The Reaping is something of a break from the norm for Big Finish. The Reaping is the first of a two-parter. The Gathering would follow next month and both stories would be written by Joseph Lidster and also feature the Cybermen. When Lidster’s name appears on a CD cover then you know your in for a treat.
The story is not structured to be a normal Doctor Who story. For one there are two 45 minute episodes and the beauty of this is that it allows Lidster to pile more action into the story. The story is set some four months after the events of Planet of Fire (1984). The early part of this story is about Peri and how she grieves over the death of Anthony Chambers who was her stepfather. It struck me at how upset she was considering they didn’t get on.
The Doctor and Peri in the early stages of part one go to time in their history where they are bickering at each other but it sounds more grown up than it used to be. There is a brief moment of humour in the form of the Gogglebox which is essentially an giant archive machine. Then there are the Alans who are clones tour guides. There is also a slightly amusing character in the form of Mrs Van Gysegham who sounds like a mildly chain smoking and bourbon drinking maid. I thought her performance from Denise Bryer was another highlight.
But what of the silver giants? They haven’t had many stories in the Big Finish universe (compared to the Daleks) but like Spare Parts (2002) they are stunning in this story. Their presence is felt throughout this story and they are the menace that they should be.
The story does descend into a bit of self pity and gets a bit down and for a split second I thought I was listening to a radio episode of Eastenders. Apart from that blip I found the whole two episodes to be absolutely fantastic. The story does quite a new series thing here where Peri tries to explain where she’s been. For the first time we are treated to a back story to the character. She has a family and also an ex-boyfriend. It fleshes out the character far more than in any other story.
I’m always full of praise for Colin Baker’s performances. Put simply he doesn’t do dud performances. When given the right dialogue he could knock all the other Doctor’s out. Nicola Bryant gives her best performance in the Big Finish stories. Its nice to see her be a bit more grown up and not doing the sister thing with Erimem. She has to do some pretty strong scenes and delivers them superbly.
This story at the end of the day is one of the best stories of the year and possibly the best of all time. It has everything that you would want from a story and leads to one of the most eagerly anticipated stories for quite sometime.
The story is not structured to be a normal Doctor Who story. For one there are two 45 minute episodes and the beauty of this is that it allows Lidster to pile more action into the story. The story is set some four months after the events of Planet of Fire (1984). The early part of this story is about Peri and how she grieves over the death of Anthony Chambers who was her stepfather. It struck me at how upset she was considering they didn’t get on.
The Doctor and Peri in the early stages of part one go to time in their history where they are bickering at each other but it sounds more grown up than it used to be. There is a brief moment of humour in the form of the Gogglebox which is essentially an giant archive machine. Then there are the Alans who are clones tour guides. There is also a slightly amusing character in the form of Mrs Van Gysegham who sounds like a mildly chain smoking and bourbon drinking maid. I thought her performance from Denise Bryer was another highlight.
But what of the silver giants? They haven’t had many stories in the Big Finish universe (compared to the Daleks) but like Spare Parts (2002) they are stunning in this story. Their presence is felt throughout this story and they are the menace that they should be.
The story does descend into a bit of self pity and gets a bit down and for a split second I thought I was listening to a radio episode of Eastenders. Apart from that blip I found the whole two episodes to be absolutely fantastic. The story does quite a new series thing here where Peri tries to explain where she’s been. For the first time we are treated to a back story to the character. She has a family and also an ex-boyfriend. It fleshes out the character far more than in any other story.
I’m always full of praise for Colin Baker’s performances. Put simply he doesn’t do dud performances. When given the right dialogue he could knock all the other Doctor’s out. Nicola Bryant gives her best performance in the Big Finish stories. Its nice to see her be a bit more grown up and not doing the sister thing with Erimem. She has to do some pretty strong scenes and delivers them superbly.
This story at the end of the day is one of the best stories of the year and possibly the best of all time. It has everything that you would want from a story and leads to one of the most eagerly anticipated stories for quite sometime.
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