Doctor Who - Short Trips 8.10 - I Am The Master - Big FinishBookmark and Share

Sunday, 9 December 2018 - Reviewed by Matt Tiley
I Am The Master (Credit: Big Finish)

Producer Ian Atkins; Script Editor Ian Atkins
Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

Written By: Geoffrey Beevers; Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

Cast

Geoffrey Beevers (The Master)

"There is a message for you. It comes from a long way, from a dying world. No, not a dying world. A killed world. And the message is from the killer.

Please attend carefully. The message that follows is vital to your future...
 
However much longer that may be."
 
I am the Master is a story told by Geoffrey Beevers, in full character as the version of the Master that the fourth Doctor went head to head with in The Keeper Of Traken. The Master here is still the shrivelled, burnt cadaver that he was in that story, a character that Beevers seems to enjoy recreating with absolute relish.
 
We visit the Master whist he is in a very reflective mood, sharing his innermost secrets and desires. He discusses being a Master-chef (poisoned no end of people), and when he gave Master-classes in music (wonderful music....burnt people's ears off when they heard it).
 
The main crux of the story involves his triumph over the planet Glox, a very Earth like civilisation that the Master tears apart....essentially for fun. Nudging them over centuries, in slightly the wrong direction. The story is deliciously devilish, and a joy to hear Beevers smugly let the story unfold, using his smooth and sumptuous tones.
 
There are many a sly dig at not only the Doctor (past and future - well to this incarnation), and rather randomly David Attenborough (!), the story is darkly humorous throughout, but is also a morality tale that good and evil can actually be very similar....all really depending on which side of the fence you find yourself.
 
I am the Master is a solid and very enjoyable listen, that somewhat takes a sidestep from the usual format, and gives the listener a very interesting insight into one of the Doctor's greatest foes. The with a slightly longer runtime of forty-two minutes - this only benefitted the story.
 
You can download I Am The Master HERE from Big Finish for £2.99.

 






GUIDE: I Am The Master - FILTER: - Big Finish - Audio

The Tenth Doctor Adventures - Volume Two (Big Finish)Bookmark and Share

Thursday, 30 November 2017 - Reviewed by Ken Scheck

Written By: John Dorney, Guy Adams, Matt Fitton
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Featuring: David TennantBillie PiperCamille CoduriRosie CavalieroGuy Henry

Released Thursday 30th November 2017

David Tennant returns to Big Finish for a second round of audio adventures, this time bringing his first companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) along with him.  This is an iconic duo from the show, and having them back together is surely to be exciting for fans. 

The opening story (Infamy of the Zaross) also brings Camille Coduri back as Rose's mom, Jackie Tyler, who calls Rose and the Doctor back to Earth to deal with an alien invasion.  But this ends up being no ordinary invasion. I wont give it away, but I rather liked the twist on this episode. It had a lot of good social commentary, and felt not only like a great premise for Doctor Who, but also felt exactly like the kind of story that would fit perfectly within the period of Doctor Who this set revisits. 

The second episode in the boxset is The Sword of the Chevalier, which takes place in the past and featured the Doctor and Rose meeting the historical figure Chevalier d'Éon, a person I'd never heard of before but, after reading up on it, I find to be a fairly interesting tale.  It's a story that mixes humor and adventure well, and features a nice creepy alien threat as well. 

Cold Vengeance, the third and final story in the set is possibly the only letdown. It isn't necessarily a badly told tale...but it just feels generic, and features what is possibly one of my least favorite of the "classic" Doctor Who monsters - the Ice Warriors. I know that I am probably in the minority on this one, but the Ice Warriors just never felt particularly interesting to me.  And really, the only thing this final episode has going for it is that you get to hear the Tenth Doctor face off against them. There is really little else driving the story, at least nothing that felt fresh or new enough. 

Ultimately, this is a great set, well worth getting.  Tennant slips back into the Doctor like he never left the role, though I do think it took Piper a little longer to slip back into the voice of Rose.  But if you loved these two as a team, you should be thrilled to get this set. It feels like slipping back in time, to those early days of the shows revival.  Recommended!








GUIDE: Infamy Of The Zaross - The Sword Of The Chevalier - Cold Vengeance - FILTER: - BIG FINISH - AUDIO - Tenth DOCTOR