Seagullslost's Doctor Who (and others) audio reviews

The First Sontarans                                        Doctor Who: The Lost Stories 3.6                       I bought this nearly a year ago and have just found time to fit it in. I gather this was commissioned for Colin Bakers first season, before it was changed to 45 minute episodes and then was cancelled due to the Two Doctors also featuring the Sontarans . Due to be set on the Marie Celeste , it was altered and only a reference, and a mention of the Daleks remain. A group of aliens are living on Earth in the late 1800’s, but what are they doing there? And what’s there problem with the Sontarans. There is a lot packed into these 4 episodes, so much so that it feels much longer - not a complaint. Some stories I’ve come away from trying to remember what did happen.  Episode one seems to have the Doctor and Peri go from...

 Photograph To Remember                                             The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1.2                                            While Jenny and Strax take time off they visit a photographer whose photos have an unearthly aspect to them. Madam Vastra meets someone who's back from the dead and isn’t quite the person they were. I wasn’t that impressed with the first episode in this set, though I find I quite enjoyed this. The gang meet an alternative version of themselves in that Vella, another Silurian, Stonn - a Sontaran and a human are the Bloomsbury bunch. Its interesting with Vastra and Vella catching up and sharing experiences.  Though I didn’t listen in one go there were a couple of times when the plot seemed to shift, Strax suddenly being...

Shadow Of The Moonlight Star Cops: Conflict 5.2 The release of a new film staring Coral Goldfinch, with its premier on the Moon. Well as she stars as the commander of the Star Cops where else would you have the premier? Its an interesting idea - a film featuring the Star Cops. The leading lady is making a come back, after the death of her daughter, though things take a turn when her boyfriend Striker Torrance is murdered. I was going to say that the features the whole team, but I’ve realise that Alice isn’t present. In the last episode she was escorting a prisoner back form Mars so she’s not back yet. Its an enjoyable audio, somewhat standard. But it has a couple of good twists that ramp up the tension towards the end and make it a cut above the norm. There is a nice call back to previous member of the Star Cops, so for long tern fans its a nice touch. Also is mention of Kenzy’s new romance. This loses marks for the constant use of autospy in place of post mortem and the use of flash l...

The Hunting Ground                                                                          Doctor Who The Monthly Adventures 246                                                Present day Iceland and a body has been found in the snow and the Doctor maybe be the only suspect. Yrsa, from the police, is the stand in companion for this story. Her father, also in the police, was murdered not that long ago. So she has a vested interest in the case. This doesn’t quite follow the usual pattern of Doctor Who stories. The Doctor and Yrsa following  tracks to a compound, rather than a runaround and a more limited cast of characters. Its quite a refreshing change from the usual earth settings....

Too Many Masters                                                   Missy Series 2.4                                                At the end of the last adventure the Monk had turned up. Reunited since their last meeting in Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated. Its been a year or so since I listened to the first set of Missy so as usual, though I remember the story, how it ended less so. But since a lot of stories ended with the Master apparently dying only to be alive and well next time, its not that important. Rufus Hounds Monk is great, about as different to Peter Butterworths version as David Tennants Doctor is to William Hartnells. Michelle Gomez Missy is fantastic - sometimes you can tell actors are more reading their lines rather than inhabiti...

The Unwinding World The Companion Chronicles 9.2 Vicky attends a meeting; an assessment to see how’s she’s settled in, how her friends, The Doctor, Barbara and Ian are doing. Their jobs, the flat etc.. This is a really good example of how to use the medium and format to its best. The first in this range put me off for years, it was only the Mahogany Murderers that tied into the Jago and Litefoot series, that made me give them another try. Like that, this is mostly a conversation between Vicky and Connie, so when talking about events involving The Doctor, Ian or Barbara its a much more natural way of those characters being in the story while the actors are not (first person narration isn’t something I enjoy). As you might have guessed it starts with some mystery as we join the story already in progress, and as we find out they’ve been on this world for at least 3 months. Which has necessitated in them getting jobs and somewhere to live in lieu of the TARDIS. Itself having been taken. It...

Treason and Plot                               Missy 2.3                                  Its 1605, London. Missy, somewhat stranded and wanting to get the attention of someone who could help, gets involved in the Gunpowder plot. Only rather than stop it happening she wants to make sure it succeeds. Its not a bad setting for an adventure; the failed attempt to blow up the house of lords. In this there is the added aspect of a novice time agent trying to catch up with Missy’s tampering. I don’t know why, but I’ve not been enjoying this set as much as I did the last. Even making an effort to listen to this more continuously didn’t help. I just wasn’t engaged with it. I didn’t care what was happening. Maybe the fact the you know she’s not going to succeed, perhaps the historical setting, maybe its just a bit mundane. I do like inter...

Cloud Eight The Ninth Doctor Adventures 4.4 A slight departure from the last three episodes as the Doctor and Rose go to the future. The Powell estate is now more of a rain forrest and the people all live in the sky… The city of High High Wycombe , and it would seem to be a paradise, life is easy and Rose even gets a sleep over with new made friends. As with such stories - the Macra Terror springs to mind - all is not as good as it seems. When the friends seem to have forgotten recent events, its not until Rose forgets most of the day the intrigue really sets in. Maybe it's the more sci fi setting but I really enjoyed this. It's not just the people and Rose, the Doctor is also forgetting how much time they’re actually spending there. It's done quite nicely in audio, The Doctor, Rose and friends going through the same experiences and not fathoming out what’s going on. It is one of those where you think they’re too clever to get taken in but then they do, all too easily, e...

Trial Of George Litefoot                    Jago and Litefoot 6.4                        For some reason I didn't finish writing this review, so for what's its worth... With the previous episode ending on Litefoot being arrested for the murder of Jago, we find out what happens next. Its a very listenable story. It would seem all is lost for Litefoot, in jail, his friends dead, and no one to help… Well there is but its a bit of a spoiler. We have the court room stuff which takes most of the first half. Itself proceeding, in order to root out the real culprits. If you’ve seen any courtroom drama stuff in other media then this is really more of the same. Things take a slight twist which leads into the second half. Spolier section Its Jago that defends Litefoot in court, taking on an alias (Lets face it we all knew he wasn’t really dead). Though allowing to go to the verdict...

Iron Bright                                    Doctor Who The Monthly Adventures 239                                                 The Doctor lands in London in 1828 and The Brunels are digging a tunnel under the Thames… This had the feeling of Mark of The Rani - an historical setting, not that far in the past. The historical figure - Isambard Kingdom Brunel,  workers scared of ghosts etc.  A standard plot and felt flat. Things change in the second half of the story, as it doesn’t play out in the way you might think. As episode three continued I had to go back and relisten as I wasn’t taking it in, and even when I did I found myself questioning the plot. It kind of felt like a tangent, though it all came together. Without wanting to give too much away the overall plot ...