Wednesday 20 July 2011

REVIEW: Doctor Who Lost Stories 2.5: Animal

Seveth Doctor, Ace, & Raine

Cast

Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
Ace - Sophie Aldred
Raine Creevy - Beth Chalmers
Winifred Bambera - Angela Bruce
Scobie - Anthony Lewis
Henrick/Metatraxi - John Banks
Willa - Dannielle Brent
Percy - Alex Mallinson
Juno - Clare Fraenkel







Synopsis

Margrave University in 2001, and Raine Creevy is enjoying her first trip into the future.

For the Doctor, there are mysteries to solve: what are the alien creatures imprisoned in the science labs? And what are the true motives of the student Scobie and his followers?

With enemies on all sides, the Doctor teams up with his old friend Brigadier Bambera and the forces of UNIT in a battle for the future of the whole world.



Review


Here's another story that features lab rats as a basis to its story to accompany the recent Fifth Doctor main range episode 'Rat Trap'. Does someone at Big Finish have an agenda?

The Doctor and his companions turn up somewhere to find out The Doctor already has plans for everyone. Hello again Seventh Doctor. The story starts out pretty quick with plenty happening to keep you entertained throughout the first half. I'm enjoying the slight hint of rivalry in the nicest possible way between Ace and Raine that's developing. Provides a nice, almost comic, relief now and again.

The first part is over before you know it as everyone tries to discover what's going on and there's some good character interractions. As we get into the second half, we start to learn a bit more. Given how it starts I was expecting the pace to slow down a bit but it just keeps getting better. The Doctor knowing more than us as he carefully tries to resolve the situation in typical Seventh Doctor calm and all knowing manner.

Not at one point in the two hours of this story did it feel like it was drawn out. Thrilling from start to finish. There appears to be an arc building in the style of the the new Matt Smith run on TV... and what is Raine's deal? Superb stuff. Everthing I like about Doctor Who.

If the TV series was to be anything like this, it may have been one of the best judging by what I've heard so far.

Score: 6/7

Writer: Andrew Cartmel
Director: Ken Bentley
Publisher: Big Finish
Released: June 2011

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