The Black Archive #31: Warriors’ Gate
by Frank Collins (Obverse Books, 2019)
Warriors’ Gate, one of the standouts of Doctor Who’s original run, arose from an unlikely concatenation of circumstances. Collins delves deep into the specifics of its shared authorship (interesting) and also the more nebulous resonances of literary and cinematic influence (less so).
Doctor Who: Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge
by Marty Ross (Big Finish, 2010)
Although H. P. Lovecraft wouldn’t have been out of place in Doctor Who’s much-vaunted gothic horror run, Lurkers brings precious little originality to the homage. Ace has some nice moments but the guest characters are tired-and-true stereotypes and the plot unbearably cliched.
Doctor Who: The Feast of Axos
by Mike Maddox (Big Finish, 2011)
This remarkably non-gratuitous sequel tempers the Sixth Doctor’s usual bombast with UNIT-era realism and gives Colin Baker something to work with for once. The script verges on proper SF and the characters have reasonable motivations. Even the aliens are allowed some dignity!
Doctor Who: A Death in the Family
by Steven Hall (Big Finish, 2010)
Something of a masterpiece. Hall’s script is exceedingly clever in its own right and perfectly captures the essence of the Seventh Doctor. It earns its big emotional moments and features brilliant performances by McCoy, Aldred, Philip Olivier, Maggie Stables and Ian Reddington.
Doctor Who: Rat Trap
by Tony Lee (Big Finish, 2011)
Heavy-handed on the guest characterisation but a good story for the regulars (particularly the Doctor, Nyssa and Turlough). Although the ethics of animal experimentation provide a strong underpinning, this is rather destabilised by Big Finish’s penchant for rasping, borderline unintelligible monster voices.
Doctor Who: The Witch from the Well
by Rick Briggs (Big Finish, 2011)
As ever, Big Finish have gone beresk with their screeching creature effects. Notwithstanding such overindulgence, this pseudohistorical take on the seventeenth-century witch trials offers uncommon nuance and character depth. A particularly good story for Paul McGann and Julie Cox (as Mary Shelley).
Dr. Tenth
by Adam Hargreaves (BBC, 2018)
The Doctor’s adults-only wardrobe notwithstanding, Hargreaves captures the Tennant persona quite well (in looks, attitude and voice). The Humpty Dumpty Sontaran is also not the worst, though as usual Hargreaves drafts at least one gross infelicity into the story. Cue the Ogron…
Doctor Who: The Song of Megaptera
by Pat Mills (Big Finish, 2010)
A would-be television story scuppered during the tenures of three different Doctors (the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth). Resurrected now in audio form, Megaptera proves a perfectly serviceable adventure, benefiting from some strong guest performances… and not having to show the space whale!
Doctor Who: The Abandoned
by Nigel Fairs & Louise Jameson (Big Finish, 2014)
A superbly imaginative and dark concept, engendering a bottle episode that would have topped the TV ratings. The story, however, has too ambitious and disorientating a visual element for audio. The production lets the script down by not streamlining its cacophonous madness.
Doctor Who: The Bounty of Ceres
by Ian Potter (Big Finish, 2014)
Potter captures the feel and pace of a First Doctor adventure but affords companions Steven and Vicki some much-needed depth, elevating them from plot-driven stand-ins to genuine characters. Peter Purves is excellent as Steven (and channels William Hartnell also in well-pitched homage).