The Seeds of War (2013)

The final story of this Mel trilogy is an unusual one as it features an alien that hasn’t featured yet and when it does it will be in a fourth Doctor adventure. The Doctor and Mel go to Kalsos where they are supposed to be enjoying a meal but things don’t go to plan and soon the Doctor and Mel are in a battle to help humans survive after a war that they have just won. The story grabs you from the very beginning and never gets boring. It’s written by Matt Fitton and Nicholas Briggs and their storytelling styles are running through this story like a stick of Blackpool rock. The story is interesting and have very well written characters. All of the characters are either weary or determined.

The main grab of this story is the Eminence which is mentioned in the early part of the story and the Doctor recognises it but us the listener doesn’t know who or what the Eminence is. I had forgotten what the big deal was and even once I did I still found the creature to be highly enjoyable. The voice was great and well done by David Sibly. Sibley appeared in the Pirate planet and had a voice that was born for radio. The rest of the performances were all subtle but they worked well when they were together. As for the central performances, I thought that Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford were brilliant in this story. Baker always gives a good performance but he is given some good stuff to do and when that happens it means Colin shows us what he could have been like on TV had he been given the chance. Bonnie Langford has also shown what she could have done with Mel had she been allowed to more than scream. She becomes involved in things and also contributes to the story and hopefully causes people (critics) to re-evaluate her and Mel.

I enjoyed this story. It was good for the first three episodes but really comes into its own in the last part and it cemented my opinion that the seeds of war was the best story of the year in the main range. The previous stories were good in their different ways but they didn’t grab me in the way that this story did. It had a great sub story that was supporting the eminence story. I really am looking forward to this second story.

As a series, it’s a fair to say that the first set of stories for Mel in six years has been mixed. If I’m honest they have had their moments as I said before but only one story has really stood out for me and that was this one. One thing I can say for sure is that the stories had the feel and vibe of the era. Bake and Langford worked well together and they should that they have a great working relationship. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for more Bonnie stories cause she is very good and the rebirth of Mel looks good.

Arbitration (2013)

The final part of this fifth series has a lot to live up to and its brave of Gary Russell to give this responsibility of this to someone other than himself but he’s given this job to David Llewellyn who’s previous credits include a Bernice Summerfield and Dark Shadows both in 2012. The story starts off with Romana knowing that there is a possibility that they could get off the current Gallifrey but she wants to work on trying to improve the place but this good intention is ruined somewhat by Leela who is desperate to see justice done. I thought that the plot was quite good and it grabbed me from the beginning and continued to do so until the cliffhanger at the end.

In terms of performances, I must say that whilst they were both good it was Louise Jameson who just edged in my opinion. This story is the most Leela-like that Leela has been this series. She was angry and then it was followed by a rather nice emotional story from her past. Not saying that Jameson has not being good enough but this was the first time that the dialogue matched her performance. Lalla Ward gives another solid performance where she get to see the pressures that Romana has to deal with, she seems to want to leave this version of Gallifrey in a better state that she found it which is what politicians say all the time most notably by Margaret Thatcher when she left office in 1990. The supporting cast were all on fine form and do a great job in supporting both Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson with Barnaby Edwards being a particularly memorable highlight.

One of the things that have been part of the backbone of this spin off is the relationship between Romana and Leela. Having coming from compeletley different lifestyles (and also periods in the Doctor’s history) it’s not a surprise when they butt heads but in this story the relationship between Leela and Romana seems at its most strained. It’s been building up over the three plays and it comes to its climax here. Thankfully its bought back together towards the end but it’s good that their friendship was reformed in 10 seconds but it was done well and worked for me. The final 10 minutes of the story were arguably the best of the story, it was building up to the end and it’s the thing that most people will remember from this release. My despair at thinking the figure at the end was K9 quickly turned to delight when I heard the Dalek blaster followed by the voice of the Dalek. I genuinely didn’t see that coming, it’s very rare that I don’t see something coming but this was one of those moments. I can’t believe that we will have to wait until October for the final series but I think that it’s shaping up to be a fitting end to this spin-off series.

As a story it’s very tense and dramatic. It knows it has to serve a purpose and it does it very well. I cant say that as a series its better than Gallifrey IV but I still enjoyed it and enjoyed it because it reminded me of the earlier series.

The Scorchies (2013)

It’s very rare that I can know what I’m going to think of a story after just 10 seconds but The Scorchies is one of those stories. The story sees the for mentioned Scorchies attempting to take over the world and they also want to kill the Doctor. The story has been written by Toms Tardis Award winner James Goss and if you can’t tell from the cover that this isn’t going to be a typical companion chronicle then you are in for a surprise. First thing that strikes me when I was listening to it is trying to figure out who came up with this idea.  

The idea of a TV programme going to planets and hypnotising the audience is one that is barmy and brilliant in equal measure. The idea itself doesn’t sound like it could be menacing but when you chuck in the mice voices and other child-like voices it becomes a lot more sinister. The Scorchies are given some substance to them when we learn that the Doctor recognises them from other planets. As plots go, it relatively straight forward and I felt at times to be in the background because the wacky voices and songs took centre stage and are the things that I remember best about this release.

The songs that are used in this story are brilliant. I could listen to them again and again, they were fun and entertaining. Some of the lyrics that stood out for me include
‘Jo is making a thing! , It’s got lights that and go bing’ and ‘We killed him dead, oh yes stone dead, yes we killed that pesky Doctor dead’.

In the interview section at the end Richard Fox & Lauren Yason say that the Muppets was mentioned when they were working on this story and that is something which is obvious from the cover. Fox & Yason both deserve high praise for the lyrics that have been written in that Muppets style. They have worked on too many productions to mention but their consistently high quality is something that is credit to Big Finish. On the performance side of things Katy Manning is clearly having fun and gives a superb performance as a result. She is always someone that knows how to use her voice well and doesn’t just provide the voice for Jo and her impression of the Doctor but she also provides some of the other voices and they aren’t obvious at first. Melvyn Hayes is great as well and he seems to having just as much fun as Katy. Hayes is perhaps best known for him career in comedy and so seemed a perfect choice for what must have looked like a bonkers script.

James Goss has turned out to be a really creative writer. I wasn’t so wild about his first Companion Chronicle but found The Last Post (winner of multiple Toms Tardis Awards) to be a cracking story and he manages to continue the trend in the right direction. Ken Bentley has done well managing to make some very wild elements and get it working in the way that the writer must have hoped for. As you might have guessed, I loved ‘The Scorchies’ and think that its possibly going to be one of my favourite companion chronicles of 2013. I know that it won’t be to everyone taste but I think that once you look past the fact you’re not going to get The Time Museum or The Last Post then your free to submerge yourself in a nostalgia themed coated adventure that is great from start to finish.

Evolution (2013)

Evolution is the middle story of this penultimate series. It’s also the shortest in the series at just under an hour.  Written by Una McCormack who like James Peaty is an author I had never heard of before this but after finishing this story I hope to hear more in the future. Story starts off with quite an intriguing pre-title scene. This continues through the story which sees a sort of scientific conference but that sort of gets forgotten as the main story takes centre stage. It’s a good idea because it’s for a good cause.

The supporting artists in this story are very good.  Jonias (David Menkin) is not a very nice character after its revealed that he has been using slaves for testing. Even at the end he doesn’t seem to be very nice and his demise is very nice to witness. Menkin manages to make us contemplate being sympathetic towards him. Maris starts off as a friend of Leela’s but shows her true colours when she betrays her. Maris is played by Anjli Mohindra who played Rani in ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. She is quite good as Maris and having only seen her a little bit in that show (honest), she did sound like Rani. That said the character was well written and served a purpose from start to finish.

There is nice pace to the story before it goes slightly dark with the use of slaves taking centre stage and their treatment is something that helps make it seem darker that a usual Gallifrey story. First half moves at the usual pace for these stories but it’s the last 20 minutes where it really picks up and gets dramatic. Romana seems slightly erratic in this story, can’t quite figure out what sort of mood she’s supposed to be in. One minute she’s bored and then the next she’s annoyed. Lalla Ward normally doesn’t put a foot wrong but this time it seems like she took her foot off the gas just a little bit. Louise Jameson has a better time in this story as Leela forms a friendship with Maris and it’s quite good that Leela doesn’t see the betrayal coming. It’s nice to know that despite how much the character has developed, there is still some of the old naïve Leela left.

There is a lot of mentioning of ‘her’ or ‘she’ and at times quite whiney noises which are a little off putting. It turns out to be Maris which I must admit I saw coming which isn’t normally the case. That said it was a perfectly fine answer to that particular mystery. The worst thing that they could so was say it was K9 which would have ruined it. It was obvious that there would be a cliffhanger for the final story of the series and we got one but it’s wasn’t the one that I was expecting. One word came through in a scrambled message – Axis. Not quite sure whether I missed something and it’s meant to be important but it seemed quite an odd word. Presumably it will be quite important in the final story. I quite liked this story as I found the characters to be very well written and there were a wide range but equally impressive performances. The middle stories of three part series always tend to be the hardest ones to get right because they have to bridge the first and last stories yet Evolution manages to pull this tricky job off really well.

 

Vengeance of the Stones (2013)

The third part of this series moves to the Jon Pertwee era and a story told by Richard Franklin. My interest peaked when I heard Franklin was going to be in this story after enjoying ‘The Rings of Ikiria’ last year. The story starts off with an RAF plane vanishing which causes UNIT to become involved and Mike Yates who at the beginning of the story is a local military officer.  The story sees the revelation that the aliens are actually researchers and have been here for years and have used the stones as a S.O.S which unfortunately for them won’t help them. The idea of using stones in the story might remind you of the Stones of Blood but thankfully they aren’t actually as dangerous as that but they are intriguing. There are moments which comfort you into believing that this is a third Doctor story such as the Doctor willing to take a plane and fly it along the path that the original plane took was a nice touch.

At just under seventy minutes long its 10 minutes longer than Shadow of Death and yet the pacing is steady (and better than Shadow of Death) but it doesn’t feel like it gets rushed. The ending is done well and doesn’t feel like its rushed or convoluted. The story arc briefly rears its head quite late into the story buts it’s a nice reminder and also breather from the main story. It’s not really clear what the overall story arc actually is but it was a nice moment in the story and I thought that Franklin’s impression of Matt Smith was very funny indeed. Richard Franklin gives another wonderful performance and it’s due entirely to his deliverance. He has a smooth way of performing and it’s very similar in style to William Russell. The Mike we get here is an early Mike but still a heroic one and he gets his reward at the end which was very satisfying.

I really enjoyed this adventure as it did three things in one story. It told an entertaining story, continued the story arc and also helped tell a bit more about Mike Yates back story. Not quite sure whether it tops Hunters of Earth but what I am sure about is that it’s a highly enjoyable and manages to envoke the era that it is meant to be from and that’s always a good thing. I am really enjoying these stories as I feel that they manage to celebrate each era in Doctor Who’s 50^th year.

Emancipation (2013)

The penultimate series of Gallifrey has finally arrived. It’s been two years since the last series which I found very enjoyable. I came to the series quite late and found the early releases to be quite tough at times but as the stories have progressed I think that they have become easier to follow. The feeling that this first story brings is one that manages to mix the style of the first three series with the freedom that the last series had. The plot sees Leela to secure rights for the Outsiders but there are forces that are trying to get in the way of that and as the story progresses it feels like the old Gallifrey. It takes a while to get into it as I have to remember how the series ended as I decided not to listen to the previous series beforehand and thankfully the story spends a bit of time setting things up which gave me the opportunity to remember. The whole pace of the story is quite slow but not crushingly so, steady is the word that I would use. The whole thing ran to just under 75 minutes but it didn’t drag and I found the pacing to be just right.

The Romana that we get in this story seems more like the one that we got in the first three series. She is in a position of power and whilst revels in the good aspects of it she unfortunately has to endure the downsides which include the fact that she cant be as close with Leela as she would like. I think that this is a good performance from Lalla Ward who gives a conflicted showing for the character that has always seemed like someone who was in control of things.  Louise Jameson has been in fine form for the last eighteen months as Leela as she has been in the thick of it during the Jago and Litefoot series and the Fourth Doctor adventures. In this story Jameson reverts to the traditional version of Leela and I didn’t realise until now that I actually prefer this version to the Jago and Litefoot version. Another performance worthy of mention is that of Narvin. Sean Carlsen was on fine form and has really become part of the Gallifrey clique. Another plus point, there is no K9. The rest of the supporting performances were all really good and everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves.

This is a good start to the penultimate series and I am looking forward to the rest.  There are things throughout this story that hark back to the early releases of the series including the old theme tune’s appearance in the little news segments. Some people have been rather sniffy about the fourth series but I really liked it and thought that this story continued that trend and not gone down the easy road of hitting reset and going back to the old Gallifrey. Good stuff.

Rating - 7/10

Spaceport Fear (2013)

Last year, William Gallagher gave us the highly gratifying ‘Wirrn Isle’. This year sees him return to contribute to the first set of Mel stories since 2007. The story sees the Doctor and Mel arrive at Tantane Spaceport where a war is raging on between the tribes. Where a creature called the Wailer is feeding on the unwary. This much is made clear via the Big Finish website because the problem is that for a long time I didn’t really know what was going on. It almost felt like there was a lot of nothing going on.

The first episode didn’t grip me in the way that I would have liked. Now I have a three listen rule and it generally works as ‘if it takes me three attempts to listen to the story then it there is a problem with the story’ and I’m afraid to say that this was the case with Spaceport Fear. I honestly can’t say that I understood what was going on. I found this story difficult to follow and thought that it lacked anything that gripped me.  It was way into the third episode before I started to warm to it but that was only when things were explained that I started to appreciate it a bit more but I felt that it came just a bit too late. Something that did work for me were the cliffhangers. I thought the first cliffhanger was the first moment when I thought something important was happening. The next two were also quite good.

The central performances were all good despite the fact I couldn’t follow what was going on. In particular I found Bonnie Langford’s performance to be top notch and it shows what can be done with the character when you take out all the screaming that she had to do on TV. Colin Baker’s performance was also quite good and even when I wasn’t following things I still thought that he was typically good form. Despite the story not necessarily hitting the mark I still thought that there was good chemistry. The supporting performances were all ok but I found myself rolling my eyes whenever Pretty’s name was mentioned. Beth Chalmers was instantly recognisable as both Galpan and Beauty Swanson. Ronald Pickup did have some good scenes but was again given a rather odd name (Elder Bones). I thought that the fact that the supporting characters weren’t particularly strong was an issue.

I must say that Spaceport Fear is a rather disappointing adventure. It’s not the worst release that I have ever heard and I suspect that come awards time this one might do rather well but for me it just didn’t gel very well and after being disappointed with ‘The Wrong Doctors’ I get the feeling that my hopes for this Mel series aren’t going to be realised.

Rating – 6/10