It's been a while since I listen to this one, but yeah many already said it: It's politic commentary, which is really well written and well you can't go wrong with the Tardis Team of 7 and Ace. I have to admit, while I still need to listen to the 3rd and 4th Play, I can't see them beat this out of the first 5. This just might be the first great Big Finish Play so far, at least. Its Story is really well written and played wonderful by our leads, and it gives you (at least me) an eerie feeling with its really nice sound design. While the idea of an alien feeding off fear is already a bit overdone (even at that time) this still works fairly good and is such a stellar first outing for solo 7 outing in the MR. (Seriously, they got it sooo right at their first go??) Admittedly, while I praised the sound design, not everything is perfect, it still has some issues that plagued previous and even some later releases. Still I enjoyed this one, it does really feel like a story that could have come out if the classic series continued onwards in the 90s

Situada em um futuro próximo na Terra, temos uma personificação literal de uma atmosfera política de medo inserida a uma história bem ao estilo de "Os Caça-Fantasmas" com o Doutor e a Ace perseguindo uma criatura não visível que alimenta o medo das pessoas. A trama é entrelaçada a um cenário político que houve terrorismo, populismo, mídia sensacionalista, fraude, grupos politicos extremistas cegos...É tipo um "House of Cards" só que com acrescentos de elementos de sci-fi.
McCoy e Sophie estão fiéis ao que eram na série de TV, o 7° Doutor desempenha um papel melancólico e enigmático já a Ace rouba a cena em vários momentos, alguns até mesmo bem chocantes como o cliffhanger da parte 2 onde ela toma uma tiro de Walter. Aliás, esse áudio está cheio de cliffhangers bombásticos, se prepare. Além dessas duas figurinhas mais que conhecidas, temos a ilustre participação da icônica "Jacqueline Pearce" atuando como a política "Sherilyn".
Mesmo com uma conclusão rápida e apressada (mas ainda sim satisfatória), sua excelente narrativa cheia da reviravoltas se resultou em "passo a passo" bem instigante, em vários momentos me vi muito preso a história.

The Fearmonger does not get enough attention in my opinion. Out of the early main range stories I’ve heard so far it’s easily my favourite 7th Doctor story. It could have easily been written in 2025 as it’s themes of xenophobia and politicians stoking hate in their voter base have only become more relevant in the 25 years since it was made. The alien threat is neatly conceived and only serves to enhance the message behind the story.

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

"The Fearmonger: Politics, Paranoia, and a Monster Within"

The Fearmonger unfolds partially through a clever use of radio broadcasts and phone calls, immersing the listener in an alternate 2020 where the New Britannia Empire is under authoritarian rule. The narrative gradually shifts focus to Sherilyn Harper’s political campaign and the unsettling creature that resides within her, blending political intrigue with a haunting, otherworldly threat.

The story throws listeners straight into the action, with hints of the fear-feeding creature lurking in the background as the Doctor and Ace dive headfirst into another world-saving mission. True to his manipulative nature, the Seventh Doctor seems to have everything figured out, while Ace and the audience are left scrambling to piece it all together.

While this adds a layer of intrigue, it also makes the narrative occasionally hard to follow. The connections between scenes aren’t always clear, leading to moments of disorientation. Still, the eerie atmosphere and palpable tension more than make up for it.

The concept of a creature feeding on fear and negative emotions is compelling and fits the audio format perfectly, especially when paired with the Doctor’s clever tactic of chasing it through radio broadcasts. However, the creature’s presence feels understated until the climactic final act, where its menace becomes more pronounced.

Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred shine as the Doctor and Ace. McCoy leans into his most manipulative and enigmatic persona, while Aldred’s energetic and determined Ace brings vitality to every scene. Their chemistry remains a highlight, grounding the story amidst its complexities.

Jacqueline Pearce delivers a standout performance as Sherilyn Harper, portraying her as a charismatic and ambitious leader. Jonathan Clarkson’s panicky Paul, Hugh Walters’ composed Roderick, and Mark McDonnell’s fearful Walter all contribute to a strong supporting cast, enriching the story's political and emotional layers.

Of all the Main Range audios thus far, The Fearmonger stands out for its intense atmosphere and early excitement. The taut tension keeps listeners on edge, supported by engaging dialogue, well-drawn characters, and an unsettling backdrop of political turmoil.

The final act, while gripping, doesn’t reach the heights it promises, though it delivers some chilling moments—particularly when the Fearmonger takes root inside the Doctor. The climactic confrontation between him and Ace is genuinely thrilling, adding a powerful emotional punch to the conclusion.

📝Verdict: 9/10

The Fearmonger is an ambitious and atmospheric tale, blending political allegory with psychological horror, making for a memorable and tense listen.

Huh, well this was certainly an interesting listen. The Fearmonger has a lot going on; demagogues, assassinations, backstabbing's, terrorist groups, a supernatural entity which prays off people's fear and prejudices. There's some great concepts here and it seems right up my alley so going into this one I was rather excited. I did end up enjoying it a fair amount but not without reservation. To begin with it's worth mentioning that this is the first full Seventh Doctor audio and of course the return of his definitive companion, Ace. And of course they are both phenomenal here. With some of the other returning actors it's felt like it's taken them a little bit to get back into the role again, however with McCoy and Aldred they are just straight back into it like no time has passed at all. They feel exactly the same as they did on TV, which is to say utterly perfect.

Now onto the story itself, in terms of the actual characters and plot I wouldn't exactly call it the most compelling thing in the world. Harper is sadly underdeveloped, it's fine for her to be one note as that's sort of her character but even still she doesn't get much to do and isn't particularly threatening or convincing as a charismatic leader. I find the rest of the cast similarly forgettable, I often had to refer to the wiki page to remind myself who was who, and in the middle few parts the plot does move along a little too slowly for my liking. However where I find this story really has a lot of merit is on it's political commentary. This story explores the themes of fear and prejudice, where they come from and how they affect people and in turn the political landscape. This is a very interesting theme to explore and The Fearmonger is a good way to establish fear as an actual material threat. However in the last part this story cooks up a bit of a curveball; it turns out that The Fearmonger was only inhabiting the mind of people who thought they could hear it in others. This is a very clever twist as if you're perceptive you may notice that only one person at a time "hears" The Fearmonger. First Walter, then Ace. The scene where the Doctor has to convince Ace of this is fantastic. It's very reminiscent of the "I knew" scene from Curse of Fenric, it really pushes their dynamic and trust in one another and both actors put in a wonderful performance. However, while I do like this twist, I'm less thrilled with how they tried to tie it in the theme. The Doctor makes an odd point which weirdly seems to abdicate Harper's side. "Who was doing more to scare others? The one's with the speeches of the one's with the guns?" It seems like the point being made here is that it was the violent reactions of people like Walter that was stoking fear, when in reality, Harper has just as much, if not more responsibility to bear. It was her divisive and xenophobic rhetoric that lead to people getting violent in the first place right? This seems like something the story understood very well. Both sides have responsibility for the worsening situation in this case, and to me it seemed like the story was exploring this well until this odd moment at the end. I still think this is a good story, I enjoy a lot about it, especially the themes and the commentary, it just ended up leaving me a bit confused and underwhelmed. 7/10 / 3½ stars.