Big Finish licence renewed until 2020! Recommendations!

It cannot have escaped your attention if you are follower of the Big Finish audios that there has been a wealth of exciting news from the company of late. A genuine regeneration story for Colin Baker's sixth Doctor, the first crossover range with the new series, more exciting adventures for the 8th Doctor and Liv Chenka and most exciting of all the recent news that their licence has been extended to produce audio drama until 2020. What a huge compliment from the BBC to hand the company another five year contract. It gets me very excited because it means there will be a wealth of material to enjoy and review.

So this is a congratulatory post for Big Finish where I will list some of my personal highlights of the prolific amount of material they have already released. These stories aren't just the best Big Finish stories, they are some of the best Doctor Who to have been created...

Fifth Doctor:

Creatures of Beauty: A forgotten masterpiece and a stunning experiment in fractured narration that results in grit your teeth suspense. It’s a piece which opens up some disturbing questions about the Doctor’s effect on the places he visits that wisely leaves you to come to your own conclusions. I love how the story’s climax is the end of part three and its beginning is at the start of part four, Briggs has clearly put a lot of thought into making this experiment work and manages to save a whoop-ass twist until the final few seconds which demands you give the story a second listen. David Daker gives the performance of a lifetime as Gilbrook; he is sinister, sadistic and yet rather wonderfully departs the story on a moment of pure poetry. Creatures of Beauty is not afraid to make its audience feel uncomfortable and in doing so it manages to be one of the most thought provoking stories yet. I cannot fault this story.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/08/creatures-of-beauty-written-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/44-Doctor-Who-Creatures-of-Beauty

The Kingmaker: The last time I had this much fun with history and time travelling antics was City of Death and I don’t exaggerate when I hold this ingenious story in exactly the same league. Nev Fountain has written a fantastic script, which juggles passionate ideas, belly laughs, moments of genius and great character drama. No aliens in sight and yet this is still Doctor Who through and through, the guest cast are phenomenal and the direction keeps the story skipping along energetically. Fountain’s handling of the regulars is perfect, giving the usually colourless fifth Doctor some witty and wonderful moments, touching on Erimem’s ancestry and best of all pushing Peri into the limelight and have her go off like an emotional rocket. Two of the best Big Finish moments come with the revelation of who the Master really is and the identity of the real Princes – this story is beautifully thought through and has some delicious answers. Even the title is on the subterfuge. After an inconsistent run of stories that verged from ball squeezingly awful to tickle my fancies sublime, The Kingmaker is the first out and out classic in an age.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/03/kingmaker-written-by-nev-fountain-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/81-Doctor-Who-The-Kingmaker

Son of the Dragon: The third gripping historical in a row for the team of the Doctor, Peri and Erimem and one of the most effective Big Finish adventures I have heard, The Son of the Dragon is a shocking reminder of what we have been missing from the main range of late. I am more convinced now than ever that Steve Lyons is one of the most effective audio writers and he understands the medium and how to exploit the lack of pictures and yet still paint some effective imagery, stir up the emotions and teach the audience something about his chosen period of history. This powerful script coupled with some dramatic direction from Barnaby Edwards and a gorgeous cinematic score leaves you with a story that aims high and scores big. Vlad makes for a startlingly effective villain, stripping away all the myths that surround the character but making him no less bloody and the performance by James Purefoy had me on edge throughout the production. It’s a fantastic story for the three regulars too with the Doctor being punished by history, Peri struggling to cope with the morality of the period and Erimem once again every bit as spellbinding and as alien (at least to Peri) as she has ever been. This isn’t just ‘I’ve been waiting for a great story for ages’ good, this is bloody brilliant.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/05/son-of-dragon-written-by-steve-lyons.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/99-Doctor-Who-Son-of-the-Dragon

The Emerald Tiger: Beautifully written and realised, The Emerald Tiger is an incredible piece of work and the first adventure for this TARDIS team that I can fully support. There are so many things to praise its hard to know where to begin. Firstly as a purely auditory experience this is a thing of beauty with a lush, contemplative and exciting score, an impressively exotic soundscape that plants you in historical Calcutta and some exciting and imaginative set pieces that somehow come alive through sound even more effectively than they would if you could see them. Next up is the treatment of the regulars which is exceptional and fully endorses the idea of continuing to use this foursome. Everyone gets something to do, Edwards highlights their strengths (the Doctor’s curiosity and closeness to Nyssa, Tegan’s temper and amiability, Nyssa’s empathy and Turlough’s resourcefulness) and they all take a share of the memorable dialogue. The script can also take a bow for it is packed full of incident and substance, planting me in Indian culture in an understandable way so that I took a great deal from the experience and telling a gripping narrative that utilises all of its characters well. The casting is inspired and nobody gives anything less than 100% and I was particularly refreshed by the multicultural nature of the cast. Lastly I have to mention the handling of Tegan which is something I have been particularly critical of of late. Edwards nails her character here in a way that few writers ever have and this is precisely how she should have been portrayed on television; good humoured, resourceful, funny but still with that acerbic bite. Her characterisation in The Emerald Tiger is masterful and I never thought I would say that. The last ‘written and directed by Barnaby Edwards’ I listened to was The Wreck of the Titan and I thought that was a near-perfect cinematic treat. The Emerald Tiger is even better, a clear highlight of 2012’s main range output and one of the best ever fifth Doctor stories in any medium.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-emerald-tiger-written-and-directed.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/releases/v/the-emerald-tiger-327

Psychodrome: A palpable hit that somehow manages to package the season nineteen crew as something fresh and compelling. I've made the observation myself that having three companions is too many to be able to tell a decent story and give everybody a fair share of the action. Jonathan Morris takes that criticism as a challenge and manages to make the over crowded TARDIS of season nineteen a huge strength in the story that he is telling and the first episodes, whilst setting up an intriguing scenario, almost solely concerns itself with establishing the four unique personalities that are currently fronting the series. At their worst, this is the most obscenely mismatched bunch of characters that can literally drag a story into the mud (Four to Doomsday) but at their best they gel together rather well and provide some nice banter and relief in the stronger stories (Castrovalva, Black Orchid, Earthshock). Psychodrome paints an authentic picture of the crew, albeit with some of their more extreme characteristics toned down so they are much more approachable. Imagine if this had come after Castrovalva instead of Four to Doomsday? It would have been exactly what the season needed, a story that gelled this team into an effective family, that explored their characters and explained why they stay together. Four to Doomsday had an impressive budget and there is nothing in this story that couldn't have been realised on that. Consider it the highest compliment that the next time I do a TV marathon of Doctor Who I may have to slip this in between Castrovalva and Kinda and forget that the other story existed altogether. When it comes to characterisation, Psychodrome is the strongest audio in a long, long time. The final episode is literally weighted down with quality character scenes and examination. In what has to be one of the most satisfying conclusions of any Big Finish productions, the most fractious of TARDIS teams show their faith in each other and combat their insecurities. What a marvellous idea for a story, how beautifully placed.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/psychodrome-written-by-jonathan-morris.html


Sixth Doctor:

The One Doctor: The crowning achievement of Big Finish. Don’t listen to those people who say that it is Chimes of Midnight…although that story is fabulous too but it far easier to scare people than it is to make them laugh and The One Doctor makes you really laugh. There is never sense that the writers are trying to take the piss out of the show but merely affectionately poke at its extremes and for a story that sees the sixth Doctor and Mel having the piss taken out of them so much they come off with more dignity and humour than any serious story could achieve. Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford deliver peerless performances and Christopher Biggins and Clare Buckfield are an absolute delight as their cahoots and alter egos. I may have moaned at Gary Russell’s constant turns in the director’s chair but his work here is nothing short of genius and the music and sound effects really drive the story along. Full points to Clayton and Roberts for such a witty script with so many great one liners for the actors to gobble up and tons of fantastic ideas as well. This story was a total surprise when I first heard it and I cannot think of a single Doctor Who story that cheers me up more. Orgasmically good.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-doctor-written-by-gareth-roberts.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/27-Doctor-Who-The-One-Doctor

Jubilee: Alarmingly inventive and brooding, I adore this story. Doctor Who rarely has the capacity to make me feel genuinely uncomfortable but Jubilee had me in a cold sweat throughout, compiling one horror and dramatic set piece after another. The humour is jet black and quite inspired making the terror all the twitchier. It is full of strong emotional beats, highly atmospheric and leaves you with lots to think about when it is over. Evelyn gets a really meaty role and Maggie Stables excels in a powerful, angry performance topped only by Colin Baker’s agonising take on the Doctor tortured for 100 years. This story is a (not so) subtle commentary on the horror of mankind and it drives its point home like a knife in the gut. Rob Shearman’s greatest gift to Doctor Who is his ability to make you think in brand new ways about staples of the series we thought have become mere clichés. This is beyond doubt the most interesting exploration of the Daleks we have seen. And the wittiest. And the scariest. John Scott Martin will never complain about getting into a Dalek casing again.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/08/jubilee-written-by-robert-shearman-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/40-Doctor-Who-Jubilee

Doctor Who and the Pirates: Strikingly experimental and yet still an absolute pleasure to listen to, Doctor Who and the Pirates has taken all the style and effort that has been missing from recent stories and injects them all into four episodes of bliss. Jac Rayner has written a superb script, easily her best for Big Finish, which manages to be a beautiful character study, a rip roaring adventure, a hilarious comedy, a blinding musical and a striking piece of drama whilst offering a treatise on narrative techniques at the same time. It should be utterly schizophrenic but the story shifts mood effortlessly from humour to horror. Colin Baker and Maggie Stables continue to shine in what has become one of the great Doctor/companion pairings and the guest cast instil the story with some priceless performances. The jokes are funny, the songs are wonderful and the direction is faultless. Why can’t every story be as good as this? Remarkable.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/08/doctor-who-and-pirates-written-with.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/43-Doctor-Who-and-The-Pirates

Davros: A story that redefines Davros beautifully and drips with malevolence. When I first heard this story I thought it was far too long (150 minutes!) and was quite blandly directed but I was so wrong on both counts. I wouldn’t want to cut a single scene from this story and I found that the two and half hours of material flew by this time. As a character tale there is none finer as it uses its extended time to flesh everybody out with real clarity before leaving them gasping to get out of Davros’ homicidal grip. The dialogue is crisp and thoughtful and the music ramps up the tension to unbearable levels. Colin Baker gets another chance to shine and unencumbered with an assistant he is as naughty and rebellious as we will ever see him. But this story belongs to Terry Molloy who gets to explore a whole range of emotions as Davros and manages to tug at the heartstrings and terrify you, sometimes at the same time! Its one of the best portrayals of a villain we have ever seen on the show and elevates Davros to some nightmarish pedestal when he can glare down malevolently at the other bad guys we have encountered and laugh at their ineptitude. He’s really scary and that just feels right.

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/09/davros-written-by-lance-parkin-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/48-Doctor-Who-Davros

The Reaping: A revelatory story for Peri, Joe Lidster writes a script that explores her character like never before and really give her substance. Nicola Bryant grabs hold of this opportunity and gives her most assured performance as Peri, ably backed up as ever by Colin Baker and they once again prove what fantastic chemistry they have. It’s an innovative Cyberman story too which I find something of a novelty, often the metal meanies are dumped into a story for no rhyme or reason but to boost ratings or increase sales. Lidster takes the Cybermen and gives their story a definitive ending and a new beginning and their brilliantly over complicated plan could only come from a mechanical mind. Some tasty moments of body horror, a genuinely emotional exploration of losing somebody to the Cybermen and subtle blanket of control over America – somebody is finally exploiting the potential of these creatures. Its Peri’s homecoming that makes the most impact, Joe Lidster takes all the domestic elements that made The Rapture such a disaster and skilfully provides some emotionally choking moments in this outstanding tale. 

Full review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/03/reaping-written-by-joseph-lidster-and_27.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/86-Doctor-Who-The-Reaping

The Fourth Wall: John Dorney has written a superb sixth Doctor story which is unlike anything that has come before and doesn’t so much break down the fourth wall but blow through it with dynamite and then stamps all over the debris so it can never be sealed up again. It’s a delirious mixture of clever observations, broad comedy, strikingly dramatic moments and laugh out loud dialogue that begins deliberately predictably and then defies your expectations at every turn. I loved the commentary and inclusion of melodramatic plot devices (hysterical heroines, florid talking villains, karate wielding heroes and lack of motivation and backstory amongst them) that can be traced back to many points in the series because the observations don’t just serve to point out these absurdities but also smile affectionately at the gleefully silly moments Doctor Who has offered us over the years. Dorney introduces the Porcians who are the first deliberately duff alien race (as opposed to all the intentionally terrifying aliens that wound being duff!) and I hope this isn’t their only appearance in Doctor Who because they are hysterical and might just have you honking with laughter! Flip gets some fantastic satirical dialogue in the first two episodes that really helps to sell her as a confident companion with a brain and by having the Doctor lose her so soon into their relationship I was convinced of the bond between them far more than I would have otherwise. There is more than a touch of Pleasantville about this (one of my favourite films) with the fictional characters coming to terms with their roles and as such evolving into real people and it tinges the comedy with tragedy and depth that makes it a far more remarkable tale. If William Gallagher can produce something magical with the Wirrn in the last of this trilogy it might just be the best threesome we’ve had in over a year because The Fourth Wall kept me smiling throughout with its fiendish ingenuity and riotous spoofing and coming so soon after The Curse of Davros which I also directed this praise at this is another story that could happily sit in season seventeen alongside City of Death. Quite brilliant.

Full Review Here: The Fourth Wall
Buy it from Big Finish here: The Fourth Wall

The Widow's Assassin: This story had some of my favourite twists and turns in it of any Big Finish story so I had to listen to the story twice within a day to make sure that I was giving it a fair review and not just judging on my reaction to it's surprises. I had thought we were long past stories that were as whimsical, as colourful, as emotive and as outrageously inventive as this in the main range. It would appear that Nev Fountain has an endless stream of creativity locked up inside of him and he has been allowed to let his imagination run riot with this tale. It's a story that has so many layers to it that it might take several listens to realise how perfectly the jigsaw of insane concepts comes together. It heads to some pretty whacky places but what anchors the story is the genuine emotion that Fountain manages to generate. Whilst it is making you laugh at the gags and gasp at the revelations, there is an seam of poignancy and pathos that runs throughout that prevents it from tipping over into farce. I can understand why those who like their Doctor Who stories grounded might reject this as it is off somewhere in the stratosphere for the majority of its running time...but you would be denying yourself the pleasure of an intricately plotted, madly funny and startlingly creative piece of work. It's a story that evolves with the advent of each cliffhanger, the sign of good writer utilising them well. Episode one brings together the Doctor and Peri, sketches in this corner of the galaxy and the vibrant characters, episode two mixes the comedy of the battle of suitors with the drama of the murder mystery of who poisoned the Queen, the third episode plays along much more traditional lines of crazy science fiction ideas and answers a lot of questions left hanging by Trial of a Time Lord and then the story rouses for genuinely surprising fourth episode where we learn something quite extraordinary about the Doctor's past. Those who have rejected Steven Moffat's attempts to add to mythology might sniff at the shading that is added to the Doctor's character but I for once found it far less off-putting than the climax of Listen. At the heart of all this is the sixth Doctor, who is characterised magnificently, and Peri who enjoys some of her best ever moments. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant seize the opportunity to play a script this nuanced and have cemented their place as my favourite current Big Finish regulars. They learn a great deal of intimate knowledge about each other because of this adventure and going forward it will make them an even stronger pairing. Like all of Nev Fountain's opus, repeated listens only add to the overall experience and this is his second knockout in the main range this year. It's the best cover for ages, too.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-widows-assassin-written-by-nev.html

Seventh Doctor:

The Fires of Vulcan: A Scotsman and a redhead visit Pompeii and argue over the morality of their foreknowledge of the future, sound familiar? This is something very special indeed. So many areas of this story could have been fudged (McCoy could have phoned in his performance, Bonnie Langford could have over enthused, the script could have been too maudlin, the atmosphere too grim) but every aspect of this production is spot on from the cast to the director and the musical score. I have always loved Historicals and Steve Lyons produces a powerhouse of drama here, a cast of memorable characters and a emotion drive that runs through the story and makes pressing stop to go to sleep (grrr) very hard indeed! It’s clever, involving and dramatic and it never cheats the audience of the spectacle of Pompeii whilst telling quite an intimate story within it. Possibly the best performance Sylvester McCoy has ever given as the Doctor, it is a triumph for the seventh Doctor and a real highlight amongst the fluff of season 24.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/03/fires-of-vulcan-written-by-steve-lyons.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/12-Doctor-Who-The-Fires-of-Vulcan


LIVE 34: Phenomenally good, the boldest departure from the norm since The Natural History of Fear and just as gripping. There is a real urgency to the live broadcasts with on the spot terrorist attacks, disturbing discoveries and political depositions and as someone who rarely listens to the news this really captured my imagination. Censorship, propaganda, terrorism and politics all come under the microscope in an intelligent, hard-hitting way. The regulars all get the chance to shine and the guests cast is the best assembled for quite some time. You wouldn’t want every story to be like this but it makes for a chilling, inspired one off.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/01/live-34-written-by-james-parsons-andrew.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/74-Doctor-Who-Live-34

A Thousand Tiny Wings: A Thousand Tiny Wings is one of my all time favourite Big Finish adventures. Such a simple, evocative, intelligent, beautifully characterised script from Andy Lane complimented by Lisa Bowerman’s atmospheric and disquieting direction that rings every nuance and moment of tension for what it is worth. Whilst you are soaking up all the intellectual discussion between the Doctor and Klein, taking in the ambience of the Kenyan jungle and enjoying the complex characterisation of the guest cast there is the terrifying approach of the Mau Mau keeping everybody on edge and the discovery of an alien creature to solve. As I said in my audio landscape section at times it is the silence that impresses the most because we are waiting on tenterhooks for the Mau Mau to make their move and slightest twig snapping or footstep can be very frightening. Practically every line of dialogue is a gem and the story develops in exciting and unusual ways with the cover and title for once offering hints rather than spelling out the answers. At the heart of this splendid tale you have two towering performances from Sylvester McCoy (whose Doctor has taken off since Briggs took over) and Tracey Childs and their fractious, nascent dynamic makes for an engrossing new partnership. Absolutely top notch, this is the kind of Doctor Who Big Finish can revel in and the New Series couldn’t even touch.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/12/thousand-tiny-wings-written-by-andy.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/130-Doctor-Who-A-Thousand-Tiny-Wings

A Death in the Family: ‘Words have power…’ Bending reality has never been so intoxicating! The finest Big Finish adventure for many a year and one of the best expressions of what this company can achieve on audio, A Death in the Family is a benchmark story that is packed with substance and realised in style. Steven Hall’s script is remarkably dense and intelligent, juggling multiple narrative and screaming with clever ideas, memorable dialogue and handling its four regulars with absolute perfection. It’s a significant writing achievement. Where Project Destiny was hysterical (and embarrassing) A Death in the Family is subtle, restrained and about a million times more effective. The seventh Doctor has never been better. Ace has never been better. Hex has never been better. Evelyn has rarely been better. With a script that looks inward into what makes all of these characters tick they come alive like never before and whereas Philip Olivier always knocks my socks off I have never experienced such beautifully judged performances from Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. Its almost as if they knew how good this was one was and wanted to make it even better. Ken Bentley’s direction shifts tones effortlessly and he plays the audiences emotions like a finely crafted musical instrument taking us on an emotional journey that climaxes on a devastating note. Each instalment takes on a different texture and narrative so they could almost be listened to in isolation but all the details are important as they dovetail in the final episode and the complex scheme laid down becomes clear. You’ve got a terrifying opener, what accounts for two heartbreaking companion chronicles in the middle two instalments and a furiously clever final episode. Packed with startling concepts, moments of poignancy and a truly terrifying villain, A Death in the Family deserves its chart topping reputation and then some. I think it will be a while before Big Finish achieves another story that scores quite so highly in every regard.

Full Review Here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/death-in-family-written-by-steven-hall.html


Eighth Doctor:

Death in Blackpool: An unusually melancholic Christmas episode that despite the tragic events still manages to capture the magic of the normality of a family Christmas. This is character drama of the highest order with the eighth Doctor series returning to the dramatic events of an earlier story and letting its consequences spiral out of control and devastate the relationship between the Doctor and Lucie. Christmas is not always mince pies and laughter and Death in Blackpool taps into the darker side of the season that really appealed to me, its far more thoughtful than the usual twee muck. The last scene is a Big Finish highlight, proof that these audio adventures have taken on a life of their own because I always burst into tears when the Doctor and Lucie are torn apart. A story that means a lot to me in many, many ways.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/04/death-in-blackpool-written-by-alan.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/401-Doctor-Who-Death-in-Blackpool


To the Death: A devastating finale that will not be forgotten for a long, long time. The first half of To the Death is a protracted scene amongst the major players of the seasonand sees some of the most brutal character work the range has ever provided. It’s an astonishingly raw extended sequence and it maintains its edge throughout. The second half is a bloodbath the likes of which we haven’t seen since the finale of Blakes’ 7, the Doctor’s friends and family slaughtered by the Daleks and leaving our hero a battered man unsure of his place in the universe anymore. The links to Patient Zero are a wonderful touch, adding a lot of depth to both stories and the Daleks scheme this time is more brutal and devastating than even I could have imagined. To the Death rounds of this incredible season on a climactic, melancholic finish that proves this series was not afraid to take risks and make Doctor Who as exciting as it can be. Monumental.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2011/04/to-death-written-and-directed-by.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://www.bigfinish.com/410-Doctor-Who-To-the-Death

The Stones of Venice: Controversially this might be my all time favourite Big Finish. It’s not the most intelligently written or the most innovative, it doesn’t have a huge mission statement and it doesn’t once threaten to become an exciting story. The script is captivating all the same, full of delicious dialogue, magic, love and wonder and perfectly taking me back to one of the best weeks of my life spent in Venice. The Doctor and Charley are perfect for this story and have their own adventures, wrapping themselves up in the seductive atmosphere of the place and enjoying some of their best ever dialogue. This is a world of secret cults, lost love and revolutionaries hiding under the surface, a story where the conclusion sees lovers sacrificing themselves so they can be together and a City reborn. I could listen to this one over and over. How on Earth did Tom Baker say no? What a nutter.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/03/stones-of-venice-by-paul-magrs-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/18-Doctor-Who-The-Stones-of-Venice

The Chimes of Midnight: As good as you have heard and then some, The Chimes of Midnight is one of those very rare Doctor Who stories that get everything right and even when you are told about how brilliant it is it still manages to surprise you. With peerless performances, a script that constantly plays with your mind and leaves you breathlessly emotional at the climax, direction that couldn’t be bettered and more clever concepts than both series of Sapphire and Steel I can’t think of a more accomplished piece of time twisting drama. Paul McGann is given more opportunities to prove just how right he was for the part and India Fisher finally comes out of her shell and rocks Charley up into the higher ranks of the companions. Like The One Doctor I have heard this story more times than it is probably sane to admit and I still find it as thrilling as I did on my first experience. This was a really good time to be a fan of Big Finish where they were producing some of the finest Doctor Who we had been privileged to enjoy.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/06/chimes-of-midnight-written-by-rob.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/29-Doctor-Who-The-Chimes-of-Midnight

Neverland: What else can I say that hasn’t been said above? This is superb climax to McGann’s second season, brilliantly dovetailing all of the hints that have been whispered throughout the year and bringing the paradox of Charley’s survival to a dramatic climax. I can’t remember a companion ever being given this much focus and India Fisher holds the story together beautifully, both as Charley and Sentris. Gary Russell has assembled a fantastic cast and each them bring something special to the story and his direction is nothing short of masterful throughout. Neverland is a story with a wealth of mind-expanding ideas at its disposal but whilst it is thrilling you with its possibility it never forgets to have a heart and the touching scenes between the Doctor and Charley as they realise their partnership may be coming to an end provide the icing on the cake. Alan Barnes has written a thrilling script and it is joyously brought to life by all concerned. Triumphant.

Full Review here: http://docohobigfinish.blogspot.com/2010/07/neverland-written-by-alan-barnes-and.html
Buy it from Big Finish here: http://bigfinish.com/33-Doctor-Who-Neverland

If you have ever enjoyed this blog...just a pound could make all the difference...

Good afternoon readers of the blog!

I hope you are all chipper and enjoying lots of Doctor Who!

In May I will be doing a skydive to raise money for the charity that I volunteer for, Age Concern Eastbourne. It is a charity that is very close to my heart because I have gotten to know the clients over the past 12 months of befriending and helping to run the day club. They are very lovely, very gentle, very lonely old people who come together once a week to find some companionship and have an enjoyable day. For many of them it is their only respite from a very lonely week. I also visit people in their homes and give them a few hours of my time, something that is so easy for me to give but so precious to them. Just to feel valued.

I'm not trying to change the world with my charity work. But I can make a difference to the people in my life and with enough money raised we can buy the Day Club clients birthday and Christmas presents and take them out to nice places. They really are incredible people and they deserve it.

I am here with my cap in hand to ask if anybody would be willing donate for the skydive. I have never wanted this site to generate any kind of money for myself because I enjoy writing for it so much but if you have been reading and enjoyed the reviews here and are willing to donate even a pound towards ACE I would be extremely grateful. I don't want to jump out of a plane for nothing!

Below is the link where you can read more about the work we do and have the opportunity to donate. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Massive hugs.

Oh and please leave your name if you do donate, so I can thank you personally! Somebody has already donated anonymously!

https://www.justgiving.com/AgeConcernSkydive/

Previous fundraisers I have organised for Age Concern Eastbourne...

The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Lights of Skaro written by James Goss and directed by Scott Handcock

What's it about: Bernice Summerfield is on Skaro, and she's very much on her own. The Doctor can't get to her, not this time. All Benny can do is stay alive for as long as possible. And, in a city full of Daleks, that's not going to be very long.

Archaeological Adventuress: When Benny realises they are on Skaro her first extinct is to run, which seems like a perfectly sensible reaction to me. You haven't seen her panic and cry this much in a long, long time. Probably since Just War and Death and the Daleks. If you are looking for an impossibly gorgeous blond hunk of a boyfriend then Skaro is the place to go...Benny berates herself for not realising that he was a Thal. To admit that she needs the Doctor is a big deal for her after all these years of independence. Because the Daleks sprung from their loins, Bernice assumed that the Kaleds were all evil. She certainly never envisaged falling in love with one of them. The universe isn't ready for Bernice to admit that she was in love with a man that became a Dalek.

The Real McCoy: The Doctor hoped that Benny would prevent Ace from reaching Skaro. Because he is something of an insubstantial ghost that is handing out advice Bernice declares him the worst Yoda ever. The Doctor thinks it was him who caused all the Dalek tragedies. In his darker hours he wonders if the Daleks were his fault. Benny has her own life and a family and plans to get back to both. Bernice being furious with him reminds him of old times. He hoped that perhaps Ace would succeed but the Daleks never end.

Oh Wicked: Overly apologetic, she thinks that everything that is happening on Skaro is her fault and is willing to sacrifice herself so Bernice can escape. the Doctor sent Ace to Gallifrey to the Academy to learn Time Lord stuff (very ambiguous) and whilst she was there the universe was getting on. Time passes on Gallifrey but not in the same way. She was even given a pet planet by the Time Lords to look after. It was wiped out by the Daleks and Ace figured it was time to do something about them. She accepted that was her responsibility, to help the Doctor and the universe by riding them of their scourge.

Standout Performance: Do you know how many stories I have spent praising Lisa Bowerman's performances? Go back and look across the breadth of Bernice Summerfield tales and see how often I pick her out as the highlight of each story. Throughout The Lights of Skaro Bowerman is practically narrating the adventure and she does an awesome job of it, showing the many shades of the character that put her name on the map. Whilst I always enjoy it when Benny is facetious in the face of great danger, it is when she is truly frightened and desperate that Bowerman does her best work and there are plenty of opportunities for her to strut her stuff here. Still on top after all these years.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'Once more the lights of Skaro blaze out across the universe!'

'I'm going to walk out of here and live. That's the worst insult you can give a Dalek.'

'I could have been the Dalek who killed your mother!'

'Daleks don't leave behind a history, just a scar upon the universe.'

Great Ideas: Daleks are single minded, determined and ruthless. They were created purely to survive and that is why they always do. A city that grew up from the ruins of the Kaled bunker and turned into a giant silver cancer that spread of the jungle of Skaro. Time is still out of whack on Skaro and so it is an ideal opportunity to place Bernice in the unique position of seeing the planet at various stages of its development and to walk through the events of several Doctor Who stories set on the planet. It is a unique idea and one that is exploited to the full with director Scott Handcock having a masterful control over the sound effects so a seasoned Doctor Who fan knows precisely where and when each period is. What a strange thing the Daleks are; one eye, one sucker and a little stubby gun. They look a little silly and yet they are the most terrifying and ruthless creatures in the universe. Bernice visits the period of the first Dalek story, Skaro's early days when there was testing with radiation drugs that drove some of them insane. We also visit the time of Evil of the Daleks where the Dalek Emperor lies dead like the spider in the middle of a web after the civil war. The Emperor: the most evil member of the most evil race that the universe ever came up with. He's the only Dalek who is allowed to think, making the others stupid nasty children playing with guns. The time lock dragged the ghosts from Skaro's history, plucked them out for a brief second of life and death. Including Klinus. He was a Kaled, not a Thal and he was one of the first Daleks. To get this close to one of the innocents that was mutated and turned into a Dalek is a rare scare in Doctor Who. It reminds me of the family who lost a member to the first Cybermen in Spare Parts. Daleks don't have heroes, just a long list of battles fought. All they feel is fear and pain, that's why they don't talk, only scream. I love all the discussion about how the Daleks came to be and the argument for and against creating such a despicable weapon. If you have a race that you despise and you want to wipe them off the face of the planet then you could justify the most heinous of weapons to rid yourself of them. And Goss goes some way to getting into that mindset. The secret of turning metal into gold? Hints of Evil of the Daleks. Ace brought with her an Omega device to Skaro and planned to wipe out the Daleks for good and winding up causing this mess in the first place. Breaking the time lock and causing the time jumps, all her fault because she tried to play Time Lord and she didn't have the skills. Bernice acknowledges that the Daleks were once people but something huge infected their lives and changed their destiny for good: war.

Audio Landscape: Dalek heartbeat, movement and extermination blasts, city doors, a lift, a sucky Dalek mutant squelching across the floor, the struggling Dalek city,

Isn't it Odd: The use of Davros is so sparingly in this adventure that a cynical person might be inclined to think that he was used purely to be able to put his voice in the trailer for the box set and entice more people to buy it. Cynical people, mind, not me. Sophie Aldred is dreadfully melodramatic at times, as per usual. Sylvester McCoy seems to have sorted his shit out since The Revolution.

Result: It is a shame that the plot doesn't hang together better because there are certain sections of dialogue in The Lights of Skaro that might just be the single best examinations of the Daleks in the entirety of Big Finish. If nothing else this is definitely not simply a Dalek cash in like so many other audios. It's very existence is to explore Dalek history, to examine them psychologically and to come to some pretty dark conclusions about their blight on the universe. It is a tough story to listen to because it is unrelentingly serious but as a drama that encapsulates their menace and evil, it is practically faultless. Lisa Bowerman triumphs, she's absolutely riveting throughout playing a character whose life has been fundamentally changed by these creatures and is trying to understand them. The biggest downfall is the structure of the narrative, which does allow us an intriguing waltz through Dalek mythology but apes the construction of the previous story and makes the latter half of this box set feel a little repetitive. That and the cynical use of Davros in the trailers when he barely features in the story. Ultimately this box set of The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield isn't at all what I thought it was going to be. I feared in the first story that Doctor Who would make an unwelcome intrusion to the universe of Bernice Summerfield which has enjoyed autonomous creativity for so many years. However the Doctor and Ace have barely made an impact and they are without a doubt the weakest aspects of the set. What this quartet of stories has achieved is to take hold of one of the most abused aspects of Doctor Who, the Daleks, and put a fascinating new spin on the creatures. It has made Skaro a terrifying, mysterious world again and has gone some way to encapsulating what made the creatures so successfully evil and addictive in the first place. The fact that the final three stories have handed Bernice Summerfield some riveting material and afforded Lisa Bowerman some striking performance opportunities feels like it is merely a bonus. The Lights of Skaro isn't perfect but it is exploring new avenues and I will always champion that: 8/10

Random Ghosts written by Guy Adams and directed by Scott Handcock

What's it about: Welcome to the Forbidden World. This world has a secret. The problem is that no-one can remember what it is. Time is broken here. Those trapped here must live the same day over and over – forming alliances, lying to each other, trying to escape. Welcome to the Forbidden World.

Archaeological Adventuress: I love the idea of a boyfriend being dumped on Benny without her even realising who he is. Because of the nature of the time jumps on this world she has already had a relationship with this man one minute and she doesn't know who he is the next. If there's one thing that Benny can't resist it is a mysterious city. She realises that sometimes you just have to live in the moment, forget about all the baggage (this range seems to have done a good job of that of late) and just go for it. Does Benny question things too much?

Oh Wicked: Something about Sophie Aldred just riles me on audio. I think she is a perfectly wonderful human being and massively positive ambassador for the TV series even at a time when it wasn't popular to do so. I just don't think she is particularly convincing behind the microphone and that is something of a problem when audio is the only medium I get to experience her in these days. There were moments on television where she would overplay her scenes (but to be fair next to Sylvester McCoy she was always going to be comparably subdued) and have trouble with her florid dialogue but since her transfer to audio it feels as though she has a need to emphasise every emotion to make up for the fact that we cannot see any kind of body language. It doesn't help that more often than not Ace is characterised to an extreme, how people remember her being rather than how she actually was. Is this a decent showing for the character? Not really, this is the period of New Ace, the bolshie, violent, gun toting version of the character who was hyper protective of the Doctor whilst hating him and hyper sensitive around Benny whilst loving her. She was an anathema, both vulnerable and violent. Aldred is given plenty of opportunity over emote in this story and she enjoys the opportunity...but I have to admit they were my least favourite moments. Ace is frustrated because Benny doesn't trust her to get things done on her own. It makes her mad because she thinks she has done enough already to prove herself. She wonders if she is useless at getting on with people. All they seem to do is row and when they do try and make up it is painfully awkward. Bernice needs a reason to trust her because she has let her down so many times in the past. Ace resented Benny because it was always her and the Doctor against the universe and then she turned up and all of a sudden Ace was the weak link, the stroppy kid with two parents. Whatever she did wasn't good enough anymore.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'That's the thing about a blank canvas. You can paint anything you want on it.'

'Real life is cumulative.'

Great Ideas: There are some planets the universe just no longer want to think about: the forbidden world. Time is broken on this world and it is suffering from time jumps. You keep living the same events, making the same mistakes. The only advantage they have is the cameras are recording what has already happened, if they play those cameras back they will hopefully try and figure out what has been happening and figure a way to change events. A time bomb has been exploded. The world has been time locked, it should be sealed away inside a space time envelope, wiping it out of history. Removing a world from existence isn't easy so whoever did it had a very good reason. Is art universal or something that is culturally defined and appreciated? There is a riveting discussion about power, how it is life and knowledge, how in the wrong hands it is a bad thing and usually the nicest people are those that lack it. Power is strength. Science works by testing theories, modifying your theory and testing again. The city seems to be the place where all the answers are but it is also the place that everybody fears going. Benny explains extremely eloquently about how fiction details love as something that can happen in an economic space of time. In five minutes you can see two people meet, share experiences and fall for each other. But in real life that takes place over a much longer period of time.

Audio Landscape: What an absolute nightmare for director Scott Handcock to assemble, so expertly handled. The introductory scene pretty much sums up the rest of the story in a nutshell, non linear madness overlapping to make a dramatic statement. If you listened to this story in the correct order it would still be an interesting listen because the material is very strong but the way the narrative is turned into glass, thrown on the floor and shattered into a million pieces and then the separate pieces examined out of order is quite extraordinary. It means you have to work at putting the pieces of the puzzle together, you have to try and remember important pieces of information and you have to put in more effort than usual into the assembling of this narrative.

Isn't it Odd: What is the point of setting up this story as a mystery with a whopper of a revelation in the last third about its location if the Big Finish website is going to spoil that twist with the title of the last story of the set? Sometimes they really do shoot themselves in the foot.

Standout Scene: The idea of the city sparking back into life with its battered and bruised history behind it is a terrifying notion. What is the name of this planet? What terrible secrets are hidden in the city? As soon as that Dalek heartbeat kicked in at the climax I had chills all over.

Result: I have something a little embarrassing to admit. I was listening to music before I put Random Ghosts on and I had my iPhone set to shuffle and when I pressed play on this story I listened to four tracks before I realised that I wasn't hearing the narrative being told in the right order. And that's because for one time only that is the entire point of Random Ghosts. It is the ultimate puzzle book audio, told out of order in a very clever way to keep its secrets as long as possible. It's a story where the way it has been constructed is as important and as gripping as the content itself. The story as a whole is dramatically very satisfying but individual scenes had the ability to take my breath away, discussing intelligent points powerfully. Random Ghosts is near flawless in what it is trying to achieve...and that is to hold off from letting the audience know the name of the forbidden world for as long as possible. It achieves that by assaulting the audience with gripping relationship drama and unforgettable performances. The weak link (as in The Revolution where the Doctor Who elements ruined the party) is Ace, who is more like a stroppy kid than ever and as a result comes with a typically unconvincing performances from Sophie Aldred. However Random Ghosts compensates with another stunning examination of Benny and another powerhouse turn from Lisa Bowerman. Aside from The Jigsaw War I cannot think of another story that has taken such a scattershot approach to its storytelling and as such this is a unique story that takes a risk and succeeds. It's best to remain spoiler free so the final scene has the impact it is going for but even if you know the title of the next story Random Ghost still delivers magnificently: 9/10

Goodnight Sweet Ladies written by Una McCormack and directed by Scott Handcock

What's it about: Bernice has come to the Moon of Adolin on a desperate mission. Instead, she finds an abandoned labyrinth, two confused survivors, and something ancient that needs her help.

Archaeological Adventuress: Bernice always thought she would die young, she never thought she would grow old. Orphans learn that people don't grow old, they die young. You never forget the early lessons. But here she is in the middle of life's journey and she is starting to get on. A few grey hairs, some lower back pain. Slippers and a cup of cocoa in no time. Bernice is in a ruminative mood this week. If she dies in the crash she is holding the Doctor personally responsible. Back in her comfort zone of unpeeling the mystery of a setting that is ripe with mysteries, Bernice realises that there are still things for this archaeologist to discover at the peak of her powers. It kills the scientist inside of her to say but sometimes it is better not to ask any questions. She doesn't like being pushed around and it certainly feels as though the Dalek is trying to herd her in a general direction. If it wants them to go with it then Benny will only do it on her terms. Bernice thinks fondly of the TARDIS, calling her a lovely old girl and compares her life travelling the vortex with free abandon to the slavery of a Dalek ship. Her apologies are so rare that they shouldn't be interrupted. Suddenly Bernice's dark thoughts about people who never grow old come to light when Claire reveals herself to be her mother, the woman that was stolen from Benny when she was a child and never allowed to grow old. At eight years old her mother was murdered by the Daleks, by the same kind of creature the she is now begging Benny to have pity on and help to pass on. For once Benny doesn't want to do the right thing and sacrifice this opportunity to spend some time with her mum and go after Ace...but she knows it is the right thing to do.

Oh Wicked: The first sign that Ace has been on Adelin is that Benny stumbles across explosives. It is practically a calling card.

Standout Performance: Sheila Reid is a pretty neat draw for the story and she provides some subtle menace to the proceedings as the mysterious Claire, trying to destroy all hope Benny might have of working out what is going on on Adelin.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'You can't hurt a Dalek. There's nothing left in there to hurt.'

'It's gesturing...' '...with it's gun.'

'What life could a Dalek ship have?'

'I can't leave the machine...I'm part of it.'

'You may just be a ghost but you're the ghost of my mum!'

Great Ideas: What do Gods do when there is no one left to worship them? Do they fade away too? Or do they keep on going hoping that one day somebody will remember their magnificence? For once the Daleks aren't used as a surprise appearance just because they appear, they are actually a part of the mystery and dropped into the story quite early. Una McCormack is far too savvy a writer to rely on the appearance of the Daleks to promote her work, especially when they are plastered all over the cover of this set. There is something mildly sacrilegious about the idea of a Dalek blasting away inside a cathedral, it is a potent image that I think would translate well in screen. Daleks don't take prisoners and they don't play around...so why aren't they dead? The wreck of a Dalek ship is lying beneath the cathedral, the ship came first and the holy building was built around it. Ace was looking for a Dalek Time Ship and here it is, calcifying underground. Like the TARDIS, the Dalek ship has a death toll. Claire is the voice of the ship. The ship is frightened and alone and wants to die, it needed somebody who wasn't afraid of a challenge and Bernice was more than up to the task. Ace was sent to a forbidden world, she asked for help and the ship sent her.

Audio Landscape: Heart monitor, exploding consoles, footsteps, a crash, wind chimes, crows screaming, Dalek extermination blast, screaming Daleks, blowing up the roof, rubble, church bells tolling.

Standout Scene: A conceptualised version of Christine Summerfield brought to life by the Dalek ship, a haunting opportunity for Bernice to see the kind of woman she might have been had she grown older with her.

Result: 'Nothing this good is ever meant to happen!' Back to doing what Bernice Summerfield always did best, an isolated location, an economic number of characters, strong dialogue and a mystery to solve. It almost feels as though The Revolution never happened. The first half of Good Night Sweet Ladies is a quiet affair but that is something of a relief after the smug gaudiness of the previous story, it is a real back to basics approach with a Dalek thrown in to keep things spicy. There is a contemplative and haunting atmosphere to this story that makes it stand out from a crowd, the measured pace of the script complemented by some solemn sound design and music that helps to compel the listener to the plight of the dying Dalek ship. Lisa Bowerman is afforded some emotional opportunities in the last third that brings out the best in her performance, Bernice is afforded a touching reunion with a character that she never thought she would have the chance to talk to again. There's barely any intrusion by the Doctor and Ace either so it really does feel like old school Benny. The choice that Bernice has to make at the climax is an impossible one and those always make for the most compulsive listening. Good Night Sweet Ladies strips away all the bluster and action that plagues so many audios and focuses on characterisation, specifically Bernice who is always well served when women are putting dialogue in her mouth. I thought this was achingly sad in parts and refreshingly different in tone to anything I had heard before: 8/10

Big Finish Anniversary Giveaway

Good afternoon!

I am taking this opportunity to generate some fresh interest in the blog and to clear out some of my old CDs that I now have available as downloads. To co-incide with the anniversary of the 300th Big Finish release I will be giving away a number of CDs in small batches. In order to win all you have to do is introduce somebody new to the blog. I am assuming that everybody knows somebody who is a Doctor Who fan...so simply get them to add themselves to either the Twitter feed, the Facebook Group or the Google Plus on the blog and let me know that it has been done and I will randomly select somebody in 7 days time to take home the first batch of CDS... If you aren't a member of any of these then simply add yourself and let me know. 

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The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield: The Revolution written by Nev Fountain and directed by Scott Handcock

What's it about: On the planet of Arviem 2, Bernice Summerfield has a lot of problems. Pursued by robots, maniacs and miracles, she has another issue to contend with. The Doctor's come looking for her – and he's not feeling himself.

Archaeological Adventuress: Bernice's calling cards are: stealing priceless artefacts, violating the local culture and desecrating the sacred. Benny's scathing criticism of the Doctor (where she is apparently being kind) is easily the nadir for the character as long as I have been reading or listening to her. I can't think of a single moment where I have wished ill of her like this. Hardly an auspicious start. Never underestimate what a woman can reach with her heels...why do you think Benny wears them? Benny's love of drink can get her in terrible trouble sometimes because it loosens her mouth.

The Real McCoy: The idea of the Doctor being stuck up on a shelf and waiting to be rescued merely emphasises his ineffectiveness and the failed efforts this story goes to to be quirky. The Doctor hates it when people say they are going to explain later, a supposedly amusing role reversal. The Doctor suggests that everything that is happening here is a fiendishly clever plan dreamt up by him in the future, so intricate and involved that they cannot begin to determine its true shape. Whilst that might be an amusing idea in practice, it is exactly the sort of timey wimey bollocks that drove me nuts in the New Adventures. Where the Doctor was always playing God with his companions. The idea of McCoy's Doctor being considered some kind of supermodel because of his superior brain (which he hardly demonstrates here anyway) made me feel a little nauseous. He stands for scientific proof at all times. The Doctor is supposedly something a genius and has concocted a solution before the adventure even began but the evidence of this is not backed up by the Doctor himself who behaves like a drunk child throughout. Tell me something I don't know is his motto.

Oh Wicked: At least we are spared Ace. Let's be thankful for small mercies.

Standout Performance: Hands down, this is McCoy's worst performance in a Big Finish audio in some considerable time. Probably his least convincing since the days of The Rapture and Unregenerate! He's always been dramatically inconsistent as an actor (but pretty consistent as an entertainer) but when Bernice points out that the Doctor has had his day I could not help but be simultaneously shocked at such a statement and shake my head in agreement given the hideousness of the performance of the man playing him. He screams and shouts and gurns and giggles and moans and sighs. It's the most bizarre performance I have listened to in some time. Mind you Lisa Bowerman, who I have long admired for many, many years has a momentary aberration in her stunning track record when she delivers the least convincing drunk of all times in the opening scenes. Finally there is Nicola Bryant who manages to deliver the most outrageous character in a story full of them. Perhaps she is doing her damndest to disguise the fact that she isn't Peri but I couldn't buy into the accentuated eccentricity of her voice one jot.

Sparkling Dialogue: 'Professor Summerfield come out, we don't want to harm you' 'No?' 'No, we want to kill you.'

'Attention: this is not miracle! A rational explanation will be issued later.'

Dreadful Dialogue: 'Doctor pleeeeeease! Show me a siiiiigggnnnnn!' One of the most cringeworthy deliveries of a line ever. I wanted to the ground to open and swallow me up it was so embarrassing.

'What has religion done for us? Nothing. It makes up fairy stories and calls everything it can a miracle.' I'm not in the slightest but religious and have my own issues with the notion but I think that is dangerous territory to take the series in. For the Doctor to make such an uncompromisingly disrespectful statement boggles the mind.

Great Ideas: To give you a clue about the unimportance of Arviem II, there isn't even an Arviem I. In a one planet race to be called Arviem I, it came second. The obsession with science on this planet is not healthy because it is like an obsession without love. Benny rather cleverly uses that obsession to her advantage by highlighting the theory of Schrodinger's Cat as a scientific fact that cannot be disproved and manipulating it to allow for her escape. This is a world where faith in the indefinable is a punishable action, you have to have your every belief backed up by scientific fact. Arviem II joined the Federation three months ago. Unfortunately the Doctor was drunk when he created all life on this planet so he seems to have forgotten al about it. He's created the only planet in the galaxy where all the bible stories are literally true.

Audio Landscape: Robot hydraulics, automatic doors, footsteps, a hover bike ascending, smashing glass, a screaming cat, gunshots, a screaming crowd, jungle sounds, an exploding head.

Isn't it Odd: I wont lie, when I first heard that the Benny adventures were moving away from their established continuity and straying back in to New Adventures territory my heart sunk. I genuinely felt that the series that had done the most to strive for its own identity and had never played by the rules was falling back into a safe region and a one that I had not been particularly keen on in the first place. Whilst I can admire that the New Adventures were a wildly innovative period of for brand as a whole it doesn't change the fact that, Benny aside, I could barely stand any of the companions and I found that McCoy's Doctor was perverted out of all recognition. The books were often overblown, atrociously written trying to push the envelope for the sake of it rather than having a creative reason. Don't get me wrong there were some fantastic authors to spring from the New Adventures but the range was also saddled with some amateurish ones too. Whilst this set as a whole alleviated some of my anxieties, The Revolution certainly failed to do so. What I feared would happen was that Doctor Who would intrude on the Bernice Summerfield range and take over and instead something even more shocking happened, the Bernice Summerfield range judged Doctor Who, criticised it and considered it unworthy. When Bernice belittles the Doctor in such a way s to tell him to fuck off and let her get on with this adventure without him, I was appalled. Apparently the Doctor without the TARDIS and a hat is just an annoying man in a hat. This is clearly a Bernice Summerfield adventure with the Doctor involved...so why is it fronted by the Doctor Who theme tune rather than the Bernice Summerfield one. For a range that is claiming to have not lost its identity that is a bizarre statement to make. The tone of the story doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the new direction that the range is taking. For once I think the Bernice series should have dumped the sarcasm and ploughed for something more serious, the smugness that permeates The Revolution reeks of a new direction that is absolutely full of itself. The Doctor doesn't fit in in adventures with a lot of shooting and shouting? Who was that wandering through the Eric Saward era then? I've swallowed down some pretty outrageous concepts in my time as a Doctor Who fan...but sentient clothing? I'm unconvinced that the structure of the story works either, we come in after the Doctor has made his considerable input to this world and pick up with Benny drunk at the bar with no idea what has occurred before until later in the narrative. But the revelations hardly justify the mystery. Once we reach the climax of worlds being created by pink dragons, robots dancing to awful music and heads literally exploding because they cannot handle the pressure of contradictory ideas I had lost the will to keep going. I was willing this to end.

Standout Scene: 'This isn't easy Doctor but I don't want you to come with me. I just don't think this is your kind of adventure. This isn't the kind of adventure where we do something frightfully clever at the end where everybody ends up more or less happy. This is the kind of adventure where I fire my guns at them and they fire their guns at me and the one who fires their guns the most number of times wins. It's just a lot of shooting and shouting and you don't fit in here. Most of the time you are the most wonderful, inventive, clever person I've ever met and you have quite definitely the finest brain in the galaxy but here...here you're just an odd little man saying odd little things and you're just getting in the way. Find a nice little planet where everyone's nice...' It actually made my blood boil typing those words that I had to stop. Just hideous.

Result: I have never known so many Nev Fountain jokes fall so wide of the mark and I think it is due to the uncertain tone of the story. Whether that is due to the writing, directing or performances I don't think I ever quite put my finger on it but I was literally astonished to see the work of so many people I admire failing to gel in such a spectacular way. There were points where it was so ill judged that I was quite embarrassed listening to it and I don't think that has happened since the days of Bang Bang a Boom! which ironically enough featured another abysmal Sylvester McCoy performance. I fail to see the logic of bringing in the Doctor to generate some interest in the Bernice Summerfield range if he is going to be undermined and made a joke of like he is here. Laugh with him by all means but the characterisation and performance is so off kilter that I was mostly laughing at him and that isn't something I ever want to find myself doing. The story itself plays about with some tasty ideas (as you would expect from Nev Fountain) but it is squandered on a shallow run-around featuring too many characters that are facetious and self-righteous. Go and listen to the superlative range Dorian Gray and you have hours of evidence that Scott Handcock is one of the strongest directors Big Finish has ever employed. So what happened here? There are so many gags in this script, most of them need to be delicately handled but instead it is like watching an appalling Benny Hill sketch where he trips over his shoelaces, slips on a banana and falls face down into a cream pie. It lacks any subtlety or nuance. The biggest indignity, however, is Sylvester McCoy's performance. So bad it practically redefines the meaning of the word, it sounds like he has tripped off a plane after a flight back from New Zealand and picked up the script jetlagged. I've never heard anything quite like it. I always want to love what the Bernice Summerfield range is releasing because it is constantly innovating and surprising but this was an enormous step backwards in quality and realisation. Parts of this story are truly abominable so things can only get better: 2/10