Seagullslost's Doctor Who (and others) audio reviews

A Life Never Lived  Timeslip vol. 3 Simon, Liz, Jade, Neil and Charlotte, enter the barrier and find themselves in early 1914, just before the start of WW1. Its not an alternative timeline, the big twist being that they encounter Flora - a suffragette, who is Liz’s great grandmother. What’s more its the day before she dies… Its not quite what’s expected from Timeslip - not that I’m an expert. Though the first TV story was just set in the past, I think the big draw for me was seeing the alternative futures that started with the second tv story. This comes across more as an historical Doctor Who, its even only 4 30ish minute episodes.  It is enjoyable, the lads having to work as debt collectors, finding somewhere to live etc. The stuff with Fora is interesting - being a suffragette and the challenges she’s faced. You do want Liz to tell he what the future will be like. There is some nice debates as to whether saving Flora from her death will change time and history as they know ...

The Locked Room The Companion Chronicles 9.4 Once the ruler of a people he left the TARDIS to lead, Steven lives hidden away. His granddaughter Sida, now president, gave him money to build a radio telescope, but what exactly is he doing? So first off to appreciate this story to its fullest, you really need to not only know the TV series, but have heard the previous two ‘older Steven’ CC’s, and the Oliver Harper CC trilogy. I, so far haven’t heard the first older Steven, or the last Oliver Harper CC. I suppose that what happens when you pick up stuff in the sales. It didn’t impair my enjoyment, but you would be quite lost without doing some research first. The first Doctor does feature in this, indeed Steven has been working hard and has managed to contact/summon up up the Doctor. Unsurprisingly it involves both Steven and Sida being locked in a room. Of course there’s a twist - a third element that harks back to the Oliver Harper plot.  As I said it helps to know whats happened bef...

The Kamelion Empire                              Doctor Who Monthly Adventures 249                                                    Kamelion and his kind receive a recall signal: its time for Kamelion to go home… Its not quite the homecoming as the Kamille are all but gone, the remains of kamelions are scattered around but the Locus can revive his species… I’ve not been that complimentary of Kamelion in my reviews of the previous 2 audios. It feels that he’s one trick pony, just gets taken over by a stronger mind. Once you know one story, you know them all. This audio does for Kamelion what Domain of the Voord did for the Voord, which is to fill in the back story and expand on the little we’ve been told. The only issue with giving Kamelion a backstory is that part two is almost one l...

Burrowed Time The New Adventures or Bernice Summerrfield Buried Memories 5.4 The final in this set and its come too soon. A distress signal takes the Doctor and Benny to a museum, where they learn about a planet when the people fought a war in which a bomb wiped out pretty much all existence of them. But there’s a mystery - a tale of an underground train that’s  still running. Its not long before both the Doctor and Benny find themselves underground on the mythical train, and they’re not the only ones there. I quite like the idea of the race being more underground dwellers. The train having to bore its tunnel as it goes as the rock caves in as soon as it passes. Also it keeps itself going by reconstituting the minerals to bores. The Doctor mentions he’s had several bodies, though as this is a alternate third doctor, he’s not not actually had many. Of course there’s complications on the train, how’s its kept going and has been keeping the people ‘alive’ and its all interesting. Anot...

Dead and Breakfast  The New Adventures or Bernice Summerrfield Buried Memories 5.3 Bernice and the Doctor are taking the guise as a married couple (shouldn’t bee too difficult), as the place they’ve come to has some very strict old fashioned rules. In keeping with the set title, Buried Memories, Benny is working on a dig, though she’s pretending not to know much about archaeology. As usual things are not quite right, the rules, the fact that where they’re digging doesn’t seem to be in the right place. Not to mentions one or two murders. Benny befriends Rylan, a young lad who reminds her of her own son Peter. I’ve only listened to the first 4 series of the Benny audios and have jumped ahead, and as the continuity threaded through the novels as well as the audios, her relationship with her son isn’t something I’m that familiar with. But continuity reference are enjoyable, and the fact that he son isn’t just forgotten is adds to the character. There is some nice stuff going on in this...

Clear History The New Adventures or Bernice Summerrfield Buried Memories 5.2 Civitas -G is the location of this adventure for Benny and the Doctor. The people have moved over to living in an artificial simulation, though as we soon find out people are missing and its not quite the utopia it may first appear. Its a pretty standard story, I did suffer from not listening in one go, as details get forgotten. But all would seem to be good, except for those little things that aren’t, which on closer examination turn out to be massive flaws of the society and its setup. The fact is that these audio with David Warner and Lisa I’ve found to be really enjoyable, each set I’ve looked forward to the next. Its not the most original plot, but nicely executed, it has some good moments and is a great listen.

Pride of The Lampian  The New Adventures or Bernice Summerrfield Buried Memories 5.1 Back in our universe, Benny and the Doctor visit a market, well, car boot sale. A statue catches Benny’s eye, and lets to the discovery of the Lampians. Being an archaeologist, its in Benny’s nature to find out about the past. A curious little statue, that on examination, take her to a museum. A reference entry that’s gone un noticed, which in turn uncovers the lost empire of the Lampians. Not the the Doctor’s convinced. What more is that the more they find, the more there is too find. It is one of the stories where you kind of know what’s going on, but its still a joy to go on the journey. Benny’s desire to actually discover a lost civilisation, to become lauded, not too far from any of us. Indeed her new friend at the museum is just as excited. I’ve really been enjoying these ‘New Adventures’ well since David Warner joined in set 3.  A good audio.

Death Of Empire Blake’s 7 Crossfire 4.12 The war between the presidents has come to a head, two armies fighting a space war, but where does the Liberator stand in all this? Serverlan is hiding away with a ship on standby, Zeera Ros is there for company - though she has appeared in the last few episodes she hasn’t really left a mark on me. Its not looking good for Serverlan. As for the Liberator crew; they’ve already decided who they were siding with, and now’s the time to help. Its a bit more of an action episode, and is fulfilling the “crossfire” title, but I would have liked more of this beforehand. It does go someway to explain Serverlans’ change into Sleer. Also mentions of the old presidents clones. Avon and co are not exactly at the heart of the story though, the presidents, the war,. They turn up get shot at and fail to achieve much. Tarrant still recovering from last episode’s deeds. Things end on a low note for them and presumably to be resolved the the ‘Restoration” series. T...

Hooklight The Fifth Doctor Adventures A problem with the TARDIS means the Doctor, Adric, Tegan and Nyssa have landed on the planet Rift, they track the source of the issue to a museum, where a lamp seems to hold Hooklight! With high ratings, and it being a six part story (and indeed, only the first half) it feels like an epic and something special. Hooklight is a substance the shouldn’t exist, it stops time and never starts again - so don’t touch it. For The Doctor its something he must eliminate. It did remind me of a Star Trek Voyager episode, where they find the existence of an element in which there’s a directive that it must be destroyed.  It is an adventure through time and space. Sending Adric back to move the TARDIS, he goes on he own journey, meets someone who believes Adric is the Doctor he once spent a lot of time with.   The Doctor is sent back in time. Nyssa seems to have a connection with the lamp and won’t leave it - similar to Frodo and the Ring in LoTR. She do...