The Cold Equations (2011)

The Cold Equations is the second story to feature Oliver Harper after The Perpetual Bond. We knew that there was a secret that Harper had but it was going to be interesting to see whether it would be something big or a big disappointment. The story is set on a ship which is a scavenger ship that hovering above the earth. It’s still fun to hear Harper’s reaction to the future. It’s partly down to Tom Allen who has a wonderful way of playing the character. This story was written by Simon Guerrier who’s track record is a strong one, having written the Sara Kingdom trilogy and also writing The Perpetual Bond.

The story doesn’t really get going until Part 2. The first part seems oddly disjointed and it was quite a while before I got into it and found the whole setting to be a bit too dull for my liking. The thing about these sort of releases is that they need to either instantly hit the listener straight away or have something rewarding by the half way point. If you get to the midway point and don’t find it to be engaging then the second half has to work really hard to get my interest. The setting was quite bleak and it could have done with a bit more drama and cranked up the tension a little bit. Also I think that they could have done something with the sound because it was a bit ordinary on this occasion.

The revelation is something that I was slightly disappointed with but on the other hand I’m kind of glad that if this was the revelation that they had from the very beginning then it’s a good thing that they got it out of the way now as opposed to dragging out for a few more stories. Also it was quite interesting how from Harper’s point of view (1960’s) is different from Steven’s (not sure on time). Even by 2011’s standards, being gay isnt the big taboo thing that it was in the 60’s. As I mentioned before, Tom Allen is very good as Oliver Harper and he works well with Peter Purves. Purves himself is quite good and I enjoy his Hartnell impression everytime that I hear it.

The Cold Equations isnt the best story of the series but its an important part of the Harper series. It’s not Simon Guerrier’s finest work but its not the worst that he’s come up with and neither is it the worst companion chronicle of the series. I think that the Harper character is interesting and has potential and I think that as the final story to the fifth series it’s a fine example of just how far this series has developed over the last 44 releases.

Lepidotery for Beginners

Lepidotery for Beginners is a freebie that was given to subscribers but was originally part of a Short Trips Book released in 2008. Written and Read by John Dorney, this story is a Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe and sees the Doctor arrive on a ship where their presence has been predicted. They encounter Iolas Blue who has a computer that can predict every event in the universe with phenomenal accuracy and that includes predicting the actions that will lead up to their deaths. The Doctor and his friends try and escape but they are thwarted as predicted by the computer when the moment arrives the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe haven’t died and it turns out the computer has lied to its creator and it is infact Blue that will die. Quite expectedly the Doctor tries to save Blue’s life but when he realises that he cant stop it he leaves Blue to his fate.

It’s an interesting story that is well read by Dorney. I think that its good having listened to the volumes of the Short Trips releases that it’s a fine line between what is right for a short story and I think that this wobbles on that line. The story has a lot more time to develop the story than it would normally have, a normal release would have about 10 minutes but this release was nearly 45 minutes and the story benefits from this as despite the odd start it did get going quite quickly. The idea that someone can predict the future is quite a nifty thing but of course there is the sci-fi potential that it could be used to alter the future and make one quite wealthy and powerful. It’s a idea that Dorney has done well with and the resolvement of the story is also quite clever and it could so easily have been a cop-out and a disappointment but thankfully it was a good ending.

It’s hard to give a story a kicking when its free but on this occasion I don’t have to worry about that because even if I had to pay for it I wouldn’t be able to critise it because I enjoyed it and thought that Dorney did a good job.

The Switching

The Switching is another freebie given to subscribers and is another story that was previously part of the Short Trips when they were in book form. This time it was from the Zodiac book released in 2002. This was the Libra part of the story written by Simon Guerrier and sees the Master appear in a Short Trip. This is by far shorter than the previous freebie ‘Lepidotery for Beginners’ and the story is a cracker as far as I am concerned because it sees the Master and the Doctor swap bodies. The Doctor finds himself in a prison which can be viewed on by the wardens and the Master finds himself in the Doctor’s lab.

It’s a great little story that doesn’t have a big dramatic build up but is a lot of fun. The idea that the Doctor is trapped inside someone else’s body and there is no way that he can prove who he really is because no one will believe him is something that I find a horrifying thought. On the opposite side of the Doctor’s issues is the Master who finds himself from being pretty much home and dry because he is not in prison and he looks like the Doctor so no questions would be asked. It’s an idea that should really be given more time and could easily have made a full cast audio.

Despite being half the length of Lepidotery for Beginners, I don’t feel short changed by it. Had there been more to it than what there was then I would have felt that it was a bit rushed but on the whole it was just the right amount of story and the duration was just right. Another great freebie that I would quite happily have paid for.

Last of the Timelords

Well it’s the finale and like previous series finale’s it ends with a companions departure, except its less final shall we say. At the end of the previous episode we had the Doctor turned into Gollum’s good looking brother and Martha has legged it. This story takes place a year after Sound of Drums but Martha hasn’t been sitting idly by. She has been busy travelling around the world whilst the Doctor has been treated like a little pet with a little dog bowl. The Master’s grip is unusually tight but yet again instead of killing the Doctor, he just immobilises him. No doubt he will be regretting this later on. The story sees Martha once again leading the narrative as she is hunting parts for a gun that is believed will kill the Master however in quite a clever twist it turns out that the gun is useless and Martha has spent the whole year spreading a single word at a specific time and that word is ‘DOCTOR’. It’s quite a good way to mess up the Masters plans. But what I like is how the Doctor has been trying to get into mainframe and has succeded. What we then get is a almost Christ like moment where the Doctor is hovering in the air. For an atheist for a Executive Producer, there is a lot of religious imagery in the new era.

I have to admit that the whole thing could have been made shorter because the story only really gets going when Martha is caught by the Master. All the stuff with that Doctor who becomes her husband and that woman who use to be in Coronation Street was a bit dull and I could have done without. That aside, the actual story is rather good. Just when the Doctor has yet again foiled the Master’s plan then the Master is shot by wife. I liked the moment when the Master refused to regenerate to try and stick one to the Doctor. The Doctor’s emotion was quite unexpected and I wonder whether Jon Pertwee’s Doctor would have done that. Just when we thought that we were not going to get any more Master then we see someone picking up his ring thus leaving room for a future story.

Yet again there is a bit of emotional junk that we have to put up with at the very end of the story but its no where near as irritating as what we got in Doomsday. Martha deciding to stay on Earth is quite a disappointing idea because I think that she was a match for the Doctor (perhaps the reason she was written out). Freema Agyeman as Martha has proven of several occasions how good an actress she is and how Crossroads was a mere blip in her career. John Barrowman’s appearance was not particularly memorable and the only contribution he served is when he implies that he might be The Face of Boe. Now this doesn’t quite make sense because the Face of Boe died in Gridlock and yet were told that Captain Jack is immortal. So that was a bit odd. The problem with the RTD era is that he seems incapable of deciding where the story should finish. He feels the urge to just add stuff at the end, why he couldn’t get rid of Martha and Captain Jack at the same time escapes me. I thought that John Simm was very good and his Master is everything that I hoped it would be. Ok so its nowhere near as good as Roger Delgado or even Anthony Ainley but I think that for a 21st Century audience its still a good performance.

Like previous series, the final story end with a cliffhanger that will be resolved at Christmas. This time it’s the Titanic crashing into the TARDIS with his trademark WHAT!. Now considering that for but two years in Doctor Who’s history we have been told that the TARDIS is indestructible it seems odd that the TARDIS can be destroyed like this but we would find out at the Children in Need special. Last of the Timelords is a very enjoyable story. Far better than Doomsday and over the course of the three episodes it was a good way to end the story. The story isnt perfect thought because the stuff with Captain Jack was pointless and also the stuff with Martha’s family was just dull and I couldn’t care less about them. The bit where her mother shoots the Master I was really irritated because it spoils the moment when the Master is bought down by the Doctor’s companion’s mother. Apart from that this was a good end to the best series since the show returned. It certainly benefited from a lack of Rose. Good Stuff.

Sound of Drums

After the dramatic cliffhanger in the previous episode, it’s a rather low key return to earth for the Doctor, Captain Jack and Martha. However, Earth isnt the same as when they were last there. It’s the day after the General Election where the Master has been elected Prime Minister. Once the titles finish we have a scene which leaves us under no illusion that this is the Master as he kills everyone in the cabinet. It’s a big thing to do so early on.

The moment when the Doctor and the Master speak on the phone is one of the finest moments of the series. It’s not easy to try and do a dramatic scene with two people on the phone yet credit to Simm and Tennant they manage it. I thought that the explanation as to how the Master is still alive despite being sucked into the Eye of Harmony in the US TV Movie was sublime. Being resurrected by the Timelords to take part in the Time War was a smart move and in a way shows how the Timelords at times at like Gods. John Simm is a brilliant Master, not anywhere near on par with Roger Delgado but still manages to bring a believeable side to the role that has at times bordered on pantomime.There is a nice moment which is a nod to the classic era where the Master is watching the Teletubbies. In the 1972 story ‘The Sea Devils’ the Master is watching The Clangers. It still relatively early in the return of the show and this is perhaps the biggest nod to the long time fans who (like me) would have instantly known what it was referring to. The Toclafane are a curious creation because they have a certain menace but they don’t look like anything more than a ball with some lights on it. They are the Master’s minions and I don’t like them. Ok they are impressive in extremely large numbers (see final scene) but apart from that (like Capt Jack) they offer very little. Speaking of Captain Jack, his only real contribution is getting shot by the Master and revealing to the Doctor he works for Torchwood. I like John Barrowman and think that he’s very good in Torchwood however his return however brief to Doctor Who is a poor idea. David Tennant does well with connecting with John Simm. Freema Agyeman continues to impress as by the end of the story its clear that she will be important in the story.

However the story isnt perfect. I really cant stand Martha’s mother and find her sister to be a bit bland and uninteresting. Only the dad was of any interest and when the family were arrested and dragged in front of the Master and Martha, I really wasn’t fussed. I thought that it’s the least they deserved. Also what the bloody hell was the point in casting Reggie Yates. He appears briefly and then that’s it. Goodbye Mr Yates, it was a utter waste of time you bothering to drag your backside out of the Radio 1 studio to do these brief scenes where you were presumably paid a considerable amount of licence payers money. There that’s my mini rant over with.

The final moments end with the Master taking charge, getting the Toclafane to kill the US President and then opening the tear in space allowing 6 billion of them to swarm the earth were very good. With the Doctor reduced to an old man and Captain Jack still recovering from being shot by the Master – twice – its down to Martha to do a disappearing act before proclaiming that she will be back. The final word goes to the Master who feels good at what is happening and there is an uneasy feeling that the Doctor cant do anything about it.

Its another good episode. The build up from Utopia continues and the thing about this story it that it isn’t a holding pattern for the final story. It ploughs on ahead and never gets dull. Its only now that Captain Jack has some use but its still not enough to justify his involvement in the story.

Animal (2011)

After being disappointed by Crime of the Century I was really hoping that Animal would be a return to form. The lost stories in this portion of the second series are more lost ideas than lost stories that’s splitting hairs. First of all, Animal is a rubbish title. I can’t quite understand why they went for such a bland title. It doesn’t instantly trip off the tongue. This story sees Brigadier Winifred Bambera return to Doctor Who after appearing in Battlefield in 1989. It’s the second story in succession to be written by former Script Editor Andrew Cartmel. I wasn’t aware of this until the interviews section between Episodes 2 and 3 (downside of having the downloads instead of the CD). I was glad that they bought back Bambera because I thought that the character wasn’t given a fair crack in Battlefield as she had to share the title with the late great Nicholas Courtney. This time she gets to shine and also the character has been made more likeable and easier to get on with. Whenever I think of Angela Bruce I instantly think of her role in one of the Only Fools and Horses Christmas Specials. It was odd to hear her laughing and getting on with the Doctor at first but that didn’t last long and I soon accepted this and I have to say that I hope that she returns. With the passing of Nicholas Courtney it would be nice if we had more UNIT stories and Bambera is the next best thing that we will ever get.

Beth Chalmers continues to impress as Raine, she isnt the focus of the story so she falls into the traditional companion role and its business as usual for Ace. Chalmers decides to stay behind at the end of the story after learning her father has died. Bearing in mind that she last saw him in 1989/90 and he would presumably be in his late 60’s/early 70’s it should really be no surprise. However its well handled by Chalmers. Sophie Aldred is on usual fine form and is really seems to be enjoying every scene that she’s in. Especially when she’s pretending to be a Herbivore and getting confused as to who is the Herbivore out of her and Raine and seeing the food she ordered being sent away. Sylvester McCoy is enjoying himself also as he does his usual rolling of his R’s and being generally fab.

Of the supporting cast I found Anthony Lewis to be very interesting as Scobie. He starts off as someone who seems nice but it quickie turns into something not so nice which is kind of obvious but it was done in a good way and played well by Lewis. All the other supporting cast are very strong and the characters have been well written by Cartmel.

There was a link from the previous story but the events of Crime of the Century are never referred to and its basically a standalone story but that’s not a bad thing. The story sees Ace and Raine enrolled into Margrave University in 2001 and they soon they become involved in the events. The alien threat are the Numlocks which I genuinally believe was given that name when Cartmel was looking at his keyboard and saw the world Numlock. I would be amazed if I were wrong. The Numlock start off by appearing to be a liberator but turns out to just want humans that have iron in them to eat. There is a feeling in the latter half of the story that it owes something from Seeds of Death especially with the plant life going pyshoctic.

Animal is a massive improvement on Crime of the Century. The story does have a bit of a weird ending but I think that it’s something that will be resolved in future stories. I think that Animal is a nice little story that manages to have an message about different things without feeling like its forcing them down your throat. Enjoyable.

Utopia (2007)

Utopia is the first part in a three part story which is the first that Doctor Who has done in the new era. This story sees the return of the Master to the show since his wonderful and extremely underated* performance in the TV Movie. It also marks Captain Jack Harkness’ return after he was ‘killed’ by the Daleks in Parting of the Ways in 2005. He’s been busy containing aliens in Cardiff and returns in a understated fashion by clinging onto the TARDIS whilst its in the Vortex.

The story about some humans trying to find Utopia was all a bit of fodder because it didn’t really grip me at all and so I wont be talking about it very much. The thing about this story is the return of the Master. When we meet Professor Yana we see him as an elderly scientist trying to get the ship launched. Derek Jacobi is very good in this role and it would have been forgettable had it been done by someone else. Every one and their dog (if I had one) knew that this is when the Master would be returning. The build up was excrutiating because I just wanted the Master to return. As luck would happen it came towards the end. Professor Yana shows his Fob Watch which is the same that the Doctor used in Human Nature/The Family of Blood and this leads us to the realisation that Yana is a Timelord and then RTD spells it out in almost pre-school fashion when The Face of Boe says “You – Y, Are – A, Not – N, Alone – A” Its at this point that I think Jacobi really shines when he has to be evil and he does it brilliantly. However his time is all too short and before we know whats going on, Jacobi regenerates into the John Simm and his opening moments are very good indeed and lead to another fine cliffhanger. Finally RTD gets the hang of them.

David Tennant is a bit odd in this story and he bounces between the three important characters. With Captain Jack he has issues because of what Jack has become and this rubs off onto Martha who pretty much stands in the background for large chunks of the story and unfortunately Freema just has to do the classic female companion thing which is a shame because she’s been so good throughout this series. Why they had to leave Cardiff without Captain Jack because I’m sad to say that John Barrowman lends nothing to this story and seems to be around just to keep up the numbers of the story.

I will briefly mention the stuff that fills the early part of this episode which is set in a quarry (sorry Malcassairo) in the year 100 trillion. Is this the furthest that the show has been in time terms before? I don’t know but it’s a question that’s going to festure. I thought that the Futurekind were a good idea however there’s nothing really to them and as a result it’s a lost oppertunity.

Utopia is a good start to the Master/Saxon story and third series. True the people going to Utopia was something I could have done without but it did the job in keeping my involved in the storyline until the big stuff started to happen. When I was watching this episode I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t wait until the next episode but was resigned to the fact that unless I find a time machine and go forward in time, I would have to wait.


*= I’m being sarcastic!

Dead Men's Tales (2011)

So Jago and Litefoot are back! Well it’s’ not just them as they are reunited with Leela who they met along with the Doctor in ‘The Talons of Weng-Chiang’. This is quite a big decision that they have made because they are effectively changing the dynamic of the series. Instead of it being Jago and Litefoot, it’s Jago, Litefoot & Leela. The opening to series three was written by Justin Richards whose previous contributions to this series include ‘The Bloodless Soldier’ (2010) and ‘Litefoot and Sanders’ (2011) which are my favourite stories of those series. The first thing that the story has to deal with is given a satisfactory answer as to why Leela has turned up. Thankfully that explanation is quite good. She has been sent by Romana to locate and repair ‘time leakages. The first leakage takes them to the Thames and we are introduced to a curious individual called Mr Paine who stands out purely by having a mobile phone on him which goes off during the story.

This stories’ villain are the ‘Wet Men’ who are ghosts that come up from the Thames. Now whether this becomes the ‘Sanders’ arc for the series remains to be seen but it’s a wonderful creation cause it congers up a wonderful image in my head. The story is split between the regular place where Jago and Litefoot frequent and The Jolly Roger which is considered a not as sophisticated as the Red Tavern.

There’s a nice familiarity about the supporting characters. Ellie is the most obvious one and is played brilliantly by Lisa Bowerman. Her role has been through a lot over the previous eight episodes and it’s nice that she gets something to do in this one. The fact that she knows when a barmaid is working in another pub was quite an important revelation about the character because it shows how much knowledge and wise she is in the area. Then there is Sergeant Quick (Conrad Asquith) who has become a slightly under written character but whenever he is in a scene he is always entertaining.

Bringing Louise Jameson into the fold was a brilliant idea. It’s another bit of Classic Doctor Who creeping back into one of its audio spin-offs. Despite being set during her Gallifrey days she is different compared to when she first appeared in Doctor Who but it doesn’t show here and despite being fiery she is still out of her comfort zone in Victorian England. There is a lot of comedy around Leela and trying to get her into some suitable attire. There is a reference to what she wore in the TTOWC and I did like the interaction between Leela and Ellie. I also liked the lesson that Leela has about Cockney rhyming slang which she tries to get a handle on but doesn’t always sound convincing.

What with the return of Leela and the Wet Men it’s easy to undervalue Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter. With Series 5 scheduled to be released in 2012 it’s quite astonishing that just two years ago we were still waiting for them to come out for a single return in a companion chronicle. The characters are just superb and don’t put a foot wrong. I am sitting here trying to think of a bad thing to say about either actor and just cant so wont.

Yet again, Jago and Litefoot have started in fantastic fashion. I loved everything about this story and think that if the stories in this season are like this then this will be another cracking series. If I did have a complain then it would be that it should have been longer. Admittedly this story was roughly around the same time as Litefoot and Sanders but when you have stories in Gallifrey that are 70 minutes long and this story could have benefitted from it being 5-10 minutes longer. Apart from that, Justin Richards has written a superb story. Splendid.

Vengeance on Varos (1985)

Vengeance on Varos is a curious story because whilst its one of the best Sixth Doctor stories, its also one of the darkest stories and it’s the one that addresses the issue of violence on TV but unfortunately it’s mistaken and the wider public saw it as another example of how violent Doctor Who had become. This story is unusual for this series because it is entirely studio bound and that helps in a massive way to create a claustrophobic feel to the adventure. Vengeance on Varos was written by Philip Martin who credentials at the point of this story airing included the popular show Gangsters (1976-78) and Z-Cars (1962). Martin would go onto writing for Big Finish in 2004 with The Creed of the Kromon.

The story sees the TARDIS land of Varos where they need to get some Zeiton-7 which the TARDIS desperately needs. It’s only when they arrive that they get involved in the events of Varos where Sil is on the planet to negotiate a price for this precious Zeiton-7. But secretly Sil wants to control Varos and its only at the end that Sil’s plans become unstuck and he is ordered to obtain the Zeiton at any price. Meanwhile the Doctor and Peri are just trying to survive but things (as usual) get in the way.

One of the most memorable things from this story is the character of Sil. Played brilliantly by Nabil Shaban. The little laugh that Sil gives when he’s really happy is very creepy and makes the character totally unlikeable. What compliments this very well is the character of The Governor as played by Martin Jarvis making his third Doctor Who appearance. He is a politician who every so often has to sit in a chair and if voted, undergoes a quite painful experience. It’s due to Jarvis’ performance that makes you feel sorry for him and makes him a nice guy in quite not so nice place. Nicola Bryant is memorable for the wrong reasons in this story, here she has to adopt the role of an American companion that is turned into a bird. Yes, a bird. It’s like Martin had written the script and JNT asked him to put in something that made Peri look silly. Apart from the bird thing, Nicola Bryant does a pretty standard job of running down the same looking corridors in tight fitting clothing. Colin Baker does a pretty good job but is let down at the beginning by sulking like a teenager in the TARDIS. Once the story really gets going he shines and he has one of the best cliffhangers of his time as the Doctor when he becomes unconscious as he is crawling on the ground of what he thinks is a desert. Watching on a bank of monitors its only when you see his face that it becomes quite a disturbing ending. Well played by Mr. Baker.

There are some other impressive supporting characters that litter this story. Firstly are Arak (Stephen Yardley) and Etta (Sheila Reid) who are watching the events unfold and quite curiously never venture outside of that small set. They never meet the main characters but yet still feel like important characters despite not having a direct link into the events that go on. Their constant bickering at each other added some humour to the story. I also found Owen Teale (Maldak) to be very good. He starts of as a small character but becomes impressive by the end. The same cant be said for Jason Connery. He is truly awful in this adventure as looks like he was cast simply because he’s someone the ladies could enjoy watching. It’s a dull performance.

When people complain about the violence in Doctor Who, it’s the scene in this story where two people end up in an acid bath after fighting with the Doctor. People wrongly claim that the Doctor pushes them into the bath which is clearly wrong because as you will see one falls in and pulls in the other. The only thing that the Doctor does wrong is say “You’ll mind if I don’t join you!”. I do think that it slightly ruins the moment and does make the Doctor look like he doesn’t fully appreciate the loss of life which even for this eratic Doctor doesn’t seem quite right. I do also question the scene where he makes the two cannibals go through poisonous tendrils.

Vengeance on Varos is a bold story that doesn’t rest on it’s lorals. The people who go on about the violence in Doctor Who are missing the point when they attack this story. In many ways it’s a parody of how violence is used and treated by a society and its just as relevant in todays society than it was back in 1985. It’s the best of the Philip Martin scripts and shows that despite being 22 years old, Doctor Who can still surprise viewers with something completely different.

Human Nature (2007)

This two part story is based on a 1995 New Adventure Novel written by Paul Cornell. In this novel, it’s the Seventh Doctor and Bernice Summerfield who feature in the story. Bernice is grieving over the death of someone and after some drinking , the Doctor is trying to understand her grief and alters his biodata turning him into a human and the Aubertides are hunting him to try and acquire Timelord abilities. That’s the general twist however obvious that’s not going to work and some trimming and tweeking is obviously required. I have to admit that I have never read the original Human Nature nor do I have any intention of doing so but was an interesting prospect of finding out what an adaption of a novel would look like. The story in this version is that the Doctor and Martha are running from an unknown force and try to flee from them with the Doctor removes all of his Timelord knowledge so he is human and trusts Martha with keeping hold of the fob watch. They then arrive on earth in 1913 (just like the novel) and the story is about them holding up in a boarding school for three months whilst the Family die.

Now while the story moves at a different pace from previous adventures. The whole feel is one that is very welcomed by myself. I think that its nice to have a story that is completely different from what has gone before it. The story takes time in setting up the friendship/relationship between John Smith and Joan Redfern. I have to praise Jessica Hynes who is simply superb as Joan. She is understated yet is fantastic in every scene she’s in. The relationship between Tennant and Hynes is a joy to watch. There was a cheer when a certain book appears in the middle of the episode. It has all the Doctors faces along with monsters from the shows past. This is the most blatant nod to the shows past yet. I really liked it because it wasn’t over the top and fitted in with the style of the story. I also liked how there was a lovely nod to the creators of Doctor Who – Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert – who in this story had were the mother and father of John Smith. I also think that Freema Agyeman puts in another superb performance. She is effectively playing a baby sitter to Tennant’s teacher. She has to keep hold of the fob watch and keep an eye on him. However as she tries to remind him of who he really is, Smith refuses to listen. Tennant is also on superb form. He has to play someone that is the Doctor but isnt the Doctor and as a result we get a severely toned down version of what we got the previous week. It was nice and refreshing and shows us how good an actor Tennant is.

The Family themselves are very good. The humans that they take over are relatively plain with the young boy being the most annoying. He has a look on his face with you just want to slap which possibly isn’t a bad thing. I found the scarecrow’s to be very eerie. If you didn’t know the author of this story you would have sworn that they were a Steven Moffat creation. There simple yet effective and that what makes a monster. They obviously don’t have a life outside of these two stories but during these two episodes they work really well.

The cliffhanger in this episode is one of the best that has been done in the new series. The story works on the viewer believing that the Doctor isn’t pretending to be human with Timelord knowledge and knowing he’s a Timelord but he genuinally believes that he is a teacher called John Smith. The Doctor has to make a choice between Martha and Joan, the only way they will be spared is if he reveals himself but Smith doesn’t know he is really a Timelord. This creates a wonderful thought of just how are they going to get out of this situation. Only time will tell.

Kiss of Death (2011)

After a humorous adventure in Heroes of Sontar, its time to have a story that is completely the opposite. Kiss of Death is a Turlough story and we learn a lot more about him. I felt that we learnt more about him in this story than we ever did when he was on TV. We know that he was exiled from his own planet and as this is obviously set before that story, I was intrigued to know exactly how it would slot into the character’s timeline. The story starts off quite low key, with Nyssa and Tegan enjoying themselves apparently on holiday whilst the Doctor is fixing the TARDIS. Turlough leaves the TARDIS and comes across his former girlfriend and before you know what’s what there is an adventure to an icy world where the story focuses on a vault. This is quite similar to Crime of the Century which I have just finished listening to.

Written by Stephen Cole who wrote the previous years adventure ‘The Whispering Forest’. This adventure sees Turlough taken to a vault that he needs to open and the only way that it can be done is by kissing his former girlfriend Deela. It’s quite an interesting way of opening a door but the thing is that the story doesn’t dwell on this but more on the relationship between Turlough and Deela and also whats in the vault. We learn that Turlough’s family is quite wealthy and the contents of the vault are of interest. There was one moment that made me laugh out loud and it was when Tegan and the Doctor were in a dramatic scene and Tegan asks the Doctor if their going to be alright and he replies with “Brave heart Tegan” and Tegan replies with “Oh god”. Very rare that a Doctor Who story makes me laugh. Actually Tegan became a surprise in this story because normally she is known for putting down Turlough and generally not being very nice to him but in this story she is actually quite nice to him and sympathetic to whats happening to him.

All the cast put in solid performances and this combination of characters is easily becoming my favourite. I am surprised at how well they have worked together and the problem of too many companions with the Doctor hasn’t been as big an issue as I feared. I also like how Janet Fielding has got over her hesitation about returning to the Tegan role and embraced it and puts in enthusiastic performances on a regular basis. Mark Strickson gets a story that he can run with, ok there have been jokes especially in this and the previous stories about Turlough’s cowardice but on several occasions its been pulled back to what a misunderstood character he is. Strickson still plays Turlough well despite not being in the acting business any more. Sarah Sutton and Peter Davison put in good performances also but in a way they take a back seat in this story and allow Strickson to lead. The supporting cast are also on fine form with Lucy Adams being the best as Deela. She does a great job in making us believe that someone we have never heard of before actually means something to Turlough. It’s great to have Michael Maloney back as Rennol. In previous adventures he ahs been highly entertaining and continues it in this story.

Kiss of Death is my favourite adventure from the main range this year. After being disappointed with Crime of the Century I am glad to report that this story makes up for that particular story. The Nyssa/Tegan/Turlough stories are proving to be the highlight of the main range. Now lets just hope that Rat Trap is a fitting end to series two.

A Good Man Goes to War (2011)

Well finally we get to the point that we’ve been waiting for since we saw the Doctor killed by the Astronaut. I’ve been good in that I haven’t been looking for spoilers or anything. I’ve avoided Doctor Who Magazine which was released on June 2nd and I’ve avoided going on websites. I wanted this episode to be a surprise. I did know that the Cybermen would be back and so would the Silurians but apart from that I knew very little. This is the mid-season finale which the show has never had before so I didn’t quite know how to feel when watching this episode and despite it only being the 7th episode of the series and also a little more interestingly the 777th Episode of Doctor Who, it did feel more like a finale story as opposed to a mid-season story.

The story is set on Demons’ Run. Nope me neither but were expected to belive this is an important place. But it does come with a good rhyme to explain the place.

“Demons run whena good man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun when a good man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies,
Night will fall and the dark will rise,
When a good man goes to war.

Demon’s Run is an asteroid where Amy has been held captive for goodness knows how long. There is an army that seems there just to fight the Doctor. The Doctor is planning on fighting as well. It seems like a tradition now in modern Doctor Who stories to bring monsters or characters from previous episodes back into a story. The Doctor goes to 1888 to meet Vastra who previously appeared in the previous years story. Now she is some sort of Victorian Madame who when we first see her has just killed Jack the Ripper. We also see Dorium Maldovar who was the big blue guy who River Song was talking to in The Pandorica Opens. In this we learn a bit more about him and he is quite a likeable character. Also we have the return of Commander Strax the Sontaran who appeared in The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky in 2008. The scene where they are all fighting is quite an odd one but it typifies the Doctor’s lack of experience in forming an army. The identity of Melody’s Father is one that I could feel getting me annoyed. I don’t mind that Amy is pregnant and that Rory and Amy are treating the TARDIS like an inter-galatic Travelodge but the idea the idea that the Doctor is the father is one that totally seems wrong to me. Thankfully the father is Rory and all is right with the world.

The thing is that despite how much this story tries to through just about everything at the screen. I found myself wondering at the end of the episode just what the plot was. Ok, the Doctor goes after Amy and Melody and there’s a bit of war of words with the Cyclops lady but apart from that there seemed to be very little in the way of a story. I didn’t notice it whilst watching the episode because to be fair I did get caught up in the action. I also didn’t like that the Sontaran was working with the Doctor. I just think that this weakens the monsters and next time they decide to use the Sontarans they will not have the same effect that they normally have.

The Cyclops lady that we have been seeing in various scenes throughout this series finally gets her day in the spotlight and comes across as an effective villain who seems really nasty and not to be trusted. It would be nice to know a bit more about her when the show returns but on what we saw she was very good and one of the highlights of the episode. I was also impressed with the Headless Monks, another fantastic creation from Steven Moffatt though they could probably have lost the light-sabre inspired swords. That said they were truly creepy and very effective.

I thought all that all the main cast put in superb performances. Karen Gillan did a fantastic job. She does well in playing a character that has to deal with being held captive, being pregnant and being away from Rory and the Doctor. Gillan continues to impress and is possibly the best of the new series companions. Arthur Darvill also puts in a good performance especially at the beginning when he stands up to the Cybermen which is no small feat. Matt Smith puts in a solid outing where he finally learns who River is. The moment when he realises it and darts into the TARDIS his face is priceless and is totally different from what we see earlier when he is talking to Cyclops lady and is very angry. Of course a Series 32 story wouldn’t be complete without Doctor River Song who as we learn in this story is actually Amy and Rory’s daughter. This wasn’t a total surprise but it was one that I liked the most. The bizarre idea did briefly pop into my head that River was the Doctor’s mother but apart from anything else, the flirting (which I forgot about when I came up with the idea) would have just ruined the story.

So the line “The only water in the forest is the River” makes a lot of sense. To me it means that Water must mean Pond and obviously River is a part of the Pond family. But in the story its explained that the people of the Gamma Forest translate Pond to River. My idea sounds more fun.

I tweeted immediately after watching AGMGTW that I didn’t know what to make of it and I still don’t. Like any two parter its difficult to fully appreciate something if you haven’t seen the second half of the story. There is plenty to look forward to especially the title ‘Let’s Kill Hitler’ and for anyone who watched after the BBC Wales Cymru titles disappeared will have seen a Skeleton hand with the Doctor’s sonic screwdriver. There is a lot to look forward to when the show returns in September. I just hope that it complements this episode so that it makes a bit more sense to me.

Crime of the Century (2011)

I have to admit that this stint of the Lost Stories is stretching that term just a little bit. All that seems to have been planned before this story was released was the introduction of the new companion. On the Survival DVD it was mentioned how they invisiged that Raine would be introduced and it was how this story started. Written by former Script Editor Andrew Cartmel, this story directly follows on from Thin Ice with Ricky Groves returning as Markus Creevy. There does seem to be a morale message running through the early part of this story where Markus is talking about the recession of the late 1980’s which mirrors the one that we were in back in 2008. It’s a nice little message about how the rich get richer and don’t lose anything whilst everyone else get poorer and lose everything and how the recession of the late 1980’s in Markus’ mind was ‘The Crime of the Century’. I thought this was a clever was of linking the title to the story.

The story is set some twenty years after Thin Ice. When the story begins we are introduced to Raine who is breaking into a safe which contains the Doctor. We soon learn that the Doctor has hired Raine to steal these things which belong to her dad. Markus Raine has fallen on hard times and the relationship between the two was strained at best. I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed Markus Creevy until he wasn’t in it. Ricky Groves is very good despite not being in it for large portions of the story.

The frosty relationship between Markus and Raine. Raine blames Markus for the affairs that he had and how her mother was treated, what was good was how this didn’t really last for long. I did like the icy relationship between Ace and Raine. The two are similar but different in many ways and their first meeting reminded me of the first meeting between Rose and Sarah Jane in School Reunion. However by the end of the story they seem to be getting on better.

I think the Beth Chalmers is brilliant as Raine. I think that she has got the character spot on and its quite an upper class role but its not too upper class as to be annoying. I also thought that Sophie Aldred does quite well on her own without the Doctor. It’s still quite strange not having Hex around in one of these stories but I think that Aldred is about to be more like she use to be without playing the big sister role in the main range. I thought that this story was the rare example of Sylvester McCoy giving a below par performance. I think however this is more to do with the writing than with McCoy himself.

Years ago I found American accents to be totally unbelievable and I am starting to feel the same for Russian accents. In the 2005 story Singularity, they got proper Russian actors to play the Russian roles. When listening to this story I just found the accents a tad annoying and the more I was listening to this story the more that the accents got to me. According to the director Ken Bentley the actors were chosen to play the Russian soldiers because he knew they could do a Russian accent and granted they can but for reason it still bothers me to an extent that it gets in the way of my enjoyment.

The biggest issue that I have with this release and that is at several points during the story I struggled to understand what exactly was going on. At the end of the second episode I was trying to work out when the story was going to kick in. It is essentially Ace, The Doctor and Raine travel to a country that I have never heard of before to get in a vault to capture this sort of Faberge egg. When they get into this illusive vault they have in the meantime had to deal with some insectoid alien called the Metatraxi who are a nobel if slightly odd creation. When they get into the vault there is a robot guard inside and for some reason the place where it was made seems to be of some interest. Its not normal for the Doctor to be bothered by where a machine was created but on this odd occasion he does.

The Metatraxi might not have been anything special but I did like the comedy that came with their voice box. Initially I found it tiresome but then something changed in my mind and I found it to be thoroughly entertaining. The idea that their voice box switches from serious to some sort of American surfer seems like a totally random idea but it’s a bit of fun and at least it makes sense.

Overall, I have to say that I found this a largely disappointing release. There is something that I do like about this story so its not the worst Lost Story that there has ever been but neither is it the best. I am looking forward to the next story ‘Animal’ which this story did a good job in setting up.