If any single thing could be considered Gallifrey’s deadliest weapon – and greatest hope – then it’s him!

Cardinal Ollistra

After the tour de force that was Only the Monstrous, the first volume of Doctor Who – The War Doctor adventures, the second – Infernal Devices – has some rather large shoes to fill. Whereas the first volume was an epic story told over three one-hour discs (and which had sufficient time to establish and develop its characters and concepts), Infernal Devices is more of an anthology of three distinct one-hour episodes, told by separate writers.

Nevertheless, the three tales contain linking material that comes to a head in the final instalment – again emphasising just how desperate the Time Lords, and particularly the shrewd, calculating Cardinal Ollistra (again colourfully portrayed by Blake’s 7 veteran Jacqueline Pearce), are to seize victory in the Time War, even though such triumph may come at too high a price.

Each of the three tales are entertaining and thought-provoking enough. They land the Time Lord formerly known as the Doctor (“I’ve told you, Cardinal, no one answering to that name here!”) – played brilliantly by the incomparable Sir John Hurt – in a series of inescapable moral quandaries that sow the seeds for the tortured, embittered incarnations that come after him. Hurt’s agonising responses to these dilemmas also illustrate that as much as the War Doctor would like everyone to believe that the Doctor is long gone, there is still more of that persona under the War Doctor’s hardened exterior than even he acknowledges. Other characters recognise that, including Ollistra, who wilfully exploits it.

Boxset opener The Legion of the Lost is an effort by writer John Dorney to tell a Time War-era story that doesn’t specifically involve the Daleks. While Dorney sets out to be original, the story itself is mostly dull and its main antagonists abstract and uninteresting. Even the commanding performance of the excellent David Warner as the sinister, humourless Shadovar cannot paper over the shortcomings of an ordinary story.

A Thing of Guile, while entertaining and thought-provoking in parts, is probably the weakest link in the anthology. As its author Phil Mulryne mentions in the CD extras, the story draws on hints and scuttlebutt about the Time War gleaned from David Tennant’s era of Doctor Who. Certainly, the “weapon” the War Doctor and Ollistra encounter in A Thing of Guile is clearly inspired by Tennant era two-parter Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks. However, the core idea is so quickly disposed of that it fails to have emotional impact. Even the climax to the tale – in which the Doctor and Ollistra outwit a Dalek fleet, surely no mean feat – is all too conveniently solved by a deus ex machina and is virtually a carbon copy of the climax to the recent Seventh Doctor/Dalek tale We are the Daleks (a more superior, inventive Dalek tale).

The Neverwhen is the best of the three stories in the boxset. Script editor Matt Fitton’s central idea would be ingenious if it hadn’t unfortunately been surpassed by Heaven Sent, the penultimate episode of Peter Capaldi’s second TV series. While the nightmarish recurring scenario presented in The Neverwhen is very different to the 12th Doctor’s predicament in Heaven Sent, and certainly not as personal for the War Doctor, it is definitely personal and painful for each of the Time Lord/Gallifreyan and Dalek/Kaled soldiers caught in the crossfire.

What really makes this boxset so interesting, though, is not so much its three distinct stories as its broader themes. We realise not only how interventionist the Time Lords have become but how callous and cold they are about other races in the universe. In The Legion of the Lost, they are prepared, to the Doctor’s disgust, to sacrifice entire races and cultures to replenish their armies. In A Thing of Guile, the Doctor makes the observation that the Time War is pushing Time Lords and Daleks alike towards grotesque behaviour in their pursuit of victory. In the final instalment, Ollistra covets deploying the Neverwhen as a twisted, devastating weapon against the Daleks, despite the Doctor’s warning that it would risk the stability of the time/space continuum.

Indeed, in contradiction of their efforts to rejuvenate their forces, the Time Lords demonstrate a cavalier disregard of their own numbers. Collis (Zoë Tapper) bemoans at the beginning of Legion that she won’t be missed on Gallifrey because she was only a lowly clerk before being pressed into service as a soldier. In A Thing of Guile, Co-ordinator Jarad (Jamie Newell) proves equally as out of his depth when he accompanies Ollistra and the Doctor to a Dalek-controlled asteroid; the Doctor describes him as a “penpusher” who should never have been in the line of fire. Even Jarad’s offsider, Chancellery Guard captain Solex (Robert Hands), discovers he is not as battle-hardened as he thinks he is. Ollistra also demonstrates a patent disregard and manipulation of the Gallifreyan battalions stranded in the Neverwhen, giving the troops hope when she knows there is none.

“You do not have the authority!”

“I don’t need authority – I have a [sonic] screwdriver!”

Co-ordinator Jarad and the War Doctor

The boxset also brilliantly portrays the strained relationship between the Doctor and his own people. It is clear across this boxset (it was hinted on TV in The Day of the Doctor and was more subtle in Only the Monstrous) that, much like his other incarnations, the War Doctor is a maverick Time Lord. In the Time War, he proves as much a thorn in his people’s proverbials as the Daleks. Hurt’s Doctor sticks his nose up at authority, wherever and whenever he can, for the good of races that are likely to be collateral. When he appears in the opening moments of The Legion of the Lost, alongside  Collis, it is quickly established that the Doctor is there to destroy an ancient temporal weapon that has fallen into Dalek suckers, not to claim it for the Time Lord High Council. As a result of his intervention, the Doctor is later arrested by Cardinal Ollistra as a war criminal and declared Prisoner 101 (in a none too subtle compliment, I suspect, to Hurt’s brilliant portrayal of Winston Smith in the feature film adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four).

While the Doctor may have been a nuisance and embarrassment in the past to his people (especially the “Ravalox incident” in The Trial of a Time Lord), that was in a period of supposed non-intervention. With the Time Lords now actively engaged in war, they can clearly no longer countenance the Doctor being left to his own agenda, as he is effectively robbing them of the strategic advantages they need to win the Time War!

Nevertheless, the War Doctor continues to be a source of admiration and hushed whispers amongst Gallifreyans who have been pushed into wartime service by the High Council. Collis is all too quick to defer to him when she realises his identity and in A Thing of Guile, Trelon (Oliver Dimsdale) is not only in awe of “the Renegade” but grew up on Gallifrey hearing stories about his exploits. Even Solex eventually understands the importance of the Doctor’s role in the war after spending time with him in the field. As intensely disliked as the Doctor is by the High Council, it is clear there is a respect and admiration, even hero worship, of him in the lower levels of the Time Lord hierarchy (which is also reflected in the Season 9 finale of the TV series Hell Bent, when Time Lord soldiers defy Rassilon and throw down their arms rather than execute the 12th Doctor).

The dramatis personae are well cast by Big Finish. Zoë Tapper brings warmth and empathy to the part of Collis, with the modern Survivors TV series star showing off her potential as Doctor Who companion material, while David Warner’s Shadovar dominates every scene he is in. Jamie Newall and Robert Hands are great as the odd couple Jarad and Solex, although both could have benefitted from more consistent characterisation across serials. In The Legion of the Lost, Jarad comes across as mostly assured and upright (even though he finds the alien Technomancers’ powers disconcerting) while Solex is just another dense, not especially bright Chancellery Guard commander (in the tradition of Hildred, Andred and Maxil). In A Thing of Guile, the positions are reversed – Solex is the brash, arrogant soldier while Jarad has reverted to a cowardly cutlet. Apparently, this is because Mulryne invented the characters first and completed his script before Dorney did. In the CD extras, Dorney admits to being too lazy to think of Time Lord names for two similar characters - so chose to use Jarad and Solex with Mulryne’s permission! Perhaps the fault shouldn’t be laid squarely at Dorney, as surely it is script editor Fitton’s responsibility to ensure that there is consistency amongst recurring characters. There is a partial explanation for why the duo spend much of A Thing of Guile bickering (which they do not in Legion) but for the most part, the 360-degree turnaround in the characterisation is confusing for the listener.

The soldiers we also meet in The Neverwhen are also sympathetically portrayed – from the courageous Daylin (Jaye Griffiths, who will be familiar to fans as hapless UNIT operative Jac in The Magician’s Apprentice and The Zygon Invasion) and the cynical Commander Thracken (Barnaby Kay) to the steadfast General Kallix (Tim Bentinick) and his faithful, hopeful underling Commander Barnac (Tracy Wiles). You cannot help but admire them for their tenacity in bleak, impossible circumstances. Oliver Dimsdale also impresses as Trelon, the luckless captain of a Time Lord-acquired deep space miner called The Tempest. Dimsdale’s Mark Sheppard-like voice is distinctive and authoritative in its own right but he also plays an intriguing maverick character for even a lower Time Lord functionary.

Of course, Nicholas Briggs, who takes up the directing chores for this boxset after he wrote Volume 1, continues to steal scenes as the multiple voices of the Daleks. The Dalek threat is not as prominent in Infernal Devices as it was in Only the Monstrous, with the metal meanies almost being incidental to the trilogy. Even though it doesn’t quite pay off, Briggs and Mulryne at least try something inventive with the Daleks in A Thing of Guile. A Dalek scientist’s monologue about the future of the Dalek race, however, just comes across as extremely odd on audio – it’s a valid enough moral to the story but given Daleks are boring conversationalists at the best of times, it’s not entirely plausible!

“Tightening the artron leash hurts me more than it hurts you!”

“I sincerely doubt that!”

“Every time I have to scramble your nerve endings to force compliance, it simply means you haven’t seen my point of view! And that wounds me!”

Cardinal Ollistra and the War Doctor

The interplay between Hurt’s Doctor and Pearce’s Ollistra more than makes up for any disappointment on the Dalek front. They are great rivals, with Hurt once again providing the moral compass so lacking in this more ruthless breed of Time Lords and Pearce chewing up the scenery as the scheming Ollistra. While in the previous volume, Pearce indicated she had consciously tried to portray Ollistra differently from Servalan, her performance in Infernal Devices indicates she has well and truly given in on that score, especially when the writing and characterisation simply screams “Servalan” in her actions and motivations and keeps directing her back to her alter ego! When Ollistra tortures the Doctor with an artron energy leash and quips in the above exchange, it’s pure Servalan in sentiment. Fortunately, Pearce is still a joy to hear, regardless of the role – and the character is probably all the stronger for the comparison, rather in spite of it. It certainly makes Pearce a selling point of the War Doctor saga.

Nevertheless, while the character didn’t particularly strike me in Only the Monstrous as unusual for a Time Lady and War Council member, I am now convinced after some careful listening of Infernal Devices that perhaps BF has still only scratched the surface with Ollistra. There may still be a big revelation to come about her character. Ollistra's hatred of the Daleks, which she expresses in no uncertain terms in The Neverwhen, seems to stem from a personal vendetta, not simply that her people are at war with the Dalek Empire. Although it’s not corroborated by either the classic or modern incarnations of the Doctor Who TV series, there is only one other character I’m aware of – at least from Big Finish’s corner of the Whoniverse – that has expressed such loathing of the Doctor’s perennial enemies. It implies that Ollistra is more familiar to us than we realise and that the War Doctor is not the only Time Lord to have renounced his or her name in the Time War. This also seems borne out to me when in the climax to the boxset, the Doctor tells Ollistra to look at her “own hearts, see how black they have become”. It’s all speculation on my part, of course, but BF’s confirmation that a fan favourite companion will be guest starring in Volume 4 of The War Doctor saga has only intensified my suspicions …

Regardless of what may happen in Volumes 3 and 4, Infernal Devices is an entertaining and thought-provoking, albeit imperfect and sometimes disappointing addition to BF’s War Doctor saga. Like a curate’s egg, it’s not brilliant but it has memorable moments and ideas. With Volume 3 set to cast some light on how other antagonists are exploiting the Time War for their own ends, I still look forward immensely to BF’s next take on an otherwise fascinating series.

 

This escapade on audio depicts the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith trying to find out the origin of a picture dating back to the 1950s. The image apparently shows the Doctor living in that era as if he was from that time, and not the (somewhat confusingly dated) 'UNIT years' he has been accustomed to in recent times, even with TARDIS travel now restored to him by his own people. Deciding to travel back in time and clarify what could be behind all this, the Doctor goes onto assume an identity of 'watchmaker' and Sarah is first a 'barmaid' and then an undercover 'gangster moll' looking to get an insight into notorious criminal Tommy Ramsey.

A gangland war soon ensues, but darker forces are at work and potentially linked to a seemingly innocuous minister at St Luke's Church. And then there is a grim, and unsettling fog that effectively operates as a weather harbinger of doom.

Before long, the Doctor and his plucky journalist associate Sarah must somehow enable an alliance with Tommy, who quite evidently is an unsavoury and ruthless crime boss compared to his 'peers'. Fort the Earth could be facing a menace that has dimensional shifting and energy powers that few can scarcely conceive of.  Even with an effective, albeit temporary, partnership that could save countless lives, some hard decisions need to be made -- lest the Web of Time is damaged past the point of no return

Once again we are in the realms of original fiction that act as 'missing adventures' - this story being allocated with Season 11 of the classic show. Real life events of the Great Smog back in 1952 give this fictional work a bit of gravitas amidst all the more incredible and fantastical elements that present themselves.

There are many grim and tragic deaths, and this is unusually bloodthirsty for a story of this 'era', perhaps being more suited to the generally ruthless Philip Hinchcliffe , or Eric Saward sections of Doctor Who on TV. But most of the suffering and despair feels as if it has come organically from the setting and plot, and the main enemy force that the Doctor and his temporary allies deal with are clearly forces to be reckoned with and justify such carnage.

Having said that, a lot of the flavour of the Jon Pertwee TV era are noticeable, with certain dialogue and in-jokes coming into play. Author David Bishop knows how to make this feel both revolutionary and reassuring, and often in the same breath of prose. As a semi-regular writer for Doctor Who from the 1990s onwards, he has given his novels urgency and momentum, but also a definite knowing wit.

Dan Starkey is a terrific performer and makes the considerable run time feel far less burdensome. He has proven his mettle many a time when assuming a Sontaran persona, but there is much, much more to him as far as vocal and character performance goes. Even if Bishop's writing style is not the kind a given reader/listener would perhaps care for, Starkey puts together a top tier effort here. I hope BBC Audio re-engage him for similar duties very soon.

With some of the best music I have encountered in reviewing the various talking books and audio drama productions for this news page, there is further icing on the cake, helping make this a most nourishing extended edition Third Doctor tale. It clearly wishes to remind listeners of the halcyon days when Jon Pertwee was reigning supreme at the helm of the Doctor Who phenomenon.

If you can commit to an audio product which needs to be followed carefully for well over six hours, then this is worth both your time and the mental energy needed to translate the descriptions into actual 'minds' eye' imagery. A very fine effort. 

For those of us who grew up in the seventies, Doctor Who was a transient experience, appearing on our tv screen for 25 fleeting minutes each Saturday, then gone, forever lost into the ether. There was no catch-up and no repeat,  no DVD release to collect and treasure, not even a Doctor Who Magazine to help us analyse and review each story.  

But we were lucky, we had one great advantage that would enable us to relive each story, savour each experience. We had the Target books.

The paperbacks were the essential purchase for the fan of the era, The novelisations that allowed us to replay the stories in our mind, to archive the memories. It's probably true to say that without that initial range of books, the series would not have gained such a foothold in the affection of so many people, and may not even exist today.

And those  books had covers. Glorious illustrations conceived by talented artists that gripped the casual browser and summed up the story inside.

 

The TARDIS crew have overcome unpredictable and unnerving events in The Land Of Fiction and now are returnd to their familiar time/space dimension. But it is a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire. A quick control manoeuvre saves the TARDIS from an alien missile fired from the vicinity of the Moon, and the Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Heriot travel down to Earth.

The heroic trio have ended up in a relatively innocuous field with cows, but the ship needs some circuit repair work before further travels are possible. Ideally, help is needed from someone native to Earth. Knowing that they are in the general time zone where they last met their ally Professor Travers they set off to nearby London.

But it is a somewhat different London from the one Jamie and the Doctor last visited, when the Underground was brought to a standstill by the Great Intelligence and its 'Yeti' forces. International Electromatics has made a decisive impact on the lives of consumers from all walks of life. The head of the corporation, Tobias Vaughn, is clearly a man of great vitality and drive, but he harbours a number of terrifying skeletons in his cupboard.

Eventually the Doctor crosses paths once again with the charismatic and brave Alistair Gordon Lethbridge Stewart, who has risen up to the rank of Brigadier, and who heads a military organisation known as UNIT.

Professor Travers is absent, and instead his apartment is rented to a Professor Watkins and his photographer niece Isobel. Watkins has seemingly been kidnapped by Vaughn's men and it falls on the Doctor to try and retrieve him, as well as help UNIT's investigations into just what International Electromatics are up to.

Before long, Watkins' niece Isobel and her new friend Zoe also fall into Vaughn's clutches, and the Doctor and Jamie must employ their wits in order to save them. A far bigger problem soon manifests itself: the emotionless Cybermen are planning to invade Earth, and they know that the Doctor is one of the few things that will stand in their way..

 

One of the most confident stories of Season 6 - along with the vitally important The War Games - The Invasion was pivotal in setting the groundwork for the imminent colour era of Doctor Who. It is also one of the longest stories in the show's history at eight parts; itself an episode quota that was never seen before or since.

It could have come over as unwieldy and padded, but wonderful one-off characters such as Vaughn, Packer, Watkins, and Isobel all play their parts to perfection. Having the first four episodes feature more of Jamie, and the latter four feature more of Zoe was also an unusual aspect at the time but paid off well. Even though the story is essentially action and thriller rolled together, there are some other notable themes. These include the dangers of technological progress, the price paid for being successful at all costs, the rise of feminism and its clashes with old-school male institutions, such as the military, and the importance of friendship and loyalty. The story was of course vital to Doctor Who's long-term future, and it is good we have it largely intact, although there is still a vague hope that episodes one and four are found somewhere, one day.

David Troughton has contributed much to film, TV and theatre over the years, and still is a busy actor to this day. I myself have had the pleasure of seeing him live on stage in Stratford-upon-Avon, and he had a poise and assuredness that made him magnetic to watch. He also has appeared many times in classic Doctor Who, as well as the modern show, with The Curse Of Peladon remaining his most significant contribution. 

Troughton sounds uncannily like his father Patrick, and thus delivers a recitation of the Second Doctor that gives much of this 'alternate take' on the official story an identity and compelling nature all its own.

However a number of the voices of the original are somewhat missed. I have returned to both the VHS and DVD releases of The Invasion many times since first purchasing them, and much of the reason for that were the strong performances across the board. This meant that whatever the quality of this new audio book, I would regard the Brigadier, Packer, Vaughn and Professor Watkins as 'the original and best'. Our audio perfomer nonetheless does very well to provide a rich vein of identity and distinctive personality in his voices. His narration is also very good, and manages to keep a potentially demanding runtime pass by relatively without fuss.

As with the recent Death to the Daleks release, we have the participation of multi-skilled audio icon Nicholas Briggs, who does a fine job of updating the monster voices that Peter Halliday had provided in the original 1968 TV serial.

Sound effects and music are serviceable here. For the climactic battle scenes there is plenty of fizz and fury. The occasional melody comes along to signify a chapter of significance, as well as beginnings and ends of (the in total five) CDs. Yet otherwise, and especially for such a long run time, the audio backing side of the production can feel a bit sparse.

The much-missed Ian Marter played companion Harry Sullivan - who was himself a member of UNIT - and is the writer of the text that fuels this unabridged reading. The book is generally very faithful to the original story, with the odd extra death or variant set piece slotted in. Thus, despite this audio release's cover and title, the prominence of the Cybermen remains somewhat minimal.  The heart and soul of the antagonism is still to be found in the form of Tobias Vaughn. There is a fascinating relationship of power between him and his security chief Packer, which is developed by the story being as long as it is. The novelisation does well to make Packer a bit less incompetent and displaying some insights that are of potential use to his superior.

And as a story in its own right, Marter has made sure to move events along at a steady clip. Most of the prose is pleasant to the ear, and there is a good amount of adjectives that stand out as creative. Some extra dialogue and emotion also make this version distinctive.

Overall this is another a fine exhibit of a story with a perennial enemy of the good Doctor. A previously made narrated 'off-air' soundtrack of the story is still available second-hand. Arguably that version now adds little to the official DVD, which was complete with excellent animation by the now sadly defunct Cosgrove Hall. But this release offers all the excellent prose and urgency that Ian Marter brought to his Doctor Who novelisations, and of course the versatile acting skills of David Troughton. It is truly deserving of a science fiction aficionado's time.

Vintage Doctor Who – that’s the best way to summarize the joyful, relentlessly entertaining experience that awaits fans as they approach what feels like Titan Comics’ one-hundredth title set in the worlds of the BBC’s longest-running science-fiction drama. Given the sheer number of Doctors the publishers have been juggling around of late what with their ongoing series themed around Eccleston, Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and even Hurt (on occasion, anyway)’s incarnations, one might have initially expected their writing teams to falter under the weight of yet another version of the Time Lord – particularly one so esteemed as Tom Baker’s – but true to form, their The Fourth Doctor saga looks set to enjoy just as much critical success as its esteemed predecessors, if not more-so, based on its opening outing.

Just as many Baker devotees will surely have hoped, much of the appeal of his first Titan-produced comic strip adventure lies in its capitalising on the elements which made his era such an enduring hit: extra-terrestrials masquerading as human beings as they pursue sinister machinations, and best of all a reprise for the much-missed Lis Sladen’s Sarah-Jane, who continues her travels alongside John Smith at some point after the events of “Pyramids of Mars” (though the continuity references are justifiably kept to a minimum here so as not to leave newcomers in the dark). Throw in a deliciously gothic Victorian London backdrop which couldn’t feel more reminiscent of “The Talons of Weng-Chiang” if Jago and Litefoot appeared in the background, and the result is a promisingly authentic debut narrative which could well give the strip just as much as momentum as the Ninth-Twelfth Doctor series already have so long as its next few instalments pan out effectively.

As the tale’s similarly 1970s-esque title – “Gaze of the Medusa Part 1” – suggests, writers Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby take a refreshingly bold dive into Greek mythology in this instance, weaving iconic creatures such as the Cyclops and Medusa herself in a manner which already seems far more seamless than BBC One’s attempts to merge myth with modernity in Atlantis, with the aforementioned adversaries all but guaranteed to herald from distant nebulas as was the case with the show’s take on the Loch Ness Monster in “Terror of the Zygons” or Egyptian deities in “Pyramids”. That said, barring a last-minute revelation surrounding the original femme fatale’s stony complexion, there’s sadly not much time for the scribes to develop these potentially fascinating ancient antagonists’ characterisation here, with much of their focus lying instead on bringing perhaps the most beloved TARDIS team in the show’s history back to life.

Suffice to say that any new work of Who fiction which dares to cast Baker’s eccentric, lovable galactic hipster in its leading role must live and die based on its depiction of his and Sladen’s characters, which makes Rennie, Beeby and Brian Williamson (who takes on artistic duties here, rendering the Doctor, Sarah-Jane in an impressively realistic style that goes so far as to border on the uncanny)’s success in this regard that much more of a substantial relief. Far from them coming off as caricature versions of their televised selves, both constructs instantly boast the same USPs on the printed page in 2016 as they did three or so decades ago, with the Doctor taking advantage of every and any opportunity to crack a quip about Buffalo Bill or War and Peace and Sarah brimming with much the same honest charm and intelligence as she did in both Who and her subsequent beloved spin-off series. Indeed, it’s overwhelmingly reassuring to see that the writing team understand their leading players’ strengths to such an extent that even when readers are presented with a relatively uneventful, oft-meandering yarn such as “Part 1”, they’ll still probably have a great time thanks to the protagonists’ instantly endearing dynamic.

Better yet, those readers who’ve been waiting for a “but…” to signal a shift towards this reviewer’s gripes are in for a shock, since in no small part thanks to Rennie and Beeby’s dedication to producing an authentic continuation of the Fourth Doctor era in terms of plot tropes, mythological intrigue and characterisation, the aspects which warrant even a single complaint are far and few between. Perhaps in an ideal world the core narrative surrounding Sarah’s untimely abduction by said legendary figures and the Doctor’s simultaneous encounter with a fearful father and his reckless daughter – whose names seem far too similar to those of other Greek icons to be a coincidence – could have received a little more attention so as to allow its sophomore chapter to kick off with a greater degree of momentum, or perhaps we could have had at least a wink or two to other elements of Doctor Who’s Victorian era continuity such as the Paternoster Gang or a certain barmaid-turned-Impossible Girl, but that these so-called shortcomings barely ever came to mind in the initial read-through speaks wonders for how captivating a ‘season premiere’ everyone involved has concocted in this instance.

Indeed, rather than supporting those fears of oversaturation discussed at the beginning of this review, Titan’s latest canonical contribution to the worlds of Doctor Who only seems to confirm once again that BBC Worldwide has placed their much-coveted licence in precisely the right mittens. Not only have Rennie and Beeby showcased in abundance their understanding of the narrative elements which helped the scripts of Robert Holmes and company succeed, they’ve also accomplished the enviable feat – and in 30 pages, no less – of perfectly encapsulating the appeal of Baker and Sladen’s heroes to the point that it’s difficult to imagine any reader being dissatisfied by the end result. What lies in the immediate future for the Fourth Doctor saga remains to be seen, yet if its pilot episode in any way offers even the slightest of hints at what’s to come, then anyone wise enough to follow the series should be in for a simultaneously thought-provoking, exhilarating and hilarious ride.

The end may have arrived for Baker’s scarf-donning, jelly baby-offering wanderer of time with “Logopolis” in 1981, but judging by the immense strength of their debut take on the character, the moment’s been prepared for by Rennie, Beeby et al ever since.

The Churchill Years is another great idea from the Big Finish team that expands our Whoniverse further still. We know that the Doctor and Winston (Ian McNeice) had a history. It was made quite obvious in Victory Of The Daleks that the pair were friends, and had met before. The Churchill Years aims to fill in some blanks for the audience, and share some of that history.

 

The Oncoming Storm by Phil Mulryne

The first story in this set of four is The Oncoming Storm. We find Churchill in 1939, before he becomes Prime Minister. As the story unfolds, an unusually smooth stone is discovered on the banks of the Thames. The stone seems to briefly give anyone who touches it a Godlike amount of intelligence, but only for a very short time. 

The enemy here is not only the Nazi threat, but also some strange soldiers, who speak in a very peculiar way. Churchill is helped by his new secretary Hetty Warner (Emily Atack), Frederick Lindemann (Michael Gould) and Lt- Commander Sandy McNish (Tooth and Claw’s Derek Riddell). 

Alongside McNeice, it is Atack who really stands out. Hetty Warner is a great creation that put me in mind of Marvel’s Agent Carter. I felt the alien threat here to be quite familiar, and vaguely underwhelming. They bark orders as if reading from a thesaurus, repeating adjectives in the same sentence which all the same meaning. 

There is an appearance by the 9th Doctor, who when voiced by McNeice as part of the narrative, doesn’t quite sound right. I could imagine the character speaking the words, but when voiced by such a non-northern accent, I found it quite strange to hear. Although the Oncoming Storm has a few minor shortfalls, it is a promising start to a brand new entry to the Big Finish cannon. 

 

Hounded - by Alan Barnes

We now skip forward to 1941, and find Churchill troubled by a huge and vicious black dog. Thankfully Doctor number 10 is on hand to help out, along with the mysterious Swami. Can the Doctor and Hetty save the Prime Minister? Well…that would be telling….

Guest stars here are Jo Stone-Fewings (previously seen in Bad Wolf and Parting Of The Ways) as Major Wheatley, and Amerjit Deu as Swami.

I felt that Hounded was the weakest of the four stories. For me it was the inclusion of the Swami, who is at first all potions and chanting, something that I feel doesn’t sit well with Dr Who. 

The story is given added gravitas towards the end when the story takes a very serious turn. Emily Atack endears us even more to Hetty, who here works closely with the Doctor. For me McNeice’s voicing of Tennant’s Doctor was much more assured that his try Eccleston, and at times I could have even mistaken the voice for Tennant himself.

 

The Living History - by Justin Richards

The war is over and Churchill is no longer Prime Minister. A surprise visit from the 11th Doctor and his travelling companion Kazran Sardick (Danny Horn getting a second chance at the character) lures the eager Churchill into the TARDIS and off on to meet one of his heroes, Julius Caesar. But trouble lurks in 55 AD in the shape of a Bronze God.

The Bronze God in question, is of course a Dalek. Appearing with Ian McNeice and Danny Horn are Alistair Petrie as Julius Caesar, Laura Rogers as Queen Tristahna (who also played Isabella, along side Horn’s character in A Christmas Carol), and finally of course, Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Dalek.

I loved The Living History, from the re-introduction of Kazran, who we find is on one of his many jaunts with the Doctor, to the idea of Julius Caesar and Winston Churchill plotting to go to war against a Dalek. The Dalek menace is at it’s greatest here as the creature is damaged and vulnerable. It needs power to recharge the circuits on it’s ship, power that is of course hard to come across in 55 AD, until it stumbles upon a couple of time travellers. The Doctor is cleverly written out of most of the plot, making this the most ‘Doctor-lite’ of the collection, but it works well. Leaving Churchill and Sardick to have their own adventure. Fantastic stuff.

 

The Chartwell Metamorphosis - by Ken Bentley

In the final chapter, Sir Winston is now retired, living in Chartwell, and keeping butterflies. However when a strange looking cocoon turns up things take a turn for the worst. 

Although essentially an invasion story, Bentley’s entry is about clinging onto life for as long as one can. Guest stars are Carolyn Seymour as Mrs Whitaker, Stewart Scudamore as Danvers and John Banks as Mr Rogers. We also have a delightful turn from Holly Earl, who brings back her character Lily Arwell from The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe. Lily has been placed at Chartwell as a nurse by the 11th Doctor to watch over the ageing Churchill. 

Ian Mcneice is at his best here, portraying Winston as a rather curmudgeonly and short tempered old man. It’s clear that this role is a gift to him, and he is enjoying himself immensely. The plot is quite dark, finding Churchill in the twilight of his years, desperately trying to extend his own life, even if for a moment at least it might put others in danger. This quite a change for the character, but Bentley has written it in such a way that the listener does sympathise. The Doctor turns up in the final act to save the day, and the story ends on a pleasant twist of events. I have a feeling that we will be hearing from Lily and Winston again.

 

As well as the four stories, we are also treated to a good hour of behind the scenes VAM, which includes features on each story, and a talk with the cast. To close, there is a massive hint from Ian McNeice himself that there will be more from Churchill Years.

 

The production values on all four audio stories are of course excellent, with Iain McNeice doing a fantastic job portraying the sometimes irascible Churchill. 

It was great to feature the return of two characters (and actors) from two of Matt Smith’s Christmas episodes. Danny Horn and Holly Earl brought a great sense of continuity and charm to events.

Another very nice touch is that each story opens and closes with the Doctor Who theme faithful to the incarnation of the Doctor to feature in the plot.

I’m ashamed to admit that I am quite new to the world of Big Finish. Being a bit of a completist, I was very concerned at the size of their back catalogue, and how much this might dent my wallet. I’d happily recommend The Churchill Years for a Big Finish novice, but be warned, it will give you the yearning for more.