Seagullslost's Doctor Who (and others) audio reviews

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...

The Tactics Of Defeat                                         The Companion Chronicles 12.4                   Ruth Matheson is in the jungle, heading towards an temple with only a recording of Zoe Herriot to guide her. I don’t do my research, and having finished my current play list for the month early I brought this up to fill the gap. The companion chronicles make a nice rest between boxsets. I did wonder if I’d missed something - whether this carried on from something else. I do believe what happened to Charlie Sato is explained in a short trip, a usually they’re together. Assuming you know who Ruth is then you’re good to go.  I’ve come to quite like Ruth, and its nice that Daphne Ashbrook gets to still get to play a role in the Doctor Who universe This is mostly a two hander between Ruth and adversary Deakin. Ruth has traveled to a tem...

Sins Of The Father The War Master: Master of Callous 2.4 Back on Callous, Teremon wants the Swenyo and nothing will stop her. Mr Orman knows its location and its not like that kindly old man can do anything. This begins with Mr Orman - the Master being tortured, though this is the Master and laughing at their attempts isn’t the response they want. Finally we’re seeing the real Master. The thing about the Master he likes a long game doesn’t he? How much time did he spend will Bill in World Enough and Time? It feels such a long time since Elliot King trying to get the mines working and the Ood with their ringing phone in part one. I’m not sure if I’d have the paiitence.  With the focus of the set being on Cassandra, her father, Martine, Teremon and the people of Callous, now they’re no longer the driving force. Teremon knows the swenyo has been hidden and will wipe out the whole colony to get it. Its a desperate situation and its felt here. Cassandra is at her wits ends, everything s...

The Persistence OF Dreams The War Master: Master of Callous 2.3 Alone on as asteroid, with a bulk load of Swenyo, a mind affecting substance, can Martine keep her sanity? If you’d heard the last part then you’ll know. In order to hide the swenyo and stop Teremon taking all the profits, they snuck it aboard a small ship that went under the radars of the governor. Offloading in an an asteroid, Martine was left behind temporally, to guard it. Very much a change in this part of the story, and as with the first part not so much of the Master. To be honest you are in the dark with what’s actually happening. The swenyo has psychic energy that can drive people mad - it certainly did with the Oods, which is what made it so difficult to mine. This audio deals with the isolation, not knowing what going on back home and the loneliness. With only an Ood for company - and they’re not known for their conversation its not easy. Add the psychic effects of the Sewnyo and Martine is on the edge of insani...

The Glittering Prize The war Master: Master of Callous 2.2 The mining colony Callous, Cassandra King has taken over from her father, and finally its successful. But governor Teremon wants her, rather large, slice of the pie. This picks up a little time after the end of part 1. The mining is working and the Swenyo is plentiful, everyone is happy, but once again the issue is that Teremon exerts her control by upping the levies, and taking most of the profits for herself. Its a nice continuation of the story and expands on the setup in Call for the Dead. The Master is more present in this episode. Playing Mr Orman, a kindly old man, helping with advice etc. Though featuring more he’s still a secondary character and you’re still wondering what his overall objective is. Other interesting aspect of the audio deals with are wether to give back the shares that the workers returned. A case that people are there for you when things are good but desert you when they’re not. There’s a little bit g...

Call for the Dead The war Master: Master of Callous Callous - a mining colony, Elliot King trying his best to make it work, only being heavy levied by Teremon - the governor. Wild Odd in the forest and Mines that can’t be Mined. From the opening narration by the war master, the brilliant music and a first scene where a woman lands a ship and cold-bloodedly kill and Ood, I thought that this would be an amazing War Master episode. How wrong I was! Prior to this I’d heard Beneath the Viscoid, and was planning Anti Genesis next, with this coming on sale and being the second set, it felt better place to continue. Beneath The Viscoid didn’t wow me, it was ok but not outstanding. The start of this felt much more like it. However the Master only really appears briefly after 25 minutes, then its another 25 before another brief appearance only to turn up again at the end. A master lite episode it would seem. The story itself centres around the leader of the colony. He’s in a despairate situation...

After The Daleks                                                                           Doctor Who The Early Adventures 7.1                                                                The Dalek Invasion Of Earth is over, the Doctor and TARDIS have gone leaving Susan and the human race to rebuild the planet. The Dalek Invasion Of Earth is one of my favourite stories, so this audio intrigued me. Though we’ve had stories - An Earthly Child - dealing with what happened to Susan this takes place much closer to the immediate aftermath of the invasion. Growing crops, and choosing leaders is where they’re at, and ex governor of zone 5, Marcus Bray, i...

Borrow Or Rob Eighth Doctor Adventures Time War 6.4 Back on the ship in the Void, The Doctor, Alex, and Hieronyma/captain are being attacked. This carries on from where The Road Untravelled left off, Cass having fallen through a doorway and presumed dead. They suddenly have to defend themselves.  I was somewhat underwhelmed but this. The ‘reflections’ that seemed so interesting in ‘The Road…” become mundane. They’re not getting accurate readings from what’s outside, and the reveal of what’s really going on turns an interesting premise into something rather dull and ordinary. Cass eventually turns up, and yet again maybe not quite the version she was. And brings a whole new set of mysteries.  There are a couple of twists, though the one was began in ‘The Road…’ with the ‘Cass-cade’ episode being a bit of a detour, the momentum has gone. The build up isn’t as satisfying as maybe it should. The set as a whole seems to be a two parter with a prelude and a sidestep. Not really answ...

The Road Untravelled Eighth Doctor Adventures Time War 6.2 At the end of the last episode the Doctor and co had got out of the fake reality they were in and now find themselves on a spaceship in a void space. With Nowhere Never having some unanswered questions, this doesn’t do much to help. The ‘Captian’ seems to be known by the Doctor and its one of those times where you’re suddenly trying to work out if you should know them as well. With so many different Big Finish ranges is hard to keep up: Hieronyam Friend - the captain, we encountered as the non existent passenger in Meanwhile, Elsewhere. Yeah I had to look it up! Conrad Westmass plays the Captain, with his previous role as the Eighths companion C’rizz, its a little odd, but it maybe due to the character he’s playing. The void space has reflections hence the title, and they are reflections of the ship. Other versions, but which version will make it out? Add to that the ship is of old Gallifrayan origin your interest is piqued. Ca...

Cass-Cade Eighth Doctor Adventures Time War 6.3 Cass is on a space station, a queue for the food counter where she meets the Doctor and Alex who don’t know her. Suddenly she’s somewhere else, where she meets the Doctor and Alex who don’t know her and well… you get the idea. Its tempting to say this is a more straight forward story, yet that is isn’t. The space station is falling towards the sun and Cass is jumping around time meeting the Doctor and Alex at different points in the adventure, each time as if for the first. Like much other such adventures it starts to come together and you can build an idea of what’s the plot is, though why she jumping around in time is another matter. A Cass driven audio and quite enjoyable. Cass herself very Doctor like, dealing with what’s going on fairly well. If you’re waiting for an explanation as to what’s going on, then its a let down, as there isn’t one. Maybe the final will reveal all… Enjoyable

Brimstone and Terror Missy 2.2 Here Missy is in charge of a boarding school, perhaps not the best for the pupils, especially Oliver Davis who knows Missy of old and so does his sister… Oliver and Lucy appeared in the first episode of series one of Missy - A Spoonfull of Mayhem. So it was quite nice to have them reappear. Things aren’t good for Oliver, being somewhat bullied by another boy - McAllister is bad enough but his old association with Missy seems more detrimental to his situation than anything else. Things pick ups when Lucy enters the story as does Strax the sontaran of Paternoster fame. Though he did add to the story and I enjoyed him, I do wonder if it was necessary to included him. Overall an enjoyable episode but I’m not left moved. It has all the right elements and some nice writing but there was something missing

Nowhere, Never Eighth Doctor Adventures Time War 6.1 Cass - a house wife, doing her daily routines. The Doctor and Alex in some strange hospital during the war. None of them knowing who they really are. When I first listened to The Natural History of fear, C’rizz had only just joined as a companion so I wasn’t so familiar with his voice. With that audio, like this, with the main cast not quite playing themselves so it was almost like he wasn’t there. It was only a few months since I heard the previous set, but there’s been a lot of other audios since then. So it was a similar situation with Alex and Cass - listening to these voices without ‘getting’ its the companion. Its a little bit of a confusing start. The action is already in motion and you’re put into the middle of it, with vague memories of what happened last time and trying to connect that with this. Don’t. FYI in the final moments of Previously Next Time, Cass had vanished.  You’re not given any information. I’d done the f...

The Quantum Possibility Engine                                              Doctor Who The Monthly Adventures                                                             The last adventure left on a bit of a cliffhanger: Mel having betrayed The Doctor and handed over the TARDIS to president Dogbolter. So now we find out why? President Dogbolter - to be honest I had to look up who he was as it felt as if I should know. He was in the DWM comics and also featured in the Maltese Penguin - though I must admit its been sometime since I listened it. Mel has debts which Dogbolter bought, and to clear them its going to take the TARDIS and its manual. If she doesn’t? Well it doesn’t bear thinking about. This is very much a Mel led story...

The Lumiat                                         Missy 2.1                          Missy, up to her old tricks of stirring up the red and the black ants. Only this time its people. All going well (or bad depending on your viewpoint) until a timelady appears, it has to be the Doctor doesn’t it? Who else could it be? I listened to this twice - a couple of months apart. The first time I felt it was OK, but seeing the reviews and it having been rated quite highly, I thought perhaps I’d missed something. The Lumiat: she’s has been in a couple of other audios (Masterful and Timelord Immemorial)  - both of which I’ve heard but in the wrong order. Gina Mckee pays the Lumiat, for me always remembered for being on the Lenny Henry show. I don't really remember much about her from those audios though. With the Lumiat showing up ...