Barnaby Edwards

Review: Doctor Who – The Stuff Of Legend (Studio Version)

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Review by Jacob Licklider

The Stuff of Legend is an interesting release from Big Finish Productions, at least in terms of what it is.  Big Finish began working on Doctor Who 25 years ago and to celebrate in September they hosted multiple live performances of this audio drama.  As a celebration, it’s a great idea to get people together for an exclusive event.  This review, however, is not of the live show of The Stuff of Legend, I am an American so had no real way of being there.  This is a review of the studio version released the same day as the live show premiered so the rest of the world could hear it.  It’s a great way to keep the story available outside of the few able to get tickets, however Big Finish then made the decision as well to record the live version which is also available to purchase, meaning that several die hard fans will definitely be double dipping (though there are at least some cast differences and the atmosphere between the versions will likely be different).  If you are using this review to determine whether or not you should purchase the studio version of The Stuff of Legend it is imperative that you understand that this is a version professionally recorded in studio and as such will not have the feeling of the live performance.  This is also a review limited in ability to determine which version you should be purchasing as I have not heard the live version.

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Review: The Fourth Doctor Adventures – Angels And Demons

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Review by Jacob Licklider

New Frontiers began the twelfth series of the Fourth Doctor Adventures wonderfully with two four-part adventures that introduced the character of Margaret Hopwood, played by Nerys Hughes, to the Doctor’s world as second companion with Louise Jameson’s Leela.  Angels and Demons is the second half of the series, once again with a fifth bonus story CD, concluding the series and Margaret Hopwood’s travels, making another Big Finish Companion to have a limited run of only six stories.  Angels and Demons is also the return of two-part stories to the Fourth Doctor Adventures in a significant way with three of the four stories in that format, something we hadn’t seen since 2019 with The Syndicate Master Plan, and something Series 13 will be continuing in 2024.  Bringing the travels of Margaret Hopwood to a close so soon is a bit of a double-edged sword, since it’s a shorter run the stories have to be exceptionally good if the character is to be remembered unlike other Big Finish original companions with short runs (Hannah Bartholomew comes to mind as one that has fallen into obscurity while Raine Creevey is quite well remembered among Seventh Doctor fans).  It does give the character the opportunity for a definitive beginning, middle, and an end which means Margaret won’t become a character like Flip or Constance who have had their travels extended indefinitely due to actor availability and illness.

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Review: The Lone Centurion – Volume 2 ‘Camelot’

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Review by Jacob Licklider

Mild spoilers…..

 

The Lone Centurion was kind of a dark horse for Big Finish Productions, coming in under the radar with a premise of being a spin-off set in between The Pandorica Opens and The Big Bang, in Roman times with Rory trying to survive while guarding the Pandorica and Amy inside of it. Because of an already vague premise it meant that the writers could really do anything with the premise, the first volume being a three part miniseries in the Roman empire while The Lone Centurion: Camelot does what it says on the tin, a three part miniseries in Camelot. There is one overall issue with the set, it follows the same formula as the first set to the letter with the first story being mostly set up of the world ending with Rory in a position of power that he doesn’t quite want, the second being an interlude leading to an ending with Rory at a low point, and the third being the finale ending with a large set piece as a conclusion before Rory moves on to pastures new. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, formulas work for a reason and there are plenty of amazing stories that follow established formulas, but for a spin-off it isn’t something that can always be relied upon to the letter. Going forward Big Finish will have to mix things up if the want this spin-off to stay interesting. That isn’t to say the formula can’t be followed, it just needs to be mixed up a bit, especially if there is going to be a third box set. The Lone Centurion: Camelot also has an interesting setting, being mostly fictional and not really based on anything in history while doing three stories in a pure historical mood. There aren’t any science fiction elements outside of the Pandorica being a McGuffin that the villain of the set is after, the fact that Rory is an Auton. Some of the science seems a bit too advanced for the era, but there are no instances of magic or sorcery that you would expect from a King Arthur legend.

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Review: The Ninth Doctor Adventures – Lost Warriors

Posted on by indiemacuser

Review by Jacob Licklider

Ravagers introduced Christopher Eccleston to the world of Big Finish as the Ninth Doctor through a miniseries.  Respond to All Calls switched gears towards three thematically similar stories with the idea being the Doctor, battle scarred and hardened, is always there to help.  The third set follows the format of Respond to All Calls, three stories tied around a theme, but that theme is a little subtler and is perhaps why some people haven’t gelled as much with this set as a whole.  Lost Warriors is a title which sets up the set with a subconscious exploration of the remnants of the Time War, and that’s there, but only in the last story and in the way the Ninth Doctor is characterised.  Each story has a warrior at its centre and each is an exploration of a different reaction to a war, one from a modern human war, one from a human war in the past, and one from an alien war, while the Doctor representing the Time War in all three of the stories.  It’s interesting as the Time War isn’t really directly mentioned in any notable capacity throughout the set, it’s in the background and simmering, but not actually being the driving force of the stories.  It’s a set about other warriors and other people as a reflection of the Doctor and not a direct parallel.  Eccleston’s portrayal of the Doctor is incredibly subtle here with the trauma and in each of the three stories he is absolutely brilliant in the role.  Some have complained he is too close to Tennant, but this is an odd set where the Doctor is actually the connection to the audience which usually is the companion’s job.

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Review: Torchwood One – Machines

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Review by Doctor Squee (Host of Gallifrey Stands Podcast)

*Contains some spoilers

3 new stories from the Torchwood one team bringing together Yvonne Hartman (Tracy-Ann Oberman) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd)? Yes please! And this time we are focusing on some mechanical menaces!

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Review: Doctor Who – Ghost Walk

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Review by Kenton Hall

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Big Finish Review: King Lear

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Review by Doctor Squee (Host of Gallifrey Stands Podcast)

King Lear is one of my favourite Shakespeare stories. It’s deceptive in its relatively simple premise. A King with a huge ego asks his daughters to profess their love for him in increasingly over the top ways. 2 of his daughters are all to happy to go along with this to get their share of his kingdom in exchange. The youngest and most beloved daughter knows better and won’t just say how much she loves him, as this knows the words mean nothing when said just to get his things. She gets pushed aside for this, whilst the 2 daughters who did inherit his kingdom start giving him less and less place within it, to the point where he ends up on the street with his fool and he learns what a fool he has been. Continue reading →

Big Finish Review: Hamlet

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Review by Doctor Squee (Host of Gallifrey Stands Podcast)

When Big Finish do Shakespeare they clearly aren’t shy of the big stuff.

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Review – Doctor Who: Zaltys

Posted on by indiemacuser

Review by Doctor Squee (Host of Gallifrey Stands Podcast)

In the last of this run of 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) adventures with Nyssa (Sarah Sutton), Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) and Tegan (Janet Fielding) the Tardis experiences a psychic attack and Adric and Tegan are taken. The Doctor and Nyssa on the trail find themselves on the planet Zaltys where the inhabitants have disappeared under strange circumstances. Adric and Tegan find themselves separated and facing challenges of their own whilst the Doctor & Nyssa look for their friends whilst trying to deal with treasure seekers who are plundering this ‘planet of the dead’.
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Review: Doctor Who – The Contingency Club

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Review by Doctor Squee (Host of Gallifrey Stands Podcast)

I really have to hand it to the writers of the new Big Finish audio’s for really nailing the motives and ‘USP’ behind each character in the new ‘5th Doctor, Nyssa, Tegen & Adric’ series and Phil Mulryne really raises the bar in this respect.978-1-78178-793-9 Continue reading →