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Review of Survivors in Space by thedefinitearticle63

8 June 2024

This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Hexford Invasion


What an ending to Serpent Crest. I was right to expect that it would get better because it did. The story starts off amazingly, Mike Yates and the Second Doctor are stranded far from home along with all of Hexford. I love the insight we get into Yates being thrust into leadership and having to keep up morale in a desperate situation. The slow mistrust brewing between the Second Doctor and the town of Hexford is great.

While I did know the twist regarding the Second Doctor beforehand, (a consequence of reading TARDIS wiki) it still managed to be a fun twist. David Troughton's impression of the Second Doctor is really good, I'd still rate Frazer Hines' impression as being the best impression of 2 but David's is easily on par with Michael Troughton's.

Mrs Wibbsey has really developed as a character since The Stuff of Nightmares and arguably so has the Doctor. The Skishtari are a good villain and this story brings back the weirdness in the villains of The Nest Cottage Chronicles that I think was sorely missing from the first half of Serpent Crest.

Overall, a fun story and a fitting end to a brilliant little series by Paul Magrs.


Next Story: The Thing from the Sea


The Nest Cottage Chronicles Review: 8.5/10

This has been, like I said earlier, a unique series. Each installment is different from the last but all retain this creativity that contrasts the often idea-starved Big Finish output.

Hornets' Nest (7/10) was a captivating mystery that was thrilling to hear unfold. It was brilliantly narrated by Tom Baker in a campfire-story way and the Hornets' themselves brought a fear of the unknown into it that I get from very few Doctor Who monsters.

Demon Quest (9/10) was a similarly engaging mystery with a vibrant atmosphere and a refreshing change in the form of different narrators for each story. The Demon however was probably the weakest villain out of the 3 Nest Cottage villains, even if I find that particular series to be the best out of the 3.

Serpent Crest (8/10) was exciting and action packed, it still featured narration but shifted to full-cast more often than not. It lost the unfolding mystery feel of the first 2, but managed it's own distinct style and fascinating premise.

I've always loved Mike Yates so to get such a rich insight into his character is great, this has solidly cemented him as my favourite member of the original U.N.I.T team. Mrs Wibbsey is a great companion and her chemistry with the Fourth Doctor is great. Her character development aswell going from the mean old curator of the Cromer Palace of Curios to the eager adventurer who would stand by the Doctor no matter what was a joy to listen to. She's a really great example of the Doctor's impact on the lives of ordinary people.

To sum it all up, The Nest Cottage Chronicles is an strange piece of the Whoniverse, difficult to compare to anything else and yet so quintessentially Doctor Who.


 

Review created on 8-06-24