Cameron Mason's Reviews - Audio Visuals Reviews Condensed

Season 1

The Space Wail
The Doctor and his new companion Greg arrive on a spaceship carrying prisoners about to be executed. The first of the Audio Visuals is a bit of a mixed bag: Gary Russell (writing as Warren Martyn) has written a script that is quite awful in parts, although the basic idea behind the story is decent enough; some of the acting is poor, such as Stephen Payne as the Doctor; Gary Russell's character only exists in order to be killed (like a lot of characters Gary plays in various Audio Visual and Big Finish productions). Richard Marson is good as Greg and Marilyn Layton is fantastic as BABE. An interesting experiment that led to better things.
Preliminary Rating: 6 - 7/10

The Time Ravangers
The Doctor regenerates as an Earth vessel arrives at its destination to find it destroyed. Is it all the Temperon's doing, or is an old enemy of the Doctor behind it all? The second Audio Visual is a big improvement on the first, something that can probably be attributed to Nicholas Briggs becoming involved in the acting and production side of things. Brigg's Doctor is a fascinating character, one I look forward to hearing develop over time. A tight script and first class characters make The Time Ravagers the first classic Audio Visual story.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Connection 13
1990. The British space program is dirupted when they lose contact with their first space station. The Doctor's investigations soon reveal alien interference in the programme, which will result in a death amongst the TARDIS crew... A story that uses some of the themes of Terror of the Zygons, the major problem with Connection 13 is that there are a lot of interesting ideas in the script that aren't developed properly, with most of the story being rushed and not properly explained. The incidental music is too loud during several scenes, making the dialogue hard to hear, but is redeemed by the beautiful piece that ends the story.
Preliminary Rating: 6 - 7/10

Conglomerate
The TARDIS takes the Doctor and Greg to an apparently deserted city, where the Doctor soon falls under the influence of something very sinister... Conglomerate starts off as a very surreal story, an empty city, running trains, with only a tannoy voice indicating that there is something else out there with them. For the most part, it works well with just Greg and the Doctor, but as the reason for the city's existence and those behind it is revealed, it would have been better to have introduced another character, rather than have the Doctor tell Greg what the "Chairmen of the Board of Directors" plans are. At the conclusion of Conglomerate is the first On Tape, focussing on the creation of the Audio Visuals, a look at the stories of Season One, and a brief outline of the future of the range...
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

Cloud of Fear
On their way to Arwenella Seven, the TARDIS gets caught in up in a deadly cloud, trapping the Doctor and Greg in the realm of the Psionivores, creatures who feed on the fear of others... Alan Lear has written a darker story, focussing on fear - people's fears and the power of fear. Both the Doctor and Greg confront their fears, with Nick Briggs having some great material as the Doctor confronts his fear and Greg's doomed romance with Rhiannon. A major problem with this story however, is the vocal modulation on the Psionivore voices, making it hard to understand what they are saying. Following on from the end of Cloud of Fear, is another On Tape segement, looking behind the scenes of Season One and at the start of Season Two of the Audio Visuals; and also at look at the making of Gentothil, the unfinished video project.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

Shadow World
The Doctor takes Greg to the planet Kelfer for some time out from the TARDIS. Another Time Lord lurks on Kelfer, testing a drug that could cause the breakdown of civilisation... The final story of Season One introduces to two things that will resurface later on in the Audio Visuals: the amoral Time Lord Askran and the drug Sargol. John Ainsworth is excellent as Askran, with his soft 'r's making Askran seem like a child who never grew up; Deborah Marson's performance as Miranda is also good. Greg's descent into the 'Shadow World' is surreal and warped. Due to the time focused on developing Askran and Miranda, the villagers end up acting like cardboard cutouts. A successful conclusion to the first season of Audio Visuals.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Season 2

Maenad
After dropping Greg off with an old friend to recover from his Sargol addiction, the Doctor is sent to investigate a mental asylum, where he quickly learns that the lunatics have taken control... Season Two of the Audio Visuals kicks off with a strong script from 'Warren Martyn' which sees the Doctor up against the insane and deranged Chi'ian Rayden, brilliantly acted by 'Anthony Dexter' (Gary Russell for those of you who didn't know this!). With Richard Marson unavailable, Greg's roles is diminished to the point where his lines are from cut scenes from other stories, this no bad thing as it allows the Doctor to take centre stage and for some 'story so far' exposition from Dr Kranten as she monitors Greg's progress. Unfortunately, there appears to be a big plot hole in the story which relates to Ria's existance, specifically her origins and what happens in the climax...
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The Mutant Phase
An attempt to remove Greg from a depressive state of mind sees the TARDIS land on the apparently ideal world of Analyas Seven. Old enemies lurk at the heart of Analyas Seven, and all their problems might be solved by Greg... The Mutant Phase is the most traditionally structured Audio Visual so far, consisting of four 24:30ish minute episodes. This structure benefits the story, making each episode fast paced and allowing the overall story to build up to a huge climax. The casting merry-go-round continues, with Gary Russell playing Greg and Liz Knight playing Ria, with both actors putting in reasonable performances. Greg gets an unusual exit for a companion.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

The Destructor Contract
When the TARDIS is penetrated by the flight recorder from a doomed space ship, the Doctor and Ria end up getting caught up in Conglomerate's latest money making scheme... The Destructor Contract is a partial sequel to The Time Ravagers and Conglomerate which makes use of the Temperons as the unwilling victims of Conglomerate; the story also introduces the amoral head of Conglomerate, Cuthbert. Although the main thrust of the story is very small scale, the larger implications of Conglomerate's latest money earner is shown through the Free Galactic News Agency reports on the Kurgo/Akrydon conflict.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Vilgreth
Attempting to get to Ormelia, the TARDIS lands on the space craft of Vilgreth, who initially appears to be a misunderstood person craving company, but the material used to power his home is not just old space junk... Written to fill up the tape when The Destructor Contract overran by one minute, Vilgreth is an unusual story. The style is similar to The Pescatons - The Doctor narrating the events of the story, this form of presentation works well with the 'live' action sequences, confirming events for listeners and summarising many 'running down corridors' sequences. Vilgreth is character that both evokes horror and sympathy, only seeking company for friendship. An unusual filler story that does more than just take up tape space.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Trilexia Threat
After being rescued from the gravitational forces of a black hole, the Doctor and Ria accompany the Shapiro's crew to the surface of Greenovia, an Earth colony that has been out of contact... The Trilexa Threat is the worst Audio Visual so far. None of the chracters are likable, and once you realise that the Trilexia are essentially talking Wirrn, the story gets even duller. The Trilexia Threat's biggest problem is that it's mostly tell, and no show, resulting in lots of dialogue where the characters describe what's happening to them. It appears that there was a decent story at heart, but it's been buried under a mass of rewrites.
Preliminary Rating: 4.5 - 5.5/10

Minuet in Hell
Attempting to return the TARDIS to Calfedoria, Ria's efforts crash the TARDIS into 18th century England. With their memories scrambled by the crash, can the Doctor and Ria stop some old enemies of Gallifrey... Minuet in Hell is the first Audio Visual to delve back into Earth's past is a wonderful story. To give a condensed review here is hard, as there's some many brief comments I want to make about it, but to do so would spoil the story for those who haven't heard it. The chracterisation is excellent, the plot lines come together well, the incidental music is fantastic, the villains' scheme is well thought out and the scenes between the Doctor and Gideon in Bedlam are excellent. There is another On-Tape following Minuet in Hell, looking at the production side of things, with an interview with Jim Mortimore about creating the incidental music for various AVs. If people wish to try only one Audio Visual, make sure that it's Minuet in Hell.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Blood Circuit
The TARDIS and Ria are dying. In order to save the TARDIS, the Doctor needs to get to Terserus, but Ria needs to get to Calfedoria... At last the pay off to Ria's story has arrived, and it's tied in with the underlying TARDIS problems that have been going since The Destructor Contract. Unfortunately, a mostly unrelated storyline has been tacked on, making Blood Circuit very padded. It would have been easier to have simplified the human storyline (making the release two 60 tapes - with room for an On Tape and ads), or completely cutting that storyline and just focussing on the TARDIS crew (including landing on a planet and finding what they might need), making it a one 90 tape release. Perhaps both storyline could have been separated completely, making two plays. As it stands, Blood Circuit is two stories meshed into one, a process which didn't benefit either story in any way. Following this, another On-Tape session looks behind the scenes of The Destructor Contract, answers listener's letters and previews Season 3.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5 - 7.5/10

Season 3

Second Solution
Responding to a distress call, the Doctor and Ria discover the Earth has been destroyed. Tracking back the alteration of history, the Doctor and Ria arrive in 17th century England, in time for the final stages of the Gunpowder Plot... Kicking off the third season of Audio Visuals, Second Solution is an unusual story, with an interesting twist to the whole story. The scenes in 17th England are well written, with guest star Nabil Shaban in excellent form. Unfortunately, the nature of the twist somewhat spoils the story, but the Doctor and Ria do appear to have learnt from their experience.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Secret of Nematoda
Responding to an urgent request for tea, the Doctor and Ria arrive on the planet of Nematoda, where they discover that human assistance to the native population may be interfering with their natural life cycle... Arthur Wallis's script borrows a few of its themes, issues and characters from The Power of the Daleks, so some sequences of the story feel over familiar. More original, and well thought out, is the eco system of Nematoda, and how the native lifeforms live in symbiosis with each other. New companion Truman Crouch is introduced here. Presented as a minor management figure who assists the Doctor and Ria, Truman at first appears to be a dull civil servant with some initiative of his own. It's in the final scene of the story, where Truman makes the decision to leave with the Doctor and Ria (and isn't fazed by the TARDIS) that really shows that he is companion material. The On-tape feature following Part One looks behind the scenes of The Secret of Nematoda.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5 - 7.5/10

Enclave Irrelative
An entity claiming to be the TARDIS's intelligence ejects the Doctor, Ria and Truman onto a strange winterbound world, where strange events are played out for other's amusements... Enclave Irrelative is a strange story. At first, it appears that the TARDIS crew have been ejected into a magical place, where old bargains are being played out, with the Doctor and his companions caught up in its culmination, but following the end of part one, the whole story takes 180� turn for the weirder, as the whole set up is explained and the fun really begins. Long term listeners will be delighted when they find out who the real villain of the story, and what their plans are. A delightfully surreal story that might be too irritating for some who prefer their stories a bit more straight forward.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

More than a Messiah
The TARDIS crew are going a little stir crazy, so it's no surprise that an extremely irritated Doctor lands the TARDIS on an Earth colony, ushering Ria and Truman out. The colonists live a 'back to basic's' lifestyle, but when an ex-company man gradually goes insane, Ria is shot and Truman is held captive. Meanwhile the Doctor is led on an extrordinary journey by a mysterious woman deisplaying a connection to the planet... The Audio Visuals go green for a story, but does it in an interesting way, through the mysterious woman's interaction with the Doctor, as the Doctor learns too late her true nature to save her life and the planet; and the human couple as 'Bunny' gets more delusional, leading to an emotional climax. A very thought provoking story which is still appropriate today.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Sword of Orion
When Truman gets abducted from the TARDIS, the Doctor gets worried. Leaving Ria in the TARDIS, the Doctor explores a derelict Star Destroyer, also of interest to the salvage ship Vanguard. What creatures stalk the Star Destroyer? What is the captain's secret agenda? Where is Truman, and where has the TARDIS vanished to? Samuel Flint's script kicks off a mini story arc within the Audio Visuals, as Truman, and then the TARDIS vanish under mysterious circumstances. Without his companions, the Doctor is able to establish more of a relationship with the crew of the Vanguard, especially the ship's captain. The use of the Cybermen is great - they are very menacing within the story. The incidental music is fantastic, very reminicent of scores from several TV stories. A fantastic story with a number of twists and a cliffhanger that will leave you breathless.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Carny
Rescued by the TARDIS, the Doctor discovers that Truman is back. Soon Ria disappears, Turman gets stalked by the TARDIS and the Doctor ends up in the world of the Carny... The mini arc continues, as Ria is now the one to disappear, and the Doctor's Sargol addiction resurfaces with avengeance. Truman's storyline is freaky as he get harrassed by a Sargol infected TARDIS. What the world of Carny is, is left up to the listener to decide: was the Doctor transported to a real carnival, under investigation by Ormelian authorities; or was it all a Sargol-fuelled fantasy, haunted by an old enemy? A fascinating, yet disturbing story. Stay listening for an On Tape feature on Sword of Orion and Carny, plus Gary Russell discusses his plans for Season Four of the Audio Visuals...
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Planet of Lies
The TARDIS has arrived on Ardethe; a rather dull desert world, populated by a primative tribe; but it's where Ria is. Others have arrived on Ardethe: a space craft hired by a Cassandra Rayden, searching for her sister. An old enemy lurks on Ardethe, but it's the secret of Ardethe that will really shock the Doctor... The ongoing plot lines all come to a head in Planet of Lies, as explanations are given for: Truman's, then Ria's disappearance; the TARDIS not being able to detect other TARDISes and the plot line from Blood Circuit regarding Ria's sister. The story is huge, and well plotted out; Alan Lear has managed to not only tie up all the plot threads, but tell an entertaining and shocking story at the same time. Planet of Lies is spread over two 90 minute cassettes, and not a minute of tape is wasted. A spectacular end to the third season of Audio Visuals.
Preliminary Rating: 9 - 10/10

Season 4

Deadfall
An Earth convict vessel is diverted to Ardethe to search for evidence of a rumoured war, Truman is haunted by mental ghosts of the Doctor and Ria, and an old enemy still has a trick left, even in defeat... Season four of the Audio Visuals gets off to an interesting start, with the main thrust of Deadfall more concerned with the larger impact of the events of Planet of Lies, than the fate of the Doctor. The inspiration for the basic story appears to be Prisoner (Cell Block H), leading the creation of some wonderful characters in the form of the female prisoners. The end of Deadfall returns the Doctor, and the first appearance (this season) of the mysterious Justyce... Following Deadfall is another On Tape, which answers listeners' questions and gives an brief outline of the next few stories.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Requiem
Attempting to return to Gallifrey, the TARDIS is diverted to Ritel Ryana Tropos where the population has been replaced by rampaging monsters. After helping a young music student, and having run in with a Conglomerate vessel, the Doctor theorises that the music of Gregori Glasst is behind all of this - and he's on his way to Earth... The Justyce arc continues, with the Doctor facing a different type of threat. In this story there are no monsters to fight, just people (and one robot); with the actual threat being developed for performance purposes, although Conglomerate scheme to get their hands on the weapon. Glasst is an interesting character, and his musical performances allow Jim Mortimore to show off his musical talent. Fionara seemed too good to be true, irritating me no end. Justyce puts in a small appearance, reopening the rift between the Doctor and Truman. The On Tape segment answers some more listener's questions and provides some background information on Planet of Lies.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Cuddlesome
Revived from feelings of grief by the detection of another TARDIS, the Doctor and Truman discover that a plague from the future is currently spreading throughout England, and its' source is very 'cuddlesome' indeed... Back to twentieth century Earth, and the welcome return of Askran, as devious as ever; hijacking Ronald Turvey's unethical genetic experiments for the fun of it. The toy craze of Cuddlesome (a brilliant creation, with an enchanting voice) provides the legal face of Turvey's scheme and his means of gathering human material for his experiments, with the drama of the story grounded in the Milne family, who play an instrumental role in how Cuddlesome progresses. The climax and conclusion of the story is bittersweet, as the Doctor's actions throughout the story are governed by future history, with the Doctor making sure the Web of Time isn't broken at a price. Justyce makes an appearance at the end of the story, making permanently sure that an old enemy will never disturb him again... The On Tape segment features an interview with Nick Briggs regarding recent developments in the Doctor's character, and also reveals the reason behind one of the most horrifying moments of Requiem...
Preliminary Rating: 9 - 10/10

Endurance
The Doctor and Truman are trapped with an expedition to Antarctica, and discover old enemies in an ancient city... Some of the best Doctor Who stories have been inspired by other works, and Endurance is no exception, paying homage to the works of H P Lovecraft, specifically his novel At the Mountains of Madness. The acting throughout Endurance is superb, with the vocal modulation sounding fairly close to the original TV appearance. Edurance runs over two 90 tapes, the length of story adding to the 'epic' feel of the journey from the edge of the ice to the heart of the city. As for Justyce, it appears that he instigated the whole affair, trapping the Doctor and Truman with the expedition, and then returning the TARDIS to them just as they reach their limits and all hope for survival is lost. A stunning story that makes a better return story for old enemies than the TV series' effort. The On Tape feature has an interview with John Ainsworth and Nigel Fairs, and Gary Russell previews the rest of Season Four and answers listeners' letters.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Mythos
The Doctor and Truman are summoned to the world of Mythos in order to find the Changeling before the evil Necromancer can get to her. Even in a world of elves, unicorns, golems, wyverns and portals to America Justyce lurks close by... The Audio Visuals move into a well constructed fantasy world, with all the trappings of a great fantasy story - a quest, mythical creatures, the fool (the Doctor), the innocent (Truman), heros and villains. Vocal modulation for the actors playing creatures work well, with a different modulation for each type of creature, yet the actor's speech is still very understandable. Justyce this time around doesn't show up until the very end, cruelly switching things around, causing the Doctor to kill an innocent. The only problem with Mythos is that the story feels padded in places, it would have been better to have cut down some sections (such as the scenes set in the USA) and had the story on one 90 tape.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Truman's Excellent Adventure
Truman tells the story of his six months on 20th century Earth. Written to fill the other side of the scond tape of Mythos, Truman's Excellent Adventure fills us in on what Truman got up to while stuck on Earth during the conclusion of Cuddlesome. Hopefully the title is meant to be ironic, as Truman had a pretty dull time on Earth, apart from providing a welcome follow-up to the events of Cuddlesome through meeting Eric Milne in an attempt to find the Doctor and having an encounter with a time traveller on Hallowe'en. This Hallowe'en story makes a bit of a revelation which may interest some or enrage others; but me it merely bored, as the little twist is a bit of a sci-fi clich�. The biggest problem with Truman's Excellent Adventure is that it is fairly dull and boring; but not offensive.
Preliminary Rating: 4.5 - 5.5/10

Subterfuge
The Doctor and Truman find themselves in 1605 London, with no memory of the recent past, and an old friend. The TARDIS takes them to the Conglomerate training facility, where Cuthbert offers to fill in the missing memories. How much of this is a hoax? What is real? What does this have to do with the origins of Justyce? At long last, who Justyce is, and what he wants is revealed. Along the way we get links back to Conglomerate and The Secret of Nematoda before finally getting to the events that created Justyce in Second Solution. Unfortunately, much of the revelations come after three quarters of the story, and the nature of the story leaves it hard to work out how much of the story is 'real', and how much of it was just a fantasy created by Justyce as he leads the Doctor to the truth. Overbloated, and a bit disappointing, but at least we know why Justyce is persecuting the Doctor...
Preliminary Rating: 6 - 7/10

Geopath
The Doctor and Truman visit Gema, and discover Viking runes on the planet's surface. Contact with Helen Remmick takes the TARDIS to the near future Earth, where the Cartel are about to make a breakthrough in interstellar transportation, but Helen has also made the breakthrough by natural means... Geopath is fascinating look at a near-future Earth, ruled by the 'benevolent' Cartel, the idea of Sir James Crichton, who played by the always excellent Peter Miles. Science and 'New Age' ideas have an uneasy relationship, but when it comes to the exploitation of CDMs, the Cartel are brutal, in contrast to Helen's peaceful methods of communing and use of the CDMs - linkages between all parts of the universe. Justyce shows up towards the end, taking control of MAGOG and attempting to kill off the human race in his efforts to punish the Doctor, and at Geopath's climax, it appears that the Doctor has the upper hand at last, even if it means having to face Justyce on his own...
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Justyce
For three years the Doctor has been working as a miner on Solaados. As events come to a head, various groups are interested in the Doctor - native Solaadon resistance groups, the colonial government, his work collegues and Justyce. The Justyce arc goes full circle, as the Doctor returns to the origin of his 'crime' to try and make things right, getting involved in political intrigue and native revolution along the way - author Erica Galloway manages to balance the immediate events and the resolution to Justyce arc quite well, telling the story on one 90 cassette. At last we get a full explanation for what Justyce is (even Justyce or Jar-Stees didn't know the whole story), tying up the arc in fairly satisfying manner. Justyce is an excellent story that is a grand finish to the Audio Visuals, finishing with the Nick Briggs Doctor planning to take a well deserved holiday...
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10