The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 9 Volume 1 returns us to Tom Baker’s final season on-screen. Set during the “E-Space trilogy”, it reunites the Doctor with Romana II, Adric and K9 for the first time on audio. Notwithstanding some interesting stories, and our favourite version of Tom’s outfit, we find this era of Doctor Who hard work. … >
Dark Universe heralds a fresh year of Doctor Who Monthly Adventures at Big Finish. It is a release which makes narrative connections in many directions, but the headline must its be choice of companion. Set some twenty years after they travelled together, the story sees the Seventh Doctor encounter Ace. The other notable familiar face … >
The War Master: Anti-Genesis is the latest boxset of audio dramas to chronicle the exploits of Derek Jacobi’s Master during the Time War; the temporal conflict between his own people and the Daleks. The problem with a concept so unfathomable, however, is that us mere mortals can really only handle a small slice. Luckily, this … >
River Song has finished (for now?) working her way through the back catalogue of Doctors, and gets a chance to widen her horizons. In The Diary of River Song Series 7 that means Alex Kingston plays River in a variety of guises; holiday-maker, nun, potential murderer and detective. There’s no big arc, just four great … >
‘The Best-Laid Plans’ is the winner of 2019’s Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trips Opportunity. Released in memory of the much-missed Big Finish employee, it comes from a writer new to Big Finish. The story is one about ideas, with its central character, Dracksil Forg, being overburdened with them. So full, in fact, that he maintains … >
‘Peace in Our Time’, the latest Big Finish Short Trip, features futuristic space pilot Steven Taylor and the First Doctor. We find the pair on the trail of stolen government papers in the early twentieth century. However, events are related through the eyes of a household maid. Ruby Watkins, an astute observer, has soon noticed … >
‘Blood on Santa’s Claw’ is the latest from the Doctor Who Monthly Adventures range, one of their occasional anthology releases. Festively themed, this quartet features the Sixth Doctor, Peri and an addition to the TARDIS crew, her new beau Joe Carnaby. Blood on Santa’s Claw With 80s pop star Joe on board, the trio make … >
The always popular pairing of Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones makes a welcome return in Torchwood: Expectant, an entertaining sci-fi yarn and the December offering in the monthly release range. But their interactions take second place to the main character dynamic of the piece. And that’s the fraught relationship between the pregnant Harkness and his … >
The Star Cops make their way to the lawless frontier planet of Mars in the opening instalment of a new twin boxset audio serial from Big Finish. This sci-fi cop procedural has made the transition from 1980s cult TV show to the audio realm very effectively. With the property now well established, Star Cops Mars … >
With Travis as its unexpected anti-hero, new Big Finish Blake’s 7 audiobook Outlaw, examines the off-screen history of the series’ most celebrated male villain. The plot carefully aligns with and extends the show’s canonical history to impressive effect. The book explores two separate timelines: the early years of Blake’s putative rebellion against the Federation, which … >