So incredibly formulaic that it could be read as parody. It’s not even that bad, it’s just kinda boring. I know that’s a completely meaningless critique, but that’s how i feel about it. Interesting idea to make the monsters not just sympathetic, but actual life forms. Not just a swarm of beings, but giving them personalities. The Cuddlesome are vaguely Silurian in that way, as much as they can be. I like what they did with the Cuddlesome creator, and it’s actually a pretty dark and serious thingy thing compared to the rest of the story, you know it’s about trauma and mental health and how society molds children into being unhappy adults, and then it’s back to “Hey, you just like, totally killed me there dude!” (Which now that i write it down could work as a really sad moment where the limited programming of the Cuddlesome tries to convey a sense of what death is like a child, but it never really came over to me like that in the story itself.)

Oh euh some dialogue is pretty bad imo, very explanatory and unnatural way too often. But there’s also as many lines i think are genuinely funny, so that evens it out or something.

I think as a free story someone might’ve gotten, it’d be really fun. I can imagine finding it as one of if not your first Big Finish, or getting it with DWM back in the day, and that sounds like a very enjoyable experience. I think i would’ve liked this more earlier in my Big Finish journey instead of almost a year later. But it’s still enjoyable. Just, when you also have a hundred other things to listen to, this isn’t one I’d choose quickly.

Felt like the sound design was kinda very limited because of course, it’s a free release, but the songs slapped tbh. That We’re gonna change the world tune i really like. It’s gotten stuck in my head even.

Evil Furbies

Prerequisites: None needed

Cuddlesome is a fairly inoffensive, forgettable audio that doesn't do anything particularly bad, but doesn't do anything particularly good either. None of the characters are that memorable, and honestly the Doctor himself doesn't really do much until the very end. I do think this story had potential though; if it had leaned being silly more and simply went full ridiculous, I think you could've scraped a passable absurdist comedy out of this. As things stand, it's eh.

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

Previous Story: The Burning Prince

A fairly short and very silly story with the 5th Doctor. Underneath the ridiculous premise it actually had some interesting ideas about growing up and childhood. I doubt most people will see it this way but I found it fairly profound at certain points. Generally though, if you aren't analysing this story then it's a silly little adventure. The Cuddlesome's are well-voiced and it's overall a fairly well-done story.

I don't recommend going into this with very high expectations, but it's enjoyable.

Next Story: The Secret History

If I'm being honest, I've rarely been more bored by a piece of fiction.