Tag: Doctor Who

UNIT, Nemesis: Agents of the Vulpreen

UNIT, Nemesis: Agents of the Vulpreen

(Big Finish, 2022)

Audio box set cover: UNIT, Nemesis, Agents of the Vulpreen (Big Finish, 2022)

1. The Man From Gallifrey

by Andrew Smith

Hasper (Glen McCready) proves a worthwhile character, but otherwise this story serves primarily as set-up for subsequent instalments. Effectively worked, save that its sacrifice is followed by the almost totally irrelevant ‘Power of the Dominators’, which comes across as a broadcast error.

 

2. Power of the Dominators

by Kenneth Grant

The humour would work better if: the Dominators weren’t such derisory adversaries (their deadly plan built around unnecessary human interactions); the script didn’t pepper scenes with vlogging-type exposition; Harry Sullivan weren’t so caricatured; and/or UNIT made any use whatsoever of its mandate/manpower/weaponry.

 

3. The War Factory

by Lizzie Hopley

A strong female cast, which unfortunately is wasted somewhat by a story that skips about all over the place rather than focussing on one or two key elements. Yasmin Mwanza impresses as Private Lauren Huff. Angela Bruce/Brigadier Bambera makes a welcome return.

 

4. Ten Minutes in Hell

by John Dorney

The time dynamic and Kate Stewart’s relationship with her fellow prisoner lend a certain distinction to this otherwise straightforward action piece. It’s a perfectly respectable almost-standalone story, but doesn’t offer a lot in terms of concluding the box set as a whole.

Doctor Who: The Snowmen

Doctor Who: The Snowmen

by Steven Moffat; dir. Saul Metzstein (BBC, 2012)

TV poster: “Doctor Who: The Snowmen” by Steven Moffat; dir. Saul Metzstein (BBC, 2012)

Moffat finds just the right way to realise the ‘retired Doctor’ scenario first proposed by Douglas Adams. While the snowmen/Great Intelligence plot proves a little perfunctory, this beautifully acted Christmas special sails along on characterisation and humour (while teasing another Clara introduction).

Doctor Who: Kingdom of Silver / Keepsake

Doctor Who: Kingdom of Silver / Keepsake

by James Swallow (Big Finish, 2008)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: Kingdom of Silver” by James Swallow (Big Finish, 2008)

An unusual three-plus-one-parter. The Cybermen themselves don’t offer much, but the androids serve (with considerably more nuance) to explore the grey area between human and artificial life. Terry Molloy plays an authority figure without megalomaniacal ambitions, which makes for a nice change!

Doctor Who: The Axis of Insanity

Doctor Who: The Axis of Insanity

by Simon Furman (Big Finish, 2004)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: The Axis of Insanity” by Simon Furman (Big Finish, 2004)

There’s a SF idea hiding somewhere in this four-parter, but it’s overwhelmed by a soundscape of chaotic action scenes and a pointlessly cackling villain(ess). In partial mitigation, Peri and Erimem are granted some airtime. Peter Davison puts on his usual acting masterclass.

Doctor Who: Wave of Destruction

Doctor Who: Wave of Destruction

by Justin Richards (Big Finish, 2016)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: Wave of Destruction” by Justin Richards (Big Finish, 2016)

This swinging sixties invasion story starts out in full flippancy mode and just barely injects enough seriousness to keep its regulars from losing all credibility. Tom Baker and Lalla Ward do ultimately walk that fine line, producing a fun if throwaway two-parter.

Doctor Who: The Angel of Scutari

Doctor Who: The Angel of Scutari

by Paul Sutton (Big Finish, 2009)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: The Angel of Scutari” by Paul Sutton (Big Finish, 2009)

A straight historical adventure, engagingly scripted and giving Ace and Hex some room to breathe. On the downside, Sutton resorts to the usual, lazy trope of a mentally unhinged human adversary, while needlessly dredging up famous personages (Florence Nightingale, perhaps, but Tolstoy?!).

Doctor Who: Cold Fusion (2016)

Doctor Who: Cold Fusion

by Lance Parkin (Big Finish, 2016)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: Cold Fusion” by Lance Parkin (Big Finish, 2016)

A six-parter adapted by Parkin from his own novel. In script and performance, ‘Cold Fusion’ perfectly captures (indeed, elevates) the early Davison era—an exemplar of what Big Finish can accomplish when not going through the motions or faffing about with Daleks.

Doctor Who: City of Spires

Doctor Who: City of Spires

by Simon Bovey (Big Finish, 2010)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: City of Spires” by Simon Bovey (Big Finish, 2010)

Colin Baker and Frazer Hines make for good listening, undiminished by the passing years. The story, while diverting enough, exists mostly to reunite their characters, the Overlord proving a paltry adversary even by Doctor Who’s standards of dim villains with dubious schemes.

Doctor Who: The Time Vampire

Doctor Who: The Time Vampire

by Nigel Fairs (Big Finish, 2010)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: The Time Vampire” by Nigel Fairs (Big Finish, 2010)

Two episodes of untethered timey-wimeyness, deliberately written to be explicable only in retrospect. All very clever, but it doesn’t make for a great listen. Louise Jameson narrates as Leela, and she and John Leeson play all the parts (including a sketchy Doctor).

Doctor Who: The Natural History of Fear

Doctor Who: The Natural History of Fear

by Jim Mortimore (Big Finish, 2004)

Audio drama cover: “Doctor Who: The Natural History of Fear” by Jim Mortimore (Big Finish, 2004)

More ambitious than the usual run-around. The dystopia, however, is both overplayed and oversimplified, outlawing all questions, yes, but in standard interrogative form only (not other means of eliciting information), and having persons raised without such phrasings still instinctively reaching for them.

Derelict Space Sheep