❤️100% = Masterpiece! = Essential!

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

THE ONE WITH THE TALKING PENGUIN!

Robert Shearman’s Big Finish debut immediately leaves a strong impression: this is an imaginative, bizarre, scary (and eventually heartbreaking) tale of religion, political intrigues, emotional turmoil, and the intricacies of human minds. By the end of the story, Shearman unveils the full extent of his clever plotting and the different layers of his narrative, revealing how Eugene, in an attempt to cope with his terrible crime of murdering his son, has trapped the castle and all its imagined inhabitants in a loop of repeated events.

Part 1 is very focused on the guest cast and the political and religious intrigues of this strange and eerie kingdom. Shearman brilliantly combines dark humour with a constant air of unease, and the mediaeval-style music helps to maintain the atmosphere while the actors go all in on their performances. At the end of Part 1, the Doctor and Frobisher arrive on the scene, and everyone believes Frobisher to be a god.

Part 2 continues to develop the political scheming, while the Doctor slowly begins to realise how certain things don’t make sense, which adds to the sense of foreboding. The story suddenly becomes more sinister and intense in Part 3, as we discover the disfigured child locked deep below the castle, destined to become a new messiah.

In the second half of this story, chaos reigns. The scary child teleports around the castle, murdering every single character, and its sheer presence turns this story into an unnerving horror tale before we learn the heartbreaking and emotionally devastating reason behind everything.

The child remains one of the scariest, saddest, and most effective villains Big Finish has ever created. Its voice is chillingly scary, and its cold, murderous ways are horrifying to follow, but the dark and depressing truths behind its existence make it a character you feel bad for.

Frobisher is a fun character. There’s something bizarre about him being a penguin (or a mesomorph), but he’s such a colourful and funny character that fits the Sixth Doctor perfectly. Robert Jezek goes a long way toward infusing him with a genuine personality.

There are many voices here, and the story surprisingly finds plenty of room for every character to stand out. Of particular note are Sam Kelly's court scribe, Stefan Atkinson’s gutless emperor Pepin, and the Peter Miles-soundalike Peter Soerbutts as the scheming high priest Clovis.

Despite the slow pace of the first half, Shearman writes his characters and dialogue in such a way that he maintains a good air of mystery to keep the listener engaged. What I love about The Holy Terror is that it steadily grows more tense, scary, and emotionally brutal.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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The talking penguin Frobisher, who joins Six on this adventure, was first introduced in a 1984 Doctor Who Magazine comic strip.

In a similar vein to The Shadow of the Scourge, this release is part of Big Finish’s Side Steps arc, which takes place in an alternative continuity developed elsewhere in Doctor Who's extended media.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Utterly atmospheric, creepy, and devastating, The Holy Terror remains one of the finest pieces of performed Doctor Who ever released.

😑36% = Bad! = Leave it!

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

IT'S THE NEW WEB PLANET!

The Creed of the Kromon picks up where Scherzo left us, with the Doctor and Charley looking for the TARDIS while coming across a desert world filled with anthills and the giant, insect-like Kromon. Is this another The Web Planet (1965)?

Kro'ka, the creepy and playful guardian of the Kromon zone, allows the Doctor and Charley to enter the lands to search for the TARDIS, and this is where their real struggles begin.

Philip Martin builds a story that has very similar vibes to his previous TV work for Doctor Who (Vengeance on Varos); it’s pretty bleak and unnerving, but not effectively engaging like Scherzo. The story primarily revolves around the Kromon's use of the Doctor and Charley to uncover the TARDIS' secrets, yet it is excessively long, sluggish, and sporadically impactful.

Paul McGann and India Fisher are always reliable, but they feel very underwhelming here. It's a pity, since Charley in particular goes through quite a tough time (again) in this one.

Conrad Westmaas introduces us to our new companion, C'rizz. He offers a unique perspective as an alien with the ability to alter his skin tone to blend in with his surroundings. The story gives him ample opportunities to shine and portrays him as a passionate, decisive character, yet understanding him remains somewhat challenging.

The alien side characters blend into each other, and this release goes overboard with their voices.

This one has a pretty good sound design to capture the dusty and barren setting, and the simple but unnerving music is also nice.

A lot of this story has a strange aura to it, and I rarely felt engaged by the story surrounding poisons, mind control, and scientific experiments. It’s all a bit naff and devoid of excitement. That being said, the body horror aspects are fairly effective, and the darker themes popping up here and there give this one a more serious tone.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Well, this is a huge step down from Scherzo. The story is painfully slow, bizarre in all the wrong ways, and features themes that don't land as intended. It's only relevant for C'rizz's introduction.

✅77% = Good! = Highly recommended!

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

THE ONE WHERE THE BEATLES SING ABOUT THEIR DOG!

This cold open masterfully draws you in and establishes the eerie premise of the episode. Jinkx Monsoon, the new instant-classic villain Maestro, immediately steals the show, and Murray Gold delivers one of the most intense and memorable soundtracks of any Doctor Who episode, effectively using music and sound as a narrative tool. I appreciate how well the opening establishes Maestro as a true force of evil, as well as how they take us to the title sequence by playing the theme tune on the piano.

Once again, Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson exude infectious buddy energy, and Gatwa feels a lot like David Tennant in his energetic outings with Catherine Tate. Jinkx Monsoon steals the show with her playfully scary take on Maestro, a god of music and a powerful force invading the Earth in the wake of the Toymaker. At one point, they sound and feel like Ursula from The Little Mermaid!

The four Beatles actors don’t look a lot like their real-life counterparts and don't feel very real either, but I guess that’s the point. The episode barely features the Beatles, and there's no compelling reason to set it in 1963 or feature them at all, given how it's hardly even a historical episode. The episode has a narrow scope, primarily concentrating on the Doctor, Ruby, and Maestro.

The BBC has always been great with historical episodes, and The Devil’s Chord is no exception. The 1963 setting comes alive through great production design and music. The costumes are also great, and I love how the Doctor and Ruby make an effort to blend in.

I appreciate the script's exploration of the complex relationship between music and emotions, a topic never previously explored on the show, and its connection to the piece's villain. And what better way to explore these things than through the music of the Beatles (or the absence thereof)? As such, this is less silly and lighthearted than Space Babies, even if it grows pretty bonkers towards the end.

This episode continues to explore the Doctor and Ruby's personalities. The Doctor’s granddaughter Susan is referenced, and the Doctor admits he doesn’t know where she is since the Time Lords were wiped out by the Master.

It takes longer for this episode to get going than it did for Space Babies, as there is a greater focus on the characters and the emotional beats (such as during the exceedingly lengthy scene with Ruby playing the piano), leaving the main plot and Maestro brewing in the background. The middle part feels like a lengthy build-up, leaning on Maestro's strengths and building on what happened in The Giggle, but not moving the plot forward all that much.

Finally, the episode delivers a great battle between the Doctor and Maestro, fought through music. The Devil's Chord isn't a musical episode per se, but music plays a pivotal role, which makes it stand out effectively.

I must concede that the "twist at the end" was a reasonably amusing comedic device, despite the peculiar manner in which it concluded this episode with an elaborate dance routine. They then go overboard with this with that Big-inspired piano crossroads moment at the very end.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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I always love a reference to Finland in Doctor Who!

It’s creepy to hear the Maestro laugh with the same pattern we heard in The Giggle!

Composer Murray Gold makes his first uncredited cameo appearance as the pianist during the end song.

We meet the Arbringer here, a character looking like a child, killed by Maestro, and then suddenly popping up again at the end.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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With a striking villain performance and some of the best use of music in any Doctor Who episode, The Devil's Chord proves to be a whimsical adventure with a twist at the end!

🙏🏼65% = Fine! = Skippable!

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

THE ONE WITH THE MONSTER MADE OF SNOT!

They’ve improved the title sequence, fixing pretty much all the problems I had with the one from Church on Ruby Road! It's not perfect, but it's much better!

I quite like the opening scene, which is a traditional Doctor Who crash course meant to explain to the new companion and the audience what the show and the lead character are all about.

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson feel like old mates already. Gatwa’s playful take on the Doctor is infectious, and Gibson is charming with her youthful energy and constant awe. They carry the episode very well, and Gatwa finally feels like the Doctor here, as he brings out a wide range of emotions, from happy energy to true fear and intense determination.

I don't find the first TARDIS trip, where Ruby steps on a butterfly and transforms into an alien, to be particularly funny. Additional jokes that fail to resonate include Gatwa's repetitive use of the episode's title and the snot and poop jokes (which feel so 2005! ), whereas the nanny filter gags are genuinely amusing.

It feels weird how quickly the Doctor and Ruby get into trouble after materialising onto the spaceship. They immediately begin exploring and encounter the monster, which is only glimpsed through quick cuts (a classic horror trope that is used rather effectively). This is the Bogeyman, a pretty traditional Doctor Who monster made effecively scary by the realistic rubber suit, the clever direction, and good editing whenever it appears on screen.

The entire idea of a spaceship run by babies and with a baby farm is equally creepy, bizarre, and silly, and somehow it feels a bit too weird, even for Doctor Who. These are also parts of RTD's political commentary on refugees and abortion that don't pop up too obtrusively.

The spaceship design is simple and effective (you can sense the scale and level of detail), and the visual effects are top notch (though the effect used for the babies' lip movements doesn't look right at all). The voice acting for the babies also feels a bit off, but that might be deliberate.

Space Babies has a simplistic plot that finds time to develop the mystery around Ruby's past while also developing the main narrative around the babies and the Bogeyman.

After a very rushed start, the middle of the episode takes some time to flesh out the setting and the reason for the space babies—a simple and logical reason. It then focuses on solving the monster's mystery, making good use of the characters and setting. I quite like the clever solution of why the Bogeyman exists, as it has been created by the spaceship computer, who has interpreted the Bogeyman fairytale literally (it’s a monster made of snot or bogies—only on Doctor Who!). It’s almost as silly as the Kandyman from The Happiness Patrol.

The climax and solution are pretty standard fare for Doctor Who.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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I love the new way the TARDIS materializes, sort of shooting onto the scene as if shot from a cannon, as it looks so cool!

The “phone your mom” scene is a wonderful hark back to The End of the World (2005).

So, we get new Time Lord names: the Bishop, the Conquistador, the Sag-ishi, and so on! Now we wait for the Big Finish spin-offs featuring these characters!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Space Babies is silly, bizarre, and uneven; new viewers run the risk of being put off, while old fans are left wondering whether or not this is the weirdest season opener in Doctor Who history.

✅70% = Good! = Recommended!

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

THE ONE WITH THE GOBLIN SONG!

I don’t like the new title sequence; it’s too rushed and a bit messy (at least that strange zoom-in effect on the TARDIS), and the logo reveal animation looks like a PowerPoint effect. I like the colours and the animation, though. Murray Gold’s new rendition of the theme tune is a grower.

This is a fun introduction to the new Doctor, the new companion, and the new era of Doctor Who, with just enough holiday spirit to feel like a Christmas special, but not so much that it hampers the set-up of the upcoming series. The entire foundling/adoption theme that runs through the episode is heartwarming (and easily the best aspect of the episode), and the script naturally gets through all the basics of the show to ease in new viewers.

Ncuti Gatwa is bubbling with energy, joy, and flair from the word go. He might not feel like the Doctor yet, but he is definitely comfortable in the role and boldly makes the character his own. Gatwa finally captures the essence of the Doctor in the scene inside the goblin ship, where the Doctor and Ruby are tied up. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday is the story's focal point, and RTD does a great job of establishing her personality and family, with Gibson wonderfully bringing out her different sides.

Ruby’s mother and grandmother are lovely people who I love to learn more about in future episodes. But the most intriguing character is Mrs. Flood, who goes from your typical nosy neighbour to an enigmatic character by the time the end credits roll, and I cannot wait to find out who she really is.

The goblins are cute and pesky monsters, though very underdeveloped and underused. The Goblin King serves as the primary antagonist, appearing sparingly before his or her or its gruesome demise.

The production design certainly has a Disney fantasy feel, but the goblin design and the ship set are pretty good. Gold's incidental music is jolly, and the Goblin Song is undoubtedly a catchy tune with pretty bleak lyrics (even if it feels weird to have the Doctor and Ruby actually sing in the episode).

While it sets up potential timey-wimey mysteries for future episodes, the entire episode has that whimsical, family-friendly fairy tale feel that RTD has been hinting at; it doesn't quite feel like the sci-fi we're used to, and we might need to get used to this new tone going forward. The episode flows well, though, and moves every aspect of the plot along nicely without feeling too rushed.

Despite its overwhelmingly lighthearted tone, there are also surprisingly bleak moments, such as the Christmas tree murdering Davina McCall or the Doctor technically impaling the Goblin King. The latter part of the episode amps up the tension and tightens the atmosphere as Ruby suddenly disappears from time.

I simply love the final few moments, where Ruby puts two and two together to realise who and what the Doctor is, and then runs after him into the TARDIS.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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I love how this new Doctor seems to be a tinkerer, having already invented new intelligent gloves.

The new Doctor speaks rope. That seems like a language that would be good to know in real life!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Doctor Who brings back the Christmas special with a new Doctor, a whimsical fantasy tone, and a newfound energy, setting up the show's new era.

❤️89% = Superb! = Essential!

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

THE ONE WHERE THE DOCTOR GETS ENGAGED!

Writer John Lucarotti showcases a huge understanding of Aztec culture, which is why this story feels grounded and believable while also having memorably funny and exciting parts not previously seen on the show.

This story leans strongly on the idea of non-interference during historical events, a principle that the show itself isn't always very good at following; here, it makes for good tension between the Doctor and Barbara.

The light power play and abuse of power are the driving forces behind the plot, proving that these historicals have the potential to rely on character-driven plots.

I love the ominous cliffhanger ending to Part 1, which they somehow dialled up even further for the Part 2 reprise.

This story effectively splits up the TARDIS team and shows different sides of Aztec culture through each of the characters before bringing everyone together again for the conclusion.

It's brilliant how the Doctor isn't in control of anything during this story and actually manages to make things worse for his friends a lot of the time.

The Aztecs marks one of Jaqueline Hill’s finest performances in the series, and it’s the only story that truly allows her to steal the spotlight for once. These four episodes also form a great arc for Barbara, who stands up to the Doctor and Tlotoxl but also learns to admit her mistakes.

Thanks to Carole Ann Ford's holiday, Susan appears gracefully little, and suddenly everything feels so much more bearable.

It's strange to see a companion perform an action so Doctor-like as Ian vanquishing Ixta with his thumb, but it is one of Ian's finest moments.

The little romantic subplot with the Doctor and Cameca allows William Hartnell to showcase his warmer, lovelier side, even if it feels like the least integral part of the plot.

John Ringham provides another memorable and terrifying villain with his almost comically creepy take on Tlotoxl. He is the type of antagonist that one would gladly despise, and Ringham appears to have an authentic affection for the character. I'm happy Lucarotti seems to like Tlotoxl because he has a very sinister presence from the onset and remains at the forefront until the end. He is neither a slow burn like Tegana in Marco Polo nor non-existent like Yartek in The Keys of Marinus (both 1964).

Ixta proves to be a pretty capable supporting villain, which is more than you can say for most of them on this show.

With the way he speaks, I can't get over the fact that I find Autloc actor Keith Pyott to be drunk all the time.

The backgrounds are obviously fake but somehow manage to convey a sense of space during the scenes set on top of the Aztec temple.

Okay, so the actors pretending to move a fake cave entrance stone slab as if it were very heavy is too unconvincing to come across as realistic, even for my imagination.

This story builds a strong atmosphere and introduces its setting convincingly during its opening minutes, also giving Barbara a chance to step up properly for the first time.

Despite being a bit clumsy, the duel at the end of Part 2 is surprisingly long and tense, as well as exciting.

The pacing is slightly off in Part 3, which struggles a bit to proceed the narrative towards the climax.

The latter half of the serial does take some narrative and logical shortcuts to ramp up the tension and race the story towards a finish.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The strongest story of Doctor Who's first season is a fantastically atmospheric historical adventure, with strong performances, production values, and themes to carry the story.

🙏🏼63% = Fine! = Skippable!

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

THE ONE WITH THE ALBINO SIMON PEGG!

The Long Game is a satire on the media and a commentary on technological advancement, both themes that are prevalent in Series 1. It has a similar aura to Vengeance on Varos, but it’s not quite as bleak. It also seeks to teach us about the responsibilities of time travel and the consequences of misusing it.

Christopher Eccleston continues to show interesting sides of his Doctor, such as when he decides to break the Laws of Time to try and help a future civilisation improve, or when he determinedly throws Adam out. Billie Piper is also on a roll, so it's a pity that this one is so focused on Bruno Langley's unlikeable and idiotic Adam. Though having Adam be the one who wanders off and gets himself into trouble allows Rose to stay with the Doctor, where she is at her best,.

Simon Pegg is deliciously campy as the Editor, one of the more memorable Eccleston-era villains. Christine Adams is good as Cathcica, a likeable and intelligent supporting character.

From the beginning, it is evident that Nine and Rose share a close bond and primarily use Adam for amusement, as evidenced by the Doctor assisting Rose in demonstrating her time-traveling abilities to Adam. Nine also treats Adam much like Mickey, and at times much worse. This inadvertently makes Adam feel unimportant and prompts him to make a foolish choice that leads to his expulsion from the TARDIS. I know I should feel bad for him, but I don't because I have never been able to stand his nosy and attention-seeking persona.

Oh, Russell and his silly aliens. The Jagrafess is hardly one of his most memorable or effective ones (a blob with teeth hanging from the ceiling) and is overshadowed by the Editor despite being the main baddie of the story.

I quite like the Satellite 5 setting. It feels more lively and crowded than a lot of space station sets in early Modern Who, and you can clearly feel the contrast between the upper levels and the lower levels. The filming and editing techniques further enhance the authenticity of the setting. Despite the dated CGI, the production design maintains its exceptional quality.

Parts of this give me The Macra Terror or The Krotons vibes, in how unsuspecting people are used by their masters for nefarious purposes, only for the Doctor to shake up this power balance.

The episode is surprisingly slow. It manages to move the main plot of Level 500 forward while also developing the Adam-enteric B-plot without rushing things. It takes time to build the atmosphere and set up the encounter between Nine and the Editor.

The Long Game delivers a climax that swiftly escalates, failing to evoke a genuine sense of tension or dread prior to the fleeting resolution of the threat. The real climax, however, is the fallout of Adam's actions, which serves to show that this incarnation of the Doctor takes his work very seriously (and that final shot is priceless).

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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This is the first story in Doctor Who where the Doctor explicitly kicks the current TARDIS companion out of the TARDIS due to their bad behaviour.

The troubled production of this episode contributed to the introduction of the companion-lite and Doctor-lite episodes that were commonplace during the RTD and early Moffat eras.

We will return to Satellite 5, the setting for this episode, later on in this season, in a narrative development similar to the one from The Ark in Space to Revenge of the Cybermen or the first and second halves of The Ark.

Keen-eyed viewers might notice that this episode has been shot on the same set as The End of the World. That's a cost-cutting measure for you!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Unless you're a devoted fan, The Long Game is mostly a typical, skippable filler episode, raising some good points and looking great in places.

❤️100% = Masterpiece = Essential!

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

This time: a two-hander in an empty space, with ear-shattering soundscapes and relationship drama.

Scherzo plunges us directly into the adventure, with the Doctor and Charley stranded inside the TARDIS, evading an unidentified terror at the apex of everything. They eventually exit the ship, only to notice that they have appeared in a place where they cannot see, feel, or taste anything and have to rely on their hearing as they make their way across the vast nothingness. The Doctor, under the influence of Zagreus, forced himself into this Divergent Universe, Rassilon's pocket universe, where time does not exist.

There is a deeper narrative here, as Robert Shearman (Jubilee, 2003; Dalek, 2005) takes the opportunity to further develop the relationship between Eight and Charley and deal with the fallout from Zagreus (2003). The dialogue also explores existential questions and ideas.

In terms of its sheer inventiveness, unique setting, and total reliance on the two regulars, Scherzo is unlike any Doctor Who story I have encountered. It is simple yet complex, engaging yet unnerving, and strange yet impactful. Only if you're familiar with the characters and their journey up to this point can you fully appreciate their impact.

From the onset, it becomes clear that this story relies heavily on its two performers and the sound design to find success. Paul McGann and India Fisher carry the story effortlessly with their amazing emotional range and effective chemistry, while the intense sound design creates strange and scary canvases around them. Throughout the story, the bond between these two characters fluctuates, and Scherzo excels during the most emotionally charged moments.

Due to the nature of the story and its setting, it only really works in audio format. The simple and unnerving sound design, sometimes overwhelming and capable of making your ears bleed, brings it to life. There’s no music apart from the theme tune, which serves to strengthen the strange nature of the setting and puts more focus on the performances and the soundscapes.

The story maintains a tense atmosphere expertly and occasionally bursts into intense moments of creepy and weird “action” that serve to make the experience even more effective. The story also slowly introduces small, dark elements that give the entire thing a new layer (such as the Doctor and Charley eating the flesh of the dead bodies they come across).

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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This is the first Big Finish release, and the first performed Doctor Who all in all, to only feature two cast members.

Scherzo is also the first entry in the eight-part Divergent Universe arc.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Wildly original, creative, and emotionally complex, Scherzo brings out the very best in Big Finish and ends up being one of the finest pieces of performance by Doctor Who ever released.

✅88% = Great! = Essential!

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

This time: a multi-Doctor adventure to celebrate 50 monthly audio drama releases and 40 years of Doctor Who, with Paul McGann playing the bad guy!

Zagreus represents the climax of a narrative arc that revolves around a Gallifreyan nursery rhyme, hints of which have been present in several previous Main Range releases. It has the air of a season finale while also celebrating 40 years of Doctor Who by including past Doctors and companions in the story. It also deepens the lore of the Time Lords and Rassilon, with concepts such as the Divergence.

Told through three separate parts, each clocking in at over 70 minutes, Zagreus is a complex, bizarre storyline, juggling comedic elements, scary aspects, and sci-fi concepts liberally. The Doctor’s parts mess around with familiar children’s stories (such as Alice in Wonderland), while Charley's parts deal with surprising takes on familiar characters.

Part 1 alternates between an amnesiac Doctor/Zagreus trying to figure out who he is and what is going on, and Charley joining a hologram of the Brigadier and attempting to connect the dots on her end. It’s somewhat hard to follow at times, as the listener is effectively as lost as the characters.

Part 2 takes a different turn as we head to Gallifrey and join the Great Mother, the High Priestess Cassandra, and Provost Tepesh (all played by familiar voices…) as well as Charley, in the guise of Rassilon. Simultaneously, the Doctor gradually unravels the mystery at his end, realising that his personality and the TARDIS have undergone a split. I cannot comprehend the exact nature of the situation or its purpose.

The latter half of Part 2 switches locations again, as Charley appears in another strange story, with animatronic animal soldiers in a theme park and the Jabberwock attacking the Doctor in the TARDIS. We still have no idea what’s going on, but the entire thing is bizarre, inventive, and strangely engaging.

Part 3 finally brings the three alternate Doctors and companions together for the finale, which takes place in the Death Zone. This one drops plenty of references to past stories and monsters, and I love how the three Doctors bicker and banter while Charley, Leela, and Romana try to keep everything together.

While it's not easy to always follow along and capture every detail of the narrative, I love the epic scope of the story and its majestic feel, as well as how everything fits together nicely in the last part.

Overflowing with characters, most of them old Doctors and companions in slightly different roles, Zagreus can feel a bit overwhelming at times, and it isn't always easy to follow along with the various voices and characters.

In one of his very best performances for Big Finish, Paul McGann is a creepy presence. He captures his confused, broken, and desperate nature with great accuracy, delivering a sprawling and altogether impressive performance as Zagreus. India Fisher, meanwhile, effortlessly carried the rest of the story in one of her strongest performances as Charley.

Past Doctors and companions appear in new roles, which is equally interesting and confusing. Peter Davison is Reverend Townsend, but he plays him like the Doctor. Colin Baker, in particular, is an absolute delight as Tepesh, and Sylvester McCoy is joyful as the Walt Disney-inspired Walton Winkle.

Nicholas Courtney is fantastic as a hologram popping in and out of the story, and he turns scary as he voices Zagreus and the evil TARDIS, providing one of his finest performances in the franchise.

Pretty much every single character is played by a Doctor or companion actor (including rarely heard voices such as Anneke Wills and Elisabeth Sladen). It’s fun trying to spot them all and listen to how each one of them provides wild and inventive performances.

Most of Zagreus is complex, strange, and confusing, but Part 3 feels the most like a traditional Doctor Who adventure and brings our favourite characters together against Rassilon and a bunch of fun monsters.

Even after the epic adventure in this story, Zagrerus takes a heartbreaking turn as the Doctor throws Charley out, only for her to sneak back onto the TARDIS…

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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This is the longest Main Range release and the second longest Big Finish story, after Dominion, at just shy of four hours.

Sadly, this is also the only Main Range release to feature Elisabeth Sladen and John Leeson as K9. It’s also the Big Finish debut for Louise Jameson as Leela.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Zagreus is an epic and complex celebration of 40 years of Doctor Who, and while it's divisive within the fandom, it certainly feels like a celebratory adventure with big stakes and superb performances.

✅84% = Great! = Mildly recommended!

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

This time: Bennie joins Seven and Ace as scary monsters invade your ears.

The 13th Main Range release sees Big Finish tackle the Virgin New Adventures continuity for the very first time. The story is set between the novels All-Consuming Fire and First Frontier.

This story mixes an interesting hotel setting with a cross-knit convention, a time experiment, and a Planet of the Spiders-esque cult trying to summon the titular Scourge. And there's dead bodies coming back to life as well, because why not? This is a memorable and exotic mix that quickly turns scary and tense.

As we follow the three separate events through the three main characters and begin piecing everything together, the narrative slowly builds tension.

By the second half, we realise that the Doctor has made a terrible mistake as the monsters get the upper hand (this is where Paul Cornell delivers one of the most effective Big Finish cliffhangers as the Doctor's painful transformation into a critter begins).

Part 4 develops the story into something even stranger as the Doctor finds a way to take control of the situation.

All the cliffhangers are fantastic; they make you want to continue listening!

Sylvester McCoy brings out his manipulative Seven here, as evidenced by the cliffhanger in Part 1, where we learn that the Doctor has called the Scourge to Earth for some reason. McCoy delivers an exceptional performance, particularly when he is under the influence of the Scourge.

In this story, Bernice Sunmerfield, a companion from the Virgin New Adventures novels, seamlessly integrates with Seven and Ace. Listening to this one doesn't require you to be familiar with her. Lisa Bowerman is great in the role, and Cornell seems intent on giving her the upper hand over Seven’s usual companion Ace.

Speaking of Ace, she feels like herself here and takes good charge in the second half once the Doctor is out of action. Both companions are given clear roles to play int ehs eiocn dahflö, which gives them more value.

The guest characters aren't very interesting.

The Scourge are well-established monsters and more than simply murderous aliens. They effectively gain the upper hand and entrap the Doctor, which makes them very formidable.

The sound design and music here successfully build an uneasy and tense atmosphere. The chanting is unnerving, and the monster voices are scary, not to mention the effective, gross sound design capturing the transformations that occur throughout this story.

While Part 1 is a slow build-up establishing the setting and characters, Part 2 unleashes full chaos once the Scourge arrives. Part 3 then slows things down a bit as the narrative stops moving before the big finale in the concluding part.

Cornell effectively moves the story from something that feels grounded to something much more high-concept and bizarre. This is the type of story that fits this Doctor very well.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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This story has one of my least favourite Big Finish covers. It looks fan-made rather than official!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Paul Cornell delivers a tense and creepy Doctor Who adventure, with a delightfully manipulative Doctor and well-established monsters, but a slightly confusing second half.

🙏🏼62% = Okay = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: the quest for the Key to Marinus, creepy supporting characters, and bad disguises.

 

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STORY:

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The Keys of Marinus boldly tries a new concept for the show by setting each of the six episodes in different places, connected by one common narrative. It's an interesting approach, not used very much on the show since (and mostly in other Terry Nation-penned stories, such as The Chase, 1965).

Part 1 effectively establishes the alien setting by returning to the sense of mystery from Part 1 of The Daleks (1964).

Part 2 features a good idea with an execution that only goes halfway, but it's the concept that works the best in this story.

This is a very narratively flimsy story, with the framing narrative fairly weak and the separate smaller stories in each episode very uneven in quality. The Keys of Marinus shows some of Terry Nation's lazy qualities as a writer: he's starting to repeat himself in terms of plot structure and ideas (a pretty feat considering this is only his second contribution to the show!). We didn't need another sluggish cave-climbing sequence, for instance.

To be fair, Nation plays around with some interesting concepts and themes, such as mind control, pacifism, and distrust towards machines, that give the adventure a small narrative edge. I also have to give Nation some credit for cleverly writing the main cast members' vacations into the story by splitting up the group and focusing on each half in separate episodes.

Part 6 very hurriedly brings the story to a close, mostly because half of it deals with the fallout of the previous episode, leaving the ending of the serial very unsatisfying.

 

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POPULATION:

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Here, Susan is at her peak level of irritation and uselessness.

Yartek is a trashy villain. He's supposed to be the big bad, but he doesn't show up until the end of the last episode and never poses a real threat. Who thought that disguise would fool anyone?

The Voord seem like a desperate attempt at recreating the success of the Daleks, and even though they look (slightly) cool, they remain too underdeveloped and underutilised to truly work.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The sets and model work are the weakest on the show so far, probably because they change for every episode, so they look either overly simplistic or not very convincing.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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Part 3 is sluggish and feels like a very hastily put-together filler episode with ideas that don't come alive convincingly with the allocated resources. There's a whole "fake it till you make it" sensibility over that entire episode that makes it awkward to watch.

Part 4 has the strongest atmosphere; it's dark and unnerving and offers one of the more disturbingly memorable guest performances in Who history. These days, they would never create a character as brilliantly unnerving as Vasor, yet he is the epitome of terror and the sole genuine highlight of the narrative.

The second good episode is Part 5, which reinvigorates the story by essentially speeding through a courtroom drama (the first of many in the series!) and allowing William Hartnell to shine as Ian's defender. The episode showcases some qualities of Hartnell's Doctor that would later become defining features for almost every incarnation of the character.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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This is one of the better stories for Hartnell's famous line flubs, such as the golden "If you would have had your shoes on, boy, you could've lent her hers!"

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Although Terry Nation offers an intriguing new concept filled with a variety of locations, characters, and ideas, along with a few highlights, its uneven pace and filler elements mostly let The Keys of Marinus down.

✅73% = Good! = Mildly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time, a story featuring mild curiosity in a junkyard, impossible physics, and caveman politics.

 

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STORY:

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The iconic nature of the first episode means it's one of the most important pieces of sci-fi ever produced.

The sense of mystery is strong; the first episode in particular quickly builds a strong sense of strangeness and awe, which the script manages to keep up throughout the early half of the serial.

The latter part of episode two and pretty much the entire rest of the serial feel dragged out and repetitive (arguments about firemaking and leadership), with the central characters moving back and forth between being prisoners and escaping.

The time period and the characters aren't interesting enough to make for an engaging four-parter, and the full potential of Doctor Who's pure historicals won't be seen until a few episodes later, in the now missing Marco Polo (1964).

There's a fight to the death at the end of episode four, and it serves as the first-ever action scene in Doctor Who. It's very clunky and weirdly shot, but the lighting and music make it fairly tense and atmospheric nonetheless.

 

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POPULATION:

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Ian and Barbara come across as likeable, inquisitive school teachers right away, while Susan appears to be eerily alien but innocent. Then there is the late, great William Hartnell's portrayal of the old, grumpy, and slightly cantankerous Doctor. Ian quickly becomes the hero of the story, while the Doctor is more of a cautious mystery.

Speaking of the Doctor, he's a work in progress here; we see him smoke a pipe for the first and last time, and he's trying to avoid taking an active part in the adventure, except for when he nearly kills a caveman with a stone. He then steps up in the last episode to outwit the cavemen.

William Hartnell and William Russell deliver some instant classic lines, and there's a lot of surprisingly enjoyable talk about making fire as well.

There's some overacting in the guest cast, so much so that it's difficult to take their cavemen characters seriously most of the time.

By the time episode three arrives, the strong characterization of the two central female characters, Susan and Barbara, has vanished, leaving us with only screaming women who irritate you.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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Yes, this serial, like most in the classic series, is a bit rough around the edges when compared to other sci-fi projects of the era (Star Trek, anyone?), but that's part of the charm.

An Unearthly Child grabs your attention with its music from the get-go: the haunting theme tune by Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire and the atmospheric incidental music by Bernard Kay.

The sheer inventiveness of the people involved makes aliens, time travel, and the TARDIS—some of the franchise's key elements and some classic sci-fi aspects—feel instantly iconic and believable in this story.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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An Unearthly Child marks the beginning of an ever-growing franchise, made with real heart despite limited resources. The first episode is a must-see classic, and the remaining three can be skipped if you don't feel like sitting through endless escape attempts and caveman politics.

🙏🏼60% = Fine! = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Big Ben is destroyed, aliens have a farting problem, and the cliffhanger makes a comeback!

This is a review of both Aliens of London and World War Three.

 

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STORY:

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It’s back to the present day for this one, with Rose having to deal with the consequences of her travels while trouble looms in the background. A spaceship crash lands in London, and what follows is RTD’s take on a classic alien invasion story, with an eager Nine investigating.

The adventure begins promisingly, but the focus quickly shifts to news coverage of the crash, political scheming, and running gags centred on farting aliens and Harriet Jones, of which only the latter truly works (Penelope Wilton is phenomenal). Since this is a two-parter, there’s a bit more time for the story to take its time to build tension and real stakes, and that is why the pace feels a bit less rushed. Aliens of London is essentially one big build-up for the real event in World War Three.

The Slitheen as a concept does feel silly in retrospect (they are child-friendly aliens with a great design, clearly created in hopes of sling toys), though they carry a scary quality with the head chippers and the big claws. I also like how they are a family business rather than a race that tries to take over Earth for business reasons.

The humorous tone and playful take on politics haven’t aged all that well.

I love the final few moments of Aliens of London, which cut excellently between the Doctor having a speech, Jackie being attacked by a Slitheen, and Rose and Harriet being cornered by another; all three scenes culminate in a tense reveal of the Slitheen in modern Who’s first cliffhanger.

The fast-paced plot of World War Three propels the action, with the Slitheen effectively attacking everyone. I also like how the Doctor, Rose, Harriet, Mickey, and Jackie all work together to figure out what’s going on and how to stop it while being put under immense pressure from the Slitheen. But this is also where the stakes are felt, and we realise for the first time what travelling with the Doctor might mean for Rose, in case he cannot save her every time.

 

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POPULATION:

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Chris Eccleston continues to develop his take on the Doctor, and we get a better understanding of his views on alien races, humanity, and violence. Billie Piper doesn't get a whole lot to do, with Rose mostly reduced to a more traditional companion role. Camille Coduri fires off in this two-parter, not taking any bullshit from the Doctor while truly showing how much she cares for Rose. Mickey is still largely played for laughs but gets a couple of opportunities to step up and prove his boyfriend's chops.

The guest cast is pretty nice, with the aforementioned Wilton and the wonderfully creepy but oh-so-delightful Annette Badland standing out. David Verrey overplays his comedic aspects too much, and Rupert Vansittart is difficult to take seriously as well.

This is the 21st-century debut of UNIT (still named after the United Nations at this point), though their role is pretty minimal.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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I find the music somewhat distracting in this one, and the visual effects vary hugely in quality (the crashing spaceship looks pretty good, but the Slitheen reveal at the end of Aliens of London is a bit naff, while the Slitheen costumes are great). The production design isn’t very interesting, as most of the story is set inside Downing Street, the TARDIS, or the Tyler residence.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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There are some tonal inconsistencies here, and the episodes clumsily jump between comedy, action, and more serious dramatic beats. However, I find the fact that the UNIT in the 21st century has certain measures in place to get hold of the Doctor if the need arises a realistic one.

The explosive finale feels perhaps a bit too much, but at least it ends this adventure on a high note.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The first two-parter of the revived series has pacing issues, somewhat childish aliens and a heavy memphis on politics, but it’s also effectively action-packed and fun at times.

🙏🏼63% = Okay! = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: creepy gas zombies, a historical celebrity, and our first hint of the season arc.

 

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STORY:

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That opening scene is a bit creepy, but also campy in exactly the way Doctor Who could be!

This is the first celebrity historical story, a concept that has become a staple in the revived series. The Victorian Cardiff setting, ghosts made of gas, and Charles Dickens create a dark but exciting atmosphere, and RTD cherishes portraying Dickens per the history books while making the Doctor a big fan of him.

The main story tries to illustrate how the Doctor, tired of witnessing death everywhere, decides to assist an alien race without considering the possibility that he might be misinterpreting their true intentions. It also allows Rose to question the Doctor's choices yet again. I also love how Dickens is pivotal to the solution.

Knowing Mark Gatiss and his writing style, it's no surprise that he combined the fascinating Victorian era of British history with a ghost story at Christmas, throwing in Charles Dickens for good measure. He sets the template for the celebrity historical and delivers a very straightforward but atmospheric adventure for Nine and Rose.

 

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POPULATION:

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Simon Callows does look and feel like Charles Dickens, even if the character himself ends up being pretty unlikeable. He is hardly the best historical celebrity the show has given us. Nine being a big fan of his is hilarious, though, and Eccleston puts his heart into this aspect.

Seeing Eve Myles as Gwyneth here is so weird, knowing that she will later go on to play Gwen in Torchwood. Gwyneth's psychic powers and the way she connects with Rose make her the most interesting supporting character, though her abilities could have played into the plot even more, even if I loved the way she sacrificed herself to save the world.

So these Gelth are essentially weird gas aliens, and they aren't exactly the most interesting new aliens (they feel very Big Finish), but at least they have an air of creepiness to them and the reanimated corpses. The only thing that makes the Gelth interesting is how the Time War has left them without bodies, making the Doctor and his people inadvertently responsible for their current state.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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This is the first historical story in the modern series, and it immediately shows how great the BBC is at producing period drama. The costumes and sets look fantastic, and the performances are also believable. The CGI on the Gelth looks like an old computer game.

Somehow, I feel that the music in its jollier forms doesn't fit the era very well, while the more dramatic tunes are great.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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This one has a slower pace, and the script revels in the setting and the people, leaving the alien threat to be a secondary thought until it's time to hurriedly bring them back into play. There's some friction between Rose and Nine surrounding the ethics of using dead people to feed the needs of a dying alien race, but it's not major.

The Victorian setting is an effective one to create a creepy atmosphere, which the gas aliens help to strengthen. This episode isn't as funny as the previous one, and the excitement relies more on the creepy factor than in both previous episodes.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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Remember the times the Doctor used to insist on their companions changing their attire to fit the tile period? Those were good times!

That "I'm going to die in a dungeon in Cardiff" bit could've been a great cliffhanger!

This is the first script by Doctor Who and Sherlock writer and actor Mark Gatiss, who had already written audio plays for Big Finish (such as Phantasmagoria, 1999) and has a special knack for writing historical episodes.

If my memory serves me correctly, Gwyneth is a descendant of Gwen, who will later join Torchwood in Cardiff in the 21st century.

The rift in Cardiff is the reason so many alien invasions take place there, as well as the reason Torchwood establishes a base in the city later.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The Unquiet Dead shows the potential of historical stories in this new era of Doctor Who, but it hasn’t aged particularly well and isn't quite as gripping or memorable as the two previous adventures.

78% = Great! = Strongly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a a time! This time, a talking iece of skin, funnily named aliens and air from the Doctor's lungs.

 

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STORY:

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The episode kicks off with a wonderful tonal shift from the Doctor showing off his TARDIS manoeuvring skills (like the romantic he is!) to him and Rose marvelling at the morbid beauty of the Earth dying far away in the future.

The End of the World is a monumental episode in the revival. It shows the 21st century potential of future-set space stories with alien characters and further explores the Doctor's past, his current emotional state, and his modus operandi, while painting a very fascinating and slightly silly picture of our solar system 5 billion years from now.

Rose is wisely at the centre of the story, allowing us to explore this strange place and time alongside her, all the while remaining curious about the Doctor and his mysterious past. I love how she questions the Doctor and is rightfully on her guard, which makes her more relatable, while giving the story a reason to reveal new sides of the Doctor as well.

 

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POPULATION:

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These aliens and their strange ways and gifts are silly enough to come across as perfectly belivable in the far future. The chief of these is the last human, the talking piece of skin, which is Lady Cassandra. She really shouldn't work as well as she does, but Zoë Wanamaker makes her aboslutely creepy, fascinating, and memorable, and her "Moisturise me!" catchphrase is the first classic villain quote of the new series!

Jimmy Vee makes his first of several appearances on the show, this time as the Moxx of Balhoon, while Yasmin Bannerman's Jabe, a lovely tree alien character, truly brings out the Doctor's emotional side (and her sacrifice in the end always feels so wrong).

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The season will reuse the rather simple space station set a few times, and while the VFX is showing its age, the practical make-up effects still look wonderful. I appreciate the light and colourful take on a space station, which is a refreshing change from the usual metallic, grey, and cold. I also really love the soundtrack, from the classic pop beats to Murray Gold's sweeping melodies.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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The scene with the Doctor saving Rose from the descending sun filter and the one where he has to avoid the rapidly spinning fans are the standout action moments, but other than that, the highlights of this epiode lie in the more dramatic scenes that explore Rose and the Doctor as characters. The basic threat is pretty simple and not particularly interesting (this is the second episode in a row where the threat takes the backseat), even though it makes Cassandra easy to dislike.

The moment of Cassandra exploding in the Doctor's and Rose's faces is actually a pretty morbid moment and shows the darker side of this Doctor (as he refuses to help her, despite Rose's pleas). And the last scene is another beautiful emotional moment, something that RTD truly excels at writing, and it also finally reveals to fans of the classic show what has happened to Gallifrey and the Time Lords during the Wilderness Years.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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How exactly is phoning someone 5 billion years apart from yourself supposed to work?

I love that Toxic is considered "a traditional ballad" in the future; I'm happy to hear that my childhood crush Britney is still appreciated long after my death!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Showing the potential of the revived series, The End of the World is a great character piece, let down somewhat by its limited prodution values and simple plot.

✅86% = Great! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time, the return of the Doctor, plastic boyfriends, and conspiracy theories!

 

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STORY:

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There’s no better way to pull in viewers old and new than that classic title sequence with Murray Gold’s beautiful rendition of the theme tune!

Russell T. Davies effectively kicks off 21st-century Doctor Who by introducing the new companion, the old monsters, and the mysterious Doctor during the first few minutes. The first half of the episode expertly places the series in a modern setting, feeling realistic despite the science fiction theme.

The script makes the Doctor a great, mysterious character. It feels like it draws inspiration from the unrealized Cartmel Master Plan.

Rose is firmly told from the companion's point of view, establishing her role as an important audience surrogate. Those opening moments tell us all we need to know about her, her everyday life, and the world she lives in. And mere moments after that, RTD effectively introduces creepy killer mannequins (the Autons, not seen since the 70s!) and the mysterious, leather-clad stranger telling Rose to run for her life (the Doctor, not seen since 1996/1999/2003!).

Moving at a brisk pace, there's still a good time to develop Rose, her relationships with Mickey and her mother, and the mystery surrounding the Doctor’s identity. RTD throws in hints at a major war in the Doctor’s past while firmly developing the rather simple alien invasion plot (the least interesting aspect of the story). The characters are relatable; the humor is silly but actually fun; and the action and tension are palpably believable.

Overall, this is a sharply written episode, effectively introducing new audiences to the premise of the show while comfortably bringing back old fans. While elements of classic Doctor Who are present, the show firmly incorporates them into a contemporary, 21st-century framework.

 

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POPULATION:

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Christopher Eccleston is very different from the textbook Doctor from the Classic Era—energetic, dropping pop culture references, and looking somewhat normal in that leather jacket and with that buzz cut—but he also shows familiar quirky alien qualities that make him recognisable to old fans. The most interesting part is how he hides his anger, sorrow, and depression under layers of false cheer.

Billie Piper feels like a mid-2000s 20-something. She's easy to identify with. She's just the right amount of curious and suspicious to feel realistic. They have amazing chemistry from their very first moments, particularly in the scene where the Doctor tells Rose about himself while they're walking towards the TARDIS.

She lives with her strict mother (the commanding Camille Coduri) and her goofy but helpful boyfriend (the he-who-fandom-is-trying-to-forget Noel Clarke), who regrettably serves only as comic relief and doesn't receive the respect he deserves as a character.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The music is wonderful, the direction feels slick and modern, and the Autons are well-realized.

Looking back at the visuals today, Rose (and the entire Series 1) are showing their age. The weird white glow effect is very distracting, and some of the bigger visual effects look strange (the wheelie bin bit and the Nestene Consciousness). Then again, the practical effects of the Autons are very effective. And there is a certain charm to wonky special effects, as fans of the Classic Show surely agree.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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Many Doctor Who episodes in the revived era follow this template, which is fast-paced and exciting, but with enough time to develop the characters and the story.

That opening scene with the Autons slowly creeping towards Rose is an incredibly powerful sequence, and one that surely helped fans accept that this was indeed Doctor Who returning. The rest of the story is filled with wonder and excitement, feeling both fresh and old-school at the same time.

The climax with the Nestene is a great moment for the Doctor, as he gets to have a proper speech to save the day. The final few moments are wonderfully tense. The anti-plastic thing is a bit of a simplistic solution, but it doesn't hamper the story too much.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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I've always disliked the strange white glow in the episodes of Series 1. It's so distracting, but it doesn't look as bad in HD.

The Ninth Doctor has recently regenerated and had several adventures on his own before this episode.

It is lovely how this episode feels modern by actually having Rose search the internet to try to find out who the Doctor is.

Not even New Who is always great! The scene with Mickey being drawn into the garbage bin, followed by the bin burping, is cringeworthy.

I love the TARDIS interior reveal. They draw it out so perfectly, and the moment is so rewarding.

The Doctor: "Lots of planets have a north!"

The disappointment in the Doctor's eyes when Rose initially turns down his offer to join him is so palpable, it's heartbreaking.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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With Rose, Russell T. Davies did the impossible and brought back a beloved BBC franchise for audiences new and old, effectively updating the series while respecting its roots.

🙏🏼66% = Okay! = Mildly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: more androids, big-nosed counts, and sunny weather.

Writer David Fisher's second subsequent story of this season is an interesting one. The Androids of Tara takes a very similar premise to the season opener, The Ribos Operation, but gives it a somewhat more polished look. Here, the script keeps aliens and futuristic technology to a minimum, allowing its stars to truly shine. Additionally, this is another one of those stories that heavily borrows from other sources, this time the classic Anthony Hope novel The Prisoner of Zenda from the late 19th century.

 

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STORY:

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The beginning of Part 1 feels almost too perfect—it's a beautiful and sunny day, and the Doctor wants to go fishing for a change. The Doctor and Romana engage in some lighthearted banter, and they instantly discover the fourth segment of the Key to Time.

In many ways, The Androids of Tara reminds me of Robot of Sherwood from Series 8 of the new series. Both have a medieval setting with robots or androids; both focus on the villain trying to gain more power, and both are quite lighthearted in style. Of course, the main difference is that this story takes place on the planet Tara, whereas Robot of Sherwood takes place in mediaeval England and features supposedly real historical figures. However, I think Classic Who executed the storyline more effectively. I like the mediaeval setting with subtle alien elements—the androids, the swords with electrical charges (George Lucas' sci-fi hit Star Wars from the previous year must have been a major influence when designing those swords), and the look and feel of the story are more genuine, majestic, and down to earth.

We have another android/clone/shapeshifting story in a long line of them, but with the main twist that one of the key characters is an android copy of the companion rather than the Doctor. David Fisher also explores the relationship between humans and androids better than previous stories have done. The overall plot lacks depth and fails to captivate your attention.

 

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POPULATION:

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Tom Baker is yet again in his element. Mary Tamm is sidelined yet again, and the adventure does very little with the fact that she’s playing four characters (Romana, Strella, and their android doubles).

The guest actors once again steal the show, particularly the wonderful Peter Jeffrey (once considered to play the Second Doctor and previously appearing as The Controller in The Macra Terror) as suave and gentlemanly villain Count Grendel. He is the closest thing to Roger Delgado's Master I have ever seen on TV, and he is incredibly recognisable and likeable. His facial expressions are priceless; his delivery of lines on top, as well as his entire habitus, make him feel both dangerous and hungry for power.

Neville Jason portrays the dashing Prince Reynart, who resembles Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury, on the other side of the battlefield. He is also very good, both as himself and as his android doppelgänger.

The acting overall is very sharp, and the casting decisions are spot on. The only exception to this would be Paul Lavers playing Farrah, a young and extremely trigger-happy royal guard. I also love Declan Mulholland's minor supporting role as Servant Till (yes, he's the guy who was originally Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars!). He's not a very fleshed-out or even important character, but he adds that extra flavour. And he just happens to remind me a bit of Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings or Hodor from Game of Thrones, and why not Quasimodo from The Ringer of Notre Dame?

An extra mention goes to the one and only Cyril Shaps (from Tomb of the Cybermen and Planet of the Spiders) for his fun take on Archimandrite, his final Doctor Who role.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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They relied heavily on location filming for this one, which was a wise decision. The adventure evokes a sense of mediaeval times with its green woods, castle grounds, and dark dungeons. But that's not surprising, since the BBC has always excelled with period pieces.

The colourful costume design is also really good, and Dudley Simpson's incidental music helps to create the illusion of a mediaeval setting.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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The Androids of Tara is not the most exciting or tightly paced among Doctor Who adventures. While the plot, featuring a possessed companion attempting to kill the Doctor, isn't particularly original, the intricacy of the android lookalikes contributes to its depth. Still, I have to admit that the plot is a bit thin; it's mostly just a dragged-out rescue mission.

That being said, The Androids of Tara offers some very well-directed and acted sequences, such as the end of Part 3 and the most awesome fencing sequence (which goes on for quite a bit) between the Doctor and Grendel in the final episode. That must be one of the better action scenes in Doctor Who, even though it looks more like the lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader in Star Wars than anything depicted in mediaeval-themed films. It's also a highlight for the Fourth Doctor.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The pace and unoriginal script of The Androids of Tara somewhat hinder its occasionally sharp political intrigues, interesting characterization, lighthearted atmosphere, and impressive production values.

✅88% = Great! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Jubilee reincarnated, Daleks returned, and a new companion!

Robert Shearman, in his sole contribution to the show, draws inspiration for Dalek from the popular Big Finish audio play Jubilee, starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor. This turns out to be a very effective base-under-siege story, relying heavily on the unseen history of the Time War. It puts both the Doctor and the Daleks in a new light and gives us a very dark and emotional episode, relying on character relationships and interactions.

 

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STORY:

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With the script for Dalek, Robert Sherman and RTD tackle the classic base-under-siege story type and use it to reintroduce the most iconic Doctor Who monsters in the Daleks. This is like a 2nd Doctor era monster story on steroids—with a deadly alien threat, a self-centred and ignorant base leader, and a loyal and disposable crew—but it's fast-paced and features a dark and angry Doctor at its core.

I love how quickly the story introduces the Dalek and how the Doctor first responds to it—with shock and fear—before lashing out in anger. The story effectively sheds light on the Time War and its impact on the Time Lord, the Daleks, and the Doctor.

Even if this story introduces the Daleks to a new generation of fans, showing why even a single Dalek can be lethal, it also effectively makes the humans who keep the Dalek captive very easy to hate since they torture and research it without remorse. Watching Henry van Statten torture both the Dalek and, especially, the Doctor makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Rose is put in the ultimate trouble here, and the Doctor is forced to choose between saving her and keeping the Dalek at bay. The moment he realises what he has done to her, it is heartbreaking. In this episode, Rose plays a crucial role in reactivating the Dalek, prompting it to question its own existence and its role in the universe.

 

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POPULATION:

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This episode, along with The Doctor Dances (2005) and The Parting of the Ways (2005), is Christopher Eccleston's finest performance on the show. He captures the fierce reaction of the Doctor meeting the Dalek incredibly well—the fear, the anger, and the desperation. He goes from sad to furious to energetic in a heartbeat and truly personifies the dark and depressed side of this incarnation. He screams and cries, and he even goes as far as to arm himself with heavy artillery to wipe out what remains of the Dalek race. At the same time, the story creates parallels by showing a Dalek becoming human and the Doctor becoming a Dalek.

Billie Piper is also very good here, particularly when she confronts the Dalek. Although Rose doesn't have much to do, the importance of what she does is immense. I've never really liked the connection between her and the Dalek, or the DNA-feeding stuff.

Corey Johnson plays Henry Van Statten, arguably the first classic villain of the revived era. I loved his performance from the very beginning. He plays very well opposite Eccleston, in particular. He's very much written like an Elon Musk-type rich industrialist, but he's made to be a bit too blunt in his stupidity, as he refuses to realise the danger even after the Dalek begins slaughtering people.

Bruno Langley's short-lived companion, Adam, isn't very good, but he gets worse in The Long Game (2005). He annoys me from the beginning and never feels genuine about anything he does or says.

I'm in two minds about the Dalek's portrayal in this one. I prefer them to be cold, calculative, and ruthless (as seen in The Daleks' Master Plan and The Power of the Daleks), but RTD is showing them to be somewhat humane as well, even if it's brief. The Dalek questions itself and its function, which leads to an emotional climax and a moment of self-sacrifice.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The production is very simple, but the new Dalek design is iconic, the music is beautiful, and the direction is great. The set feels claustrophobic, and the dark lighting makes it look scary and small.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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What makes the Dalek in this episode so scary and effective is the fact that it shows qualities most pre-revival-era Daleks haven't shown before, and it is capable of slaughtering soldiers left and right by itself. That's more than most Daleks have been able to do. I didn't think I would ever say this, but this episode makes me feel bad for the Dalek since it seems to suffer.

The atmosphere quickly turns dark, intense, and menacing, which the acting and the claustrophobic setting help to strengthen. The scene with the Daleks in the rain is one of the most chilling in all of Doctor Who.

This is a slow episode until the Dalek is released, but since the focus is put on the Doctor's reactions and the unique atmosphere around the lonely Dalek, everything still feels engagingly tense. But the episode is also inherently sad and murky.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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When the first season of a series takes place in a future that has long since passed in real life, you know it has been going on for a while. Here it is the wonderful year of 2012.

A nice bit of fan service here: the Utah museum has the head of a Mondasian Cyberman on display. That remains the only onscreen encounter between the Ninth Doctor and a Cyberman.

Davros is indirectly mentioned here by the Doctor.

Following their latest appearance in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), the Dalek is capable of levitating up a staircase, effectively ripping off the famous cliffhanger from the previously mentioned story.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Dalek brings back the angry pepper potts in a dark and emotional story that fails to bring out their scariest sides from the original run but perfects the unique characterization of the Eccleston-Doctor.

😑50% = Underwhelming! = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: we finish the Key to Time quest with old Time Lord buddies, nuclear conflicts, and a familiar-looking princess.

 

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STORY:

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The Armageddon Factor is somewhat of a painful adventure to sit through. There are so many things that could potentially work, yet so many things go wrong.

It starts okay, depicting two planets in a nuclear war with each other. This story effectively conveys the sense of being in the midst of a devastating war, surpassing the majority of similar stories earlier in the show, including most Dalek stories written by Terry Nation.

But the atmosphere barely saves the overall feel of this adventure—it's boring, it's forgettable, and, quite frankly, it's not very interesting. The most enduring problem throughout the entire serial is that it's very messy, as it writers Bob Baker and Dave Martin didn't know what they wanted to do with it. This is their final contribution to Doctor Who, and probably one of their weakest.

The middle section, which introduces the Mentalis computer and slightly twists the story, welcomes us after the dull beginning. But even here, the action is mostly at a stalemate, and the story goes on without significant plot development. The entire Mentalis sequence goes on for a bit too long.

Then, starting from Part 5, the story shifts focus. Now, it's all about the Shadow and the Black Guardian. Oh, and there's a lot of running back and forth. And I mean a lot.

The final two episodes lack any real tension or sense of danger; they're tedious and filled with scenes of people walking and running. It's mostly rinse-and-repeat and gets very boring by the end. To add insult to injury, the dragged-out ending forgets the plot points introduced at the beginning of the story and introduces a new plot gimmick of miniaturisation, which is unnecessary and makes no sense. In The Invisible Enemy, it made sense, but here, it's merely a gimmick to prolong the story.

The worst part, however, is truly the ending. The final showdown in the Shadow's lair is incredibly cheesy and stupid, and the minor twist at the very end just feels like a cop-out. Oh, and the conclusion to the Key to Time arc—the Doctor scattering the pieces of the key back across the universe—just nullifies everything he and Romana have done for the last 26 weeks, thus making the entire quest useless. Sure, the overarching story arc is quite loose, to begin with, but this ending to it is just stupid.

 

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POPULATION:

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The acting and characters don't make matters any better. The Marshal is an overly aggressive character doing nothing for two and a half episodes, played by a shaky John Woodvine. His right-hand man is Shapp, a guy who looks and sounds exactly like Varys from Game of Thrones, and who starts out as a paper-thin and bland character but becomes quite enjoyable by Part 3. Davyd Harris plays him with a comedic touch

Next, we have Ian Saynor's forgettable portrayal of Merak, the "hero" of the story, who is Astra's lover and hopeless medicine man.

This is a weak debut for fan-favourite Lalla Ward, and the love story between her and Merak is terrible. Astra is hopeless throughout the story, and Merak does nothing but scream for her whenever he gets the chance. Astra's fate is, in theory, dark and moody, but the surrounding events just make it bland.

All of these actors share the same problem: they deliver their lines with unusual haste, so it feels very unrealistic. Most of them also sound stale and emotionless throughout the entire adventure, so you can't help but hope it's over soon.

Still, it gets worse. Under heavy makeup, William Squire portrays The Shadow, who resembles the love child of Voldemort and an orc, merely standing around and emitting ominous sounds. He is just as useless as his name, and he barely gets anything done. His henchmen look like cheap versions of Dr. Doom from the Fantastic Four comics, and they aren't any better.

However, we also have Drax. No, not the beefy and funny guy from Guardians of the Galaxy, but a tech whizz from Gallifrey, played by Barry Jackson. All my respect to him, but how could anyone think Drax was a good idea? He is annoying, completely useless to the story, and not a very good representation of someone of the Doctor's race, either. To me, he is one of the worst characters Doctor Who has ever spat out. Absolutely horrible.

 

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PRODUCTION:

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The caves in the final two episodes look horrifyingly bad, and the spaceship in the first episode is not particularly good either.

The messy script that Baker and Martin produced makes it nearly impossible for director Michael Hayes to maintain some sort of order.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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The Armageddon Factor feels like a story that was a bit too ambitious for its time. It's two episodes too long, it hasn't enough material to stay fresh, and it never really utilises its core ideas to a full extent. It's a disappointing end to the season and a story I won't revisit any time soon.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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The Armageddon Factor is too long, too boring, and too devoid of energy to serve as a satisfying conclusion to the Key to Time arc.

😑41% = Underwhelming = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Robert Holmes returns with a space western, the cast is filled with returnees, and Kroll is a cutie.

Many people consider The Power of Kroll, the penultimate story of Season 16, as one of the Fourth Doctor's weakest adventures. It takes one of the simplest premises of any Doctor Who adventure—that of two separate groups of people at war with each other—and tries to do something new and interesting with it.

 

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STORY:

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Because this one was written by series veteran Robert Holmes (this is his final script for the show until The Caves of Androzani in 1984), one should not expect any huge surprises or unexpected twists when watching it. It's a very basic Holmes-esque script of the sort he already produced back in the Patrick Troughton era with a script like The Krotons from 1969. Consequently, the story has a very simple setup, making things easily understandable right from the start. The fresh take here is the supposed Western vibe of the story: the green Swampies are similar to Native Americans, while the human crew are like the white invaders. The refinery crew has been moving the native Swampies around to dig for riches, which is what happened with the Native Americans in the West as well. Even the filming location, with its rivers, grassy fields, and swamps, evokes the fields and prairies of classic American westerns.

The rest of the plot is easy to figure out in advance, and there is very little that hasn't been done before. Part 1 dedicates its entirety to introducing the characters, setting, and history that led to the current dispute. It's not particularly interesting or engaging, and quite bland, even coming from Holmes himself. The dialogue in this story is also unusually boring and repetitive; it's mostly the crew members contemplating life and faith and asking questions without any answers.

The lack of action in the four episodes is another issue. The Swampies plan to attack and overthrow the crew, while the crew plans a counterattack. However, neither party actually executes their plans; in fact, the final episode completely erases the entire uprising from the narrative. As a result, most of the potential tension surrounding the story's events has evaporated.

 

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POPULATION:

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Tom Baker and Mary Tamm are great as usual, even though their characters get very little to do in this story. Romana's slow but steady transformation into a stereotypical Who girl, a trend that carries over into the next story, The Armageddon Factor, is something I find disappointing. It's truly a shame, since Romana is one of the better companions and a true match for the Doctor.

The cast is not very memorable, and none of the actors stick out, with the possible exception of Glyn Owen as the outlawed Davy Crockett-esque antihero Rohm-Dutt. His character brings a well-needed change of pace to the story, but he is unfortunately quite underdeveloped and not very well put to use. Owen would later be one of the few Classic Who actors to work for Big Finish in the 21st century (he appears in Nekromanteia).

The Power of Kroll also features several returning guest actors, most notably the legendary Philip Madoc in his final appearance on the show. In this story, I don't think he stands out in any particular way. He is not as bad as he is in The Krotons, but he is also not as superb as in The War Games and The Brain of Morbius. Neil McCarthy, who plays the villain in this piece, previously portrayed Barnham in The Mind of Evil. Here, he is alright, and at least he looks the part with those ominous eyes and that looming moustache. John Leeson, the K-9 voice actor, also makes his first and only onscreen appearance in a rather anonymous role as one of the crew members.

Frequent Doctor Who stuntman Terry Walsh portrays the Swampie servant Mensch, ironically named after the German word for "human."

 

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PRODUCTION:

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One of the reasons people don't generally remember The Power of Kroll so fondly is because of Kroll itself. It is admittedly the most embarrassing CSO creation since the dinosaurs in Invasion of the Dinosaurs, but unlike that story, the people working on this one have at least had the brains to use the massive squid-like monster sparingly. No, Kroll isn't the scariest or most memorable monster in the history of the show, but the few appearances he makes generally work well. All the death scenes including Kroll's tentacles look very realistic and are among the best moments of the story.

Norman Stewart, director of Underworld, does a far better job with The Power of Kroll. The source material is a bit easier to chew, and Stewart never does anything interesting with his story or characters, but at least he isn't attracting unwanted negative attention by being obviously bad.

 

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ATMOSPHERE:

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The final episode of the story is filled with all the tension and action absent from the previous three episodes, and I can only imagine how children were terrified of the things going on here. Here we also have some good moments of tension between the crew members, as well as a final showdown between the Doctor and Kroll, which, despite being brief and quite unnecessary, works alright.

Despite being a four-parter, The Power of Kroll feels a bit lengthy, and it's mostly devoid of bigger excitement and tension (except for the Part 2 cliffhanger and other moments where Kroll attacks, and the pretty morbid but lengthy vine torture sequence in Part 3). The refinery crew mostly sits in one room looking at monitors; the Swampies partake in religious rituals; and the Doctor and Romana bounce between them.

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Robert Holmes delivers a very traditional Doctor Who story that mostly seems to go on autopilot and never feels very creative or rewarding, despite its interesting setting and capable cast.

✅81% = Great! = Strongly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: a forgotten comic strip brought to life, everything looks so expensive and it's all binary!

I'm a bit divided on the new title sequence; the 3D effect looks great, the title animation looks cheap, the sequence is too short, and the music is a bit messy as well.

The Star Beast gets going effectively, blending RTD’s familiar sense of lighthearted adventure, humor, and family drama, and getting the character introductions and story set-up out of the way effectively during the first act.

This story very effortlessly continues from where we left off at the end of Series 4, as if there had never been 15 years of stories in the meantime. David Tennant springs back to the scene with infectious and childlike energy, feeling more like a super spy or comic book hero than ever before, and Catherine Tate hasn't lost any of her charm and sass as Donna.

Adapted from a classic DWM comic strip from 1980, this adaptation is fairly faithful to the original plot, though modernized. As this is a 60th anniversary special, there isn't much of a celebratory feel to the story, other than the fairly formulaic take on the plot and UNIT's appearance in a central role.

The major twist surrounding the Meep was no surprise to me, since I am familiar with the original story. I do find the twist coming a bit too early because we’ve barely met the Meep before it turns out to be the real villain here. The twist itself is a fairly generic one, too.

The climax is a wonderful moment of the Doctor and Donna working together to save the day and resolve the metacrisis plot strand in the process (in a fairly clever and emotional way, I might add). It’s a bit of a campy moment, though, and it's weird how the cracks created by the Meep’s spaceship just suddenly disappear afterwards, but it still kind of works. The entire binary/non-binary thing is a very RTD way to resolve a plot, and it is inherently modern, even if it can feel slightly on the nose.

Jacqueline King is back as Donna’s mom, Sylvia, and I love her overprotective role here, while Karl Collins as Donna’s husband, Shaun, brings some comedy flair to the story. Newcomer Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble is already a well-defined character and feels very RTD in characterization, though her performance can be a bit one-note.

Fudge, a character from the original comic story, appears here, but he has no real role to play, and the actor portraying him is annoying. And after an impressive turn as companion Hebe Harrison in Big Finish’s Sixth Doctor Adventures earlier this year, Ruth Madeley’s live-action debut as UNIT scientific advisor nr. 56, Shirley Anne Bingham, is slightly underwhelming, though I like the potential hidden within her character.

Miriam Margolyes is amazing as the voice of the Meep, and she sounds like she had a lot of fun doing it. She is the most delightful cast member here. The Meep itself is an impressive visual feat, combining an actor in a real monster costume with seamless CGI.

The Wrath Warriors are also here, but they simply pop up in the first act and don't play into the plot much.

Visually, The Star Beast shows the prowess of this new era, with bigger, bolder, and more cinematic visuals that are up to par with modern standards. Returning director Rachel Talalay is the right woman to helm this impressively big opening special. Murray Gold’s music reuses familiar cues but feels emotional and epic at given moments.

The new TARDIS set is humongous, and I love how it harks back to the classic-era TARDISes, even if it's a bit empty right now. The new sonic is a nice combo of old designs as well, and I quite like the new visualisations and features it comes packed with, as that adds to the feel of the sonic at the Doctors important tool (and a wand!).

The Star Beast injects new energy, confidence, and a sense of adventure into Doctor Who, and its breakneck pace can feel slightly overwhelming, particularly if you're new to the show. The added budget does make for more exciting action scenes, though, which is great, and you should never feel bored by this adventure.

✅84% = Great! = Strongly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: Seven and Mel visit Pompeii, while Ten and Donna are there (but they, and we, don’t know that).

The Fires of Vulcan builds a simple but compelling mystery about the TARDIS found in modern-day Pompeii, buried under layers of ash and lava. We understand that something will go very wrong at some point, but not when, how, or why. This is what builds the basic timey-wimey fixed-point narrative that runs through the entire adventure.

This is a pure historical drama filled with political intrigue and an overwhelming sensation of dread and anticipation, as we quickly learn that the Doctor and Mel arrived in Pompeii one day before the faithful eruption of Vesuvius. Unable to take any action, they try to flee before it's too late, only to become entangled in the local politics as the clock ticks down.

The script and performances capture the era and setting pretty well—perhaps too well. Some of the dialogue and performances from the guest cast can feel a bit pretentious.

Nicky Goldie (Winter for the Adept) and Gemma Bissix are both good.

Dramatic tension is maintained through the Doctor trying to figure out how to escape his fate without spoiling the surprise for all the poor Pompeiian souls or creating a paradox.

The political scheming isn’t very interesting in itself, though it showcases the thinking of this era well.

Sylvester McCoy presents a softer, more emotional Seven, which I like. Bonnie Langford is really good as Mel, and I like how she gets involved with the people and feels bad for not being able to tell them what's going to happen. This story allows her to show a more humane and emotional side, quite different from the more colourful aspects of her TV appearances.

In the Part 1 cliffhanger, Seven reveals his usual side, stating that they are unable to leave Pompeii due to his knowledge of the TARDIS's discovery in the ashes in 1980. Part 3's cliffhanger is another standout, with Vesuvius poised to erupt and the Doctor facing a sword duel.

The music and apt sound design occasionally paint a pretty cosy atmosphere, even if disaster looms in the background. Part 4 turns everything sinister and dramatic, as the sound design effectively brings the destruction to life.

The story's conclusion instills a strong sense of urgency, keeping us suspenseful about the resolution of the initial dilemma, which is both clever and horrifying. The last few moments are a wildly dramatic and sad affair that makes you feel sorry for all these poor souls.

✅88% = Great! = Essential!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: exposition, technobabble, and a cliffhanger!

Neverland is a complex story, building on plotlines from earlier 8th Doctor Main Range releases and progressing towards the big climax in Zagreus. It's something of a season finale dealing with the paradox that is Charley and her survival of the R101 crash in Storm Warning.

Part 1 is busy, overstuffed, and a bit hard to follow. Part 2 is more focused, tense, and fascinating. The entire story finds fuel in the Doctor/Charley relationship, and it also seeks to deepen the lore of Gallifrey, the Web of Time, the Time Lords, Rassilon, and the CIA.

This is mainly a three-hander between the Doctor, Romana, and Vansell. Paul McGann is on top form, giving his best performance as the Doctor up to this point. Lalla Ward and Anthony Keetch are at their best, and the story expands upon their characters greatly.

Despite Charley's slight sideline, the story still gives India Fisher plenty to do, and she delivers a fantastic performance.

The Neverpeople make for well-rounded, creepy, and effective villains, helped by great performances from their respective actors.

The atmosphere is palpably sinister, epic, and occasionally confusing. The two parts are around 75 minutes each, meaning that they require extra attention to sink in.

It does build to a wonderfully emotional finale that leans heavily on the Doctor's past actions and the universal stakes at play. Even if you rarely grasp what's going on, you feel the dramatic tension.

The adventure ends with one of the creepier and more intriguing scenes in Big Finish history, as Zagreus is unleashed…

🙏🏼61.6 = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: the Key to Time quest continues, the Doctor is put on trial, and the show celebrates its 15th anniversary with its 100th televised adventure!

WRITING:

• The Stones of Blood sees a return to a darker tone reminiscent of the early Tom Baker era: the plot involves religious cults, druidic rituals, and godlike beings on present-day Earth; it draws inspiration from folklore and myths. These aspects of the plot are quickly forgotten, though, and never explored in depth.
• The adventure also contains light humour, especially in some of the dialogue (the Doctor commenting on Romana's inappropriate shoes, Romana unintentionally asking K9 to erase his tennis databanks, or the peculiar Matador scene in Part 3).
• The Part 1 cliffhanger is simultaneously stupid and fun (it’s one of those literal cliffhangers). The Part 2 cliffhanger, meanwhile, is plain bad.
• Part 3 brings in proper sci-fi elements and switches up locations. However, I've never been a fan of the last part's lengthy, pointless, and awkward trial sequence. That very episode, by the way, is the most bizarre example of a space comedy I've ever seen. It's painful to sit through, as well as one of the worst single episodes in the show's history.

POPULATION:

• Tom Baker and Mary Tamm continue to build on their fun and effective relationship. This one portrays Romana more like a traditional Who girl, as she rarely displays her clever side and frequently requires the Doctor's rescue. Professor Rumford occupies the chief companion role, leaving her with nothing interesting to do.
• I’m glad to see K9 put to good use once again!
• Beatrix Lehmann makes for a very memorable scholarly character as the slightly absent-minded but sympathetic and highly educated Professor Rumford (she’s like a softer version of the Big Finish companion Evelyn Smythe). She is a bit overeager at times, which can turn annoying.
• The two filler characters and cult members, Elaine Ives-Cameron and Nicholas McArdle, are among the most wooden actors I have ever seen in anything. Fortunately, they disappear from the story halfway through.
• Vivien Fay is an annoying diva, not as memorable as the villain of the piece. However, Susan Engel perfectly fits the role, particularly when she unleashes her full potential in the second half.
• The idea of glowing killer stone pillars (the Ogri) is so stupid that it kind of works. Despite their limited use, the Ogri's violent killing methods prove to be effective. They are better than the annoying and useless flashing lights introduced in the final episode, called Megara. They seem to be some kind of precursor to the Shadow Proclamation from the new series, but as an idea, they are just as terrible as they appear on screen. They're not even remotely funny, and they ruin the tail end of the adventure.

PRODUCTION:

• The direction by debutant Darroll Blake is sometimes messy; the actors speak on top of each other on multiple occasions.
• The story utilises location footage heavily, and the remote English landscapes with fields, cliffsides, and forests are very cosy but also creepy once darkness falls.
• The rather nice prison ship set seen in Part 3 resembles the rebel ship seen at the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope, released the year before this story.
• I like the incidental music. It's so layered and multi-dimensional that it almost feels impossible for Doctor Who. I adore how it suddenly transforms from joyful and bouncy to menacing and irritable, and then back again.

ATMOSPHERE:

• The first two episodes are a bit slow to build tension or even plant any hints as to the sinister things going on. Part 3 is the best of the lot, as it gets closest to the gothic horror era of the show (especially with that grim scene where the Ogri kills the two campers).
• Even when it seems to finally build a good, creepy atmosphere, Part 4 loses all of that and opts for something slower and more lighthearted.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS:

• Tom Baker wearing that stupid wig in Part 4 makes me think of David Tennant doing the same in The Star Beast.
• The role of Vivien Fey was originally offered to former Bond girl Honour Blackman (I'd have liked to see that!).

✅80.7 = Mildly recommended!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: befriending Marco Polo; surviving assassination attempts; and playing backgammon with Kublai Khan!

I adore the travel diary style of this series, accompanied by animated map sequences showing the route the group takes—something never seen in the show again.

The dialogue casually incorporates historical, cultural, and scientific lessons, reflecting the show's educational intent in the past.

From what you can tell from the surviving stills and telesnaps, the production values on this story are amazing, even on a BBC budget. Marco Polo has the feel of a big-budget TV period drama, so it's a shame it's all lost.

All performances are top-notch, from the main cast to the small but well-utilised guest cast. Mark Eden makes for one of the better takes on Marco Polo I've seen. He's not a villain, but not quite a hero either; he's more like a troubled leader, but also an unrelenting ally. I also love how naturally he becomes the reason that the Doctor and company cannot simply enter the Tardis and leave.

This is an interesting story for the Doctor. He's never quite in control of the situation, having to comply with Polo's demands, but he desperately tries to come out on top. William Hartnell is marvellous throughout.

Susan gets some nice scenes separated from the rest of the TARDIS team. Allowing her to get into trouble with a fellow teenager makes her less annoying. Ping-Cho, in turn, proves to be a better companion for this story than Susan.

Tegana is the first memorable villain in the franchise. He's sly, suspecting, and two-faced, performed sharply by Derren Nesbitt and never a loud-mouthed comic villain like some later ones; he is calm and calculative, which makes him very unnerving. I like how Tegana uses different ways of killing Marco and his men, keeping a light shadow of tension in the story.

Martin Miller brings a silly little performance as Kublai Khan, and I'm not sure what to think about it.

There are intense parts that unfortunately don't translate well in reconstructed form, such as the sandstorm in Part Two, which is a mess that makes my ears bleed, or the fight scene in Part Five.

This is a pretty slow story, mostly set on different campsites with very little action, so it is something of a chore to sit through even with such a great reconstruction. The repetitiveness of the plot in the middle episodes (parts Three to Five) and the slow plot development prevent Marco Polo from feeling like a true gem, particularly when there are sequences here that would benefit from moving pictures. It's the filler scenes, like Ping-Cho's story in Part Three, that hamper the story's flow and make it unnecessarily long.

The latter part of this serial, however, truly picks up the mystery and tension once again as Tegana comes very close to killing Polo. The Doctor also has a nice little moment with Kublai Khan in the last episode, using his wits and backgammon skills to win his TARDIS back. The show concludes with another fight scene that leaves our imaginations unsettled, revealing an ultimate fate more brutal than we've come to expect.

Sadly, there are some racist archetypes here, the worst of which is the fairly offensive Wang-Lo in the last three episodes and Tegana's henchman with the monkey in Parts Five and Six.

🙏🏼59% = Okay! = Mildly recommended

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: the quest for the Key to Time begins with a new companion and a planet of snow and cold winds.

Robert Holmes uses the opening episode effectively to set up the Key to Time arc of this season and introduces us to new characters: K9 Mark II (improved but barely used), the freshly graduated Time Lady Romana I, and the White Guardian. What distinguishes Season 16 is its basic quest nature, in which the Doctor hunts down the six segments of the Key to Time in order to help save the universe, with each story in the season focusing on finding one of the segments.

Part 1 has a bit of a stupid cliffhanger, where the Doctor throws himself under the shutting door to get stuck, just like Romana (the Shrivenzale reveal is pretty good, though). The other cliffhangers are simply boring.

The script doesn't do a whole lot in terms of developing tension or dramatic beats after the setup. The story moves between the same people and locations while stalling time until the Doctor can get hold of the Key segment.

You can clearly see from Tom Baker’s performance that he is becoming very protective of the show and the role in how he initially reacts to and interacts with his newest companion/assistant, Romana. Mary Tamm isn't the most iconic incarnation of the character, but I like how she is the first companion since Susan to be of the Doctor's race, and she is very witty and intelligent in her own right, to the point where the Doctor is easily annoyed by her. She is definitely a stark contrast to the fearless warrior that is Leela.

The guest cast has always felt a little strange to me. Iain Cuthbertson and Paul Seed's exaggerated performances, intended to reference real-life bureaucrats, leaders, con men, and businesspeople, annoy me greatly. While there's plenty of dramatic fuel in Garron and the Graff arguing with each other, their political and economic debates are not very interesting.

Robert Keegan as the scarred warrior bodyguard Sholakh is a cool supporting character, but underused. Anne Tirard returns from The Romans and gives one of the worst Doctor Who performances in the classic series as the Seer.

If there is one guest character I sympathise with, it’s Timothy Bateson as Binro the Heretic—such an underappreciated character and an allegory for those early scientists who dared to preach against the established word of the church. Even though they only tangentially relate to the rest of the plot, his scenes with Unstoffe are heartfelt and likely the best parts of the story.

Ribos as a planet seems potentially interesting, but the story mostly reuses the same three or four sets, meaning that it never comes alive very well and feels a bit limited. The costume design on the Ribosians is really nice.

This story never picks up speed or tightens the atmosphere, and it mostly saunters its way across the finish line as the Doctor snatches the Key segment and leaves. It teases the Shrivenzale throughout the story but barely uses it (it looks like Rancour from Star Wars to me!).

🙏🏼61% = Okay! = Skippable!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! This time: a bottle episode, a creepy Susan, and a solution in felt-tip.

The first truly experimental story in Doctor Who is a bottle episode set completely within the TARDIS, with some strange and haunting concepts at play.

Narratively, the adventure is in shambles. Although The Edge of Destruction explores intriguing ideas on paper, its integration into a cohesive narrative is incredibly careless.

One of the biggest problems here is the plethora of ambitious sci-fi concepts and weird, unexplained phenomena that don't fully come alive with the resources put into the serial.

I don't find that all the dots connect very well here; it's almost as if writer David Whittaker had a conclusion ready and then just made up the road to get there while writing the scripts.

The sense of mystery putting these four individuals against each other is what fuels most of the early parts of this episode, before the characters understand that working together is the way to success.

The serial messes around with established characterization, and it is too early for that; we don't know the characters well enough for these character-breaking traits to have an effect.

I'd say this is where Carole Ann Ford's decline as a companion begins; she gets the least to do here and is mostly over-the-top annoying. She won't have another good story until The Sensorites.

Barbara and the Doctor going head-to-head against each other is the most satisfying aspect of this serial, as these scenes are well-performed by William Hartnell and Jacqueline Hill.

I like Hartnell's little monologue at the end of Part Two; it's beautifully shot and an early defining moment for this Doctor.

The pacing is pretty good, as the story keeps shifting all the time, almost too rapidly at times, and throws in way too many ideas at the same time.

The solution to the problem is so laughably bad that it is easily the worst solution to the weirdest villain in the series' history.