Seagullslost's Doctor Who (and others) audio reviews

Black Thursday Doctor Who the Monthly range 248a The Doctor,Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion arrive in a coal mine in Wales, in the early 1900’s. A gas explosion means the Tardis team are thrust into middle of it, helping where they can. Its not a bad setting and setup. Mentions of the pit ponys who spend their lives in the mines, afterdamp, and as a historical, informing you as well as entertaining. Though I did enjoy the first part, I lost interest during the second. I do appreciate the fact the BF have tried to do more for Kamelion, but it seems so obvious that the character is very limited. In this story rather than being ‘possessed’ by someone he gets taken over by the grief of a woman who has lost her husband and son. It is a different take on Kamelion but the fact that he is still unable to assert his own freewill and is consumed by outside influence does mean its the same issue.  There is a nice reference early on about the Doctors back - a reference to the damage in the previo...

The Iron Maid The Companion Chronicles 12.3 14th  century and a church in France is where The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves… I’m writing this more fro completion that anything else. I have been struggling with audios lately, just not being able to get into them. This just didn’t engage me, its a bit slow, I should probably give it another go but I don’t really see much reason. Though this is a Zoe/Wendy Padbury story Frazer Hines also features playing Jamie and the second Doctor. There is a scene where Wendy does narrate instead which felt a little odd, the audio doesn’t make the best use of Frazer. The plot itself is about relics from a war, but a war in the future. Its not a bad premise, but the style of the audio isn’t one that excites me. 

The Second Doctor Adventures War of The Morai The Tardis crew are back at the Vanishing point, but so are the Daleks. I didn’t write a review when I first heard this, mainly because I never really understood it, I didn’t think I could write a fair appraisal. And after another listen its no better. The Vanishing point - not really sure what it is, but I never got a sense of what it was either. Other than some old buildings I have no idea of the layout, the soundscape gives no clues. Is it a black void, a village, a spaceship? When we hear the Daleks discussing plans its assumable that’s they’re on their ship but as the Doctor and co hear them talking we know not. It isn’t clear. As for a plot? Well the Morai have calcified themselves, which is what the building are made of and the Daleks are trying to undo that. Jamie and Raven disappear for a while, the Doctor becomes bodiless for a while, Zoe is captured by the Daleks, so she does get something decent to do. As with the rest of this a...

Timewyrm: Genesis  An alien on the run lands on earth, can she use her powers to control the minds of the primitive race? I saw a copy of the novel of Paradise Towers, and having remembered watching it a couple of year before I bought it, and it rekindled my interest in Doctor Who. When the New Adventures were announced, I was excited: It was new Doctor Who. I bought the first ten or eleven, but never got farther than the first couple of chapters of the Timewyrm: Genesis. Stuck for something to read, I thought I’d see how I find it now. The story of Gilgamesh is not something I’m that familiar with, and being a historical stetting, which isn’t my favourite, means that it has a couple of things against. Which may have contributed to me not getting very far with it. Also with this series being for a more adult audience, and at the time I was 15, so again possibly another factor in why I struggled.  You don’t need to know anything about Gilgamesh to follow this, it could have bee...

Rewind The War Doctor Begins Battlegrounds 3.3 The planet Lacuna, where the people are being attacked by the Daleks. But everyday is the same, the exact same day… So this is a time reset story, I’ve loved them since I saw the 1990 short film 12.01, and then Groundhog Day etc. The story is told from Ignis Abel’s point of view, how reliving the same day is wearing down on the people - the fact that she’s the only one who still bothers to say good morning. The Futility of their situation.  There is a little bit of time before the Doctor enters the story, however Ignis is a great character, very likeable and doesn’t quite do what expected. I think this makes the difference - you’re quite happy to follow her and how she deals with what’s happening. This brings up the usual War Doctor issues, the fact that his action are part of the problem, the fact that he’s not ‘The Doctor’ as he isn’t that person any more. I enjoyed it, there are some good moments, and had a open ending which worked ...

The Keeper of  Light The War Doctor Begins Battlegrounds  A disused lighthouse, an older married couple, the Doctor and his companion and an entity. This wasn’t quite what I had expected, and as so frequently is the case ,I wondered if I’d missed or forgotten where things had ended in the previous set. All becomes clear, but patience is needed. Its a slow burn, almost glacially and it struggled to hold my attention, as I found my mind wondering. The fact is that virtually nothing happens for the first half. There a light coming on in the lighthouse, yet there’s no lens and not been used for years. The long married couple have got away to try and work on their failing marriage. The Doctor and Layla have turned up to investigate… well I wasn’t entirely sure.  I do have trouble paying attention when I don’t know why its relevant. Hearing these characters complain about the food they’re cooking and other such trivialities, you do wonder if they’re actually going to get on wit...

All’s Fair The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 5.2 Valerie and Roanna meet up to hopefully start a relationship. What better place then the worlds fair, Chicago 1893. All going well until a man shows up claiming to be Valeries husband. I’ll start  by saying that I listened to Spirit Of The Season over Christmas a year or two ago, my first foray into the eleventh Doctor audios. Having enjoyed it I went back and started with Valeries first story and have now caught up. For some reason I just didn’t get into Spirit Of The Season on relistening and it was the same with this. (It maybe that having done a couple of intensive sets I just need a break). Valerie first met Roanna in ‘The Yearn’ a series or two ago. In Spirit Of The Season she decided to move forward with her life and see how things would go with Roanna. I’m not one for romance in Doctor Who, its not I want from it, but once the plot gets moving its more sidelined anyway. Hayden seems to be genuine, and there’s a research centre w...

The Founding Fathers The Companion Chronicles  The First Doctor 1.3 Steven’s grand daughter takes him to visit the Doctor, yet its not the actual Doctor and there they tell a story of an adventure they once had where they met Benjamin Franklin. So perhaps a little more unusual, in that what’s happening with the current Steve is as, if not more, interesting as the story that’s being narrated. The narrated story tells of the TARDIS arriving in Leicester in 1762, with it being quite warm the Doctor takes off his coat and throws to back into the TADIS, and inadvertently locking the crew out of the TARDIS. Getting back in is a little tricking and the only man that can help is Benjamin Franklin. It is more of an interlude than a full blown adventure. It takes time to win the trust of Benjamin. A storm is needed to help open the TARDIS lock. And there’s someone who may not be quite who they seem.  It does feel a bit pointless to included someone famous and not do anything that intere...

Devil In The Mist                                                                 Doctor Who Monthly Adventures 247                                                 ‘The snakes can hiss off” The Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and Kamelion arrive on a ship that’s carrying a single prisoner.  Things aren’t exactly harmonious on board the TARDIS as Tegan is distrustful of Kamelion - you can’t blame her he has form. The ship they land on is transporting a criminal who can change into a mist at will, so not easy to contain. The crew of the ship consist of two hippopotamus like people. When things go wrong on the ship and it crashes; it's merely the start of their problems. It's nice to have Kamelion as a ‘proper’ compan...