Old Soldiers (2007)

The third part of the companion chronicles sees Nicholas Courtney reprise his role for the first time in 19 years. The one thing that strikes me is how good his voice is, he sounds nothing like the Brigadier from the 1970’s but even so it is a nice voice and is easy to listen to like Tom Baker’s when he is narrating Little Britain. James Swallow has written this story and his previous contribution to the Doctor Who range was the 2005 story Singularity which was a slighltly dull adventure so I had a slight hesitation when I started to listen to it. The first thing that I noticed was the chronological setting of the story, it was set straight after the 1970 story ‘Doctor Who and the Silurians’ which made it feel like a proper adventure.

The main problem I have with this story is that it seemed to really lack a proper menace. I found myself really struggling to enjoy this apart from Courtney. In fact Nicholas Courtney was the best thing in this story as it feels like he is telling the story from experience and his voice works well on audio and should be encouraged to do more Big Finish stories in the future. Swallow’s story was not terrible but compared to Mother Russia and Helicon Prime which were fantastic stories this one is the weakest of the series so far.

The Tomfiles #3 - Big Finish Review of 2007

Question: Has this been a good year for Big Finish?

Well, Yes and No. Without doubt the stories such as Son of the Dragon, Absolution and Nocturne have been absolute crackers with all the pace, emotional material and damn good acting that wouldn't be out of place on TV. But then there were stories such as Valhalla and 100 which were mediocre, bordering on poor. There were big changes to the line up that would see some of the biggest changes that Doctor Who has encountered in the Big Finish range since it was launched in 1999. Gary Russell, who had been the top man behind the series contributed to his final story in Nocturne and Nicholas Briggs took over. There was also a change to the story format with new three parters followed by a single stand alone story. 2007 also saw the 100th Doctor Who story produced by Big Finish to celebrate it there was a different type of story made.

2007 started with Circular Time, which was a four part story with Peter Davison and also starring Sarah Sutton who was making her first Big Finish appearance since the 2005 story The Game. This was a poor story in my opinion as it didn't really seem to have much point to it. The only good part about it was the role of Sir Issac Newton which was played by the brilliant David Warner. I ended up giving this story 2 out of 5. February saw the Seventh Doctor star in Nocturne. This was a brilliant story which had me holding on to every word and by the end of part four was completely blown away which I thought was the best story for a long time and for most of this year was the best story of the year. March saw the return of the Daleks. This was Nicholas Brigg's first story as 'Executive' Producer. This story also featured a new look CD Cover which changed for the first time since Paul McGann's first adventure in January 2001. The story had been written by Christopher H.Bidmead who for new fans who haven't seen much of 1980's Who was the script editor for the end of Tom Baker's era and the beginning of Peter Davison's time in control of the TARDIS. Renaissance of the Daleks didn't have a written by credit but a 'From an Idea by' because apparently he was unhappy with changes been made to his precious script with his name on it. Even though this happens all the time and he must have done when he was script editor he was unhappy with this happening to him. The story was interesting and when I originally reviewed it I said that he should be encouraged to write more and I still stand by that statement. April saw the first three parter followed by a standalone story in I.D and Urgent Call. The three parter was ok but was slightly confusing as I didn't understand really what it was all about but I thought that it was good as three parts because its wouldn't have time to include any boring banter. The inclusion of Gyles Brandreth was one of the few highlights in this story based purely on his voice. The single parter however was not very good as I thought it was a completely pointless episode. May saw the second new style story telling with Exotron and Urban Myth. Unlike the previous release both stories were really good and enjoyable. The characters were well written in both stories and by the end of it I thought it was a good release.

June saw a return to the traditional format of a four part story but Valhalla was a very dull story which wasn't bad or poor like Circular Time but just didn't have a point to it. Slyvester McCoy was let down in this story with a poor story and no one to bounce his character off against as Ace and Hex had been written out of it for some reason. The story was written by Marc Platt who had penned the brilliant 2002 story Spare Parts and so I had high hopes of this release but was ultimately was left disappointed with this release. July saw Bonnie Langford return in The Wishing Beast and the Vanity Box. This 6th Doctor release featured Jean Marsh who had appeared along William Hartnell in the 1965 epic Dalek Master Plan and along the seventh doctor in the 1989 serial Battlefield. The three part story was quite good as if it had been four parts then it might have stumbled a little bit. The single parter was something that I didn't like as I though that even though it was a link to the Wishing Beast story it didn't really work because the pace and language used wasn't right at all.

August saw Slyvester McCoy return to in Frozen Time which was written by Nicholas Briggs who's last penned story The Nowhere Place (2006) was a brilliant adventure. Sure enough this story was also a well written, well acted piece of sci-fi. The biggest shock of the year came when it was revealed that the Ice Warriors were in main baddies. Unlike the companion-less story of Valhalla, McCoy was given a great script and had co-stars that complimented his Doctor. Nicholas Briggs is a brilliant writer and has shown time and time again that he can write a cracking script and it is only because he is doing the Dalek Empire and Cyberman series that we don't see more of his work. Early September saw release 99 and Son of the Dragon. This in my mind is the greatest story of the year. It was the sort of story that only comes round one ever few years and had the feel of an adventure that should be made for TV on my a big Sci-Fi budget. The addition of James Purefoy was a masterstroke in an adventure which will be around for a long time before being beaten in terms of quality writing and acting. Late September saw the 100th release in the brilliantly named 100. To celebrate this milestone four of the most popular writers penned a single episode. Paul Cornell, Robert Shearman, Joseph Lidster and Jacqueline Rayner. I was disappointed by this because I thought that single part stories just don't work. The only story that worked for me was the 100 Days of the Doctor which whilst wasn't brilliant was the best of a bad bunch.

October's release was Absolution which saw the first eighth Doctor story with C'Rizz and Charley since Memory Lane in late 2006. This was the second story in three which I thought was brilliant. Not because it wrote out the character of C'Rizz but because of the way of the exit. It was the most emotional story that has ever been done and actually made me Miss C'Rizz. Absolution saw three guest roles in the form of Robert Glenister who stars in the BBC Drama Hustle, Christopher Villers who stars in the ITV soap Emmerdale and Natalie Mendoza who stars in the BBC drama Hotel Babylon. November saw Peter Davison in The Minds Eye which had Owen Teale who had starred opposite Davison in The Caves of Androzani in 1984. The Mind's Eye was a really good story that was enjoyable but was let down by the single part story. December's story saw the exit of Charley in The Girl Who Never Was. Now this story was supposed to be the great ending for a character that had been with the eighth Doctor since he started the Big Finish plays in 2001. However I found it a little disappointing because it was more complicated than it needed to be. The ending was really heart breaking and was the perfect ending to a fine character. The special release that accompanied the The Girl Who Never Was. Return to the Web Planet saw the 5TH Doctor and Nyssa encounter the Zarbi in a story that was quite interesting. Another big name was Sam Kelly who was famous for starring in the BBC Comedy 'Allo 'Allo.

This has been a big year for spin-off releases. January saw all four parts of the Companion Chronicles released. These feature companions of the first four Doctors who cant (or wont in Tom Baker's case) appear in audios. Maureen O'Brien read as Vicki for the First Doctor, Wendy Padbury read as Zoe for the Second Doctor, Caroline John read as Liz Shaw for the Third Doctor and Lalla Ward read as Romana II for the Fourth Doctor. The success of this series led for Big Finish to produce a second series which started in October. By the end of 2007 Peter Purves had read as Steven Taylor for the First Doctor and Frazer Hines read as Jamie McCrimmon. Both these audios continued to the strong stories that had been produced by the first series. The lack of 8th Doctor stories in the regular range was down to the fact that the Doctor was busy on the digital radio station BBC7 in eight brand new adventures. This was a success because it had created a new companion in the form of Lucie Miller who was played by Sheridan Smith. These stories were released every month from January to August. The success of the series must have made the writers and producers decide that C'Rizz and Charley were surplus to requirements. If that's the case then they have replaced two well established characters with one that isn't quite on par with them but with time has the potential of being one of the greatest companions in the audio Doctor Who's.

2007 also saw the return of the most successful spin-off series that Big Finish has ever had. Dalek Empire returned with two former Doctor Who stars taking the lead roles. Noel Clarke who had played Mickey Smith from 2005 to 2006 played Silus Kade and Maureen O'Brien who had played Vicki from 1965-66 was playing Angnes Landen. The series is really well written and any doubts that I had about whether Clarke would be right for the role or whether Nicholas Briggs had left it to long since Dalek Empire 3 went as soon as Part 1 was released.

So that has been 2007 in the Big Finish universe. 33 releases and out of the regular releases the following returns saw a average rating of 3.62 which was an improvement from 2006. It actually was the second highest rating since the Doctor Who range began only losing out to the 2001 rating of 3.83.

So what can we expect from 2008? Well I hope that they don't do as many three part stories followed by a single story because they just don't work. Also I hope that the quality of the stories continues to improve like they have done this year. More stories that don't have companions would also be good even though there should be at least one with every companion.

2007 has been a great year for Big Finish and 2008 looks like it could be even better.

Dalek Empire 4 - The Fearless (Part 4) (2007)

The fourth and final instalment of Dalek Empire 4 is even better than Part 3. The story is really about Kade finally confronting Landen about what how she has manipulated him to do her bidding. The actual story was quiet a good one as it was a good veichle for Kade and Landen to do some good scenes and highlight the point that they just dont get on and that Landen is manipulating Kade with him seemingly going along with it. The scene at the end where Kade shoots Landen was the best moment of the entire series as for a brief moment there was doubt as to whether Kade would actually shoot Landen or not. When he did it was something that was a total shock because you though that Kade had enough restraint to just give her Landen with the fear that he could have shot her. The end scene leaves it open for Dalek Empire 5 and I hope that there is because Noel Clarke has been impressive throughout this series with his character well thought out and well acted. Maureen O'Brien has been another great actress in this series. Her role of Landen has also been well written and it has been subtle but integral to the story and to the character of Kade.

What I also liked was how the end of this series was linked to the end of Series 1 where The Angel of Mercy shouted 'Death to the Daleks'. I thought that it gave this series a nice place of fitting in with the chronology of Dalek Empire. This part of the series was the most thrilling of the series and that is no disrespect to the other three parts because they have all been very strong stories.

Dalek Empire 4 - The Fearless (Part 3) (2007)

The third instalment of Dalek Empire 4 is without doubt the best. This part was about Kade’s attempt to try and assassinate Susan Mendes. The plot was very strong and it was well supported by some fine acting. There were some classic moments including the moment where Kade and Fisk have a row, what was so supprising was the intensity of it and also the fact that it was so unexpected because they had been the best of friends for the past two stories so when the moment did come it was well acted by both actors. The star of the story in my opinion was the character of Ollander, she for me has proved to be one of the most under rated characters in the whole series. She did well in part two but it was in this part when she tried to paint the picture that Kade and his men were the murderers for wanting to kill a woman who in her eyes was only doing good was a turning point for the story of this episode and confirmed to me what a great character she is.

Of the other characters Noel Clarke continues to impress. His attitude when his dead wife and child are mentioned was not overplayed and was used to heighten the emotional tension. Maureen O’Brian had her best story yet. She seems to me to a manipulative character who is using people’s emotions to do her work. Its one that at the moment only seems to shine when it is against someone like Silus Kade.

This story seem to be a single part story in a series but even if that’s not the case it was still a cracking episode and it is the best one that Nicholas Briggs has penned. Brilliant.

Helicon Prime (2007)

Helicon Prime is a story that sees the return of Jamie McCrimmon to the Doctor Who series. The character of Jamie was played by Frazer Hines from December 17 1966 to June 21 1969 with a brief appearance in the 1983 story The Five Doctors and also returned alongside Patrick Troughton in the 1985 story The Two Doctors. Frazer Hines is perhaps one of the most well loved characters in Doctor Who partly because of his innocence at not knowing what was going on due to the fact he came from 1746 and also partly because he was willing to engage with the baddies and his loyalty to the Doctor. Helicon Prime is also the first contribution from Jake Elliot and sees the second story to be directed by Nigel Fairs. Something else that is worth noting is that it occurs whilst Victoria is away on her Graphology studies following the story Fury from the Deep. It occurs during the infamous Season 6B which is a weird concept but as long as that isn’t taking to literally then the story is far more enjoyable.

This story is a quite basic who-dun nit and of course it is been solved via Jamie’s eyes. The story has a nice feel to it with a great setting and interesting music to help create a party like atmosphere and gives a greater sense of the relationship that Hines and Troughton had. Elliot has written a story that sees the plot moving at a quick pace. The addition of Suzanne Proctor as Mindy Voir who interacts very well with Hines and they have some really good scenes. It starts off with Voir looking over Jamie who had banged his head on the moors and tries to remember an adventure he had with head which is a fairly loose way of introducing a character but it is still effective.

Frazer Hines is very good in this story. He plays Jamie exactly like he did 40 years ago. What surprised me about this story is how he managed to get Patrick Troughton’s voice more or less spot on. His voice has a nice warm effect and listening to him was a joy. Normally when a companion has to do the Doctor’s voice or another companions then it tends to be a bit of a let down but in this instance it’s the exception rather than the rule. Suzanne Proctor is also very good in this story, the character of Mindy Voir was a nice one. Proctor has a nice voice and it blended in well with Hines’. Jake Elliot has written a very good script that catches the essence of that era in Doctor Who. It is nice when a story is simple in plot terms because it means that you can focus on the other elements of the story and just revel in what is perhaps the best of the Companion Chronicles so far. Hopefully he will be able to get chance to write for the regular series because I think with more time and more characters then he could write a really nice classic Doctor Who story. Either that or write another Companion Chronicle story. Nigel Fairs directs his second story and perhaps takes the advantages of the script and uses it keep the story at such a pace that you never realise how long the story has been going on for and soon it’s the end. Whereas Mother Russia was a fairly complicated story which resulted in the story struggling to get its full potential out, Fairs has managed to push the pace and excitement of this story to the max.

Dalek Empire 4 - The Fearless (Part 2) (2007)

The second instalement of the fourth series continues with all the action and pace that part one had. The plot moved along quite a lot in this episode with there being several interesting scenes. The first being the boarding of Kade onto the Dalek ship. There was also the scene between Kade and Agnes Landen was very interesting to listen to. The biggest revelation was what Landen wanted Kade to do and that was to kill the Angel of Mercy. For the first time it really felt like this fourth series was really part of the Dalek Empire storyline. The moment that it was revealed the Kade would have to kill Susan Mendes was a brilliant moment and a excellent cliffhanger.

It was also nice to see in this part Susan Mendes get in on the action with her interaction with Ollander. The character of Ollander is quite a sad one because she seems to be one who would go out of her way to be your friend but has been treated poorly by the Daleks with them taking certain parts of her brain including the part which remembers what her first name is. The fact that the Daleks did such a callas thing not only creates a new character that we can get to know (Ollander) but reminds us of what evil and vicious creatures the Dalkes can be.

Noel Clarke was on brilliant form again as Silus Kade. In this episode he didn’t seem to be as obsessed with his wife and daughter as he was in Part 1, this may have been because he was busy spending time with a nearly dead Dalek. Clarke continues to amaze me in this series as he still doesn’t bare any resemblance to Mickey Smith in the TV Doctor Who. Maureen O’Brien also continues to impress me in this series. In this part she seemed to have more input into the story and her scene with Clarke at the end was an important moment for her.

Nicholas Briggs has continued to the successful return of the Dalek Empire series and it seems that the final two parts will be just as exciting and thrilling as the first two instalments have been.

Return to the Web Planet (2007)

The special release for Subscribers has become a regular thing now. It’s a way for Big Finish to say Thankyou to the fans that spend a lot of money for these releases. Usually these stories are different in terms of structure because whereas regular releases are four part stories totally 100 minutes or so with these there is no cliffhanger and the story is just under and hour so there is little time to pad out plots or characters and there would only be about 25 minutes to tell the story. Over the last few years we have had Cryptobiosis, Her Final Flight and the Daleks. Last year saw the Daleks get the special treatment and this year we are treated to a former alien that last appeared 42 years ago. Of all the monsters to bring back to a modern day audience that appeared in the early days of Doctor Who, Big Finish decided to bring back The Zarbi. Not quite sure what the logic was behind it but The Zarbi appeared in the William Hartnell story The Web Planet in 1965. The thing that I doubted whether the Zarbi would work on audio. The advantage that this audio has over the 1960’s version is that you can create a different landscape to what was produced on a minute budget. Return to the Web Planet is written by Daniel O’Mahony who as far as I am aware is making his debut for the Big Finish/Doctor Who range.

Unfortunately I don’t like The Web Planet even though I do appreciate the risk that the production team took in making it. The advantage of listening to this on audio is that you can imagine a green and pleasant land. We don’t have to cringe our way through unfortunate costumes and sets. I think that the budget limited what could be done and as a result we have six episodes that move so slow that time feels like its standing still. 2 hours and half hours seems like such a long time when you don’t know what is going on.

Peter Davison is very good as The Doctor. His relationship with Nyssa is a strong and well developed as usual. Davison has a nice style in the way that he plays the Doctor. When he is given the right sort of script, Davison can show why is perhaps the best Doctor of the 1980’s. Occasionally though Davison does have to struggle to show his stuff but not in this case. Sarah Sutton continues to perform very well as Nyssa. In my opinion she is the best companion for the Fifth Doctor. She is my favourite companion because she is on the Doctor’s level in terms of intelligence and also she doesn’t scream at the slightest unnerving thing. Sutton always worked better with Davison’s Doctor as opposed to Tom Baker’s Doctor and the best time for Nyssa was when she was the only companion.

I found the guest cast to be top stuff. Sam Kelly is great as Acheron and his voice sounds very much like the Menotra. This isn’t Kelly’s first foray into Doctor Who. He previously appeared in The Holy Terror. What I liked about Kelly’s performance was how he sounded like a character that we could put some interest in. Matthew Noble was very good in this story as Yanesh, the character was a well written one for Noble and he played it with the sort of innocence that you would expect from a primitive planet compared to ours. Claire Wyatt also put in a good performance as the Speaker. Julie Buckfield is a name that might sound familiar and that is because she is the sister of Claire Buckfield. Whilst Claire has been given good solid characters Julie unfortunately wasn’t. In this story she plays Hedyla, the character was likeable but ultimately the way the character was written in the story didn’t really seem to serve a purpose which is a shame. She was only there really to give Acheron someone to interact with at the beginning. The idea that the Speaker was once human but has become involved with the Zarbi was a really interesting story plot and helped the story. The moment where Yanesh and the Speaker merge together was a nice moment but it wasn’t really given the emotional tone it deserved.
The characters were generally well written and well acted. The music and sound effects helped add to create the planet Vortis. With the production values of the imagination I find myself hoping that they don’t wait 42 years before returning. Daniel O’Mahony has written a story that is a simple enough story with characters that have enough about them to have us interested in them. It’s clear from the very beginning that he must have a fondness for them because he has managed to get the feeling of Vortis along with the Zarbi down to a tee. Barnaby Edwards did a very good job as the director. He allowed the characters just enough time to show what they are about. He kept the pace going at a nice pace and made it an entertaining story. I don’t often credit the music/sound designers very often in reviews because they tend to blend into the background. It’s often However was David Darlington did was create a great impression in my mind. The sound effects used was some of the best that I have heard in a Big Finish play for quite sometime.

Overall this is a very good release. Much improved in terms of satisfaction over Return of the Daleks. Considering that it was free for me because I subscribe but I ask myself with this release Would I pay for it? And the answer in this case would be YES. I found the story an enjoyable 50 minutes and it’s a story that I strongly recommend to anyone who wants encounter a monster from the classic series. Well done Big Finish and Thankyou. Here’s hoping that they choose a monster that would come a fans mind to bring back to challenge their and mine thoughts of them.

The Girl Who Never Was (2007)

2007 has been a good year for Big Finish. With such stories as Son of the Dragon and Nocturne leading the charge for Story of the Year contender it was important that the final story was a really good one. The final story of 2007 also saw the final story for India Fisher and for Charley. The character had made her debut way back in January 2001 and was written by Alan Barnes, so it was only fitting that he wrote the departure of the character. The Girl Who Never Was is a follow up from the previous 8th Doctor release Absolution and so had a lot to live up to which was always going to be difficult considering the circumstances. The conclusion of Absolution came a bit out of the blue. Of course Charley feels grief after losing a friend she is going to want some space which is quite similar to how Evelyn felt in Project: Twilight when Cassie died and spent some time away from the Doctor. It was clear that her departure wasn’t going to be the normal.

Whilst I thought it was a good story it was overly complicated. There seemed to be no real need at all to set it in both 1942 and 2008 because all you really needed was a simple adventure with the Cybermen and you would be sorted. Another thing that found wrong was when Charley had been converted, it just didn’t work for me and it just felt like it was a poor attempt at a Cyber voice. I half expected her to jump out and turn talking like she normally does. Also in this story it would have been nice if Charley’s mother had made an appearance. Another negative thing is that I had difficulty at time understanding just what was going on and that was due to the time settings. The first story for the character of Charley (Storm Warning) was a simple adventure which had monsters, a feisty companion and a historic setting whereas The Girl Who Never Was was the exact opposite. When I finished listening to this four-part adventure I did feel slightly confused but that isn’t to say that there weren’t any redeemable features. The first were of course the Cybermen, they were making their first appearance in the regular releases since their double-header one back in September 2006 (The Reaping and The Gathering) and their two-parter in the BBC7 series so it was the most that the Steel baddies have had in Big Finish for quite sometime. The sound of them was absolutely spot on and added a genuine menace to the proceedings. The one downside of the Cybermen (which has nothing to do with Big Finish) is that there is no consistency to how the Cybermen look or sound. With the Daleks apart from one or two stories they have looked and sounded the same. With Big Finish plays they have the same sound in every story.

The introduction of the Cyber-Planner was not only a fantastic idea but it had a brilliant voice. The fact that someone else was playing Charley was a genius move and made me interested to find out just what had happened to Charley and why she couldn’t remember the Doctor the first time she saw him. The scene towards the end where its revealed that it wasn’t in fact the real Charley but someone from 1942 who had lost their memory and took on the name Charley was a nice move and was the only thing that made sense out of the whole 1942 thing. But the best thing about ‘The Girl Who Never Was’ was the exit of Charley from Doctor Who. It wasn’t melodramatic, it wasn’t boring and it most certainly not dull. It was totally unexpected though and the fact there was no real goodbye made it that more emotional.

Paul McGann puts in a different kind of performance in this story. He has to deal with the death of C’Rizz and the shock decision by Charley that she wants to leave and on top of that has to deal with The Cybermen. It’s a good performance from him and its always a sign of what sort of Doctor he could have been had that US version being successful. India Fisher puts in a superb performance in her last story with the Eighth Doctor. This partnership on a actors level has been a joy to listen to and will be deeply missed. The character of Charley has been a really interesting character. She hasn’t stuck to the stereotype of being from the 1930’s but has developed really well over the near seven years that the character has been around. Stories such as Zagreus and Scherzo have really tested the relationship between the Doctor and Charley and have made this combination just a successful as the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn. The introduction of C’Rizz in late 2003 didn’t really allow interfere with the bond these two had which made the character of C’Rizz seem like even more of an outsider. I personally don’t believe the tosh that the character had gone its course, if so why is Peri and Nyssa still around nearly 20 years after they left and its not just because their classic companions. I think that just because this is the last adventure chronologically speaking it doesn’t mean it has to be the last story at all. Set future 8th Doctor/Charley stories just after Charley joins the TARDIS or before C’Rizz joins. In my opinion the departure of Charley will be a sad loss. Anna Massey is a distinguished actress and she played Miss Pollard superbly. Her involvement of this story helped add another emotional side that I thought was a nice touch. Another good involvement in this story was Danny Webb as Byron. The character was well written and was a lot of fun to listen to. Webb has previously been in the seventh Doctor story The Dark Husband and the two-parter TV story The Satan Pit & The Impossible Planet.

Whilst Absolution was a brilliant story for a character that didn’t really fit in, it seems a shame that this story was overly complicated for a character that was the best thing about the 8th Doctor stories. Alan Barnes has written a story which some fans may like but left me feeling like it didn’t need to be like this. It’s difficult to know whether the partnership had run its course but with the arrival of Lucie Miller who is a feisty companion, Charley’s days were numbered.

The Minds Eye & Mission of the Viyrans (2007)

The Mind’s Eye is the second story written by Colin Brake. His previous story also featured the Fifth Doctor, Peri & Erimem. The story is also the fourth story to feature the three part and one part story that has been used on I.D, Exotron & The Wishing Beast. The story is set on a planet that apparently has no name, this seems ridiculous to me as all planets have names and as soon as the name has been revealed then it is mentioned all the time. That is really my only problem with the whole story and as you can probably tell that’s just nit-picking. The story is a really fast paced one and there isn’t one point throughout this adventure that drags. The sequences where Peri and Erimem are living their own lives or believe that they gives a really good impression of what their lives would be like after they travelled with the Doctor. Recently there has been a lot of emphasis on the departures of companions. With the recent departure of C’Rizz and the future exit of Charley it seems that Erimem might be leaving. This is what I was thinking because of the way that she was in Son of the Dragon where it seemed really likely that she was going to be leaving but didn’t and at several points in this story it seemed like this would be leaving. Out of the pair, it seems that Erimem would be more suited without the Doctor as her role in the colony was what we would expect of the character. Peri’s alternative life seemed very much what you would think her life would be. Even though Peri’s life takes a turn for the worst towards the end it seems that both of them would get on fine without the Doctor. Which is quite reassuring because it shows that they don’t see the Doctor as some sort of father figure who they require attention and would be totally emotional drained without him. The single part story was something that I wasn’t expecting a lot from. Previous single part stories have proven to be poor. The only on that has been any good was Urban Myths which accompanied with Exotron. I have to admit that whilst it wasn’t as good as Urban Myths it was still a very good effort. The idea of the Viyrans was very good as they sounded human like but didn’t sound ridiculous. The picture of them does make them sound like Cylons out of Battlestar Gallactica. The fact they aren’t set on total domination was a nice change but ultimately might result in there downfall when or if they return in future adventures. I put the fact that this single story was ok due to the fact that it was penned by Nicholas Briggs who can be trusted to put together a strong story. Again I think that like most of the single stories that have fallen short of my expectations this story could do with being a three or even four part story.
The plot point that there are plants that are slowly consuming both Peri and Erimem was quite creepy and it served the purpose of moving the story along. There was enough to keep you interested and at no time did I look at how much was left of each episode. The characters in this story are written well and are used in a sensible way and are effective. Owen Teale, who had appeared in Torchwood and had appeared in Doctor Who back in 1984 was brilliant as Hayton. From the way that he was talking to the Doctor and to Major Takol it started giving me the feel that he was up to something then that feeling went away, it soon became obvious that he has alterative motives. Teale voice works very well in this story and it is by far the best voice in this story. I think even with a bland script Teale would manage to make the character seem menacing. If you ever watch Torchwood then you would know what I mean. Peter Davison seems to be on a roll. This is his fifth story of 2007 and he has now done three great performances and one mediocre and one poor performance. I think that because of the scripts sometimes Davison’s Doctor came seem to be taking a bit of a back seat in action. What I liked in this story about Davison’s performance in this story is that there didn’t seem as much of the humorous side of his character as there normally would be, it was straight into the action and as soon as he discovered what was happening he went straight into helping Erimem and then helping Peri. Caroline Morris was on fine form again as Erimem, like in Son of the Dragon she was very strong against people she was placed with. Like Kharto who was considered an enemy to the colony just because he had different views was treated as someone who could be spoken to in a respective way. Owen Teale wasn’t the only person who has appeared in Doctor Who on TV as well as on audio. Thomas Brodie-Sangster who was in the Human Nature/Family of Blood two-parter played Kyle in Peri’s life. He was very much the awkward step-son but didn’t overplay it and didn’t try to steal the scenes. His voice is quite distinctive and it the moment he first comes into the story you can tell its him.

This story was well written by Colin Brake and was suited as a three-parter and I think that had it been stretched to four then it would have lost a lot of the pace. The setting was just right and the plot was well thought of and executed in a fine way. Barnaby Edwards has done a good job with the directing of this story. Nothing really out of the ordinary for Edwards but what managed to do was to keep the different shifts in scenes to a reasonable level and by that I mean it wasn’t to complicated.

Rating for The Mind’s Eye was 4/5 and also Mission of the Viyrans got a 3/5. Theres not really a great deal that I could say about this story except that it was a lot better than previous single parters that have been done in the past.

The Tomfiles: #2 - Return of a TV Classic

Doctor Who has gone through a TV renaissance. It was only a few years ago that the show was a figure of fun. Since then show was cancelled in 1989 there had been several hopes of a new series or movies only for them to turn into nothing and utter disappointment. Apart from the 1996 TV movie made by American TV Network FOX, Doctor Who Fans have had to make up their own adventures keeping the series alive long enough for the BBC to change their minds and bring it back. In September 2003, just a few weeks before the shows 40th Anniversary Jane Tranter (Controller of BBC1 at the time) announced that a brand new series would be airing in early 2005. This was far more than anyone was expecting, most would have been happy with a few specials but a series was brilliant. This now meant that there would have to questions asked concerning this 13-part series.

The first question was 'Who would be playing the Doctor?'. There were loads of names banded around like Eddie Izzard, Alan Davies and even Bill Nighy. The thing that I thought about these names is that they are all very good actors but not who I would want to play the Doctor. When Christopher Eccleston's name was revealed in the papers I have to admit that I was surprised, not that I thought it was a bad choice but that it I thought of Eccleston as a rather serious actor and not one to play a funny/serious role like the Doctor. The next question would be 'Who would be playing the Companion?' Again there were loads of names mentioned but it was former pop star Billie Piper who got the role. This did worry me a little bit because I thought that by getting a former pop star they were trying to dumb down the show and trying to just attract it to a younger audience and forgetting the fans of the new series.

In the coming weeks and months there were stories about what might be in the series. The biggest new was whether the Daleks were going to appear in the new series. First they were then they weren't and for a short time it seemed that the first series of Doctor Who for 16 years was going to be Dalek-less. Even the Sun newspaper tried to launch a campaign and apparently President of the United States George W.Bush was in support of the campaign though knowing how he is its not such a big shock. Then all of a sudden they were and people were talking about what the reasons were for the change but to be honest I didn't really care. They were back and that's all that matters.

One of the biggest surprises I encountered in the run-up to the series was the controversy that the logo seemed to attract. A lot of people didn't like it but I thought it was ok. Besides, there was a lot more to worry about that a sodding logo. As time got to the airdate more and more information came out which made it one of the most anticipated shows of the year if not decade. The trailers soon started airing on BBC TV which made it seem real, the look of Eccleston’s Doctor looked really good as did the TARDIS interior. My only concern was with the console, it didn't really look right but I assumed it would grow on me.

Saturday 26th March 2005 is one of the most important dates in Doctor Who history and it arrived with Rose. Those fears and concerns about whether Eccleston and Piper would work soon went away. It seemed that Doctor Who was back and that was supported by the fact that 10.8 million people tuned it. But jubilation soon turned into shock as it was announced that Eccleston was quitting after just one series. I was shocked as but not as much as I was shocked by the reaction to other so called 'fans'. Apparently the story was released by the BBC to early. Silly Twits. Still no excuse for the fans. We didn't have to wait long for the Dalek episode simply called 'Dalek' it was loosely based on Robert Shearman's fantastic 2003 Big Finish release 'Jubilee'. It was an interesting story and it has a sad ending because the last Dalek was gone and the Doctor who four episodes earlier admitted he was the last of the Timelords was ultimately the winner. Because the last Dalek was gone and the Doctor who four episodes earlier admitted he was the last of the Timelords was ultimately the winner. Over the course of the series we learnt more about the Doctor and Rose and then we met Captain Jack in Episode 8. But it all came to an end in 'Bad Wolf'. Now I have tried and tried to understand the whole Bad Wolf thing but ultimately I just can’t. That is really only critiscm that I have of the series because I think that it was just a bit too complicated for my liking. The scene where Rose is on Earth in 2005 and was trying to get back to the station was the best example of how the role of the companion has changed over the years. By this point we knew that Manchurian Eccleston was going to turn into Scottish David Tennant.

It wasn't until Children in Need that year that we got our first glimpse of the Tenth Doctor. Just a few weeks earlier Doctor Who won its first set of National Television Awards. It's a trend that they would repeat in 2006 and this year. The only blip was that Freema Agyeman didn't scoop the Most Popular Actress award. Shortly after the first NTA triumph in 2005 David Tennant had his first proper episode air on Christmas Day, it was only the second time in Doctor Who's history that it aired on December 25 (the previous one was an episode of the Dalek epic The Daleks Master Plan in 1965). The Christmas Invasion was a 60 minute special and the question was would a modern day audience accept a new Doctor after just getting use to another actor playing the lead role. It was the same question fans asked in 1966 when Patrick Troughton took over from William Hartnell. The answer was a resounding YES. Over 9 million tuned in to see this special which is amazing for a Christmas Day show. We would only have to wait a few months or Tennant's first full series. More news about the second series kept being leaked to the papers. It was announced that the Cybermen would return in what would be the 40th Anniversary since they made their debut.

In April 2006, Doctor Who returned with 'New Earth' and it was a ratings success. The Cybermen returned in episode 5, with their really good new look. The thing about the Cybermen throughout their time in Doctor Who had always changed. The ones in the 1980's tended to stay the same but ultimately it was decided to give the metal monsters a 21s Century look. 9.22 million people tuned in and proved that they still had fans. During the transmission of the series it was reported that Billie Piper was leaving at the end of the second series. The character of Rose was a really popular character (even though some didn't like her) so the replacement for the Rose character had to be someone who was just as good. Freema Agyeman was unveiled as the next companion of the TARDIS, she had played a character called Adeola who got killed in Torchwood HQ in Army of Ghosts. The series finale two-parter was strange not only did it write out the character of Rose but it showed Torchwood for the first time after several references throughout the series. It was very much like Bad Wolf in the previous series which made you want to find out what it meant. The only thing was that the Torchwood references was a bit more than the Bad Wolf as the Torchwood link would turn into a spin-off series but more of that later.

The biggest thing about the Army of Ghosts was the revelation of the Daleks who appeared just a few minutes after the Cybermen had made their appearance into the episode. For the first time ever the Daleks and the Cybermen would fight each other and we would answer an age old question of 'Who Would Win between the Daleks and Cybermen?'. It was always going to be the Daleks as any fool would know because they are the Daleks. The series ended in the most bizarre way as it was totally unexpected as there was no indication that it was going to happen. Catherine Tate, who was well known to British TV viewers as a comedian on the star of her very own BBC2 comedy series. The most shocking thing was that people were asking 'How Did She Get into the TARDIS?'. On Christmas Day 2006, The Runaway Bride aired on BBC One. It was a better story that the Christmas Invasion as it was more action packed because Tennant didn't spend 35 minutes in bed. Catherine Tate was slightly annoying but by the end you did want her to stay with the Doctor. The Runaway Bride did the ratings trick with over 9 million people tuning in.

In March 2007, Doctor Who returned for its third series (or 29th). It seemed like the previous two series were a blur. The trailer for this series made the show seem different and in a way I suppose it had to be as you would have found it strange that Martha was the same as Rose. The opening episode was totally unexpected as it seemed to have a pace that the previous series openers didn't have. The Martha character was more intelligent and less likely to lay down the life for the sake of it than Rose who was willing to jump into anything without a moments thought. The 2007 series was by far the best series since it returned but that's not to say there weren't fault with the series. The Macra in episode 3 was pointless like the writers thought 'Let just put them it for the fun of it, the fans wont mind' well I did, Gridlock was a great episode and the Macra let it down. The Daleks in Manhattan two parter was a bit of a let down. I think it was the beginning of Dalek overkill. In 41 episodes, the Dalek have appeared in 7 episodes which was the most of any baddies in the show. As much as I love the Daleks I think they shouldn't come back in 2008 because the baddies need a rest. The thing that I noticed was how the Jones family were completely different to the Tyler's because the Jones's didn't really play that much of a part in the series apart from The Lazarus Experiment and the Master two-parter in episodes 12 and 13. Also they weren't a comedy family like the Tyler's seemed to be which gave a new dimension to the Jones's.

Series 3 was about the master. Ever since Love and Monsters in 2006 where Mr Saxon was referred to in some form (usually after an alien invasion). When you realise that when Episode 12 comes around that all the Mr Saxon references were about the Master it actually gives the impression that the producers planned this really well. I don't know how true this is but none the less it was well planned and well executed. The final episode of the series ended with the Titanic crashing through the TARDIS, you just didn't know why the Titanic had crashed through something that was supposed be indestructible. That was answered though in the second Children in Need Special after the Tenth Doctor and the Fifth Doctor meet. This was a great show as it seemed to come from the heart of the writer (Steven Moffat) and David Tennant. If you haven't seen it then go onto YouTube and watch it, it's the best eight minutes that you will witness.

One of the most surprising things about the return of Doctor Who is that it has spawned two spin-offs. It has produced Torchwood which debuted in late 2006 and returns for a second series in January 2008. It featured Captain Jack and it got mixed reviews. I think it’s because it couldn't decide what it wanted to be. Did it want to be Doctor Who wit sex and attitude or did it want to be something completely different. It didn't help by the fact that they bought in a female Cyberman in. There were several episodes that were very good but ultimately I thought the series was Ok at best. The second spin off comes from one of the Doctors old friends. Sarah Jane Smith got her own series 26 years after he pilot aired Elisabeth Sladen returned to much success in the 2006 episode 'School Reunion'. There was a pilot on New Years Day 2007 and a 10 part series aired on CBBC One in October 2007.

As I am writing this in Mid-December 2007 with just a few weeks to go before the Christmas Special what can I say about the new series and what it has achieved. Well in fact it has achieved more than I ever thought possible. People are treating the show in the press a lot better than they did before. People have a new point of view on the classic stories. Most think now that the Colin Baker stories are a lot better than what they thought whereas before 2005 most 6th Doctor stories were considered poor. I have to admit that I have a new opinion of Doctor Who episodes that I thought were poor or badly written but now they are not that bad. The new series doesn't cover over the cracks and flaws of the old series but it gives you the opportunity to look at these stories in a new light.

People have worked really hard to restore the image of Who and to a UK and International audience. Another good thing about Doctor Who is its cool again to be a Who fan. Mind you in my opinion it always has been. There is a fourth series (30th) starting in the Spring of 2008, three specials airing in 2009 and a fifth and full series in 2010 with Tennant appearing in all of these.

Absolution (2007)

After four years and 13 stories C’Rizz has reached the end of the road in Doctor Who. Absolution manages to become one of the best 8th Doctor stories since Terror Firma. It manages to have excitement and a emotional ending along with a shocking ending. This story was written by Scott Alan Woodard who is making his second contribution to the series, having already penned the 2005 story The Juggernauts which was a really good story, so good that it’s surprising that it’s taken three years for Woodard to write another Doctor Who story. Following the disappointing 100th Big Finish celebration it was important for the series to get back to telling a thumping good story and as we learn it had to be that for another important reason.

The beginning of this story is set around C’Rizz as Charley comes into his room and this is very similar to the Doctor and Adric in Earthshock. A lot of this story seems to have a theme relating to Earthshock. The moment when C’Rizz dies was one of the saddest moments that I have ever known in the 101 releases of the Doctor Who range on Big Finish. A large part of that must go to the writer but also must go to the cast. Conrad Westmaas who has often been overlooked in past stories shines through in this one and you get the feeling that for the first time that he was destined to become something more than he was. The moment before he died when he was saying goodbye to Charley and the Doctor was very well delivered by Westmaas and shows what could have been done with the character had there been more stories like this.

Paul McGann was on usual fine form and it was strange to hear him without Lucie as we have just had that since the beginning of 2007. McGann’s best moment came after C’Rizz had died and he was trying to do the usual thing of smiling through an immediate situation as if someone who wasn’t important had died and it backfired spectacularly. McGann was great when he was trying to make up with Charley who had at this point become upset that the Doctor was reacting in such a jolly manner. India Fisher was also very good as Charley because she had bonded quite well since C’Rizz joined the TARDIS crew. The scenes at the beginning of Episode 1 and when C’Rizz dies were moments that the character was written for. The very last scene in the TARDIS when Charley wants to go home because she has had enough was very well written and well acted by McGann and Fisher. It is a nice lead into the December release which apparently sees Charley leave the series in The Girl Who Never Was. Robert Glenister is one of two big names in this story. He appeared in the 1984 Fifth Doctor story The Caves of Androzani and more recently has starred in the BBC drama Hustle. In this story he played Aboresh, this character was a really important and well written character than was played to the max by Glenister. Christopher Villiers also has history in Doctor Who appearing in the 1983 story The Kings Demons. In this story he plays Cacothis who again was a nice strong character. Other cast members who contributed a lot was Natalie Mendoza who plays Lolanthia. Mendoza’s biggest role is in the BBC drama Hotel Babylon. Tony Barton was very good as Straith and Geoff Breton performs well as Phelgreth.

Scott Alan Woodard has written a very good story. With C’Rizz departing it was important they he is given a good story because even if the character wasn’t the most popular one he still deserves a good send off. The plot is a very good one and suits the personal anguish that C’Rizz has had since he joined the series. Woodard has managed to do this with a very dramatic story which has a shocking ending. The directing in this story deserves a mention because it’s the pacing of this story that manages to keep you hooked. Barnaby Edwards is a very good director and it was vital for the success of this story that he stays with that style of directing. There was not a single time during this story that I got bored or lost concentration and that all adds to a great story. Absolution is a fantastic story and is a brilliant ending to the character of C’Rizz who has had some great stories such as his opener The Creed of the Kromon and Faith Stealer, The Next Life and Terror Firma. It’s clear that the writers, producers and directors took great care with this story and it’s a shame that they didn’t do more to make C’Rizz fit in because it always seemed that he was the odd one out and just didn’t quite seem to gel into the stories like most of the companions specially created for the Big Finish range.

I cant quite make my mind up where this story lies in terms of best stories because it has a lot to live up to with Nocturne and Son of the Dragon but it is definitely in the top three and possible near the top of 8th Doctor stories. The thing about 8th Doctor stories is that they can be a bit hit and miss but definitely this story is a hit. Despite the departure of a long(ish) companion it was still a top notch four part story that shows what Big Finish can do when they put everything they have into choosing the right characters, the right story, the right writer, the right director and also the right musician. I’m not much of a C’Rizz fan but I think that they could and perhaps should do a one off story (set before Absolution obviously). If you are a fan of C’Rizz then you will be really upset about his exit but even if your not you’ll still find it sad.

Dalek Empire 4: The Fearless (Part 1) (2007)

Well its taken quite a long time but we have the first Dalek Empire story since 2003 and it was always going to be an important one for new and old fans of Big Finish. It had to deliver a new story and relate it into the previous three series. The first part of Dalek Empire: The Fearless was going to determine whether the series would work or not. Essentially what Nicholas Briggs has done is hit the reset button on this series because with time having moved on and Briggs concentrating on the Cyberman series. The first part of this story seemed to be done mainly to introduce the character of Salus Kade and Agnes Landen. Setting up these two characters who would go on to probably perform a major role in this series was important and thankfully Nicholas Briggs got it right. It’s a very rare thing to say in Big Finish plays but there was a sense of stunt casting. This series’ two mains stars are people who have appeared in Doctor Who at some point. Noel Clarke played Rose Tyler’s boyfriend from 2005 to 2006 and then there is Maureen O’Brien who played Vicki back in 1965 and Vicki is a character that I really like.

Despite this fear of stunt casting I have to say that those fears went away more or less within seconds. Noel Clarke was very good in this story because when I heard him I didn’t think of Mickey. The role of Kade is one that has the family side which shows him as a nice guy and then he switches all of a sudden to a leader who doesn’t like to be told walked over. The best thing about the role of Kade and the way that Noel Clarke plays him is that he is just right because otherwise he would have been too annoying and that would have ruined the whole series. He is believable and you start to warm to the character as the play moves on. I quite like the plot of this story as it is told in flashbacks and we learn why Kade is the way that he is and that he has become emotionally unstable due to the events of Landen. There is only one critiscm to this first part, the first is that the character of Lajitta didn’t really work. Despite the best efforts of Ginita Jimenez. I just didn’t connect to her and wasn’t realy that bothered about her. This might be rectified in later episodes but she didn’t really have much of an impact to justify her role in the story. She should have had more time to help create a proper sense of family. It was nice that they bothered to cast someone for the child because that added another angle for the family. The fact that the Daleks weren’t in it as much as they normally would be was quite strange but when they did make an appearance they were well used and the scene where they were waiting for Kade and company to appear out of the cave and tried to attack them was very exciting. Maureen O’Brien also deserves a mention because she was very good as well as Clarke. She had previously appeared in the 6th Doctor adventure Year of the Pig and the first story from the Companion Chronicles series Frostfire. The character of Landen was well written and interacted well with Salus Kade. It seems like these two characters will work very well in future Dalek Empire stories. The cliffhanger at the end was brilliant and made me want to wish that Part 2 would come through the post the next day. That is what a Dalek story or any Doctor Who story should do and for that I am most relieved. These two have the sort of relationship that shows signs of blowing up at the most pivotal part of the series so that will be a joy to come across. Leading up to this release I had concerns because I wondered whether Nicholas Briggs could keep the pace and the interest in what is now the 15th episode of the Dalek Empire series and I have to say that he has done so by looking at the Dalek War in a different way and using a different character from Susan ‘Angle of Mercy’ Mendes. Following on from the ok Return of the Daleks which was intended I believe to be a taster or a reintroduction to the Dalek Empire series its back to normal. Noel Clarke, Maureen O’Brien and the rest of the cast have a brilliant script that only had one downside this story sets up the rest of the series very well. The different way that the story started as well as a complete freshness I found myself really glad that I purchased the whole series and cannot wait for the next instalment. Bring on Part 2

100 (2007)

100 is the 100th release and it had to be a different kind of story from the norm to celebrate this fact. 100 is split into four different stories similar to the 91st release Circular Time. The difference is that these stories on have a link concerning the number 100 apart from that they are four different stories in four episodes. Each story has been written by someone who has contributed scripts in the past. Robert Shearman has penned some of the best stories in the Main Range with such classics as Jubilee & The Chimes of Midnight, Joseph Lidster has penned stories like The Reaping and The Gathering. Jacqueline Rayner wrote the 2000 story The Marian Conspiracy which introduces Evelyn into the series and the 2003 story Doctor Who and the Pirates which also starred the 6th Doctor and Evelyn. The fourth writer Paul Cornell has written the 7th Doctor story The Shadow of the Scourge and co-wrote the 8th Doctor story Seasons of Fear.
The first story was written by Jacqueline Rayner and places the Doctor and Evelyn in unfamiliar surroundings. The story is simple and seems to focus more on the relationship between The Doctor and Evelyn. The Doctor and Evelyn have travelled to the home of Julius Cesar and his wife who is expecting their child, only to find that the child that has been born is a girl and not a boy thus kicking off the moral dilemma of whether they should change history back. For the first time The Doctor and Evelyn are at severe disagreement. For some reason Evelyn has decided that it is perfectly acceptable to change history because it might turn out better than what things are like currently. The fact that when she originally joined the Doctor was to research history seems to have escaped her momentarily. The moment when she fakes an ailment is the point where for the first time ever I disliked Eveylyn. The Doctor handles Evelyn’s change of stance with the typical Doctor way, just ignore it and try to plough on regardless. There is a great moment where the Doctor gets to Cesars’ home before Evelyn and you think that the Doctor has used the TARDIS but in fact he has just ran faster than Evelyn. In this episode Colin Baker is on good form with not much to do but uses the moment where he is trying to cook a romantic meal with the comedy timing it needed. Maggie Stables is also on good form despite her radical mood change of character, this form of difficultly is more suited to the other characters like Peri or Mel not Evelyn. Will Thorp, who had starred in the 2006 Doctor Who story ‘The Impossible Planet’ and ‘The Satan Pit’ played Gaius Julius Caesar superb in the character. Lucy Paterson was starring in this story as Aurelia and was very good playing the woman who wanted to get romantic with Caesar and got out of the mood when the Doctor and Evelyn appeared.

The second story was a Robert Shearman story and was called My Own Private Wolfgang. The first thing that striked me about this story was the theme tune in the greatest way ever and it was good how it led into the main story. This story is another one where The Doctor and Evelyn have already arrived and are in the middle of an adventure. The fact that there are eight characters in this story but only three actors (and that’s including Colin Baker and Maggie Stables) is what makes this stand out. John Sessions plays the remaining characters and deserves a lot of praise because he makes the four characters sound completely. The suicide attempt was truly shocking but done in a mildly comical way but the fact that he has been trying to commit suicide in different ways but still unsuccessful just added mystery to the plot. The Mozart that the Doctor and Evelyn encounter at first is a very sad character and you grow to feel sympathetic for the man. The revelation that there are different Mozart clones is typical Shearman. The plot that Mozart has created clones of himself to go back to prevent Mozart from dying when he was young so that he could carry on living and the futuristic Mozart never gets to live is quite a bizarre one (even for Shearman) why would someone want to cease existing and why would he create thousands of Mozarts. This story is very complicated and if it was a four parter then this story would work but it feels like Shearman has just crammed it all into 25 minutes and as a result it is a poor story. This doesn’t reflect in the actors performance. Colin Baker’s performance is slightly below par of the previous story but not by much, Maggie Stables is better in this than in 100BC and John Sessions if perhaps guest star of the year as he manages to sustain the quality of the different characters for the entire episode and that’s what prevents this story from failing completely. Definitely a poorer episode than 100BC.

The third story is written by Joseph Lidster and is called Bedtime Story. This story is set like a proper bedtime story where we are been told the story. The main point of the story seems to be that when the grandchild is born then grandfather dies, this is a good plot point as it made me curious as to what is causing this and why. The what is answered in this story but not really the why. Again like My Own Private Wolfgang, it seems to spend a long time setting it up and then it realises it only has a few minutes so it rushes to an ending and by the end of this story I didn’t really get a good understanding of the story. Everyone in the story was good, credit has to go to Frank Finlay who’s voice works very well in this story as Old Jacob. Will Thorp who was in 100BC is more suited to this story as he is required to speak and act as if he was in modern day Britain. I don’t know whether or not I blanked out at some point but the story didn’t really have a conclusion, as soon as The Doctor discovered what was happening it was the end of the episode.

The fourth and final story is written by Paul Cornell and is called the 100 Days of the Doctor and I think is the best story of the lot. The idea that the Doctor has 100 days to live and for once he doesn’t know how to fight against it. Colin Baker and Maggie Stables were in their best episode really because they were on their own (except that Nicholas Briggs appears as The Assassin but he wasn’t really a main character). This was the first time since Scherzo that a story just has the Doctor and the companion. I was thoroughly enthralled by this story because it was really an excuse for the 6th Doctor to spy on his previous and future incarnations. What Cornell did was not just have the Doctor with his TV companions only but with his Big Finish companions as well. The relationship between The Doctor and Evelyn is different in this story from past adventures and in a better way than 100BC.

These four stories were disappointing. One thing has been proved beyond doubt with this story and with Circular Time and with the virus strand that accompanied I.D, Exotron & The Wishing Beast is that you cant tell a good story in 25 minutes. You would need at least an hour to tell a good enough story. It wasn’t that the stories in 100 were poor its just that they all suffer from such as short amount of time to be able to tell this story. Colin Baker and Maggie Stables were good in these stories but ultimately that could help the overall release from been one of the poorest releases of 2007

The Tomfiles: #1 - Big Finish

Well it’s finally here, not just my first Tom-file which I have been promising for quite a while but also we have now had 100 Big Finish releases. I first learnt of Big Finish adventures when I went to a Memorabilia Fair in Birmingham in 2004. I saw these CD's and thought that I would give them a try. I bought Faith Stealer, Caerdroia and The Last. I didn't realise that they were part of a story arc and thought they were just individual stories with the same Doctor and companions but I realised pretty soon that I was wrong. I loved the fact that they were different from the TV show but in many ways quite similar. Quite soon I was buying other adventures and in mid-2006 I had bought all of the available adventures. I have been subscribing for the last two years and consider the money that I spent on these subscriptions money well spent and will continue to do so for as long as Big Finish make these adventures. I will be looking at the long road the Big Finish has undergone and look at how the Doctors and Companions have differed (if at all) from the TV versions.

I have to admit that Big Finish has a lot to be proud of. It helped move the series along and keep interest in the show whilst it was on 'hiatus'. The range has moved the Doctors and companions on a lot more than the TV show could have done, the characters have been moulded so that people’s perceptions of the characters have improved. When The Sirens of Time was released back in July 1999, there were a lot of things that were good and bad but it was just nice to have the first new Doctor Who story since the TV Movie. Its hard to think that stories like Live 34, Dr Who and the Pirates and Flip Flop could have ever been made for TV and that is one of the biggest advantages to the range, it will dare to do different stories sometimes they work sometimes they don't.

Big Finish tries to be different and not just rely on old monsters. There have only been a few Dalek stories, a few Cybermen and one or two of the old classic monsters such as Ice Warriors, Silurians and the Master. Most of the stories are hit and miss and even the most mediocre stories have redeemable qualities. The use of the classic companions but in different roles help add a bit of class into the stories and helps you feel that just because the first four Doctors aren't in the stories doesn't mean that they can't be used. Maureen O'Brien (Year of the Pig), Anneke Wills (Zagreus), William Russell (The Game), Caroline John (Dust Breeding), Katy Manning (The Wormery), Nicholas Courtney (Minuet in Hell) and Debroah Watling (Three's A Crowd) have all worked very well in their stories. To make each story in four separate episodes like they would have been on TV has worked very well, it would have been nice if they used the theme that they had on TV but that is only a minor fault. The fact that each story follows in the chronology is a smart idea and it means that classic fans have something to fill in the gaps between each TV episode and also new fans won’t feel that they are missing something. It is a shame that Tom Baker hasn't appeared in any of the stories, as his voice would have been an asset to any story as his narration on the hit BBC Comedy Little Britain proves.

Over 100 stories, there have been several stories that have stood out as minor classics. The two Project stories (Twilight & Lazarus) were fantastic stories in their individual ways but work brilliantly as a two part serial. Live 34 is the most original story released. Spare Parts is usually in the Top 3 of any poll as well as the Robert Shearman story Chimes of Midnight. Paul McGann's first two stories (Storm Warning & Sword of Orion) were great starts for the 8th Doctor and shows what he could have achieved if he had made more TV stories. Other stories that are considered to be classics include Bloodtide, Jubilee, The Harvest, The Juggernauts, The Nowhere Place, The Reaping, Nocturne, Frozen Time and more recently Son of the Dragon.

One of the biggest successes in my opinions if the re-evaluation that has happened to all of the TV adventures. Before Big Finish Colin Baker stories were often looked at in a bad light because of the poor music and poor special effects but with top stories the 6th Doctor stories on audio have changed their opinions on TV. In fact with my ratings system Colin Baker has scored the most out of all four Doctors. He has scored 98 out of 135 with an average rating of 3.63. In fact most of Baker's stories are of the highest quality. Colin has such a powerful voice but it was always drowned out by his hideous outfit on TV. Stories such as Jubilee and the Project series show what can be done for his version of the role. His relationship with Peri is a lot better than on TV and this is because I believe that the writers haven't focused on the tension between the two but more on how they can help each other. But when it comes to companions I have to say that Evelyn is the best. She is not just the best newly created companion but she is the best companion in the audio range. She is quite unlike any character in the show because she is not young, she is not sarcastic (a lot!) and she doesn't scream. Her relationship with the Doctor is not one of just enjoying pure adventures but of respect and enabling Evelyn to experience living on other worlds to use as research in her lectures. She is the longest serving companion out of the ones that have been newly created. Her first appearance was in the sixth story 'The Marian Conspiracy' and it is fitting that she is in the 100th story. That is a good move because the relationship between Baker and Stables is what makes their adventures so compelling and enjoyable. One of the biggest improvements that have occurred is the character development of Mel. Obviously everyone knows that during her time in Doctor Who in 1986 and 1987 she was terrible due in part to the poor writing and then she was required to scream and be annoying in every scene. So it was perhaps surprising in how much she has improved. In her first story 'The Fires of Vulcan' it was like it was a different person playing Mel and as stories have gone on she has got better and better. Her finest performance came in the story 'Catch 1782' when she was just outstanding. If there is a companion that has progressed the most then it is definitely Bonnie Langford.

Moving some focus back to other Doctors some praise should go to Slyvester McCoy. His portrayal of the Doctor is so much better than on Television. Stories like Live 34, The Harvest, Dust Breeding and several other stories have helped bring the 7th Doctor to a standard that he should have been at during his time as the Doctor but the first series really killed it off for him. One of the best things about the 7th Doctor plays is the emotional links between the Doctor and Ace. It was fantastic during the TV show but in these plays the character of Ace has grown up. No longer is she the young explosion mad companion but now she has become a woman (how cliché) and is on par with the Doctor in more situations than not. With the addition of Hex however the jury is still out even though it is now three years and seven stories since he made his first appearance. His performances are sometimes very good and then sometimes mediocre. I don't know whether he is a soap star or a celebrity but I just get the feeling that he is sometimes lacking something. The relationship with Hex and Ace is well done and whilst I say his performances are mixed, Olivier's performance in Live 34 was absolutely fantastic. The way that he made his section of that story stand out was worthy of his role in the series.

Paul McGann was a late addition to the Big Finish series, as he didn't make his debut until story 16 when Storm Warning surfaced in January 2001 it was a big test for people as to whether McGann was good enough to take on the role. He never got the chance for his 1996 movie and I think it was because he only got one outing that it was decided by Big Finish to give the 8th Doctor four stories in a row. This was a good move in my opinion because it gave the writers and producers time to try and in effect restart people's opinion of McGann's Doctor. As McGann never got a proper companion it enabled Big Finish to create a brand new companion for him and that meant it was someone who we didn't have any preconceived ideas about. Charley Pollard was unlike any companion in Doctor Who history, she was a posh rebellious young woman who survival was pivotal for the first few series. India Fisher is very good and her departure in the 103rd story The Girl Who Never Was (Due for release in December 2007) will no doubt be a sad sombre story. I personally like her because she had that spirit that meant she wasn't going to let a hoard of evil monsters stop her helping the Doctor. The arrival of C'Rizz in late 2003 was nice novel move because it meant that for the first time in Paul McGann's reign as Doctor he had a full TARDIS crew. This novelty soon wore off as his role in stories was a bit of a mystery and you got the sense that he never really quite fitted in and his departure in the 101st story Absolution (Due for release in October 2007) will not have quite the emotional moments that Charley's departure will have but that's not my fault.

Peter Davison is perhaps the least consistent Doctor out of the four. Its not that his stories are bad but it's just that they are not on par with the other Doctors. Davison's best story is perhaps Spare Parts that is in the Top 5. Davison's voice hasn't changed that much and the way that he speaks in the stories are one of the high lights of his stories. He works very well with the companions very well and in the case of Peri that is very surprising as they only spent 8 episodes together on TV. Erimem on the other hand is very different; she is like Charley but 1000 years earlier. Though Caroline Morris is very good and has a very nice voice the character of Erimem suffers similar problems to C'Rizz. Its not that she doesn't fit into stories it’s just that she is only at her best when she is taking on a role where she is treated like a royal princess. In Eye of the Scorpion she was a pharaoh and in 'The Church and the Crown' she was to take control of the situation like someone important. In 'The Council of Nicaea' she is probably at her best and more recently in 'Son of the Dragon' she is in a superb position. When she is retired sometime in 2008 she will be the second most missed companion. I hope that Big Finish don't just have 5th Doctor/Peri stories from now on because that will just be dull.

When Doctor Who returned to BBC1 in March 2005 it looked like it was going to have a negative effect on Big Finish and according to an interview in Doctor Who Magazine it did but thanks to the subscribers everything was all right. In fact in the 2005 series three of the four writers (not including RTD) have written for Big Finish. Robert Shearman (Dalek) , Paul Cornell (Fathers Day) & Mark Gatiss (The Unquiet Dead) have contributed and the Robert Shearman story was loosely based on the 2003 6th Doctor story 'Jubilee'. Since 2005 the stories that have been made have been of a high quality and if you compare a story like Nocturne to The Sirens of Time or even a story from 2003 then you notice a big difference not just in terms of story quality but in the acting from the Doctors and companions and also the guest stars. Also the music is better with a lot more effort put into these stories similar to the TV series.

With 100 stories now produced and at least another nine planned to take us up to the summer of 2008 it seems now the right time to ask the question. Where can the series go now? With the success of the TV series meaning that there will be Who on TV until 2010 and strong signs of it going beyond then can the Big Finish range really last. Well I think it can, you see with the departure of C'Rizz, Charley and the imminent exit of Erimem it means that the companions left will get more time and dialogue to expand the characters already around. Lucie Miller is newest character to be created by Big Finish and it would be nice to see her get some more time with the Doctor and have her character moulded into a nicer character because the main problem with her role in the BBC7 series was that she seemed a bit too loud and that might be alright for a few stories but if she is going to last then the Big Finish guys need to tone it down a bit.

Without Big Finish we wouldn't have had anything new to keep us going and that would have been very sad because it whilst it was always a possibility that it would return on TV it was never definite. All the people at Big Finish deserve a round of applause for what they have managed to achieve because without them most of the characters and stories from the 'classic' era wouldn't have been reappraised like they are now and because of that I hope that this range of Doctor Who stories aren't 'Finished' for a long time to come.

Pier Pressure (2006)

The first story of 2006 is Pier Pressure which is the second story that comes from Robert Ross. Ross’s previous adventure was the 2004 story Medicinal Purposes. Ross wrote in some funny things in this story which worked quite well. The mention of Robert Knox from Medicinal Purposes was an obvious attempt to bring the listeners attention to that story and remind everyone that the two stories have come from the same author. The line about the BBC not taking care of its stars was a nice knock at Michael Grade (Controller of BBC1) and the BBC for its treatment of Doctor Who when it went on ‘hiatus’ in 1985. The line about the TARDIS not liking Blackpool was an obvious reference to the well known plan that the start of the 1986 season would have featured a story set in Blackpool. One of the things that also links Medicinal Purposes and Pier Pressure is that there is a duo that works very well, in Medicinal Purposes it was Billy Hare and William Burke and in this story there was Albert and Emily Bung.

The thing that I always think about stories which have a traditional earth setting with an alien menace is how did the alien threat get started. In this story it is answered. The revelation from Talbot about this story was quite interesting. The fact that a meteorite crashed into the sea which carried the species of Indo. It injected enough of a science element to get me interested and it carried the story. The death of Emily is handled very well and was quite moving. With the Doctor explaining to Emily’s mother what has happened to her daughter isn’t heard in this story but that is perhaps just as well because it would have taken a shine of this story.
Roy Hudd was the stories’ big star. He is perhaps most notable for starring in the popular British Soap Coronation Street from November 2002 and his portrayal of Max Miller was well written and well acted by Hudd. You get the feeling that he is a character that you should feel pity for as it appears his career is not in the best shape it once was. The thing about the character is that it is quite similar to Hudd himself. Hudd has had a distinguished career in the theatre as well as television. Colin Baker was very good in this story and his relationship with Maggie Stables is a very strong one and it is obvious that the pair enjoy working as well. With Baker also having a distinguished career in the theatre it was obvious that he was enjoying himself with this story and the sci-fi element also seem to add to his enjoyment. We do see a different side to the Doctor, when the gets to what has happened here he is not sympathetic to the inhabitants (or former) of Indo. It might have something to do with the fact that his beloved Human beings are at jeopardy. Maggie Stables is perhaps one of my favourite Big Finish Original companions. She isn’t a traditional companion by about 40 years. Albert Potter was played by Martin Parsons and his character is alright but it’s the voice, it is completely annoying and that is because it is a horrible over done Cockney accent. I don’t know what it is about people doing accents that are not normal but it never works. I know that the story is set in 1936 Brighton but that’s’ no excuse really. Emily Bung is played by Sally Ann Curran and she is played in the typical stereotype and by that I mean that she is always treated like she is less of a person than Billy and that is due to the way the world thought then. It was quite obvious that due to the fact she was a nice character and not a baddy that she was going to be a victim and that happened in Part Two. Doug Bradley is very good as Professor Talbot. He is very nice when he is Talbot but when his personality changes he becomes the exact opposite. It is the final 2/3 of the story before he really shines but when it happens then it is really good and the pace of the story moves up a gear.

The story is written well by Robert Ross who has managed to maintain the quality of storytelling that he managed in Medicinal Purposes. He had a big enough character that he could have some serious dialogue. The fact is Ross could have done a sequel to Medicinal Purposes with a different setting but similar in the scheme that the baddy has planned. It was always going to be difficult to top Medicinal Purposes and whilst it isn’t quite as good it is still enjoyable as a lone story. This story has been well directed by Gary Russell. The thing that stands out about Pier Pressure for me is that it has the feel of a Scooby Doo adventure where there are a band of people trying to solve a mystery. He still manages to create a good feel to the story and keep it going well enough. He was picked all the right cast with some more than suitable choices for the more important characters like Max Miller and Professor Talbot.

Overall this is a good story. Baker and Stables are as enjoyable as you would expect from them and they are helped in this story with some actors and some very good music and sound effects. In fact it is the music and sound effects that I think help add an eerie feeling to the story. Its never just the words and the way that they are said that creates an atmosphere, it’s the music and with the absence of any visual effects to help the story it is even more important to get the music and sound effects right. Hopefully we will get another story off Ross but with there being a two year gap between the two it would probably be best to assume that we will be waiting till mid-2008.

Son of the Dragon (2007)

This is the most eagerly awaited story of the year, I think that the casting of James Purefoy was partly the reason for the eagerness. Written by Steve Lyons this marks his fourth contribution to the range and Son of the Dragon proves to be his most successful attempt so far. In the past Lyons stories tended to be quite complex and difficult to understand but this story was quite simple compared to these stories. One of the biggest compliments that I can give to this story is that it has an epic feel to it like The Keys of Marinus. That feeling is something that doesn’t quite get done very often in audios but thankfully it was a refreshing change in this story.

The characters in this story are all very strong roles. Erimem returns to the type of role which she was best at in her opening story The Eye of the Scorpion and more recently The Council of Nicaea. In this story she seems to sacrifice her future happiness and travels with the Doctor and Peri. I prefer the role when she is in this situation because she is been stubborn or sacrifices herself because she feels that is the right thing to do. The Doctor does feel like he is in the background and when he is resting then you forget he's there. In this story he becomes a victim of circumstances whereas in most stories you know this but it is never admitted, in this story he does mention it and at that point you begin to accept it. It falls to Peri and Erimem to pick up the story and Steve Lyons does this by putting a lot more emphasis on Peri. Peri is very good in this story as she spends most of the story trying to contact Erimem from Count Dracula but obviously she doesn’t want to leave. The sisterly bond has been one of the main strengths of this combination but it is in this story that it shines as Peri has genuine distress when she thinks that Erimem is going to stay with Dracula. You genuinely think that Erimem is going to leave the TARDIS crew and even at the end you are still unsure but thankfully the writer didn’t go down the shocked route.

Peter Davison is very good in this role. When he is given the right material he can produce some fine stuff. With Son of the Dragon he is able to show why he is such a good Doctor. Nicola Bryant puts in perhaps her best performance of the year and for quite some time. Her relationship with Erimem is very strong and it gives her some fantastic emotional moments. Caroline Morris is the strongest of the three main stars. You get the horrible feeling that she may leave the Doctor and Peri but thankfully that doesn’t happen but thanks to the script and more importantly Morris herself that puts that fear about.

James Purefoy is the guest star of this story and he is given a starring role. Like Daphne Ashbrook in The Next Life (2004) and William Russell in The Game (2005), Purefoy’s presence is what stands out in this story. The way that he portrays Count Dracula is absolutely fantastic, his nice side and nasty rather gruesome moods are what strikes you most about the role. The way that he is willing to punish or torture someone without a moment of hesitation was quite similar to most bad guys in Doctor Who but yet is somewhat better than all of them. His role in the TV show Rome was Mark Anthony who was a man who did what he wanted to do and was able to snap for no reason but at the same time he manages to make the character of Dracula likeable. I had high expectations of James Purefoy from the moment that I found out that he was going to be in Son of the Dragon and I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Another credible role was Douglas Hodge who played the brother of Count Dracula Radu. The way that the role was written by Lyons made a perfect opponent to Dracula and the fact that their brothers only adds to the tension that both actors give to the role. Radu’s friendship with the Doctor seems heartfelt but ultimately only does a little in helping the story move along. When the Doctor leaves the camp that Radu’s men have temporally set up it then seems to lose momentum.

Whilst I loved this story there were a few things that could have been done. First of all there could have been a more obvious threat, the war between Radu and Dracula was good as a starter but after a while it just seems to lose a bit of momentum. There was no real menace, they could have done what they did in The Time Warrior and include a futuristic threat that didn’t seem too much like The Time Warrior. The ending was also a let down, because they didn’t have a attempt to change history or take over the world it seemed that the ending was a bit flat and it was like the Doctor and Peri turn up to the castle, rescue Erimem and give her the opportunity to stay with them or live a life with Count Dracula. Apart from those points there isn’t really anything wrong with the story.

Steve Lyons has written a very good script. The dialogue is very clever and very well written. As mentioned earlier Lyons script do have the tendency to be a little bit complicated however I found this one to very easy to follow. I thought that all the characters were well structured and very believable. Barnaby Edwards directing is solid throughout out this story. The pace was slow when it needed to be and it was speeded up when the action required it. Edwards is no stranger to directing and his experience shows. The music also deserves a mention in this story. The company is called ERS but there is no specific credit and that’s a shame because it is the music that helps create the atmosphere which is quite grim at times.

Overall this has to be one of the strongest stories of the year, not quite beating Nocturne or Exotron this is Peter Davison’s second strong story in a row and it is proving to be his year for Big Finish stories with only The Minds Eye and Return to the Web Planet to come in 2007 this story has to go into the Top 3 of best 2007 stories.

The Wishing Beast & The Vanity Box (2007)

The Wishing Beast and the Vanity Box is the latest release to have the three plus one treatment which I am not a fan of. I am still convinced that this format isn’t going to be worthwhile but I have to admit that it’s the three episodes that help me decide whether a release is any good. The previous release I.D & Exotron have been great stories but were let down slightly by the single releases. This story has been written by Paul Magrs who has written for Big Finish Doctor Who in the past. Most notably Horror of Glam Rock, The Stones of Venice and The Wormery.

The latest release sees the sixth Doctor and Mel team up. It’s the first time that we have had a Sixth Doctor and Mel story since Thicker Than Water back in September 2005. The story was an enjoyable one because of the casting. Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford worked very well as did Jean Marsh who everyone knows as Sara Kingdom in The Daleks Masterplan (1965/66) and as Morgaine in Battlefield (1989) plays Maria, in fact she sounded more like Morgaine. It was great to hear Jean Marsh because she has that voice that sounds superb but also sounds effortless. Geraldine Newman was very good as Eliza, she seemed to be a humorous opposite to Maria. But they managed to sound like a good double act. Sean Connolly is really good as the Ghost and Mildrew. Both characters were well acted and sounded so far different. Toby Sawyer was also good as Daniel and Ghost Brother. Toby Longworth plays The Wishing Beast and he is very good, that is to be expected from Longworth. The Wishing Beast was vital to get right as the story has its name and thanks to Longworth it’s a joy to listen to.

The first episode was very weird because you had the sense that something was dodgy by the weird way that Maria and Eliza were being overly nice to the Doctor and Mel. It was only at the beginning of Episode 2 that it all started to make sense, the idea that Maria & Eliza are trying to con Mel into see The Wishing Beast was a good plot point. The Doctor apparently giving himself up for The Wishing Beast was a big moment because you think that he has a plan. It is always difficult for a writer to keep the momentum in the next story but he has managed to do this with The Wishing Beast. Colin Baker was on top form again with his Doctor in a caring manner and not as humorous as he usually is. Bonnie Langford is also very good as Mel, it’s hard to believe that this is the same Mel that appeared in Paradise Towers. Jean Marsh was brilliant as Maria who was very sinister and very dominating. Overall an enjoyable story that suited Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford very well. The Vanity Box. It was an unusual story that somehow managed to work and its only Colin Baker that could make this work.

This story directly follows The Wishing Beast and in fact this story has a lot to do with that story. The setting wasn’t really the whole point of the story and it is just as well because setting it in the 1960's in Manchester is the greatest place to put a story. The characters in this story aren’t particularly strong and don’t seem to really have anything to do with the action. My biggest problem was how could Monsieur Coiffure confuse The Doctor with a woman. It was something that was done in Time and the Rani and it was a rubbish and ludicrous plot point then. Colin Baker & Bonnie Langford seem to just have enough to do to justify their roles in the story but it is Toby Longworth who plays Monsieur Coiffure. Longworth follows up his great performance in The Wishing Beast. It is obvious now that these single story releases don’t seem to work. Out of the three that we have had only Urban Myth has been any good. Making their first appearances in this episode are Diana Flacks who plays Nesta which is a ok character that doesn’t really grab me. Neither does the character of Winnie played by Christine Moore. Rachel Laurence does a commendable job as Bessy and the Barmaid. Overall as a full release The Wishing Beast works very well and is enjoyable. The Vanity Box is a let down and is a poor single story. My concerns about the let downs of single part stories were realised with this story. I think that had The Vanity Box been given a bit more time then it would have worked because of some plot padding and character development.

Human Resources (2007)

Well all good things must come to an end. After six weeks of adventures the whole plot point of Lucie would be concluded. Human Resources is the final story of the season however forms the seventh and eighth story in the series and it begins at a very strange point because in No More Lies, Lucie has been taken by the Headhunter. This story was written by Eddie Robson who had penned the last 8th Doctor story in the regular range Memory Lane (2006) That story has something in common with Human Resources in that is complicated in some ways. I wasn’t a major fan of that story but there were some enjoyable elements. You have to really listen to these stories otherwise you are completely lost. This story has a lot to live up to after the great opening of Blood of the Daleks and the strong consistent stories in between it was important to make sure this story wasn’t a letdown. It’s hard to believe that its only been six weeks since the start of this adventure.

After using the Daleks to open the series it was only fitting to use the Cybermen to finish it off. The Cybermen are used in this story in a way that they haven't been used before in this audio range. The idea that they weren't looking for trouble but now are set on taking over Earth is like waking a sleeping giant in that it will get you into trouble waking them. There were several different plot points in this story and some of them worked and some didn't. The plot point that Lucie was working for a company that was secretly terror forming planets but using people like Lucie to work on the information was a good line, the other plot point that the reason for Lucie been paired with the Doctor was done by the Timelords who were removing her because they had made so many changes to her timeline that she needed to be taken out so they could sort itself out was also a clever part except until you realise that the Timelords or CIA got the wrong person was a bit of a anti-climax because your would have thought that a race of people who had developed time travel wouldn't make a silly mistake like getting the wrong person but that doesn't really spoil the story too much.

Due to the fact that there 100 minutes instead of the usual 50 it gave Robson and co a lot longer to develop some of the plot points. It enabled the relationship between Lucie and Karen. Within just a few well written scenes we got the feeling that these two characters would be going out on a Friday night in Blackpool.

The story moves along a quick pace over the two parts and the cast have a lot to do with that. Paul McGann is great as the Doctor because he has gotten to like Lucie and when you think of what their relationship was like in Blood of the Daleks then it has come a long way and mixed in with the threat of the Cybermen, McGann is given a lot to do and works well with the dialogue he is given. Sheridan Smith deserves a great amount of praise because she has consistently put in superb efforts in every story and the final two parts are where she really shines through. Over the past eight episodes she has shown what an important character she has been. I hope that this continues in future adventures. Nickolas Grace was very good in this story. Grace had previously appeared in the 2002 story Bang-Bang-A-Boom and also has appeared in the fantastic House of Cards, My Family and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1993) appears in this story as the Timelord Straxus, The character is very much how you would imagine the Timelords to be and when he swans in to meet the Doctor it just has the air of arrogance which is how the Timelords have been portrayed. Katarina Olsson has been one of the best things in this series. In this series she played the Headhunter and puts in her best performance in this story as she is given some good dialogue. Roy Marsden who appeared opposite the Tenth Doctor in Smith and Jones plays Hulbert who is the owner of Hulbert Logistics which is where the story is set and the character is well rounded and has some good scenes in this story. Owen Brenman was very good in this story as Jerry. He is the David Brent of this story. He cracks terrible jokes and wants to be everybody’s friend which isn’t exactly original but is done well in this story. Andrew Wisher was also very good as Malcolm. Even though he entered in this story quite late he managed to contribute a lot to the story and interacted well with the other characters.

The Cybermen were very good in this story and they weren’t wasted at all. Big Finish always try and do something different with monsters that are familiar to all Doctor Who fans and they managed it again in Human Resources. Their sound is always different and I thought that it was the best one. Nicholas Briggs is the gov’ner of Cybermen/Dalek voices and yet again his made the Cybermen seem like a genuine threat.

Overall these two stories are well acted and well written if a bit over complicated but because of the length of each episode there is just enough time to explain all the plots and give enough dialogue to justify having each character in the story. The idea of the Doctor offering Lucie the chance to join him in the TARDIS after everything they have endured during these two parts was nice because it mirrors the 10th Doctor and Martha in the TV series but in the audio version Lucie accepts the Doctors offer and that means we will get some more adventures in this combination. Eddie Robson has written a superb story that delivered what we all hoped for and shows why he is becoming one of the best writers for the range. Nicholas Briggs also directed a story that maintained pace and enjoyment throughout.

I really like the series as a whole.