The Fearmonger is an early Big Finish triumph that proves the range wasn’t just interested in nostalgia—it had something to say. Set in a world of rising extremism, populist politics, and media manipulation, the story finds the Seventh Doctor and Ace caught in a chillingly believable web of paranoia. The titular creature is never quite seen, never clearly defined, and that’s exactly the point: it thrives on fear itself, spreading through anger, division, and the stories people tell. Twenty years later, that feels less like science fiction and more like prophecy.

What makes The Fearmonger work so well is how sharply it understands the Doctor’s role in a world on the edge. Sylvester McCoy is in his element here—subtle, manipulative, but deeply moral—and his chemistry with Sophie Aldred’s Ace is effortlessly strong. Ace in particular shines, pushed to the limit as her own instincts about injustice are tested. Writer Jonathan Blum uses the audio format cleverly, keeping the threat unseen and the tension internalised, with just enough action to keep the pace tight. The use of radio broadcasts and political speeches makes the whole thing feel grimly plausible.

More than two decades after release, The Fearmonger still resonates. It’s not perfect—the final resolution is a touch rushed, and some of the supporting performances are a bit arch—but it’s an ambitious, intelligent story that punches well above its weight. It’s a Doctor Who story that understands that monsters don’t always have claws… sometimes they have microphones. Essential listening for fans of the darker, more political side of the show.

Excellent ideas throughout, in a story which will always feel relevant. Tense, dark politics, coupled fantastically with the idea and concepts of the entity of Fear.

In execution, I'm not sure it does justice fully to all these ideas, but it certainly is enjoyable throughout, and I enjoyed listening.

The Fearmonger - 8/10

This is a wonderfully written story, which in all honesty is terrifying due to the fact it is still so relevant today - 25 years later!

Like I just mentioned is absolutely terrifying that this story is still so relevant today, with the current state of politics I feel it was a really good time to experience this story for the first time. The entity of 'Fear' is wonderfully personified throughout and the sound design on this story really helps that.

The plot itself is thoroughly engaging all the way through and had me hooked the whole time, the political party in this story in many ways is far too real but thats a good thing because it shows just how insane it is.

The characters in this story all work well together and create a full feeling world, if that makes sense. I think another benefit of the characters in this story is that they all feel very real - which is a very common theme for this story.

The Doctor and Ace work great in this story too and the climax of this story is brilliant for both their characters.

Overall The Fearmonger gets an 8/10 because this is most definitely my favourite main range story so far and I cannot stress enough how scarily close to reality this story is 25 YEARS later!

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

Previous Story: Dimensions in Time

A very topical story considering current events. This story really feels like a natural continuation of where the show was headed before it got cancelled and I'm honestly quite impressed to hear a story so blatantly political. This story is really solid in general, it's very well paced and the grounded setting makes for much more impactful feeling stakes compared to the typical sci-fi laser gun stuff. I love the radio show stuff, it's a clever way to play into the audio medium.

There's a lot of great dialogue here that really suits McCoy's Doctor in particular. It's also an interesting look at how the Doctor decides when to interact with this kind of stuff. He could just as easily step in during the rise of any dictatorship or tyranny throughout Earth's history so it's nice for that to be properly addressed.

Great story. Hope they keep up the quality.

Next Story: The Genocide Machine

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