Stories Audio Drama Big Finish Main Range Main Range Episode 58 The Harvest 1 image Overview Characters How to Listen Reviews 12 Statistics Related Stories Quotes 5 Overview Released Saturday, June 26, 2004 Written by Dan Abnett Publisher Big Finish Productions Runtime 117 minutes Story Type New Companion Introduction Time Travel Future Tropes (Potential Spoilers!) Hospital Story Arc (Potential Spoilers!) Cybermen Trilogy Location (Potential Spoilers!) Earth, England, London Synopsis On the morning of 12 October 2021, Hex woke up. He was expecting to go to work at St. Gart's in London as normal and, that evening, have a great time in the bar of the White Rabbit, celebrating his 23rd birthday. But after his ex-flatmate is wheeled into A&E following a bike accident, and the strange young woman from Human Resources tries to chat him up and an eight-foot-tall guy in a Merc tries to run him down, Hex realises things are not going quite as he expected. Then in a Shoreditch car park he meets the enigmatic Doctor, who explains that he's an extra-terrestrial investigator and something very strange is going on up on the thirty-first floor of St. Gart's. Therefore, aided and abetted by the Doctor, and his other new friend, 'Just McShane', Hex decides to investigate. Trouble is, everything that goes on at the hospital is being observed and noted by the occupants of the thirty-first floor; occupants who are none too pleased that people are poking their noses into business that doesn't concern them; occupants who will go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that no one discovers the truth... Listen Listened Favourite Favourited Add Review Edit Review Log a repeat Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Owned Save to my list Saved Edit date completed Custom Date Release Date Archive (no date) Save Characters Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy Ace Sophie Aldred Hex Philip Olivier First Appearance Cybermen Cyber-Leader CyberNeomorph First Appearance David Garnier Stephen Farrer Show All Characters (8) How to listen to The Harvest: Big Finish Audio The Harvest Reviews Add Review Edit Review Sort: Date (Newest First) Date (Oldest First) Likes (High-Low) Likes (Low-High) Rating (High-Low) Rating (Low-High) Word count (High-Low) Word count (Low-High) Username (A-Z) Username (Z-A) Spoilers First Spoilers Last 12 reviews 16 March 2025 · 251 words Review by RandomJoke Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! 'The Harvest' is an interesting Beast to tackle. Personally speaking, I really enjoy it, as a bleak dark Tale, it has everything. Great Tension, great Twists, great Production Value and a gripping Story, which flies by quickly but had me engaged for most of it. There are of course two other Aspects with this Story worth talking. For one, this is the Introduction Story for our new Companion Hex and as far as those Stories goes, it's easily one that had me invested from the Start in this new Figure. It was a smart Move having the Focus on him for most of the first Episode, before we see a Tardis Reveal with the Doctor and some fun Banter. Phillip Oliver, his Actor, feels like an organic Part in that Tardis Team, so it's no surprise he decides to come along with their Travels. One of its biggest highlights is for sure how effective the Tension is build, instead of throwing most Cards around already, we get piece by piece revealed. Be it the Appearance of the Doctor, the Revelation they face off against Cybermen and so on. This greatly enhances the Atmosphere of the Story. Another Aspect worth talking about with this Story is the Cybermen, who get to be a bit different from usual. I love how we play around with the Horror of them, all the best of their Stories have a Horror Touch to them. I especially like the Revelation of "the Cyber-Humans", what a brilliant Twist! RandomJoke View profile Like Liked 1 13 March 2025 · 856 words Review by MrColdStream 4 Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! “THE HARVEST: WHEN MEDICINE MET THE CYBERMEN” The Harvest kicks off a loose trilogy in which the Doctor foils yet another attempted Cyberman invasion of Earth. This time, the action unfolds in a London hospital, where shady medical experiments with alien nanotechnology spiral out of control. More notably, this story introduces Philip Olivier as Thomas ‘Hex’ Schofield, a nurse who finds himself drawn into the Doctor’s world of time travel and monsters. Joining Seven and Ace in the TARDIS, Hex makes an immediate impact as a companion, offering a fresh perspective on their adventures. The first half of the story is all about mystery and suspense. The Doctor and Ace are investigating illicit experiments involving alien technology—technology the audience immediately recognises as something that can only mean trouble. Meanwhile, we get to know Hex, who takes centre stage in the opening episode. Working at the hospital, he struggles with the loss of a colleague while forming a friendship with Ace, who has gone undercover as an employee. As strange things happen behind the scenes, the story slowly builds its tension, weaving in an atmosphere of paranoia and dread. MEDICINE, MACHINES, AND A CYBER TWIST At its core, The Harvest is about human ambition crossing dangerous lines. The twist here is that the experiments aren’t being conducted by Cybermen themselves but by medical professionals playing with technology they don’t fully understand. Naturally, we know exactly where that leads—the Cybermen are never far from those who try to use their power for themselves. From the outset, the story has a serious, almost bleak tone, with a palpable sense of unease. The first episode delivers an excellent chase scene that comes alive with sharp direction and a strong musical score. There’s an almost heist-like feel to the investigation, as Ace and Hex sneak into the hospital through the staff entrance while the Doctor finds his own way in. The second half pulls back the curtain, revealing the full scale of the horrifying operation—human bodies are being harvested to fuel the Cybermen’s plans. Yet, surprisingly, the Cybermen themselves remain mostly in the shadows until the final act. Their presence is felt throughout, but it’s only in the last part that they fully emerge, led by the Cyber Controller. A NEW BREED OF CYBERMEN When the Cybermen do finally arrive, they bring with them a disturbing new twist. These aren’t just the Cybermen we know—they are Cyberhumans, supposedly an improved model that has evolved beyond their usual logical constraints. These upgraded Cybermen claim to have eliminated their greatest weakness, making them capable of conquering Earth in just six weeks. Their late reveal adds weight to their presence, making their sudden emergence all the more impactful. The pacing of their introduction mirrors that of the Doctor himself. The Seventh Doctor doesn’t truly appear until the end of Part 1—at the exact moment Hex walks into the TARDIS for the first time. The exchange between them is an instant classic: Hex: “Oh my God.” The Doctor: “No, I’m the Doctor.” Likewise, the Cybermen aren’t fully unveiled until Part 2, after the story has carefully danced around their presence. The restraint in their reveal is commendable, making the eventual confrontation all the more chilling. A FUTURE THAT NEVER WAS Set in what was then the near-future of 2021, The Harvest presents a highly technological society—one that, while advanced, doesn’t quite align with the world we ended up with. Given its hospital setting, it’s a little strange in hindsight that there’s no mention of COVID-19. Still, its vision of a tech-driven world feels eerily accurate in some respects, even if its predictions outpaced reality. A STRONG CAST AND A PROMISING NEW COMPANION Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are as strong as ever, with Seven and Ace slipping seamlessly into their investigative roles. But the real standout is Philip Olivier’s Hex. He is proactive, capable, and above all, human—reacting with genuine emotion and curiosity to the madness unfolding around him. His contrast with Ace is particularly effective; where she is seasoned and confident, Hex is still coming to terms with everything, making for a compelling dynamic. He also adjusts to the idea of the Doctor and the TARDIS surprisingly quickly, placing his trust in what he sees and hears. By the end of the story, he has more than proven himself as a worthy addition to the TARDIS team. 📝VERDICT: 7/10 The Harvest is a gripping and atmospheric thriller, blending medical horror with the ever-looming menace of the Cybermen. It takes its time building tension, keeping the monsters in the shadows for as long as possible before hitting hard in the final act. The Cyberhumans offer an intriguing new variation on the classic foes, while Hex’s introduction is handled with care, giving him a compelling personal arc. With a strong sense of mystery, an unsettlingly realistic setting, and a confident debut for its new companion, The Harvest is a standout entry in the Seventh Doctor’s audio adventures. MrColdStream View profile Like Liked 4 22 February 2025 · 180 words Review by thedefinitearticle63 Spoilers This review contains spoilers! This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order. Previous Story: The Rapture A somewhat bleak but otherwise simple Cyberman story, there were some interesting ideas thrown about but were this story really succeeds is in the characters. Specifically Hex, I can already tell he's gonna be a great companion. His dynamic with McShane (or Ace, as she used to be known) is fantastic. He's not as interesting with the Doctor but I'm hopeful that that will change. The story itself is nothing remarkable although it does have a pretty grim atmosphere. The other two Cybermen stories in this trilogy are a lot bleaker and depressing than this though. I found the idea of it being set in 2021 and being all futuristic quite funny given that's now history to us. Cybermen trying to become human again is also a great idea even if I think it could've been utilised a little bit better. Good story and a good start to what I'm aware will become a very large and expansive arc. Next Story: Dreamtime thedefinitearticle63 View profile Like Liked 0 15 January 2025 · 85 words Review by TheTruestRassilonian 1 A glum, rather bleak story in terms of realization. Not too dark in terms of subject matter, but the artificial atmosphere created clings like a fog, dampening all that it encompasses into murky shades of gray. Though intriguing, the difference in tone between this and it's fluffier peers is extremely pronounced. I found it polarizing. Stuck through initial growing pains for the characters, but come the final part, I must admit that I found myself enraptured by the scenery "The Harvest" had laid before me. TheTruestRassilonian View profile Like Liked 1 15 January 2025 · 246 words Review by KnuppMello Spoilers 1 This review contains spoilers! Original (Brazilian Portuguese) Translation (English) Temos uma trama puramente investigativa onde a Ace e o Doutor estão disfarçados e infiltrados em um hospital investigando um mistério por trás do uso de uma tecnologia alienígena, em seguida a história se inclina para um thriller tecnológico um pouco divertido. Mesmo os Cybermans estando um pouco distante da trama, as criaturas cinzas ainda entregam uma problemática bem satisfatória e aceitável (mesmo não sendo algo muito inovador). O destaque maior vai para todo o seu bloco dedicado a introduzir o novo companion “Hex”, conhecemos um rapaz bem simples, simpático, tímido, emotivo e muito humano, que tem seus defeitos, arrependimentos e suas dores. A reação dele ao entrar pela primeira vez na TARDIS podemos dizer que é um pouco diferente do que já vimos anteriormente na série, e o legal é que ele divide o protagonismo com a Ace...Ops! foi mal, desculpe, com a McShane rsrsrs – A dinâmica entre os dois é ótima, confesso que estou muito ansioso para ver mais essa dupla em ação. Já o Doutor está quase que um personagem secundário, ele mal aparece nas duas primeiras partes, mas senti um up significativo na atuação do McCoy. "The Harvest" não leva uma avaliação melhor porque peca muito em seu andamento, todo seu bloco investigativo é bem arrastado e esticado e quando alcançado seu ápice, sua problemática conclui de uma forma bem...Nhaaa, Ok. Click here to translate KnuppMello View profile Like Liked 1 Show All Reviews (12) Open in new window Statistics AVG. Rating187 members 3.90 / 5 GoodReads AVG. Rating343 votes 3.95 / 5 The Time Scales AVG. Rating252 votes 4.15 / 5 Member Statistics Listened 325 Favourited 28 Reviewed 12 Saved 9 Skipped 0 Related Stories Main Range • Episode 86 The Reaping Rating: 3.90 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(4) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range 51-100 Set of Stories: Main Range: Sixth Doctor Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Main Range • Episode 87 The Gathering Rating: 3.54 Story Skipped Audio Drama Reviews(2) More Actions View Sets Close Related Sets Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range Set of Stories: Big Finish Main Range 51-100 Set of Stories: Main Range: Fifth Doctor Add Review Edit Review Skip Skipped Unowned Owned Save to my list Saved Quotes Add Quote Link to Quote Favourite Tags: Funny Ace: Pass the sugar. Hex: That stuff will kill ya. Ace: On the list of things in this universe that are going to kill me, sugar is a long way down. — The Harvest Show All Quotes (5) Open in new window