The Invasion of E-Space (2010)

The latest Companion Chronicle sees us return to E-Space which was featured in three stories during Tom Baker’s last season as the Doctor. One of those stories, Full Circle was written by Andrew Smith who was possibly the first fan to write for the series. 30 years later, Smith was asked by Big Finish to write another Doctor Who story in the E-Space universe. With Big Finish plundering the lesser known aspects of Doctor Who history, it was only a matter of time before they used the E-Space.

This was the third Romana story after The Beautiful People (2007) and The Pyralis Effect (2009) and this was the one that I felt nailed the character down the best. There was a sense of the pompousness that the character had on TV. The story is quite simple which is a relief because after the opening few minutes I did wonder whether we were going to get a very bizarre adventure. There was the talk about CVE (CHARGED Vacuum Emboitment) and a nice reference to the Zero Room which only got one mention in Castrovalva (1982). The story is set a few months after Full Circle and gives the listener a rough guide as to how much time has passed during the E-Space Trilogy. The story sees the Doctor, Romana and Adric (no mention of K9) arrive on a planet just when there is an invasion on the planet. The Farrian are after a rare mineral/thing that can only be found in E-Space. It’s your basic, straight forward story of an invasion and the Doctor and Romana doing their best to stop them. For a brief moment after the Farrian were mentioned, I thought I missed an adventure because the way that Ward was talking about them I thought maybe I should have known they were in a previous adventure. The story was very well balanced. There was a fair amount of sci-fi terms but that was mixed with normal dialogue. “Adric had been shot!”. There was a small cheer from me in my car when I heard that. Sadly it was only in his leg and at the rate that Alzarians heal he was back to his whiny best before long. Even though Matthew Waterhouse wasn’t playing the role I found the character irritating.

Lalla Ward’s performance in this story is very good. I think that out of the three she has done, this has to be the best. The dialogue was spot on for her and she delivered it well. It was interesting that she doesn’t seem to remember how many of these she has done. It’s probably not something she keeps a note of but for someone like me I knew exactly how many she had done. I was particularly impressed with Suanne Braun who played Marni Tellis. The character went on a very big adventure being stuck with the Doctor in the TARDIS. Braun gave the character a rough edge but still made her likeable. Even though they didn’t meet until the very last moment, their stories mixed well together and held the same sort of tone and interest.

The Invasion of E-Space is another fine Companion Chronicle release. It had everything that I would want from a Big Finish play. It was good to go back to the E-Space because I thought that it had more potential that was seen on TV. I think it was a gamble asking Smith to write a story because he hadn’t written a four part adventure since 1980 but credit to him, he did a solid job. After a mixed series it’s nice that The Invasion of E-Space shows a return to form. Good writing, Good acting and good directing helped make this the second best release from this series so far. Good Stuff

A Death in the Family (2010)

A Death in the Family is the middle story of this series and sees the return of the Word Lord who made a brief appearance in the Forty-Five special in late 2008. That episode of Forty-Five and this story are written by Steven Hall. It’s always good when Big Finish introduce a new writer because it introduces a certain freshness that Big Finish needs just like the TV series. After listening to two really solid stories in The Book of Kells and Deimos, I was really hoping that this story would make it a hat-trick. Sadly that wasn’t the case.

The first episode was very good. It had a lot of excitement about it and there was a genuine intrigue in wondering what the Word Lord was actually doing. However the story starts to go downhill quite quickly. The second episode was enjoyable with Hex encountering Evelyn. It was really nice to have Evelyn back in a proper adventure as she hadn’t been in a Big Finish play since Assassin in the Limelight back in 2008. The Doctor bought Hex to meet her because she was the only person who had met his mother. The third episode was mildly interesting as it was given a nice link when Ace announced at the end of Part 2 by saying she was married. There were some nice scenes in this episode which served the job to distract me from the nagging problem that I had. It’s the final episode where it well and truly fell apart. It was at this point that I well and truly lost all ability to follow what was going on. The problem that I have is that even after listening to it all the way through. I honestly couldn’t put my hand on what the story is about. It seemed like they were trying to defeat the Word Lord who was as slippery as a snake but it seemed that just when you had thought the Word Lord had been defeated, he came back and was trying to outsmart the Doctor. Ultimatley there was way too much of this going on in the final episode and it seemed like the writer was getting desperate.

Sylvester McCoy was very good (for the parts he was in it) and so were Sophie Aldred and Philip Olivier. Maggie Stables performed perfectly well. It’s always nice to have Stables in a Big Finish play because even like this story where she is effectively reduced to a bit part she brings something to it. Ian Reddington was very good as the Word Lord, he goes OTT on the role but to be honest it is such a wonderful character that it doesn’t matter.

A Death in the Family was far too smart for its own good. This was a missed opportunity as they bought back Evelyn and reduced her role to the old biddy who talks about something that connects her to another companion. I might return to this in the future to see if any of it makes sense but I don’t think that a story should require more than one listen.

The Caves of Androzani (1984)

This story was voted the best story of all time by Doctor Who Magazine back in 2009. It was chosen to be part of the Revisitation’s Boxset in October 2010. Not quite sure whether I agree with the No.1 position but I do agree that it is a very impressive story. This is the final to feature Peter Davison as the Doctor and it also a Robert Holmes story which means that your going to get a great story. The director of this story is Graeme Harper who is known to newer fans for directing several episodes of new who.

The story is set on Androzani Minor which is a baron planet where there is a battle going on for something called Spetrox which gives people extended life. It’s valued by the people on Androzani Major. The main person on Major is Morgus who on a few occasions turns to the camera to finish off his speech. This wasn’t intended according to Harper on the DVD extras. But this break from the norm is one of the things that stands out as to why this story is so good. As the story progresses, the Doctor and Peri are banded about from one side of the caves to the other. One gang is led by Chellak (played by Martin Cochrane) who is waging a war against Sharaz Jek (Christopher Gable). Meanwhile there are a group of ‘soldiers’ led by Stotz (Maurice Roeves). All these elements are fighting each other with the Doctor and Peri caught in the crossfire.

One thing that Holmes is good at is character development and that shows in this story. Sharaz Jek is a wonderful character that is played to perfection by Christopher Gable. In the extras, Graeme Harper says he wanted a dancer to play the role. On reflection it was a wise move. Gable plays the role in a strong way but does quite well in playing an unbalanced guy because of the fact he hides behind a mask and his obsession with Peri. Another great character was Morgus. John Normington plays the role as the guy who likes the finer things in life and is in a powerful position and will do anything to protect that. Even if that means dealing with people he would consider beneath him like Stotz.

This is Peter Davison final story and it’s the strongest story of his time on the show. When you see stories like Four to Doomsday and Warriors of the Deep, you wonder why they couldn’t be like this story. As you know that this is the last Davison story there is a sadness that is felt throughout. Davison puts in a strong performance and Nicola Bryant also gives a solid performance. Together they have great chemistry and it’s a shame that they only got two stories on TV together.

The regeneration sequence is still impressive some 26 years later. It’s like someone on an acid trip but is the most creative regeneration sequence in the classic era. Colin Baker’s brief appearance was sharp and would have had me wanting the next episode to hurry up. The Caves of Androzani is a superb story, its one of Robert Holmes’ best stories and it solidifies his reputation in the history of the series. Graeme Harper is a superb director and shows why in this story. It’s claustrophobic and tense and that is something that with the best will in the world, the new series stories just don’t have. It shows that you don’t require big budget and special effects to tell a good solid story. The Caves of Androzani is superb story. End of.

The Girl in the Fireplace (2006)

The fourth episode of this second series sees what I think would be called a Pseudo-Historical story. Part of the story is set in 1727 Paris where a group of robots seem to be interested in Madame de Pompadour (the mistress of King Louis XV). The other half of the story is set on a spaceship which has no crew except for the same robots. Written by the ‘Grand Moff’ Steven Moffat, this story is perhaps the most complex story that I can remember perhaps since watching Ghostlight. You know when you get a Steven Moffat story then it’s not going to be dull. But what you also get is something not straightforward.

The story starts off with a bang. There is a lovely pan down to a mansion where there seems to be a party and everyone is screaming and running. Meanwhile a woman falls to a fireplace and shouts ‘Doctor’. There was something mysterious and sets the episode up quite well in the space of a few minutes. When the titles finish the story moves 3000 years after the fireplace woman. This story is Mickey’s first adventure in the TARDIS.

The reason why the Clockwork Robots are after Reinette is that the ship they are on is not working and they think that by using Reinette’s brain that the ship will be back up and running. As the ship is 37 years old, the Robots believe that they have to wait for her to be 37 before she is ‘compatible’. The reason why they have chosen her ahead of anyone else in the history of humanity wasn’t made clear until the very last shot where the ship is called SS Madame de Pompadour. Very clever Mr Moffat.

The story is essentially a love story. Mickey & Rose take a back seat in this episode. The romance between the Doctor and Reinette slowly builds and there are some lovely moments between the two. There are some tender moments like when the Doctor is trying to read Reinette’s mind and it was quite a powerful moment. The fact that the Doctor is willing to be stranded in 1727 for Reinette is quite a surprising moment. It seems like that the Doctor is about to spend the rest of his lives in Paris. However when he realises that he can get back to the spaceship his attitude suddenly seems to change. He promises to come back and when he does he discovers that Reinette has died, King Louis XV gives the Doctor a letter which is from Reinette. It was a really sad moment with the music and Sophia Myles’ voice echoing out.

The Clockwork Robots are wonderfully spooky. The fact that they always had a smile on their face (all be it a mask) was quite chilling. Also the clothing that helped add to the uneasy feeling I had about them. The first time that we see one in Young Reinette’s bedroom was handled well and every time they were on screen they were enjoyable. They were effective and despite being quite stupid they were still something was scary and had a menace to them.

The blend of humour with the dark tones makes this quite a different type of episode. Such dark moments that I thought worked quite well was the fact that the robots are trying to fix the ship and used the crew to try and fix the ship but using body parts. There was an eye as a camera lens and a heart beating in a part of the ship. The humorous parts included the horse leading up to one of the funniest line between the Doctor and Mickey when Mickey says “What’s a horse doing on a spaceship?” with the Doctor reply with “What’s pre-revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get a little perspective!”

The Girl in the Fireplace is a clever and smart episode that did requite a second viewing before I fully understood this. Noel Clarke and Billie Piper did have some funny moments but were effectively in the background as far as this story was concerned. David Tennant was brilliant in this story and had some nice moments. I think that his Doctor had well and truly settled. Sophia Myles was very impressive in this story as Reinette, it’s quite a difficult job to come in for one week and get the character right and have instant chemistry with the lead characters. The Girl in the Fireplace is the sort of story that Doctor Who should be doing more often. The setting(s) were brilliant, the amount of humour and darkness was pitched just right and the characters were spot on. At the end of the day, The Girl in the Fireplace is one of the strongest Doctor Who stories that the new series has produced.

Rise of the Cybermen (2006)

It seems that on their 40th birthday that this was when the Cybermen were bought back and given the 21st century treatment. 40 years after the Tenth Planet aired we would see whether the production team in Cardiff could pull of the same trick and bring something back from the past and make it work with a modern audience. I was surprised that Russell T Davies decided not to write this two parter himself, instead he handed over this responsibility to Tom McRae who has written for shows like No Angels , As If and Lewis. This story also saw the return of Graeme Harper to the directing the chair. The only person who has directed a classic who and new series who. He was one of the people who was credited with making The Caves of Androzani what it is.

Set on a parallel Earth, we essentially get a rewrite of Cybermen history. Russell T Davies tries to get the viewer to believe that the Cybermen were created by John Lumic. A very clever man in a wheelchair (sounding familiar?). The TARDIS is damaged and is repairing itself and whilst it does that it give Rose enough time to see Pete Tyler. Pete as well all saw in Fathers Day the previous year died, but Rose still persists in finding him. She discovers that he is a successful business man. There was a funny moment when Rose discovers that Pete and Jackie have a Rose but she’s in fact a dog. The build up throughout the story was pretty standard. Rose went off to find her dad still not realising that no matter with reality they are in and how many Pete Tyler’s she meets. The one she knew as her dad was dead. Mickey spent the first part of the story looking for his gran who in his reality died falling down the stairs after tripping on some carpet. Before any happy reunion can take place, Mickey is kidnapped by people thinking he is their leader Ricky. Ricky looks identical to Mickey. Sorry but at this point all believability went out of the window. Any time they do this twin thing I just think that its stretching credibility a bit too far.

The episode itself is quite a good one. With the weak part about Ricky/Mickey, they are some nice moments. Roger Lloyd Pack was very good as Lumic. It wasn’t intended for Pack to be in a chair (and starting the Davros comparison) but due to him breaking his ankle (or leg) he was forced into it. I was more impressed with Pack and how believable he was. When I saw him, I didn’t think Trigger from Only Fools and Horses. The look of the Cybermen is not something that I’m totally impressed with. I am the sort of fan that prefers the very first appearance of them back in The Tenth Planet. They look human not human enough. There’s robotic parts but you can see the whites of their eyes. The problem that I had with the new Cybermen is that whilst its good that they sound the part and when they walk you hear that clump sound, they just seem to big compared to previous versions. However they would grow on me over the course of future adventures but I still don’t hink it was a 100% success story.

The story has a nice cliffhanger when the Cybermen are marching towards the house through the fog. The visual sight was perfect and the image of the Cybermen surrounding the main cast with no clear sign of escaping. The last words were from the wonderful sounding Cybermen who utter the words ‘Delete’. Very much in keeping with the 21st Century computer society. It’s going to be interesting to see how the episode is resovled. As a single episode its ok, there a general feeling that the main action is going to take place in part two. So there is an opportunity to build the surroundings and more importantly the supporting characters. Graeme Harper has done a great job directing this episode in the way that he has and it shows that with the money and the resources. Harper is just as good a director as Euros Lyn and James Strong. Rise of the Cybermen is a good starting point.

Deimos (2010)

Still on a high from listening to the Book of Kells. I ploughed straight into Deimos which sees the return of the Ice Warriors. This would be the fourth time in two years that they have been used by Big Finish making them the fourth most used creation. The story is set on Deimos which is a moon of Mars where there is a Moonbase which is a museum. On Deimos is a iomiser which was created to return Mars back to how it was but the plan was scrapped, now the Ice Warriors are taking it and going to return Mars to how they knew it despite that the colonists on Mars will be killed.

The story has some nice moments which work well in a story that has a quick pace to it. In fact I was surprised when it got to the half way point because I didn’t realise that the time had gone so quickly. There is a slight problem that I have and that is with the David Warner character. It’s made clear quite early on that he is in cahoots with the Ice Warrior or has positive feelings for him. The justification that he gives is just silly. It just totally spoils what is otherwise a fine episode. David Warner was otherwise very good in this and it was nice to hear him in a proper Doctor Who adventure. Another big name was Tracy-Ann Oberman as Temperance Finch. She is probably best known as Yvonne Hartmen from the Doctor Who two parter Army of Ghosts/Doomsday in 2006 and also for killing Den Watts in the BBC soap Eastenders. Her character was in this story was pretty typical. I didn’t find it particularly bland or dull but neither was it original.

Like the Book of Kells, the cliffhanger shocked me. I did not see it coming (again) and as the theme music played my mouth was left wide open (again). It might have something to do with not realising how much time had passed but something made me react like that. My opinion of this series has changed greatly. I have gone from fearing that this final series was going to be a dud to thinking it might be the best yet. This is also the best story for Tamsin so far. I thought her best line was the cluedo line which seemed to be an ad lib because it seemed like a totally improve line. Nicky Wardley is becoming a great companion with each passing story.

As the first part of a two part story, I can’t judge it properly. However as a single episode its one of the best. It lays the ground work and we will have to wait and see whether the whole story is going to work. Jonathan Morris (author) has done really well with the story that isn’t complicated and has a nice setting with nice characters. Barnaby Edwards does another great job as the director keeping the momentum going. I really can’t wait for the next instalment.

School Reunion (2006)

There were two things I was looking forward to when I heard about this series. The first was the Cybermen but the second was the return of Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane who travelled with the third and fourth Doctors between 1974-1977 with a spin-off pilot (1981) and a guest spot in The Five Doctors (1983). Possibly the best companion ever it was the first time that a companion had returned in the new series. It also sees the return of K9 which isnt such an exciting prospect. It still baffles me why K9 is put with Sarah Jane considering that they never travelled together until the 1981 spin-off. However it was Sarah Jane that generated interest for me.

The story is set in a school and when the episode begins the Doctor and Rose have their feet well and truly under the table. The Doctor is a teacher and Rose is a dinnerlady. At the same time Sarah Jane is investigating the school for a unnamed newspaper. There is something going on at the school which I really couldn’t care about. All I wanted was to see the moment when Sarah Jane and the Doctor meet. However the trick that the writer (Toby Whithouse) did was to make us think we were going to get that reunion in the staffroom but the Doctor doesn’t tell Sarah Jane that he is the Doctor. The look on David Tennant’s face as Elisabeth Sladen walks away was priceless. That was a fan reaction and not an acting one.

The first proper meeting occurs after Sarah Jane (like the others) has broken into the school. She soon stumbles across the TARDIS and then back out into another room and realises that the guy she saw earlier was the Doctor. A very well handled build up and brilliantly directed. I thought that a nice joke did take place when we realise that the Fourth Doctor didn’t leave Sarah Jane in Croydon but miles away. It was followed almost immediately by Rose’s realisation that she isn’t the first person to travel with the Doctor and probably wont be the last. This was quite a knock down for the character and quite why it took so long for this to happen is baffling to me.

The B plot is that the school is been runned by the Krillitanes. A wonderfully devised creature that cannibalise the features of other races. The plot is ok but if it hand’nt been for the Sarah Jane appearance then it wouldn’t have been as good an episode as it could have been. There is a wonderful scene between the Doctor and the Anthony Head character. It was possibly one of the finest best confrontations in the new series history. I must admit that the scene where K9 got destroyed by the school blowing up was quite sad. As much as I find K9 an irritation he is still a part of Doctor Who history and I think it was the sense of sadness from Elisabeth Sladen and the joy when she saw the new K9.

This might as well have been called The Sarah Jane Reunion because this was all about her return. Noel Clarke served an adequate purpose but his involvement was minimal unlike the next two episodes. Anthony Head was very good. As the Krillitane leader it was his scenes were always enjoyable. However it was Elisabeth Sladen that stole the show for me and its easy to see why she got her own series. John Leeson also deserves a mention it was only right that he got to come back as he is effectively K9. David Tennant was in fan mode throughout this episode. The scene at the end outside the TARDIS seemed to sum this up for me and was a lovely moment.

School Reunion is a lovely nostalgia episode but nothing more. The Krillitanes were good and for never for newer fans who didn’t know how big a deal Sarah Jane’s return is will still enjoy this episode. School Reunion is good fun.

The Book of Kells (2010)

2010 TOMS TARDIS AWARD WINNER

• Best Eighth Doctor Adventure

The previous two Tamsin stories have been a bit mixed. I was starting to worry that the final Eighth Doctor series was going to be a huge disappointment. The Book of Kells is a story that is partly based on historical fact. Apparently the book went missing for 80 days and when it returned it had been changed. Anyway the story sees the return of the Middling Monk who appeared during the Hartnell years. The story is set in 1006 at the Abbey of Kells in Ireland. The Doctor and Tamsin are lured there by the trap the meddling monk.

The story spends a lot of time looking for the book of Kells that has been taken. Personally as nice as it was to have a history lesson it was finding out who the Monk was. It seemed like it was Brother Bernard (played by Jim Carter) but that rule of it’s never the most obvious thing never occurred to me. When it was obvious that Bernard wasn’t the monk the story moved on. There was a bit of a contrived speech when the Doctor gives the newer listeners a history lesson of the Doctor’s encounters with the monk before saying “I am the Doctor” before Bernard says “Who”. I did groan when I heard that. The story spends a bit more time with the ‘Who’s the monk?’ line.

The story itself is quit an interesting if not overly exciting one. It’s not dull by any means but compared to other stories it doesn’t quite have the action packed stuff that I would expect. However there was enough stuff to keep me hooked in. The very final bit was the best part of the entire thing. The meddling monk is working with/for Brother Lucianus. Not going to reveal the plot twist and I do mean twist. It shocked me and totally came out of left field. It does have a knock on effect on the rest of the series.

The characters are very strong in this episode. Brother Bernard as played by Jim Carter (currently in ITV drama Downton Abbey), is perhaps the best of all the guest stars. I think that Carter has a wonderful voice for radio and having heard him on Radio 5 plays such as Dirk Gentley, I think that his casting was perfect. Graeme Garden returns to the Doctor Who range as Abbott Thelomous. Garden previously appeared in the 2008 play Max Warp and to be honest he gives an enjoyable performance. Ryan Sampson is the first of two names to have appeared in TV Who and Big Finish Who. Sampson appeared in the 2008 adventure The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky. In this he plays Brother Patrick which was a good role. The second name is Terrance Hardiman who appeared alongside Matt Smith’s Doctor in The Beast Below. As King Sitric he seemed like a perfectly normal character and was good casting. As far as I am concerned he will always be the Demon Headmaster.

Something that has been pointed out is how this story was the first to be recorded but the third to go out. A bit like Peter Davison when Four to Doomsday was the first to be recorded but Castrovalva was the first to go out. This is the first time that I have really enjoyed the character. I thought that her humour was spot on and her relationship with the Doctor was just right as it wasn’t like the Doctor’s relationship with Lucie but it’s in the same ballpark. I hope that Nicky Wardley doesn’t leave at the end of the series because I think now she is starting to get into her stride.

The Book of Kells is a good story. It’s the best o the series so far but that’s not as much of a compliment as you would think. I also think it won’t be the best story of the series. Barnaby Edwards is an interesting writer. Such stories as Bride of Peladon and the Beast of Orlok are two stories which don’t go crash bang wallop but something equally satisfying. The characters are very strong and believable and they have a back story to them that you want to know more about. You know what sort of story you are going to get with certain writers and with Edwards you know your going to get a strong steady story with a nice plot to it that doesn’t get to smart for its own good but doesn’t treat the listener like a simpleton. The Book of Kells is a story worthy of multiple listens if not just for the cliffhanger at the end.

Tooth and Claw (2006)

After a disappointing opening episode, Tooth and Claw quickly reminds us what a new Doctor Who story should be. Like New Earth there is an impressive opening sequence. The titles roll and we then see the Doctor and Rose in the TARDIS who are on their way to a concert in Sheffield in 1979 before leaving the TARDIS and finding out that they are in fact in 1879. The story is quite important as it’s the first time in the series that Torchwood is mentioned since Harriet Jones mentioned it in the Christmas Invasion. Here is the inception of Torchwood, it’s named after the house the story is set in.

The story is a werewolf story. It’s hard to believe that in the history of Doctor Who that there hasn’t been a werewolf story before. Doctor Who has plundered many types of horror genre and this was the last one. We have had vampires and everything else but it’s only now that Russell T Davies and the technology was available to make it work. The story sees the Torchwood House taken over by a bunch of king-fu monks who are waiting for Queen Victoria. They dump a werewolf in the basement waiting for the full moon to come up. The story ends with the werewolf being taken care off thanks a diamond that Queen Victoria has kept with her. It belonged to her husband Prince Albert.

The story does have that isolated setting that I just love. The house is in the middle of nowhere and there is pretty much zero chance of being rescued. That helps add to the tension but essentially it’s a battle against the werewolf. The final moments against the werewolf had some special effects that looked rather good. It was revealed when the werewolf burst into the room, Queen Victoria got a scratch on her hand. It’s then implied that Queen Victoria might become a werewolf and her descendants would also have the DNA of the werewolf. Not quite sure what the Royal Family would make of that but I hope that they would say “We are not amused!”.

At the end of Torchwood the very serious scene of Torchwood’s creation is done. Queen Victoria officially sets up Torchwood to investigate strange goings on and in a way kind of makes UNIT redundant. The story arc for the rest of the series has been set up and now we can prepare to learn more of Torchwood and put the pieces together like we were suppose to with the Bad Wolf story arc in the last series. Pauline Collins was very good as Queen Victoria. The last time she was in a Doctor Who story was some 39 years before with Patrick Troughton in The Faceless Ones. In that I always thought that she should have become a companion but unfortunately didn’t. As Queen Victoria she was statesman like and thankfully ignored the ‘We are not amused’ gag that Rose kept doing over and over again. Her defiance against the werewolf was quite impressive and the grief that she shows when she talks about Prince Albert was very sad and believable despite the fact that at this point, Prince Albert had died some 18 years before. Collins is a superb actress and no one else could really have done a better job.

As a Doctor Who story it’s very good. It was a refreshing change of direction in terms of quality following the damp squid that was New Earth seven days previously. There was a lot of drama and also a bit of comedy. The whole look and feel was very good and felt perhaps the best visual episode of the new series. There was also the moment where the Doctor as the lead character was able to work something out and look the most intelegant person which he should. It also gave Tennant the chance to talk in his normal Scottish voice instead of put on English voice much to the delight I imagine of the Scottish Doctor Who fans. Tooth and Claws is a reassuring return to form. Everything you would want from a Doctor Who story was here in this story and knowing what is to come over the next few weeks it shows that Tooth and Claw is where the series really gets started.

New Earth (2006)

New Earth is the first story of David Tennant’s first season as the Doctor. This is where Tennant would be judged and the future of the show would also be looked at. The opening moments of the show were a clear indication to its audience that this is a new era in the shows history. It was nice and understated but unfortunately the episode descended into a comedy which it shouldn’t have been. The story sees the return of Cassandra who was last seen bursting into bits over the should of the ninth Doctor in The End of the World.

The Doctor takes Rose to New Earth and after a message on the Psychic Paper they go to the hospital where in the basement of the hospital is Cassandra and her servant Chip. As Cassandra is after a body she takes Rose’s and then there is a series of tooing and froing in terms of body swapping. The hospital is full of people suffering from some of the weirdest diseases that have ever graced a Sci-Fi show. One of the patients is the Face of Boe who was seen briefly in The Long Game the previous year. We are told he is dyeing at that the Doctor will meet him one more time. The hospital seems to be nice and pristine but actually hides a secret. It is hold infected people with diseases and this seems to be their purpose in life which obviously annoys the Doctor. This leads to him saving the day by mixing all the potions and medicines and pouring them into a big container and curing some who then help to cure others. This happens just before Cassandra jumps from Rose to Chip. Unfortunately its not a permanent thing because Chip has a short life span and he’s reaching the end of it. There’s enough time for the Doctor to take him to when Cassandra was a human and tell her that she is beautiful. Chip then collapses and dies with the Doctor and Rose sloping off into the TARDIS.

The problem with New Earth is that it is way too comedic for my likening. Compared to the other series openers it is by far the weakest offering. I also wondered how appropriate it was for Rose to be sexed up the way she way. I don’t want to come across all Mary Whitehouse but I just thought it was a bit too much. I did chuckle when the Doctor and Rose kissed. It reminded me of the furore that arose form the Eighth Doctor and Grace’s kiss in the TV Movie. This seemed to pass without much drama. The whole relationship between Rose and the Doctor has definitely changed since the regeneration. Tennant is obviously younger than Eccleston so the love story is more believable than it was between Rose and the Ninth Doctor.

It was good that they got Zoe Wanamaker in this in the flesh. I like her in My Family and thought that she was very good in this. Though her best bit was at the end when Chip arrives with Rose and the Doctor. She was like the Cassandra we all know and love but the way she was dressed make her look like she come from the set of a Miss Marple story. Its just a shame that we will never het to see her again because I do think that the character had more to give and she was slightly wasted in this because she could have and perhaps should have had more screen time.

David Tennant and Billie Piper did seem to enjoy themselves in this when they were playing their characters being possessed by Cassandra unfortunately they weren’t given more time for serious stuff. They do have a good on screen chemistry which bodes well for the rest of the series. New Earth is not the story it should have been. I think that there is nothing wrong with a bit of humour in Doctor Who but in the first episode and to this degree is not the place to do it. New Earth is an episode to forget.

Find and Replace (2010)

Find and Replace is a story that brings together Jo Grant and Iris Wildthyme. Both characters are played by Katy Manning and both characters have appeared in Big Finish over the years. Jo Grant is appearing in her third companion chronicle after The Doll of Death in 2008 and The Mists of Time last year. It is also the third time that Iris Wildthyme has appeared after appearing in one of the Excelis stories back in 2001 and also appearing in the Wormery back in 2003 which was just an awful adventure. I have to say that I’m not a big fan of Iris because I think she is like Marmite. The story also sees the return of Huxley the Narrator who appeared in the Turlough Companion Chronicle ‘Ringpullworld’ back in 2009. I don’t think I was keen of his character either but I was determined to keep an open mind when I pressed the play button.

The story starts off in a curious way with Jo shopping and upon entering a lift she meets Huxley. He then tries to convince her that she never travelled or had any adventures with the Doctor and infact it was with Iris. That’s the plot. As the listener we are caught on the question as to why is Huxley doing this. The mystery is made even more curious when Iris gets involved. It’s shortly after Iris appears before we realise the Iris knows none of what Huxley is saying is true. However to find out why he’s doing this she takes Huxley and Jo back to 1970 and the UNIT HQ there. There is a bit of stalling by writer Paul Magrs before the inevitable happens and Jo from 2010 meets the Doctor she knew from the 1970’s. Its revealed that the Doctor asked Huxley to convince both Iris and Jo that they travelled together and not the Doctor and Jo because the Doctor wants to protect Jo. However Jo is horrified because she thinks of her time with the Doctor to be wonderful and doesn’t want her memories changed.

Right, first the good things. Its very well paced. It didn’t drag at all and Paul Magrs did a good job of keeping everything interesting. I actually liked Iris in this. I didn’t find her to be irritating and that meant I could continue to buy into the story. I thought that Katy Manning did a great job of doing both voices which must have been a challenge because they are both quite distinctive characters and she didn’t try and get them similar to make it easier for her. I also enjoyed Huxley. In this he was funny and entertaining and I think it was that Magrs gave him more to do in this. In Ringpullworld he was a bit 2D but in this he was allowed more time. I never thought I would say this but I hope this isn’t the last time we hear from him. Lisa Bowerman also deserves some credit for this. As I mentioned earlier, the story was well paced and also exciting. The direction was sharp and snappy and at no point did I wonder how long had the story being going on for.

Now the not so good news. The big sticking point is the plot hole which you could drive Iris’ bus through. Why Jo? Why did the Doctor decide that Jo was so special? Why not Liz or Ben or Polly or Ian or Barbara? That never got explained and ruined a perfectly good story. But the main problem that that when it finished, I just felt odd. I wasn’t quite sure what made me feel like this. In the week since I finished listening to this story and started to write this review I have been trying to wonder why I was bowled over by it. The only thing that I think it could be is that as there were two characters and one doesn’t really make many appearances in the Doctor Who universe, I was expecting something slightly more than a character piece.

It’s not a terrible story by any means. I could hear Katy Manning talk about Chemistry or something equally dull and I wouldn’t mind. I think that one word describes Find and Replace – Ordinary.

Faith Stealer (2004)

Faith Stealer was the very first Big Finish adventure that I ever listened to. Perhaps in hindsight it wasn’t the best story to start off with and this is well into the Divergent Universe story arc. Faith Stealer is more of a social commentary about Faith and how seriously people take it. Personally for me I found this story to be a bit drawn out and unfortunately is a weak story. It wasn’t a complete failure however as there were some elements in this story that worked. Firstly the Multihaven is a brilliant idea as it like a country with different religions and different opinions. Then there is the Bordinan who a leader that is quite interesting character.

In this story we start to learn about C’Rizz which is was very interesting but hopefully more will come out in future stories. The Doctor is entertaining in this story and when they arrive he declares he is of the Tourist faith which is the truest thing he’s said in years. He does descend into feeling down about his abilities. It does seem to be a Charley light story however it seems to be more about C’Rizz than Charley so that’s not too surprising. With C’Rizz he still has issues about killing L’Da which hopefully will be resolved soon.

The start of this new series wasn’t perhaps the best that there could have been but the characters were there it was just the actual plot and directing itself that led to this story not firing on all cylinders.

Marco Polo (1964)

EPISODE 1 – THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 22 February 1964

This is the first story that doesn’t exist on video. Instead we have to be satisfied with William Russell narrating. As a fan of the Big Finish releases featuring Russell, I always enjoy anything that he’s in.  After the cliffhanger where they discover a huge footprint it falls to Ian to break the news that it’s a normal footprint that has melted in the snow. After the very dramatic previous episodes. The mood is very different as they all seem to be happy in each other’s company. I like that even in middle of mass snow Ian and Barbara entertain the thought of being back on Earth. Even though there’s no actual indication that they are on earth but it’s a theme that runs through their time on the show.

There’s more problems with the TARDIS, however it’s not to the extent that it was in the previous two episodes. The Doctor hopes that by going to a ‘lower altitude’ they might be able to get the parts needed. The fact that they can’t just leave is the only way that they would be staying for the next seven weeks.

Nice moment where Ian is explaining the science of heat to Marco Polo. It’s probably the most amusing part for the regulars. As its effectively a introduction episode, the regulars don’t really stand out very much as they all put in the same sort of performances. The performances aren’t bad but it feels like they are still recovering from the previous two episodes.  Marco Polo shows an interest in the Doctor’s TARDIS in the beginning of his encounter with the TARDIS crew. He wont let the Doctor or any one else enter the TARDIS as the locals are suspicious of the TARDIS crew and in a rare sign of compassion, the Doctor agrees not to force the issue.

We learn of Marco’s intention and its that he wants to offer Khan the TARDIS so that he can go home. It’s hard to dislike Marco Polo as he is played brilliantly by Mark Eden. He doesn’t raise his voice or act intimidatingly but still poses power and isn’t someone that you can say no to..

The Doctor’s reaction is quite strange as he starts laughing, had this happened eight episodes ago then there would have been a different response. Unusual bit of narration by Marco Polo. I like it as it gives a different feel to the story and feels like the series has found its feet and is comfortable in trying something new. It also shows what Marco Polo is thinking because we wouldn’t find out otherwise.

The cliffhanger doesn’t have the dramatic tension that I would have come to expect from a Dalek episode or even one of two of the An Unearthly Child episodes.  Tegana and a Mongol soldier are hatching a plan to kill Marco Polo and the others by poisoning the water and take the ‘caravan’ and bring Kublai Khan to his knees. It sets up the rest of the story rather well . As the story is seven episodes long, the story has the chance to take its time with the plot. The problem with this story existing on audio is that its difficult to really enjoy it. Whereas with a Big Finish audio it doesn’t have to worry about that. As it is, the opening episode is perfectly fine but it’s a pure historical adventure and that’s ok but historicals aren’t particularly well liked in Doctor Who circles. I think their ok as long as we can see them.

 

EPISODE 2 – THE SIGNING SANDS
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 29 February 1964

The title is very appropriate as when the sandstorm hits, it does sound like singing. Bad singing, the sort you would get on X-Factor but it’s a good title. The story is where Tegana’s plan will come to fruition and after the reprise, the narration starts again and I like this one as it shows how grumpy the Doctor is. Susan is letting the situation get to her. There’s a hint of the old Susan in this first scene and Barbara is doing the mother thing by trying to reassure Susan. Ping-Cho’s purpose seems to be to interact with Susan as they both appear to be the same age. They act in this episode like two friends trying to sneak out of their parents home. It’s due to this that they see Tegana leaving and leads to the first proper dramatic moment in the story. Susan uses 1960’s terms like crazy to describe the moon.

The Doctor hardly ‘appears’ in this story, instead all we get is a brief moment at the end where we discover that the heat is getting to him. As his involvement is kept to a minimum it’s really Ian, Barbara and Susan that are left to push the story along. Susan and Ping-Cho are following Tegana but get caught in the sandstorm whilst Ian is playing chess with Marco Polo. Jacqueline Hill is sort of floating around in the background and doesn’t really get a good deal in this episode.

There’s a moment where Marco questions how he can thank Tegana for saving Ping-Cho’s life which is amusing as the viewer knows the truth about what’s going on. Tegana is a cracking villain. He is as my mom would call a nasty bag of washing. Not only has he caused the situation that everyone finds themselves in but when he get to the oasis he gets some water and goads Marco Polo to “come for it”.  He really deserves that ending and Tegan is brilliantly played by Derren Nesbitt though Mark Eden continues to impress as Marco Polo and I am even starting to like Zienia Merton as Ping-Cho. This episode was definelty more about the supporting cast that the regulars. Which isn’t a bad thing as with the episode length being what it is means that we can learn a bit more about them.

By the latter stages of the episode Tegana’s plan has had its desired effect and they have little water to travel the desert and they are travelling less and less. It’s a shame that this episode doesn’t exit at all on videotape as I think that it would be one of the most visually stunning. Even from the telesnaps that I am looking at whilst listening to this on CD, it looks like a top production and its good that the acting matches it.

The cliffhanger is very enjoyable and makes up the previous episode’s lack of tension. It does really make you question who they are going to survive with Tegana being less than helpful and the lack of water being a real issue. I am for the first time really excited about this story and feel that the rest of the episode can make me forget this is a pure historical and excite me with a cracking story.

EPISODE 3 – FIVE HUNDRED EYES
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 7 March 1964

After the enjoyable previous episode we get an episode that doesn’t quite match it. There is another narration from Marco Polo. There seems to be a bit more of the narration in this episode but it’s still a welcome part of the story as we get to know what’s going on inside Marco polo’s mind without him showing his true feelings to the others. After resting in the TARDIS to get away from the heat. The Doctor discovers that condensation has formed inside the TARDIS and due to this everyone can drink water. His excitement at this is extinguished by Marco Polo. Marco Polo’s lack of trust of the Doctor and his ‘caravan’ is starting to get a bit stale.

Zienia Merton gets a nice bit of dialogue where she gets to tell as story. She does it very well and I continue to be impressed with her performances despite the character not being specially interesting. Mark Eden doesn’t have a particularly strong episode here but I think that after two episodes it was only a matter of time before he comes back to the forefront of the story. Derren Nesbitt isn’t quite as menacing as he was in the previous episodes but like Eden, I think that he will come back in future episodes.

After his lack of presence in the previous episodes, William Hartnell makes up for it here. I thought that he was quite fun to listen to as he tries to pull the wool over Marco Polo’s eyes as he has another TARDIS key made after he gave the original to Polo. Barbara is suspicious of Tegana and whilst Ian, the Doctor and Susan listening to Ping-Cho, Barbara follows him. She’s very active in this episode as she is the to one that gets put into danger. Judging by the telesnaps, the scene in the caves would have looked very good. William Russell doesn’t have a whole lot to do. His most interesting contribution comes when he talks about the English translation of Assassin. Carole Ann Ford’s involvement is fairly good and at least she doesn’t act child like which has been a recurring theme in her performances in recent episodes. She shrieks at the end but its kind of justified.

It’s another episode where there’s an awful lot of not much happening but then once the action moves into the caves that it is where it became entertaining drama. The cliffhanger was ok. It had a certain amount of drama to it but not very much and it doesn’t work as well on audio. It ends with Susan screaming and noticing the eyes in the paintings are moving but to be honest it was Barbara’s predicament that I found more interesting. So far the story is continuing to maintain my interest, it didn’t have the same sort of excitement that the previous episode had but once it got going then I started to enjoy the episode more.

EPISODE 4 – THE WALL OF LIES
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 14 March 1964

No telesnaps exist of this episode which is a shame.  I have enjoyed going through the episodes being able to look at the telesnaps. This is because Waris Hussein isn’t directing it and so didn’t order any telesnaps to be taken. After Susan shrieks about the eyes in the painting its quickly rubbished by the Doctor. It’s the only time really that Susan gets treated like a child and it’s a theme of the episode where the elder and more responsible people don’t trust those closest to them. There is also the resolvement of the more important part of the cliffhanger and that was the peril facing Barbara and despite a few moments of stalling Ian picks the moment where the Mongol Malik is about to kill Barbara. I believe that’s what they call a close shave. The next part of the story is about trying to prove that Tegana had gone to the cave of five hundred eyes. That’s basically what the whole episode is about. After all the excitement from the previous episode, it’s somewhat a shame that things slow down. There isn’t much moving around in this episode though we do get some narration from Marco Polo which is always good.

I am still a massive fan of Tegana. He continues to be a great character and well played by Derren Nesbitt. Susan and Ping-Cho’s relationship  is something that has grown on me in recent episodes and its going to be really sad when they have to go their separate ways. Carole Ann Ford and Zienia Merton have a good on screen relationship and it’s the most consistent that Susan has been since the show started. William Russell and Jacqueline Hill are both on good form but neither has a spectacular episode though Russell does get to do a bit of life saving at the beginning when he saves Barbara’s life. William Hartnell was given a slightly better episode but not by much really. My enjoyment of the Marco Polo character is starting to slip a bit. Marco Polo is unwilling to believe that Tegana is lieing. What’s quite fun is knowing that Tegana is working against Polo and if he gets his own way then Polo wont see it coming. I think its fun because Polo deserves it really.

The cliffhanger is ok because as Ian is about to jump the guard he discovers that the guard is in fact dead. The question undeniably will killed him.  Sadly as we don’t have any telesnaps its difficult to see how this would have looked so going on what we hear its fair to say that whilst its not the greatest cliffhanger in the history of Doctor (so far), its better than some that we have had. It’s fair to say that The Wall of Lies is another episode of people talking and not a lot else happening. After the atmospheric episode going into the caves, it’s a shame that we get something that doesn’t have much in the way of energy. There is enough to keep your interest but I suspect that the directing would need to be spectacular to work visually and I think with Waris Hussein in the directors chair then its might have worked so we’ll never know what John Crockett would have done with it. Onto the next episode.

EPISODE 5 – RIDER FROM SHANG-TU
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 21 March 1964

The cliffhanger saw Ian about to attack a guard who it turns out had already been killed. The story very quickly moves on to the bandits that are meant to be attacking soon.  After they come and are quickly disbanded then the action sees Marco Polo and his band of merry (and not so merry) men and women travel to Cheng-Tu.  Judging by the telesnaps Cheng-Ting looks another nice place. The sets have on the whole been impressive and that is what makes the fact that this story only exits on audio so depressing because if this were to be on DVD or VHS then it would probably rank as one of the all time greats in Doctor Who. Barry Newberry has to be complemented on what he has achieved. Daphne Dare also deserves praise because even in the black and white pictures, her designs come off as the sort you would see on movies.

As we enter the latter half of the story, the action moves towards the meeting of Kublai Kahan in Cheng-Ting. The circuit that the Doctor has been spending an eternity working on is now fixed so the drama moves to trying to get back into the TARDIS as soon as possible. It seems that they’ve forgotten what Marco Polo has got planned.

This episode really gets going once they get to Cheng-Tu as we are introduced to some new characters which is what is needed after five episodes. Wang-Lo sounds like a comedy character and comes across as such. He’s played brilliantly by Gabor Baraker and what puts the icing on the cake is the way that the Doctor reacts to his news that he has had the TARDIS moved. William Hartnell had a nice comedy moment after encountering Wang-Lo, doing a rather funny impression. The relationship between Ping-Cho and Susan is put on show again when they are examining the fish in Cheng-Ting, trying to figure out which person looks like which fish. It’s made even more enjoyable to witness after Ping-Cho gives Susan the key that Marco Polo doesn’t want them to have.

Tegana continues to impress me and the way that he sees the TARDIS as his way of getting what he wants. I’ve gone on about how much I like Derren Nesbitt’s portrayl of the character so I wont carry on with him but I think that I find Mark Eden’s Marco Polo to be less grating that I have recently.

The cliffhanger was quite a good one. After wanting the regulars to get into the TARDIS they finally do but it was never going to be that straightforward because Susan gets left behind and cause by Tegana. The plot idea of having them so close to escaping and yet so far is something that is used in The Daleks when they are about to get away before they realise that the fluid link is in the Dalek city.

It’s certainly a lot more enjoyable than the previous episode. It’s not a coincidence that its because Waris Hussein is back in the directors chair as he does have a way of moving the story along at a quicker pace than John Crockett did. The whole episode just had a better vibe to it than the previous episode. The final two episodes should get the story back on track.

EPISODE 6 – MIGHTY KUBLAI KHAN
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 28 March 1964

The penultimate episode of what has felt like an epic picks up when the regulars  go from all but Susan being in the TARDIS to them all being out of there. Most people would be frustrated with this scenario but to be honest it means that we get to spend more time in company of Marco Polo, Ping-Cho and also Ping-Cho. However the main problem with the episode is that it feels like its going through the motions. The early part of this episode does feel like a lot of just standing around and its only when Ian has to go and find the TARDIS that things feel like they are progressing. After weeks of talking about him, we finally get to meet the Mighty Kublai Khan and after weeks of talking about him we get to see him (via telesnaps) in the flesh and his outfit is what stands out in my mind. It’s clear that the budget mostly went on this costume alone but its highly impressive. It’s also a good performance from Martin Miller who as Khan is arguably the most eccentric member of the supporting cast.

The regulars have all been fairly consistent in recent episodes and the good run of form continues here. It’s difficult to say who is the best because they all have a good episode but I thought that Ian’s description of what the caravan can do and that their desire to get home isn’t just a question of geography but also time and for Ian the events of Marco Polo happened over seven hundred years in his past. Ian’s attempt to try and defend and shield Ping-Cho from Polo’s predictable rage is quite chivalrous but it’s all in vain.

 

The cliffhanger is another corker. It features Tegana who  just has to say “come” and he manages to make it sound menacing. That makes two in a row now for good cliffhangers and I think that it’s more to do with that I think that Derren Nesbitt is fantastic as Tegana and I keep going on about him so I wont carry on here. The writing from John Lucarotti has been fairly good here and it’s a below par episode from Waris Hussein which isn’t something that I say very often as his level of work is usually quite high.

‘Mighty Kublai Khan’ isn’t as strong as the previous episode but it’s still a good one. As the story starts to reach its finale, I must say that  overall the episode has impressed me more than it had done in recent years.

EPISODE 7 – ASSASSIN AT PEKING
Originally Broadcast on BBC – Saturday 4 April 1964

The final part of this epic sees the all the loose plot strands neatly tied up. The story has to tie things up but also keep things going for 25 minutes. The Doctor has to play chess to win the TARDIS. It seems really odd to see the Doctor willing to sit down and do this. It’s probably only now that the show could we get the Doctor being so calm and not so crotchety. William Hartnell really does seem to have settled down in the role. It’s not something that I’ve really noticed before but over the last 20 episodes, William Hartnell has gone from being the harsh and rude person in An Unearthly Child to being the calm (ish) figure we got over the course of these seven episodes.

As good as Mark Eden has been over the last seven episodes. It’s been a tad bit frustrating with him not really deciding whether he’s a good guy or a bad guy. One moment he’s refusing to let the Doctor and anyone else  inside the TARDIS and then helping them escape at the very end. It’s a very conflicted performance but at times I have quite liked Marco Polo. Martin Miller was very good in this episode just as he had been in the little that he was on screen in the previous episode. As the mighty Kublai Khan he was a character that at first seems like a very superior person and very serious but when we meet him he’s quite a humorous character. Derren Nesbitt goes out on a high as Tegana. You could say in this episode he got the point of his character (bad joke). However as I have mentioned in the previous episodes, I really liked the character and thought that he was a good villain. He’s been the most consistant character in the entire story. Zienia Merton is also worthy of a mention as she has done well with what hasn’t been the greatest role in the story. This was a good episode for her but it would have been nice to see the goodbye moment between Susan and Ping-Cho.

One thing that I have been impressed with over the course of the last seven episodes is the directing. Judging by the telesnaps this was another superbly directed episode and Waris Hussein has kept up his great track record. Some of the shots in this episode are very impressive and its hard to believe that this was achieved on a BBC budget. After seven weeks of what has at times been a pedestrian story, I’m glad that it has ended in a rather good manner. It was a solid ending to what was a really strong episode. It’s also going to be good to see something on DVD now after spending the last week having to listen to this story and look at the telesnaps which has helped but it can never replace the ability to enjoy a story by looking at it.

The Christmas Invasion (2005)

The Christmas Invasion marked the first proper story for David Tennant. I say proper because there was the Children in Need special which depends on your point of view as to whether you think its cannon or not. This story marked the first time since 1965 that Doctor Who had transmitted on December 25th. It was a tremendous show of support by the BBC that they had faith to put an episode of Doctor Who slap bang in the middle of their Christmas Day schedule. This was a big milestone in Doctor Who, not just because of the faith the BBC had shown but whether a 21st Century audience would accept someone else playing the role that they had got use to being played by someone else.

David Tennant spends a lot of time in bed. It enables for two things to happen. The first being for Billie Piper’s Rose to drive the narrative along and secondly allow Tennant to come in at the closing stages of the story and save the day. A lot has happened on earth since the events of Bad Wolf and Parting of the Ways. First of all Harriet Jones (Aliens of London/World War Three) is now Prime Minister. It’s great how she goes from being on the good side to being the baddie in the space of an hour. You’re meant to disapprove of her destroying the Sycorax but when she makes the argument about aliens attacking and the Doctor not being there you know she’s making a good point and that’s why I found the Doctor’s actions of effectively bringing down her premiership a bit out of character.

The thing that stood out for me was how much of a character piece this was. With the Doctor out of action it means that Rose’s ability to understand alien languages is not working. It’s another sign that the TARDIS is more than a space/time machine. It’s also a sign of when the Doctor is back to his old self. It leads to a great showdown between the Doctor and the Sycorax leader. My opinion of Jackie greatly improved in this story. There was none of the irritation that I felt during the first season and feel that when she’s on screen she actually helps the story instead of hinders it. Likewise to Mickey, I thought that he was a bit of a dope and really couldn’t care about him but with the evolution of the series I think that the character has grown stronger.

For the bits that he was in it, I thought David Tennant was great. He was likeable from throughout this story and quite like Matt Smith’s opening story. By the end of The Christmas Invasion, I thought that David Tennant was the right man to play the Doctor. Penelope Wilton was also very good as Harriet Jones. Whether you support what she did or not, it doesn’t change that Penelope Wilton was charming as the Prime Minister. Even when she was telling some journalist off in her first scene of the story she managed to see funny and warm. Being a big fan of heir’s since I saw playing Shaun’s mom in the Shaun of the Dead film, I think that Wilton has great screen presence whilst giving the most menial role some meat and style.

It was great having Harriet Jones back in this story. The running gag being the “Yes I know who you are thing!” is still funny even after the 10th time of hearing it. It was also a proper return of UNIT. Despite their weak appearance in Aliens of London, I felt that this was the first proper story for them. We also get a first mention of Torchwood, this is setting up the story arc for the following season. There had been some mention that this was going to be the arc for the following season so when the name was mentioned it generated some excitement in my mind. We know that they are mysterious and they are ultimately responsible for the destruction of the Sycorax spaceship.

There were some impressive special effects. The Sycorax ship was very well realised as was the killer Christmas tree. It does feel that in the short time since the series was completed (just before the first episode went out in March) the special effects have improved by miles. Not they were terrible before but there is a noticeable difference. The effect with the Sycorax ship hovering over London as well as the shot of the Sycorax on the floor of the ship with the painted ground of London behind him was very good.

The Sycorax are great monsters. They look nasty and also look very tough. What didn’t quite work were the killer Santa’s. I just didn’t believe them and when you could clearly see their human hands it sort of ruin the mystique. When they return 12 months later I had the same emotion to them.

The closing scene was very Christmassy. With snow that wasn’t actually snow but the debris from the Sycorax spaceship acting as a reminder someone died unnecessarily. This is the moment when the Tenth Doctor is effectively saying ‘I’m back’. The Christmas Invasion is everything I was hoping it would be. Tennant’s Doctor was brilliant when he was in it and Billie Piper, Noel Clarke and Camille Coduri were splendid in stepping up and moving the story along. The story got the Tenth Doctor era off to a flying start and showed that the next five years would be fun.