Seagullslost's Doctor Who (and others) audio reviews

The English Way of Death                           Doctor Who : The Novel Adaptations                                           The Doctor plans to return some library books. People from the future are using a time corridor to live in the past. And a gaseous alien called Zodaal , is using the body of the son of a biscuit manufacturer to bring himself back into existence. Its the fourth time I’ve tried to listen to this, having found that I’m not really following it. There’s at least 4 different plots,  Percy Closed - one of the people from the future, Mr Stackhouse - the biscuit maker, The Doctor, and then Romana . Each one doing there own thing. I’ve listened to audios before where I’ve had the same issue. As you start to get into the current plot line, it changes, and suddenly you’re trying to remember what thi...

Upstairs                         Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles 8.3                         The Doctor , Vicky and Steven arrive in the attic rooms of a house in London. Peter Purves and Maureen O’Brien star in this story, with Vicky narrating. You get the idea of this very quickly, The Doctor manages to see out of a skylight to se the familiar markings of London, sometime in the  18th century give or take. As they venture through the rooms they realise that there’s no exit, just endless rooms. Its the kind of set up I really like, just enough mystery, a little reminiscent of part 1 of the space museum . What adds to the intrigue is that they realise that the rooms are the same but in different timezones, and the fact that, if they can’t find their way back to the TARDIS they may die there.  There’s also a fungus that’s a concern. Part 2 is where th...

The Helliax Rift                                Doctor Who The Monthly Adventures 237                        A solo outing for the Fifth Doctor .  Mid 1980’s, woods in England, the Doctor is investigating a crashed spaceship, and a signal, and so are UNIT . The Doctor and UNIT together again dealing with aliens: just like old times or is it? Though the Doctor and UNIT run into each other, its not quite the reunion that The Doctor (or we) would hope it to be. Lieutenant-Coronel Lewis Price , isn’t as enamoured with the Doctor as the previous leaders of UNIT were. In fact he seems to actively dislike the Doctor, the discord between them makes for an interesting set up. Also on the UNIT team is Daniel Hopkins . The cliffhanger at the end of part 1 is quite interesting as you really aren’t sure as to which way its going to go. It does suffer from t...

Hostage                                       Star Cops 1.8                                     Mother Earth has made themselves known again, this time an explosion on an outpost. Kenzie and Priya meet up with a fellow officer, while Nathan once again has to prove the ISPF ’s worth. Sally is the officer who was there when the explosion happened. No fatalities, by only due to a last minute change. Mary (Sarah Sutton) was one of the people who was meant to be in the room where the bomb exploded and would have died. Now she believes she’s still in danger, taking a hostage maybe her only way out. The whole team are present in this, Paul Bailey back from sick leave. He and Devis are off doing their own thing on a connected line of inquiry. With the star cops themselves being at the front of the danger; Mary...

The Gulf                   The Third Doctor Adventures                                                               In this adventure The Doctor and Sarah arrive on a rig on a sea world.  This starts off as the old trope of a couple breaking down in the middle of nowhere and finding refuge in a large house, where they are welcomed and have diner, only to find things are not quite as they seem. The Doctor and Sarah being the couple, as as soon as they land a bridge collapses leaving them stranded.  Its a straight forward start, which I liked. Sometimes you’re given too much, or no context and with audio, its not always easy to pick up the various elements, so it was a nice lead into the story. The rest of the audio plays out as a base under siege story - an entity in the water at...

Military Intelligence                      Jago and Litefoot 6.3                                            A shadow of doubt is cast on the nature of the Colonel, as he’s more interested in learning about J&L’s adventures, particularly Dr Tulip , rather than sending them on another outing for Queen and Country . With the shredded bodies of murder victims being found, and warnings about not asking questions about the Colonel, its just another day for the pair. The last instalment is glossed over, as there’s no mention of it and it seemingly having no barring on the events of this series. We’re introduced to miss Agatha , and old favourites return to the fold i.e Elle and Quick . It does feel like a lot of nothing going on. Though it does eventually get to a some idea of a plot, it takes its time doing it. Everything com...

The Last Days of the Powell Estate The Ninth Doctor Adventures 4.2 The Doctor and Rose find themselves in the future, 2036 , to be exact. Though, when Rose discovers that the run down, derelict building they’ve arrived at is what left of the Powell estate , she starts to worry about her mother… It feels like quite a wait since the last episode. I’m not one for binge listening, but with Chris and Billie back together, you just want more. They meet a guy doing a video about strange places who tells the Doctor and Rose about an entity dubbed ‘ Mr Fingers ’. People feel a hand on their shoulder but when they turn round no ones there, feel it twice and you’re gone. The idea would make quite a nice horror film. It has the ingredients, the empty building, the sense of something unreal, people disappearing. The fact that once there felt the hand, if they turn around next time, they’re a goner.  The entity exists both in Roses time and the future, so we get Jackie and her friend in 2006...

Return of the Repressed                    Jago and Litefoot 6.2                      Jago is seeing a therapist, but not just any therapist, Sigmund Freud no less. Add in a baboon and things are getting little strange for the pair. I was half way though this adventure when I came to look at the reviews. I wasn’t really taking it in, and felt perhaps I’d missed something. Usually I try to give an idea of the plot, in this case I can’t seem to do that. Both Jago and Litefoot seem to be learning about themselves. But it moves from one thing to another and I didn’t find myself any the wiser as to what was going on. You don’t know what’s real, Litefoot hitting a baboon with a stick (or telling someone to) seemed a bit out of character, and I waited for when it would be explained/undone, but it didn’t really come. Only to be brought up again towards the end.  There a bit where Li...