Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks
by Eric Saward; dir. Matthew Robinson (BBC, 1984)
This serial begins with eerie promise and impressive acting/characterisation but degenerates into a confused mess, redeemed only by the pathos of Tegan’s departure. The Daleks (as so often in Doctor Who) have the intellectual sophistication of tantrum-prone toddlers with no inner monologue.
Doctor Who: Free Speech
by Eugenie Pusenjak; performed by Jacob Dudman (Big Finish, 2020)
A trifle simplistic in its resolution. This story would have benefited from some explanation as to how the scenario came about, and a deeper exploration of its effects. Nonetheless, it’s a nice idea and a very good portrayal of the Tenth Doctor.
Doctor Who: The Best-Laid Plans
by Ben Tedds; performed by Jacob Dudman (Big Finish, 2019)
The Twelfth Doctor runs interference so as to reform an amoral ideas man. A sound premise but the confrontation/denouement is clunky and the SF trappings come across as badly degraded Douglas Adams pastiche. Narrator Jacob Dudman breathes some life into the prose.
Doctor Who: Last of the Romanovs
by Jonathan Barnes (Big Finish, 2020)
A nicely understated, character-focussed story that sticks to the ‘observe and depart, become emotionally involved but don’t interfere’ blueprint of early Hartnell historical adventures. Claudia Grant’s Susan continues to sound less like Carole Ann Ford and more like a young Queen Elizabeth.
Doctor Who: Return to Skaro
by Andrew Smith (Big Finish, 2020)
This direct sequel to the first ever Dalek story works best if one can disregard all subsequent canon (plus the Thals lacking so developmentally arduous a skill as timekeeping; condescension begets poppycockery). The recast TARDIS crew also takes some getting used to.
Doctor Who: Fury From the Deep
by Victor Pemberton; dir. Hugh David (BBC, 1968/2020)
This lost story always had good wraps—a tightly written, claustrophobic six-parter bolstered by Dudley Simpson’s tense score (and a resolution that validates the screaming companion!). Its rebirth in animated form makes for a welcome addition, albeit that Troughton remains quintessentially inimitable.
Doctor Who: Terminus
by Stephen Gallagher, writing as John Lydecker (Target, 1983); audiobook read by Steven Pacey (BBC, 2019)
Gallagher’s second Doctor Who script gave rise to a gloomy, layered production rich in scenario and comparatively nuanced in its characterisations. The subsequent novelisation, far from the undemanding walk-through that young readers had come to expect from Target Books, proves equally accomplished.
The Sarah Jane Adventures, Series 2
(CBBH, 2008)
With the arrival of Anjli Mohindra as Rani, the Sarah Jane Adventures survives its first major cast change and goes from strength to strength as a Doctor Who surrogate. By series two the programme has gained sufficient confidence to utilise recurring adversaries.
Doctor Who: Jubilee
by Robert Shearman (Big Finish, 2003)
A rare Dalek story with something to say beyond ‘Exterminate!’. Shearman perhaps tries for too much—his subsequent TV adaptation ‘Dalek’ is cleaner—but the result, though imperfect, remains head and shoulders above the usual dross. Authoritative and at times deeply uncomfortable.
The Diary of River Song: The Furies
by Matt Fitton (Big Finish, 2018)
Audially a bit chaotic and not much of a story in its own right, though sufficiently holistic to tie up the third series. Peter Davison has a small role but the true strength of this production lies in its otherwise all-female cast.