Doctor Who - Audio Adventures

[daf]

5 | "Army of Death " by Jason Arnopp



The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Mary Shelley to the continent of Zelonia, on the frontier world Draxine – where, many moons ago, the twin citystates of Garrak and Stronghaven bore testament to mankind's colonial spirit. That was before the bones of Garrak's dead came back to life, and its skeletal citizens began marching, marching, marching on Stronghaven . . .

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Highlights :
• Mary's Speculative Soul Mate Scribble
• Stronghaven Citizen's Garak Grudge
• Skullface Skellington Shootout
• The Moving Bones Stomping Solution
• The Flybot Sketch
• The F.Y.I Expression Exasperation Erasure
• Garrak Ghost Greeting
• Mary's Tangled Unwinding Mind
• Arm-removing Threat-terrogation
• The Frequently Asked Questions Sketch
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Riddle of the Skeletons"
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Lifespan Project Perplexer"
• Radioactive City Catastrophe Charade
• Cliffhanger 1 : Skeleton Army Ambush
• Cliffhanger 2 : Speaking Skull
• Cliffhanger 3 : Fleeing Flybots
• Mary's New Journal Postscript
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Other Bits :

Spoiler alert

• Stardate : 1893
• Stardate : 1983
• Space Place #31 : Draxine (twilight planet)
• Space Place #32 : Zelonia (serene continent)
• Space Place #33 : Stonghaven (rival city)
• Space Place #34 : Garrak (rival city)
• Space Place #35 : Mayhem (no irony)
• Space Place #36 : Tigon III (Tangiers Spiral)
• Space Place #37 : Peking
• Space Splosh #4 : Cup of Tea (Marvelous Oolong!)
• Space Baddie #10 : The Bone Lord
• Space Critter #7 : Quailerbeasts
• Space Tabloid #1 : Daily Bulletin
• Space Shrubbery #1 : Duckwood Weed
• Fanservice Memberberry #2 : Deadly Assassin-ated President
• Fanservice Memberberry #3 : Hovercar (great number-plate!)
• Sonic #5 : Scorched Skull Resonator
• Sonic #6 : Force-field Flipper
• Technobollocks : Psychic Cloud

[close]

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4/10

[purlieu]

The next four stories are on Spotify / Tidal / Apple Music / probably some others, so come one, come all, listen along and give us your thoughts.


Storm Warning by Alan Barnes

One thing I particularly like about the Eighth Doctor Big Finish stuff is that it's mostly in chronological order. Not only does this effectively give McGann's Doctor a 'proper' run to his name, but it also means you don't have the weird awkwardness of slotting stories together that were made years apart. I'm not going to criticise actors for getting older, and there's no suggestion from BF that they should be listened to in any particular order, but hearing a Sixth Doctor story with a 78 year old Colin Baker directly before another with a 55 year old Colin Baker (let alone watching one with a 44 year old Colin Baker) is very jarring, because they sound like different people. This is where having the Mary Shelley era as the Eighth Doctor's earliest audio adventures doesn't quite work, as his voice and performance have changed over the years. The Eighth Doctor of those 2011 stories is older and less energetic than the one of the movie and his early audio adventures, and in some ways it makes it a bit jarring. From the perspective of McGann's performance, it's much better to leap straight from the movie to Storm Warning, as not only are they the two consecutive roles from him as an actor, but because he sounds and acts exactly the same in the two stories.

So yes, this is a Doctor who practically leaps out of the speakers with joy and enthusiasm and energy, one whose romantic side is pushed to the fore. He makes Tennant and Smith seem morose in comparison. I do love this side of his character, it's hard not to get caught up in his effervescence.

The story itself is a decent pseudo-historical, mostly written with the aim of introducing Charley and the anti-time arc. The R-101 aircrash - in this universe, one in which everyone dies - came about partly because of some British soldiers returning a stranded alien to his own people. There's mutiny in the ranks, a hidden plan and various other hi-jinks, but the core of the story is the Doctor and Charley. Ms. Pollard herself is a very popular companion, and a lot of that comes down to India Fisher's energetic performance playing so well with McGann's, and the two have immediate chemistry. On the whole I'm not as big a fan as some - I just can't get too invested in the character of such a fucking posho, sadly - but they make a strong team together and the arc set up here is an excellent one.

I appreciate that they made an effort to make the Eighth Doctor monthly stories stand out from those of the other Doctors, with different cover designs, the very explicit story and character arcs, the use of a pre-credits sequences, and of course David Arnold's theme. I adore this version, it's arguably the most atmospheric arrangement since the 1960s, and I really, really wish the RTD series had gone down this route rather than the Murray Gold atrocities we had to put up with for 11 years.

It's not a perfect story - it shares some of the usual very early BF issues like exposition-heavy dialogue (McGann's opening scenes are kind of painful) and some poor pacing (the last episode goes on at least forever), but it's enjoyable and a decent start to his first proper series.

7/10

Coming soon from Big Finish Productions... Sword of Orion

[daf]

Rather neatly, Big Finish currently have the Eighth Doctor Authors 'Talk Back' conversation (ft. Mark Gatiss, Robert Shearman, Paul Cornell, Caroline Symcox, Nicholas Briggs, Justin Richards and Alan Barnes) available as a free download

The beginning of 2002 saw Big Finish took their biggest gamble with their Doctor Who range to date: six plays, all closely linked, with an arc telling the story of the Eighth Doctor's discovery, and subsequent attempts at concealment, that his travelling companion, Charley Pollard should be dead. And how the fact that she was alive was causing terrible chaos throughout the web of time.
Here, the authors of this arc discuss how it was all planned out and the way that their own contributions to the story came together.

https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/big-finish-talks-back-the-eighth-doctor-authors-448

[mjwilson]

It's not a perfect story - it shares some of the usual very early BF issues like exposition-heavy dialogue (McGann's opening scenes are kind of painful)

The first episode was so bad that I listened to it on the DWM preview CD, have never heard the rest of the story, and don't intend to change that.

[daf]

6 | "Storm Warning" by Alan Barnes



His Majesty's Airship, the R101, sets off on her maiden voyage to the farthest-flung reaches of the British Empire, carrying the brightest lights of the Imperial fleet. There's a storm coming, and something unspeakable is crawling across the stern. When the storm breaks, the future of the galaxy will be hanging by a thread . . .

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Highlights :
• Scratchy Newsreel Natter
• The 'Talking to Yourself' Sketch
• Charlotte's Cockeyed Cockney Accent
• Suspicious Stowaway Simon's Steward Charade
• Murchford's Missy Unmasking 'Mister' Mistake
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Mystery of Mysterious Cabin 43 Mystery"
• The 'British Arse Series' Dirigible Discussion
• "I haven't a clue what I'm doing"
• Choked-up Charley's Dolphin Eyeball Reflection
• "That's nearly an armful!"
• Schmidt the some sort of Spy Surprise
• The 'Pidgeon' of Engineering Spy Shamming Sketch
• Madam Zelda's 48-Hour Stare-off
• The Ridiculous Roaring Rabble Resolution
• Pollard's Preposterous Parachute Plan
• "Have you gone squiffy in the head?"
• Doctor Windbag
• Charley's Crash Cheating Chronological Cosmic Crisis
• I dub thee : "Ramsey the Vortisaur"
• Cliffhanger #1 : Something Outside Sneaky-peak-splosion
• Cliffhanger #2 : Flying Saucer
• Cliffhanger #3 : "Kill them all!"
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Other Bits :

Spoiler alert

• Stardate : 1831 (mint condition)
• Stardate : October 1930
• TARDIS Tome #3 : "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" (last page missing)
• TARDIS Tome #4 : "War and Peace"
• TARDIS Tome #5 : "The I-Spy British Book of Birds"
• TARDIS Tome #6 : "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"
• TARDIS Tome #7 : "Frankenstein" (momentous Mary mention!!)
• Fanservice Memberberry #4 : Hyperion (Terror of the Vervoids)
• Fanservice Memberberry #5 : Storm Miner 4 (Robots of Death)
• Doctor Pockets #1 : Stethoscope (evesdropping)
• Celebrity Namedrop #16 : Conan Doyle
• Celebrity Namedrop #17 : Geronimo ("How!")
• Celebrity Namedrop #18 : Lenin (mauve pyjamas & terrible tiddlywinker)
• Celebrity Namedrop #19 : Empress Alexandra
• Vortex Viewer #1 : Crashing Timeship Timeloop
• Momentous Meeting #1 : Charley Corridor Collision
• Companion #12 : Charlotte Pollard
• Cosmic Currency #5 : Altarian Dollar
• Timelord Transport #1 : Lusitania (boat)
• Timelord Transport #2 : Orient Express (train)
• Timelord Transport #3 : The R-101 (airship)
• Temporary Team-up #2 : Weeks (chief air steward)
• "Doctor Who?" #1 : 'Johann Schmidt' (zeppelin spy)
• Triskele Tribe #1 : Engineer (intellect)
• Triskele Tribe #2 : Uncreator (instinct)
• Triskele Tribe #3 : Lawgiver (free will)
• Space Place #38 : Switzerland
• Space Place #39 : Petrograd
• Space Place #40 : France (misty glass goggle)
• Space Place #41 : Karachi (airship destination)
• Space Place #42 : Stuttgart
• Space Place #43 : Singapore Hilton (terrace)
• Space Place #44 : Bay of Bengal (slow boat)
• Space Place #45 : Nephthys (ice caves)
• Space Place #46 : Isle of Man
• Space Place #47 : Rorke's Drift
• Space Place #48 : Mettula Orionsis (time storm)
• Space Place #49 : Mutter's Spiral
• Space Critter #8 : Vortisaurs (flying vortex dinosaurs)
• Space Baddie #10 : Revolting Rathbone
• Space Baddie #11 : Fu Manchu
• Space Baddie #12 : Uncreator Prime
• Space Drugs #3 : Morphine
• Space Species #6 : The Triskele (telepathic)
• Space Nosh #4 : Ham
• Space Nosh #5 : Chicken (carcass)
• Space Splosh #5 : Gin Sling
• Space Splosh #6 : Milk

[close]

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6/10

[daf]

7 | "Sword of Orion" by Nicholas Briggs



The human race is locked in deadly combat with the 'Android Hordes' in the Orion System. Trapped aboard a mysterious derelict star destroyer, the Doctor and Charley find themselves facing summary execution. But this is only the beginning of their troubles. The real danger has yet to awaken . . .

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Highlights :
• Space-Pet Ramsey's Wretched Reaction
• The Stinking Scrapship Scaredycat Salvage Scavengers
• The Charley Craving Sleazy Sex-pest Slap Sketch
• The Bizarre Bazaar Browsing Bluff Bit
• The Flying Paving Slab
• The Taken TARDIS Traumatic Trackdown
• Charley's Revolting Rusty Door Disgust
• Charley's Huge Chair Squeeee
• The Mundane Accused of Murder Mix-up Muddle
• This is Mutiny Mr Grash!
• Supposedly 'stinct Cyberman Shoot-out
• The Cybermat Blown-Off Nose Sketch
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Wibrating Wall Whizz Worry"
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Slight Small Scratch Suggestion"
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Star-Destroyer Cyberman Surrender Stumper"
• Doctor Whotson Investigates : "The Captain's Cyberman Shooter Suspicions"
• Counterfeit Captain's Cyberman Conspiracy
• Doctor's Deeva Disappointment
• The Double Agent Android Twist
• Drifting Deeva's Life-Support Donation
• Cliffhanger #1 : "Destroooooy!"
• Cliffhanger #2 : "Our leader must be revived!"
• Cliffhanger #3 : "Oh God . . . Noaaaaargh!"
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Other Bits :

Spoiler alert

• Space Place #50 : The Orion System
• Space Place #51 : The Garazone System (spaceship scrapyard)
• Space Place #52 : Garazone Central (space city)
• Space Place #53 : Garazone Bazaar (den of iniquity)
• Space Place #54 : Telos (Teeelos?)
• Space Souvenier #1 : Remedies of the Ancients (book)
• Space Souvenier #2 : Gold-plated Cyber Head
• Space Spod #1 : Welford Jeffery (antigrav technology inventor)
• Space Monster #4 : Cybermat (silver space-worm thing)
• Space Monster #5 : Orion Androids
• Space Splosh #7 : G-Fresh Patches (tea substitute)
• Sonic #7 : Consfiscated
• Sonic #8 : Torch (handle)
• Sonic #9 : Command Computer Module Unlocker ("do your worst")
• Fanservice Memberberry #6 : Tomb of the Cybermen Tuck-up
• Timelord Transport #4 : Grav Pad (flying hire-car)
• Tardis Toolbox #1 : Tracker
• Infodump #9 : Cybermen Civilisation Superiority
• Infodump #10 : Uppity Android Rights Galactic Charter War

[close]

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2/10

[Chairman Yang]

I try to be charitable to Big Finish, I think some of the early monthly stuff is some of the best Doctor Who you can get, but Sword of Orion is dog shit :D

[daf]

Yeah, I found this one a MASSIVE slog - probably as it's adapted, virtually unchanged, from an earlier Audio Visuals (pre Big Finish) story from 1988 :

I suspect they were caught on the hop a bit when McGann suddenly agreed to record for them - as two of McGann's first four were recycled AV scripts, with the third originally a Fourth Doctor story offered to and rejected by Tom Baker. So it's basically only Storm Warning that was specially written with McGann in mind.

[daf]

Tom Baker is 90!

Birthday Sale :
https://www.bigfinish.com/contributors/v/2359?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tom_baker_90_birthday_sale

[purlieu]

Ah yes, I buggered up this Eighth Doctor thing by having one of my 'time away from the internet' spells. Apologies for that. I'm currently midway through Doom Coalition.

[daf]

Christ mate - I thought you'd died!

Good to see you're still around.

[purlieu]

Nah, still trundling along. Just needed a bit of time to just relax and be in the moment rather than having daft arguments online.

Meanwhile, I see the Ninth Doctor and Benny are having a meetup next month, which is the first non-Eighth Doctor immediate pre-order I've had since getting into BF.