Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

"The Sirens of Time: A Rough Start for Big Finish"

With the Redux version of The Sirens of Time now available, I decided to revisit the original release to compare how far Big Finish has come since its debut.

This inaugural audio adventure serves as a sampler of what Big Finish aimed to bring to Doctor Who: multi-Doctor stories, intriguing settings, and ambitious ideas. However, while it brims with energy and mostly solid performances, it’s undeniably rough around the edges in terms of writing and sound design.

The overarching story follows Gallifrey under siege from a mysterious, deadly force, compelling the Time Lords to pull three incarnations of the Doctor into a shared narrative. Anthony Keetch’s Coordinator Vansell makes his debut here, acting as a frantic agent of the Time Lords—a character who would reappear in future releases.

Part 1: The Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) finds himself on an alien planet alongside a girl named Elenya. This section leans into the bizarre, with comical characters, rudimentary sound effects, and a plot that feels rather thin. While McCoy and Colin McIntyre deliver strong performances, Maggie Stables (making her Big Finish debut) feels out of place in her role, though she’d shine later as companion Evelyn Smythe. The cliffhanger, unfortunately, fails to deliver any real suspense.

Part 2: Peter Davison’s Fifth Doctor takes centre stage aboard a German U-boat during WWI. This chapter flirts with historical drama but falters with unconvincing German accents, underwhelming performances, and a largely forgettable plot. The most notable aspect is Mark Gatiss as Captain Schwieger, but even his role doesn’t elevate the material. The second cliffhanger is even weaker than the first.

Part 3: The Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) takes the reins in a sci-fi setting aboard a spaceship. This chapter begins tying the time disruption threads together, building towards the finale. Despite the messy execution, Baker delivers a stellar performance, injecting energy into an otherwise chaotic segment.

Sarah Mowat features prominently across all three parts as seemingly unrelated characters, later revealed to be the same individual. Unfortunately, this twist falls flat, especially for listeners already familiar with the story.

Part 4: The final chapter is where the action heats up. Set on Gallifrey, all three Doctors finally meet, leading to the expected bickering before uniting against the villainous Temperon. While this segment boasts some enjoyable banter and timey-wimey intrigue, it’s hampered by messy editing, an overly talkative script, and a runtime that overstays its welcome.

📝Verdict: 5/10

In the end, The Sirens of Time offers a glimpse of Big Finish’s potential but lacks the polish and focus of its later releases. While there’s fun to be had in the multi-Doctor interactions, the inconsistent quality and underwhelming plot make it clear this was a learning experience for the production team.