Road Trip: Brand Management written by Christopher Cooper and directed by Gary Russell

What’s it about: “You’re listening to Live Audio Stream G371, the only official source of government approved easy listening entertainment, as sponsored by the Dominicci Corporation. It’s the thirteenth day of the thirteenth month, and that means just one thing, people - it’s time to PARTAYYY...!” Bernice Summerfield needs a job. Professor Harry Burtenshaw thinks she’s just the ticket. But with the people of Lyndyaz celebrating their most important festival, and the ruling Dominicci Corporation maintaining control with draconian glee, has Bernice turned up in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Archeological Adventuress: Finally Bernice is back to the future (although technically she has never been away) and rather wonderfully has managed to cause mischief whilst she has been sleeping in suspended animation! Her name has been abused and exploited by the Dominicci family who have turned her into some kind of artifical deity to further their power games. It would appear that Bernice doesn’t even have to be around these days to make a significant impact on the universe. You can almost rely on the fact that the first person that she hooks up with will be a nuisance and in this case it turns out to be a criminal. Trouble is a habit she just can’t seem to break. I can’t believe that Benny tries the ‘this conversation has been taped’ trick but then I guess the old ones are the best. She’s not above using her married name when she feels it is necessary to keep her identity hidden. Sometimes she wishes her life was more glamorous than spending it knee deep in mud with only a trowel for company (she does herself a disservice there). It took time for Lisa Bowerman to generate some real chemistry with Lisa Faulkner (Bev Tarrant) and Harry Myers (Adrian) but her connection with Ayesha Antoine has been instant and electrifying. When they meet up again in the least plausible of circumstances (they had been separated by time and space) there is an instant spark between the actresses and characters. She heard about the dig but if she had known it was her she was looking to dig up she would have headed in the other direction!

Mysterious Girl: I’m really pleased that Ruth managed to survive as she was the best innovation to leap from the Epoch box set. Its so embarrassing but I didn’t realise that Ayesha Antoine was the actress who played DeeDee in Midnight and I was watching the episode last week on my Kindle and kept shutting my eyes because I knew I knew her voice. I was just reaching for Wikipedia when it came to me (I literally shouted ‘Ruth!’) and the connection instantly made me grin. That was entirely down to the impact that she has made on me on these audios…when I was listening to Gallifrey IV the other day I had no idea that Conrad Westmaas was playing a part until somebody pointed it out in the extras! It just goes to show that the better actors/actresses really do stand out and make an impression. Ruth is alienated in a strange universe that she doesn’t understand but is trying to fit in, having lost her real identity to the Epoch. Its something that is highlighted here so I’m guessing that we are leading up to some kind of almighty revelation about who she used to be. Her method of finding Benny is to turn her into a minor celebrity and it’s a stroke of genius on her part. Although she has only had limited exposure to Bernice she knows that she cannot resist and advert as obvious as that. She still hasn’t forgiven Bernice for thinking that she wouldn’t sacrifice herself for her but couldn’t resist trying to find her anyway. The way that both Benny and Ruth refuse to believe that the other is dead despite all evidence to the contrary when they have only just found each other again is very touching, suggesting the great feeling they have for each other.

Standout Performance: I could never mistake Anjili Mohindra’s voice having fallen so desperately in love with her in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Her accent is accentuated far more on audio and there are a few times where her inexperience before the microphone show but on the whole she is a terrific fit for the role and she throws herself into it with real aplomb.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Last year they even used military lasers to burn an image of your face into the third moon’ ‘And what did they burn onto the other two?’ ‘Oh you don’t want to know…’

‘Fascinating that history should ignore one and deify the other…’ – the Professor is talking about Ruth and Bernice here but I think this is a salient point that is worth remembering. I think its very possible that in the life that Ruth lost the reverse might very well be true.

‘And let me guess…before long every day was a bank holiday with the likes of me being paraded about like a pantheon of DIY deities and making them a packet! As plans for galactic domination go they really were playing the long game…’

‘We’re archaeologists, Professor! We immerse ourselves in history! Yes we live in the past but sometimes, sometimes you have to remember history is happening all around you right here, right now!’

‘Just one voice and the flame of rebellion will be well and truly lit.’

Great Ideas: Why can’t every job interview start out this amiably, with the interviewer assuring the interviewee that it is less of a grilling and more of a meeting of minds! Commercialism is something that is crying out to be parodied and Chris Cooper goes for the jugular by creating a society that worships a different deity each week, whichever one is being marketed most skilfully and remains in fashion! I love the idea of brand management writ large like this, a planet wide epidemic that has turned religion into something to be promoted, flogged and bought by the masses. Although some part of me really hopes that ‘Benny-ficiary’ wasn’t the starting point for this audio! The mention of Rogue Traders made me chuckle…I guess Cooper has been watching one too many episodes of Watchdog! The Dominicci family collect other peoples icons and absorb them, re-brand them and export them across the galaxy. It has proven to be an extremely lucrative business that has kept them at the top of their game. Profit and power is in the blood of all villains and the Dominicci’s are no different. Bernice understands that if they are going to make an impact and bring down the family they are going to have to get down and dirty…sex sells, even in the 27^th Century! On the one hand the people don’t want their fake deities to be proven as such but on the other once you have started a rumour it soon spreads like a rampant virus of misinformation. We are fed more information about Legion which is a relief because this set feels as if it is taking us on a journey and leading somewhere special. Bernice’s pod was found on Mars, a planet otherwise believed to be populated only be bacteria. She was the product of a new religion, worshipping her as a deity but they soon sold her own when they hit penurious times. Benny has spent a great amount of time studying Mars and thinks she would have remembered a religion based around her own visage. Apparently there is a chain of Bernice Summerfield theme worlds out there!  Gabriella is so good at marketing she can murder her own brother and turn the whole bloody affair to her own advantage.

Audio Landscape: Opening with immediate impact on a shuttle careering towards the listener and cutting to an advert, Benny is at the top of the audio game as usual. Robotic immigration control, market crowd scenes, a glass smashing assassination attempt, bubbling fountain, a screaming crowd.

Musical Cues: I nearly spat out my coffee when I heard the ‘Adventure is my Game’ theme song from Benny’s early seasons. An aural tragedy, its still an affront to the ears to this day. So kudos to whoever it was that decided to rip the piss out of it so spectacularly and turn it into one of the most famous songs in the galaxy! ‘What is that?’ screams Bernice as though she has never heard anything so ghastly.

Result: ‘This is going to be one hell of a road trip!’ Strong ideas are tethered to a lacklustre plot, Brand Management is very entertaining for the most part without ever threatening to top any polls. My biggest problem was how much the plot floundered and took forever to explain what was going on but once it did the results were actually quite rewarding. The dialogue is top notch throughout with some very clever spoofing of the dangers of over commercialisation and the reunion of Benny and Ruth makes this more than worth listening to. There is so much to keep you distracted during this audio that its only as you reach the conclusion that you realise that not a great deal has actually happened. The way Bernice so casually brings down a powerful family that has kept a galaxy in check for so long is more than a little glib. If it was that easy then somebody would have done it years ago. It was during Brand Management, however, that I realised that the team of Gary Russell, Scott Handcock, Lisa Bowerman and Ayesha Antoine have successfully managed to reboot the Bernice Summerfield universe, to jettison the old order and replace it with something equally as engaging. This is frivolous first pit stop on the road trip to Legion (albeit with something serious to say at the heart of its humour) but the best is yet to come: 7/10

The Jigsaw War written by Eddie Robson and directed by Lisa Bowerman

What’s it about: A cell. Four walls and one door. Jamie McCrimmon can escape, but it means unravelling a puzzle of extraordinary complexity. And there are more than just two players in this game. The Doctor is there. And so is his opponent Si. As a hero turns killer, and a rebellion becomes anarchy, the lines between good and evil are blurred. And so does the distinction between cause and effect…

Who’s the Yahoos: Sometimes I think it is easy to forget Frazer Hines’ contribution to Doctor mostly thanks to the lack of source material available. Only an ardent Doctor Who fan is going to take the effort to seek out the soundtracks to all the missing stories (or as my husband said to me agog last year ‘you’re going to listen to a TV story…without pictures?’) and tantalisingly new episodes are being discovered with painstaking infrequency that often turn out to be William Hartnell material (an era that already enjoys a wealth of archived episodes) rather than anything from the Patrick Troughton era (I don’t mean that to sound as ungrateful as it might, I go weak at the knees whenever new episodes show up I just wish the scales could be more even in this respect). And despite my assertion that season six doesn’t actually need Jamie (and that perhaps his story ended naturally when Victoria left and he should have gone with her) his presence is never less than delightful, his chemistry with Troughton and Padbury is unmistakable and Hines has always been a fine actor and promoter of the show and always gives his all to any material he is given. Jamie is a great character, funny when he is allowed (or when Hines thinks he can get away with it) and serious when he needs to be and his relationship with the Doctor is the closest to a bromance that we have ever seen on the show (especially when compared with other companions such as Harry, Adric and Turlough). Captain Jack might have been the one to actually lock lips with the Doctor but its with the Doctor and Jamie that where all the real love is. Actions speak louder than words and the way they cling onto each other for dear life suggests a deep affection for each other (not sexual of course) that goes beyond mere friendship.

When Jamie is asked how he and the Doctor work he replies simply ‘however we like’ and I can’t imagine a better answer. He has absolute faith in the man that he will win against any opponent because he always does. Jamie has developed a great respect for the word of the underdog over the authority figures, partly because of his own experiences back in Scotland and partly because that is what the Doctor has taught him. He doesn’t quite have the intelligence to figure that if a subservient population gained in numbers then they would use that to their advantage and gain the upper hand…they would in effect become the oppressors. All Jamie sees are people suffering and he wants to help. The Doctor has been teaching Jamie to read but only when they have the time. He likes this planet because its quite like where he comes from. The Doctor has never let him down before and so its especially disheartening to hear that it is his brilliant plan that has caused the situation on the planet to go tits up. Jamie needs to do things whilst he remembers because his memory isn’t as sharp as either the Doctor or Zoe’s. Every time the Jamie asks where the Doctor got the TARDIS from he changes the subject and he has come to the conclusion that he built it himself. They don’t need money and the Doctor doesn’t like him using weapons when diplomacy is a much better way to approach people. Jamie doesn’t even know how to start talking about this puzzle in understandable terms and so working it out is a massive undertaking for him. Jamie is the sort of person who can achieve something in minutes that has taken a research team weeks by blundering in unawares…but don’t ask him what he did afterwards because he wont have a clue! By the end of the tale Jamie knows how to open each new conversation with Moran so he can figure out where in the sequence he is. He might not be the brightest spark in to fall from the match but he has the capacity to learn and apply that knowledge.

Oh My Giddy Aunt: ‘You’re not that old, Doctor and it’s a big universe…’ He used to be an interested observer. Seeing the brute that Jamie could become given the right circumstances the Doctor refuses to believe the evidence of his own eyes. Even though he was born and bred for warfare, the Doctor excuses his behaviour when they first met of that of an influential young man. Si suggests the Doctor has ‘civilised the savage’ to which the Doctor refutes most strongly and tells him that Jamie is the most reliable friend he has ever had and there’s a reciprocating relationship. He blunders in and accepts the situation at face value and sometimes he gets things wrong. Given the wealth of adventures he has had since there seems to be some truth in the fact that there are plenty of things that the Doctor hasn’t yet experienced. He’s still young, relatively speaking. Jamie simply accepts that the Doctor goes around tackling other peoples problems and if he has secrets about his origins as far as he is concerned that is the Doctor’s business. The day Jamie sees the Doctor obeying somebody else’s instructions would be the day that he is genuinely astonished. The Doctor often tells people not to commit acts of violence but they do it anyway and so he gets to take a moral stance against whilst still achieving his aims.

Standout Performance: In a story of this nature you need all of the performances to be pitch perfect to ensure that the audience isn’t distracted away from the plot by an unconvincing turn. Fortunately both Frazer Hines (who is a dab hand at this sort of thing by now both as wild eyed, innocent Jamie and the gruffer but charming Doctor) and Dominic Mafham are absolutely on the money. I was as impressed by their contribution as Eddie Robson’s.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘I don’t buy it!’ ‘I’m not trying to sell it!’

‘I would never make Jamie my assassin!’

Great Ideas: When the first survey team were sent to this planet they found it teeming with Unheld who threatened the crew, stole the ship and made it into orbit after beating the crew to death. What an interesting puzzle…Jamie is Moran’s prisoner but suddenly they have exchanged roles and he is the bully boy with the gun and Moran is his prisoner. What is going on? Then things shift again and Moran is not Moran but another intelligence speaking through him. In order for Jamie to escape his cell through the door he simply has to put the sequence of experiences he is having with a stout young officer called Moran in order. He is currently going through them out of chronological sequence and if he puts them in order he will have assembled a code which unlocks the door. I love the idea of the Doctor talking through Jamie just as Frazer Hines is channelling Troughton’s performance, it gives the whole format of the companion chronicles another meaning. Jamie figures that the future is not fixed so the resulting sequences that he is being shown (working for the Unheld, killing Moran, becoming the oppressor rather than the oppressed) are only potentials depending on whether he escapes the cell or not. There are other reasons that he might have put the uniform on as well (spying for the Doctor, perhaps?). Wonderfully Jamie decides to break down the segments he has been shown and write their sequence on the floor of the cell in chalk. A good way to infiltrate is to set up a threat and then save people from it. This has all been set up by the Unheld’s Gods, a fifth dimensional race that needs their belief to give them power. If they grow too numerous they will pull their resources and discover what their Gods really are. So they have been using humans to oppress them and slow their develop, humans like Jamie.

Audio Landscape: Rusty door swinging open, gun firing, banging on the door, cutting through it, alarm. Its quite an economic soundtrack for Big Finish, highlighting that this is entirely set in one room.

Standout Scene: Ultimately there is nobody outside the door trying to cut their way in, this has all been an elaborate ruse to sway Jamie’s opinion of how the future is going to play out. The test was never to work out the combination but to make Jamie think that he couldn’t change the future and he had to become the brutish thug they showed him to be. Its not a test, its indoctrination. Absolutely chilling. I’ve read complaints that the ending is too abrupt and the consequences aren’t dealt with but we have been so expertly guided through the story and had all the elements explained that make the final piece of the puzzle all we need to complete the picture. That abruptness is the proof that this has been rather beautifully plotted.

Result: What a terrific premise; its not just the combination lock that Jamie has to figure out, he also has to assemble the narrative so it makes some kind of satisfactory sense to the audience. The Jigsaw War highlights Jamie’s intelligence rather than his instincts and fulfils the remit of the companion chronicles by exploring new facets of these characters that we have come to know so well. The best characters are those that keep giving even after a wealth of adventures. Listening to Jamie trying to figure out an intelligence puzzle is a fascinating exercise because he remains true to his character (he’s an action hero rather than a brainiac) but he approaches the enigma slowly and carefully and looks at all the separate elements before trying to put them all together. Zoe would have it all figured out in seconds…but where would the fun be in that? That’s why they have swapped roles of late; Zoe experiencing an emotional adventure (The Uncertainty Principle) and Jamie an intellectual one. Since the Troughton era was one of monsters and blockbusting invasions I always love it when the audios take a more historical or psychological approach (of which this is a strong example of the latter), focussing on and exploiting the strength of the regulars in a way that the series simply didn’t do at the time (it was more of an adventure serial). Saying that the Doctor goes through a similar horror to what Jamie did in Evil of the Daleks (which in its psychological investigation was definitely the exception rather than the rule), seeing him in an entirely different light and questioning just how well he really knows the young rapscallion. I love nostalgia but its innovative stories like this that really thrill me. Whatever you want from a Doctor Who adventure, The Jigsaw War has it; it is morally ambiguous (are the Unheld the victims or the villains), it’s a great mystery (what is happening to Jamie and which future will come to pass?) and it develops the characters in kind (you’ll understand both the Doctor and Jamie a little better before the end). Considering its non linear and puzzling nature this is actually very easy to listen to thanks to a script which takes the time to explain itself as it goes and crystal clear direction from the ever reliable Lisa Bowerman. Add in a pair of memorable performances from Frazer Hines and Dominic Mafham and you have a really juicy psychological riddle to solve: 9/10

Big Finish Box Sets

Big Finish Box Sets

UNIT Dominion



Part One: A quiet introduction that gathers some impressive credentials and has lots of clever detail and intriguing character interaction. Briggs understands that these discs need to be an hour long so as not to outstay their welcome and to leave the audience wanting more (whereas his fellow producer Gary Russell has no conception of economical storytelling and let every tale in the Gallifrey IV box set grow to monstrous proportions). It’s a bit unfocused in places and deals with one threat too many rather than spotlighting one, really memorable menace. What the constant bombardment of danger does highlight is how busy UNIT are these days but it does that to the detriment of this being treated as an individual story (to be fair to Briggs & Arnopp they never pretend that this is anything but one epic tale chopped up into four discs). Where UNIT Dominion scores (and scores big) is in assembling so many memorable characters that offer a great deal of interest to fans of the audio adventures (especially with Klein and Raine returning) but will also provide much curiosity in anybody coming to the company afresh. Tracey Childs and Alex McQueen make the biggest impact and their relationship looks set to evolve into something quite special and the only weak link in a very impressive cast is Sylvester McCoy who veers alarmingly between brilliant and appalling. There is a real sense of an epic being set up at this point and it certainly makes far more of an impact than the UNIT miniseries that was attempted before. There’s a great deal of promise to this set up, let’s hope the box set goes on to deliver: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unit-dominion-part-one.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-unit-dominion-boxset-783

Part Two: UNIT Dominion is starting to feel like a contemporary version of The Five Doctor; a bunch of characters (recurring) and monsters (original) thrown together and watching the chaos that ensues. Like the Terrance Dicks love letter to Who there are plenty of set pieces but no real narrative to speak of. Its all great fun for the most part with so much going on to distract you that the general aimlessness of the piece barely begins to register. All the best material takes place on Earth and involves the glorious Tracey Childs and Alex McQueen and their interaction alone makes this box set worth buying. The pace is relentless and the production design ensures that events are crystal clear despite so much going on and I particularly liked how this installment of the saga went from the ambitious (an entire army versus the Sky Heads) to the intimate (a few UNIT operatives struggling to stay alive). The biggest disappointment is the 7th Doctor and Raine’s complete disassociation with the main story and how we keep cutting back to their, frankly dull, escapades on the other side of the dimensional divide. It feels as if two completely separate stories are taking place and by placing them side by side one highlights how poor the other is. On a production level this is grand stuff but its hardly the most intellectually stimulating exercise. Its such a bizarre fusion of the very good (anything with Klein passes muster in my eyes) and the frustrating (repeated versions of the same danger – infractions from escaping aliens from other dimensions) that at this point I don’t quite know how to judge it. Enjoyable, but with several caveats: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unit-dominion-part-two-written-by.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-unit-dominion-boxset-783

Part Three: Suddenly UNIT Dominion switches to a more intimate footing and we are dealing with matters of identity (the future Doctor and Klein) and as a result the story gains a sudden, sharp focus. What this series gets so right that some of the other more recent box sets failed to grasp was that you have to save some impressive revelations for the latter half of the story (this is something that let Epoch, Gallifrey IV and Dark Eyes down) and it has saved a real humdinger for last scene of this installment that will leave you eager to start the next. Paradoxically this is also the most epic part of the story as well telling an exciting alien attack on an impressively diverse geographical scale. Finally Sylvester McCoy gets a decent sized role in the story and he certainly ups his game when performing against the incomparable Tracey Childs and Alex McQueen who both get their most exciting material yet. I questioned whether this box set would work at the beginning with its shopping list of elements and weight of clichés but Briggs & Arnopp have managed to juggle up the former and subvert the latter and create an invigorating atmosphere all of their own. If this is the best section of the story it at least proves that there was some real mileage in the idea: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unit-dominion-part-three-written-by.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-unit-dominion-boxset-783

Part Four: Desperately exciting as the shit hits the fan and all the elements that have gone in to constructing this story cohere into a blisteringly good finale. The reveal that the future Doctor is the Master has leant the story a dramatic focus that it has been lacking until this point and its dimension destruction and one-upmanship all the way to the finale. Sylvester McCoy is suddenly giving Alex McQueen a run for his money, he’s obviously been waiting to make his move throughout the story and now he gets the chance to take on his most formidable foe with absolute relish. McQueen is still fantastic though and can now stress some menace which coupled with his already sarcastic and immature approach makes for a sinister and unpredictable interpretation of the character. Briggs & Arnopp have been extremely clever in their approach to UNIT Dominion, allowing for a slow build up before allowing the story to explode into life in the last two installments and saving both epic (the Doctor and the Master bestriding dimensions) and the intimate (Klein’s discovery of her old life) revelations for the conclusion. It means there is barely a moment to breathe in this final part as we swing from one exciting twist to another, one dramatic confrontation to the next, one gem of a scene to another. My one disappointment is the wrap up of the central storyline which comes down to a favourite device of Briggs – self sacrifice. Its not a bad get out clause I suppose (there have certainly been worse) but after four hours of storytelling I was expecting something a little more able. Pleasingly it leaves the best characters open for a return visit and practically goes out of its way to inform us that that will occur at some point in the near future. It’s a testament to the success of this box set that I am salivating at the thought of it: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/unit-dominion-part-four-written-by-nick.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-unit-dominion-boxset-783


Dark Eyes



The Great War: A confident, atmospheric start to the box set with a stop off at an often neglected period of history that is well suited to audio. The TARDIS materialises in a location that is packed with evocative sounds from gunfire and explosions to screaming steam trains and ghostly fog attacks. If there is one thing that is going to knock the Doctor out of the doldrums it is a supernatural mystery during a pivotal moment in human history. Paul McGann’s lust for the material is evident in his energetic performance and we manage to go on a fair bit of the Doctor’s journey (from near suicide to lust for saving lives in the space of an hour) in this first installment alone. What I really enjoyed about The Great War was how Molly’s introduction was a slowly achieved with the audience having very little clue that she is the Doctor’s latest assistant until the last few moments. Until then she is simply a bolshie, vivid historical character who aids him during his investigations and one who makes quite an impression by holding her own with him whilst still respecting his abilities. My initial reaction to the Daleks being wheeled out again by Big Finish was one of despondence so imagine my surprise when they barely featured and when they did turn up it was precisely when the story needed them. This is all set up so its hard to review as an individual piece but I was still very impressed by all of the individual elements that went into making The Great War work. Paul McGann re-energised, a strong new companion, an atmospheric mystery and plenty of vivid historical detail. Listening to this you can almost understand why Big Finish’s website went into meltdown when it was released: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/dark-eyes-great-war.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/new-eighth-doctor-box-set-1-doctor-who---dark-eyes-792

Fugitives: This is still rather engaging but I do have some issues with the plotting of the piece. If you are going to go on the run from the Daleks in a Hartnell era style chase then you better make damn sure that your landscapes are as varied and as gripping as possible. Fortunately Any Hardwick is more than up to the task and each location is brought to life with absolute conviction and striking sound effects. If you wanted to expose the ability of Doctor Who’s format than Fugitives would be a great place to start as we hop from France in the First World War to the same point during the Second World War to England in the 1970s and finally on to an alien planet. The Doctor and Molly step from one dangerous situation to another which means the story is remarkably fast paced (it was over before I knew it) but also a little scatterbrained. It feels frustratingly like we are only seeing glimpses of much larger, more absorbing stories. I first listened to Fugitives whilst giving the garden a long overdue tidy and thanks to its brevity of fast moving sketches and its stunningly interactive soundscapes (I ducked at one point when a Dalek squad zoomed overhead) the work flew by like charm. Gripping vignettes for sure but the story feels all over the place with things being set up that have no relevance yet (Straxus’ suicide, the time machine at Baker St, the Daleks failing to kill the Doctor and Molly when they have the opportunity), many questions unanswered (especially surrounding Molly and the TARDIS) and there is no sign of the main villain of the piece doing anything relevant. Molly continues to impress, adjusting to the Doctor’s insane lifestyle with remarkable swiftness and frankness of character. Fugitives is part of a jigsaw and is in no part a cohesive piece of storytelling but with enough action and strong ideas thrown in the mix, it’s building a fairly appealing schizophrenic narrative. An awful lot of questions have been posed so I hope the answers are due: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/dark-eyes-fugitives-written-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/new-eighth-doctor-box-set-1-doctor-who---dark-eyes-792

A Tangled Web: ‘A war with the Daleks that wiped out the Time Lord? That is just about the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard!’ The first fifteen minutes of A Tangled Web gets down to the nitty gritty of explaining the story at the core of the Dark Eyes box set with Kotris stepping out of the shadows and the Doctor discussing the rawness of hope and how it has seen him through the worst of times. The former feels roughly thrown into the middle of the story to allow the conclusion to make sense whereas the latter proves to be an extremely thoughtful moment of self reflection. How Dark Eyes fluctuates like this between the handicapped and the genius baffles me. Unlike The Key to Time season but very like the Hartnell epics that skip from place to place, the actual settings that they are visiting are completely irrelevant. It’s the journey that is important. Those of you who are expecting each of the locations that the Doctor and Molly visit to have some part in the overall plot are going to be very disappointed – it’s the fact that they are travelling together that is the key. With that in mind it is the detail in these locations that counts and the trip to the city of affable Daleks is an absolute joy. Can you imagine anything more inharmonious than listening to the metal meanies giggling like mad and playing with children? Its during these scenes that A Tangled Web really comes alive, Briggs stretching his imagination and appearing to dare to reveal the fate of the Daleks long after the Time War. That it all turns out to be a massive con is disappointing and so is the some of the really ugly, clunking set up that is becoming continually more intrusive as the story progresses. Its frustrating because there is so much that is good in Dark Eyes and yet it is failing to cohere into a successful whole. For the twenty odd minutes with the gleeful Daleks however I could almost forgive anything and during this segment Paul McGann has never been better: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/dark-eyes-tangled-web-written-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/new-eighth-doctor-box-set-1-doctor-who---dark-eyes-792

X and the Daleks: Trying to condense an entire series into a box set is an ambitious idea and one that should be applauded but falls down on two contradictory fronts; there isn’t the time to tell individual stories in enough depth so they wind up being unsatisfying vignettes and simultaneously the running time is far too long to tell one interweaving arc story because you are waiting too long for the answers and are disappointed by them because of it. Being practically the same format as Trial of a Time Lord it would appear that Briggs learnt nothing from its mistakes. Had the Molly O’Sullivan/Dark Eyes plot been one individual hour long story and not spread do thinly through so many other adventures it would have made for a gripping listen. And had some of the mini adventures been stretched to fill an entire CD (especially the 1970s and Dalek City stories) they would have made far more satisfying adventures. Trying to have his cake (to enjoy all the elements of a 13 part Doctor Who series in one four part box set) and eat it (trying to tell one epic adventure whilst conjuring lots of diverse adventures as well) is Briggs’ downfall here. The Daleks’ Masterplan might be sprawling portmanteau of ideas and adventures in the same vein as this but it has a dramatic drive and a taste for telling something truly legendary that is missing from Dark Eyes. There’s also the feeling that Briggs may have reached a dramatic peak with Lucie Miller/To the Death that comes with four years worth of build up and so this set, for all its agreeable elements, could never quite match up to it. I don’t want to step all over what has been achieved here because there is a great deal to like about this saga – Paul McGann brings the material to life with a rarely seen zeal, Molly O’Sullivan is more than a match for his Doctor and I will be campaigning for more adventures with this delightful companion, Andy Hardwick’s sound design is a work of beauty taking the audience on a trip around some startling audio landscapes and Nicholas Briggs proves that he isn’t short of ideas even at this stage in his Big Finish career with frozen waves, giggling Daleks, evil smog and the distant hammering of the Time War in the near distance all providing great moments. It has all the ingredients to make a delicious soufflé but given the conspicuous plotting and underwhelming climax it never quite rises as high as it should. X and the Daleks runs around for the first half an hour, killing time doing nothing in particular and when the climax arrives despite there being some good concepts in evidence there is the feeling that the revelations are a little inconsequential for such momentous build up. Dark Eyes ends with four people in a room arguing about a plan that has been foiled before the Doctor even got involved. The Daleks’ Masterplan ended with a planet being aged to death and reborn with a companion being slaughtered in its wake. Perfectly diverting on its own strengths but not quite reaching my expectations, Dark Eyes needed another revision before reaching the studio. If nothing else this set introduced us to Molly and it is more than worth the expense of the set just to enjoy a spin around the universe with her: 6/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/x-and-daleks-written-and-directed-by.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/new-eighth-doctor-box-set-1-doctor-who---dark-eyes-792


Dark Eyes II The Traitor: 'The Daleks think they can use her compassion as a way of increasing the efficiency of their workforce. They've done it before...' The first half of The Traitor is a very unusual experience insofar as I felt I was re-acquainting myself with the Dalek Empire series. A subjugated world controlled by the Daleks who are trying make conditions as pleasant as possible to ensure maximum efficiency with the aid of a human slave who everybody else considers a traitor because she is working with them rather than against them. And breathe. That is the basic set up for the first series of Dalek Empire. The second half of The Traitors reveals a plan to create a Dalek super weapon in their quest for supreme power. Just like in Lucie Miller/To The Death. We are reaching Terrance Dicks levels of self plagiarism here. Not only that but the first half has very little of what you could grab hold of and call a narrative, it is a series of events that is setting the scene but not a lot actually seems to happen until we are racing towards the conclusion. Fortunately Nick Briggs' has afforded himself plenty of opportunity to show off in the directors chair and a lot of this material is enjoyable anyway simply because it is so immersive. Shut your eyes and sit back and you really wont have any trouble imagining what is happening. It is extremely well realised. However, I do not listen to Doctor Who audios to be swept away by a bombardment of ambient sounds, I enjoy them because the better examples are fantastic stories that stretch my imagination and take me somewhere exciting and thought-provoking for a time. The Traitor is rehash of Briggs' old work and not an especially inspiring one, adding little to the mix to differentiate itself and following a predictable pattern of events. I'm not sure if something this traditional was ideal to open this box set but now that box has been ticked we can move on to something more novel. Condensing Dalek Empire series one into a single release might have felt like a good idea in theory but in practice it loses much of Briggs' signature ranges nuance and dramatic power. I wasn't bored because there is a momentum to the events (and the acting is superb) but I wasn't engaged either: 5/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/02/dark-eyes-ii-part-one-traitor-written.html

Dark Eyes II: The White Room: A jigsaw of a story and one which has some lovely constituent elements but fails to cohere into a complete picture. Quite a lot has to be known going into this story for it to even begin to make sense; especially about Molly, where she comes from and the whole situation with her dark eyes. That's before we even get to the actual plot of this beast of a tale which juggles an alien race known to regular followers of Big Finish, a mad scientist dabbling with viruses, an alien bacteria that plays havoc with time and a great big time bomb that threatens to wipe everybody away. It's messily plotted for sure because the opening 20 minutes seems to keep stacking more and more unwieldy elements on top of each other and it isn't until a lengthy wrap up close to the conclusion that it all ties together and begins to make any kind of sense. Once the explanations are in place it is quite an enjoyably conceived tale but you should never have to work to the point that it is a chore for something to start to cohere. It seems to come from a completely different box set to The Traitor and you could be forgiven for thinking that you have put in a disc from a completely different release. How all these tales will come together is a mystery. Complaints over, what about what works in The White Room? Molly O'Brien. She's been refined slightly (she's less bossy and more quick to observe and theorise) and it is such a pleasure to have her back. I hope she sticks around this time. The Viyrans always were a terrific audio presence and they work just as well in the early days of the 20th Century as they did in the far future. When these two elements come together, this story sings. There's also some temporal jiggery pokery which raised an eyebrow of interest and a dramatic resolution that sees the Doctor inadvertently puts the Earth in danger of being destroyed by a Viyran incendiary device. This is one script that feels like it needs to go through one more re-write to make the first half a little less scattershot and unwieldy. Because if it had been simplified this would have been a tasty instalment of the Dark Eyes trilogy (if one that is based a little too much on co-incidence) that re-introduces the magnificent Ruth Bradley back to the party: 6/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/02/dark-eyes-ii-part-two-white-room.html

Dark Eyes II: Time's Horizon: Hurrah! Opens like a regular Doctor Who story with the Doctor and his assistant drawn to a mystery in an intriguing setting packed with well drawn characters. If that sounds crushingly dull then I am doing Time's Horizon a disservice because the fact that it plays out like a traditional Doctor Who story (and a good one at that) is one it's biggest strengths. Continuing the Trial of a Time Lord theme, it is the third story in sequence which works best as a standalone adventure despite having threads that will continue on into the rest of the set. Fitton remembers to give this adventure a self contained narrative outside of its arc elements. With them appearing in three different eras now (Doctors four, six and eight), the Eminence are starting to make something of an impression and are exactly what I have been asking for quite some time...an original race of monsters that make the same impact as all the returning baddies that Big Finish (probably for marketing and sales purposes) are obsessed with reusing. They are far nastier here than they were in The Seeds of War with the focus on extreme body horror and injecting them into a claustrophobic setting that adds a great deal of tension to events. The combination of the Doctor, Molly and Liv works very well and hope they both stick around for the next Dark Eyes set. Ruth Bradley and Nicola Walker have extremely good, brassy chemistry and it would be a shame not to exploit that further. I don't want you to think that this is some kind of Doctor Who masterpiece, it is ultimately a strong spaceship under siege story but has no ambitions beyond that. However on those terms it is (once again) vividly directed by Nicholas Briggs and dramatised by a man who has frequently ticked all my boxes of late. Matt Fitton understands that we need to get to know the characters if we are to care about them and that the threat has to be invasive rather than just conceptual. He also seems to have a firm grasp on the Eminence and gets the opportunity to scribble in some of their back story in Time's Horizon. He even has a couple of surprises up his sleeve in the last third. I really enjoyed this instalment, I just wish this was how the Dark Eyes II box set had begun: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/02/dark-eyes-ii-part-three-times-horizon.html

Dark Eyes II: The Eyes of the Master: Eyes of the Master manages to be both electrifying (drawing together lots of plot elements from previous stories in a very dynamic way) and anti-climactic. It is clear from the conclusion of Dark Eyes II that this is going to be one enormous narrative that continues until the range comes to an end because there is no climax to be found in here, just a pause in the action before the next set picks up the story again. Saying that, this seventies pot-boiler is really rather tasty; successfully continuing the Dark Eyes story and bringing together all the characters from this set in an entertaining way, hinting at the Time War to come and dragging plot points in from all of the Eminence stories to help make this as ambitious a story as possible. The best parts of Eyes of the Master feature Paul McGann and Alex McQueen coming together and delivering huge gulps of exposition in a way that only two seasoned pros who are very comfortable with their characters can. The self-contained narrative isn't exactly life changing, merely window dressing for the more epic elements of the Dark Eyes story to be hung on but a lot of the ideas that are presented (why the Master has been resurrected, the Eminence gaining dominance because the event of the first Dark Eyes set, the significance of Molly) areexciting. I can imagine that the overall Dark Eyes storyline will be a marvel to listen to in order and perhaps the ultimate experience in serial storytelling for Doctor Who. Dark Eyes II has gone to some lengths to correct some of the problems I had with the initial set (the stories can be listened to in their own right to a certain extent, Molly's character has been softened, plot elements such as the Ides Institute that seemed to be superfluous in the first box set have been adequately explained) and despite my problems with the first two stories this has proven to be a more enjoyable experience overall. Nick Briggs has delivered typically sterling direction and I must compliment Wilfred Acosta's on his stunning sound effects and music which have kept my interest ticking over even when the stories have (at times) been lacking. Let's say I am cautiously optimistic heading into the third Dark Eyes set. I hope Briggs can deliver something a little more original and Barnes irons out his crazy plotting but one thing has become abundantly clear going forward - Matt Fitton's contribution should be a given after producing the most impressive pair of adventures here. All three seem to have a good idea of where the story is heading and there are lots of little hooks that are tempting me on (not least the impressive cast they have assembled). I hope it can live up to its promise: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/02/dark-eyes-ii-part-four-eyes-of-master.html

Dark Eyes III: The Death of Hope: Part One of The Master Adventures. No wonder Paul McGann can't quite keep the irritation out of his voice. It's a clever, backdoor way of showing what a Master series might be like and with Alex McQueen playing the leading role it looks like it would be a delight to listen to. Regardless of the fact that they are in a set and all written by the same person I will be reviewing these pieces independently as they all have their own titles. The Death of Hope is all set up and prompts about the events of the first two series with hints of what is to come. As a story it certainly has more meat on its bones than The Traitor, which opened the previous set, mostly because of the Master's involvement and how Fitton waits until the last possible moment to reveal his true plan, stringing out the tension. There's not a great deal to discuss because so much of the impact of this story will depend on how it is followed up. Heron's world is nicely sketched in, it's populace represented by a handful of nicely drawn characters but I can't say I was overly concerned about their fate. Had this been a world that I was intimately acquainted with it might have made more of a difference. It's the Master that rises out of this story triumphant. He has achieved his aim but we still don't know how he plans to apply his newfound ability. I can't wait to find out: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/dark-eyes-iii-death-of-hope-written-by.html

Dark Eyes III: The Reviled: I asked for a more robust story for part two of this saga and I was not disappointed. Matt Fitton is one of those rare Big Finish writers that comes along that ticks every box to make a story work - he has ear for memorable dialogue, he never forgets about his characters, his stories are complicated enough to engage but not too ungainly to be able to follow, he adds little details to a setting that make them more memorable than they would have been and he has a way of stirring up drama without cheating the audience. The only time I think he has failed to achieve one of these essential ingredients is when exhausted or failing story elements are forced upon him (Signs and Wonders). When he is left to get on with something original, he always delivers the goods (The Wrong Doctors, Return of the Rocket Men). For Dark Eyes he has been handed a great shopping list of ingredients and none of them are his own creations (The Master, The Eminence, Narvin, Liv, Molly) and yet he rises to the challenge of bringing all these elements together in a way that feels fresh and invigorating, for each of the individual elements and for the Dark Eyes story. There's a dramatic focus to the saga in this set that comes from one writer taking responsibility for all the stories and having a clear direction of where it is going. With The Reviled, Fitton gets to explore the conflict that is taking place and the effect it is having on the 'little people', how so many powers are trying to influence this war that those in the trenches are the ones that are suffering. The Doctor emerges as something unique because he is the only person that isn't trying to exploit the colonies, he's the only one that is trying to help them. It seems that no matter what he does to try and warn them, to protect them or even to intervene with their kidnap the victims of the humanity/Eminence war will always end up under somebody's thrall. It certainly makes for an exciting final fifteen minutes when the Master pulls off a deceptive coup. It's quite bold to snatch victory from the Doctor like this when he is already feeling vulnerable and it brings out an intensity from Paul McGann that quite took my breath away. It's time the rival Time Lords finally ran into each other, I think there will be a few choice words to say: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/dark-eyes-iii-reviled-written-by-matt.html

Dark Eyes III: Masterplan: Some Doctor Who stories fail to generate one big dramatic idea but Masterplan juggles two quite adeptly and proves to be the finest Dark Eyes instalment to date. You have the notion of the Doctor and the Master confined in one location and forced to discuss their relationship and back story but there is also the whopper of an idea of the Doctor re-writing history simply because he doesn't like the way things have turned out. So much dramatic mileage in both cases and Fitton goes further than I have ever witnessed before to tackle both and with some success I might add. I have never been a huge a fan of the Master, I have to be honest. Not because I don't find the character a lot of fun (because I do) or because he has been performed badly (because everybody who has had a go - even Eric Roberts - has brought something fresh and interesting to the part) but because his ridiculous schemes are often paper thin and easy to untangle and because his motives (despite nearly 50 years worth of appearances) are often utterly vacuous. Masterplan goes someway to addressing that, to nailing down the love/hate relationship between the two Time Lords and probing the Master's psychosis. I found that rather exciting. I bet Paul McGann was excited by this script too as it offers the Doctor some dramatic opportunities and dialogue. His performance steps up as a result and his scenes with McQueen crackle with energy and tension. For once the sound effects and music are at a minimum and rather than playing out as an action adventure without pictures the whole piece is generated of the exploration of character. The central plot of the box set isn't neglected either, Masterplan showing how certain elements of the first two stories came to be. I've read complaints that this set is too slow to get anywhere (we are three hours in and this is still practical set up for the finale) but there has been a focus and intensity to the storytelling that was lacking in the first two Dark Eyes sets (they were more diverse and whimsical but lacked this kind of cohesion). A great script, bolstered by gripping performances. The only thing that stops this getting full marks is all the technobabble: 9/10

Dark Eyes III: Rule of the Eminence: A bizarre story and a disappointing climax to what has generally been the strongest Dark Eyes box set. After listening to this I get the same feeling that I used to when Russell T. Davies was racing towards the culmination of one of the four and a half seasons he plotted. Seasons dropping intriguing hints and building in elements that cohere wonderfully in the penultimate episodes (The Sound of Drums and The Stolen Earth are possibly my favourite episodes of their respective years) and promising one hell of a dramatic conclusion. And then nothing. Or nothing as impressive as I was expecting. Dark Eyes 3 feels like that. Like it had real confidence in its various plot elements (the Master, the Eminence, the war) and explored them all in dramatic circumstances whilst pulling them all in the direction of The Rule of the Eminence where they should have dovetailed beautifully and brought the whole thing to a satisfying conclusion. But it kind of feels as though all the juicy stuff has been dealt with (the Doctor/Master therapy session was the highlight of the set) and this is merely a box ticking exercise to get the story where it needs to be for Dark Eyes 4. It doesn't help that the titular focus of the range has been sidelined so spectacularly throughout these four instalments and so giving Molly such focus now seems like a distraction. More of an administrative exercise than a piece of drama; the Master's plan is revealed and he's not up to anything original, he's defeated and the war is brought to an end. But all of this is done in a perfunctory way without much in the way of drama, sacrifice or desperation. The technobabble catalyst at the conclusion was the biggest shocker and perhaps the greatest indication that this arc has lost its heart at the last hurdle. Perhaps hanging a 16 story arc on retrogenitor particles was a mistake: 4/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/rule-of-eminence-written-by-matt-fitton.html

Dark Eyes 4: A Life in the Day: What's this? Gentle character drama and jokes? Have I wandered in on the wrong Dark Eyes? Liv Chenka exhibiting a little personality and good humour and the Doctor enjoying his adventures once again? Please don't mistake my general good mood after listening to this for a statement that this is the pinnacle that this serial can achieve because when all is said and done the plot for A Life in the Day is little more than a run-around with some time spillage thrown in for good measure. It is the tone of the piece that excites. Gone is the suicidal atmosphere of the third box set and in steps a general joi de vivre that is like a soothing massage after a really hard day in the office. They needed to give the Doctor a reason to live after the events of To the Death but the previous Dark Eyes sets took him on a path of self destruction that dragged some of least impressive performances out of Paul McGann. He's a funny sort of actor because it seems he can make or break a production depending on his mood. If he's disinterested then there is a good chance that you might be too at the end of the story (The Creed of the Kromon, The Last) but if he is enjoying himself you will be dragged helplessly into the world of the eighth Doctor in fugue of excitement (Grand Theft Cosmos, The Chimes of Midnight). This definitely a case of the latter so whilst the script isn't anything particularly challenging I still grabbed ahold of the Doctor's coattails and enjoyed my waltz around wartime London. Minus points? The repetitive nature of Beth Chalmers voice, the unpersuasive romance subplot and obvious culprits behind this madness. Don't go in expecting an intellectual piece but dive in headfirst if you are looking for some much needed fun in this extended serial: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/dark-eyes-4-life-in-day-written-by-john.html

Dark Eyes 4: The Monster of Montmarte: Delightfully atmospheric, seductive and quite bonkers, this might be my favourite instalment of Dark Eyes to date. Gone is all the severity and pretension and the fun strikes like an arrow to the heart. Had the series been whipped up into this kind of spirit of adventure from the off I would have been chomping at the bit for more box sets. Did the writers of the previous sets look at what they had previously produced and decided to jazz things up exponentially or is this the John Dorney influence again, turning something that is only party working into gold. Dark Eyes I was a bizarre portmanteau of ideas that was perfectly entertaining but didn't really hold together as a whole, the second box set started out in the doldrums but improved in its second half and the third set took a razor to its wrist in taking the Doctor to some dark places with the Master but falling to pieces at its conclusion. The emphasis in the fourth set is to return to the jolly spirit of old whilst still keeping ahold of the elements of previous sets and it is by far the most effective approach yet. This is one of Matt Fitton's most accomplished scripts to date, up there with The Wrong Doctors and Masterplan. He's taken what is essentially another run-around and packed it full of character and life, opportunities for great sound design and some truly macarcbre imagery. One of the delights of Doctor Who is that it indulges in the perverse art of juxtaposing elements that would never come together in any other show. Navarinos in Butlins. Schoolteachers and giant ants. 'Only in Doctor Who...' has become a phrase not to bury the show but to praise it. I can't think of many audio tales that delight as much as this one in lashing up such disparate elements but the net result is something quite enchanting, if utterly bonkers. I thoroughly enjoyed it: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/dark-eyes-4-monster-of-montmarte.html

Dark Eyes 4: The Master of the Daleks: '...the plan can enter its final stage!' Effectively a dance between the Master and the Daleks, the third instalment of Dark Eyes 4 is complete fan fiction but sparkling with wit, intelligence and smart ideas. It's plot heavy and unwieldy with elements from the previous sets elements but John Dorney throws in so many wonderful scenes of character interaction and some genuinely giddy ideas that I just went with it and enjoyed myself immensely. The chemistry between the Master and Liv was so entertaining that I found myself wanting to advocate a box set where they travel as companions. I don't know how sustainable it would be but if it was scripted this sharply it would certainly be worth a listen. This nightmarish vision of the future concocted by the Master and the Dalek Time Controller is worth a round of applause too, quite different from anything that we have ever seen of this kind before. If only the Doctor was on as sparkling form as everybody else instead of behaving like a drunken reveller for the most part this might have rated even higher but after two stories where he seems to have found his joi de vivre Paul McGann is lost at sea again in a story that doesn't seem to know quite what to do with him. It almost feels as though the story needs to pause for an hour and so the Doctor is surplus to requirements but as soon as it is ready to progress again he snaps out of this intoxicated fugue and prepares himself for the final confrontation. For scheming machinations of the Master (McQueen is simply exquisite in this) and the Daleks, this is a strikingly different type of story (although it is more of a bridge between tales with too many bright moments to mention than a story) that favours the villains over the heroes: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/dark-eyes-4-master-of-daleks-written-by.html

Dark Eyes 4: Eye of Darkness: 'History is being forged around us!' And so Dark Eyes comes to an end not with a culmination of 16 stories worth of material but a manipulative and technobabble laden piece. The first half of this story feels like you have stepped in to the second half of a narrative without first hearing the first half, it rather takes a lot for granted without explaining a great deal. It feels like it wants to bring the saga to a conclusion just because rather than because this is where it has been leading. The Eye of Darkness is a bizarre experience, not the sort of epic madness that Big Finish usually attempts when bringing a long running story to a close but more of a box ticking exercise with lots of things slotting into place quite neatly. Frankly I think the former approach might have been more appropriate given the insane portmanteau of stories that has come before this. This set should be aiming for a To The Death style climax, something shocking and unforgettable but instead it drowns in technobabble (since when has Doctor Who ever relied on scientific jargon over narrative satisfaction?) and absurd (rather than shocking) twists. Is this really what the Dalek Time Controller has been attempting to attain the whole time? To become the consciousness of the Eminence? Did it really have to go to such long winded efforts to achieve what is essentially a very simple task? I was expecting something more somehow. So what to make of this Dark Eyes experience? Has it been the best that Big Finish has to offer? No, it has been far too bloated, unfocussed and disjointed for that. But has it been a unique experiment taking in a myriad of locations, characters, big, bold ideas and a chance to show how immersive the audio experience can be with Big Finish Productions? Absolutely. I would recommend a listen because it gave Paul McGann some unique opportunities, it introduced us to Molly O'Sullivan and Liv Chenka (who after some ironing out turned out to both be fine companions), it revelled in the use of the delightful Alex McQueen Master and because it gave the Daleks a brand new barking mad figurehead in the Dalek Time Controller. No matter how scattershot and crazy the plotting might have been, these characters kept the whole thing bubbling along a enjoyable to listen to. However it has fallen at the last hurdle during the last two sets leaving a bad taste in the mouth, a damp squib of an ending where a rousing finale was required: 4/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/dark-eyes-4-eye-of-darkness-written-by.html

Charlotte Pollard

The Lamentation Cipher: 'Beware the lamentation cipher...it is to be your burden and your curse!' Oh what a fool I've been. I wasn't especially charged up about the Charley Pollard range (in a period where there seems to be a new range bursting into existence every thirty seconds or so) and it took me a little while to pluck up the enthusiasm to listen. Sometimes I should take off my cynical head, Worzel Gummidge style, and just try and enjoy something new. The Lamentation Cipher was much, much better than I was expecting. We've reached June and I found this preferable to any of the main range releases of 2014 so far (Scavenger excepted). A lot of this story is set up for the series and a prolonged escape attempt that goes nowhere but that really doesn't matter because the setting and characters are well presented and the action is brought to life so vividly. Jonathan Barnes very graciously presents plenty of mysteries for Matt Fitton to pay off in the second half of the series. Why do the Viyrans want to keep hold of Charley? What is the Lamentation Cipher? How is the Prolixity tied into all of this? How did it come to be? What is the identity of the Viyran who is determined to help Charley? These might all seem like plot points that need ticking off but they are presented with such doomy weight that I felt the need to press on with the next story to try and find out what the urgency is. Charley herself is beautifully characterised and India Fisher takes up the mantle of series lead as though that was always the intention. I was surprised at how easy I could accept her without the Doctor's presence but then I remembered that she pretty much had her own storyline running throughout the whole of her time with the sixth Doctor. This is a melancholic space opera that promises great things and with Nick Briggs providing some exceptional support with the direction, sound effects and music the finished product is extremely polished. Sign me up for a trip into the Prolixity: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-lamentation-cipher-written-by.html

The Shadow at the Edge of the World: An all female cast is almost an impossibility in main range Doctor Who (the lead character is generally a man) but I have noticed an effort to try pull this feat off in the spin off ranges of late. One of the final Companion Chronicles was a female written, directed and performed script and whilst Jonathan Barnes takes up the writing responsibilities in The Shadow at the Edge of the World it is the all female cast that bring that story to life. Charity, Susan, Emmeline and especially Mrs Turnerman are all uniquely characterised and very different from Charley herself and the acting plaudits belong to Nicola Weeks and Jacqueline King but there isn't a weak link amongst them. Placing Charley in a gaggle of strong women and allowing her to stand out shows how she has grown as a character and has found her voice. She jumps head first into the mystery of the Slaverings and is determined to find answers and keep her skin wrapped tightly all over too. Whilst this a nice little character drama for the most part (I loved the reveal of Mrs Turnerman's previous occupation and Charley's realisation that she could go home) I did feel that the conclusion was a rushed. It set up a mystery and interesting characters but explains it away with a wave of the Prolixity and suddenly tosses away these characters that we have become close to without any clue as to how they might end up. That niggle aside, this is an entertaining second outing but still the weakest of the set: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/06/charlotte-pollard-shadow-at-edge-of.html

The Fall of House Pollard: Character drama of the highest order and satisfyingly tying up threads from Charley's time with the Doctor, The Fall of House Pollard is by a small margin the most accomplished story of the set. The soundscape is minimalist because the action is scaled right back and this story is given over to a great deal of talking, conversations that are long overdue between Charley and her mother and father. The first half of the tale reveals just how badly things have fallen for Charley's family in her absence and delays the reunion that I was foaming at the mouth for. At one point I wondered if we were only going to be exploring the ramifications of her failure to return to her parents and tell them that she is alive without them ever meeting but Matt Fitton is simply make you wait for the really good stuff until you are well into the second half. There are questions to be answered, truths to be faced and bridges to mend and I would say that the long dialogue scenes between the family justify the existence of this set alone. There is a great deal more to recommend but this serves as a poignant coda to Charley's adventures with the Doctor. India Fisher, Anneke Wills and Terrance Hardiman excel and I truly believed that this was a genuine (if dysfunctional) family unit. If the ending seems unjust after all the therapy that has paid off then that is further testimony to how well these three characters work together and that it would have been nice to spent some more time with Richard and Louisa. I hope the injustice of the Viyrans interference is rectified one day, I would like to see Charley back home with her parents and settled eventually. The extra ten minutes are justified and very welcome. I didn't expect anything as rewarding as this in the set: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-fall-of-house-pollard-written-by.html

The Viyran Solution: 'All in all it's been...rather marvellous.' I think I realised a long time ago (around about the time of The Apocalypse Element) that I really enjoy stories that stress big ideas, especially when the plot itself and the explanations are dense and thoroughly explored. Brotherhood of the Daleks is one such example and there were plenty more in the first three series of Gallifrey. You can add The Viyran Solution to that list, a series of complicated explanations that might bring out those who enjoy light and fluffy adventures in hives but manages to pull together all the intelligent ideas that have been generated by this set and create a dramatic and universe-wide threat to be overcome. This is conceptual storytelling at its most striking, posing some insane concepts such as asking you to consider that life in the universe sprang into existence accidentally as a consequence of temporal tinkering at the other end of time. It's bat shit crazy, but it works and what Barnes and Fitton have done is to carve out a fascinating new corner of the universe for more Big Finish stories to be told in. I loved the further exploration of the Viyrans (although I still think there is more to be done with them...I would like to meet the Creators), I have loved the chance to tie up so many loose ends from Charley's time in the TARDIS and I have really loved the opportunity to be reminded of what a great director and musician Nick Briggs is. This timey wimey (shudder) epic wouldn't be half as good if it wasn't for the stunning production values. My one complaint about The Viyran Solution is that it seems to be building to a real crescendo but it lacks the biting climax that four hours worth of storytelling demands. I was expecting something a little more dramatic (although it does end on a big bang). Let's hope that means there is more to come...to tie up the spanking new loose ends that have been left hanging. I was a fool to question the integrity of this series, it has far exceeded my expectation by being above average at worst and excellent at best: 8/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-viyran-solution-written-by-matt.html

Doom Coalition 

The Eleven: Gallifrey and I have had an on/off relationship over the years. When introduced in The War Games I thought it was the most terrifying place that the Doctor could possibly visit and The Deadly Assassin re-invented the world as a gripping, political nightmare. But stories such as The Three Doctors and Arc of Infinity revealed how badly the Doctor's home planet could be represented if the writers imaginations and the budget failed to rouse to the occasion. The Gallifrey audio series yo-yoed between offering stunning political drama and tedious parallel world tedium and the novels took it upon themselves to blow it up long before the television series. It's been a chequered history. Matt Fitton proves without doubt that there is definitely room for fascinating stories still to be told on this world as long as the ideas have weight and the characterisation grips you from the outset. The Eleven is a superb Gallifrey based tale that completely restores my faith in setting further adventures here, which surely is a must given the appetite whetting upcoming War Doctor series and given the eighth Doctor's adventures are going to segue into the Time War. What we have here is Paul McGann fired up at the beginning of a brand new epic, paired with a companion that brings out the best in him and butting heads with a villain who dazzles with interest and is brought to life by an actor who imbues the part with serious menace. The Eleven is a man who is literally tearing himself apart from inside, whose hate and rage comes from an insane psychological instability of eleven voices talking all at once. He's an astonishing character and manages to wreck havoc on Gallifrey in a relatively small time. Let loose in the universe, the Doctor is on his tail and now the chase is on with have our ongoing narrative for all four stories. I guess that is the only complaint I can make about The Eleven, is that by it's very nature of being a 16-part story this instalment is all set up with no hint of a satisfying conclusion in sight. The story just sort of ends. It's a piece of the puzzle but a what a stellar piece it is, gripping throughout and featuring extremely vivid performances: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/doom-coalition-eleven-written-by-matt.html

The Red Lady: 'She's here...' Coloured me impressed. Remember I said that Paul McGann seemed revved up at the beginning of a brand new epic in my review of the first instalment of Doom Coalition, well wait until you hear how engaged he is with the second piece of the puzzle. I can only think of two times when he has blazed quite this brightly before, in the height of the Charley Pollard days (throughout most of season two) and when the Lucie Miller stories kicked into high gear (series four). There was no part of Dark Eyes where I felt he was this impressed with the material he was presenting. The build up of suspense surrounding The Red Lady is so expertly handled and John Dorney delivers a humdinger of a climax, one of his finest. And anybody with even a passing interest in his work will be able to quantify that statement. The titular piece of art is a dangerously compelling image, one that will lure you in and seduce you to your last breath. It's an marvellously creepy notion that provides some moments of cold sweat of the kind Big Finish hasn't knocked out in a while. I'm not sure how it ties into the overall narrative but as a standalone story to introduce Helen Sinclair you really couldn't ask for more. Hattie Morahan makes a fantastic impression as Helen, initially skeptical but smart enough to know when the Doctor is right and then able to step in and help to save him and Liv at the conclusion. Doom Coalition has completely revolutionised the eighth Doctor range. The first two instalments have been near perfect in themselves. providing some thrilling material and a terrific new team of regulars. But what has impressed me the most has been the confidence, the life that has been injected back into the range. Dark Eyes was sporadically brilliant but it rarely had this kind of assurance. I'm eager to hear where this story is going and for more adventures with the Doctor, Liv and Helen. That's a great feeling: 9/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/the-red-lady-written-by-john-dorney-and.html

The Galileo Trap: Sometimes a writer and a story fit like a glove. If you were to lay out the names of the most prolific Big Finish writers (and there are nine or ten of those) and told me to identity the writer most suited to writing a story about Galileo I would have immediately chosen Marc Platt. His Doctor Who is always more intellectual and less about putting across an action movie on audio. It makes a nice change to listen to something with a little more substance than usual and this is a massive departure from the more typical Doctor Who run-around (which despite being very good examples of the first two stories of this set were). I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this piece, walking around in history and soaking up the sounds of Renaissance Italy which were expertly handled by Wilfredo Acosta. Shut your eyes and imagine you are there. The pacing is deliberately sluggish so you can savour the atmosphere and sample the delicious dialogue and the gentle character work done with Helen and Liv is lovely. It starts much better than it ends because the latter half drops the sightseeing in favour of the plot, which isn't going to set your world on fire but it does have a few tense moments. If you didn't like Point of Entry or Paper Cuts also by Platt then this might not be for you. It has the same sedate pace, attention to detail and rich character work as those stories. I loved them both so this was precisely my poison and after an exhilarating dash on Gallifrey and a creepy horror it pushes the Doom Coalition series into another direction that really shows its diversity. It's not perfect by any means but it is another winner in what is turning out to be a consistently strong series: 7/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-galileo-trap-written-by-marc-platt.html

The Satanic Mill: 'Witness the rise of chaos and the rise of the new universal order!' Yes, I'm afraid that's how tedious this set ultimately turns out to get. Astonishingly poor, the first half of The Satanic Mill is confused, rambling and probably some of the least engaging material I have heard in some time. It reminded me of Excelis Decays, a tedious location, lots of electronic warbling and not a great deal of explanation or character. Given where the Doom Coalition box set started that is quite a nose dive in quality. The Eleven has gone from being an astonishing concept to a ranting villain who chews the scenery at every opportunity. It appears that his psychotic persona gets most of the air time and dishes out empty threats as a matter of course. There is a great deal of work to be done to salvage this character in the second box set. Even with the weaker scripts that he is handed Ken Bentley's direction is usually enough to provide some level of entertainment but it feels as though he has done as little as possible to The Satanic Mill to make it an enjoyable experience. The sound design is uncomfortable to listen to, there isn't much of a score and it sounds like he has left the actors in the booth to get on with it whilst he works on another, more important, story. This is the last story of the first box set, the culmination of where this has been head and the stepping stone to the second. It's possibly even more important than the introductory tale and yet it feels as if everybody has had enough at this point. Even the regulars sound less enthused. Edward Collier really couldn't make a dazzling idea for a location sounds more boring. The economic synopsis promised much but the story itself delivers so little. The Eleven's plan is ultimately very boring, reliant on tedious Time Lord technobabble to bring a grandiose scheme to fruition. He's just a poor substitution for the Master after all. I fail to understand how this sort of thing can transpire, where a dazzling new eighth Doctor box set can kick start with such a leap in the air and then fizzle away to a limp stumble at the conclusion. Surely the script editor could have coaxed something more engaging out of Edward Collier than this? I'm always moaning about the lack of new writers at Big Finish and to their credit they have taken a punt. Perhaps I should have shut my mouth: 2/10

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-satanic-mill-written-by-edward.html

The Child written and directed by Nigel Fairs

What’s it about: “Tell me another story, Leela. Not the one about the walking doll or the creepy mechanical men. A new one. I want to hear a new one…”

Leela is dead but her soul lives on. She has been reborn as a young girl, Emily, whose ‘imaginary friend’ tells her amazing tales about a great Wizard and the warrior who accompanies him on his adventures through time and space. Emily prepares to tell her parents the story of a cold, grey world whose people are ruled over by a Glass Angel. The Wizard is her prisoner and only the warrior girl and her three peculiar friends can save him…

Noble Savage: The Child opens with a gorgeous, lyrical fairytale featuring the fourth Doctor (the wizard) and Leela (the warrior girl) and through the imagination of a little it captures just about everything that is wonderful about this pairing. Leela’s naiveté but willingness to the learn, the Doctor’s arrogance but gift of teaching and how between them they both come to understand the universe better with their very different approaches. Clearly Fairs understands these characters well and I can only hope that with this trilogy he doesn’t get too bogged down in the ideas and forget about the characters. The Doctor has been explaining the idea of seasons to Leela, how a tree can die and then live again. Leela believes that sometimes there is no shame in delaying a fight until the odds are in your favour. Throughout the course of the story the Doctor explains how Leela’s drawing of a snowdrop is the most wonderful thing in the universe.

Teeth and Curls: The Doctor can be wise and helpful when the mood takes him but when things start to go wrong his patience with Leela wears thin and he forgets his manners.

Standout Performance: Ian Levine brought up something quite interesting in his latest outpouring of controversial opinions (check out his interview over at Doctor Who Online for two hours of unforgettable listening!) with regards to his take on recasting actors to play the first, second and third Doctors. He believes Big Finish have missed a trick by not doing so but I think that had they done so they may very well have ended up losing a massive portion of their audience (and I would be one of them). You only have to watch Levine’s hotchpotch Planet of Giants (I could only bear to watch it for about five minutes before the pain overwhelmed my enjoyment) to see how badly things could end up. Instead Big Finish have chosen the far more respectful approach of having the companion actors reprising the roles in stories told after they have left him and giving their own interpretations of the character. If you see that as re-casting then that is your prerogative but I don’t agree. Personally I have no issue with this approach because we get to explore the intimate way that these characters viewed the Doctor. In some instances the experiment has been astonishingly innovative (Peter Purves pulls off a wonderful first Doctor and at times you would swear that Frazer Hines’ is channelling Patrick Troughton his mimicry is so convincing), in others they have been heartbreaking (Katy Manning’s take on Jon Pertwee breaks my heart it is so imbued with respect) and then there are the results which are so compelling because they say a great deal about how the actors feel about the characters which brings us to Louise Jameson’s take on Tom Baker’s fourth Doctor. It’s a dark, deep gravelly voice that Jameson finds to portray the great man, often snappish and growling but not without moments of charm and humour too. Clearly everything that Jameson experienced with Baker when they acted together all those years ago. Now she gets the chance to externalise all those feelings and bring them to life within a story. Her version of the Doctor impressed me more than her version of Leela in this tale (and the others that Fairs has written) because I know how well she can play Leela (peerlessly, of course) but her take on the Doctor is something much more interesting, and personal. Had they simply recast the Doctor’s as Levine suggests (its hardly his most unpleasant suggestion but its somewhere up there) the Companion Chronicles would not exist and we would have been denied some exceptional storytelling. And the chance to explore new angles in old characters like this.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Just because it happened like that, just because we were bored it doesn’t means everyone else has to be bored as well!’

‘This is art, Leela! It doesn’t always make sense until you can see the whole picture.’

‘Leela understands more about life than you ever will!’

Great Ideas: David Richardson has been rather clever when plotting out his companion chronicle seasons with regards to his trilogy stories that have started evolving from the series. Rather than grouping them together like the main range has for the last couple of years he seeds one or two stories from the trilogies across the year so that the audience can enjoy a different Doctor/companion each month and have the luxury of telling a narrative across more than one release. The trouble with the main range having trilogy after trilogy is that once your favourite Doctor/companion has had their turn you have to wait practically another year before you hear anything else from them (Christmas has been doubly special for me for the last couple of years because I know that once its over with I get to enjoy three Sixie adventures in a row…but come the end of March I am really glum that I have to wait until post-Christmas for anymore!). And you’re stuck with three months worth of stories that you might not have any interest in because you don’t like. What’s more with the trilogy format I get very excited when each subsequent installment is released, far more so than with the individual releases because I have some idea of what to expect and am eager for the next developments. Richardson has found a way of having his cake and eating it in this range and that is another reason why this range it is one of my favourites.

The Map of Life is the largest work of art in the universe and it covers an entire continent. Having Emily creating the story that we are listening to play out Fairs has the chance to self-critique his own work in a very Paul Magrs kind of way, pointing out when things have gotten boring. In the same vein Emily can also get the audience more involved in the action because she gets really excited during the action moments, describing the antagonists with real passion. I love the idea of giant robot men with fourteen little men inside stoking up the engine and making sure that all the limbs are functioning. Fairs begins to paint a picture of the landscape that Leela has found herself in as the imaginary friend of the little girl. Hopefully we will get to explore a little more of this as the story continues. Bizarrely (but not unpleasantly) we dip our toes into Alice in Wonderland territory in the second episode with the sound of something like mice in the wainscoting, lisping creatures to aid Leela and impossible things occurring willy nilly! Dragons, goblins, glass towers…its all rather enchanting. Ricardo channelled his creative energy into art, realising that sharing his genius that way he’d have a life that was really worth living but knowing he didn’t have enough life to see it through he built the Glass Queen to see his vision through after he had died. Glass shards shooting into the air like a flock of crows…Fairs certainly knows how to paint a vivid image. ‘Not the one about the walking doll or the creepy mechanical men…’ – clearly Leela has been sharing her Talons and Robots experiences with Emily too.

Audio Landscape: Its been a whole since I have seen the same name listed as writer, director, sound technician and musician! Not even Nick Briggs’ releases of late have seen him take on every role! It pleases me to see this sort of thing being done though because regardless of my reaction to the product it is Nigel Fairs’ baby through and through, his conception and realisation. And of all the things I said about The Time Vampire (and I wasn’t exactly shy…) his work on the production was breathtaking.  Ticking clock, scratching pen, water beasts screaming, Leela drawing a snowdrop. 

Musical Cues: At the beginning of the second episode there was a rift on Dudley Simpson’s fourth Doctor theme which really made me smile. The music is stunning throughout though, especially the choral atmosphere in the first half.

Isn’t it Odd: Typically it is Fairs actual story that lets him down and the first episode which features the Doctor and Leela walking between identical rooms, rocking with some choir singers and conversing with giant mechanical men fails to bring all these elements together into an interesting narrative. It feels like random ideas shoved together to fill up time. Its not until the cliffhanger that things really start hotting up. The tone between the two episodes is completely different, you swing from a science fiction tale into a literary fantasy and the step from one to the other is extremely jarring. I personally preferred the latter half and would have preferred the Wonderland style antics to have been dominant through. Anna Hawkes does a fine job as Emily but her lisping performance in the second episode kept taking me out of the action – it wasn’t particularly convincing. By the time the giant spiders emerged I wondered just how many more elements Fairs could add to his story before he started tying up the myriad of other notions he had already set in motion. With only ten minutes to go it was clear that this wasn’t going to weave everything together satisfactorily.

Standout Scene: I loved the image of the Doctor as an age old scribbler at the Glass Queen’s feet, his eyes icy blue and all colour having been drained from him. The story is full of terrific imagery like this that comes from nowhere and seems disconnected from everything.

Result: Given that I didn’t have a frilly f*ck what was going on in The Time Vampire (and this from somebody who took the time to hardcore dissect both Brotherhood of the Daleks and The Last Resort) I did approach this release (both the news of it and when I put the disc in to play) with some trepidation. If this story had a stable mate then it would have to be the Jago & Litefoot drama Nothing at the End of the Garden which also follows the adventures of a little girl and has some wise words from Leela. Although the tone of each piece is extremely different. This is the latest ‘conceptual’ trilogy from the Companion Chronicles range taking the reins from the Sara Kingdom, Oliver Harper and Zoe Herriot ones that have already played out. It would seem that Nigel Fairs has a monopoly on writing for Leela in the CC range in exactly the same way that Chris Boucher did over at BBC Books. Whilst he does have a good grasp of the character and gives her some memorable dialogue, it might be nice to see another writer have a stab at her in this format. The Child is a step up from The Time Vampire with some definite plusses (the production in particular is gorgeous but the framing device that has been concocted provides a great deal of entertainment too) but its Fairs' actual story that lets the side down again. His scripts are so full of disparate elements that he really needs to sit down and find away to assemble a plot out of them that flows more fluidly than what is on display here. However I did love the mixture of science and fantasy (its very Bidmead in that respect) with the fairytale aspects coming to the fore in some memorable moments. Its not quite Fairs' best (which remains his debut, The Catalyst) or his worst (The Time Vampire) but it falls somewhere in between (like Empathy Games) with lots of good elements (the idea of things being reborn is nicely evoked in several instances) but failing to cohere into something truly memorable. On a moment by moment basis this is massively entertaining but taken as a whole it is rather nonsensical: 6/10