I had meant to listen to this in December but opted to go for an Eighth Doctor and Charlie set instead. I do miss stand alone episodes, being able to just put on a story and not having to know what happened in all the previous ones first. I started this but found that I hadn’t really taken it in so again, listened to something else.

Picking up from the Bloodchild Codex, (which I missed to write a review for, so can’t refer to my notes). The series arc - that of the events of Talons of Weng Chiang now seem to be coming to a head.

I found similar issues to previous attempts about getting though it. Just generally being a little lost. With elements such as Mr Sin and the time cabinet, it feels that this should be somewhat epic or at least live up to the highly thought of TV story. But early on Jago’s theatre show appears to be higher on the list of priorities.

I didn’t get a sense of urgency, or real peril, and I lost interest. I’m not saying it wasn’t enjoyable, it has nice moments - Ellies comment to Litefoot ‘You and Mr Jago really know how to treat a girl’ on finding she may have to swim the Thames. References to popular names of the sixties, Tony Hancock, Syd James etc. The crystal they picked up on Venus - which is quite satisfying if you’ve been following their adventures.

I said I started this towards the end of last year and it would have been better if I’d of listened to the set in one go, but the fact is it isn’t epic, doesn’t live up to Talons, and after finished it last night, I remember little about the plot.

Average.

Part six in the Legacy Of Time release

Leela and Romana remember adventures they had with the Doctor, same place different times, so why didn’t the Doctor remember he’d been there before?

So two stories are relayed, One with the fourth and Leela and the other with the Fourth and Romana. Not as confusing as you think. Sometimes with two lots of the same characters its easy to forget which one you’re listening to.

The Doctor is a secondary character (as he seems to be quite often) with Leela and Romana taking the leads.

There is some interesting things going on. The flight of the first ever TARDIS for instance. I did enjoy the two stories motif.

The “theme’ or series arc has been a little thin on the ground, most of the stories could be quite happily enjoyed on their own. Not that thats a complaint. But this is where it all comes together that being the time distortions.

Spolier section

The final part of this is where all the Doctors come together and there are some nice cameos. One thing is that Tom/the Fourth Doctor is part of the multi Doctor bit. He’s always been a little isolated in the past, here he’s very much one of the gang, and its well worth the listen.

Spolier section

A nice audio, a good series.

Part five in the Legacy Of Time release

Its present day Earth and ‘doorways’ into the past have opened up, luckily a certain DI Menzies is at hand. Not to mention the sixth Doctor and Charlie.

I tend not to read much about the audios I buy, so it was a bit of a surprise when the sixth was accompanied by Charlie. I enjoyed the storyline at the time - when Charlie left the Eighth and ended up with the sixth, but with the plot line resolved, I kind of felt that was the end of it. But I love Charlie so a nice surprise.

The first couple of release that featured DI Patricia Menzies, she was a great character, however the last one and this, her accent has softened and her humour hasn’t been a dry as it was, she seemed to have more of a laconic attitude.

I struggled with this one and I’m not sure why. It starts off seemly about one man, but when the Doctor shows up he’s there for someone else. There’s time annominallies to investigate, so far so good, but the next scene is the Doctor and Charlies being told that the man they’re looking for has disappeared, and it feels as though you’ve missed a bit.

The Doctor is then abducted but ends up in an alternative future, and again, I’m wondering how he got there, admittedly I may well have been distracted and missed something. The issue for me is that even in going back to relisten I still had the same nagging problem.

But it has all the right ingredients, doorways to the past (and a reference to the TV program ‘Goodnight Sweetheart), a great set of characters. Alternative futures, Charlie (once again) comming clean to the Sixth as to who she is.

It is an audio I’ll come back to, as I think I need to give it a proper go when I’m less tired maybe.

For me, for now its average.

Part four in the Legacy Of Time release

Having recently listened to The Gates of Hell, with Peter Davison and David Tennant - father and son in law. It now its father and daughter, with Peter Davison and Georgia Tennant (Jenny) .

Aside from the tv episode she was in, there’s only one other audio I’ve heard her in, which was the Once and Future set. I wondered at the time how the fifth Doctor was aware of Jenny, well, now I know!

Jenny is on board a time cruiser, which is where the Doctor finds her. There has been some kind of time explosion, whats more the Nine is there too.

I didn’t get to listen to this in one go or at least a couple of goes. But the plot wasn’t as interesting as the first couple of episodes in this series. As with the previous instalment, its more about the characters. It is real life father and daughter playing father and daughter, so its quite nice.

The Nine (or whichever incarnation is the current) is an interesting character, and makes use of Timelord anomalies better than the bi-regeneration did/does. But I didn’t feel the character really added much to the story.

There are references to Vortisaurs - quite a nice hark back to Storm Warning.

Overall this was nice but uninspiring.

Part three in the Legacy Of Time release.

You can’t really go wrong with Jo Grant, well not in my opinion anyway. Katy Manning is a great actress whose good at voices and I’ve really enjoyed pretty much all of her audios.

Here Jo and Osgood are enjoying swimming when Kate interrupts, there is some temporal interference near the coast, a group of people from the 16 century have found themselves in the 21st. Whats more this has happened before when it was solved by the death of Jo Grant!

It is a little odd when two eras come together, more so when they are so far apart.

I was quite surprised when the third Doctor turned up, I don’t know why but I imagined this wasn’t going to feature the Doctor (maybe I’d heard too many Companion Chronicles)

The way the Doctor meets Jo is nicely done, as he fails to notice that she’s got old. When they enjoy dinner together an interesting thing that cropped up, and is something thats caught attention, is that why isn’t the Doctor vegetarian? I’m a vegetarian myself, I’ve often wondered why, with his beliefs, how come he’s so happy to eat meat.

One of the other points about this audio is Kate and the Brigadier. Though they don’t meet, Kate feel she shouldn’t let on about who she is and is reticent to speak to him on the radio.

So this is more about the relationships than the actually hook of the story - how could Jo have died in the past and still be alive, it all makes sense in the end, but its not really the point.

We are left with what causes the event which is setting things up for things to come.

Another enjoyable story

Part two in the Legacy Of Time release.

In this we have the Seventh Doctor and Ace with the Counter Measures team.

The premise is interesting, something is pulling the 1960’s and 1970s together, The Doctor has left Ace in the 60’s with the Counter Measures team, while he is also working with Counter Measures in the 1970’s. As the memories of what happens in the 60’s come to Ian, Rachel and Allison the Doctor can co ordinate events to put things right.

I’m not a massive fan of Counter measures, I listened to their first audio, and maybe if had more time I’d listen to more, but I’ve got no real drive to. With UNIT and Torchwood it seems more of the same. But I did enjoy them here and I think likewise with unit.

You would think that having the same people in two time zones might be a little confusing on audio but that wasn’t the case.

I listened in bits and pieces so didn’t take it in as well as I’d of liked, so its defineatley up for another go.

Not as good as the first but still good.

Part one in the Legacy Of Time release.

Other than to mark 20 years of Big Finish, I wasn’t really sure what this was about, but with most celebration stories it features lots of stuff past and present.

This starts with River Song breaking into a tomb only to find Benny Summerfield has got there first. The two know each other as River was Bennys student, and there is a little rivalry there.

River has really met her match here and the interaction is great, both are great characters and have had their own share of adventures.

When the Eighth Doctor arrives with a new companion, who seems to be more or a parody, you do wonder if this is the real Doctor, as he doesn’t seem that interested in Benny or River.

The place seems to be whats left of a planet thats been spit out by the time war and an aliens want it for its mineral wealth.

The Eighth Doctor is avoiding the time war here. With that and the mixture of old and new it does feel like they used the same idea for the Once and Future series in 2023, only this is perhaps better.

There is a musical due from the tv series which is really nice if you recognise it - this is a celebration after all. There is some mystery, and twists.

Its interesting that The Doctor himself is more of a secondary character, and his rage in the second half comes a little out of nowhere. There’s no build up, at least not in this audio, to make it justified, though it does demonstrate the Doctors emotions.

If there is an overall arc to this series its not immediately apparent as to what it is but I’m eager for the next episode.

A good start.

Jago and Litefoot seem to have drifted apart, Jago enjoying his new found tv fame and Litefoots' calls going unanswered.

A new restraurant thats taking Ellie's customers away, is where Litefoot and Ellie head. When a patron takes ill and seems to be being eaten from the inside, and Jago almost possessed with a unslakable desire for salt, the two are brought back together.

I wasn't impressed with this audio, its is by no means bad, but just doesn't really do a lot.

The plot itself feels unfocused? With the pair not being in contact and Jago not wanting to get in touch, you think that perhaps Jago has been lured away, poisoned against Litefoot maybe. Is there a malevolent force at work where Litefoot will have to bring him back? No he's just a bit busy. The issue with the diners feels more like a sideline, since Jago is elsewhere being questioned about his 'Great grandfather' and the events of the TV story Talons of Weng Chaing. Your interest is piqued. Whats going on here? Does this person know Jago is actually the same person from back then? Who exactly are they? Sadly it comes to nothing - at least not in this episode - I suspect its a setup for later episodes. So when the main point of the story turns out to be whats in the food, its a bit unsatisfying.

Without having yet listened to the entire 5th series, I'd say this probably works ok as part of the whole, but is a bit lacking an an audio on its own.

One thing I find these days is that, in comming back to a series, I've often forogtton what was happening at the end of the previous series/episode. This time it was only a few weeks ago since I heard Voyage to the New World. However Jago and Litefoot are back where they belong but not when: its 70 years after they left.

It took a little time to really get going, Jago and Litefoot have begun to adapt to living in the 1960's, Ellie is also present but you'll have to listen to find out how. There is a bit of a catch up section that helps to fill any blanks so its not a bad place to jump on.

I found this quite a refreshing change from what we've been used to. With Leela part of the team for the last two series and then the Doctor turning up, its almost back to how it was. Jago and Litefoot are still the people they were, with Jago embracing television. And Litefoot using his knowlege to run a bookshop.

I enjoyed the portrayal of the 1960's, it felt more realistic than what you tend to get, (compare An unearthly child to the Devils Chord). The tv presenter I assume is a version of Simon Dee, here named Timothy Vee. There's a detective in the mix, and the usual complications.

I really enjoyed it.

This originally came out as 10 minutes parts tacked onto the Monthly range, in 20009/10. The three companions being Polly, the Brigadier and Thomas Brewster, and consists of three, 40 minute episodes.

Polly writes to the Brig, wanting to find out about the Doctor, having read an article by Mrs Jo Jones that mentions him, and tells a story of when she knew the Doctor.

The thing that got me into the Companion Chronicles was the Mahogany Murder’s, I had tried them before and hadn’t taken to the the narration style. With the Mahogany Murder’s, it was Jago and Litefoot meeting and each recounting their recent events. This takes a similar approach.

Though they are writing/emailing to each other there are interjections, comments from the other, which is a little odd, I feel it would have been better if they’d met.

So Polly’s story; she, The Doctor, Ben and Jamie are on world scheduled for destruction, its been used up and the people are leaving but haven’t gone, they’re in suspended animation.

This was ok, some nice ideas and I did find I wasn’t taking it in. Having said that I feel that it may have been better as a full cast audio.

Part two: The Brigadier's Story. He and the Doctor travel in the TARDIS and find themselves in a train station. At first it appears that they haven’t travelled far, however the station is merely a mock up. Whats more Polly is there, but again its just an imitation of her, rather than the real deal.

As with the first part there is the mystery of what exactly is going on, its a nice setup, and intriguing. There is some tension when the Doctor and the Brig, being on a train with the track running out and nothing beyond. A good build up and adds some excitement to the proceedings.

In the third part, Brewster's Story, Polly and the Brig finally meet up and Thomas Brewster joins them. The main elements of these three stories come together: the coffin loader on the rampage in London and Gerry Lenz/Garry Lendler seemingly at the heart of matters.

With Anneke, Nick Courtney, Russell Floyd, and John Pickard as Brewster, all appearing, it would seem like a full cast audio, but its mostly narration. And a bit boring. As much as I enjoy Brewster I’d of enjoyed a TV companion here more.

I feel the last part let this down. The first two had potential for more.