Picking up where Mistfall left off, Big Finish's new E-Space Trilogy throws the TARDIS crew into a snow globe, as they crash into the icy world of Isenfell - a land of howling storms, black ice, hunters, and snow beasts.

Accepting an invitation of dinner from the imperious Queen Karlina, it soon becomes apparent that all is not well, and Isenfell has a particularly draconian door policy - quite literally one in, one out. Not that this should be too much of a surprise for the Fifth Doctor and friends, invitations to dinner never end particularly well for them, and, as we know, nothing is straightforward in E-Space.

Matt Fitton's script features some fine world-building, and Isenfell is a good combination of quasi-medieval society and Davison-era hard SF. Underneath the fairytale chintz and courtesy of their hosts Karlina (Annette Badland) and Balancer Skarsgard (Nickolas Grace), this world is sick and crumbling - only kept in check by a strict control on the population. Badland and Grace give strong, layered performances, with Badland almost unrecognisable as the former Margaret Slitheen.

As Tegan and Nyssa discover, parents are hiding their young in caves below the surface to avoid the 'balancing'. It gives Nyssa a chance to reflect on how much she misses her own children, in between helping the Doctor unravel Isenfell's mysteries and try and save its people from armageddon. Indeed this is slightly more Nyssa's story than anyone else's.

It's not all bad news though, Turlough gets a bit of female attention for a change, and gets to spend four episodes being scared half to death by the attentions of the barking mad Princess Inger. That said, he doesn't get a lot else to do. The TARDIS crew are split up for much of the story, and Davison and Sarah Sutton get the best scenes together, as Nyssa quietly empathises with the Doctor's desperate struggle to save Isenfell, while everything goes to hell around them. There are no real villains here. Both Karlina and Skarsgard do questionable things, but get their redemption, and Isenfell is saved, but we close as we open - on a cliffhanger, with Tegan in the hold of a mysterious spacecraft, kidnapped for reasons unknown.

Excellently directed by Ken Bentley, with some strong, evocative sound design, Equilibrium is another strong offering from Big Finish. Next stop: The Entropy Plague, and the conclusion of this trilogy. 

 

The TARDIS and it's youthful looking inhabitants must cope with a surprise return to E Space, which leads to a dramatic re-acquaintance with the planet Alzarius. Tme has moved on since the events of the original adventure involving the Fourth Doctor, and his devoted team of Romana and K9. They are not alone in touching down on this dangerous planet, as a race of people has come to obtain what they feel is their right, and the well-established Marshmen are also poised to rise once again from their slumber...

 

1980's Full Circle was for myself, and a good number of Tom Baker fans the story where his final season really sparked to life, after two enjoyable but confused efforts. Even to this day many of it's bold ideas and surprise twists impress greatly, and there was a lot of skill behind the camera too, as Peter Grimwade made his directorial debut after being a production assistant on some of the highlights of the 1970s era. It scarcely seems believable that a talented but still inexperienced 17 year old in the form of Andrew Smith was able to outshine many an old hand who had written for the enduring series, but he still firmly acknowledges the help of script-editor Christopher H Bimead.

Some cynics may knock the story regardless for introducing Adric to the Who mythos. In all fairness he never really was utilised as well as even the average companions on the show, with some rather forced shiftiness that was much better done with his eventual successor Turlough. But many mainstream viewers, of whom quite a few were a similar age to the doomed Alzarian, welcomed the rare presence of a male on the Tardis crew. Of course there is always the debate over K9's status given the strong voice acting efforts of John Leeson and David Brierly...

This new story begins with quite a bit of Adric referencing, and certainly Nyssa is quick to spell out the danger of the Marshmen who deprived her dear friend of his one remaining relative. Perhaps though something is missed in deliberately setting this story in the Big Finish timeline where Turlough has come on board, and not having Adric himself forced to re-visit the events that changed his life forever.

Also this is a fundamentally traditional tale - when so many of the best Big Finish productions try to do something a little bit daring. And at times some moments are nothing more than obvious recycling of the source material However the strong backstory and lore created by Andrew Smith does mean that fascinating themes are revisited with new characters, and some moral dilemmas play out with urgency. For those who know Smith's novelisation, there was a lot of thought put into the inter-connected lifeforms on Alzarius and the motivations of character, which did not always survice in the final cut that was demanded by scheduled television such as Doctor Who. This audio drama allows for some of this pruning to be addressed by having new scenarios and types of personality to affect the consequences.The plot is reasonably coherent with some decent obstacles that present themselves as events progress.{C}

Doctor and tenants get the better share... One of those stories where crewe of  4 feels 1 too many at least.The {C}

 

The world created by smith has some real potential, and by having both a clear villain and a shades of grey antagonist in the form of the marsh leader here is some good thematic exploration.For this story to really stand out though, it needed some above average performances from the regulars, or that elusive je ne sais quoi that seems to  make the listener re-examine a person they thought they knew already, in a somewhat different light. Nyssa has been afforded so many 'extra' stories from this busy audio production company, that perhaps even the strongest efforts from Sarah Sutton are blunted, as such an introverted and controlled personality can only be prodded without slipping out of realistic parameters altogether.

In a similar vein, there is no guest star that can be made out as weakening the dramatic effect, but also there isn't a really scene stealing effort either. Jemma Redgrave is certainly credible as a leader, much as she is in the latest on-screen Doctor Who as Kate Stewart. Nigel Carrington is a serviceable villain, who has some sympathetic motives at the core of his actions. The 1980s Fifth Doctor stories tended to have some very striking guest characters, and/or 'celebrity casting' as was much the preference by producer John Nathan Turner, and this production is arguably a contrast in 'playing it safe'.

The dialogue is functional but never that memorable, quirky or revelatory in terms of a particular character's real motives. "Tell Dexeter.. We've come full circle", "Not an alibi, Deciders!!", and even the Marsh-Child bringing on the Tom Baker embellishment 'How odd, I normally get on terribly well with children; none of these are really rivalled by the spoken material this release contains.

But the time passes smoothly enough, and the cliff-hangers are played out with the required 'hook' fans are entitled to expect. Sound effects are very good, and the music fully captures the spirit of the original sublime accompaniment that Paddy Kingsland produced for 'Full Circle'. The documentary also is quite a good listen with some very nice 'off-the-cuff' remarks that show how much of a bond the regular cast have had over the years (both back when they first worked together, and for this new era of plentiful avenues of original Doctor Who).

I cannot put my hand on heart and say that this is an unmissable product, but it still may be worth several hours of your time if you are the type of aficionado that enjoys a sequel that keeps closely to the spirit of the original.  The final stages do not disappoint in getting the immediate jeopardy wrapped up, and then urging the listener on to the next part of this 'Return to E-Space' trilogy. it could well be a quite bumpy ride in this unknown universe for our four heroes...

 

 

 

"Give thanks. Rejoice. Your feeble little lives have just gained great significance. You are the chosen of Kali, goddess of destruction. Your deaths will give her life and power beyond your darkest nightmares."  - One of the Scindia demonstrating their power.

 

   Without doubt one of the more ambitious stories from Titan in scope and thematic depth, there is no let-up and no break in momentum from parts one and two. The Twelfth Doctor once again has plenty to do, and seems one step ahead of his fiendishly vicious opposition. He however needs a bit of help given that his dear Clara now hosts a 'Goddess' hell-bent on ripping up most of time and space. This leads to him having to trust two other women who have been caught up in this chaos; which arguably makes for a typical day in his endless working week.

            Rani, who is now at least the third character in the Doctor Who universe named thus (following Kate O'Mara 1980s villainess, and one of Sarah Jane Smith's teenage assistants), has really been a stand-out personality. She can be impulsive, but there seems to be a depth to her mission in life and her value system which would make her a fine incumbent for the TARDIS crew. She also pines for her murdered girlfriend, and the story does a fine job of paying off this emotional element.

            Priyanka is perhaps a little more generically a do-godder, but still engages us in her resolute efforts to avenge her father. One of the better one-liners is uttered when she faces danger. There is also another remark made by her of the Doctor's Scots accent which manages to come off quite well and not feel tired like it might in an all-round poorer story.

            But when it comes to any amendments to the TARDIS crew, it would appear that Titan have no immediate plans to muddy the waters of the Doctor/Clara relationship that played out on our screens last year.

            Clara is still important to proceeding however. After the wonderful closing 'hook' of Issue Four, she has become trapped in the truly imposing form of the many-armed goddess Kali. Some rather ripe puns concerning just what to call this hybrid entity make their way into the story, but are excusable given the gloom elsewhere. The outcome for the victims of Kali and the Scindia family would disturb may of the under-10s were this a fully-fledged Autumn TV effort.

            The story is effective also in how it balances certain developments which are essential for a story to have a Doctor Who formula, but also surprise us in when certain developments occur. I was definitely wrong-footed by how and when the Doctor showed his guilde in dispatching two of his foes, without barely making much of an effort. The final epilogue also may surprise some, but arguably develops organically from earlier characterisation and exposition.

Great storytelling merges with effective visuals, and suggests that Morrison and Taylor are not just on the same page, but the exact same panel too. And were this not enough, Luis Guerrero is present in making the pencils and inks look at their optimum potential. As regards the house style of Series Eight, incumbent writer Robbie Morrison achieves great dividends in keeping the spirit but also being assertive enough to make his own voice heard in the narrative. The next story once again looks promising from what little clues we have.

 

Bonus Humour Strips:

'COPY/PASTE' by AJ is a decent one character piece. The Doctor's horror in having his trusty sonic screwdriver destroyed by the Terileptil leader may be well and truly forgotten, as sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.

 Bin Dilemma' (with Colin Bell and Neil Slorance teaming up again) is a much easier humour story to follow than previous ones in this slot. Yet it smartly reminds readers just how aloof Capaldi's Doctor can be, and just how much patience Clara Oswald can muster given her double duties as teacher and travelling companion. 

 

 

The threat to Earth shows no signs of abating as the skies above cities, towns and countryside continue to be swamped by outlandish space craft that defy comprehension by the average human being. The perennial war between the Amstrons and J'Arrodic Federation cannot be ignored much longer, and something must happen before an outcome - positive or negative - can emerge from the tension.

 

Arc and Jones are soon rendered powerless to assist the Doctor, and it falls to redoubtable Alice to accept an incredibly daunting offer of having the chance to end the war all by herself. Her time in the TARDIS will never be more beneficial, as she is forced to become greater than she ever thought she could be. The downside? The probable end of the entire human race...

 

If that premise was not enough, there are other questions that have already been set up and get their pay-off here:

 

*Is Alice's mother really back?

 

* And will this mean an end to the erstwhile Londoner's variable relationship with the man who posesses the mental resources of a 1000 libraries?

 

There has been more than a couple of hints that Alice could depart the TARDIS at the drop of a hat. This story manages to make the three person confrontation between the Doctor, Alice and her apparently resurrected mother the heart and soul of the narrative. The reasons for Alice not listening to her head over her heart will strike a chord with many readers, and furthermore even the Doctor must concede that rebirth is not easily dismissed, given his own recent experiences with a particular companion. Also, the twist involving the Amstrons is interesting and so very Doctor Who - perhaps most recognisably from the brief but memorable Douglas Adams sequence of stories that rounded off the Seventies.

Despite a strong writing effort, the art work is comparatively a slight disappointment, especially given the quality seen beforehand. It tells the story clearly and expressions and scale by and large cut the mustard.

 Panel backgrounds suffer from being bland and/or interchangeable, and the potential to slip some in-jokes and satire into the covers of various books is perhaps a waste, given how much this is about Alice and her acquired wisdom along with natural gifts.  There does feel something lacking when taking the visual experience in as a single cohesive piece of work, and perhaps more tinkering would have helped. However since this second part of the story really is about the character clashes more than the big space extravaganzas, it ultimately feels acceptable.

But having said that, this second and final instalment of the latest story is more than satisfactory. The Eleventh Doctor certainly is at his most assertive here and gets to demonstrate that while he may be lackadaical and take adventures as they come (much like former incarnations such as the Second and Fourth Doctors), he can also put his foot down. Serve You Inc have stopped being an irritation and need to be dealt with head-on, and plenty of speculation can be made before issue 9 rolls along into the consumer sphere.

 Bonus Humour Section:

'Experimental Taste-Buds' by AJ is a fun little piece which aims modestly but still enchants. The decision to mix 3d graphics with apparently real-life photographs is a welcome break from previous efforts.

'Short Change' is Marc Ellerby at his assured best. A phone call across millennia between the Doctor and Amy is made something rather special as the events of one time zone quickly impact upon the other.

 

After an uneventful trip to twentieth century Earth, Vicki finds herself locked out of the TARDIS and cornered by Violet, a self-proclaimed psychic. Agreeing to take part in a séance, Vicki is shocked to receive a message from a very familiar person: herself from the future. The message is very simple, if Vicki leaves this time, she will die. And future-Vicki should know, after all, she’s already dead...

Like many of the best Companion Chronicles, Starborn has an intriguingly clever and tricksy narrative, with an inventive twist to the way it is narrated. By having the main tale told from the perspective of future-Vicki the story keeps the listener guessing, and trying to work out the solution to the puzzle of her apparent demise. The solution to the mystery is hinted at in the dialogue throughout the play: eagle-eared listeners will pick up elements in future-Vicki’s story that seem out of place, which pay off later in the story.

The tale future-Vicki weaves is evocative and full of strong imagery. Like the early Hartnell stories, Starborn delights in world building and exploring strange settings and civilisations, in a way which is evocative of stories like The Keys of Marinus and The Web Planet.

Given that he central story is told by an apparently dead Vicki, themes of mortality and sacrifice are central. It is one of the few stories to address Vicki’s status as an orphan, with the séance evoking memories of her parents. If anything it feels like this side of Vicki’s character could have been explored further in the play, and it would certainly be worth returning to in any future iteration of The Companion Chronicles.

Overall Starborn is another strong Companion Chronicle, which makes use of clever narrative devices and ends with a satisfying solution to its central mystery. It is easily Jacqueline Rayner’s best contribution to the range, and shows a clear understanding and love of the era it recreates.

This box set sees the reunion on audio for the first time since 1982 of fifth Doctor Peter Davison’s original team of companions; Janet Fielding as Tegan, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa and the much anticipated return of Matthew Waterhouse as Adric. Consisting of two brand new four part stories both set during season 19 it is very much a box set of two halves. As this is no longer a brand new release I am considering this review fair game for any spoilers that follow.

Jonathan Morris’ Psychodrome is set in the immediate aftermath of the TV story Castrovalva with the Doctor’s companions still coming to terms with having been brought together and witnessing the Doctor’s recent regeneration. Morris cleverly plays with the fact that the four characters don’t know each other very well yet as established by the opening scenes. The first obvious comment to make is that Waterhouse is still finding his voice in this play as he faces the challenge of recreating his juvenile persona. However, after the first few scenes it becomes easier to adjust to this slightly deeper voiced than usual version of Adric, especially in the context of three other regulars who all occasionally sound thirty years older. The script’s clever placing of this story very early in these characters’ established adventures makes it easier to overlook this and enjoy the references and hints of what is to come. On first listen, the plot of what befalls the TARDIS crew when they land becomes a little confusing. This is because they encounter several sets of four characters who are each played by the same four actors. Whilst the actors concerned give solid performances, this does leave the listener with occasional moments of vocal confusion until the explanation of what exactly is going on within the Psychodrome is revealed. A particular mention should go to Robert Whitelock for the triple role of Professor Whitelock, Denyx and King Magus, the last of whom comes to dominate the third and fourth episodes of this story. An exciting misdirection occurs at the end of part two when it is suggested that Magus might infact be a new iteration of The Master but whilst Whitelock does have elements of the Ainley incarnation to his performance the reality is that Magus is a composite of Nyssa’s imagined view of both the Doctor and the Master allows for a more satisfying resolution. The only slight disappointment is in Magus’ final scene where Morris gives him the rather too knowing final line “is this death?” The listener is left feeling that this story has been a little too clever for it’s own good and perhaps there should’ve been another way.

John Dorney’s Iterations of I is set later in the season, in the aftermath of Black Orchid, and picks up the season’s arc with Adric attempting to rectify the Doctor’s continuing failure to return Tegan to Heathrow in 1981. The travellers find themselves separated from the TARDIS after landing on a remote island where they are forced to take shelter in a seemingly abandoned old house. Featuring a small cast including Being Human star Sinead Keenan the stories setting of Autumn 1981 is cleverly and quickly established and becomes a virtue of the story as the Doctor, by this stage bereft of his sonic screwdriver and stuck in a world that is still years away from inventing mobile phones is forced to make use of the limited technologies available such as a pocket calculator.

The main enemy of the story, the I, are a unique invention in that they exist in a dimension of numerical information and thus when they start to kill it becomes quite frightening. The Doctor’s technologically minded companions Nyssa and Adric come into their own as they come to terms with the mystery contained within the old computers. This story also takes an opportunity to foreshadow Adric’s impending exit in Earthshock with an touching scene in which he and the Doctor discover some graves. Towards the end of the story Adric is injured but the revelation that Alzarians heal faster than Humans allows for some fun action scenes. Waterhouse’s recreation of Adric seems more comfortable in this story which leads this listener to hope that our favourite Alzarian may yet return for more audio adventures. Overall this second story is a much more satisfying listen than Psychodrome although both stories very strongly evoke the feeling of season 19. This feeling is reinforced by clever use of music and sound design which feels very much of the period. Whilst not always hitting the mark, the Fifth Doctor box set is a rewarding listen and fans of the early Davison era will certainly be left wanting more.