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.