January 10, 2016

2015 Tomstardis Awards - The Winners

Doctor – Paul McGann
Companion – Miranda Raison


MAIN RANGEStory – The Secret History
Writer – Eddie Robson (The Secret History
Director – Barnaby Edwards (The Secret History)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (The Secret History)
Music & Sound Designer – Steve Foxon (You Are The Doctor and Other Stories)
Series – Sixth (Criss-Cross/Planet of the Rani/Shield of the Jotunn)
SHORT TRIPS
Story – Foreshadowing
Writer – Julian Richards (Foreshadowing)
Narrator – Peter Purves (Flywheel Revolution)


AVENGERS
Story – The Yellow Needle


NOVEL ADAPTIONS
Story – Damaged Goods
Writer – Jonathan Morris (Damaged Goods)
Director – Ken Bentley (Damaged Goods)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (Damaged Goods)
Music & Sound Designer – Howard Carter (Damaged Goods)

FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES
Story – Requiem for the Rocket Men
Writer – John Dorney (Requiem for the Rocket Men)
Director – Nicholas Briggs (Requiem for the Rocket Men)
Cover Designer – Anthony Lamb (The Darkness of Glass)
Music & Sound Designer – Jamie Robertson (Requiem for the Rocket Men)
DARK EYES
Story – A Life in the Day
Writer – John Dorney (A Life in the Day)


JAGO AND LITEFOOT
Story – Jago and Litefoot and Strax
Writer – Justin Richards (Jago and Litefoot and Strax)
SURVIVORS
Story – Leaving
Writer – Matt Fitton (Leaving)


NEW ADVENTURES OF BERNICE SUMMERFIELD
Story – The Pyramid of Sutekh
Write – Guy Adams (The Pyramids of Sutekh)
COUNTER MEASURES
Story – Clean Sweep
Writer – Matt Fitton (Clean Sweep)


THIRD DOCTOR ADVENTURES
Story – Prisoners of the Lake
Writer – Justin Richards (Prisoners of the Lake)
TORCHWOOD
Story – Fall to Earth
Writer – James Goss (Fall to Earth)


EARLY ADVENTURES
Story – The Black Hole
Writer – Simon Guerrier (The Black Hole)
Director – Lisa Bowerman (The Black Hole)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (The Forsaken)
Music & Sound Designer – Toby Hrycek-Robinson (The Black Hole)
DOOM COALITION
Story – The Red Lady
Writer – John Dorney (The Red Lady)


UNIT
Story – Vanguard
Writer – Matt Fitton (Vanguard)
COMPANION CHRONICLES
Story – The Locked Room
Writer – Simon Guerrier (The Locked Room)


WAR DOCTOR
Story – The Innocent
DIARY OF RIVER SONG
Story – The Rulers of the Universe
Writer – Matt Fitton (The Rulers of the Universe)


LAST ADVENTURE
Story – The End of the Line
Writer – Matt Fitton (Stage Fright)
Companion – Miranda Raison (Constance Clarke)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Louise Jameson

January 03, 2016

Tomstardis Awards - Final Update

This is the final update before voting closes next Sunday at 6pm GMT. Since the last update there has been a new section added. The Last Adventure featuring Colin Baker has been added with the story, writer and companion up for voting.

Doctor – Paul McGann
Companion – Miranda Raison
MAIN RANGE
Story – The Secret History
Writer – Matt Fitton (Equilibrium)
Director – Barnaby Edwards (The Secret History)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (The Secret History)
Music & Sound Designer – Andy Hardwick (The Secret History)
Series – Sixth (Criss-Cross/Planet of the Rani/Shield of the Jotunn)


SHORT TRIPS
Story – Foreshadowing
Writer – Mark B Oliver (Dark Convoy) & Julian Richards (Foreshadowing)
Performer – Peter Purves (Foreshadowing)
Avengers Story – The Yellow Needle

NOVEL ADAPTIONS
Story – Damaged Goods
Writer – Jonathan Morris (Damaged Goods)
Director – Ken Bentley (Damaged Goods)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (The Romance of Crime)
Music & Sound Designer – Howard Carter (Damaged Goods)
FOURTH DOCTOR ADVENTURES
Story – Requiem for the Rocket Men
Writer – John Dorney – Requiem for the Rocket Men
Director – Nicholas Briggs – Requiem for the Rocket Men
Cover Designer – Anthony Lamb (The Darkness of Glass)
Music & Sound Designer – Jamie Robertson (Requiem for the Rocket Men)


DARK EYES
Story – A Life in the Day
Writer – John Dorney (A Life in the Day)
JAGO AND LITEFOOT
Story – Jago and Litefoot and Strax
Writer – Justin Richards (Jago and Litefoot and Strax)


SURVIVORS
Story - Cabin Fever/Leaving
Writer – Matt Fitton (Leaving)
NEW ADVENTURES OF BERNICE SUMMERFIELD
Story – The Pyramid of Sutekh
Writer – James Goss (The Eye of Horus)


COUNTER MEASURES
Story – Clean Sweep
Writer – Matt Fitton (Clean Sweep)
THIRD DOCTOR ADVENTURES
Story – Prisoners of the Lake
Writer – Justin Richards (Prisoners of the Lake)


TORCHWOOD
Story – Fall to Earth
Writer – James Goss (Fall to Earth)
EARLY ADVENTURES
Story – The Black Hole
Writer – Simon Guerrier (The Black Hole)
Director – Lisa Bowerman (The Black Hole)
Cover Designer – Tom Webster (The Forsaken)
Music & Sound Designer – Toby Hrycek-Robinson (The Black Hole)


DOOM COALITION
Story – The Red Lady
Writer – John Dorney (The Red Lady)
UNIT
Story – Vanguard
Writer – Matt Fitton (Vanguard)


COMPANION CHRONICLES
Story – The Locked Room
Writer – Simon Guerrier (The Locked Room)
War Doctor Story – The Innocent

DIARY OF RIVER SONG
Story – The Rulers of the Universe
Writer – Matt Fitton (The Rulers of the universe)
LAST ADVENTURE
Story – The End of the Line
Writer – Simon Barnard & Paul Morris (The End of the Line)
Companion – Miranda Raison (Constance Clarke)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – Louise Jameson

January 01, 2016

Fall To Earth

The first Torchwood story was a highly enjoyable story and I was slightly worried about the second release because it featured Ianto Jones and he isn’t my favourite member of the Torchwood team. I don’t have anything against him but when he died in Children of Earth, I wasn’t one of those upset that he wasn’t a part of the Welsh Scooby Gang. After listening to this story I have to say that I like Ianto a bit more than I did before. The story sees Ianto on a spaceship that is as the title suggests falling to earth and just when things couldn’t get any worse he gets a phone call from a cold caller. That is pretty much the entire plot yet from start to finish, I found myself totally enthralled with the adventure.

One of the things that I liked about this story was despite being two very different characters, they interacted well together. There is a nice frostiness between them at first because Ianto is panicking and is trying to survive whilst being offered insurance. I think that most people have at one point had a conversation where we would do anything to end a call from one of these people but Ianto tries everything he can think of to keep the woman on the phone. Over the course of the story the relationship between the two becomes quite lovely and I think that Gareth David-Lloyd and Lisa Zahra are very good. I must admit that during the brief moment that we were led to believe that Zeynep had died that I was quite sad about this and then relieved when it turns out she was alive.
James Goss has written a superb script that cranks up the tension perfectly. As time was progressing I found myself getting more and more tense waiting for things to end happily. Goss is one of the strongest writers for Big Finish and he might have pulled off his biggest success because he has made me like a character that I wasn’t totally wild about. He wrote the Tomstardis Award winning story The Last Post and also wrote the entertaining The Scorchies and its sequel for the Jago and Litefoot range in Encore of the Scorchies. Fall to Earth is a very worthwhile release and that isn’t something I thought I would have expected. Two releases in and I think that this version of Torchwood is something wonderful and I am even looking forward to the next release which features Rhys who is something that I liked even less than Ianto but maybe things will change.