Tag Archives: Doctor Who

Doctor Who, Army Of Death. Big Finish Audio Play 155 review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 18th 2011

Cast: Paul McGann, Julie Cox, David Harewood, Carolyn Pickles, Eva Pope, Mitch Benn, Joanna Christie, Trevor Cooper.

Army of Death is the final release of 2011 and brings together Paul McGann and Julie Cox together for the third time. After the two previous stories, The Silver Turk and The Witch from the Well, being so well written and crafted together, there could be a drop off in the style, a rush to get this season’s trilogy over with and for Big Finish to concentrate on the next set of stories involving Colin Baker’s Doctor and his new companion.

Doctor Who, The Curse of Davros. Big Finish Audio 156 Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 2nd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Cast: Colin Baker, Lisa Greenwood, Terry Molloy, Ashley Kumar, Jonathon Owen, Rhys Jennings, Granville Saxton, Robert Portal, Christian Patterson, Nicholas Briggs.

It’s long been mooted, chewed over, discussed and debated but the simple fact is that the B.B.C. and in particular those in charge of programming in the 1980’s woefully let down the legion of fans of Doctor Who and more importantly the sixth man to play the Time lord, Colin Baker.

Doctor Who, The Fourth Wall. Big Finish 157 Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 6th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Lisa Greenwood, Julian Wadham, Yasmin Bannerman, Hywel Morgan, Martin Hutson, Tilly Gaunt, Kim Wall, Henry Devas.

There is always talk of when an actor breaks the “fourth wall”, that twilight line between perceived reality of the stage and the moment when the audience is drawn in and spoken to in such a way that they are no longer interested voyeurs taking in the action, they are part and parcel of the storyline. They are the 12th man on the pitch, the Banquo at the Banquet and they are involved, sometimes up to their necks.

Doctor Who, The Emerald Tiger. Big Finish Audio Play, 159.

Originally published by L.S. Media. April 22nd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Sarah Sutton, Cherie Lunghi, Sam Dastor, Neil Stacy, Vincent Ebrahim, Vineeta Rishi, Gwilym Lee. Trevor Cooper, Benedict Briggs.

Barnaby Edwards’s latest story for Big Finish, The Emerald Tiger sees the classic fifth doctor, played by the seemingly ever youthful Peter Davison, continuing his adventures with the iconic team of Tegan, Vislor Turlough and Nyssa.

Doctor Who, Trail Of The White Worm. Big Finish Audio Play Play 1.05.

Originally published by L.S. Media. May 26th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Geoffrey Beevers, Michael Cochrane, Rachael Stirling, John Banks, Becci Gemmell, Mark Field.

For a generation of Doctor Who fans who have grown up with idea of John Simm’s and Derek Jacobi portraying one of the most formidable foes of the Doctor, they would no doubt place the two extremely talented actors’ portrayals of the insane Timelord as the very best.

Doctor Who, The Jupiter Conjuction. Big Finish Audio Play 160.

Originally published by L.S. Media. May 27th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Cast: Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Sarah Sutton, Rebecca Front, John Cummins, Ellie Burrow, Zoe Lister, Ben Porter, Simon Blake, Philip Pope.

In the writers notes to the new fifth Doctor audio play, The Jupiter Conjunction, Eddie Robson writes, “Don’t question the deals that are being done: your leaders have your best interests at heart.”

Doctor Who,The Oseidon Adventure, Big Finish Audio Play 1.06.

Originally published by L.S. Media. July 8th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Geoffrey Beevers, Michael Cochrane, Dan Starkey, John Banks.

Just who do you trust when you cannot even tell your enemies from those that look and act like your deadliest foes!

The second part of Alan Barnes’ story involving the Doctor’s adversary and fellow Time lord, The Master has one of those wonderful plays on words that ingratiates you into the story long before the end credits. Titled The Oseidon Adventure, (think of the 1970’s disaster film The Poseidon Adventure) the action follows on The Trail of the White Worm and the pace, the tempo and overall enjoyment of the writing picks up a notch from the semi lacklustre affair of the previous episode.

Doctor Who, The Butcher Of Brisbane. Big Finish Audio Play 161.

Originally published on L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Sarah Sutton, Angus Wright, Rupert Frazer, Felicity Duncan, Daniel Weyman, Daisy Ashford, John Banks, Alex Mallinson.

There are Doctor Who villains who pop up as regular as clockwork, their participation in any adventure much looked forward to and anticipated with the outlook of childhood glee. There are then those who come along every so often, sometimes they contribute greatly to the overall story but you don’t miss them as much, and then there are those that only appear the once, their backstory hinted at but the writers of Doctor Who never revisit them. The listener is devoid of any further knowledge of the foe the Doctor has faced.

Doctor Who, Protect And Survive. Big Finish Audio. Number 162. Review

Originally published on L.S. Media. Friday Aust 3rd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating * * * *

Cast: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Philip Olvier, Ian Hogg, Elizabeth Bennett, Peter Egan.

For anyone who lived during the cold war period and especially during the dark days of the threat of possible nuclear war, then Jonathon Morris’ latest play for Big Finish, Protect and Survive, will give chills of the everyday terror once more. To those that listen to Doctor Who audio plays and only know of the dread that was nuclear obliteration, it offers an insight into a world that dominated by fear, mistrust  and the ever-increasing spectre of terror.