Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS (2013)

One of my favourite Doctor Who stories is ‘Inside the Spaceship’ which for those that don’t know is a two part episode set entirely inside the TARDIS. Part of the reason was because the idea of using the TARDIS as part of the story instead of using it merely as a somewhere for the main characters to leave and arrive in. This story was one that intrigued me just because of the name. The story sees the TARDIS picked up by scavengers and whilst the Doctor manages to escape, Clara isn’t so lucky and so the journey to rescue her begins and to add to the drama there are weird zombie monsters chasing them.

We finally got the swimming pool and the library which was mentioned way back in the Big Bang and I must admit I loved the look of the library. In fact I loved all of the TARDIS, this was the most in depth look inside the TARDIS ever. The Eye of Harmony was a particular highlight as it was much improved on the McGann version. Whereas way back in ‘The Invasion of Time’ it was clear that they filmed in an abandoned hospital where the quality of look of it changed from room to room, in this story it all flowed into one and I bought into the idea that this was in one place and was probably done in a studio. The Zombie monsters were well realised as they were creepy and yet the effect done on screen helped to create a mystery about just what they were. I didn’t guess what they were but when it was revealed I thought that it was the sort of bonkers thinking that Steven Moffat would have come up with.

If I had to find a fault with this story then it would the plausibility of a book about the Time War just being left out in the open. Considering it’s a part of his history that he’s not fond about talking of, then it seems quite odd that he wouldn’t just bury it somewhere. However in its defence it does serve a narrative purpose so this point is more nit-picking than anything else. This felt like it was building up to the end of the series as Clara knows what the Doctor’s name is and we will find out at the end of the series.

Mat King did a top job directing this story and must have thought his numbers had come up when he read the script for this episode. I don’t think he’s done one of these before but he managed to make the corridor scenes seem as action packed as the rest of the scenes. This was Stephen Thompson’s second story for Doctor Who after the 2011 story ‘The Curse of the Black Spot’ which I wasn’t wild about and this was so much better and Thompson has to be praised for this episode.

The central performances are always a joy to watch and this week’s episode was no exception. Jenna-Louise Coleman seemed to me like she was going to have a hard job replacing Karen Gillan but to be fair to her she has excelled in the role and is possibly my favourite new series companion. She’s feisty without being irritating and doesn’t have a boyfriend or family to worry about and so she is the ideal companion and thrives in the episodes that she has been in. Matt Smith has been really strong this series and continues that here. I love how Clara is a mystery to the Doctor and despite his hundreds of year of traveling through time, he still can be baffled with someone or something and Smith does a good job in portraying this.

This is another cracking story. It was well written, well acted and well directed. It’s fair to say that Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is a fans episode and in the 50^th Anniversary year that’s always a good thing.

War Against The Laan (2013)

The conclusion to The Sands of Time. I found that it was enjoyable and it was clear that it was going to be in this story that it would be judged. The story sees the Doctor and Romana try to stop ruthless businessman Cuthbert. Cuthbert wants revenge on the Laan and this looks like it’s going to a new space-war. The Romana connection with the Laan was something that I liked about the previous stories and thought that it was used even better in this story. We all know that timelords can communicate using their minds and it means that Romana gets something to do with is a bit different from her normal adventures.

I liked the scene where the Doctor tries to talk convince Moorkurk to stop Cuthbert’s plans when she refuses there is a nice speech where the Doctor thought that she wanted to do good not just protect her image. It’s a lovely moment. Even at the end when in any other story Cuthbert would be thrown in prison, Briggs continues with maintaining that Moorkurk would be finished politically if she were to get rid of him.

Whilst I liked the Laan, I must admit that I cant see there being much push for a return. They seem quite a likeable creature but there’s nothing more to them than their rather destructive way of giving birth. It wasn’t the Laan that made this story what it was, it was the conflict between Cuthbert and Moorburk. It all comes down to the fact that the Laan have got the wrong planet. Whilst at first it might seem like a slightly flimsy cop-out, I actually thought that it worked and was a perfectly fine plot point. I thought that it was a bit silly but I liked the story so much at that point and liked the characters so much that I forgave the story for doing that and liked the reaction of both the Laan and Cuthbert.

Having just seen David Warner in ‘Cold War’ opposite Matt Smith’s Doctor, it was fun to hear Warner who continues to entertain and make a really loathsome character just that little bit likeable in a way that only David Warner could pull off. Hayley Atwell is good as the Earth president. I think of Vera Fusek’s President in ‘Frontier in Space’ and think that female Earth president do tend to get hampered by people around her and Atwell does a good job in being someone who wants to do good but has had to (politically speaking) get into bed with people she would rather not have done so with. As for the central performances, both Tom Baker and Mary Tamm give good performances and it seems like Tom Baker is enjoying himself whilst Mary Tamm thrives with having more to do. Her final series is shaping up to be a fitting tribute to her.

It’s a perfectly fine Nicholas Briggs’ script and whilst it’s not a classic from Briggs, it certainly tells a very good story and whilst it’s not up there with The Nowhere Place but there it was certainly a lot to like in this story and as a two parter it has a lot of good dialogue and great characters and after I had finished I thought it continues the good run of fourth doctor adventures.

Hide (2013)

Lets start with a fact. Hide is the shortest title for a Doctor Who story in its history. Written by Neil Cross, this story that looks for all intents and purposes like a ghost story and I must admit that I did get a sense of terror when Clara did the Ghostbusters gag. I’m waiting to see whether the years that the stories from this part of the series are relevant in any way.  The story sees the Doctor and Clara arrive at Caliburn Mansion where Professor Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling are investigating a ghost that is known as the Witch of the Well (there was a 2011 Big Finish story called Witch from the Well which is what I thought they said). It turns out that the ghost isn’t a ghost but infact someone called Hila Tukurian who has found herself in a pocket dimension and she is being hunted by what is credited as a crooked man.

There are some really good moments as it superbly directed and has a really spooky script. The moment when the Doctor got left behind in the pocket universe was one of the best moments of the episode. It was superbly done and it’s the latest in a long line of good moments and what helps is that both Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman do some light comedy in their performances which I think saves it from being too dark. They both give good performances and this was actually JLC’s first story on the show but it doesn’t show as she is great from start to finish.

Like ‘Cold War’, this story benefits from a nice small cast. Apart from Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman there are just four cast members if you include Aidan Cook who plays the crooked man. Dougray Scott is not an actor that I have thought of as carrying great weight on screen. However he does very well as Professor Alec Palmer who is a man with a past and has feelings for Emma Grayling. Grayling is played by Jessica Raine who is perhaps best known for appearing in the BBC drama ‘Call The Midwife’ and here she plays someone who has psychic powers and can connect with the ghosts. It was a good performance from Raine who manages to do confident one minute and then vulnerable the next with equal conviction. I thought that Kemi-Bo Jacobs was given a bit of a duff role as she doesn’t really get to do very much apart from being rescued by the Doctor and then being introduced to Grayling and Palmer.

The whole reason why the Doctor and Clara have arrived at the Caliburn Mansion is so that the Doctor can hear what Emma Grayling can tell about Clara as the Doctor continues to work out the only mystery worth solving. Not surprisingly we learn nothing really about Clara. This was the better of the two Cross episode. After the Ice Warriors episode I thought that this was going to be a let down however I was really impressed with this story and thought that it was a intelligent and very atmospheric adventure.

The Last Act (2013)

The final story of this series has a lot to live up to. After the fine cliffhanger in the previous release we get to see a return of Magnus Greel which is the most direct link to their TV adventure and so makes this the best finale in ever. The story arcs have been slowly simmering throughout the previous three episodes and this is where ‘theoretically’ the strands are suppose to end. Despite this series being set later than the previous four series, ironically it goes back to the very early days of Jago and Litefoot. It’s quite impressive that they have held out till now to bring Greel and Mr Sin back. I was curious how they were going to make Mr Sin work as all he did was snort a bit and that’s not really enough to sustain through the episode however it somehow works. Those grunts and snorts somehow make the character seem like an effective villain and I was surprised at how much I thought that it added to the tension.

The demise of Sacker was well done and I thought it was a shame as I was starting to get to like him. It was done in a way that was unexpected as you wouldn’t have thought that they would kill off such an important character but I suppose no-one (except for Jago, Litefoot and Ellie) are safe. For Greel to use his body was a good moment and it seemed to make the reunion complete. I’ve been trying to find a fault with this story and the only one that I can come up with is the betrayal to Guinevere Godiva. It was a tiny bit obvious and its been done a million times. There that’s it, that’s the only thing I could think of. The Final Act was a story that had top notch performances. Benjamin, Baxter and Bowerman all stepped up their game in this story and were very impressive. For the supporting performances I particularly liked Duncan Wisby as Sacker and also Raquel Cassidy as Guinevere Godiva.

The final scene sees Jago and Litefoot is something that I had heard various people say that it’s a good ending and I agree with them. It’s a curious one that leads nicely into series six. They have left the 1960’s but a very important person wants to have a word. I wonder what it could be. As I said at the beginning of the review, this is the best finale that there has been in this series. The decision to have a brief excursion into the 1960’s is a wise move by Big Finish as otherwise it would get tiresome quickly so its good that they are moving on. Thankfully I won’t have to wait too long for the next story to feature Jago and Litefoot as they are appearing in. As a standalone story its got everything that fans would/should want but as part of the series it compliments it very well and ends it the best way possible.

Cold War (2013)

After an episode which divided opinion, it was time for the first ‘big’ episode of series 33. The Ice Warriors first appeared in the 1967 story ‘The Ice Warriors’, they returned in 1969 in the story ‘The Seeds of Death’. Their fear factor was slightly ruined in two cameo in 1972 and 1974. So this is their first appearance in nearly 40 years. I was intrigued to see what they would do with the Ice Warriors or should I say Warrior. The story sees the lone Ice Warrior known as Skaldak thawed out on a Soviet submarine in 1983 and after trying to seek rescue decides to go on a revenge trip.

Mark Gatiss doesn’t simply go for the nostalga in his episode. Gatiss revealed in the Radio Times that setting the story in a submarine and a base-under-siege story was a love letter to the Troughton era which had many under-siege stories. He does the introduction that most fans would expect but he manages to create some new stuff that we have never known about them. The first being is that if an Ice Warrior leaves its ‘shell’ it is regarded as a sign of dishonour. When the face of Skaldak is revealed I was absolutely knocked out by it. It was a wonderful sight and I can’t tell you how happy I was that we got more than just the simple classic Ice Warriors. First of all the look of the Ice Warrior was brilliant and they have managed to keep it looking traditional whilst making it not look silly and cheap.

All the performances were really good. Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman have well and truly settled down together and I liked the scene with JLC when she realises that travelling with the Doctor isn’t always a picnic. I thought it was a really good moment. However for me the story was noticeable for the appearance for David Warner (Professor Grisenko) who has appeared regularly in Big Finish plays over the years (just appeared in two Fourth Doctor adventures) and it was a long overdue appearance from Warner and he does the likeable senior member of the submarine crew. He is instantly likeable and whereas the Captain and the rest of the crew are scared, Grisenko is rather a bit more blasé and is rather more willing to take the Doctor and Clara at their word.

I really really enjoyed Cold War. It was in a enclosed setting which I always love and it also managed to restore some pride back into an alien race that outside of Big Finish had really suffered from neglect. It would have been nice to see more than just one Ice Warrior but as was shown in the 2005 story ‘Dalek’, you can still have an effective monster when there is just one. Best story of the series so far and also Gatiss’ best story.

The Rings of Akhaten (2013)

In the introduction we see the Doctor watching over Clara’s mom and dad in 1981 when they meet. There is some drivle about if a leaf hadn’t fallen and gone into his face then they wouldn’t have met and blah blah blah. I would be lying if I said I was getting somewhat bored with it but that was all before the titles so once that was out of the way we get back to the main story and its Clara’s first adventure in the TARDIS. Whereas I felt that the previous story had familiar vibes to it then the same could be said for this story. When I was watching this story I couldn’t help but feel like this was ‘The Beast Below’. The story sees the Doctor take Clara to the Festival of Offerings and they whilst wandering through the market meeting many aliens they soon become involved in events. There was a nice moment when the Doctor confesses to Clara that he has been there before with his grand-daughter which must have made other people squeal with excitement.

This is definelty Clara’s story as it deals with her family and gets a lot to do. Clara encounters a girl (called Merry Gejelh) who has to sing a song to a being known as ‘Grandfather’ which seems to scare her and she’s worried about getting it wrong and the scene of the two of them together was a nice one as Clara encourages Merry to sing the song and convince her that everything will be alright. However the Godfather is actually after a soul and Merry is expected to make a sacrifice. The look of the ‘Godfather’ was rather well done and very effective, as were the Vigil’s that appear towards the end and even though there was a hint of those masks from ‘Underworld’ they too were effective and well realised. I liked the twist where the Grandfather is not the Mummy but it is infact the planet Akhaten.

All the performances are very good with Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman giving top rate deliveries. JLC in particular shows how you follow up someone who is as well liked as Karen Gillan’s Amy. Clara isn’t a character that is stereotypical but manages to hold her own yet manage to come across as caring. Smith’s best scene comes when he is making his sacrifice to the planet and as he is telling his story and telling what he has seen and done you can’t help but wonder whether Hartnell or Tom Baker could have pulled that off. I suspect not and that shows why Smith is such as good Doctor. Emilia Jones is very good as Merry Gejelh who sings. I don’t know how old she is or whether she was actually singing but she did well in that she played a young ‘kid’ but was annoying and you actually connected with.

If there is one thing that I love about the Moffat era is that music has taken a even more significant hold of the stories and this story is one of the best examples of it as there is some beautiful singing. It’s not just a brief moment but a good amount. This story is certainly one that dares to be ambitious and basically my opinion of this story is that it’s perfectly fine but it’s nothing more than that. It’s a unusual story that is directed with a certain amount of gusto. Next week a long overdue return, should be sssssspectacular.

The Bells of Saint John (2013)

The 33^rd series of Doctor Who returns and in its 50^th year it’s perhaps the most important start to a series since it began. Despite it effectively being the middle of the series it does very much have the first episode of the series feel to it. The story odes a bit of a juggling act where it deals with the story of the week yet addressing the Clara story arc. The episode begins with the Doctor dressed as a monk and it made me chuckle because I wondered what the Meddling Monk would have made of seeing him dressed up as a monk again. The story of the week deals with Wi-Fi and how it can be used (along with other social media) to pretty much capture your soul and it’s going to be interesting in 20 years explaining to people what Twitter was/is to a new generation. Using current things and turning them into a threat is something that Doctor Who has for years and it continues to do it effectively here.

Matt Smith is back to his usual best and shows why he is a good Doctor. It’s almost like the departure of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill along with the interesting storyline following Jenna-Louise Coleman’s character seems to have given a new freshness to Smith’s performance and he should have won over any critics by now because this was a good performance. Jenna-Louise Coleman is continuing to be a very good addition to the show. The story of Clara continues to intrigue. Celia Imrie is the big name in this episode and it’s a good piece of casting. Her role did remind me of Ms Foster in the 2008 episode ‘Partners in Crime’. More in terms of style as Imrie plays Miss Kizlet a lot more seriously than Sarah Lancashire did. The character seems like a strong individual until she is returned to normal she shows a vulnerability which shows why Imrie is such a good actress.

There are plenty of things that you chuckle at. The book that Clara looks at in the beginning was written by Amelia Williams (Amy Pond). The Doctor pulls out a fez and opens up a pack of Jammie Dodgers and then there is the phone ringing which it last did in the 2005 episode ‘The Empty Child’. It’s almost like its Steven Moffat’s attempt to calm people down and get them settled into the return of the series after what has been a rather erratic scheduling style over the last two years or so. These little chuckles are always good to put into an episode and they don’t become overbearing.

The return of the Great Intelligence (Richard E Grant) was a fantastic way to end the episode. It was obvious that it would be him but that didn’t make it any less good to see. The way that the Great Intelligence gets Miss Kizlet to hit the factory reset button was quite fun. This was a very good episode and it seems like the rest of the series is going to be as good as it needs to be in the 50^th year.

The Bloodchild Codex (2013)

The penultimate story of the series sees the story arc starting to get real interesting. The story centres around a book which can help people last forever. It’s a plot device that’s been used before but I find it interesting. It’s something that might sound good to begin with but is clearly something that has its disadvantages. The main threat in this story from Guinevere Godiva (played by Raquel Cassidy) and she is a very good villain and is one of the best written that I can remember for sometime. There are other well written characters such as Dreislav (played by Ken Bones) and Summer (played by Anna Tolputt). Both these characters were (especially Dreislav) were characters that I thought worked very well and were made even better thanks to the actors. Going back to the story it starts off with a rather mundane situation of the Professor doing a book inventory and its perhaps a bit obvious that there is going to be something in that collection that’s going to get people into trouble and that is the case.

Raquel Cassidy gives a great performance as Godiva. She has appeared in many Big Finish audios over the years but this has to be her best performance. It’s a very subtle yet creepy performance. For the central performances I think the Benjamin and Baxter give strong performances yet it was Lisa Bowerman that I thought gave the best offering. She’s been a solid and noticeable individual throughout these stories but this was another one where she was integral to the story and pretty soon the series will have to include Ellie in the title. After the previous adventure which seemed to split them up and then reunite them in the final part of the story, its nice that they have gone back to normal with an adventure and the dynamic helps the story. It’s hard to say who had a better time in the story.

The Bloodchild Codex apart from being a great title has a fast story feel to it and it moves along at quite a good rate. I think that Colin Brake is a good writer and has a good track record in the main range and its good that the series is getting new writers to keep it fresh. I thought that the cliffhanger was unexpected as it carried on after I thought the story had finished. It was a really good cliffhanger and sets up the final story brilliantly. I am finding this series to be fantastic as it manages to get back to have the same style as the earlier series have whilst at the same time feel fresh. I think/hope the final story will be as fitting climax to this series.

The Case of the Gluttonous Guru (2013)

The second Jago and Litefoot story take on a noticeably environmental vibe. As the story seems something growing inside Jago. The problem I generally have with stories that have something to with nature and plants is that its usually bores me. It all stems from The Seeds of Doom which is like spending three hours in a garden centre. Anyway there have been stories like Hothouse which have started to change my point of view and Jago and Litefoot continue this. As a plot it’s a good one because it start it with breaking up or straining the friendship of Jago and Litefoot. Jago is letting his career on TV got to his head and is not really speaking to Litefoot. I liked it because it shows what a nice person Litefoot is and the shallowness at times of Jago. Even when Jago is being the way that he is, Litefoot is still willing to help his friend. Jago being used as a host is something that is quite a bold thing to do in what is a release that is listened to by children.

As the story progresses, the humour seems to increase. There is a scene where Jago is on the bus and is chucked off for not having the right fare and quips about being an expecting parent as the conductor jokes about celebrities. I liked the pacing of the story because it was moving along very nicely and then final act seemed to jump out at me. I thought the scene with everyone at the theatre was a really nice and unexpected moment. It seemed to me like it was a moment to nod to the audience as if to say the 1960’s is our home now.

There are two things that I could have done without. The first being the burping that Jago was doing. It’s the only thing that I find vulgar and if it had been done once or twice then I could overlook it but it happened at least a dozen times. The second thing is slightly harsh as it was the dah-dah-dahhhh tune which came on every time something bad happened which slightly ruined it as far as I was concerned. On the performance side of things I must say that Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Baxter gave very good performances. I think that Baxter played Litefoot with even more grace and dignity than he has ever done. Benjamin managed to make Jago seem like a rude person whilst making him likeable. Not sure whether that was his or Marc Platt’s intention but that is what happened and I thought it worked well. Lisa Bowerman continues to be part of the family and does acting/directing duties with equal ease.

I liked this story which I thought was starting to settle down and get down to business. The performances were all very good and despite some reservations I think that on the whole its fair to say that this is Jago and Litefoot getting back to business.

The Age of Revolution (2013)

The fifth series feels like a bit of a reboot. After 16 stories and the two specials last year it seemed like something was needed to keep it fresh and breathe new life into this spin off series. The series has moved to the 1960’s after the Doctor drops them off later than he picked them up. This means that it would be interesting to see two Victorian gentleman in a different time and see what they would do in swinging sixties. It’s a bit line Adam Adamant but times two. First thing that strikes me is the new theme tune. I have always liked the one that was used in the previous four series and would normally be reluctant to want something like this to change but I instantly listened to it again after it had finished cause it was that good.

Whilst listening to this story I was getting the sense that it felt like one of the earlier stories whilst not feeling outdated. The story centres around the Victorian Value Preservation Society who are trying to brainwash society into going back to Victorian Value. It’s a bit like Invasion of the Dinosaurs but that not a bad thing. It done incredibly well and the whole pacing of the story had that first story of the series vibe to it which I very much approve of. The start was a bit odd as we were introduced to Jago and Litefoot in their respective new careers. Litefoot is working in a bookstore and Jago is working on TV now. We are introduce to Timothy Vee who has a show on TV called the T.V Show. He sounds like he has come out of a hip TV 1960’s show and it was played brilliantly by Ben Willibond. He captures the role really well and he does a similar (if exaggerated) voice in a BBC radio series called Double Science. Lisa Bowerman returns as Ellie and I had forgotten that she was a vampire and it meant that they had a clever way of moving her character into this time period and help keep the dynamic that she is part of now. Both Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin are on their usual fine form and its Benjamin who provides the comedy as he gets use to being on TV.

If I had to be picky (and I’m struggling here) it would be that I cant’ understand why Litefoot doesn’t have some involvement in his previous career. I know that medicine would have moved on a lot in 70 or so years but it can’t have been that much of a stretch to find a way to overcome this. Jago’s career seemed like the natural evolution as TV was starting the invade people’s homes and variety shows were on TV so that would have been a perfect choice for him. Ellie running the pub was also a natural thing to do.

The whole point of this story is to ease us as the listener into this new surrounding. That’s why the story isn’t particularly complicated. It’s like slot a goes into tab b and whilst that might not sound like a compliment I thought that the plot was comforting and it effectively and creatively set its stall out for the series and managed to tell a good story in the process. As much as it may feel like a reboot it manages to continue the fine run of stories in this particular range. The new setting is fun to think and about and everyone involved has messed it up. I love the theme tune, I love the central performances and I loved the story. I can tell that I’m going to enjoy this series as I loved this story and that’s been the case for the first three series so this bodes well for this series.