tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196412583601126032024-03-13T10:45:55.780+00:00Wandering In The Fourth DimensionSpoiler free Doctor Who ReviewsSimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-18918853970597150872012-07-04T19:08:00.000+01:002012-07-04T19:08:30.930+01:00Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 6.04: The Many Deaths Of Jo Grant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PyIzft-vqJM/T_SGX95W1KI/AAAAAAAAC-g/Wilit03k6og/s1600/604-themanydeathsofjogrant_cover_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PyIzft-vqJM/T_SGX95W1KI/AAAAAAAAC-g/Wilit03k6og/s320/604-themanydeathsofjogrant_cover_large.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Jo Grant & Third Doctor</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Cast:</b></i><br />
<i>Jo Grant - Katy Manning </i><br />
<i>Rowe - Nicholas Asbury <br /><br /><b>Synopsis:</b><br /><br />""I wasn’t going to let this happen. After all we’d been through, the Doctor wasn’t going to die like this, on his knees, in the mud." </i><br />
<br />
<i>When Jo Grant was very young, her grandmother told her that there was a time for everything. A time to laugh and a time to cry. A time to live and a time to die. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Since meeting the Doctor, Jo has laughed till she thought she might burst. She has also shed a few tears along the way, but has lived more than she ever thought possible. </i><br />
<br />
<i>But now, as a strange spaceship materialises over UNIT HQ and a heavily injured Doctor returns to Earth, it is Jo's time to die. Again, and again, and again… </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
I like how this starts, very quickly gets into the action leading to a great scene where Jo Grant dies, and as the title implies, the first of many deaths. This first death however, the musical arrangement and sound effects added to the emotional impact of it. It was beautifully done. The subsequent deaths, whether it's because the impact of her death has lessened but to her repeadedly dying or just not quite as good stories, I'm not too sure, but they were entertaining enough. The revelations and reasons behind the deaths were also handled well, but to bre honest, I was expecting something more from Cavan Scott and Mark Wright. Sure, I enjoyed it and it was entertaining, but I expected more of an emotional impact from them considering the title. Still, worth a listen.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<div style="color: #999999;">
4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</div>
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Writer: Cavan Scott & Mark Wright<br />
Director: Lisa Bowerman<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: October 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-37664030401586870432012-04-23T20:25:00.002+01:002012-04-23T20:26:47.595+01:00Doctor Who 158: Wirrn Isle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Q-OzNVvJU/T5WoThF3PPI/AAAAAAAACoc/vB4mWgrohvs/s1600/158_Wirrn_Isle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_Q-OzNVvJU/T5WoThF3PPI/AAAAAAAACoc/vB4mWgrohvs/s1600/158_Wirrn_Isle.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sixth Doctor & Flip Jackson</b></span></div>
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<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Colin Baker<br />
Flip Jackson - Lisa Greenwood<br />
Roger Buchman - Tim Bentinck<br />
Veronica Buchman - Jenny Funnell<br />
Toasty Buchman - Tessa Nicholson<br />
Iron - Rikki Lawton<br />
Sheer Jawn - Dan Starkey<br />
Dare - Helen Goldwyn<br />
Paul Dessay - Glynn Sweet <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"The year is 16127. Four decades have passed since the colonists of Nerva Beacon returned to repopulate the once-devastated Earth – and the chosen few are finding the business of survival tough.<br />
<br />
Far beyond the sterile safety of sanitised Nerva City, transmat scientist Roger Buchman has brought his family to an island surrounded by what they once called Loch Lomond, hoping to re-establish the colony he was forced to abandon many years before.<br />
<br />
But something else resides in the Loch. A pestilent alien infestation that the Doctor, beaming in from Nerva City, remembers only too well from his time aboard the Beacon…<br />
<br />
The Wirrn are back. And they’re hungry." <br /><br />
</i><br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
I don't really have much to say about this one, it's pretty much standard fare. The plot isn't especially challenging or thought provoking in any way, just entertaining. Seeing as it's a story about transporters.... sorry, Transmats.... it's only customary to have the transporters malfunction. Sorry, that's Star Trek again. It almost confused me.<br />
<br />
Whilst it progressed quite slowly without much really happening, the supporting characters were interesting enough to you entertained. Whilst I've never been much of a fan of the Wirrn, I would have preferred them to be more involved in this story rather than it being centered around the other cast members and the Transmat technology.<br />
<br />
There were some nicely paced reveals along the way and I think that Flip is proving to be a good companion once again. The closing scene I really enjoyed and I hope we get some more stories with her in the future. There wasn't much here I disliked but it's not going to be a memorable one either.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<div style="color: red;">
4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</div>
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Writer: William Gallagher<br />
Director: Nicholas Briggs<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: March 2012SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-4212408581107834982012-03-22T10:06:00.002+00:002012-03-22T10:11:14.070+00:004th Doctor Adventures 1.02: The Renaissance Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oy1pGmTZaxg/T2r4YDU8zpI/AAAAAAAACZ8/9vrDzSsTUu8/s1600/2_The_Renaissance_Man.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oy1pGmTZaxg/T2r4YDU8zpI/AAAAAAAACZ8/9vrDzSsTUu8/s320/2_The_Renaissance_Man.png" width="317" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Fourth Doctor & Leela</span><br />
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<br />
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<i><b>Cast:</b></i><br />
<br />
* <a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Fourth_Doctor" title="Fourth Doctor"><em>Fourth Doctor</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Tom_Baker" title="Tom Baker"><em>Tom Baker</em></a><em> </em><br />
* <a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Leela" title="Leela"><em>Leela</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Louise_Jameson" title="Louise Jameson"><em>Louise Jameson</em></a><em> </em><br />
* <a class="new" href="http://tardis.wikia.com/index.php?title=Reginald_Harcourt&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Reginald Harcourt (page does not exist)"><em>Reginald Harcourt</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Ian_McNeice" title="Ian McNeice"><em>Ian McNeice</em></a><em> </em><br />
* <a class="new" href="http://tardis.wikia.com/index.php?title=Jephson&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Jephson (page does not exist)"><em>Jephson</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Gareth_Armstrong" title="Gareth Armstrong"><em>Gareth Armstrong</em></a><em> </em><br />
<em>* Christopher Manners - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Anthony_Howell" title="Anthony Howell"><em>Anthony Howell</em></a><em> </em><br />
<em>* Lizzie Harcourt - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Daisy_Ashford" title="Daisy Ashford"><em>Daisy Ashford</em></a><em> </em><br />
<em>* Beryl / </em><a class="new" href="http://tardis.wikia.com/index.php?title=Hilda_Lutterthwaite&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Hilda Lutterthwaite (page does not exist)"><em>Professor Hilda Lutterthwaite</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Laura_Molyneux" title="Laura Molyneux"><em>Laura Molyneux</em></a><em> </em><br />
* <a class="new" href="http://tardis.wikia.com/index.php?title=Henry_Carnforth&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Henry Carnforth (page does not exist)"><em>Dr. Henry Carnforth</em></a><em> - </em><a href="http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/John_Dorney" title="John Dorney"><em>John Dorney</em></a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><em>Synopsis:</em></b><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>"To continue Leela's education, the Doctor promises to take her to the famous Morovanian Museum. But the TARDIS lands instead in a quiet English village, where they meet the enigmatic collector Harcourt and his family. </em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>When people start to die, reality doesn't appear quite what it was. There's something sinister going on within the walls of Harcourt's manor, and the stakes are higher than they can imagine. </em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>The Doctor is about to discover that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."</em> <br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
Leela was always one of my favourite companions and she really excells in this one for me. Tom Baker also does a fantastic job, he seems more settled than he did in the first one - though I've no idea in what order they were recorded. He has plenty of good lines and it's a complete pleasure listening to them both work together throughout this story. The other cast of characters also do good job and it's a shame that Scruffy didn't make it into the credits. The story is also quite interesting even though the ending was telegraphed right at the start and there wasn't much to it. The gradual reveals to The Doctor, and the audience, were told at a good pace that never slowed or got boring. It was just never epically climatic or tense or thought provoking. Really enjoyed this one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Justin Richards<br />
Director: Ken Bentley<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: February 2012<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH4xWssy9YU">YouTube Trailer</a><br />
<a href="http://bigfinish.com/102-Doctor-Who-The-Renaissance-Man">Website Link</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-6685719291470286462012-03-18T16:28:00.001+00:002012-03-18T17:06:54.322+00:00Doctor Who 157: The Fourth Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUtKk6nyVog/T2YWH8PXbLI/AAAAAAAACZM/nIECg345xvs/s1600/61fLyPMVmtL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VUtKk6nyVog/T2YWH8PXbLI/AAAAAAAACZM/nIECg345xvs/s1600/61fLyPMVmtL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SeHMIdpy2ik/T0ZunHzZ8TI/AAAAAAAACUw/AM-0YGow-i0/s1600/Army-of-Death-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><br />
Sixth Doctor & Flip Jackson<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Colin Baker<br />
Flip Jackson - Lisa Greenwood<br />
Augustus Scullop - Julian Wadham<br />
Dr Helen Shepherd - Yasmin Bannerman<br />
Nick Kenton/Jack Laser - Hywel Morgan<br />
Matthew Howland/Lord Krarn - Martin Hutson<br />
Olivia Sayle/Jancey - Tilly Gaunt<br />
Chimbly/Head Warmonger - Kim Wall<br />
Junior/Warmonger - Henry Devas <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"Business is bad for intergalactic media mogul Augustus Scullop, whose Trans-Gal empire is on the rocks. But, having retreated to his own private planet, Transmission, Scullop is about to gamble his fortune on a new show, made with an entirely new technology. And the name of that show… is Laser.<br />
<br />
Back in the real world, far from the realms of small screen sci-fi fantasies about monsters and aliens, the Doctor is interested only in watching Test Match cricket… but finds himself drawn into Scullop’s world when his new travelling companion, Flip, is snatched from inside the TARDIS.<br />
<br />
So, while the Doctor uncovers the terrible secret of Trans-Gal’s new tech, Flip battles to survive in a barren wilderness ruled over by the indestructible Lord Krarn and his pig-like servants, the Warmongers. And the name of that wilderness… is ‘Stevenage’. " <br />
<br />
</i><br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
When this started, I thought it was going to be another one of those stories that I hate where the main characters are put in a fictional world and they don't know who they were. As it progressed I quickly realised this wasn't exactly the case and the heroes find themselves in a fictional world but fully aware. That relief out of the way, I could start to enjoy it. Essentially, The Doctor and Flip are dumped in the middle of an ITV Drama brought to life, except this seems like one that might be worth watching. The story and characters they find themselves interracting with are pretty amusing in an over the top parody kind of way which makes for a very enjoyable listen. <br />
<br />
Unfortuntely, Flip doesn't seem to have much to do in this one but she does seem to have settled down to life with The Doctor. She reminds me a lot of Lucie Miller in this, with a different accent. An accent I don't like mind you, but otherwise, I think she's proving to be a good addition to the series. The cliffhangers in this story are also pretty good. It's not quite good enough to get the magic 6, but a good solid entertaining story.<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: John Dorney<br />
Director: Nicholas Briggs<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: February 2012SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-68167392027205845232012-03-06T18:50:00.000+00:002012-03-06T18:50:21.282+00:00Doctor Who 156: The Curse Of Davros<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjqxvNlBj7w/T1ZZzU_6-6I/AAAAAAAACXk/8cef4UZBU6g/s1600/156_The_Curse_of_Davros.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kjqxvNlBj7w/T1ZZzU_6-6I/AAAAAAAACXk/8cef4UZBU6g/s320/156_The_Curse_of_Davros.png" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sixth Doctor & Flip Jackson</b></span><br />
<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b></i><br />
<i><br />
The Doctor / Davros - Colin Baker<br />
Flip Jackson - Lisa Greenwood<br />
Davros / The Doctor - Terry Molloy<br />
Jared - Ashley Kumar<br />
Napoléon Bonaparte - Jonathan Owen<br />
Captain Pascal - Rhys Jennings<br />
The Duke of Wellington - Granville Saxton<br />
Marshal Ney - Robert Portal<br />
Captain Dickson - Christian Patterson<br />
The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"It's been a year since Philippa 'Flip' Jackson found herself transported by Tube train to battle robot mosquitoes on a bizarre alien planet in the company of a Time Lord known only as 'the Doctor'.<br />
<br />
Lightning never strikes twice, they say. Only now there's a flying saucer whooshing over the top of the night bus taking her home. Inside: the Doctor, with another extraterrestrial menace on his tail – the Daleks, and their twisted creator Davros!<br />
<br />
But while Flip and the fugitive Doctor struggle to beat back the Daleks' incursion into 21st century London, Davros's real plan is taking shape nearly 200 years in the past, on the other side of the English Channel. At the battle of Waterloo..." <br />
<br />
</i><br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
Flip gets a promotion to fully-fledged companion in the first of the Sixth Doctor's latest trilogy. I think she makes a pleasant enough impression here but has a bit too much of being new to the time travel game to settle. There's a couple of moments where I can't make out whether it's the acting or the scripting that's at fault but I can't quite make out what she was actually doing in that scene. The delivery sounded like intentional whining to get her own way but wasn't made clear enough. Story wise though, is where this one shines. Flip and her boyfriend, discover The Doctor in a crashed escape pod fleeing from the Daleks, who under the leadership of Davros are looking to capture him for a re-union. There's plenty of story and action here with The Daleks taking them back to the Battle Of Waterloo. There's some good scenes with Napoleon and The Duke though I'd have liked to have heard more from them. There's also some good scenes with The Doctor and Davros and the cliffhanger to part 2 is fantastic. Overall, not only do we have a good storyline, but it's also a fast paced, exciting one with plenty happening. I want to give this a six but it just didn't quite reach the standard for that magical score.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Johnathan Morris<br />
Director: Nicholas Briggs<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: January 2012SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-65826814122856892322012-02-23T16:57:00.000+00:002012-02-23T16:57:07.837+00:00Doctor Who 155: Army Of Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SeHMIdpy2ik/T0ZunHzZ8TI/AAAAAAAACUw/AM-0YGow-i0/s1600/Army-of-Death-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SeHMIdpy2ik/T0ZunHzZ8TI/AAAAAAAACUw/AM-0YGow-i0/s1600/Army-of-Death-cover.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Eighth Doctor & Mary Shelley<br />
<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Paul McGann <br />
Mary Shelley - Julie Cox <br />
President Vallan - David Harewood <br />
Lady Meera - Carolyn Pickles <br />
Nia Brusk - Eva Pope <br />
Commander Raynar/Karnex - Mitch Benn <br />
Sherla/Baden/Tox - Joanna Christie <br />
Captain Maddox/Stennan/Sentries - Trevor Cooper <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"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. <br />
<br />
That was before the sinister death cult of Garrak’s President Harmon took hold – and Garrak annihilated itself, utterly, in an apocalyptic explosion. Before the bones of Garrak’s dead came back to life, and its skeletal citizens began marching, marching, marching on Stronghaven itself. <br />
<br />
But what do they want, this army of death? And can anything stop them? In search of answers, the Doctor and Mary must journey into the dead heart of a dead city to face a terrifying adversary, whose ambitions transcend the stuff of life itself." <br />
<br />
</i><br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
The last one of the Eighth Doctor's trilogy. Can it improve on the previous two? Well story wise at least, it was enjoyable. But that's about as excited as I can get. It was another one where The Doctor didn't really seem to be a part of the story and was just along for the ride offering the occasional observation. Mary Shelley was useless or absent for most of it. Apart from the last part, where they had a couple of decent scenes together, they didn't seem to offer much to this story. But the story was still enjoyable despite this with a relatively simple plot line to follow and some mildly interesting characters. There's nothing here that I disliked but also nothing I can really rave about either.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Jason Arnopp <br />
Director: Barnaby Edwards<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: December 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-22125584874651258612012-02-09T12:57:00.000+00:002012-02-09T12:57:45.924+00:00Doctor Who 154: The Witch From The Well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vEc89l4p5o/Tylr-lGK5eI/AAAAAAAACGw/GlaTkk-KoaA/s1600/The_Witch_from_the_Well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vEc89l4p5o/Tylr-lGK5eI/AAAAAAAACGw/GlaTkk-KoaA/s320/The_Witch_from_the_Well.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Eighth Doctor & Mary Shelley</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Paul McGann <br />
Mary Shelley - Julie Cox <br />
Master John Kincaid - Simon Rouse <br />
Aleister Portillon/Squire Claude Portillon - Andrew Havill <br />
Agnes Bates - Serena Evans <br />
Beatrix - Lisa Kay <br />
Finicia - Alix Wilton Regan <br />
Lucern/Cornet Swallow - Kevin Trainor <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"A shrieking, killing nightmare erupts from an overgrown well, hidden in the grounds of an old house, Tranchard’s Fell – and Mary Shelley, the Doctor’s latest travelling companion, rescues teenage twins Finicia and Lucern from the clutches of the monster. <br />
<br />
But a TARDIS trip in search of the origin of the horror goes terribly wrong when the Doctor, Mary and their two new friends find themselves stuck in the middle of a seventeenth century witch scare. <br />
<br />
While the Doctor investigates the strange lights at Vetter’s Tor, and the twins go in search of an artefact from the Hecatrix Dimension, Mary confronts the secrets of her past…and her future. The truth will out: Master Kincaid, the terrible Witch-Pricker himself, commands it!"<br />
<br />
</i><b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
This story started out very average, an Alien lives in a well and the locals think it's a Witch, and I fully expected the rest of the story to play out this simply with the only hope of enjoyment coming from Paul McGann's and Julie Cox's characters and performances. Towards the end of the first episode though, it takes a slight interesting turn and makes it a pretty entertaining story. (Note: I didn't read any synopsis or blurb before listening to this so I didn't know what to expect from the story other than how it was presented as it happened).<br />
<br />
Paul McGann as the Doctor is once again great and has some good moments and the growing relationship he has with Mary Shelley is also a great listen. They work well together. There's also a good cast of interesting support characters here.<br />
<br />
I think I'll give this one a 4 but it could have been pushing for a 5 with a bit more work.<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Rick Briggs<br />
Director: Barnaby Edwards<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: November 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-44206249124666105542012-01-24T18:47:00.001+00:002012-01-24T18:56:23.920+00:004th Doctor 1.01 - Destination Nerva<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kazBtmgX6cQ/Tx776n9wTSI/AAAAAAAACEo/0JyV192-RjU/s1600/446px-Destination_Nerva.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kazBtmgX6cQ/Tx776n9wTSI/AAAAAAAACEo/0JyV192-RjU/s320/446px-Destination_Nerva.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXd8KNZEsg8/TxB43c_7GUI/AAAAAAAACAg/oPBExOIJehI/s1600/The_Five_Companions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Why Briggs? Why?</span></b></div><div></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fourth Doctor and Leela</b></span></div><i><br />
<b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker<br />
Leela - Louise Jameson<br />
Dr. Alison Foster - Raquel Cassidy<br />
McMullan/Pilot - Sam Graham<br />
Laura Craske - Tilly Gaunt<br />
Giles Moreau/Jenkins - Tim Bentinck<br />
Jim Hooley/Drelleran 1/Security Guard - Kim Wall<br />
Lord Jack/Drudgers/Drelleran 2 - Tim Treloar <br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"After saying their goodbyes to Professor Litefoot and Henry Gordon Jago, the Doctor and Leela respond to an alien distress call beamed direct from Victorian England. It is the beginning of a journey that will take them to the newly built Space Dock Nerva… where a long overdue homecoming is expected.<br />
<br />
A homecoming that could bring about the end of the human race."</i><br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Ah, Tom Baker has arrived at Big Finish. Shame that his first story was a bit of a let down. It was a very slow start with not much happening for a while, and when the pace did pick up, everyone was running about not knowing what was happening. Which is a sentiment i shared with the characters. People were doing stuff, there was plenty of action, but there was no story progression of any sort till very near the end then everything got wrapped up in the blink of an eye just as it started getting interesting. By the end of part two I was looking forward to another two parts but obviously, two parts is all we get.<br />
<br />
There were parts of the story that i really liked and had that touch of Briggs, especially towards the end, but for the most part was too dragged out and slow. Nicholas Briggs has wrote his first story that I didn't really care for. I don't know what to believe anymore. <br />
<br />
Other than my gripes about the storyline, Tom Baker was okay and Louise Jameson was great as usual. Overall it was enjoyable but I expected much more.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Written by: Nicholas Briggs<br />
Directed by: Nicholas Briggs<br />
Produced by: Big Finish<br />
Released: 31 January 2012</div>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-38526873911093683142012-01-13T18:42:00.000+00:002012-01-13T18:42:05.276+00:00Doctor Who Special: The Five Companions<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXd8KNZEsg8/TxB43c_7GUI/AAAAAAAACAg/oPBExOIJehI/s1600/The_Five_Companions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rXd8KNZEsg8/TxB43c_7GUI/AAAAAAAACAg/oPBExOIJehI/s320/The_Five_Companions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ian Chesterton meets The Doctor and Other Companions</span></b></div><div></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Fifth Doctor, Ian, Steven, Polly, Nyssa, & Sara Kingdom</b></span></div><i><br />
<b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison <br />
Ian Chesterton - William Russell <br />
Steven Taylor - Peter Purves <br />
Sara Kingdom - Jean Marsh <br />
Polly Wright - Anneke Wills <br />
Nyssa - Sarah Sutton <br />
The Daleks - Nicholas Briggs <br />
Sontarans - Dan Starkey <br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"Inside a cluster of fused-together derelict spaceships, four of the Doctor's oldest friends - and one of his newest ones - are lost and confused. They don't know how they got there or what they're meant to be doing - but as the place is infested with Daleks, Sontarans and dinosaurs, their first priority is staying alive. <br />
To their collective relief, the Doctor turns up and has a reasonable idea of what's going on. If the six of them work together, they can escape this place and get home. But, unexpectedly, others may be working together to ensure they all die here..."</i><br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<b></b><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I enjoyed this, but not so much because of the story. The story had plenty of action with The Daleks facing off against the Sontarans, a few dinosaurs thrown in too, and The Doctor and his companions trying to escape the situation. It was a good fun story I guess but not exactly going to win awards or make you think or anything. The best part about this audio was having the five companions and The Doctor meet and interact with each other throughout the story. I did like the return of Dwarf Star Alloy and the performances from Nicholas Briggs and Dan Starkey were good as the Daleks and Sontarans respectively. There's a nice moment where The Doctor's talking to Polly about the times they travelled together<br />
<br />
So, the story is fun, but the real treat here is The Doctor catching up with the companions and the companions w--king together. The storyline itself wraps up rather poorly but that can forgiven.<br />
<br />
And of course, Ian was the star of the show here, and The Doctor practically said it himself. Four regenerations on and he still recogninses Ian as the awesomeness that he is.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Written by: Eddie Robson<br />
Produced by: Big Finish<br />
Directed by: Ken Bentley<br />
Released: December 2011</div>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-71206007441557354622011-12-17T15:21:00.001+00:002011-12-17T15:26:36.044+00:00Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles 6.05 - The First Wave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HqvnaSMFyM/Tuy0pMeMJxI/AAAAAAAAB84/HpgH3bem8mw/s1600/The_First_Wave.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4HqvnaSMFyM/Tuy0pMeMJxI/AAAAAAAAB84/HpgH3bem8mw/s1600/The_First_Wave.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://whatculture.com/music/doctor-who-audio-review-the-companion-chronicles-the-first-wave.php/attachment/first-wave-the-cover" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What does a Vardan need with a spaceship?</span></b></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Steven and Oliver</b></span></div><i><br />
<b> </b></i><br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
Steven Taylor - Peter Purves<br />
Oliver Harper - Tom Allen<br />
The Vardans - Lisa Bowerman <br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"Caught in the inevitable path of its own history, the TARDIS arrives on the planetoid Grace Alone, where the Doctor, Steven and Oliver expect to face their fate. What they don’t expect to find is a massacred crew – and a race of alien invaders known as the Vardans."</i><br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This episode plays off the fact that the radio signals we've been creating for years are getting sent out into space and still travelling. An alien species picks up the signals and comes to our solar system. We pick up the story with Steven and (new companion created for the audio series) Oliver trying to survive this alien attack, stranded on an mining colony, and with The Doctor dead.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The first part is good and concentrates most on Steven reflecting on the past whilst trying to survive the alien attack with Oliver with occsional flashbacks that set up the story to the point we're at now. The story itself is pretty simple, but also an interesting one and slightly unexpected in places, and leaves enough of the plot to focus on Steven's reflections which is really well done.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A bit more happens in the second part with some nice twists and a good conclusion to the story and triology. In all, it's a really good sentimental story with a great musical arrangement to compliment it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Written by: Simon Guerrier<br />
Directed by: Lisa Bowerman<br />
Produced by: Big Finish<br />
Released: 8th November 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-7327908650811044322011-11-24T20:08:00.001+00:002011-11-24T20:09:30.630+00:00Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 6.03 - The Memory Cheats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110408123212/tardis/images/5/5c/Memory-Cheats-The-cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110408123212/tardis/images/5/5c/Memory-Cheats-The-cover.png" /></a></div><b>Zoe Herriot</b><br />
<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b></i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury</i><br />
<i>Jen - Charlie Hayes </i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i><b>Synopsis:</b></i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"Zoe Heriot remembers everything. But she remembers nothing. </i><br />
<br />
<i>A genius with instant recall, Zoe’s mind has been purged of her memories of travelling with the Doctor and Jamie in the TARDIS. And years later she is in deep trouble – prosecuted by the mysterious company that has evidence that she has travelled in Space and Time. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Except Zoe knows they’re wrong. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Aren’t they? </i><br />
<br />
<i>But if that’s the case, why is there proof that Zoe was in Uzbekistan in 1919. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Can the memory cheat?"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<b>Review</b><br />
<br />
It's a tricky one this. I really wanted to like it because Zoe is a great character with a lot of clever storytelling potential, and the set up of it with Zoe being questioned about her time with The Doctor is good. She can't remember this herself due to memory blocks placed by the Timelords but with the help of documents and things, her interrogator works with Zoe to regain her memories. This part of the story is great and has a fantastic conclusion, and it's generally these vehicles in which the companion stories are told which are the most interesting parts. Unfortunately in this case, the story told by Zoe and her interrogator isn't all that interesting and really drags at times. This would have worked much better as a shorter story focusing more on the interactions between the two characters rather than the story they're telling.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Written by: Simon Guerrier<br />
Directed by: Lisa Bowerman<br />
Produced by: Big Finish<br />
Released: September 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-21561805700617056352011-10-28T17:56:00.006+01:002011-10-28T18:01:53.812+01:00REVIEW: Doctor Who 153 - The Silver Turk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110715132712/tardis/images/7/76/Silver-Turk-The-cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110715132712/tardis/images/7/76/Silver-Turk-The-cover.png" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Eighth Doctor & Mary Shelley</b></span><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i></i><br />
<i><br />
<b>SYNOPSIS:</b><br />
<br />
"Roll up! Roll up! To the great Viennese Exposition, where showman Stahlbaum will show you his most wonderful creation, the Silver Turk – a mechanical marvel that will not only play for you the fortepiano, the spinet and the flute, it will play you at the gaming table too!<br />
<br />
But when the Doctor brings his new travelling companion Mary Shelley to nineteenth-century Vienna, he soon identifies the incredible Turk as one of his deadliest enemies – a part-machine Cyberman.<br />
<br />
And that’s not even the worst of the horrors at large in the city… "</i><br />
<br />
<i> <b>CAST:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Paul McGann<br />
Mary Shelley - Julie Cox<br />
Dr Johan Drossel - Gareth Armstrong<br />
Alfred Stahlbaum - Christian Brassington<br />
Ernst Bratfisch - David Schneider<br />
Count Rolf Wittenmeier - Gwilym Lee<br />
Countess Mitzi Wittenmeier - Claire Wyatt<br />
The Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs <br />
</i><br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
<br />
Here we are, the welcome return of the Eighth Doctor to the monthly range. Now we get full four part stories rather than just the two of the Eighth Doctor Adventues. What we don't have though is either Lucie Miller or Charlie Pollard. Instead, The Doctor has a brand new toy to play with, this new toy coming in the form of new regular companion Mary Shelly.<br />
<br />
I love the first part of this with The Doctor excited to show his new companion the delights of travel through space and time and Mary Shelly not being quite as impressed as others would be. The first half of this story not only has the joy of getting to know a new companion relationship, but there's also a Cyberman who is performing for its human master - playing piano, challenging people to games - as he takes it on tour. Nothing much really happens in the first half but it all gels together into an interesting narrative.<br />
<br />
Eventually The Doctor and his companion split up so we lose their chemistry from the story, but we do gain an interesting twist to the Cyberman's story. The writer, Marc Platt, does a great job of making you care for Cyberman. If you're looking for action, there's very little of it here but there are plently of great character pieces in this story.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Marc Platt<br />
Director: Barnaby Edwards<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: October 2011</i><br />
<br />
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<i><br />
<b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
Ian Chesterton - William Russell<br />
Joseph Banks - Ian Hallard <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"The year is 1770, and daring explorer Captain James Cook and his crew on the Endeavour are navigating the Pacific Ocean.<br />
<br />
Into their midst come strangers: the Doctor and Ian Chesterton, who are believed to have come from Venus. But the TARDIS is lost to them - along with both Susan and Barbara - and Ian makes an enemy of the ship's chief scientist, Joseph Banks.<br />
<br />
Why is Banks acting strangely? Could it be that the travellers are not the only visitors from the stars?" </i><br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b><br />
<br />
The first time I listened to this was before I'd even watched any Classic Doctor Who and this is the very tiny review I gave it at the time :- <br />
<br />
<div style="color: #660000;"><i>"The Transit Of Venus (Ian) - 4/7 - Reasonably entertaining but lacked any action or tension and had a rather poor conclusion."</i></div><br />
Lets see how it holds up now I know the characters involved and the storylines referenced.<br />
<br />
I think I can say that my previous review pretty much sums it up. Ian and The Doctor are stranded on Captain Cook's ship Endeavour while Susan and Barbara are lost with the TARDIS. The scientist Joseph Banks has an apparant evil side to him and only Ian can see it but nobody believes him.<br />
<br />
The story itself was quite entertaining despite the lack of action or any real tension. It was like a battle of witts almost between Ian and the Evil Banks, with a build up of suspense trying to find out exactly what Banks is up to and what his plan is. He was positively menacing towards Ian at points and that nobody would believe Ian due to being delirious made it all the more interesting till the "Oh, it was all a joke?" conclusion. That's not how it ended by the way, but suffice it to sy, I found it highly disappointing and didn't entirely make sense. It also negates and makes pointless the whole build up to it, it's like an equivalent of "and then he woke up" in the satisfaction stakes, and then they all laugh it off. It's like they had an interesting idea for a story, wrote it, and then just threw together a conclusion without caring.<br />
<br />
It seemed rushed, brushed over quickly, and I feel cheated.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Jaqueline Rayner<br />
Director: Nigel Fairs<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: 31st Jan 2009</i><br />
<br />
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<i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy <br />
Dr Magnus Soames - Timothy West <br />
No 18 - Amy Pemberton <br />
No 5 - Miranda Keeling <br />
No 16 - Ray Emmet Brown <br />
No 12 - Howard Gossington <br />
Eve Pritchard/Mi'en Kalarash - Lizzy Watts <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
"aquaphobia n. An abnormal fear of water, or drowning. <br />
<br />
blattodephobia n. The morbid fear of cockroaches. <br />
<br />
catoptrophobia n. Fear of mirrors, or seeing one’s own reflection. <br />
<br />
There’s a whole ABC of horrors at Bluefire House – as four young people, drawn together to this tumbledown hotel at the edge of nowhere, are about to discover. But whatever the ancient and foul thing that has emerged from the wilderness to drag them here, speaking of it will only strengthen it. <br />
<br />
The Doctor alone knows what lurks at the heart of Bluefire House. But the monster of his childhood dreams is coming. The Mi’en Kalarash is coming… <br />
<br />
Just this once, the Doctor’s afraid." <br />
<br />
<b>Review:</b></i><br />
<br />
<i><br />
</i> I don't know if it's the character I don't like, the over-acting I don't like, or the Cockney accent that makes it sound like over-acting that I don't like, but from the start, I didn't like (bet you didn't see that coming did you?) Number 18 so thankfully we weren't called upon to sit through an entire first episode of just her and another character... oh, wait. Her companion for the first part, Number 5, was pleasant though and just about held up a pretty non-eventful exploration of an almost abandoned hotel before finally bumping into the rest of the cast, including The Doctor.<br />
<br />
The second part continues with the same pace set by the first. As everyone are becoming haunted by their own fears and people die, it still feels like nothing is happening story wise. Which would be okay if it was more of a character study or an analysis into the nature of fear, but it's not that either. It's still proving to be entertaining though but with a nagging sense in the background of waiting for something to happen.<br />
<br />
Things are then spun on its head for the second half with a good cliffhanger and plenty happening as The Doctor tries to save the day. A good resolution to the threat and the two halves do compliment each other. Also, I'm really pleased with how the story ended and look forward to the next one.<br />
<br />
I was going to be harsh but I think it deserves the following score.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Score:</b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Mark Morris<br />
Director: Ken Bentley<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: September 2011</i><br />
<br />
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<br />
<i><b>CAST:</b><br />
<br />
Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy <br />
Nostradamus/Conclave Leader - David Schofield <br />
Brors/Captain of the Guard/Bernardo - John Banks <br />
Garilund/Computer Voice - Caroline Keiff <br />
Kren/Second Nuncio - Derek Carlyle <br />
Larrett/Milo/First Nuncio - Nicholas Chambers <br />
<br />
<b>SYNOPSIS:</b><br />
<br />
"When the river is gone, ships shall sail in the sky, monsters bring fire from the heavens. All will fall into a grey and endless sea, and Doomsday has come.<br />
Florence, the sixteenth century. No one thought to pay much attention to the prophecies of the so-called seer Michel de Nostradame, otherwise known as Nostradamus. Until the canals of Venice dried. Until the soothsayer's sayings started coming true… <br />
Because Master Nostradamus is right, in all respects. The end of the world is nigh. The ships are coming. The monsters are coming. The fire is coming. There's only one thing he didn’t see coming, in fact: the sudden apparition of a certain strange Doctor, in his even stranger TARDIS. Today, the Earth dies screaming. And all the Doctor can do is watch."</i><br />
<b><br />
REVIEW:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Before I start, I enjoyed this. It was a very entertaining story with some good acting and direction. It is not however, without a lot faults. Most of them pinned squarely down on the writers.<br />
<br />
The writing was not exactly brilliantly designed for the audio medium with too much describing what what was happening to the point of it being obvious. The story starts out in Venice and almost immediately the twist is revealed which left me wondering why for two episodes, The Doctor seemed uncharacteristally ignorant of it. That is untill at the end of the second part, they revealed the twist that had already been practically spelled out in the first part. They seemed to go to great lengths to explain what was happening but holding back a tiny little part as if only that part reveals the twist.<br />
I did like the inclusion of Nostradamus, though for a while it seemed like he was superfluous to the story and there to just help sell the 'cover story' before the 'twist', but he proved to play a vital role and set things up for the other episodes in the Seventh Doctor's run.<br />
<br />
This story did have a lot of potential and could have examined some of the themes it introduced but were left pretty much untouched in favour of a pretty standard, if not entertaining, story.<br />
<br />
Could this duo be my new Cavan Scott & Mark Wright?<br />
<br />
<b>SCORE:</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: red;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Emma Beeby & Gordon Rennie <br />
Director: Ken Bentley<br />
Produced By: Big Finish<br />
Released: September 2011<br />
<br />
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<br />
<i><b>CAST:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor - Tom Baker <br />
Mrs Wibbsey - Susan Jameson <br />
Father Gregory - Tom Baker<br />
Tsar - Michael Jayston<br />
Tsarina - Suzy Aitchison <br />
Boolin - Simon Shepherd <br />
Lucius - Sam Hoare <br />
Server Robot / Rebel - Paul Chequer <br />
Server Robot / Rebel - Grant Gillespie <br />
Server Robot / Rebel - Gabriel Vick <br />
<br />
<b>SYNOPSIS:</b><br />
<br />
The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are catapulted from present day Earth to a futuristic civilisation in a distant galaxy. At the Robotov Palace they find the Tsar and Tsarina ruling over their empire whilst human workers toil on satellite moons. The Doctor is mistaken for an old ally of the Tsarina's, but then suspected of treason when the Palace comes under attack. Dark secrets are lurking in the shadows, and the mysterious Father Gregory will set off a chain of events which have long-lasting consequences for the Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey.</i><br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
<br />
Tom Baker returns for a third series in the AudioGo range, but this time it's got an all new improved format. It's now a fully fledged audio play rather than the halfway between an audiobook and an audio play the previous ones were. Gone is the narration, Mike Yates, and also unfortunately, my interest.<br />
<br />
The Doctor and Mrs Wibbsey are whisked away through a wormhole to a distant world where the robots have overthrown their human creators and are in the middle of a civil war. The Tsar mistakes The Doctor for Father Gregory as the only one who can save his sickly son, meanwhile the rebel human forces are poised for attack. From here on in, it's very much like a Doctor-lite episode with him taking the background to what's happening. The trouble here though is, not that The Doctor doesn't appear to be in it much, but that what's happening is not very interesting. The ending was decent enough and set up the remaining parts but not showing much promise at the minute despite the improved format.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj29n5-DTck&feature=youtube_gdata_player">Trailer</a><br />
<br />
<strong>SCORE:</strong> <br />
<br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
Writer: Paul Magrs <br />
Director: Kate Thomas <br />
Publisher: AudioGO <br />
Release Date: 8th September, 2011<br />
<br />
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<br />
A collection of four short stories featuring the Sixth Doctor and Peri.<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Recorded Time</span></strong><br />
<br />
<em><strong>Synopsis</strong></em><br />
<br />
The TARDIS travellers find themselves at the court of Henry VIII, where the tragic Anne Boleyn will soon be discarded by her King in favour of the lovely Perpugilliam Brown. Or so it is written… <br />
<br />
<em><strong>Cast</strong></em><br />
<br />
<em>Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker </em><br />
<em>Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant </em><br />
<em>Henry VIII - Paul Shearer </em><br />
<em>Anne Boleyn - Laura Molyneux </em><br />
<em>Scrivener - Philip Bretherton </em><br />
<em>Marjorie - Rosanna Miles</em> <br />
<br />
<strong><em>Review</em></strong><br />
<br />
<em>The Doctor and Peri meet King Henry VIII and Ann Bolynn. Obviously getting mistaken for entertainment, they provide an amusing start to the story, possibly too long a start though because what is meant to be the main point of the story is not really introduced till near the end and is wrapped up very quickly in one scene. An interesting concept that could have been explored a bit more but a decent fun episode nonetheless.</em><br />
<br />
Score: 4/7<br />
<br />
Written by: Catherine Harvey <br />
Directed by: Ken Bentley<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Paradoxicide</span></strong><br />
<br />
<strong><em>Synopsis</em></strong><br />
<br />
<em>On the legendary lost planet of Sendos, the Doctor and Peri find themselves caught up in the hunt for the cache of galaxy-busting super-weapons stored inside its fabled Armoury.</em> <br />
<br />
<em><strong>Cast</strong></em><br />
<br />
<em>Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker </em><br />
<em>Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant </em><br />
<em>Inquisa - Raquel Cassidy </em><br />
<em>Centuria/Ship - Joan Walker </em><br />
<em>Barond - James George </em><br />
<em>Volsci - Laura Molyneux/Rosanna Miles</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em><strong>Review</strong></em><br />
<br />
Discovering a voice message from Peri herself, they go to the planet Sendos to discover its origins. What follows is a very entertaining and wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey adventure that's crammed full of stuff it's almost hard to believe this was a single episode. The enemies appear quite formiddable and cunning at first but soon prove to be amongst the most inept and stupid encountered today and totally deserve whatever fate befalls them, so while the explanation and eventual conclusion of the story is good, the enemies never feel like a threat. A very entertaining and good episode.<br />
<br />
Score: 5/7<br />
<br />
Written by: Richard Dinnick <br />
Directed by: Ken Bentley<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">A Most Excellent Match</span></strong><br />
<br />
<em><strong>Synopsis</strong></em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of a mind of her own must be in want of a husband. But which of Miss Peri Brown's rival suitors will be the one to win her hand: handsome Mr Darcy, or the mysterious Doctor?</em> <br />
<br />
<strong><em>Cast</em></strong><br />
<br />
<em>Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker </em><br />
<em>Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant </em><br />
<em>Tilly - Rosanna Miles </em><br />
<em>Darcy/D'Urberville/Heathcliff - Philip Bretherton </em><br />
<em>Cranton - Paul Shearer</em> <br />
<br />
<strong><em>Review</em></strong><br />
<br />
You know all those really good holonovel stories from Star Trek? No? Neither do I, but for some reason they thought it a good idea to have one in Doctor Who. Essentially, this story can be boiled down to 'A computer gets a virus and The Doctor tries to fix it' and it's about as interesting. Peri gets trapped in a holonovel, a virus entity traps her there, The Doctor has to go into the holonovel and defeat the virus in the story with logic and legal reasoning. Sometimes, The Doctor is good at talking his way out of situations, this time isn't one. One of the worst things I've heard from Doctor Who in a while. Ridiculous concept with only the barest hint of danger, set in a totally uninteresting Jane Eyre backround... just terrible..... Oh, you want something positive? The Doctor did have a few good lines.<br />
<br />
Score: 2/7<br />
<br />
Written by: Matt Fitton<br />
Directed by: Ken Bentley<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Question Marks</span></b><br />
<br />
<em><strong>Synopsis</strong></em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Five survivors of an unknown catastrophe wake to find themselves caught in an inescapable trap. But can the oddly-dressed man in the question-marked collar work out what's really going on before time runs out – for good? </em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em><strong>Cast</strong></em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Sixth Doctor - Colin Baker </em><br />
<em>Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant </em><br />
<em>Destiny Gray - Raquel Cassidy </em><br />
<em>Greg Stone - James George </em><br />
<em>Arnie McAllister - Joe Jameson</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em><strong>Review</strong></em><br />
<br />
Maybe one or two technical gripes, but none that detract from what was a fantastic story. The Doctor, Peri, and crew aboard a ship of some kind awaken with no memory of how they got there or who they are. A fast paced story follows as they try to discover what happened as dangers creeps up them every second. The story, playing more with the situation they are in rather than their memories, or lack thereoff, kept it flowing with tension building all the way till the rather clever, and possibly somewhat emotional, reveal and conclusion. W--ks very well on audio with some fantastic atmospheric directing and sound design.<br />
<br />
Score: 6/7<br />
<br />
Written by: Philip Lawrence<br />
Directed by: Ken Bentley<br />
<br />
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<br />
<i><b>Cast:</b><br />
<br />
Ian Chesterton - William Russell <br />
Ashman - Gus Brown <br />
<br />
<b>Synopsis:</b><br />
<br />
<i>The TARDIS has landed on Platform Five, a floating city in the sky of the planet Jobis, and for a time the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki get the chance to enjoy this idyllic place. <br />
<br />
And then the Rocket Men arrive, led by the sadistic Ashman. <br />
<br />
When the only other option to certain death is suicide, Ian Chesterton takes the gamble of his life…</i><br />
<br />
<strong>Review:</strong></i> <br />
<br />
I like the idea of this particular non-linear narrative structure, but for me unfortunately, it doesn't fare too well in execution. There's very little payoff anywhere to warrant it - no big reveal, no shocking twist, and no plot points gradually falling into place. It might be that it jumps about too much for my liking but I still think It's just a very average story plot-wise. <br />
<br />
The main point of the story being about Ian's emotions, which technically I don't have a problem with, it just doesn't seem to reflect the Ian I know as characterised through the TV show - but maybe I'm being biased here.<br />
<br />
The second half developed a bit of pace after the dreadfully slow first half and they did seem to try to fit in some worthy plot reveals to reflect the narrative structure but it was like they didn't commit to it enough and it felta little flat. A similar problem befell the aspect of Ian's emotions of which the story is based around - not enough time or scripting was committed to it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Score:</strong><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">0/7 - Non-existant</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">1/7 - As bad as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">2/7 - Poor</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">3/7 - Quite poor / too many poor points / didn't like it</span><br />
<strike><span style="color: #999999;">3.5/7 - Neither good nor bad / undecided</span></strike><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">4/7 - Quite good / plenty of good points / liked it</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">5/7 - Good</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">6/7 - As good as you can get</span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;">7/7 - Impossible perfection</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Written by: John Dorney<br />
Directed by: Lisa Bowerman<br />
Produced by: Big Finish<br />
Released: August 2011<br />
<br />
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<br>
<i><b>Cast:</b><br>
<br>
Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy <br>
Raine Creevy - Beth Chalmers <br>
Ace - Sophie Aldred <br>
Victor Espinosa - Paterson Joseph <br>
Shepstay - Nadine Marshall <br>
Yanikov - Basher Savage <br>
Lt Baraki - Ingrid Oliver <br>
Metatraxi - John Banks <br>
Grub - Alex Mallinson <br>
<br>
<b>Synopsis:</b><br>
<br>
<i>Welcome aboard the space vessel Vancouver. Its mission: to guard a vast shipment of grain from Earth to the planet Safenesthome. Its medical officer is called simply ‘The Doctor’, and he’s perhaps not all he seems. <br>
<br>
When mysterious ships target the Vancouver, the Doctor is pushed to the limit. Meanwhile, there’s something nasty in the grain containers. And it’s not very happy... </i><br>
<br>
Review:</i> <br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-doctor-who-lost-stories-26-earth.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-39013391125678830312011-08-03T14:25:00.001+01:002011-10-08T13:47:19.469+01:00REVIEW: Doctor Who 149 - Robophobia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cugyzZT3-o/TjlMEgtEpKI/AAAAAAAABJY/t74-ndksd68/s1600/Robophobia-cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2cugyzZT3-o/TjlMEgtEpKI/AAAAAAAABJY/t74-ndksd68/s1600/Robophobia-cover.png" t$="true"></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Seventh Doctor</span></b><br>
<br>
<i><b>Cast:</b><br>
<br>
The Doctor - Sylvester McCoy <br>
Liv Chenka/Elicien - Nicola Walker <br>
Farel - Toby Hadoke <br>
Bas Pellico - William Hazell <br>
Selerat - Nicholas Pegg <br>
Cravnet - Dan Starkey <br>
Tal Karus/SV10 - Matt Addis <br>
Leebar/Computer Voice - John Dorney <br>
Robots - Matt Addis, Nicholas Briggs, John Dorney, Toby Hadoke, Dan Starkey</i><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><br>
Synopsis:<br>
<br>
Nothing has ever been officially confirmed, but there is a rumour that on a Sandminer, bound for Kaldor City, the robots somehow turned homicidal and nearly wiped out the entire crew. Can that really be true? <br>
<br>
The robot transport ship Lorelei has a cargo of over 157,000 robots on board, all deactivated. So even if there were any truth in the rumour of that massacre, there'd still be no danger. Surely, there wouldn't... <br>
<br>
But then, the Doctor witnesses a murder.<br>
<br>
</i><br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-doctor-who-149-robophobia.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-49655716389815955632011-07-21T12:32:00.001+01:002011-10-12T15:49:22.801+01:00REVIEW: Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 6.01 - Tales From The Vault<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d_NribceWbE/TigONh0wCoI/AAAAAAAAAo4/_jQFosKyCoo/s1600/Tales-from-the-Vault-cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d_NribceWbE/TigONh0wCoI/AAAAAAAAAo4/_jQFosKyCoo/s1600/Tales-from-the-Vault-cover.png" t$="true"></a></div><b>Steven, Zoe, Jo Grant, and Romana I</b><br>
<br>
<i><b>Cast:</b><br>
<br>
Captain Ruth Matheson - Daphne Ashbrook <br>
Warrant Officer Charlie Sato - Yee Jee Tso <br>
Steven Taylor - Peter Purves <br>
Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury <br>
Jo Grant - Katy Manning <br>
Romana - Mary Tamm <br>
<br>
<b>Synopsis:</b><br>
<br>
Welcome to The Vault - jokingly known as 'The Museum of Terrors' - a high security establishment where UNIT keeps all of its alien artifacts. <br>
<br>
New recruit Warrant Officer Charlie Sato is given a guided tour by Captain Ruth Matheson, and the archive reveals some dark secrets. An army jacket, a painting, crystal and a wax cylinder all hold a grave significance, and their stories are told by the Doctor's companions: Steven Taylor, Zoe Heriot, Jo Grant and Romana... </i><br>
<br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-doctor-who-companion-chronicles.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-86965164280173766982011-07-20T12:33:00.001+01:002011-10-12T15:49:04.016+01:00REVIEW: Doctor Who Lost Stories 2.5: Animal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.massmovement.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Animal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.massmovement.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Animal.png" t$="true"></a></div><b>Seveth Doctor, Ace, & Raine</b><br>
<br>
<i><b>Cast</b><br>
<br>
Seventh Doctor - Sylvester McCoy <br>
Ace - Sophie Aldred <br>
Raine Creevy - Beth Chalmers <br>
Winifred Bambera - Angela Bruce <br>
Scobie - Anthony Lewis <br>
Henrick/Metatraxi - John Banks <br>
Willa - Dannielle Brent <br>
Percy - Alex Mallinson <br>
Juno - Clare Fraenkel</i><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Synopsis</b><br>
<br>
<span style="color: #ea9999;">Margrave University in 2001, and Raine Creevy is enjoying her first trip into the future. <br>
<br>
For the Doctor, there are mysteries to solve: what are the alien creatures imprisoned in the science labs? And what are the true motives of the student Scobie and his followers? <br>
<br>
With enemies on all sides, the Doctor teams up with his old friend Brigadier Bambera and the forces of UNIT in a battle for the future of the whole world.</span></i><br>
<br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-doctor-who-lost-stories-25.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-81092851169566739632011-07-15T14:10:00.001+01:002011-10-12T15:48:26.704+01:00REVIEW: Torchwood: The Lost Files 3 - The House Of The Dead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vJQr-0dMohY/Th1mFfFhMzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ei-exz3vY28/s1600/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" m$="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vJQr-0dMohY/Th1mFfFhMzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ei-exz3vY28/s1600/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg"></a></div><b>CAST:</b><br>
<br>
<i>Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman <br>
Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles <br>
Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd <br>
Mrs Wintergreen - Rosalind Ayres <br>
Barry - Bradley Freegard <br>
Mr Jones/Tony - John Francis Harries <br>
Helen - Lucy Davis <br>
Ness - Moira Quirk <br>
Late Arrival - Shelley Rees</i> <br>
<br>
<b>SYNPOSIS:</b><br>
<br>
<i>The brewery have called 'time' and it's the last night at The House of the Dead - the most haunted pub in Wales. Barry the barman has invited renowned psychic, Mrs Wintergreen, to hold a special seance to mark the occasion, and there's a big crowd hoping for the chance of seeing their deceased loved ones for one last time. But when Jack arrives on the scene, he's determined to stop them. Ianto is puzzled by Jack's behaviour, and Gwen is suspicious. Why is Jack acting so strangely? Then the ghosts start arriving - and all hell breaks loose.</i><br>
<br>
WARNING: Review contains spoilers.<br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-torchwood-lost-files-3-house-of.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-85468446172513000532011-07-13T14:56:00.001+01:002011-10-12T15:48:04.616+01:00REVIEW: Torchwood: The Lost Files 2 - Submission<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYa9WuC80cI/Th2JP8W48WI/AAAAAAAAAmE/yaPnDKHXI6s/s1600/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYa9WuC80cI/Th2JP8W48WI/AAAAAAAAAmE/yaPnDKHXI6s/s320/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg" width="170"></a></div>CAST:<br>
<br>
<i>Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman <br>
Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles <br>
Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd <br>
Carlie Roberts - Erin Bennett <br>
Sam Doyle - Angelo Tiffe <br>
Captain Cudlow - John Francis Harries <br>
Henry Goddard - John Lee </i><br>
<br>
<br>
SYNPOSIS:<br>
<br>
<i>Torchwood are chasing aliens down the M4, when Jack accidentally blows a hole in the Severn Bridge, and the SUV hits the water. Whilst submerged John, Gwen and Ianto hear a strange noise, which, back at the Hub they realise is a cry for help. They track the cry to its source which turns out to be the deepest part of the Ocean - the Mariana Trench. Ianto rings old Torchwood flame, Carlie Roberts, who's an expert in marine geology, and Jack pulls strings with the US government to get them all on board the USS Calvin, an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, which is heading for the Trench. From there they board the Octopus Rock, the only submarine built to withstand the pressure at that depth, and follow the signal. But when the Submarine crashes, the team are left at the mercy of a hungry alien.</i><br>
<a href="http://inthefourthdimension.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-torchwood-lost-files-2.html#more">Read more »</a>SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-519641258360112603.post-22984269536392039512011-07-13T10:32:00.000+01:002011-09-14T18:19:23.716+01:00REVIEW: Torchwood: The Lost Files 1 - The Devil And Miss Carew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJQr-0dMohY/Th1mFfFhMzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ei-exz3vY28/s1600/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJQr-0dMohY/Th1mFfFhMzI/AAAAAAAAAl8/ei-exz3vY28/s320/tns_qzsqnfsm_170x170-75.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>CAST<br /><br /><i>Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman <br />Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles <br />Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd <br />Rhys Williams - Kai Owen <br />Fitzroy - Martin Jarvis <br />Miss Carew - Juliet Mills <br />Sian - Hayley J Williams <br />Uncle Bryn - James Walsh <br />Old Lady - Shelley Rees</i> <br /><br />Set before Children Of Earth, this is a decent enough story but did however have its problems. There are moments where I can't decide whether it's really poor acting and you can tell they're just reading, or it's really poor character scripting and I can't imagine them saying it so it sounds fake. But in particular, I just don't think John Barrowman can act well for audio. Jack interacting with Ianto is particularly excruciating... couldn't Ianto have stayed dead? Or just not interact with Jack because at times Gareth David-Lloyd wasn't much better... and it wasn't like their characters actually contributed to the story. Thankfully, most of the story centered around Gwen.<br /><br />Oh, the music and sound design was quite good, so there's that too.<br /><br />Score: 4/7<br /><br />Writer: Rupert Laight<br />Director: Kate McAll<br />Publisher: BBC<br />Released: 11th July 2011SimiBoyzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12778429143945480136noreply@blogger.com0