The Monthly Adventures : The Sirens Of Time

(5, 6 and 7)

You can tell this was the beginning

5/10

The Sirens of Time isn’t the strongest start to Big Finish’s Doctor Who journey… but it is a fascinating one. You can feel the ambition straight away: three different Doctors, each in their own mini-adventure, coming together for a big finale. But while that structure sounds exciting, in practice it’s a bit wobbly. The individual segments don’t quite gel, and by the time we get to the final act, it feels like it’s sprinting to tie everything up. It’s a bit like watching three Part Ones followed by a slightly confused Part Four.

That said, there’s loads to enjoy along the way. Davison’s U-boat thriller is genuinely atmospheric, and Colin Baker’s space-conference escapade is a surprisingly great showcase for his Doctor, full of personality and presence. McCoy’s section doesn’t quite hit the same heights, but it’s not without its charm. The real secret weapon here is the supporting cast: Maggie Stables is deliciously unhinged, and Sarah Mowat gives a brilliantly layered performance that hints at how good Big Finish’s casting choices would become.

So, no, it’s not perfect. But I still love what it represents. It’s Big Finish taking its first steps, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and laying the groundwork for 20+ years of storytelling brilliance. You probably wouldn’t start here if you’re new to the audios, but as a piece of Who history? It’s essential listening. Wobbly, ambitious, and kind of wonderful.

The individual stories either need to be shorter or more interesting. As they are, it's a long walk to get our three doctors together. The final act is quite fun due to their interactions but I want more from the conclusion.

The concept of the Sirens of Time fascinates me but it would be better if more time was spent on them in each individual story. Furthermore, I'm not sure the Time Lords ever fully factor in to the plot in any meaningful way. There is a lot of narrative potential here with The Doctors grappling with how their actions have reshaped history, how they've been outsmarted and almost beaten. But these moments are passed by too quickly in order to wrap things up.

The production for this first Big Finish production is rather shoddy. The vocals are buried in the mix and the sound design for each of the planets could use more work. There was also a weird amount of time in between some of their lines, which works for television but in an audio drama it slows things down. In future Big Finish Doctor Who productions they manage to make things a bit more banter-y or at least quicker in terms of pace.

Sylvester was my favorite performance, full of buoyancy and the charm he so easily showcased in the show. And a special shout out to whoever voiced the Temperon because even with a heavy voice filter on, you can feel the pain and agony that this creature had gone through. Furthermore the Ruthley voice actor was kinda scary! I was actually invested in whatever was going on down on their planet. I'm looking forward to listening to more of the Main Range stories and I'm hoping for better three doctor stories!

It was okay. The structure was something I'm not used to in the show, which I guess was refreshing. But the whole story itself wasn't remarkable. Decent to say the least. Colin stood out the most to me.

It is understandable in kicking off a new range of audios that you would want to include a multi-Doctor story, to show off the talent on board, and the depth of the stories that you can tell, and the ambition here is commendable for sure.

However, this did not land when the story is as convoluted and messy as it is. There are too many elements, which do not fit as tightly as they should, which really reduces enjoyment. Ultimately, while Davison, Baker and McCoy are all fantastic throughout this story, but the story does not match up to the talent and the acting that they provide.

After this rocky start, it is good to know that the range managed to find its feet, and maintain to provide some strong storytelling moving forward.