Season Two

Season Two is a time of change for the show as we say goodbye to Susan early in the season and Ian and Barbara towards the end and we gain Vicki and Steven in their place. Everything is bigger and more exciting - the travellers are only an inch high, the Daleks invade the Earth, a crashed spaceship on a forgotten planet, the Doctor gives Nero the idea to burn Rome, a planet of insects, the court of Richard the Lionheart, a space museum, a chase through all time and space and finally the Saxons invade in 1066...

The regulars -

























Planet of Giants written by Louis Marks and directed by Mervyn Pinfield & Douglas Cmamfield

TO BE REVIEWED...

The Dalek Invasion of Earth written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin

Result: There is much that works in The Dalek Invasion of Earth but unfortunately it is far from the all-conquering classic of repute. The first episode is genuinely atmospheric, features some great location work and sets the scene beautifully for the Daleks entrance but ultimately it turns out to be the best installment of the whole story. The least successful element of this story is, oddly, the Daleks, which fail to work as the terrifying conquerors of repute and look so awkward clunking about the sets with their giant satellites strapped to their casings and effeminate voices. For what was supposed to be a devastating comeback for the creatures, they have none of the menace of their original story. The designers are working hard with what they have to make the studio locations as convincing as possible (and they are as diverse as a mine shaft, a riverside, the exterior of a spaceship and sewers) but shot in such a bland way much of the detail is lost. Fortunately the character drama boosts the story and with some fine actors on board they salvage something from the situation. Characters like Dortman, Tyler, Jenny and Ashton are well written and provide an effectively intimate way to explore the invasion when the budget cannot provide the sort of rollercoaster action that it needs. The Doctor says goodbye to Susan in what proves to be one of the most heartbreaking goodbyes the series ever presented and coming at the end of such a shallow action adventure it gives the material even more punch. It's an uneven story which frustrates because it could have been so much better than it is. If this could have been cut down to an hour and a half, shot on film and injected with more pace it would have made a far more effective tale. What I'm describing is Daleks, 2150 AD. I prefer the kick ass movie version (even with its apoplectic music score) but even I have to admit that the best moments of the TV version have much more depth than a cinematic blockbuster could ever achieve. Simon watched this one with me too and he came out far more in it's favour than I did. He even found the departure of Susan extremely moving (and he usually cannot stand the character). Ambitious but massively flawed: 6/10

Full Review Here - http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-dalek-invasion-of-earth-written-by.html

The Rescue written by David Whitaker and directed by Christopher Barry

TO BE REVIEWED...

The Romans written by Dennis Spooner and directed by Christopher Barry

Result: I remember when I first showed The Romans to Simon. It was only the second Hartnell story I dared to let him watch and with great trepidation because of his love of modern, glossier television. He was smirking throughout but made no real comment about its content. When it was over he turned to me and declared it one of the most delightful Doctor Who stories he had ever watched despite the fact that barely anything seemed to happen in it. Riding on its own charm was the exact description, I seem to recall. It's one of those black and white stories that skips by effortlessly with the gorgeous regular cast delivering sparkling performances, a deliciously funny and smart script and some clever direction that suggests a much bigger world than the one it is capable of producing. Some will tell you that comedy and Doctor Who don’t go together but I would happily list ten humorous tales that prove the flaw in that argument and this gem would be chief amongst their number. I think a lot of people have been surprised at their reaction to this tale because it is another one of those stories that Howe, Stammers and Walker (who are of course as entitled to their opinion as anybody) trounced all over in their much-loved Handbooks, cementing an opinion of a generation of fans that couldn't access the story at the time. There's a brutality to the story that matches the comedy and ensures that things don't get too easy to watch and much of that comedy is of the blackest variety which really appeals to my (fairly) sick sense of humour. Vicki gets to have a real adventure in history, Ian and Barbara get to bask in the comfort of their relationship before being torn apart and proving their affection by spending four episodes trying to reach other again and the Doctor has rarely been this delightful, sparring with Nero, meddling with history (the old hypocrite) and generally having a whale of a time juggling intrigue and mayhem. Intelligent, clever, hilarious and educational, The Romans is a stirring highlight of the second season: 10/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-romans-written-by-dennis-spooner.html

The Web Planet written by Bill Strutton and directed by Richard Martin

Result: I admire the production team for having the balls to attempt something on this scale and some of that ambition pays off with some imaginative imagery and quirky ideas. Having the four regulars as the only human characters in a six part story must have terrified the designers but they rose to the challenge to create a fascinating world in Vortis and its insectoid inhabitants and with only a few serious missteps (the Optera, the Venom Grubs) they valiantly create an intoxicating fairytale world. Had this been brutally edited down to three episodes (you can pretty much watch episodes one, five and six without missing anything too important – try it and see) it would have made a much slicker, enjoyable experience but at six episodes the novelty wears off too soon and you are left with a long slog of episodes with very little pace or excitement. When I first saw the story I was bored senseless and agonisingly plodded through the whole thing in one go which is suicide. The Web Planet works best if you save one episode a night (preferably when everybody has gone to bed to avoid humiliation and have that blissfully naughty moment of just Doctor Who and you) and turn the lights out so you can be drawn into its eerie, alien atmosphere. I admire it much more than I like it and there are moments when I can really see Bill Strutton’s incredible vision being brought to life. I would never recommend this to a non fan but I would suggest that every Doctor Who fan needs to see this story simply for the aspiration and bravery of the original production team. I can only imagine what this would have looked like inDouglas Camfield’s hands because I hold most of the stupid mistakes at Richard Martin’s door. Insane and atmospheric, daft and imaginative, The Web Planet deserves to be applauded and jeered at. For its conception and moments of alien genius I would give it a 9 but its slack pace and embarrassing production errors warrant a 3 so I will round this up to an even: 6/10

Full Review Here - http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-web-planet-written-by-bill-strutton.html

The Crusade written by David Whitaker and directed by Douglas Camfield (that’s some impressive credentials)

Result:  Along with the other historical masterpiece (The Romans), this is the jewel in the crown of season two and there is not one part of The Crusade that isn’t firing on all cylinders. It’s a dramatic, exotic treat and whilst you could easily spend an age looking for the narrative and failing to find one but as a snapshot of history in the Hartnell era its success is unrivaled. The regulars are all afforded some fantastic moments; Ian is knighted and gets to play the ultimate hero, Vicki enjoys some subterfuge playing a boy, the Doctor dazzles in courtly politics and Barbara experiences some extreme culture shock. Her scenes being hunted and terrorised on the streets of Palestine are some of the most adult and discomforting in the entire series. Where The Crusade stands out in particular is in its scripting and direction, both of which are some of the most polished examples of their type ever to be seen in the series. It is unbelievable to think that a script as erudite, lyrical and educational as this could come from the same series as something as braindead as The Chase, let alone take place in the same season. Each character is written for distinctively and the words that come out of their mouths paint pictures in the same fashion as the best of Shakespeare. This is the point where Douglas Camfield made his name as being able to produce something visually stunning and atmospheric on a shoestring and the execution of The Crusade is practically flawless. Evocatively lit, stunningly designed and with careful camerawork and framing, the realisation is essential to its success. It is a show that is bristling with style, gaining confidence due to its unexpected success. With incredible ratings, season two is one of a few peaks in the shows popularity: 10/10

Full Review Here - http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-crusade-written-by-david-whitaker.html

The Space Museum written by Glyn Jones and directed by Mervyn Pinfield

TO BE REVIEWED...

The Chase written by Terry Nation and directed by Richard Martin

Result: How exactly can you sum up The Chase? It really isn’t very good and yet it is one of the very few stories that transcends its faults and becomes something that is deliriously enjoyable, even addictive, the more you watch it. It's one last hurrah for Ian and Barbara and the actors seem to be enjoying themselves immensely. It’s a testament to the ambition and imagination of the Doctor Who production team at the time (to never attempt anything this ludicrous again!). It manages to make you laugh (intentionally or not) and cry. It has some damn fine design work and lighting and the Daleks (despite acting like sulky schoolboys) are often shot with real care. The Chase is all of these things and more but to me it is a number of chilled out evenings of laughter and companionship enjoying this little epic. For that it will always be one of my favourites. No matter how infantile the writing and direction is: 9/10

Full Review Here - http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-chase-written-by-terry-nation-and.html

The Time Meddler written by Dennis Spooner and directed by Douglas Camfield

TO BE REVIEWED...

Season One

And so our journey begins with a mysterious school pupil who intruigues her teachers Ian and Barbara and leads them to a junkyard where a police box hums with life and a universe of adventures begins... In its opening year we experience cavemen, Daleks, the TARDIS on the brink of destuction, Marco Polo on his journey, the sinister Voord, bloodthirsty Aztecs, gentle Sensorites and face the chop in the French Revolution!

The Regulars -





















An Unearthly Child written by Anthony Coburn and directed by Warris Hussain

TO BE REVIEWED...

The Daleks written by Terry Nation and directed by Christopher Barry & Richard Martin

Result: A little piece of history and for the most part The Daleks more than lives up to its grand reputation. As our first step onto an alien world it really sells this series as something totally alien and mysterious, not to mention exciting and full of dangers. The Daleks bucks the trend of season one that it is the historical adventures that are the best realised and most memorable because this is one planet you will not forget in a hurry. The series certainly never did. The Daleks themselves are imaginatively shot throughout, devious, implacable and deadly and it’s no wonder they were an instant hit. This is a stage of the show where the Doctor wasn’t quite the hero and the companions had an equal share of the action with Ian, Barbara and (surprisingly) Susan all contributing memorable moments. A quick mention for the two directors, Barry and Martin, who keep this story moving and dazzling us with some imaginative and gorgeous lit images. Barry would go on to do better things with Doctor Who but this is Martin's best work on the series by a country mile. If this had been six episodes and we cut out the penultimate episode of padding it would be virtually flawless demonstration of how gripping the series could be when it took flight to another planet: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-daleks-written-by-terry-nation-and.html

The Edge of Destruction written by David Whitaker and directed by Ricahrd Martin & Frank Cox

TO BE REVIEWED...

Marco Polo written by John Lucarotti and directed by Warris Hussain & John Crockett

TO BE REVIEWED...

The Keys of Mariuns written by Terry Nation and directed by John Gorrie

Result: The Keys of Marinus would have made a far better four parter since the first two episodes set up the story quite nicely and the last two episodes are the most interesting but the middle episodes are overlong, amateurish and stretch the budget far beyond its limits. Terry Nation’s second script lacks the subtlety and tension of his debut and puts the characters in continual moments of false tension that after a couple of set pieces you know they will escape at the last minute. This is Doctor Who so there are always moments to cherish, be they intentional or unintentional and this story has plenty of both. I would have loved to have seen this story produced as a movie as was suggested in the sixties because hacked to pieces to halve its length, shot on film with endless resources and injected with some pace and dynamism this could be a fantastically engaging piece of action adventure. Asking for a location hopping adventure that explores a myriad of settings across an entire planet in Lime Grove Studios is massive ask and whilst the designer tried to keep up with Nation's demands the director isn't giving this the same sort of thought and care that was lavished on the shows first science fiction tale. I have heard it suggested that the show belongs to Ian and Barbara at this early stage (because they are our identity figures) but losing William Hartnell for two episodes handicaps the production beyond repair and it is clear he has already made a huge impact. Fun to watch as hokey slice of sixties nonsense but lacking substance and sparkle and at times it feels like it isn't being taken entirely seriously: 5/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-keys-of-marinus-written-by-terry.html

The Aztecs written by John Lucarotti and directed by John Crockett

Result: A wonderful example of why the show took off so spectacularly in its first year, The Aztecs is imbued with confidence and style and is beautifully written and performed. The story boasts excellent production values from the detailed set design, the marvellous costumes and gorgeous backdrops to the evocative musical score. The Aztec culture is explored in considerable depth for what is essentially an adventure show and there are numerous character pairings that really set the screen on fire (Barbara and Tlotoxl, Ian and Ixta and the Doctor and Cameca). I remember first buying this on VHS and resenting having to add some creaky old black and white nonsense to my collection to complete it. Imagine my surprise when I was absorbed into a skilful morality play and absolutely fell in love with the atmosphere of black and white television. You have to single out Jacqueline Hill as being particularly exceptional in this tale because it gives her so much to work with but the truth is she always approached the role with this much conviction. A fantastic actress, and finally given material that can really stretch her and give the character a new direction to explore. Hartnell is on fine form too, indulging in a witty romance but proving startlingly vicious when he needs to be. Some stories are great to go back and re-watch because of the nostalgia value, but The Aztecs is one black and white story that is worth re-visiting because it is a genuinely fine piece of work. Get to it: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-aztecs-written-by-john-lucarotti.html

The Sensorites written by Peter R. Newman and directed by Mervyn Pinfield & Frank Cox

Result: Such an odd story in that all the essential ingredients seem to be spot on – an intriguing set up, strong characterisation of the Doctor and Susan, a charming and effective alien race and even a pleasingly explained conclusion – but much of it seems to be lost in the awkward execution and elongated running time. You might think it is quite churlish to criticise the direction of this story so damningly considering the circumstances under which this was made but I would argue that if stories like The Daleks, The Rescue, The Daleks’ Masterplan and The Ark from the same era can whip up a science fiction tale quite so smoothly and with such visual appeal then there is no reason that a story like The Sensorites can’t too. It all comes down to the talent of the individual director and not the archaic production values of the time. The first two episodes are trying hard to be cutting edge science fiction but play out rather like an under rehearsed theatre production and yet weirdly in all the static visuals and performance fluffs there are still moments of intensity and effectiveness (especially that cliffhanger). If the opening instalments are your typical Doctor Who with a tense atmosphere of terror and claustrophobia (or at least that is the idea) then the remaining show is more akin to Star Trek with an alien race being humanised and the show boiling down to a talky discourse on politics, space plagues and xenophobia. I’m not sure that we needed quite so many episodes of the Sensorites squabbling with each other (this would have made a much more enjoyable and tighter four parter) but they are quite an agreeably executed alien race for the most part and the show doesn’t lose any dignity for having introduced them (unlike say the Moroks or the Monoids from the same era). It all feels rather primitive and dated in a way that the best of the first season never does but for all its faults (which are manifold and listed above) The Sensorites does have a certain creaky charm about it and features a stellar (if occasionally fluffed) turn from William Hartnell who is always worth watching: 5/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-sensorites-written-by-peter-r.html

The Reign of Terror written by Dennis Spooner and directed by Hinric Hirst

Result: An enjoyable foray into the French Revolution, albeit one that would have had much more impact as a tightened up four part story. The first episode is genuinely exciting and packed full of shocking incident but after that things do slow down a little, content on exploring the innards of the political situation whilst indulging in several episodes of escape/capture antics. Fortunately this story features the original TARDIS crew and so, Susan aside, there is a great deal of entertainment to be had watching the Doctor affecting a pompous disguise, Ian sniffing out a traitor and Barbara barely escaping the guillotine and being seduced. The production is sound with some detailed sets and a memorable score and Spooner turns every one of his characters into real people with some cutting and amusing dialogue. Pacing is in issue as the story progresses though. As fun and as charming as his exploits might be on the way to Paris, had the Doctor wound up there in episode one the whole story would have wrapped up a lot quicker. Once the plot has been all but tied up and we have reached the final episode it is basically a half hour long sitcom sketch with Napoleon visiting a tavern which feels like something of an anti-climax after what has come before (although it is the first example of the historical celebrity in Doctor Who). My biggest gripe (as ever) is Susan who is about as useful as a cat flap on a submarine, screaming and wailing an sniffling her way through the story and failing to contribute anything useful. Her cards are officially marked. Like many a classic Doctor Who story it could do with its flabby bits cut aside to shape into a more dynamic, substantial piece but if you watch this in two episodes chunks you'll probably come away thinking you have seen a reasonably accomplished slice of drama. One of the weaker historical stories in my book but considering my passion for them that isn't exactly a criticism as this still has much to recommend it. I would rather watch the efforts of Spooner than some of the creaky SF polluting much of the next season, although he does a much better job of handling this genre of Who next year in The Romans and The Time Meddler: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-reign-of-terror-written-by-dennis.html

Mary’s Story written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Nicholas Briggs

What’s it about: Switzerland, 1816: at the Villa Diodati, Lord Byron's house guests tell each other tales to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart. With a monster on the loose outside, young Mary Shelley isn't short of inspiration.

Breathless Romantic: In a horror tale featuring Mary Shelley you can imagine the Doctor going for the most gothic entrance imaginable, limping in from out of the rain, hunched over as if in pain and claiming to be Dr Frankenstein. I can’t imagine a much cooler role for the 8th Doctor than being re-animated and stalking the grounds like a monster and being the very inspiration for Shelly’s Frankenstein’s monster. Paul McGann makes quite an impressive villain, gnashing his teeth and screaming bloody murder like a proper horror nasty. He tells Mary that they travelled together for years and met Cybermen, Axons and King Harold at the Battle of Hastings…exciting adventures still to come. If you had to close your eyes and imagine a crowd of friends for the eighth Doctor then Mary Shelley and Lord Byron would be pretty high up on the list.

Genre Setter: You can see precisely where Mary got her inspiration to write Frankenstein from as she is witness to her brother bringing a corpse back to life. You have wonder with a trilogy of adventures ahead for the Doctor and Mary what other tales her stimulating experiences will conjure up. A compassionate soul, Mary stays up with the Doctor all night as he suffers from a feverous condition. In the face of a brutal creature brought back from the dead Mary is sympathetic and sees a man in pain rather than a menace and you can see why she imbued the creature in her own novel with so much pathos. When she first met Percy she was promised a life of adventure and he abandoned his wife and child to be with her. She knows he doesn’t believe in fidelity and that he has been having an affair with her half sister and she thinks they find it amusing that she does know. The Doctor offers her a life of adventure, the one that her husband promised her but never delivered and a chance to see the marvels of the universe.

Standout Performance: Of the four companions I would most like to see Matt di Angelo brought back for further adventures but I fully accept that there has been a wealth of Fitz adventures already and it would be just adding to the list. However my second choice (and probably just gnats whisker away from Fitz) would be the fabulous Julie Cox as Mary Shelley who nails the character immediately and in storytelling terms there is endless possibilities to be explored with her and the eighth Doctor. There is almost as much of a buzz about the return of the eighth Doctor to the main range with Mary Shelley as his assistant as there is for the return of the fourth Doctor and this appetite whetting little tale and Cox’s warm and considered performance have a lot to do with that.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘There is no place for squeamishness in the search for knowledge!’
‘The TARDIS is regenerating!’
‘You have to remember its very important. Frankenstein is the name of the monster and not the name of the Doctor.’

Great Ideas: No anthology dealing with the eighth Doctor’s many lives would be complete without a tale where he is amnesiac. A dead creature that has been re-animated, a creature that had once been a man. Out in the storm, hunting… I love the idea of Mary finding the TARDIS out in the storm, picked out of the darkness by lightning with rain drizzling down its wooden surface. She describes the interior as a vast and gloomy chamber, like the ruins of a gutted cathedral – a nightmare of buckled girders and crumbling masonry. A temporal storm broke through the defences and its corrosive effect prevents his body from regenerating and after being tortured by Percy Shelley becomes little more than a slavering monster. The TARDIS brought the future Doctor to the one point in space and time that he could receive the treatment he needed – a way of triggering a physiological renewal. It remembered a time in his past (that’s where the current Doctor comes in) where the circumstances were right for that to take place. The health of the Doctor depends upon the health of the TARDIS and unless they can get it back into working order the future Doctor will remain damaged. The older Doctor takes on a golden glow as the TARDIS regenerates and isomorphic symbiosis kicks in – the Doctor has saved his own life in the future.

Audio Landscape: Popping, crackling fire, knocking at the door, lightning cracking, the psychotic creature smashing up the laboratory and attacking, breaking through the door, ducks on the pond.

Musical Cues: My favourite score of the anthology, Matthew Cochrane has great fun getting in the gothic mood and imbues the tale with a lot of energy and excitement.

Standout Scene: When the Doctor turned up in the TARDIS just in time to see his future, deranged self smash through the door and try and kill everybody I have never been so delighted to be confused! And I loved how grumpy the older Doctor was once he was better – I hope we get to see some more of him. Perhaps this is the eighth Doctor from after the events of To The Death in the EDA range? He sure had a lot to be bitter about and talks about his younger self abandoning Gemma and Samson in Vienna as though friends were not something to be flippant about. Mind you he would also know how they ended up too… Its rather brilliant that the Doctor had several years with of adventures with Mary whilst Samson and Gemma are in Vienna having a couple of days holiday and will be none the wiser when he gets back that he has been away for so long.

Notes: In his fevered state the Doctor calls out for Gemma (Terror Firma), Destrii (from the comics) and Compassion (from the novels). Later he mentions Trix (novels) Charley, Lucie and Alex (audios)…he really must be in his last days if he remembers all these wonderful companions.

Result: More Jonathan Morris gold and a script that playfully plays with the Frankenstein story and gives the Doctor a brilliant starring role. This is by far the best story of the bunch with a satisfying mystery that is resolved in an imaginative fashion that would make Steven Moffatt proud. Mary Shelley makes an instant impression and Cox grabs your attention in the role and listening to this little prologue of their adventures has made me even more excited for their upcoming trilogy. It’s a confident end to an outstanding anthology and one that truly manages to explore the eighth Doctor’s many lives across multiple medias with some affection. I would love to hear more of the eighth Doctor and Benny and Fitz but I’m glad that it is Mary that had the follow up as I feel hers is the story with the most potential. Mary’s Story is kept me guessing throughout and its clever resolution made me grin from ear to ear: 9/10

Izzy’s Story written by Alan Barnes and directed by Nicholas Briggs

What’s it about: TARDIS travel opens one's eyes to a universe of possibilities, reckons the Doctor. For geek girl Izzy, it's also a fantastic way to track down ultra-rare back copies of 'Aggrotron!', the most dangerous comic in history…

Breathless Romantic: The Doctor is appalled at the comics that Izzy is reading because it seems to be page upon page of mindless violence (‘its got subtext!’ she argues). Looks like pear drops are the sweetie of this Doctor of choice, that or rhubarb and custards.

Geeky Chick: I came to Doctor Who comics really late and as a result of reviewing the novels of all things. I have been buying Doctor Who Magazine since the beginning of time and have a pile a stack high but the one area of the magazine that I never explored was the comics. It didn’t matter if a spooky or epic image caught my eye, it didn’t matter that it was in bold black and white or bursting with colour…it didn’t even matter that it was the continuing adventures of the eighth Doctor whose adventures in print were amazing me at the time. I just couldn’t see the point in telling a story through still images and in about 7 pages. Silly, silly Joe. In one of my reviews I started dismissing the comics and was brought up short by several fans of the medium who encouraged me to buy the first eighth Doctor collection and make up my mind. Oh my, did I have egg on my face. A whole new world of Doctor Who opened up for me and it was one that could be budgetless and ambitious but also intimate character drama. Izzy was my first comic book companion and I followed all of her adventures in just over a month, lapping up her transformation into a giant fish and loving her slowly burgeoning sexuality and independence. She was feisty and yet considered and she always had a geeky reference to hand for whatever the situation needed.

Izzy did not choose a student loan, friends that leech of you and the general pants lifestyle of going to university, she decided to stay in Stockbridge with Sandra and Les at the back of the Redfern Inn. She chose to go with the Doctor in the TARDIS even though it doesn’t have a holodeck but beggars can’t be choosers. When told that the TARDIS library contains some of the greats including J.K Rowling she answers ‘who?’ The Doctor wants to know that Izzy is using her adventures in the TARDIS for something more than picking up back issues of a comic! She has a portfolio with her (‘just doodles really’) which she takes on her adventures just in case. When discovering the awful secret that the Court Master is a girl Izzy remembers that she had a secret mistress called Eugenia and it is confusing. Hints of Izzy’s bi sexuality coming to the fore.

Standout Performance: When people said that Jemima Rooper was not their ideal sounding Izzy I wondered just how short of the mark Big Finish could have been. Pretty far as it turns out. The characterisation here is spot on and exactly what I would expect by one of the longest contributors to the strip when Izzy was on board but Rooper has a way of taking fun dialogue and making it sound…annoying. Rather than one of those cute geeks that you desperately want to hang around with she sounds like one of those swotty nerds that obnoxiously always thinks that she is right and you want to get as far away as possible. It makes the Doctor seem like he has lost all sense of character judgement – this version of Izzy is like the female version of Adric, a thought so horrifying that its barely worth pondering on. This is the only duo on this release that I wouldn’t want to see go any further. I really feel that Rooper would great as the character. When she laughs manically over a copy of a fable comic she sounds like a genuine facist dictator rather than an impersonator of one and then sounds like a throaty voiced adult when she impatiently waits for the Doctor to bribe the newsagent rather than an expectant teen. This is woeful miscasting.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘My name’s Izzy and I chose the Doctor!’
‘The punishment is infinite death!’
‘Court Master Cruel was a girl?’
‘I shall return!’

Great Ideas: I loved how the script contains little asterisks ala the comics referring to older issues. The court room is powered by a miniature black hole and when it is collapsed it becomes an eternal prison for the accused and the judge and he has the pleasure of killing him a million times over. Apparently ‘GREAT NEWS KIDS!’ are the three words that every kid dreads on the cover of a comic because it means the merging of two characters that have existed separately (and the kids who argue which is better like it that way) are being brought together. All the artists for the comic that Izzy seeks are aliens and they all have simple names – only idiotic humans thing that all aliens have names that her full of aggressive sounding consonants. In the 51st Century law and order collapsed and somebody had to wield the iron rod of justice and Aggrotron collector Derek became him and soon put the wind up the criminal classes. When he saw the issue that revealed the Court Master’s identity he knew he could not stop until every single issue had been eliminated. She was a girl and girls don’t belong in boys comics…it’s the law!

Audio Landscape: Crows, glass smashing, the busy smoking office of a comic (with sweaty old men coughing through the smoke),

Musical Cues: There’s a lovely sting of the Next Generation theme tune as Izzy recalls watching the series on VHS over and over again.

Result: A brilliant conceit, bringing a comic book character to life in a story that is about comic book characters coming to life, and another fun, enjoyable tale. What makes this the weakest story of the collection is the unfortunate casting choice of Jemima Rooper to play Izzy because she fails to capture any of the characters magic and for the most part sounds more like an adult pretending to be a teenager (ala Sophie Aldred’s Ace these days) rather than an ebullient teen time traveller in her own right. In exactly the same way that Matt di Angelo managed to embody everything that was delirious about Fitz, Rooper lacks the energy, shy confidence and adolescent geekiness that made Izzy such a joy. Barnes has written an imaginative little nit of nonsense that could have been one of the DWM one part specials and packed in some lovely touches (the asterisks) and so its still worth a listen but every time Rooper opened her mouth I thought ‘this is wrong’: 5/10

Fitz’s Story written by Steve Cole and directed by Nicholas Briggs

What’s it about: On the planet Entusso, the Doctor and Fitz Kreiner investigate Alien Defence Incorporated - your one-stop shop for protection against extraterrestrial invasion! But which is the greatest menace: the hideous Vermin Queens or ADI itself?

Breathless Romantic: This audio is set during the turbulent time in the eighth Doctor’s life but he still had time for great moments of levity such as this. In as brief as terms as possible the Doctor destroyed Gallifrey. Nope not the same time as when he destroyed Gallifrey in the TV Series. He destroyed Gallifrey in the books first and God knows how we reconcile the two. Anyway he destroyed Gallifrey to save it from this destructive force that was tearing it apart anyway and planning on using time travel technology to destroy the Web of Time as we know it. As a result he lost his memories and was dumped on Earth where over 100 years he tried to find himself and the TARDIS (oh and enjoyed some brilliant novels) before Fitz turned up at the latter end of the 20th Century and took him back into space. At this point in his life he still doesn’t remember who he was but he is having a ball saving planets and having a laugh…he’s funnier, snappier, crazier and far more violent than he ever was before.

He’s done what he can to defend the world of Entusso from evil alien extraterrestrials! He so lands in the thick of things and of course he gets results. Fitz is convinced that the Doctor has landed an advertising contract to endorse ADI but he assures him it is a hyper animated construct. The Doctor revels in the irrefutable.

Scruffy Git: I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to hear Fitz Kreiner being brought to life. Fitz and I went on an incredible journey in the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel range – he came along just as I was ready to give up on the books with his wicked sense of humour, absolutely loyalty to the Doctor and his many vices including cigarettes and the ladies. He was a wonderfully flawed loser that knew that he was past any chance at greatness and eking out a meagre living in a garden centre in the sixties when he dreamt of being a famous singer. The Doctor whisked into his life and took him on an insane adventure which had many twists and turns on the way – the Fitz we ultimately ended up with was a copy of the original, perfect in every way but not the actual person who was born Fitz Kreiner (he became a bitter, decrepit villain working for an evil voodoo cult). I just loved Fitz – he was goofy and a bit useless but he was also charming, funny, surprisingly perceptive and the best friend the Doctor could have ever had, especially in that period of his life and he proved himself over and over. When they finally parted company it was as heartbreaking as the range ending, we had enjoyed this friendship for almost five years and it felt devastating that it was coming to an end. He was certainly my favourite character in print and he had this malleable ability that anybody who was writing for him aced the job. When I heard that he was going to be played by Hustle’s Matt di Angelo I was surprised but imagine my delight when he brought the character to life exactly how I imagined him to be. Rough, cute, dopey and insightful, di Angelo is Fitz as far as I am concerned. I would do anything to hear more Fitz stories because his chemistry with McGann is extraordinary, every bit as good as the 8th Doctor and Fitz were in print. And it seems very fitting that Steve Cole, the very man who gave this gift to Doctor Who, should write his audio debut.

He always wanted his life to be like a Hollywood movie full intrigue and glamour and spice but instead it was like one of those cheap telly efforts (dull, overlong and he didn’t understand what the ‘ell any of it meant). He took the lifeline the Doctor threw out from his old police box and he got to see how a skinny little herbert like him could make a real difference. And it was a fantastic way of impressing the birds. He has a way of bringing theories penetratingly to life. Always one to exaggerate his own prowess, when interviewed by the news he sets himself up as the real power behind the Doctor’s throne! He’s the master strategist, saving the day but shining the limelight on the Doctor as his public face (hahaha!). Fitz is happy to save the day as long as gets the girls phone number and gives the Doctor a massive hug when they defeat the latest alien menace – he’s so cute! He saves the Doctor the embarrassment of the being the face of ADI and enjoys the life of a celebrity as he endorses the organisation in the adverts.

Standout Performance: I can barely look at a photo of Matt di Angelo without going weak at the knees so matching that with his rough cockney accent in this tale and I was suitably bewitched. He just seems to get the character, full of bluster and bravado, embarrassing himself and yet at the same time emerging as a hero. His teary eyed story about the Doctor being tortured is hilarious.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Fitz Kreiner, Private Eye. This is the dirt.’
‘You’re a part time saviour. You save worlds at your convenience.’
‘Take your time…but please let go of my leg.’

Great Ideas: ADI is Alien Defence Incorporated, the rapid response extra terrestrial callout service! They will handle everything from abduction to full on invasion at very reasonable prices. One call and credit card details will bring the best protection to alien attack…as endorsed by the traveller in time and space – the Doctor! The advert was put out to draw the Doctor in so they could hire him as a freelance consultant (he’s not interested). Ten missing phone operatives and ten nasty puddles means they have been reduced to a chemical slime. The killer turns out to be…the simple cleaner!

Audio Landscape: The security bot being deactivated, the Doctor gurgling and spitting, phone ringing, the Doctor construct fizzing and phutting.

Musical Cues: The jingle that accompanies the ADI advert is bombast in its most hysterical purity!

Isn’t it Odd: Considering he was instrumental in the transition to Justin Richards as editor of the books it was a little odd to hear the Doctor mention Sam when Cole must know that he had forgotten his old life at this point. But who am I to get wound up but continuity errors, they certainly don’t get in the way of telling a good story.

Standout Scene: Fitz’s humiliation when interviewed as the real saviour of worlds and shown a clip of his bravery when facing aliens (‘Not me face! Not me face! Lets talk about it! You speako Englisho mate…argh!’). I love this guy.

Notes: Anji is sleeping off some very potent alien cocktails that Fitz gave her the night before. For the record she is the one character I adored even more than Fitz, a stuck up stock broker from London who had a desperate superiority complex when it came to Fitz and a real bitchy side. Tempering that was her intelligence, her resourcefulness and her humanity which made her even more useful than the Doctor at times. She had an initial mistrust of Fitz but grew to love him as we all do and was shedding tears over him before she left the TARDIS. The three of them made what I still consider to be the best team to have travelled in the novels and I would suggest checking out Fear Itself, The Year of Intelligent Tigers, City of the Dead, The Crooked World and Camera Obscura for the best of this team. At their height they were unstoppable.

Result: Brilliant entertainment and a dream come to true to actually hear the eighth Doctor and Fitz together for the first time. Who ever complains about a dominantly male TARDIS is nuts because the few occasions I can think of (the 1st Doctor & Steven, the 2nd Doctor & Jamie and the 8th Doctor and Fitz) show that particular Doctor at their best. Fitz was a marvellous character who made me laugh and cry and Matt di Angelo manages to encapsulate in this one mini adventure everything that made him special. The story itself is witty and wonderful and easily the best audio Steve Cole has written to date – he seems very comfortable with these characters and he should be since he was responsible for both of them in print once upon a time. The success of this story should have been enough to snap a season of 8th Doctor and Fitz adventures and we can only hope that one day they go ahead and make them. Frothy and delightful and a big thank you for letting me enjoy one last adventure with my favourite book companion: 9/10

The Company of Friends: Benny's Story written by Lance Parkin and directed by Nicholas Briggs

What’s it about: Deep in the mines of Epsilon Minima, Professor Bernice Summerfield is up to her neck in it - as usual. The Countess Venhella has hired her to recover a lost Time Lord artefact: A TARDIS key, it turns out. Guess whose?

Breathless Romantic: Wow, there is a genuinely relaxed and engaging chemistry between the 8th Doctor and Benny that far exceeds anything we have seen with her and the Doctor she travelled with on audio (admittedly that is only two stories). It feels as though all the tension between them has dropped away since he regenerated (Benny always loved the seventh Doctor but I’m not certain if she ever trusted him) and now they are old friends who pop in on each other from time to time. From Benny’s point of view the Doctor regenerated into a rather dashing chap with long hair but she only met him a few times. She is used to him always arriving with a plan and is perturbed that he seems to be making everything up as he goes along these days. His reaction to Benny have a son is ‘woooow!’ After living for centuries you would think the Doctor would learn not to tempt fate. Whatever fabric his velvet coat is made out of it manages to dry itself as soon as he leaves the water. The Time Lords are powerful and a lot of people resent that – he certainly does himself from time to time. Oh Doctor, as the Time War approaches you will regret statements like that. He is not the most organised of Doctor’s Benny has known but very possibly the most fun.

Archeological Adventuress: Benny gave up her chair to go freelance when she met the Doctor and travelled with him for a very long time. They went all across time and space and had plenty of adventures. Since then she has been living on the Braxiatel Collection and was around during all that nasty business with the Fifth Axis. This isn’t the first time she has been trapped in a collapsing pocket universe being stalked by some unknown creature…actually it isn’t even the second! Which gives you an idea of her daily life since she left the Doctor. In the face of bloodthirsty lion the Doctor tells her not to provoke it and she responds with her usual sarcastic wit – I think he forgets he is talking to one of his most resourceful companions. Benny has learnt through experience and studies that you shouldn’t believe everything you read in ancient texts because ancient people are just as capable of stupid as you or I. She turns down the Doctor’s offer to visit a spa planet because she has responsibilities now. When he offers to lend a hand she says not this time, you get a real feeling that she has matured beyond his teachings and can handle her own affairs.

Standout Performance: Su Douglas is having a ball as the raving aristocrat that wants to set the TARDIS free. Veering just this side of melodrama, she really throws herself into the role. Benny always seems to be allying herself with these mad despots – I swear she has some sort of unconscious crusade about bringing them down. Both Paul McGann and Lisa Bowerman are as charismatic as ever.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘You think our lives just stop and start depending on whether the Doctor is around?’ – a line I have waited to hear from Bernice regarding her own incredible series for an age.
‘I can’t even lose a key without it turning into an epic adventure!’
‘I’m all grown up now’ ‘You always were.’

Great Ideas: Not to belittle their impact on the new television series and breadth of storytelling but Bernice sums up the New Adventures in about three sentences right up until Parkin’s own novel, The Dying Days. How do you get from a coal mine to jungle without moving an inch? By travelling in time! The jungle is what all the coal will be made of millions of years time. The idea of the TARDIS rejuvenating a part of your body, in this case a hand, so it resembles a child’s appendage is horrific. To prevent time technology from falling into the wrong hands the TARDIS travels back millions of years, quarantining itself. The idea that from the outside people look upon TARDISes being enslaved by the Time Lords is fascinating whereas we know from experience with the Doctor that the relationship between them is far more personal than that. Making cracks in the universe and creatures slipping through, a strange hungry animal from a region that even the Time Lords don’t understand.

Audio Landscape: Great robot voices, an IMC mining robot, the inner workings of the TARDIS moving and reacting to an alien presence, a lion growling, creatures chittering in a jungle landscape, splashing into water and swimming to the shore, the soul of the TARDIS screaming in rage, Klarner being totally absorbed by something leaking in from another dimension.

Musical Cues: I loved the tinkling of Benny’s theme from her own series during the opening scenes.

Standout Scene: Predictable, but when the Doctor and Benny meet I got goosebumps.

Result: I love the idea of the eighth Doctor and Benny meeting up because when the New Adventures came to an end they went their separate ways and had similarly successful lives in print and audio and the chance to bring them together to see what might have been is intoxicating. The story is slight but surprisingly full of lovely ideas for such a petite story but we’re not really here for peeks into other dimensions, we’re here to spend half an hour with two of the most influential characters from Doctor Who spin off material. They’ve conquered the novel, the comic and now audio as well and together they make an engaging and enjoyable team. Is there are a chance that they can meet up again in the future, Big Finish? That is something I think I will be saying an awful lot throughout this anthology. Benny’s story scores highly on fun and despite her wish to return home they still managed a few detours which I hope we will hear one day: 8/10

Jago & Litefoot Complete Series

The Mahogany Murders: The Mahogany Murders is just about perfect. There is an evocative location (‘eating hot chestnuts out of wet paper bags’) and two of the most accomplished storytellers (the excitable and verbose Jago and the silky voiced Professor Litefoot) making this a genuine pleasure to listen to. Andy Lane’s script is full of nourishing descriptions and beautiful language and whilst his story is pretty throwaway the atmosphere and nostalgia it generates demands that this becomes a series. A beautifully directed slice of magic: 10/10

Read the full review here:
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/mahogany-murders-written-by-andy-lane.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/311-Doctor-Who-The-Companion-Chronicles-The-Mahogany-Murderers

The Bloodless Soldier: Already Jago, Litefoot and Ellie feel like characters I know intimately and that I have been listening to their adventures for many years, such is the brio and confidence with how this story is played. The Bloodless Soldier taps a vein of something warm and nostalgic whilst at the same time turning a corner and heading of into something fresh and new. This really does feel like the series we were denied on the television in the 70’s with a post millennium exciting approach to the storytelling. Tension bubbles to the surface throughout this tale leading to a conclusion that is unnerving and dramatic and leaving some interesting threads to be picked up at a later date. It’s a great universe to set stories in and these are fantastic characters to drive the comedy and drama. A great start: 9/10

The Bellova Doll: Alan Barnes has written an extremely intelligent script which cleverly takes a supernatural premise of a man rising from the grave and then plots a story with cunning details that convinces the reader it is genuinely so before revealing how we have been hoodwinked with a magicians flourish. Much like The Mahogany Murderers the pair of intrepid investigations regale us with their individual but equally compelling tales, they approach storytelling from very different angles but together make a very fulsome tale. The direction is faultless, never shying away from the terrifying reality of the Club and its member’s deception and the production values continue to shine (especially the music which really gives these stories a style of their own). The Bellova Doll provides an hour of shocks and thrills and another exemplary piece of entertainment with our two chums: 10/10

The Spirit Trap: Another science fiction delight dressed up as a supernatural chiller, this series has yet to produce one wrong move. Jonathan Morris’ script is rich with character and delicious dialogue and the story takes some delightfully unexpected twists with give the initially simple story some real punch. What starts as a simple ghost story has the most potentially disastrous consequences for humanity and goes to prove that this series can accommodate some intriguing dangers from the future. John Ainsworth’s direction is particularly strong, he has always excelled at the more atmospheric dramas and he has plenty of scope here to chill us to the bone. The Spirit Trap does not quite clinch full marks because it wasn’t quite as immaculate as the last tale but it still provided plenty of fantastic moments and a pleasingly eerie atmosphere: 9/10

The Similarity Engine: What a shame that the last story of the run should be the weakest as it polishes off this extraordinary box set with a sigh rather than a final hurrah. Its not badly written by any means but it lacks the bubbling humour and drama of the other releases and it feels like everything is being told in exposition rather than us actually experiencing any of the events. Jago seems most unlike his usual magniloquent self but this does give Litefoot a chance to steal the limelight for a change. Tulp transpires to be far less interesting than we were led to believe and his scheme to take over the minds of people and change the fate of the world was all dealt with in The Spirit Trap. On the plus side the production values are as strong as ever and the dialogue sparkles. A disappointing end to a splendid series: 6/10

Read the full reviews here:
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/bloodless-soldier-written-by-justin.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/bellova-doll-written-by-alan-barnes-and.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/spirit-trap-written-by-jonathan-morris.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/12/similarity-engine-written-by-andy-lane.html
Buy it from Big Finish here:
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-One-CD-Box-Set
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-One-Download-Collection

Litefoot & Sanders: From the terrifying opening scene to the devastating final twist, the opener for season two of Jago & Litefoot matches the superb quality of the first year. The performances of Benjamin, Baxter and Collings are sublime and Justin Richards’ flair with luminescent loquacious language makes this an enchanting experience. Like The Bloodless Soldier this is a quiet opener but it is bursting with wonderful character moments and real menace and atmosphere. Big Finish has struck gold with this series: 9/10

The Necropolis Express: I have been waiting an age to hear a Mark Morris audio (I haven’t reached his Dalek story yet) and he doesn’t disappoint, this is as macabre and ghoulish as I was expecting and then some! It starts with a very simple premise of seeing Ellie to her grave and weaves through some very funny scenes of Jago trying to keep brave in a ghastly graveyard, the return of an old friend of Litefoot’s, an awesome horrific reveal of an old character and the revelation that Sanders has his hands in far more than we were led to believe. The dialogue is as rich as a fine claret, Lisa Bowerman really aces the Victorian atmosphere and scares and the performances are top notch. I hate that these seasons are only 4 stories long as I really enjoy them and feel that they are over far too quickly but if less running time means this level of quality goes into what we do have then so much the better. Top notch: 9/10

The Theatre of Dreams: Innovative and unpredictable, Theatre of Dreams is a surreal and inventive piece of character drama that kept me guessing until the last scene. Its brilliant to be able to explore Jago & Litefoot’s dreams and nightmares because it allows us to get even closer to the characters. Jonathan Morris deconstructs the reality of theatre and makes insightful observations on the nature of dreams. It’s the standout story of this consistently excellent season and the best the series has been since The Bellova Doll. Expertly put together by Lisa Bowerman who keeps things gripping and unreliable whilst guiding us to the truth with some judicious editing. Subversive storytelling at its best, Theatre of Dreams is packed with great imagery and is one of the most audacious audio productions Big Finish have released: 10/10

The Ruthven Inheritance: All the pieces of season two come together satisfyingly like a gripping game of chess, The Ruthven Inheritance puts Jago & Litefoot through the wringer like never before and sees them come out stronger than ever. This adventure has several shocks and fantastically scary moments and an appetite-whetting scene that climaxes this year with a stylish flourish. Season two of Jago & Litefoot has been the most consistently excellent series Big Finish has yet produced and yet something tells me there is even better to come. If you enjoy these characters or simply like beautifully acted and crafted audio drama, go and listen now: 9/10

Read the full reviews here:
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/02/litefoot-sanders-written-by-justin.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/02/necropolis-express-written-by-mark.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/03/theatre-of-dreams-written-by-jonathan.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/03/ruthven-inheritance-written-by-andy.html
Buy it from Big Finish here:
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-Two-CD-Box-Set
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-Two-DOWNLOAD-Box-Set

Dead Men’s Tales: A quiet opener for the series and probably my least favourite Justin Richards story yet featuring a simple mystery and a forgettable role for the most formidable combination in the annals of criminology! However this is still Jago & Litefoot we are talking about so there is a manifold of periphery elements that make this hugely fun to listen to. The new premise for the series is pleasingly reminiscent of Sapphire and Steel and suggests a stronger running arc throughout the series and the inclusion of Leela is every bit as entertaining as you could hope for. The first two series opened with a dramatic punch at the conclusion that had ramifications that spread through their respective season like wild fire and whilst Dead Men’s Tales lacks that there are some intriguing threads to be followed up all the same: 6/10

The Man at the End of the Garden: A Victorian fairytale with macabre undertones, this was much more my cup of Rosy Lee than the opening adventure and features some very well fleshed out guest characters as well as our regular cast. Matthew Sweet has always written deliciously effusive audio adventures and so he is perfectly suited to bring to life the voluminously verbose world of Jago & Litefoot. The story feels refreshingly original with some pleasing post modern and literate touches and the dialogue drips from the characters mouths like honey nectar. An intelligent story with some atmospheric Victorian references and delightful moments of Lewis Carroll storytelling, The Man at the End of the Garden sees Jago & Litefoot stepping up from supernatural adventures to something far more involving. Pushing the PJ Hammond feel of the series even further you will find touches of his Sapphire and Steel and Torchwood work suffused into this piece and keep an eye on the details of the story since they make the climax all the more rewarding and touching. The last scene will leave you hungry for more: 9/10

Swan Song: John Dorney knows how to make an instant impression and before the theme tune you’ll hear a tragic character tale and an extremely clever reversal of the usual supernatural shenanigans that proves this is going to be a very different sort of story. He plots the story in such a way that vital events that take place can be revealed before they happen making for a tense and foreboding experience. The fabric of reality is weakening, pantomime is taking on sinister undertones and time is manipulating events in a big way. Jago & Litefoot has without a doubt picked up Sapphire and Steel’s preternatural atmosphere and shrewdness and it feels like the series is opening out in a very exciting fashion. Add in a tear jerking conclusion and another impressive cliffhanger and this series gets better and better: 9/10

Chronoclasm: Time spillage, mysterious objects, unearthly voices, messages from the future and a real sense of cataclysmic threat enveloping our heroes, Chronoclasm opens as many doors as it closes. It provides a dramatic conclusion for this series of Jago & Litefoot whilst putting in motion some disturbing pieces for the next series too. This season finale offers murder and the possibility of hell breaking out on Earth and throughout there is an unsettling feeling of transition, as though nothing will ever be quite the same again. Andy Lane writes his strongest script since The Mahogany Murderers with one disturbing juxtaposition after another leading to a thrilling climax. Don’t make a deal with the devil because it will come back and demand its payment: 10/10

Read the full reviews here:
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/05/jago-litefoot-series-three.html
Buy it from Big Finish here:
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-Three-DOWNLOAD-Box-Set
http://www.bigfinish.com/Jago-and-Litefoot-Series-Three-CD-Box-Set

Jago in Love: After the experimental nature of series three we are back in the more comfortable, atmospheric ambiance of series one and two and it’s a winning formula that continues to please. With the added value of Leela and the spooky atmosphere of this series at its height, Jago in Love offers plenty of witty dialogue, jump out of your seat moments and a touching exploration of our favourite theatrical impresario under Cupid’s spell. With a trip to the seaside, the theatre and the funfair there are plenty of opportunities for Lisa Bowerman to immerse us in that glowing Victorian ambiance that the series flaunts so engagingly. The performances are as gorgeous as ever - its lovely to get to see the tender side of Christopher Benjamin, Louise Jameson fits this series like a glove now and delivers some pitch perfect observations and ripostes and Trevor Baxter gets the chance to play some chilling scenes as Litefoot in a very unusual role. Mirrors stealing souls, photographic skulduggery, disembodied voices, snarling beasts and possessed Professors…Jago & Litefoot is back and its at its entertaining best: 9/10

Beautiful Things: Beautiful Things is an example of business as usual in the world of Jago & Litefoot but I don’t mean that in a negative way because this is about as perfect a representation of this series as you could find. It’s a gorgeous homage to The Picture of Dorian Grey which starts out resembling the SJS audio The TAO Connection (a sick man, his male companion and young men dying by supernatural means) but soon becomes an enthralling mixture of labyrinthine concepts and artistic criticism with some delicious Sapphire and Steel ideas thrown in for good measure. What makes this so Mary Poppins (that’s practically perfect in every way) is that the essentials of this series are so strong and well realised by writer John Dorney they simply add the finishing touches of sublimity to an already sensational script. You’ve got the joyous coming together of Jago and Oscar Wilde, Claudius Dark making his presence felt more keenly, Leela continuing to shine in this setting with her animal instincts at their sharpest and Litefoot back to his investigative ways showing off his deductive skills and brilliance. The dialogue throughout is acuminous, the interplay between all the characters had me howling with laughter and imagination that has gone into creating library that eats peoples imaginations has to be applauded. The inclusion of Wilde ensures there are some intelligent comments about his work and reminds us that this period of history had its own memorably famous characters – I wonder which one the intrepid investigators will look up next? It’s a confident, polished production that could happily have slipped into any of the first three seasons with a little tweaking but that isn’t a bad thing. This isn’t generic Jago & Litefoot and yet Beautiful Things is the epitome of why the series continues to shine: 10/10

The Lonely Clock: Matthew Sweet and Jago & Litefoot are a match made in heaven. He came onto the scene in Gary Russell’s swansong, The Year of the Pig, and a lot of people found the verbose of the script and the luxurious sensuality of the story a bit too much to handle. Tether his hedonistic writing to the supernatural ingredients built into Jago & Litefoot and you automatically have something which is dripping with quality dialogue and is genuinely very spooky to listen to. Opening with an intriguing mystery and unsettling atmosphere and bringing this seasons villains out of hiding in a very permanent way, this is some very confident set up for the season finale. The more I hear of Leela on audio these days (and her three way split between Gallifrey, the 4^th Doctor adventures and Jago & Litefoot means I am certainly not denied that pleasure) the more I find the character one of the most perfectly crafted to have leapt from classic Doctor Who. She works in past, present and future settings and Louise Jameson is fast becoming one of the most prolific and skilful actresses that Big Finish has on their payroll. This is her best turn yet in this series with Sweet giving her some magnificent dialogue and moments of ingenuity, charm and menace. The Lonely Clock also exposes how talented Lisa Bowerman has become in the directors chair of late. After the musical hall bawdiness of Jago in Love and the poetic sorrow of Beautiful Things she enforces an eerie quietness on the third adventure of the series that had me on edge throughout. It’s the same trick she employs in the best of her companion chronicles releases (the Sara Kingdom/Oliver Harper stories) and its astonishing how cutting out a noisy soundtrack (when that is all audio has to bring itself to life) and using the music and special effects sparingly can induce a feeling of anxiety. The Lonely Clock is another assured piece of storytelling that only loses points because it is inevitably the set up for an even better conclusion: 8/10

The Hourglass Killers: Its funny how certain things excite different people, isn’t it? For some going to see an important football match breaks them out in hives of enthusiasm, for others it is the latest novel from their favourite author. Nothing pleases me more (at least in fictional terms) when a series that I enjoy comes together to produce something so utterly delightful you just want to shout out from the rooftops. Whilst I could level that praise at this series (not season, series) as a whole the mere thought of an adventure in Victorian London with the sixth Doctor, Jago, Litefoot and Leela makes me so giddily energised I can barely control myself! What’s more The Hourglass Killers has a superb script that is packed full of moments of Justin Richard’s at his inventive and evocative best. The imagery alone is worth buying this set for but when you add in the witty dialogue, the chemistry between the actors and the fact that this is satisfyingly climactic culmination of five stories worth of build up it is practically untouchable. The ending takes the Jago & Litefoot in a fascinating and exciting new direction…talk about leaving me agog for the next season! Jago and Litefoot…travelling in the TARDIS! This series just gets better and better: 10/10

Full Reviews Here:
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/jago-in-love-written-by-nigel-fairs-and.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/beautiful-things-written-by-john-dorney.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/lonely-clock-written-by-matthew-sweet.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/hourglass-killers-written-by-justin.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/series-four-box-set-558

The Age of Revolution: With Jago, Litefoot, Ellie and Sacker all transferring from the old stomping ground of the Victorian age to the swinging sixties, the range manages to find itself a blissfully revolutionary home from home for a season. The main difference between this and another series that I have perhaps mentioned rather too much in this review that has in recent undergone a similar shift in tone and style is that Jago & Litefoot takes to its new setting like a duck to water and approaches the possibility of telling new kinds of stories with a joi de vivre that is impossible to resist. Jonathan Morris always writers something special for this range and doesn’t just adapt to the new setting but embraces it whole-heartedly taking in everything from sixties psychedelia (I detected traces of his awesome eleventh Doctor strip Forever Dreaming) to Avengers spy drama and Austin Powers style nostalgia. The Age of Revolution eases us into this new style gently with the clever use of narration to re-introduce to Jago, Litefoot and Ellie from the point of view of a character from this time period. Indeed the way that Sacker discovers the diaries of his grandfather explaining his involvement with the infernal investigators means that you could pick up this series without ever having listened to what came before. It mines a very different avenue of stories to Countermeasures despite taking place in the same time period (although a crossover might be great fun). This opening installment has a great deal of exposition to get out of the way so its not perhaps the most effective standalone adventure (there’s plenty of intelligent detail but the resolution is so pat its not really worth considering) but I’ll forgive it that because it attacks its central premise (moving the series forwards in time) with such gusto it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the atmosphere of the piece. The atmosphere and tone has changed but the structure of the stories (investigating imaginative ideas) has remained exactly the same. The same, but different. This is such a delightful departure from the norm I’m in two minds as to whether I want to return to the Victorian era…but I have three more adventures to get that out of my system. This series continues to be the crowning glory of Big Finish’s oeuvre: 9/10

The Case of the Gluttonous Guru: What a bizarre, macabre piece of work. This wont be to everyone tastes (very droll!) because it is completely over the top (‘peace upon your luncheon, Mama!’) and features some truly disgusting ideas but if you are willing to go with it then The Case of the Gluttonous Guru sees Jago & Litefoot dipping its toes into something completely different from the norm. Finally Jago has met his match…his own hunger and much of the comedy and drama revolves around his slow surrender to temptation. On a production level this is another superb installment with Howard Carter’s music standing out once again as something to be savoured. Carter above anyone else is taking advantage of the ranges new setting. The only story where the horror is a gastronomic nasty and one that builds from within and starts clawing its way out. It’s a freakish mixture of 60s kaleidoscopia and ribald humour (you’ve never had so many burps in a Big Finish adventure outside of Unbound’s Exile and bout of vomiting too) that generates it’s own unique nature (there will never be another story like this one, which you can’t say about every Jago & Litefoot adventure), but one that some parts of the audience might find uncomfortable. That’s a feeling I take pleasure in from fiction so I liked the freshness of tone but I couldn’t imagine an entire season of adventures in this vein. Enjoyable, but completely out there: 8/10

The Bloodchild Codex:  Is this really the same Colin Brake who wrote Three’s a Crowd? In the slot usually reversed for Matthew Sweet or John Dorney instead we have a writer who, at best, has produced pretty average stories in the past. More fool me for getting ahead of myself and assuming the worst. Not only is this the best standalone story of the season so far but it’s also the best plotted and contains some of the finest surprises. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, Joseph! The way Ellie’s nature is weaved into the storyline adds depth to her character and both Jago and Litefoot are given plenty of consideration too, the former underwritten for a change to allow his gentler side to come out and the latter continuing the season five thread of the good Professor being a fish out of water in the sixties. The characterisation all round is nuanced and all three actors are responding well to shifts they have been asked to make. The two Doctor Who adventures that bridged seasons four and five are given some consideration too, with one McGuffin acquired by Jago starting to gain momentum as this series progresses. There hasn’t been a knockout adventure yet but season five is showing a run of form that easily matches previous years. Frankly this is infectious listening, and the cliffhanger is a doozy: 8/10

The Last Act: ‘Something of a Chinese puzzle, ay Professor?’ Like the opening installment, The Last Act is less of a standalone adventure and more like one last sniff of the weed-scented sixties air. At least initially. Considering line producer David Richardson has confirmed that the next three seasons will see Jago & Litefoot returning to the familiar atmosphere of pea soupers and bloody murder on the cobbles it is perhaps no bad thing to take in the sights one last time and relish the sheer entertainment that this setting has had to offer. Because we are so far removed from the smog bound setting that Talons of Weng-Chiang took place this is perhaps the perfect place to stage a sequel so at no point does it feel like it is stepping on the toes of this ranges’ progenitor. All the elements are present and correct (Mr Sin, Li’Sen Chang’s party tricks on stage, the House of the Dragon) but the new setting makes everything come alive in a very different way to Talons (perhaps that was the central reason for the change of time period – it might have felt more like a direct rip off in Victorian London). Respectful obeisance to the origins of these delightful characters rather than a direct rip off. There’s plenty for Jago, Litefoot, Ellie and Sacker to do and they have formed an engaging ensemble for the season and the mysterious Guinivere Godiva proves at last to be a villainess who is a victim of that most entertaining of Achilles’ heels, eschewing her previous charms for high camp. Bombshells explode with frequency and the concluding half of the story is furiously paced – The Final Act will fly by in no time at all. This season has been like taking one long drag on a succulent sixties spliff, making the world a brighter place and filling my head full of adventures that sing with witty wordplay and captivating curiosities. If you have been avoiding it because of the relocation then fear not, Jago & Litefoot is as wildly entertaining as ever: 9/10

Full Reviews Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-age-of-revolution-written-by.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-case-of-gluttonous-guru-written-by.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-bloodchild-codex-written-by-colin.html
http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-last-act-written-by-justin-richards.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/jago-litefoot-series-five-box-set-554