Class, Series 1
by Patrick Ness (BBC, 2016)
A Doctor Who spinoff in name only. This appropriation of Coal Hill School carries an oppressive, bleak atmosphere, and far too much teenage angst to sit well (especially sans all but the occasional sardonic quip for comic relief). Nevertheless, a worthwhile experiment.
Beast of Fang Rock
by Andy Frankham-Allen (Candy Jar Books, 2015)
Workmanlike at best, Frankham-Allen weaves a convoluted story around Doctor Who’s favourite lighthouse (cf. ‘The Horror of Fang Rock’), sending Lethbridge-Stewart and Anne Travers into a paradox that may have seemed diverting in the planning stages but falls flat in the telling.
Doctor Who: Corpse Marker
by Chris Boucher (BBC, 1999); audiobook read by David Collings (BBC, 2015)
Back in the late 1970s Chris Boucher established the character of Leela, wrote the classic Doctor Who story The Robots of Death, and script-edited Blake’s 7. Little surprise, then, that his robots sequel Corpse Marker showcases the better qualities of all three.
Doctor Who: The Stone Rose
by Jacqueline Rayner (BBC, 2006); abridged audiobook read by David Tennant (BBC Audio, 2006)
David Tennant’s narration goes some way towards saving this novel, but for all his exuberance the plot remains structured around obtuse main characters and a pantheon of dei ex machina. (Additionally, the Doctor’s escapades at the Flavian Amphitheatre form a new nadir.)
Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation
by Ian Marter (Target, 1979); audiobook read by John Leeson (Chivers, 2011)
As a TV serial ‘The Ribos Operation’ is respected for its production values, script and performances. As a novelisation it becomes saggy and tedious. Wholehearted writer Ian Marter assiduously seizes every conceivable opportunity to unerringly inject knee-hammer adjectives and slavishly conceived adverbs.
Doctor Who: The Price of Paradise
by Colin Brake; audiobook read by Shaun Dingwall (BBC Audio, 2006)
A competent SF story that captures the Tenth Doctor and Rose quite well. Through the Paradise Planet and her guardians, Blake works in a meaningful idea rather than the ‘slapdash make a monster hash of it’ approach of many other Who writers.
Doctor Who, Doom Coalition 2: The Sonomancer
by Matt Fitton (Big Finish, 2016)
Fitton manages some strong characterisation — Liv Chenka takes charge; Helen Sinclair bonds with River Song — but although Alex Kingston is quite the drawcard, the lack of interaction between her and Paul McGann is disappointing, as is the plot degeneration into runaround dénouement.
Doctor Who, Doom Coalition 2: The Gift
by Mark Platt (Big Finish, 2016)
Following the format of the first Doom Coalition series, Mark Platt presents listeners with the classic third episode let-down. The plot doesn’t so much tread water as flounder horribly, the production degenerating into a loud, disorderly shambles as it heralds episode four.
Doctor Who, Doom Coalition 2: Scenes from her Life
by John Dorney (Big Finish, 2016)
An audio drama but a TV idea, the sort to make one wonder at what Paul McGann’s Doctor could have been (or could still be if brought back in, say, a multi-Doctor special). A nice mix of Classic and New Series styles.
Doctor Who, Doom Coalition 2: Beachhead
by Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2016)
A simple enough little story but well-handled, the audio drama remaining coherent even while cutting amongst four female characters (plus Paul McGann’s Doctor). As a continuity note, the Voord do seem rather more sprightly than they were in The Keys of Marinus!