't any reason for the regulars to be involved beyond the potential riches they could earn so it doesn't stretch beyond a fun stab at a western in space. Braxiatel vanishing at the climax aside, there is no personal stake in the action. Some of the twists surprise (listen to what Toothless Bob is saying) and some don't (Miss Hannigan is too innocent to not be involved) and I came away from the story having had a good time but wondering if it was well placed given how little time the current administration has to settle up the range and pass it on to new hands. The score is a massive plus. Like all of the Bernice Summerfield releases since the Epoch box set, the music is excellent. You're flirtin' with disaster if you go lookin' for the Brimstone Kid but David Llewellyn avoids that by providing the most entertaining story in the Missing Persons set: 7/10

The Reverent's Carnival written by Martin Day and directed by Gary Russell

What's it about: Bernice Summerfield has never been to Moros Prime before - and it’s unlikely she’ll be rushing back. Moros is a world of diplomacy and warfare, ruled over by a variety of creeps, dandies and outright weirdoes, where cybernetic implants are the latest fashion accessory and the native humans are ethically harvested for their organs. Peter Summerfield, however, has a job to do: heading the security team at the country estate of Willem van der Heever, the effective ruler of Moros Prime. Because Van der Heever is throwing a masquerade ball – which means fancy dress, fluorescent peacocks and an almost certain attempt on his life. Van der Heever is not without his enemies… But as Bernice and Peter uncover more about his past, whose side will they end up taking?

Archaeological Adventuress: Van de Heever has been reading up on Bernice's old papers before she turned up. He believes in being thorough and knowing the people that visit his world. When she wants to go snooping she talks herself into it. Literally. The coverage that Bernice will give on the events here will be nuanced but positive and that is the only reason she is kept alive.

Dog Boy: He is many things but normal barely begins to describe him. His newfound respect and friendship with his mother is a massive plus. As much as the dissent between them provided a moment or two of decent drama, it isn't something I would have wanted to have played out long term. Plus the chemistry between Bowerman and Grant is so strong that keeping them apart was a crime. It is lovely to hear him making digs at her, laughing with her rather than working against her. Peter's presence is something of a mystery. He's been requested to make sure that security is tight for Van de Heever's party but he already has a security team in place. Why specifically request an outside to do a job that you are already paying people to do? He is allegedly the best at his job in the quadrant, which is quite high praise to live up to. Peter's half Killoran lungs give him an advantage over the others when it comes to the gas attack.

Great Ideas: There is a real old school vibe to this adventure insofar as it is only Bernice and Peter who are involved, it takes me back to seasons nine and ten. Van der Heever has invited the great and the good of Moros to his carnival and Peter is organising the security for the event. What could possibly go wrong? If Van der Heever is a dictator at least he is a civilised one and even the one he is fighting is a benign one. Drone bombers, clone fighters that don't feel pain...the sacrifice is minimal. But what about the other side? After reading the blurb I was wondering if we were going to head into Cyberman territory, cybernetic implants becoming the latest craze to strike Moros Prime. But it is just a touch of local colour. There is something to be said about the threat of terrorism keeping a society on its toes. An estate that functions like a small town, completely self contained. If the war gets any worse the estate could be treated as a fortress and Van de Heever could continue to run things from his own little bolt hole. He used to be married but she disappeared in mysterious circumstances - a hovercraft accident. There were discrepancies in the post-mortem. Evidence has been discovered that show that his ex-wife might have been about to expose Van de Heever in some way. Half the fun of a masquerade ball is not knowing who you might be talking to and not knowing what kind of indiscreet gossip you might overhear. His ex-wife was a Kai called Nexo, one of the indigenous people of Moros Prime that Van de Heever is now systematically trying to wipe out. In her suicide message she reveals a plan to execute her husband on the night of his carnival. Nexo tried to convince him that they were more than mere donors and that they had a heritage of their own that was worth preserving. As soon as there was an attack on his life he became paranoid and Nexo realised it was hopeless trying to work towards a time when the Kai would be placed on the same legal footing as humans. Van de Heever planned to gas his guests at the carnival all along, rid himself of his enemies at the party and pin the blame for the whole thing on Kai terrorists. Attaching Peter and Benny's names of Van de Heever's attacker will keep every alien government of his back for decades. He will claim they were in league with Nexo. Nexo did manage to stab her ex-husband with her assassins blade but it was whilst he was inside her head. His shell of a body is dead but Van de Heever lives on inside his ex-wife's body.

Audio Landscape: Fastening seatbelts, door opening, birds screaming and tweeting, a shuttle coming in to land, heart monitor, trickling water, ticking clock, screams, bedlam, gas hissing, choking.

Isn't it Odd: There seems to be a discrepancy between the Moros Prime is described in the synopsis and the Moros Prime which is realised by the director. Reading the blurb I was preparing myself for a colourful, bizarre, creepy setting, one built up of eccentrics, fad gadgets and threats of terror attacks. The one which I found myself in felt quite bureaucratic and officious, polite party chatter and deathly silent rooms full of official conversations. I never really got a sense of the larger population, of the world at large. Why doesn't Peter remember their adventure on Mortis Dock? Have a missed something? Or is this the Epoch re-writing his history/memory from behind the scenes?

Standout Scene: Did Peter die on Moros Prime during the gas attack? Why can't Bernice remember he own son anymore? Why are people suddenly being deleted from her life?

Result: 'The King is dead...long live the King.' An interesting enough story but hampered by some economic direction that never really gave Moros Prime a sense of place. Martin Day has written a clever little piece that only requires a few characters to fill in the details of an entire world, characters who go on to shirk off their masks like those at the masquerade ball and reveal their true identities and motives. It's fantastic to have a good old fashioned Benny and Peter story but the emphasis has really changed so they both have resourceful role to play in the story, working together to pick apart the mystery of Van de Heever's past. I hope that Peter makes it into the phase of Bernice's life because the chemistry between Lisa Bowerman and Thomas Grant is very believable. We have come a long way with Peter and now he has grown up and serves as a strong participant in these adventures it would be a shame to lose him. To be frank none of the other spin off ranges have been around long enough to boast this kind of development of character. The Revenant's Carnival really comes alive in its final fifteen minutes but it is a shame that until then the soundscape is so scarce and the whole piece is so reliant on the dialogue to build the world up around us. I'm not saying that is a poor approach because audio drama relies on description to create pictures but it usually works in tandem with the soundscape to create a vivid picture of where we are. Dialogue heavy scenes can be a little wearying on their own. This is not a poor story by any means; the plot is surprising and there is another bombshell ending that is starting to build a frightening picture of the future of Bernice Summerfield. A lonely future. The execution of the first half aside, this is an intelligent little tale: 7/10

The Big Dig written by Hamish Steele and directed by Scott Handcock

Box Set Synopsis: When Bernice Summerfield was invited to participate in a cult archaeology broadcast on the mysterious world of Saravas, she could never have imagined the secrets she might unearth there… or the terrible Truth that would stalk her back to Legion. With friends and family by her side, Bernice quickly finds herself flung into the face of danger: either combating deranged despots at terraformed garden parties, appeasing gunslingers in the White Rabbit bar, or simply attempting to survive on a barren desert planet, all alone… The odds are stacked against her, and this is undoubtedly the end for Bernice Summerfield… but she’s determined to go out fighting!

What's it about: Bernice has been invited to appear on a very special live edition of the archaeology series Big Dig: a programme she grew up with as a girl… which now makes her feel very old. Not as old, however, as the mysterious stone robot she unwittingly uncovers during an excavation on the planet Saravas. With no other trace of civilisation, this could be the only clue to the Truth of the planet’s inhabitants. But when Ruth and Jack start acting strangely, Bernice realises there was a reason things were hidden… and secrets aren’t the only things to be buried. Welcome to the biggest Big Dig ever!

Archaeological Adventuress: Bernice has always been something of stroppy diva so you would think that reality television would be made for her. She wonders why everybody around her seems to be so young...but ponders that maybe it is because she has gotten older. She's hardly considered an A-lister, despite a rousing introductory speech by the presenter of The Big Dig. The reason that Bernice loves archaeology is because it turns you into an idiot and makes you realise you don't know the first thing about the universe. Among the accomplishments she has listed are being part of the dig that unearthed Domainia's internal moon, helping to resurrect the Five Kings of the Hobblecraft and even giving away the Blue Blood Nebulae at its wedding to the Loki meteorite! Astonishing to think that of all the adventures we have experienced with Benny, there are so many more that we haven't. Everyone has heard about Saravas, one of the great impossible digs. Nothing beats field work and it has been an age since she has had the chance. All archaeologists have an obsession of finding something that can be named after them and Bernice has finally discovered something that might qualify. That's if the idiotic reality TV presenters don't get in there first. Bernice's impressive Golonaut becomes a Rockbot in the wink of an eye. Talk about dumbing down. Bernice is not so quick to jump to the conclusion that the 'Rockbots' are an army, she's seen too much in the universe to jump to the conclusion hat every species is warlike. She refuses to flirt with her co-presenter just to bump the ratings up. She might not have much integrity but she would like to protect what little reserves she has left. Bernice takes an incredible risk waking into what appears to be blistering sunshine to prove a point but sometimes you have to bold to make your point. Shepton tries to get into Benny's head too, suggesting the only reason she knows that Jack and Ruth can't let her down is because she doesn't trust them. Big Dig is one of the reasons she got into archaeology in the first place, it is one the reasons that she is the woman that she is today.

Mysterious Girl: Rather than simply including Ruth and Jack because they are Bernice's companions of late, Hamish Steele has worked a number of very good reasons to include them. I loved the way that with a little prompting (and some hypnosis), Shepton could take their happy group and manipulate them all into turning on one another. Ruth is convinced that Benny is angry with her because she is young and pretty and resourceful. She is told that Benny is interested in Jack romantically and she is simply a spare part that hinders her goal to cosy up to him. But they are also present because at the conclusion...they're not.

Standout Performance: Watch how effectively Phillip Bird switches from tedious reality TV show host to dark puppet of the Epoch. It's such a vivid switch in character that for a moment I thought they were being played by different actors.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'Now you are going to make me feel very old' 'Don't worry, you're amongst archaeologists. The older the better.'

'Try harder. Since we've started digging we've lost ten million listeners.'

'I'm sorry did I miss the meeting where everyone decided I'm now a man hungry tart?' 'We had to have a meeting?'

'Technology this advanced occurs only on planets confronted by war. It's a sad truth but peace stunts imagination.'

Great Ideas: Saravas is a world which is renowned for being frustrating in almost every way. Only one rainy season per decade, no seas and an atmosphere that essentially comes and goes as it pleases, Saravas has remained unpopulated for 5000 years. What happened to its inhabitants all those years ago? They left almost nothing behind to clue up modern day archaeologists. That sounds like that sounds like a job for Professor Bernice Summerfield. I love the way this story starts off like your bog standard Bernice Summerfield adventure, another dig on another dusty old planet and how it lures you into thinking (for the first 20 minutes at least) that this is going to played out along very similar lines. The people of Saravas didn't write - it was the greatest of sins to record anything in writing. Proving that some archaeology is just guess work most of the time the arches are initially coined as temperature gauges, when the sun is visible through all three arches the planet gets roasted. Or at least that is the best guess. I understand Hamish Steele to be something of a Doctor Who fan and so I am certain he must be aware of the humiliating tale of Paul Jerricho who played the Castellan in Arc of Infinity mistaking Colin Baker for a general dogsbody and asking him to head off and fetch him some coffee. That is deliciously spoofed here with both Jack and Ruth being mistaken for members of the crew and being hopeless at whipping up a round of drinks. Don't let the idea for Celebrity Shark Jump leaked out, ITV would be all over it. Mind you I can think of  a few celebrities I would like to see have a go. Showing just how blustery and overblown these reality TV shows are, The Big Dig opens with an incredible fanfare before falling into awkward silence as the scraping and brushing begins (with painful commentary). Another great gag is Bernice discovering the artefact and having to cover it over and relive the moment all over again because the microphones weren't on when she discovered it. Shepton's slow descent into villainy was very nicely handled, starting with a few offhand comments on air before he was hidden behind the scenes where he could start manipulating everybody one at a time. Benny figures that if you can control the suns, you can control the people. The 'this is the truth' sequences took the risk of becoming repetitive and predictable but the way Steele uses Shepton's manipulation of the Big Dig crew to tell us more about them was inspired. The real Saravas is a network of ancient, colossal tunnels. With the mikes still rolling, we get to experience everything first hand from Benny once the illusory Saravas is stripped away. Shepton forcing Ronnie to believe that her boyfriend is having an affair whilst she is away is horribly cruel, she is crushed by the revelation, choking up bile but forced to accept that it is the truth. The brains of Saravas are the archives of all knowledge on the planet, maintaining the truth of what has happened. An entire planet hidden away from the rest of the universe. Saravas is not a planet but a construct, a facility. One that was set up to determine the impact of truth on primitive minds. The  natives of Saravas were part of an experiment, one that sought to create new types of worlds. Worlds that might be indestructible. Saravas was constructed through deceit and the Rockbots, the Epoch were the enforcers of these lies. The Epoch were the Gods of this world and then they constructed other worlds, other planets throughout the cosmos. Once they mastered other worlds they started to map out new realities, mapping and re-mapping history, time and again. All the legends of Saravas were formed by the Epoch but it was the people that believed them. The stories became the truth and it eventually reached Bernice Summerfield when she was a young girl. They knew that she would come one day so they invented the legends when she was a girl. The 150 million people listening to The Big Dig are going to start killing each other, escalating the threat even further. '150 million lives are nothing to the Epoch' - absolutely chilling. I can remember in Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS that I was appalled that the knowledge that the knowledge the Doctor shared with Clara about her 'impossible girl' status was wiped. The Big Dig pulls off a similar trick by having Benny forget about all the developments she has learnt in this story. But there is a massive difference - the events in this story did take place and they do have massive ramifications for the range at large and Bernice in particular. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS pressed a big reset button and made all the events of the story that have played out absolutely pointless. A bit like The Curse of Fenman. At the end of this story Bernice has lost her too closest friends. And she doesn't even remember. Given the title of this box set, I'm sensing a theme... Bernice was the only survivor on Saravas.

Audio Landscape: Wind blowing, awnings flapping in the week, digging and scraping, cutting to an advert break, screams, Rockbots bursting through the walls, stomping through the tunnels, heart monitor.

Isn't it Odd: As soon as there was a mention of giant metal men I immediately thought of the Epoch but that didn't make the escalation of their threat any less gripping. It is about damn time somebody started to connecting all the threads that began in the Epoch box set but it has been such a long stretch of stories since then you could be forgiven for having forgotten most of the information mentioned here.

Standout Scene: The gripping moment when Bernice realises that the suns are aligning sooner than anybody expected and everybody is about to get roasted alive. Live on air. Not only is this a startlingly dramatic moment but the upshot of this development is what pushes Bernice towards the truth of the function of the arches, dispelling all previous theories. The last twenty minutes are absolutely superb, the reality of the situation spilling out in the most dramatic fashion and the story transforming from one thin to something very different.

Result: Fulfilling the same remit as The Curse of Fenman by bringing the audience up to date with elements of the plot from the past, The Big Dig gets about as much right as finale of the New Frontiers set got it wrong. For a start this is a extremely strong story in its own right and one which builds up to its revelations through a plot that adds layers and layers until the bombshells are appropriate to drop and demolish the lot. The Big Dig kicks off like a standard Bernice Summerfield adventure but slowly gets darker and more twisted as it goes until the fantastic final twenty minutes when I was kept on the edge of my seat with the gripping developments. I might be in the minority but I thoroughly enjoyed the Epoch set that kicked off this period of Bernice's life and have been longing for some kind of follow up for the central menace of that story. The Big Dig re-introduces the Epoch very effectively, giving those who weren't on board four box sets ago a chance to keep up with the developments. The characters are well served as well with the regulars and guest cast coming alive vividly and all of them being manipulated in directions out of their control. Their true colours come to light when the pressure is on, allowing us to experience who they really are whilst the cameras roll on. Not only are the Epoch built up as a genuinely fearful adversary but there is a shift in Bernice's reality at the end of this story and two very important people are stolen from her life. This looks ready to be the most gripping of story arcs the range has ever attempted, as long as they can keep this momentum going. The way the whole story plays out on air and all the terrifying developments are broadcast to 150 million viewers back home is just the icing on the cake, reminding me brilliantly of Ghostwatch. Full marks, I haven't quite been this glued to my headphones by a Bernice Summerfield adventure in a long time: 10/10

The Curse of Fenman written and directed by Gary Russell

What's it about: It’s Advent Day on Legion: a time that traditionally calls for celebration; a day spent with the people you love, when all the family come together, setting aside their differences… or when they bring old scores to settle. An old foe has been biding her time, manipulating the people and events around Bernice Summerfield for as long as any of them can remember… She knows so many secrets – the secrets they’ve all been hiding – but not everybody wants to learn the truth. Today is the day Avril Fenman comes to Legion. She comes to claim her son… and to set Bernice on her final, lonely battle. But will her friends stand by her, one last time?

Archaeological Adventuress: Beta Caprisis is Bernice's real home world but she always calls Earth her home. Her father survived and her mother was exterminated. The question of her age comes up but that is such a long story I don't think anybody should even try and go there. Brax suggests that Jack ask her himself. Imagine trying to pick apart her timeline and pinpoint an age? That would take a box set on its own. She probably has the right to be a little annoyed that her friends have been spying on her son for some time and thinking he is stark raving bananas and have completely failed to inform her. Especially when there have been ample opportunities to do so.

Mysterious Girl: Good on Ruth for no longer pussy footing around Peter and telling him outright that nobody else can see Antonio because he doesn't exist. Sometimes it takes somebody on the periphery to confront people - had Bernice tried this tactic I think it might have damaged her relationship with Peter for good. Although she has to work on her pitch a little beforehand, telling somebody that they all think he is mad isn't exactly the most delicate way of breaking the news that they have been spying on him and think his boyfriend is a figment of his imagination. Ruth is irritated by Jack's reaction to Benny thinking they are a couple. 'Dear God no!' is quite harsh, I agree. She is nervous when it comes to meeting her sons partner for the first time, someone that he loves. We finally get to see the sort of woman that Ruth was before she her mind was wiped and she wound up a priestess of Poseidon. The daughter of a corrupt despot by all accounts, a thoroughly nasty piece of work that was brought up to think of the public as lowlife scum who deserve to be subjugated. The sort of woman that would order protesters executed and run away if the tide turns and the public gains the majority vote. The thought of having to work appals her. She knew defeat when it was coming and she murdered her father when the support was against him. She figured she could at least use that act in her favour. Our Ruth is shocked by these revelations and thinks that everything she has ever known is a lie. She doesn't like who she was. Jack tells her to remember that person and make sure she is never like that again.

Dog Boy: If it makes everyone happy he will go along to the Advent celebrations that Irving is arranging, even if he cannot really be arsed. Bernice wonders what Adrian would make of Peter now he is all grown up and living his life with another man. I would really love to listen to that scene because I could imagine it might be extremely awkward in all the best ways. Back when he was existing in a forced labour camp all Peter wanted was to be able to find his mum, the only person who had always been there for her. Antonio used to tell cheap jokes about their relationship and Peter never lied it. He thought what they had was serious, something solid, something to hold onto during those dark times. Finally Benny and Peter have a chance to heal their relationship, sharing his loss of Antonio and being able to support him.

Super Villain: Irving has never truly understood the meaning family until now. That odd feeling when you wake up one morning and realise that the people who orbit your life mean something more to you. He still doesn't know if this is his universe or a parallel one but he does know there was another Irving Braxiatel who hurt the people he has come to consider his family. He now understands why he did the things he did, something that was a mystery when he first arrived on Legion. He never argues with Bernice and she has instructed him to celebrate Advent. Bernice learnt a long time ago to never argue with anybody called Braxiatel (that's outright bollocks but it serves the moment well). No Braxiatel in any reality likes being manipulated. He wants to be the Irving Braxiatel that his predecessor never was. On his own planet he was one of the best. Benny wants to trust this Brax and she stopped trusting the old one years ago.

Jumping Jack Flash: He was born into a family of lawyers and insurance handlers who neglect to give a damn about what is right and focus on exploit people for every penny they are worth. Jack was different, he did care about their clients and the ethics of their business which made him a great disappointment to his father. Jack's dad has no qualms about sending his son off on a dangerous mission if it means they will obtain a wealthy client. If it all goes horribly wrong and they miss out he can always reap in the life insurance on his son. I'm not sure what I was expecting when it came to Jack's past but I certainly didn't imagine it being quite this comical.

Standout Performance: I've said it before and I'll say it again, Sean Biggerstaff has a gorgeous Scottish accent. A shame he was bumped off here, as I go on to explain later he would have made a fine (and sexy) addition to the cast. His chemistry with Thomas Grant really sells the relationship far more convincingly than the writing.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'I have two...perfectly adequate parents!'

Great Ideas: Fenman gazed backwards through time and saw everybody she needs gathered in one place and she manipulates Braxiatel into making sure that it happens. That is why Braxiatel bought Legion as his bolt hole, the planet where the staging of this grand finale will take place. The first mention of Toothless Bob who would go on to play a much more essential part in The Brimstone Kid. Antonio Tulloch was real but he died on Bastion. To wipe out the Deindum, Brax and Benny created a paradox but it went slightly wrong and reality fractured and was rebooted. After the defeat of the Deindum Peter woke up on a slaver ship with none his friends around him. We learn that Adrian and Bev are rebuilding the Maximaderas solar system after bringing down the Deindum almost single-handedly. Fenman travels and controls people through crystals, they are scattered through time and she focuses finds and inhabits them. Avril wants Peter because she considers him her son, not Bernice's. The Braxiatel Collection is now run by...other people (Irving gives us no more explanation than that). The Epoch re-mapped the solar system for their schemes.

Isn't it Odd: The Pandora virus that has been locked away in Brax's head since the early Galifrey days is suddenly relevant again. Considering they have gone to some lengths (aside from a quick mention at the end of one of the adventures set on the alternative Gallifrey's in season four) to fail to connect the Braxiatel from Gallifrey to the one from the Bernice Summerfield range I think it is a big ask to get the audience up to speed on a plot element from the former series that is now pertinent in the latter. There is a good chance that the Bernice Summerfield audience has never touched the Gallifrey range (they are tonally about as far from each other as you can get). 'Advent wouldn't be Advent without plum pudding...' - don't go nabbing lines from far superior stories! I remember there was a first season episode of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series where they attempted a sequence of outright comedy. The show had a dark tone and one that didn't successfully lend itself to a farcical dinner party sequence. It felt for that episode as if the show didn't know whether it was trying to be funny or dramatic. It was not an experiment that they tried again. The Curse of Fenman reminded me strongly of that episode during the Antonio sequences because it was teetering on the edge of being comical (with everybody coming along to the Advent celebrations with a different opinion on whether he exists or not and the resulting madness of them all spilling the beans at once) whilst also going for the emotional jugular (Peter discovering that his boyfriend hasn't been real since he escaped Bastion) and tragedy (the pain of losing him in some grossly overwritten heartbreak). Frankly it all feels a bit odd and makes me wonder if the outcome (this fresh madness) was worth all the build up. I have a feeing that it was supposed to have a far more emotional impact than it does but the 'death scene' is so overplayed and scored that this was comic highlight. A shame because Peter and Antonio's might have been quite a refreshing relationship, especially when you add 'foot in mouth' Bernice into the mix. As it is portrayed here it is just bizarre, like something you expect to see in Dante's Cove. 'Whatever happens on Bastion, stays on Bastion...' - that made me chuckle because it sounded like a line from a cheap porn movie. Jacob's hippy cool-man dialogue is enough to make you want to hide under the sofa for a decade and never come out again ('That's some cool dudage word, you dig me?'). Antonio's murder is utterly inconsequential, he is killed because he and Peter refuse to leave Bastion without each other and the slavers want a deal, and so they murder Antonio to prevent any further problems in their negotiations. Apparently Antonio's love for Peter was so strong that some of Avril's mental energy from the crystal transferred into Peter...or something. This is the payoff from the Antonio storyline, a quirk of magic made him manifest himself inside Peter's head because their love for each other was so strong? Spare me. Why would Avril suddenly come after Peter now? It's been decades. Where has she been until now or did she just come over all maternal at Year Zero? There's an awkward dump of information about the Epoch set when Jack and Avril are reunited on Legion where they discuss the multiple Benny's, the Epoch and Zordin's constantly shifting surface. These plot elements have been completely forgotten for nine stories over several years...and suddenly they are brought up in a release already top heavy with continuity and one that they have nothing do with? Fenman went to all those lengths to get Jack and Ruth to Legion just to steal their youth and vitality? Forgive me but weren't their two easier catches that  she could have found that would have required a lot less effort. All Fenman's plans and schemes were leading up to the point where she could be reborn into her son's lovers body. That's just icky. Fenman's plans have been known to Braxiatel from the start and he has made allowances to stop her from the very beginning. Rendering all of this rather pointless.

Standout Scene: The reveal of Antonio was probably the best surprise of the box set. After spending so long trying to convince the audience that Peter is bonkers, it is a great surprise for Ruth to be able to see him too.

Result: More a series of long winded explanations than a piece of drama, The Curse of Fenman is trying to be a season finale full of exciting twists and turns but falls short in several key areas. One massive misstep is the casting of Georgia Moffett as Fenman, a performance that brings to mind every panto villainess and ice queen that has ever been depicted ('You are too late Irving! I have won! And I shall take my son! Cackle! Cackle! Cackle!'). Never once a genuine menace and always feeling as though she is winking at the audience, this part should have gone to an older actress with much more gravitas. As much as he understands these characters inside out and back to front, Gary Russell is not the man I would choose to script such an essential story because he doesn't quite know where to hold back. There are so many points where the audience is being blatantly manipulated; whether it is trying to be funny, poignant or cute. It is such a shame because the amount of character development that has been injected into the regulars because of this story is impressive (we learn Ruth and Jack's back story, Brax's history is explained and the whole Antonio thing is put to rest) but the presentation of the story, both in how it has been crafted and in how it has been directed has all the conviction of a daytime soap opera. Russell wants you to believe that this where the fates of all the characters has been heading the whole time but with no hints along the way it feels like a writer trying desperately to pull everything together at the last minute and explain everything away as being manipulated by Fenman. It is not in the least bit convincing because none of this has been developed in the stories leading up to it, it is just dropped on the audience at the last minute and wrapped up just as swiftly. This is how not to conduct an arc because it feels as though it is being made up on the hoof. If it wasn't and this was how it was always planned, well that's even more worrying. The Curse of Fenman has a worthy goal, to explain how everybody made it to Legion and where they came from. However these revelations would have been far more effectively spaced out over the past six releases rather than condensed into one great info dump of flashbacks and exposition. The whole thing left me rather cold, not least because Fenman's master plan amounts to absolutely nothing: 4/10

Bad Wolf & The Parting of the Ways written by Russell T Davies and directed by Joe Ahearne

This story in a nutshell: A Daleks are back to their old tricks…but this time they've found religion.

Northern Adventurer: The Doctor’s tired look and exclamation of ‘you have got to be kidding me!’ is what I imagine was Christopher Eccleston’s reaction was when he read the first half of this script. It's wonderful to see his Doctor in some darkly played comedy because it allows us to see him do what he does best, be all broody and mysterious and yet be very funny at the same time (without some of the excesses earlier in the season).  You believe the Doctor’s threats when he points directly at the audience and tells the creators that he is going to stop them. I would hate for this incarnation of the Doctor to be after me. When the Doctor holds his hand out for Lynda to join him all I see is a charismatic and wonderful man, the ninth Doctor has truly arrived and he’s offering the universe up to strays again. We’ve had the Doctor return to the scene of a previous adventure and see the consequences of his interference before (The Face of Evil) but 100 years of suffering because he thinks he was doing the right thing, that has got to hurt. The idea of somebody manipulating the Doctor’s life to trap him is (as he so often says himself) fantastic. You feel every second of the Doctor’s guilt and pain as Rose is (apparently) blasted to death in front of him… at these moments I always think of Jackie and how she is going to kill him. I’m not all that fond of big, rousing speeches and do think they got more and more ridiculous as the series went on (especially the one in Voyage of the Damned… ‘I’m the Doctor! I’m 900 years old and I think rather a lot of myself' blah blah…) but I have to say Chris Eccleston does a fine job with some pretty cheesy dialogue (‘every last stinking Dalek' – what is he Abalsom Daak?). You believe him and are pretty scared for the Daleks, that’s how convincing Eccleston is. The idea that the Time Lords died for nothing since the Daleks always seem to survive haunts the Doctor, the fact that we later learn that he was responsible for their deaths must make him ache with guilt. The Doctor screams at the Daleks so dramatically they physically recoil. There is an unforgettable shot as the camera zooms in on the Doctor resting his head against the TARDIS doors as the Daleks scream at him from outside. It is one of my favourite moments from the first season – it sees the Doctor tired and defeated, sagging with guilt at his actions and facing the impossible task of having to deal with a race of self loathing Daleks that he has helped brought into being Daleks. It’s a beautifully small moment that is packed with so much meaning. The Doctor’s awkward goodbye with Lynda is really sweet where he kind of goes to kiss her but ends up shaking hands. He hasn't quite got the hang of this personal stuff. Tricking Rose into entering the TARDIS and sneaking her off to safety against her will is the most selfless act he performs in his ninth incarnation. How can you fail not to love the ninth Doctor during these scenes? ‘That’s okay, I hope it’s a good death’ he says about facing an enemy that cannot be defeated. Telling Rose to have a fantastic life is enough to bring a tear to the eye. His solution to wipe out the Daleks but also all of humanity forces the Doctor to confront his actions in the Time War and he looks truly pained as he considers which way to jump. He's been here before and lived to see the consequences of his violent actions. Has the Doctor ever been this interesting before? I can think of three times – the initial spiky first Doctor who I was not sure was an ally or an enemy, the second Doctor forced to confront his past and face up to his actions in The War Games and the fourth Doctor dancing around the decision to wipe out his deadliest enemies in Genesis of the Dalek. Davies has really made the show about the Doctor rather than an adventure serial that simply features him. We get to understand the universe as the Doctor does; he sees all that is, all that was and all that ever could be all at once. The ninth Doctor dies because he absorbed all the energy of the time vortex and every cell in his body dies but not before snatching a quick kiss from his companion. Has this been a love affair all along and this moment of intimacy the culmination? I'll leave for you to decide but I certainly didn't object to the act and it is pulled off with some stirringly romantic music and effects. I love how the Doctor tries to explain the process of regeneration to Rose before it takes place to make it as easy as possible for her. He doesn't seem at all unhappy to be going, perhaps recognising that he will shirk off this war torn incarnation and get a chance to start anew without all the baggage. Unlike when the eleventh Doctor stepped out of the tenth's shoes and you knew instantly that this was a mad and cheeky fella that you will have a lot of fun with the tenth Doctor’s brief appearance here is confined to a few lines and it is hard to grasp what he is going to be like. However the whole thing feels so gloriously upbeat and bright that I was sure that it wasn't going to be a disappointment. A shame to lose an actor of Eccleston's calibre in the role but he provided us with an unforgettable season and many startling moments. I remember feeling quite perturbed at the time that he would so willingly walk away from the series not it was a success for whatever reason but time has tempered my feelings and now all that is left is his incredible legacy in the part which will never be forgotten. Eccleston was great and I genuinely believe the show needed an actor of his gravity to force people into giving the show a chance again. Good on him for giving it a stab and making such a great job of it.

Chavvy Chick: If these two episode had seen the end of Rose’s character I think a lot of people (including me) would be declaring her one of the all time best companions. It's astonishing how right both the writing and Billie Piper’s performance feels compared to the rather more irritating version of Rose who turned up in series two. She looks great in this story and it really is the character at its height both in terms of her relationship with the Doctor and her confidence. You can’t help but laugh along with Rose as she enjoys the Weakest Link piss take. The first touch of Rose’s jealousy as Lynda refuses to leave the Doctor and she looks mightily miffed that somebody else cares for him as much as she does. If only it had stayed as small looks in the next series but she is about to turn into the green eyed monster. I can't believe that I was ever unconvinced about Piper's ability to play the part...the scene where she screams at the TARDIS to her back to the Doctor is heartbreaking and one of the few moments in Doctor Who that gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. The sheer mundanity of stepping from the TARDIS to dreary Central London with the thought that this is going to be her life once more really makes you feel that the character has lost something substantial in a very visual way. This is the moment when Jackie comes around to liking the Doctor because he brought her daughter home when things got tough. The whole point of the discussion of Rose's safety in World War Three is to make the pay off in the finale so rewarding. Jackie steps up to the plate and helps her daughter return to the horror that the Doctor is facing because she can see how devastated she is. And she understands that the Doctor needs her more than she does. The Doctor/Jackie relationship is far less fractious from now on (it helps that Tennant is much more cuddly and owes his life, literally in The Christmas Invasion, to the Tyler clan). Her speech about the Doctor showing her a better way of living her life is beautifully written and performed. How loaded with emotions is the scene between Rose and Jackie when she admits she met her dead father? I was moved to tears again. Davies is so good at this sort of thing, tugging at your heart strings from natural human interaction. I miss these moments.

Jack of All Trades: I tend to forget what a great little run for Jack these first five episodes were before he wound up on Earth in charge of Torchwood. He here's quite irresistible, his flirty behaviour, forthright bisexuality and rude sense of humour are all very new to Doctor Who and very welcome. I love the little nod he gives to his cock when the defabricator does its business – this is an actor that doesn’t lack a certain amount of irresistible charisma and clearly nothing to be afraid of. Nothing could quite have prepared me for the scene where Jack pulls a gun out of his ass – I still heave with laughter every time I see it. Imagine this in Hartnell’s time! For Jack saying hello is flirting, according to the Doctor. Does he look like an out of bounds sort of guy, he asks with a machine gun in each hand? Jack telling Rose that she is worth fighting for single handedly justifies his existence in the series and how he quietly kisses both of them is a perfect touch. He hasn't been around for long but Davies manages to convince the audience that there have been a wealth of adventures between The Doctor Dances and Bad Wolf, such is the strength of feeling between them. Jack doesn’t batter an eyelid when the Doctor saves Rose and leaves him there to die. He admits that he was much better off as a coward and can see how much he has grown as a character spelt out in his selfless actions in this story. What a casually brutal death he suffers. What a world of fascination his character is about to undergo after Rose brings him back to life. Simon got in a right paddy the first time we watched this because Jack (his favourite character) got left behind. If only he had known.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Am I naked in front of millions of your viewers?’ ‘Absolutely!’ ‘Ladies! Your viewing figures just went up…’
‘Then you are unemployed and yet you’ve still got enough money to buy peroxide.’
‘And then we’re gonna get you!’
‘But that’s a compact laser deluxe!’ ‘Where were you hiding that?’
‘Driven mad by your own flesh. The stink of humanity. You hate your own existence.’
‘That’s how good the Doctor is!’
‘My head is killing me.’

The Good Stuff: I remember when the premise for Bad Wolf was announced and a friend of mine wasn't even willing to give it a chance because he was convinced it was going to glorify reality television and he thought Russell T Davies had finally gone mad. He texted me afterwards to say how much he loved it. Davies is clearly a lover of popular television culture and he manages to poke fun at reality TV without ever demeaning it in this episode and provides a lot of laughs and scares by taking recognisable shows and turning them deadly. It might not be entirely convincing (would anybody really watch the Trinny and Susannah bots committing facial surgery on unwilling subjects?) but it's a bloody good laugh all the same. The pre titles sequence is one of the most surreal and I really love that they drown out the moaning drivel of the house mates with the best thing about Big Brother – the music! This might be the gayest observation I have ever made in my life but those multi coloured hand chairs in the house are simply divine. I want one. The lighting for The Weakest Link is naturally dramatic and so it makes a terrific moody setting for Doctor Who. It’s a symbol of how much faith people put in this first series of Doctor Who that Anne Robinson, Davina McColl and Trinny and Susannah all agreed to take part and send up their own shows. The first mention of Torchwood is very subtly handled. Davies allows you to relax into the daft parodies before suddenly slapping you around the face when things suddenly get nasty. You can see how this insane premise is going to work. The Controller is a masterpiece of design and lighting, so simply achieved and yet it looks so striking on screen. I wish we could have had the time to learn more about her. Davies wasn't a fan of the design of the Droids but I rather like them, art deco tech with deadly appendages. Bad Wolf being written all over the universe is the first time Doctor Who had attempted to weave an invisible arc into a series and it might be because it was so novel but I still think it is one of the most effective (the planets disappearing in series four is the only one that thrilled me more). Suddenly I have to give The Long Game more consideration as the location is revealed to be Satellite Five - even the title makes a whole lot more sense now. This is an Ark in Space/Revenge of the Cybermen scenario where the two shows can share the same sets and spread the design budget a bit further. Davies is very good at creating a whole world out of a line (the great Atlantic smog storm with news bulletins that let you know when it is safe to go outside and breathe the air) in precisely the same way Robert Holmes did. Creating whole worlds out of words. I realised this has been pitched at just the right level when I was actually shouting with excitement at the screen as Rose plays sudden death and the tension cranks up even further. Subtle use of continuity (the Isop Galaxy, Lucifer) will please the fans but otherwise go unnoticed. exactly how it should be. I love the idea of the Controller bringing the Doctor to the game station to defeat the Daleks - it makes sense of how the Doctor, Jack and Rose happened to be involved in the first place. She’s a fascinating character and it is a shame that she was killed off so quickly (although the shot of her being ripped from her station is startlingly dramatic). I'm not of the opinion that just because you can visualise an entire fleet of Dalek saucers that you should (and they try and pull it off a couple of times a year these days which has become quite tiresome) but that doesn't mean that I was an excited eight year old again when they were revealed. Seeing half a million Daleks streaming through space makes you tingle all over with fanboy joy. Dicks and Letts happily admit that this is the sort of scope they were trying to achieve in stories like Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks. The cliffhanger is so unique I don’t know how to judge it, it’s so rare to have a cliffhanger that is as optimistic as this (the only other example I can think of is in Evil of the Daleks) but its definitely sitting in this category because it is desperately exciting and upon first transmission had me bouncing on the sofa desperate to see the next episode. Missiles being fired at the TARDIS? How dynamic is his story? Finally somebody bothers to write a scene where the Daleks simply try and murder the Doctor as soon as they see him. It has always bothered me that they have never done that before. The thought of the Daleks harvesting humanity to create more of their kind repulses and throws open the interesting notion of their self-hatred. One of the defining characteristics of the Daleks is their racial purity and the notion of perverted humanised Daleks murdering because they despise themselves a genuinely frightening idea and psychologically much more interesting than the norm. A little mention for Jo Stone-Fewings who gives a wonderfully understated performance as the male programmer (what a shame he didn’t get a name!) – it’s the sort of strong incidental character that Davies excels at. The function of his character could have been performed by anybody but his inclusion adds more depth to the story. The concept of the TARDIS standing on a street corner gathering dust for all eternity made me choke up. After all, that's how it all begun. The shot of those revolving chickens is so appallingly routine it brings home everything that Rose has lost. There’s something pleasingly old school about the Daleks streaming through the corridors and cutting down the resistance. If Power of the Daleks is half as exciting as this it will be quite a treat when we finally get to watch it. The Daleks take a little detour just to murder innocent people and decide that bombing whole continents is the way to bend the Doctor to their will. They truly are the epitome of evil. Best death of the year: Lynda being sucked out into space by the silent Daleks, it is an astonishingly well executed sequence that had me on the edge of my seat and an unforgettable end to a pleasant character. The idea of pouring the TARDIS into a young woman’s head is highly original and proves that Neil Gaiman (as fantastic as The Doctor’s Wife was and it was brilliant) is simply borrowing a great idea. To have the Doctor explain the process of regeneration to Rose and thus reassuring the kids in the audience that this is perfectly natural is a touch of genius.

The Bad Stuff: ‘She’s been evicted…from life!’ should never have made it to the studio. Jack actually looks pretty ridiculous with that bloody daft giant gun made out of the defabricator. I know it was the idea but Roderick is as annoying as pubic louse! Jack screaming and waving his big gun about is ultra camp (‘your stupid freaking game show killed her!’). I realise it would rather spoil the well-filmed surprise return but the Controller should really have said ‘the Daleks’ rather than ‘my masters.’ ‘What is the meaning of this negative?’ is another duff line. Thankfully the Emperor comes along because the Dalek dialogue is as banal as ever. What a shame the new Emperor is no where near as visually impressive as the original – they should have knocked up a CGI version of the Evil of the Daleks one and we could finally see him in all his glory. While I love the insanity of the Dalek psychology on display I could have done without the religious leanings which I felt did them no favours at all. Making this a battle of Gods doesn’t make the material more epic. Whilst the long shot of the chalk on the playground is striking it seems a little odd that Rose doesn’t notice BAD WOLF in huge letters right in front of her! In real Eric Saward fashion Davies kills off his entire guest cast because they have fulfilled their plot function. ‘Am I becoming one of your angels?’ – ugh. Despite where it leads and how strong the scene the Rose/TARDIS is the ultimate deus ex machina. I don’t object to sealing the regeneration with a kiss after all if I was going to go I would probably lock tongues with Rose too but ‘I think you need a Doctor’ is one of the worst lines in Doctor Who history.

The Shallow Bit: Jack squeezed into black jeans and a tight white shirt...phwoar. Rose is practically edible in this story. I can’t believe they gave the Trinny and Susannah androids breasts…or that Jack actually cups them at one point! Jack in the noddy is shot as risqué as a family show will allow and perhaps we should be pleased that the gratuitous butt shot was excised (besides suggestion is far more arousing than revealing everything). We get our first companion on companion kiss and the first time the Doctor locks lips with another guy and the world doesn’t end. Go figure.

Result: With a few forgiveable flaws Doctor Who’s first attempt at a two-part season finale is a complete success with many memorable, shocking and dramatic scenes. Joe Ahearne’s handling of the material is superb and he manages to pile on atmosphere and scares whilst always highlighting the actors and giving them the focus. This story mixes the epic science fiction world of Doctor Who with Davies’ enchanting domestic character-based vision for the show to blistering effect and the eleven weeks of material that have come previously inform so much of what takes place here. No Doctor Who season has been structured this skilfully before so that so much of the finale rewards. Somewhere in the second episode around the time where Rose is sitting in that god awful takeaway restaurant I realised that not only had Davies' unique approach to the show really worked but it was starting to produce some of the most epic and personal Doctor Who material we had ever seen. The reality TV parodies work like a charm, the first episode making me laugh like a nutter before things turned very black and for once a Dalek invasion feels positively cinematic. The massacre that takes place in the second episode puts the Daleks on a level of menace that is way above anything we have seen in the previous season. Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper have managed to bring the show back with an explosive real bang and save their best performances for their last story together and the ninth Doctor and Rose are simply made for each other at this point. It’s unique in Doctor Who’s history to have a cliffhanger and a regeneration that both feel so positive and the ending promises great things for the future. Both episodes earn a practically perfect 9: 9/10