Cameron Mason's Reviews - Big Finish Doctor Who Audio Reviews Condensed

Big Finish Productions - Doctor Who

The Sirens of Time
5th, 6th and 7th Doctors
The first Big Finish Doctor Who audio starts with the now traditional multi-doctor runaround. The individual episodes for each Doctor are excellent, their individual threats well written and acted. Things fall apart in the final episode in which the Sirens themselves are revealed - they are quite weak I feel. Despite this, The Sirens of Time is wonderful launch story for Big Finish's Doctor Who range.
Preliminary Rating: 5.5 - 6.5/10

Phantasmagoria
5th Doctor and Turlough
What an improvement! At heart, Phantasmagoria is a simple revenge story, with a good dash of gore and horror mixed through. The time period is well presented in this story, and characterisation of the regulars is spot on, with the acting of the entire cast being of a high standard. Special mention for the excellent incidental music.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Whispers of Terror
6th Doctor and Peri
Justin Richards has written another winner for Big Finish with this story. Whispers of Terror makes good use of the audio medium, presenting twist after twist. Colin and Nicola are in good form, and Lisa Bowerman is excellent in a part far removed from her role as Professor Bernice Summerfield, again a special mention for superb incidental music.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

The Land of the Dead
5th Doctor and Nyssa
Steve Cole says in the sleeve notes he wrote the script for this story in a week. It barely shows. It takes Sarah Sutton the best part of Episode One to settle back into her role of Nyssa, but once there gives a great performance. Peter Davison gives an excellent performance as usual. Eskimo accents for Tulung and Gaborik sounded authentic for most of the story. The highlight of the story is Lucy Campbell's performance as Monica Lewis, a brilliant character expertly brought to life.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The Fearmonger
7th Doctor and Ace
Jonatham Blum's story has parallels to recent political events in Australia - Sherilyn Harper is Pauline Hanson, New Britannia is One Nation. The direction by Gary Russell is excellent, working with the pacing of the story. Of the characters, talk-back personality Mick Thompson suitably annoying, Jaqueline Pearce is superb as Sherilyn Harper and Hugh Walter's character of Roderick Allingham, the ex-public servant, could have walked off the set of Yes, Minister. An excellent story all up, with the Part Two cliffhanger very shocking.
Preliminary Rating: 9 - 10/10

The Marian Conspiracy
6th Doctor and Evelyn
The Sixth Doctor takes a trip back to 16th Century England to stabilise a nexus point in history, and gains a new companion along the way. Evelyn makes an impressive debut in this story, with her family history, and herself under threat if the nexus point isn't fixed. Although it isn't quite made clear what would have happened to Evelyn's ancestors if the Doctor and Evelyn hadn't gone back to fix history, the effects of this are made perfectly clear. One final point of note is that Queen Mary is portrayed fairly in The Marian Conspiracy, as a woman who believes what she is doing is right, despite the concequences.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Dalek Empire: The Genocide Machine
7th Doctor and Ace
A very original story for Mike Tucker gets the Dalek Empire sequence off to a good start. The concept of storing data in water makes a nice concept, which turns from being a minor side issue, into becoming a minor plot point. The Daleks are well served by this story. Here's hoping that Bev turns up again soon.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Red Dawn
5th Doctor and Peri
Justin Richard's second story for Big Finish, and it's their first featuring the Ice Warriors. The story is about NASA's first manned mission to Mars, and what they find there. Once more it's the Ice Warrior's noble side being focussed on, and humanity's greed is their enemy this time 'round. All the cast are uniformibly excellent and special mention must go to the following actors: Georgia Moffatt; Big Finish producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell, ably swelling the Ice Warrior's ranks; and Stephen Fewell playing a role most unlike that of lovable rouge Jason Kane.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
6th Doctor and Evelyn
The Birgadier meets the Sixth Doctor for the first time in audio. There are some elements of The Spectre of Lanyon Moor remind me of The D�mons, but that is one of The Spectre of Lanyon Moor strengths, Nicholas Courtney once again shows why the Brigadier is such an excellent character and Susan Jameson excels as Mrs. Moynihan, giving us an idea of what she would have been like as Morgan in Colony in Space. Unfortunately, the plot line involving Sir Archibald Flint is just too silly for my tastes.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Winter for the Adept
5th Doctor and Nyssa
A disappointing story. A lot of poor expositional scripting leaving many scenes over-described, leaving nothing to the imagination. I wasn't made to care about the other characters, to the point where I didn't care whether the Doctor won in the end or not. There were some positives though: Some great lines for the Doctor and Nyssa, and an interesting story concept, buried under a load of disappointments.
Preliminary Rating: 4 - 5/10

Dalek Empire: The Apocalypse Element
6th Doctor and Evelyn
The Dalek Empire sequence picks up the pace. There is too much going on in this story for it to work properly. Lots and lots of noisy explosions make this story a painful listening experience. Evelyn is a joy in this story, and when used, Romana is in fine form. The Daleks, however, are definately in the best form they've been in a long while, very much at their devious best.
Preliminary Rating: 6 - 7/10

The Fires of Vulcan
7th Doctor and Mel
Steve Lyons has written a winning story here. The time paradox element involving the TARDIS is well thought out. The Doctor is well written, suitably sombre when he realises he can't escape what he thinks is his destiny. The real surprise is Mel, written as the character should have been when the character was in the TV episodes, rather than just getting the brief flashes of character, with the various novels featuring Mel fleshing out and expanding her character. Bonnie Langford plays Mel to perfection here, obviously pleased that her character has been given a second chance with her in the role. The guest castare uniformibly excellent. Full of drama, The Fires of Vulcan is perfect for those disappointed by the comedy of The Romans.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

The Shadow of the Scourge
7th Doctor, Ace and Benny
Big Finish add to their diverse range of Doctor Who a New Adventures style story. Of the regular cast, Lisa Bowerman is the most comfortable in her role, having played Benny in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of audios; Sylvester McCoy has little trouble playing the New Adventures Seventh Doctor; how ever, Sophie Aldred isn't so good as Ace, still playing as an angstish teenager, rather than the more mature, battle-hardened, at peace with herself Ace of the New Adventures. The rest of the cast are believable in their roles. Paul Cornell's script fits in with the New Adventures, emphasising the positives in life.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The Holy Terror
6th Doctor and Frobisher
What a story! Robert Jezek shines as Frobisher, bringing life to the character. The first two episodes are mostly comedy, with allusions to Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Yes, Minister, before the last two episodes turn more violent and thought provoking, bringing the story to it's tragic and thoughtful conclusion. Stay listening on past the trailers for the Frobisher Rap.
Preliminary Rating: 10/10

Dalek Empire: The Mutant Phase
5th Doctor and Nyssa
The Dalek Empire sequence reaches the Fifth Doctor's era. The regulars are well used in The Mutant Phase, with Nyssa having a strong role to play. The time paradox is well thought out, and actually works, with it's effects felt by the Doctor and Nyssa. The Mutant Phase appears to be a very visual story, and the acting and sound effects allows the listener to visualise effectively from a few hints, rather than giving the listener a total description of all that is happening, a trap that some writers fall into when writing an audio play.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Last of the Titans
7th Doctor
An easy to listen to 'short story', only available with Doctor Who Magazine issue 300. Sylvester McCoy is in fine form, and I felt a real sympathy for Vilgreth. One well worth tracking down.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

Storm Warning
8th Doctor and Charley
He's back - in audio! Paul McGann returns to his role as the Eighth Doctor, in this fine psuedo-historical. Charley is a wonderful character, expertly brought to life by India Fisher. The Triskele are an interesting race, I hope they return in future. The only acting worry is Barnaby Edwards as Rathbone, who takes much of the first episode to settle down into his South African accent. The ending, with the revelation about Charley, is spine-chilling. A successful start to the Eighth Doctor on audio.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Sword of Orion
8th Doctor and Charley
The Cybermen face the Eighth Doctor for the second time. The story is nicely paced, some sections of the story echo scenes in the Alien movies. There are some nice twists and turns in the story, and the acting standard is very high. The Cybervoices were excellent, and reminicent of the Sixties voices, except for being a lot easier on the ear.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The Stones of Venice
8th Doctor and Charley
Paul Magrs debut script for Big Finish is a wonderful piece of tragic-style writing. The double story arcs running through the 'season' have a subtle, yet sinister mention; as The Doctor and Charley seem more at ease with each other, even though this was the first story of the four to be recorded. Michael Sheard puts in a diginifed performance as Orsino, Mark Gatiss is in his usual excellent form as Vincenzo, but the real acting highlight is in Elaine Ives Cameron's performance as Ms Lavish. At heart a love story, The Stones of Venice is simply gorgeous to listen to.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Minuet in Hell
8th Doctor and Charley
Paul McGann's first run of stories as the Eighth Doctor come to an end in an exciting script written by Alan W. Lear with Gary Russell. The Ramsay arc comes to end, as Charley's arc takes another dark turn. Nicholas Briggs proves that he can play the Doctor, creating neat persona, while Paul McGann ably plays the man without his mind; in fact, the regulars performances were the best yet in this story, having settled into their roles. The American accents were quite good. Nicholas Courtney once more plays the role of the Brigadier to his usual high standards. The character of Marchosias was a delight. Minuet in Hell contains the most sexual innuedo heard in a Big Finish Audio Drama.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Loups-Garoux
5th Doctor and Turlough
Marc Platt's first script for Big Finish effectively dispels the side of werewolves created by Hollywood - that the change only occurs on a full moon. The scientific and spiritual sides to werewolves are well represented Doctor Hayashi and Rosa, repectively. Also on the character side, Jorge and Lichtfuss make a great double act, reminding me of Mr Oak and Mr Quill in Fury from the Deep. Performances are of a high standard throughout, but the best I feel is from Eleanor Bron in her role as Ileana, who brings a warmness to her character.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Dust Breeding
7th Doctor and Ace
Anyone who counts both the New Adventures and audios as canon will get a kick in the teeth as The Doctor and Ace encounter a post-Survival Master in his Traken body - the Ainley body has been stripped from him, but that is just one small problem with this story. A lot of Dust Breeding appears to rip off Terror of the Vervoids, and Bev seems to be turning into Benny. There are positives though, being another new and interesting concept from Mike Tucker, a dignified performance by Geoffrey Beevers and a wonderful performance by Caroline John. The irony is that with a few small adjustments, Dust Breeding could have been a fairly sucessful New Adventures style story.
Preliminary Rating: 6 - 7/10

Bloodtide
6th Doctor and Evelyn
The Sixth Doctor encounters the Silurians for the first time, and Evelyn meets one of her heros. The 70s style Silurian voices are successfully recreated in this story. For the most part, Bloodtide sucessfully handles the theme of evolution, but I feel that Part Three's revelation doesn't quite fit, and the cliffhanger is in the same vein as Nuzzink in the vurld can schtop me now!, but the exciting and well scripted Part Four makes up for this.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Project: Twilight
6th Doctor and Evelyn
A (for the most part) wonderful script from Mark Wright and Cavan Scott, which brings a new spin to an old foe of the Doctor's. Once more the Doctor and Evelyn are in fine form, with the Doctor's ignorance over the villain's identity just a touch below unbelievable. The ending is marred by too many loose ends, leaving the way open for a possible sequel to resolve them.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

The Eye of the Scorpion
5th Doctor and Peri
Iain McLaughlin has written an excellent pseudo-historical for the Fifth Doctor and Peri. The story is well paced, with plot twists and explainations taking place exactly when needed throughout. The incidental music helps to reaffirm the setting of Ancient Egypt, with dialogue also fitting the period in which the story is set. Peri is given a lot to do, and the Doctor disappears for the duration of Part Two, which also allows Caroline Morris to really showcase Erimem. The surprise at the end is just the icing on the cake.
Preliminary Rating: 9 - 10/10

Colditz
7th Doctor and Ace
Steve Lyons once again shows why he is an expert at time paradox stories. The support characters are written well, with standouts being Tony Longworth as Sch�fer, and Nicholas Young as Gower. Tracey Childs is chilling as Klein, the Nazi scientist with a deep interest in the Doctor and the TARDIS. The big let down is the sound design, with music levels being high during dialogue heavy moments, making it hard to hear what the actors are saying.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Primeval
5th Doctor and Nyssa
Nyssa is dying, and the Doctor takes her to the one place that can save her: Traken before it is destroyed. The storyline of the Doctor's own morality being questioned by others is interesting, and should have been done ages ago in Doctor Who. Stephen Greif is excellent as Kwundar, but the vocal distortions make his speech hard to make out at times. Ian Hallard shines in the role of Sabian, with the character making a great love interest for Nyssa. The end is dark: have the actions involved in saving Nyssa's life condemned the entire universe?
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The One Doctor
6th Doctor and Mel
Big Finish step into the realm of comedy. Usually, quest stories and comedy stories have been hit and miss affairs, but Clayton Hickman and Gareth Roberts have got it right with The One Doctor. The acting is on form, with Colin Baker and Christopher Biggins brillliant as their respective versions of the Doctor, also Bonnie Langford and Claire Buckfield are excellent as their companions. One to treasure, especillay if you've had trouble with self-assemble furniture, delivery men and don't like today's game shows.
Preliminary Rating: 10/10

The Ratings War
6th Doctor
Beep the Meep is back, and this time his weapon is children's television. Steve Lyons has written an on target satire of the state of today's television, and he weapon of choice for blasting those responsible is an on form Sixth Doctor. The only real negative being that some of the comments are a little too obvious. Stay listening to the end of the CD to hear the full glory of Beep's theme song.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Invaders from Mars
8th Doctor and Charley
Orsen Welles is about to make his famous radio broadcast, as gangsters and agents from foreign powers become involved in a real alien landing. Mark Gatiss has written a light hearted 'season opener'. In keeping with the 1930s setting, Alistair Lock's incidental music is a treat, full of melodrama. The various plot lines of Invaders from Mars take a while to fully link up, but when they do all the connections between them come clear. An excellent start to the second run of 8th Doctor stories.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

The Chimes of Midnight
8th Doctor and Charley
Robert Shearman's second story continues some of the themes seen in his first story The Holy Terror, but this time they are used to bring back into the spotlight the 'Charley's fate' story arc. The story is set at Christmas, and death stalks through house - on the hour, a servant dies. The scullery maid, Edith, has a connection to Charley, and it brings out many unanswered questions about the Doctor's rescue of Charley in Storm Warning. The cast are uniformably excellent, and the music and sound design work well to be build up the atmosphere.
Preliminary Rating: 10/10

Seasons of Fear
8th Doctor and Charley
The Doctor finally gets Charley to Singapore, where one Sebastian Grayle tells the Doctor that he is immortal and has killed the Doctor. The Doctor and Charley go back into the past, where the rules of time no longer apply, and stop Grayle and his masters. Paul Cornell through his final Doctor Who story, and with his then fiance and now wife Caroline Symcox have written a witty and engaging script, successfully juggling multiple settings and revising The Nimon. Stephen Perring is excellent as Sebastian Grayle, subtly altering his performance depending on Grayle's age. The unsettling end of the story continues the buildup to NeverLand.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Embrace the Darkness
8th Doctor and Charley
The Doctor and Charley travel to the Cimmerian System to discover why its sun went out. There they find a scientific team apparently being menaced by the by the native Cimmerians, but the Cimmerians are also afraid of something... Nicholas Brigg's story is the first weak Eighth Doctor audio. The second episode drags, and the story appears to be resolved five minutes early, leaving the listener confused as to how the story ends. Despite this, there is still much to enjoy in Embrace the Darkness, including a very horrific climax to Episode One.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5 - 7.5/10

The Time of the Daleks
8th Doctor and Charley
It is the near future, and Britain is ruled by the ruthless General Learman. Something has altered the timeline: Shakespeare is rapidly fading from people's memories. When Learmen attempts to time travel and watch a Shakespearian production, the Daleks arrive, quoting Shakespeare... The Daleks return once more to face the Eighth Doctor. Justin Richards' script contains his now trademark plot and character twists, used here to great effect. The Time of the Daleks also makes sense of the silly science of time travel as theorised by Waterfield and Maxtible in The Evil of the Daleks, making it sound like a properly tested scientific principle. The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and Charley is caught right in the middle of it.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

NeverLand
8th Doctor and Charley
For some reason I have no opinion on NeverLand. When I finished listening to the story, and was thinking over it, I found I had no views on the story at all. At some point I will re-listen to the story, and hopefully this further look at the story will crystallise what I think of the story. However, for those of you who want a score for NeverLand, I will include a fairly neutral score below.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Maltese Penguin
6th Doctor and Frobisher
Frobisher returns to his life as a Private Investigator and gets involved in with a classy dame and heartless villain. Rob Shearman's script is brilliant, a parody of many Humphrey Bogart movies and film noir. Robert Jezek and Colin Baker sound like they had a lot of fun with this script, the other members of the cast are also on top form. Wrapping up the story is a wonderful harmonica version of the Doctor Who theme. The Maltese Penguin is the best free item I've ever received.
Preliminary Rating: 10/10

Spare Parts
5th Doctor and Nyssa
The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa arrive on Mondas, in a time before the planet was completely populated by Cybermen. Marc Platt has written a very moving story based around the people of Mondas, not the Cybermen themselves, and how and why the Mondasians would go to such lengths to survive. The Doctor and Nyssa are well written with the dilemma over changing history, and the recent death of Adric providing the reasons for their actions on Mondas. The human side of Mondas is well written, through the story of the Hartley family, Doctorman Allan and Thomas Dodd. The ending of Spare Parts is bittersweet, ensuring that history stays on course.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

...ish
6th Doctor and Peri
The Doctor takes Peri to the launch of the most definative dictionary ever written, and gets caught up in one species attempt to take over the universe in a most unusual way. Phillip Pascoe has written a script that takes language as its theme. The character of Book is an interesting concept and is played well by Moray Treadwell, with voice modulation adding to the performance. The cliffhanger to Part Two is a real "what the..." moment, with the resolution in Part Three quite clever and not a cop out. An unusual story which will have you reaching for your dictionary just to discover how versatile the English language is.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

The Rapture
7th Doctor and Ace
The Doctor takes Ace to Ibiza for a holiday. Instead, the Doctor uncovers an alien plot and Ace's past comes back to haunt her in a most unexpected way. With the story set around a nightclub, director Jason Haigh-Ellery has made the decision to mix between scenes like a DJ mixes between songs, following the format of the script; it takes a little while to get use to but is an appropriate stylistic decision that suits the nature of the story. Those who saw the New Adventures as full of teenage angst may wish to avoid this story as one scene takes this clich� to the extreme, producing the worst scene I have ever heard, but thankfully it is a short scene. The music for The Rapture is excellent, as is the new version of theme, which reminds me of Orbital's version without being a ripoff of it. Joe Lidster's debut story is unusual, but for the most part is very entertaining.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Sandman
6th Doctor and Evelyn
The Doctor and Evelyn arrive on the Clutch, home to the Galyari. The Doctor has encountered the Galyari before; in fact, he is their worst nightmare come to life. But when someone starts exploiting the myth to their own ends, the Doctor must stop them, and put an end to his roles as the Galyari's Sandman... Simon A Forward's script suits the character of the Sixth Doctor well, with Colin Baker sounding like he enjoyed acting out the scenes where the Doctor first encounters the Galyari. The voices of the Galyari are a touch overmodulated; it's a bit hard to tell most of the time that Nrosha is played by Anneke Wills, but what is being said comes through clear enough. My only real criticism is that the climax of the story can be a bit confusing, if you're not paying too much attention to it.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

The Church and the Crown
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem
The TARDIS lands in France during the time of the Muketeers. When Peri gets abducted, the Doctor and Erimem must convince the King that a third party is plotting against him... Mark Wright and Cavan Scott's second script for Big Finish is a light hearted romp that still offers many dramatic moments. Erimem is used well, as 'Princess Erimem of Karnak' she manipulates the royal system in order to convince the King of the Doctor's story, and gets to lead an army. Peri too has a lot to do - bravely escaping capture, then going back to rescue the Doctor. A rarely used, but familiar plot device is a main strand of the plot, but is used in such a way that it makes use of an actor's vocal talents. An enjoyable romp with the Musketeers.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Bang-Bang-a-Boom!
7th Doctor and Mel
The Doctor and Mel get caught up in a shuttle explosion, and end being mistaken for the commander of Dark Space 8 and his personal shuttle pilot. DS8 is hosting the Intergalactic Song Contest, but someone is commiting murder. Can the Doctor and Mel solve the crime? Will the song contest go ahead? Are there any compotant crew members on Dark Space 8? Can the Doctor survive dinner with Queen Angvia? The writer's of last year's comedy hit The One Doctor return with a parody of such series as Star Trek: Deep Space 9 and Space: 1999. The comedy is less outrageous this time around, the storyline more serious. The acting is fantastic, the singing amusing. Another comedy hit that is given an authentic touch with the use of the McCulloch version of the theme and the hilariously bad continuity announcer.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

No Place Like Home
5th Doctor and Erimem

Preliminary Rating:

Jubilee
6th Doctor and Evelyn
Attempting to land in two places at once, the TARDIS eventually arrives in a much changed London in 2003. England is now ruled by a dictator, after the Doctor saved Earth drom a Dalek invasion 100 years ago. Will the Doctor and Evelyn survive the Jubilee and restore history? Another interesting and thought provoking script from Rob Shearman sees the Doctor and Evelyn facing the darker side of human nature, courtesy of the British Empire ruled by Rochester, played by Martin Jarvis. Through the Empire and the character of the captive Dalek, Shearman explores his theme; the Daleks by their very nature have no choice but to be evil, whereas humanity has a choice. Despite the dark nature of the story, there are a few lighter moments, such as the hilarous trailer that starts the CD, and the singing Daleks. An interesting exploration of the darker side of human nature, Jubilee is an excellent start to the anniversary year.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Nekromanteia
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem
After paying a visit to the Garazone system, the TARDIS crew head to the Nekromanteia district where one man's greed leads to untold violence and murder, which one member of the TARDIS crew won't survive... Nekromanteia is a really nasty story - characters get beaten up, there's threats of violence, characters die horribly; not too many survive the story, and even the TARDIS crew takes a beating. The acting is a bit variable - Nigel Fairs is excellent as the archaeologist Rom; however, the actors playing the witch cult, lead by Gilly Cohen's Jal Dor Kal are too much of cackling clich� to be taken serious and tended to get on my nerves. The light-hearted final scene jars with the dark nature of preceeding scenes.
Preliminary Rating: 6.5 - 7.5/10

The Dark Flame
7th Doctor, Ace and Benny
On their way to pick up Bernice at Orbos Station, the Doctor and Ace are attacked by a warning to "beware the Dark Flame". On board Orbos they come across an attempt to resurrect an ancient evil... The second New Adventures-style Big Finish release is written by Trevor Baxendale, who has created a more traditional story, in contrast to The Shadow of the Scourge. Sylvestor McCoy's acting is a bit off in the first two episodes, Sophie Aldred shows improveent in portraying an adult Ace and Lisa Bowerman is excellent as always. As for the guest cast, Michael Praed was a disapointment, putting little subtlety into his performance. The final twist as to the nature of the Dark Flame manages to lead to an interesting conclusion to this slightly disappointing story.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

Doctor Who and the Pirates
Sixth Doctor and Evelyn
The Doctor and Evelyn pay a visit to one of Evelyn's students and tell her the story of their previous adventure, involving pirates... Doctor Who and the Pirates is not told in the traditional manner of a Doctor Who story - the events of the main story are related by the Doctor and Evelyn, sometimes inaccurately; and in episode three, through song. There is a reason behind Evelyn's visit to her student, and it's a very important one in order to prevent another tragedy occuring to someone Evelyn feels close to. The songs in Part Three are well written and set to the music of Gilbert and Sullivan, with each song having a specific meaning to the story, and there is a handy in-story reason for the use of song in Part Three. The acting is excellent in this story, with Colin Baker at his best, Helen Goldwyn is wonderful in the role of Evelyn's student Sally and Bill Oddie is brilliant as Red Jasper. An excellent production all round.
Preliminary Rating: 9 - 10/10

Creatures of Beauty
5th Doctor and Nyssa
If this is Nicholas Briggs' last work for Big Finish's Doctor Who range, then he's going out on a high. The acting is uniformably good, with Peter Davison delivering his usual strong performance. The structure of Creatures of Beauty works well, orientating the listener to one view on events, only to reverse this in the final episode. Nicholas Briggs not only writes and directs Creatures of Beauty, but also gives the story a well polished sound design and suitable incidental music that reflects the mood of the story. Who caused the accident that affected the Veln? Was it the Koteem, who have taken responsibility for it, or someone else. The answer comes down to your perspective of events...
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Project: Lazarus
6th Doctor and Evelyn, with the 7th Doctor
The Doctor has finally found a cure for vampirism, so it's time to revisit Cassie. Why has the TARDIS taken them to point long after they dropped her off - perhaps the Seventh Doctor will discover the answer... It's two for the price of one here, as we get effectively two stories about the Forge, with the second CD following up on events in the first CD, in more ways than one. Rosie Cavaliero once again puts in a strong performance as Cassie, and her scene with Maggie Stables work well. Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy also play off each other well in their scenes. Although much of the Forge storyline get's tied up to some degree here, a way is still left open for the Doctor and Nimrod to cross paths once more...
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Flip-Flop
7th Doctor and Mel
The Doctor and Mel intend to make a quick stop on the planet Puxatornee to collect some leptonite crystals, but they soon become caught up in a scheme to travel back in time and alter history for the 'better'... Jonathan Morris has written an interesting and unique script which proves that the grass isn't greener on the other side as we all suspect. The different packaging to the norm (a box containing two single CDs in individual cases) allows the story to be listened to in whatever order the listener chooses, which works to the story's advantage as it allows the listener to pick up on the links and subtleties that carry over between both CDs. Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford put in excellent performances, with guest star Francis Magee effortlessly carrying off the two differing, yet similar personalities of Stewart. A brilliant story that just begs to be listened to many times.
Preliminary Rating: 8.5 - 9.5/10

Omega
5th Doctor
Taking a holiday on his own, the Fifth Doctor ends up at the site of Omega's triggering of the stellar manipulator. Omega is back, but all is not how it appears to be... Kicking off the loose villains 'trilogy', Nev Fountain's script builds up the character of Omega, making him more of a tragic hero than a complete villain. Ian Collier gives Omega a quiet weariness, in contrast to Caroline Munro's sanity-challenged Sentia. Russell Stone's incidental music works well to reflect the mood of each scene, as well as ably backing up the action. The satirical elements of Fountain's script work well, with his jokes hitting the targets of heritage tours and trashy soaps spot on. All of this pales in comparison to the big twist that serves as the cliffhanger to episode three. A rather engaging start to the villain's 'trilogy' that does an excellent job of expanding the character of Omega.
Preliminary Rating: 7.5 - 8.5/10

Davros
6th Doctor
While Peri is at a conference, the Doctor gets in contact with an old friend, and discovers that Davros has been rescued by a wealthy industrialist who intends to put him to good use... Lance Parkin's script really gets to the heart of the character of Davros, and explores his background and history, effectively building up a picture of a work-obsessed, emotionally impotant scientist. Terry Molloy is excellent as both the present Davros and his pre-accident self, Bernard Horsfall and Wendy Padbury make an excellent couple as the Baynes' - both ambitious people in their own specific fields. Colin Baker is excellent as always, and it appears that he really enjoyed the scenes which show the contrast between the Doctor and Davros' work styles and work ethic. Another successful continuation of the villain's 'trilogy' that really gets to the heart of its focus character.
Preliminary Rating: 8 - 9/10

Master
7th Doctor
It's been ten years since Doctor John Smith arrived in Perfugium with no memory of who he was; now on his 'birthday', he's about to find out who he really is... Master is a slightly weak conclusion to the villains 'trilogy' of stories, as it studies the character of the Master without what makes him tick, where as the previous two stories really delved into what made their villains the way they are. That said, it's still a very good story, with the Master without his evilness a rather intersting character, played by the always brilliant Geoffrey Beevers. When revelations about the Master's past do emerge, it seems to be a bit too 'one step removed' and too outside the main story for me. A rather thoughtful and interesting conclusion to villains 'trilogy'.
Preliminary Rating: 7 - 8/10

The Wormery
6th Doctor and Iris

Preliminary Rating: 10/10

Zagreus
8th Doctor and others...
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Scherzo
8th Doctor and Charley

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The Creed of Kromon
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Natural History of Fear
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Twilight Kingdom
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Axis of Insanity
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem

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Arrangements For War
6th Doctor and Evelyn

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The Harvest
7th Doctor, Ace and Hex

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The Roof of the World
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem
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Medicinal Purposes
6th Doctor and Evelyn

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Faith Stealer
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Last
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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Caerdroia
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Next Life
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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Her Final Flight
6th Doctor and Peri

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The Juggernauts
6th Doctor and Mel

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The Game
5th Doctor and Nyssa

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Dreamtime
7th Doctor, Ace and Hex

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Catch-1782
6th Doctor and Mel

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Three's A Crowd
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem

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Unregenerate!
7th Doctor and Mel

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The Council of Nicea
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem

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Terror Firma
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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Thicker Than Water
6th Doctor, Evelyn and Mel

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Live 34
7th Doctor, Companions TBA

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Scaredy Cat
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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Singularity
5th Doctor and Turlough

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Other Lives
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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Pier Pressure
6th Doctor and Evelyn

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Night Thoughts
7th Doctor, Ace and Hex

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Time Works
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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The Kingmaker
5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem

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The Settling
7th Doctor, Ace and Hex

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Something Inside
8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz

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