Category Archives: Audio Drama/Radio Plays

Doctor Who: The Rani Elite. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Siobhan Redmond, Andrew Bone, Becky Wright, Mike Noble, Charlie Morton.

In the saddest of circumstances comes lightness, it just may take a while for the listener to see it for what it truly is.

When a much loved actor from a television programme passes on it can be hard to imagine anyone playing their character again. In the world of soap-operas they could, if they so desired perhaps get away with an actor coming in a year or two later having had facial surgery or recovering from a major operation. In others, the character would just be allowed to be retired and thought of with ceremonial fondness every now and then. In science fiction though, the sheer possibilities are endless and enjoyable.

Doctor Who: The Rani Elite. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish. full post

(677 words, estimated 2:42 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents, The Devil’s Armada. Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Jamie Newall, Nigel Carrington, Alix Dunsmore, Joe Jameson, Beth Chalmers, Philip Bretherton, Ben Porter, Tim Bentinck.

 

The world of Doctor Who is seemingly entrenched into two distinct realms of story-telling themes, the historical, whether that comes down to the gothic fancy, the accurate, with the only that those writing about The Doctor can employ a good science-fiction twist too or the warning from the past in which holds a mirror to the present day audience or the category that is so steeped into invention that the monsters come from out of nowhere and place themselves at the very heart of Humanity’s future. Both are equally enthralling, both as enjoyable as its counterpart and yet rarely do the mix well.

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents, The Devil’s Armada. Audio Drama Review. full post

(515 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents… The Ghosts of Gralstead. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Carolyn Seymour, Gethin Anthony, Martin Hutson, Emerald O’ Hanrahan, Alan Cox, Ivanno Jeremiah, Andy Secombe, Sean Carlsen, Andrew French, Mandi Symonds.

The fourth Doctor was arguably never better than when thrust into the tale of the Gothic persuasion. It was a running theme throughout his tenure in the shoes of the Timelord that the Gothic, in one shape or another would feature heavily and the macabre would be accompanying with relish.

Doctor Who: Philip Hinchcliffe Presents… The Ghosts of Gralstead. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish. full post

(506 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Masters Of Earth. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Tracy Wiles, Brian McCardie, Sean Biggerstaff, Hugh Ross, Damian Lynch, Nicholas Briggs.

It can be a staggering thought at times, that even after over 50 years of storytelling, filmed adventures and audio escapades, that there is still moments in which to find a large, near timeless thrill in a new tale set in the world of Doctor Who. Masters of Earth is one of those audio dramas so beloved of its makers Big Finish, that it allows the listener to sit back, relax, to a point and remember why they might have fallen in love with Doctor Who in the beginning.

Doctor Who: Masters Of Earth. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish. full post

(620 words, estimated 2:29 mins reading time)

Jago And Litefoot: The Hourglass Killers. Series Four Box-Set, Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Louise Jameson, Conrad Asquith, Lisa Bowerman, Terry Malloy, Elizabeth Counsell, Christopher Beeny, Mike Grundy, Colin Baker.

All the secrets are soon to be out in the open, nearly all anyway, as Justin Richards brings the fourth season of the adventures of Jago and Litefoot to an edifying and interesting conclusion in The Hourglass Killers.

Jago And Litefoot: The Hourglass Killers. Series Four Box-Set, Audio Drama Review. full post

(487 words, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Jago And Litefoot: The Lonely Clock. Series Four Box-Set, Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Louise Jameson, Lisa Bowerman, Victoria Alcock, Christopher Beeny, Mike Grady, Alex Mallinson, Colin Baker.

For many, the idea of terrorism on British soil is a fairly recent state of affairs, something that started in the 1970s when political events close to home spilled out onto the streets of Britain and has carried on into the 21st Century as ideologies clash, sometimes with devastating results.

Jago And Litefoot: The Lonely Clock. Series Four Box-Set, Audio Drama Review. full post

(595 words, estimated 2:23 mins reading time)

Jago And Litefoot: Beautiful Things. Series Four Box-Set. Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Louise Jameson, Conrad Asquith, Lisa Bowerman, Alan Cox, John Sackville, Christopher Beeny, Mike Grady, Colin Baker.

The continuing adventures of Jago and Litefoot, of mysterious machinations and the blood and death of inexplicable things are possibly on the hands of much changed old friend and Beautiful Things will suffer for it.

Jago And Litefoot: Beautiful Things. Series Four Box-Set. Audio Drama Review. full post

(432 words, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

Jago and Litefoot: Jago In Love. Series Four Box Set Audio Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Christopher Benjamin, Trevor Baxter, Louise Jameson, Conrad Asquith, Lisa Bowerman, Elizabeth Counsell, Matt Addis, Christopher Beeny, Mike Grady, Colin Baker.

After the final events of Series Three’s Chronoclasm, it would be understandable if Jago and Litefoot, Victorian London’s pre-eminent Detectives, were to think of taking it easy for a while. The nerves shattered, the lives of those around them changed and their long standing friendship with Leela pushed to a limit which thankfully did not break, who would blame them for getting back to the normality of London life?

Jago and Litefoot: Jago In Love. Series Four Box Set Audio Review. full post

(576 words, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

Charlotte Pollard, The Viyran Solution. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: India Fisher, Michael Maloney, James Joyce, Nicholas Briggs, Louise Bradley, Nadia Kamil.

The solution is always part of the problem it seems. No matter how grand the answer, another dilemma will pop up in its place. Just as The Doctor faced being able to eradicate the Daleks from all time and space by placing two wires together, the quandary appeared that he would be as evil as them for not letting nature take its course. The solution is never the utter final truth. For the Viyrans and Charley Pollard, the solution is even more complex and for Charlotte Pollard the stakes have never been higher.

Charlotte Pollard, The Viyran Solution. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish. full post

(377 words, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Charlotte Pollard, The Fall of the House of Pollard. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: India Fisher, Anneka Wills, Terence Hardiman, Charlie Norfolk, David Dobson, Michael Maloney.

 

The intrepid travellers in the life of Charley Pollard have long been teased over the family history of the Edwardian Adventuress. There have been smatterings, the odd peek and the rare smidgen of information of how the young Charlotte Pollard grew to be the woman she has most definitely become and how it could bring about The Fall of the House of Pollard.

Charlotte Pollard, The Fall of the House of Pollard. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish. full post

(506 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)