Tag: Sarah Jane Adventures

Rani Takes on the World: The Star-Crossed Diversion

Rani Takes on the World: The Revenge of Wormwood—The Star-Crossed Diversion

by Alison Winter (Big Finish, 2023)

Audio drama cover: “Rani Takes on the World: The Revenge of Wormwood"; review of "The Star-Crossed Diversion” by Alison Winter (Big Finish, 2023)

Anjli Mohindra and Daniel Anthony seem effortlessly to recapture the Rani/Clyde dynamic. While the Bane menace is more social commentary than credible, thought-through masterplan, the story drifts along pleasantly enough. Jude (Maddison Bulleyment) wouldn’t be out of place as a recurring character.

Rani Takes on the World: Time Schisms!

Rani Takes on the World: The Revenge of Wormwood—Time Schisms!

by Lizbeth Myles (Big Finish, 2023)

Audio drama cover: “Rani Takes on the World: The Revenge of Wormwood"; review of "Time Schisms!” by Lizbeth Myles (Big Finish, 2023)

The threat resolution is pure bafflegab, but this is otherwise an engaging reintroduction to Luke and Rani in their newly mature, still ingenuous, post-Bannerman roles. The scenes are longer, less jump-cut skittish than the usual Big Finish template. Napoleon is gratifyingly non-gimmicky.

K-9 and Company

K-9 and Company: A Girl’s Best Friend

by Terence Dudley; dir. John Black (BBC, 1981)

DVD cover: K-9 and Company

A bizarrely misjudged attempt at a Doctor Who spin-off. Elisabeth Sladen and Ian Sears do well but the opening credits scream allegiance to Metal Mickey and this synth-schlock carries over into the incidental music, flambéing all menace from the Devil’s End plot.

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Deadly Download

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Deadly Download

by Jason Arnopp; audiobook read by Elisabeth Sladen (AudioGO, 2010)

Arnopp_Deadly Download

Cyber safety gets the alien treatment as the internet paves the way for mind control (through curiously unnecessary hardware reassembly). Elisabeth Sladen again reads with distinction but this audio adventure still comes across as a rather lightweight observance of the show’s formula.

 

 

Sarah Jane Adventures: Wraith World

The Sarah Jane Adventures: Wraith World

by Cavan Scott & Mark Wright; audiobook read by Elisabeth Sladen (AudioGO, 2010)

Scott_Wright_Wraith World

Elisabeth Sladen does her best, and the premise of ‘fiction writing reality’ is one young adults will enjoy, but it’s difficult to take seriously a worm-horde-wielding villain who considerately puts his attacks on hold whenever the protagonists want to talk things through.

 

 

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Glittering Storm

The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Glittering Storm

by Stephen Cole (BBC, 2007); audiobook read by Elisabeth Sladen

Cole_Glittering Storm

Elisabeth Sladen doesn’t so much read as act, her performance as Sarah Jane elevating this otherwise somewhat middling story of alien imperilment. Whatever the gold is being used for this time, however squidgy and one-dimensional the adversary, Sladen remains the consummate companion-turned-lead.

 

 

Derelict Space Sheep