Articles by:

Ian McArdell

Domain of the Voord – Doctor Who Early Adventures 1.1 review

To launch Doctor Who: The Early Adventures, stories set in the programme’s formative years, Big Finish have taken us back to the very first season with Domain of the Voord. The story provides an outing for the show’s initial line up of the Doctor, his Granddaughter Susan and her schoolteachers Ian and Barbara. Mid-way though … >

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Deep Breath

‘Doctor Who’ book review: ‘The Official Quiz Book’

With 3,000 questions drawn from 50 years of on-screen Doctor Who, this quiz tome is quite the most comprehensive of its type. As an editor, author and scriptwriter, as well as a regular Doctor Who Magazine columnist, Jacqueline Rayner is well qualified to pose the questions and sets herself the target of having one at … >

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Audio story review: Big Finish’s ‘The Night of the Triffids’

While CultBox is familiar with Day of the Triffids in its various forms, the announcement that Big Finish was adapting its sequel Night of the Triffids into an audio drama came as a bit of a surprise; chiefly as we had never heard of it. Simon Clark’s 2001 novel, adapted for audio by the author, … >

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6 of the best genre episodes in ‘Doctor Who’

One of the keys to Doctor Who’s longevity is surely its versatile format, which allows it take risks and be something different with each adventure. As well as altering its supporting cast and location on any given week, it also enjoys the luxury of swapping genre. From pure historical to space opera, Victorian melodrama to … >

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‘Doctor Who’ list: 10 scariest moments in ‘Listen’

Four episodes in to Series 8 of Doctor Who and the new Doctor seems to be at a loose end, over analysing himself and possibly finding menace in his own shadow. In ‘Listen’, we saw him recruit Clara to explore dreams about something under the bed, while she was trying to negotiate a fractious first … >

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Sylvester McCoy

‘Doctor Who’: ‘Revenge of the Swarm’ (Big Finish 189) audio story review

Sometimes the ambition of a Doctor Who story utterly outstrips the production’s ability to deliver and 1977’s ‘The Invisible Enemy’ is a case in point. The story, involving a sentient space virus which infects the Doctor and prompts a Fantastic Voyage style adventure into the Time Lord’s head, is probably best remembered for the introduction … >

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‘The Classic Doctor Who DVD Compendium’ book review

It is not until you look at the sparse menus on other releases that you realise quite how special the classic Doctor Who DVD range is. As well as the painstakingly restored stories themselves, the discs hold making-of documentaries, audio commentary and information text for you to consume while you watch. More than that, the … >

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12 best moments from ‘Deep Breath’

After an eyebrow cameo in the 50th anniversary special, a kidney-based regeneration scene at Christmas and a rather long wait, the Twelfth Doctor has arrived. Spiky, sharp-suited and definitely more of a window than a door man, the universe had better watch out. Buy Season 8 on DVD on Amazon. Buy Season 8 on Blu-ray … >

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Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. seated and holding a cricket bat

‘Doctor Who’: ‘The Fifth Doctor Box Set’ audio review

Big Finish’s latest boxset release takes us back to 1982, for a reunion of Peter Davison’s original TARDIS team of Nyssa, Tegan and Adric. The participation of Matthew Waterhouse, who has stayed away from audio up until this point, allows access to an unexplored era of Doctor Who’s chronology. Comprised of two four-parters, the stories … >

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