The long awaited Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular has begun its week long tour of the UK in stunning style, with two magnificent shows at the SSE Wembley Arena in London. 

The show gives fans a chance to hear the amazing music Murray Gold has written for the series, played live by a full orchestra, and its an experience no fan should miss. 

The music is performed brilliantly by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, who have been playing the music on the Doctor Who soundtrack since Christmas 2005, and certainly know their stuff. Their very existence is a tribute to the diversity of the BBC and one which should be celebrated. The orchestra are once more under the sonic baton of Ben Foster, who has orchestrated many of the pieces for the series and who, as well leading the musicians, gets to battle a Dalek on stage. 

Peter Davison makes for an affable host, witty and entertaining as he guides the audience through the programme of events. He obviously enjoys the feedback from the live audience as he keeps the show bubbling along. Davison is in a unique position, being not only the fifth Doctor, but the father-in-law of the Tenth, a situation he uses for comic effect. 

The music is drawn from the past ten years of the show, with the various suites evoking powerful memories. The show starts with the Twelfth Doctor's theme A Good Man? before recalling the breadth of the series in Wherever, Whenever. The Companions features the themes written for Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy and the first act comes to a stunning climax with Last Christmas. 

Part Two kicks off with All the Strange Strange Creatures and The Impossible Girl before 66 Seconds gives the audience a chance to be frightened as a Foretold lurches its way around the arena. The Pandorica Suite is followed by the haunting Abigail's Song from A Christmas Carol which gives soloist Elin Manahan Thomas a chance to shine. The show concludes with This is Gallifrey from The Day of the Doctor and the Death in Heaven Suite. 

Of course, there is an encore, and it really is a case of saving the best until last when one of the most evocative, most moving pieces Gold has written for the series, Vale Decem, gets a well deserved outing, complete with images from the entire history of the show. 

The tingles really do flow down the spine at the climax of the show, when Foster leads the orchestra, conducting that iconic theme tune, first heard in 1963, and never sounding better than when played by a talented orchestra, in front of an arena full of adoring fans. 

The show continues at Wembley on Sunday, with performances following throughout the week in Cardiff, Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle andGlasgow. Ticket information is on the BBC Events Website.

Series 8 Original Television Soundtrack (Music CD)
Available 18 May 2015 From BBC Shop and All Other Stores

With just a few months left before Series 9 of Doctor Who hits our screens in Britain and across the globe, there is a new soundtrack release once again from musician-veteran Murray Gold. This covers the many exciting stories of Series 8 (along with the last Christmas special).This release certainly offers quantity, with 68 tracks spread out on the  3 CDs, and for the very most part also is one of quality.

Having enjoyed Matt Smith's tenure for the most part - but finding it a small step down from the days of David Tennant - I often found myself tapping my feet to the pleasant harmonies Gold would come up with, but wondering if more scope could have been employed. This new collection certainly offers quite a bit more variety and is a great barometer of just how eclectic Series 8 has been. 'A Good Man?' is the new theme for the latest Doctor and is ebullient; seeming to represent the phase that 'Twelve' is going through as he comes to terms with his new identity and markedly older look for many a regeneration. It recurs throughout various other tracks in the collection and always feels like a 'punch-the-air' moment. My personal favourite variation on the theme is the shrill 'Free Fall' which reaffirms the Doctor's bond with the TARDIS and also has him performing a Superman-eque fall without batting an eye.

There is a generous allotment of music for the Series 8 premiere 'Deep Breath' an episode which I found watchable but forgettable compared to its bedfellows in the first third of the television run. However as we all now know the identity of the antagonist who presided over a surreal 'heaven' domain, it is quite rewarding to have her theme be established, then somewhat cast aside, only to be authoritively echoed much later on. Clearly Gold was clued into the Moffat Masterplan and such bonds amongst the production team are part of the reason Capaldi's debut worked so well.

Several episodes well enough but don't stand out from their music - perhaps the sign of a smooth integration, which was actually intended -- including 'Into the Dalek' and 'Flatline' For the most part though each section of tracks has something to offer, and can go from the darkest of moods to the most frivolous. As regards the latter, I particularly enjoyed the Robin Hood escapade themes again on their own. That episode will never go down in the Who hall of fame, but it stands up better than I thought it would, so all credit to Gold and his associates there.

'Listen' is probably the most cerebral of all the episodes Moffat was credite with writing onscreen, and often had some eerie silences and a bleak sense of foreboding. But once again Gold knew just when to flip the switch and give some more immediate atmosphere with gentle instrumental pieces. But when a bit of bombast and sheer electricity is the order of the day, then look no further than the music for 'Mummy On The Orient Express' and the Series 8 multi-part finale. As for the 'Last Christmas' sections - representing a Yuletide episode I much preferred to the 2012 and 2013 efforts - then Gold is very much at his peak level, relishing the twisty-turny narrative and disturbing themes that story so adeptly conveyed. As a result the third CD contains almost all the 'top 10' of the sixty-and-eight total.

Almost all the tracks deserve multiple listens to do them justice and they are easily recalled in a person's 'inner ear' without straying into the irritatingly catchy type of music.

This whole awareness and care/attention is commendable indeed, but probably no less than one would expect given the composer's pedigree and substantial experience on Doctor Who, a show so full of versatility nowadays, that I myself hesitate to use sc-fi/fantasy to label it.  

I would hazard a guess that the many Who aficionados out there confidently expect more excellence from team 'Moffat-and-co', as they to add more layers to the onion that is Capaldi's Time Lord. The soundtrack once again will likely rise to the occasion. .

Written by Gareth Roberts
Adapted by John Dorney
Starring Tom Baker, Lalla Ward, and John Leeson 
 with Michael Troughton, Tim McInnerny, Jon Glover,
Jane Slavin, and David Troughton
Directed by Ken Bentley
Released April 2015

The last of Gareth Roberts' trilogy of Fourth Doctor novels to be adapted for audio by Big Finish is great fun. It's rather a lot of great fun though, like a seven-course meal shared with friends. It's slow-burning, filled with good ingredients and fine conversation, but also a little hard to digest in one go. 

In Roberts' earlier efforts, The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death he gave us first a fine trad-Who story, then something a little more out-there. This is a Season Finale story turned up to eleven, it's a lot of story to fit into the four episodes here. The cliffhangers in the book are preserved by John Dorney, rather than reorganising into an easier six-parter. It's all good stuff, with an excellent cast, but the episodes are rather long.

The Well-Mannered War opens with the Doctor, Romana, and K9 landing in the middle of a war between humans and the tortoise-like Chelonians -  a conflict that is taking rather a long time to get going, over a century in. As wars go, it's more like a mild inter-office dispute. The opposing sides get on well, they go for dinner together. The war even has its own tea-trolley.

Being Doctor Who, of course this can't last - suspicious deaths on both sides lead to the war escalating into actual conflict, and the TARDIS crew are quickly separated and flung into variously investigating just who or what is behind this, and election campaigning, as K9 suddenly becomes rosette material. There are sinister carrion-flies, well-meaning robots, a fake civilisation, and an old foe to deal with. The overall effect is somewhat like a drastic rewiring of The Armageddon Factor, such is the amount of shared DNA. The dose of black humour is a little less than in The English Way of Death, this is more of a space-opera.

The Doctor, in truth, takes a bit of a backseat for the middle episodes, whilst Romana and K9 take centre-stage. Both are flung full-pelt into proceedings with cowardly artist Menlove Stokes (Michael Troughton, reprising his role from The Romance of Crime) in tow, whilst the Doctor plays sleuth with the Chelonians. That said, although they're separated for so much of the story, the three leads are all on fine form. Tom Baker is rarely better than here, his slightly moodier performance recalling the Hinchcliffe years in places. Lalla Ward and John Leeson are simply a delight, their rapport carries the story through some complex exposition, but most of all it's the character work that stands out for all three. Dorney's skilful adaptation of Roberts' story perfectly recaptures that spirit of '79.

With a fine guest cast, and some strong direction, music, and sound design - The Well-Mannered War is a fine tasting menu of a Doctor Who story. As with the original, it ends on a cliffhanger, as the Doctor pulls the TARDIS out of reality to escape the Black Guardian. We never found out how this was resolved, but Big Finish have recently announced that The Fourth Doctor, Romana, and K9 are due to return for more adventures. Perhaps we'll finally find out what happened next.

Writer Rob Williams
Artist Simon Fraser
Designer Rob Farmer,Colorist Gary Caldwell
Letterer Richard Starkings And Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Covers - Regular: Blair Shedd,
Subscription Incentive: Rob Farmer

Editor Andrew James
Assistant Editor Kirsten Murray
Released - March 2015

*Spoilers for this issue, which features many final events in the ongoing story-arc.*

"Hello,you are now owned by SERVEyouinc. Congratulations You" - The Doctor in a 'welcoming' mood.

No longer going by the moniker of the 'Doctor', is a man in charge of the insidious SERVEYOUinc who functions as an underhanded Chief Executive. Now fully involved with the corporation's plan to spread its state of monochrome hypnosis far and wide across time and space, this individual's former allies must do their best to fight a losing battle. The trio of Alice, Jones and the ARC creature show a real bond and a sense of justice which was not always apparent before. But will it be enough? Perhaps a very familiar apparition will play its part in steadying the ship before all chaos breaks loose for good...

Suitably building on the various oddball elements of issues gone by, this pivotal entry in the Eleventh Doctor line is as surreal as they come, and none the poorer for it. It evokes some of the themes found in such TV stories as 'Human Nature' and 'The Next Doctor' and explores the need for the genuine article present in order for problems to be resolved. By the same token the role of those closest to the Doctor is just as vital; the two human and one alien characters must constantly remind the Doctor just why he can never let self-pity and resignation take him over, even if many negative emotions are inevitable from being the last survivor of a powerful race. It has always been the TARDIS crew* that can prevent checkmate falling in favour of the enemy, and in this case an enemy so soulless that it is arguably not even in the 'evil' category.

This also is an issue that blends all the elements that have impressed in other stories - be they ones that followed the arc closely or were more standalone. They include: good character development, revelation, action set pieces, and some suspense over what a particular choice will entail.

Another big plus for me was the way that there was a constant sense of jeopardy, and an engaging element that puts the reader firmly in the same boat as the small team who somehow must find a solution with limited resources. Right until the dénouement nothing feels safe or guaranteed.

Granted, the coda does veer a little into sentimentality, with an almost overly utopia environment for those who appeared to be condemned victims. But ultimately the previously established themes and concepts of enforced joy and satisfaction being a curse, and the ability to manage 'ups and downs' as part of living life properly are what impress most. No Helen A, Fifi or Kandyman reprising their roles from the polarising 1988 TV story 'The Happiness Patrol' here, but nonetheless this provides a good evocation for the modern Doctor Who follower.

Alice continues to be written supremely well, and her major role in figuring out how to reach out to the Doctor enthrals the reader throughout. She also has help from an 'external hard drive program'; perhaps somewhat predictably, given all the set up of previous issues. But the story has real heart and soul to it, as we continue to observe the journey for the ex-librarian who has learnt life lessons most of her fellow Earthlings will never have the chance to.

This is also a very strong outing for Jones, with yet another new look which is both laughable and sublime, and evocative of the true uniqueness that is David Bowie. Even ARC isn't just there to make up the numbers and look amusing in any given panel, and even at one point performs a rescue manoeuvre which few others could conceive of.

Artwork is more than up to the ambition and objectives of the narrative. Simon Fraser did a stand out job in the brilliant 'timey wimey' issue 6, and this latest effort of his is almost up to that magnitude of composition and energy. Colour schemes are used with a real purpose, demonstrating a strong unison of effort between Fraser and Gary Caldwell.

Also pleasing is the portrayal of the very different Doctor-antagonist, the striking attire of Jones, the grey-purple backdrops of the city asteroid and most notably the symbolic Alice-as-the-Doctor front cover.

So in conclusion, we have various dangling story arc elements seemingly resolved with impressive finality. The story works as an ending, where so many conclusions to 2 parters on screen do somewhat falter and end up being the weaker link. And despite all the heaviness of mood and the sense of loss, the key aim of Doctor Who being fun escapism is not forgotten in the narrative.

BONUS COMIC SKETCH:

' We Love Titans' is a nice little bit of self-indulgence, which also ties into the main story's basic plot. A pony, a genie and a sinfully caloric hot drink are some of the elements of the deliberately thin story here.

Written by Russell T. Davies, 
Adapted by Jonathan Morris
StarringSylvester McCoy, Travis Oliver, Yasmin Bannerman,
with Denise Black, Michelle Collins, and Peter Barrett
Directed by Ken Bentley
Released April 2015

Revivals are a funny old thing. In popular culture, they tend to happen because something happened, say, twenty years ago. These revivals tend to take the form of TV specials or talking head documentaries detailing trends or fashion crimes of the time - or, in music, themed anniversary gigs or 'special editions' of albums. 

Big Finish is having its very own 90s revival at the moment. Thankfully, it's chosen to leave out the dodgy fashions and the Macarena. 

The 1990s were, arguably, not a brilliant time to be a Doctor Who fan. The TV series was effectively dead for the entire decade, barring around fourteen minutes in '93 and ninety in '96 when it briefly stirred from its slumber. However, Who enjoyed an extended afterlife in print through most of the 90s, where old hands and hungry young writers were given practical carte blanche to bend the rules, and take the TARDIS to new, more grown up places. 

Having successfully adapted a slew of the New Adventures and Missing Adventures novels, Big Finish have now moved on to one of the big hitters, Damaged Goods, a 1996 novel by one Russell T. Davies, expertly adapted here by Jonathan Morris.

Damaged Goods is an interesting beast, looking both forwards and backwards. It's very much a New Adventure in that we have a mysterious chess-player of a Seventh Doctor, new companions, adult content, Gallifreyan super-weapons, and grisly death everywhere. However, there's also a germ of the sort of Doctor Who that Davies would bring us nine years later, with its late-80s council estate setting, strong female characters, and that instantly recognisable dialogue. In fact, the only person not talking like a character in an RTD episode of Who is the Doctor himself. Sylvester McCoy is in a mellow mood here, rrrrrrrolling his rrrrrrs, and clearly very much enjoying himself.

He's not the snappy Doctor of 2005 - instead his dialogue is mysterious and florid, much more the Cartmel Masterplan than the Bad Wolf scenario, but it's a refreshing look at what might have been if the likes of RTD had got their hands on the series earlier.

He's joined here by Travis Oliver and Yasmin Bannerman as NA Companions Chris Cwej and Roz Forrester. Both are already established by the time of the original novel, and Morris wisely doesn't waste much time introducing them, instead choosing to write them in by basically having them arrive with the Doctor and that's that. Oliver is gung-ho and likeable throughout, playing up nicely to the coded sexual come-ons he receives. Bannerman is equally good, but in truth doesn't have as much to do, being basically back-up whilst the Doctor solves mysteries and Chris.....gets involved.

The story isn't quite a straight adaptation, instead this is more the sort of rewrite that Davies himself would later perform on Paul Cornell's Human Nature - faithful, but retooled for audio with hindsight and a few changes made with Davies' blessing. There's still sex and drugs, but the famous same-sex fumble between Chris and David is now a little less explicit, and the cocaine being dealt by the Capper in the novel is now, a 'made-up drug' - Smile, perhaps in tribute to Chris Morris's 'Cake' episode of Brass Eye.

This doesn't mean the story's been in any way neutered. This feels more like the darker moments of The Second Coming and Cucumber. The dialogue sings, but it's dark as hell, with perhaps the only concession to a family audience being a note of hope at the end.

The real heart of the tale is the terrible bargain that Winnie Tyler (Michelle Collins) strikes in the 1977-set prologue. The moment where she gives away one of her twin babies, through a third party, to rich, childless Mrs Jericho (Denise Black). Collins plays a troubled everywoman, driven to do the unthinkable by desperation. Black's Mrs Jericho is utterly chilling, appearing initially meek and grief-stricken, before she literally transforms before your ears into a very prim and proper murderer, who calmly visits the vendor to announce that she has been sold a faulty child and wants an exchange, whilst all hell breaks loose around them. In fact, she's almost oblivious to it. Further darkness is added by the creepy Capper, a reanimated grinning corpse full of tentacles, played by Peter Barrett. Barrett has a tough gig, having to convey undead malevolence purely through a low, gravelly voice and gritted teeth. He pulls it off, but is overshadowed slightly by the more human menace of Mrs Jericho.

The sound design and Ken Bentley's direction are both first-rate. The cast and crew rise to the material brilliantly, and Morris brilliantly re-weaves RTD's story for audio. Morris also surprisingly drops in one or two very on-the-nose new series references which I won't bring up here. One is definitely a portent of things to come, considering Big Finish's recent announcements about a certain institute based in Cardiff. The other could be something. I'll leave you to decide. New series links or not, this is another excellent offering from Big Finish. it's perhaps the only time we'll hear a Davies story on audio, but, you never know.......

Which other sci-fi or fantasy shows do you regard in the same league as Doctor Who and why?

What has made you such a huge fan and eventual contributor to the comic strip medium? 

How did you get involved in this mini-series project for Titan?

What do you regard as the Ninth Doctor's 3 biggest strengths?

And his 3 biggest weaknesses?

When Doctor Who was first brought back in 2005 could you really have imagined what a colossal hit it has gone on to become?

Does the Ninth Doctor regard Rose as anymore than a really close friend - (the TV show could be quite ambiguous at times)?

You have Captain Jack on the TARDIS crew in your story. Do you enjoy the slightly uneasy relationship that he has had with the Doctor, and why do you think the tension is there?

What was the main inspiration for the mini-series (apart from the lone TV season that featured Christopher Eccleston)?

Why do you think Doctor Who has endured for over half a century, and what makes it so suitable for other mediums than just the television?

Are the Daleks your favourite monsters, and if not which are// and if so why (delete as applicable)

Apart from your considerable fictional body of work, you have done some non-fiction. Which of these projects has been the most rewarding for you?