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Post by tuigirl on Nov 27, 2019 14:46:13 GMT
The Next LifeA bloated finale which does a relatively good job of tying up the loose ends of the Divergent Universe arc. This story really feels in need of editing. Why do the dream sequences need to be 40 minutes long? Why do we need so many scenes of Charley and Perfection bickering? Why does this story need to be 3 hours long? {Spoiler} The grand finale of the Divergent Universe arc sees the villains deal with each other whilst the Doctor and co stand and watch, and then the crew has a massively unnecessary and angsty argument. How fitting. The whole Divergent arc is a massive wasted opportunity. There were some truly amazing stories there (Scherzo, Caerdroia und Natural History of Fear), however, most of them just made me ask "Why?" Agree with you on the finale.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2019 15:39:39 GMT
The Next LifeA bloated finale which does a relatively good job of tying up the loose ends of the Divergent Universe arc. This story really feels in need of editing. Why do the dream sequences need to be 40 minutes long? Why do we need so many scenes of Charley and Perfection bickering? Why does this story need to be 3 hours long? {Spoiler} The grand finale of the Divergent Universe arc sees the villains deal with each other whilst the Doctor and co stand and watch, and then the crew has a massively unnecessary and angsty argument. How fitting. The whole Divergent arc is a massive wasted opportunity. There were some truly amazing stories there (Scherzo, Caerdroia und Natural History of Fear), however, most of them just made me ask "Why?" Agree with you on the finale.
Same here. We were later treated to some other very good stories that were originally designed for The Divergent Universe ( Something Inside and Time Works). These two worked particularly well as stand-alones, I think, which seemed to prove how unnecessary and intrusive the DU theme was. I remember thinking at the time that removing the TARDIS and stranding The Eighth Doctor and Charley in an alternative universe where time didn't exist (or something) was straight-jacketing stories for no particularly good reason. My favourite outcome of the series was the Kro'ka. He should have become a traveling companion!
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 27, 2019 19:02:41 GMT
Spaceport Fear. Another I've never finished so I can hopefully put that right today.
On my previous attempts I've always thought it was a bit daft that Economy and Business didn't just say hello to each other and then take it from there, but yes I'm aware I've been over thinking things.
Now on to part 2 and I'm keen to unravel the mystery this time.
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Post by polly on Nov 27, 2019 20:11:28 GMT
The whole Divergent arc is a massive wasted opportunity. There were some truly amazing stories there (Scherzo, Caerdroia und Natural History of Fear), however, most of them just made me ask "Why?" Agree with you on the finale.
Same here. We were later treated to some other very good stories that were originally designed for The Divergent Universe ( Something Inside and Time Works). These two worked particularly well as stand-alones, I think, which seemed to prove how unnecessary and intrusive the DU theme was. I remember thinking at the time that removing the TARDIS and stranding The Eighth Doctor and Charley in an alternative universe where time didn't exist (or something) was straight-jacketing stories for no particularly good reason. My favourite outcome of the series was the Kro'ka. He should have become a traveling companion! Yeah, the Divergent Universe very quickly went from bizarre and promising to the same old Doctor Who except a bit more miserable and not as good. Time Works would have fit right in with the few good ideas they had (basically the ones tuigirl points out), but I'm not sad in the least that DU came to a premature close. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for the New Series. Can you imagine how the public view of Eight's audios would be if that arc dragged on another couple years?
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Post by tuigirl on Nov 27, 2019 20:19:36 GMT
Same here. We were later treated to some other very good stories that were originally designed for The Divergent Universe ( Something Inside and Time Works). These two worked particularly well as stand-alones, I think, which seemed to prove how unnecessary and intrusive the DU theme was. I remember thinking at the time that removing the TARDIS and stranding The Eighth Doctor and Charley in an alternative universe where time didn't exist (or something) was straight-jacketing stories for no particularly good reason. My favourite outcome of the series was the Kro'ka. He should have become a traveling companion! Yeah, the Divergent Universe very quickly went from bizarre and promising to the same old Doctor Who except a bit more miserable and not as good. Time Works would have fit right in with the few good ideas they had (basically the ones tuigirl points out), but I'm not sad in the least that DU came to a premature close. I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for the New Series. Can you imagine how the public view of Eight's audios would be if that arc dragged on another couple years?Better not think about it. Nightmare territory. But in all seriousness, I think McGann would have quit.
And we would never have gotten Dark Eyes. Thank god it turned out as it did.
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Post by mark687 on Nov 28, 2019 13:06:13 GMT
RAN was in a CC Mood this Morning
The Prisoner's Dilemma followed by Solitaire
Regards
mark687
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lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
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Post by lidar2 on Nov 28, 2019 13:26:16 GMT
Ultimate Evil
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 28, 2019 16:59:13 GMT
Spaceport Fear. Another I've never finished so I can hopefully put that right today. On my previous attempts I've always thought it was a bit daft that Economy and Business didn't just say hello to each other and then take it from there, but yes I'm aware I've been over thinking things. Now on to part 2 and I'm keen to unravel the mystery this time. Finally finished, and for the most part quite enjoyable. Ronald Pickup was great in his role(s) and the production in the big echoey spaceport was top notch. Episode 4 was a bit of a let down but not so much as to ruin the story. 7 out of 10.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 28, 2019 17:29:39 GMT
I'm now embarking on the early Big Finish Unit series, starting with Time Heals.
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Post by slithe on Nov 28, 2019 20:33:27 GMT
Spaceport Fear. Another I've never finished so I can hopefully put that right today. On my previous attempts I've always thought it was a bit daft that Economy and Business didn't just say hello to each other and then take it from there, but yes I'm aware I've been over thinking things. Now on to part 2 and I'm keen to unravel the mystery this time. Finally finished, and for the most part quite enjoyable. Ronald Pickup was great in his role(s) and the production in the big echoey spaceport was top notch. Episode 4 was a bit of a let down but not so much as to ruin the story. 7 out of 10. A story that tends to get overlooked for some reason. Not sure whether this one is meant to be light-hearted or farcical, but that's the tone I got from this. Ronald Pickup is a great audio artist and would love to hear him in future releases.
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Post by tuigirl on Nov 28, 2019 21:07:03 GMT
Vienna Retribution. BF does a big action blockbuster. Pure fun.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2019 22:37:40 GMT
Torchwood - The Vigil.
A true monster in the form of {Spoiler} Sebastian and his monstrous mummy . Poor old Tosh. Another terrific story in this range.
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Post by constonks on Nov 29, 2019 2:10:00 GMT
My Christmas with the Doctor playlist continues with Tuesday by our forum's own Tony Jones! This story is a delightful little tale in a small package. It has a nice Christmassy twist that explains the whole story - and I love how Harry's xenomedicinal research is made an important part of the resolution. Its premise and runtime could easily be expanded of course - and indeed similar "secret invasion" stories have been done, including in Doctor Who - but the length keeps the focus firmly on Harry and the Doctor, to the story's benefit. The brisk pace also means it's ideal for easy relistening around about this season! (And I'm sure I'll listen in future years as well.)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2019 6:06:55 GMT
Vienna Retribution. BF does a big action blockbuster. Pure fun. Yes love Vienna now and am always relistening they are fresh and just that wee bit different and Chase is superb in the role.Retribution was also a change in direction. I would gladly see more sets
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Post by Ela on Nov 29, 2019 22:23:47 GMT
I listened to Dark Shadows: Angelique's Descent recently. Totally not what I expected, and a very good story.
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Post by polly on Nov 30, 2019 1:03:59 GMT
Project Twilight
I've always loved the mythic significance of vampires in Doctor Who lore. Yet, they're not usually very prominent. So any time we get a vampire story, I always relish it. This is an interesting 2000s take on the subject, more akin to Underworld than Dracula. And I love me some Underworld. Maybe it was the name Amelia that took me down that road.
Speaking of, Amelia, Reggie, and Cassie are a really strong group of guests. The first two are deliciously nasty in different ways, while Cassie just needs a hug so badly. Evelyn's tenderness toward her is very endearing. The script does a good job keeping the question of whether they're monsters or victims struggling with a darker side up in the air for most of the runtime.
An intriguing introduction to Nimrod and the Forge. I've never heard anything from this arc before, and I'm very interested to see how it develops. Also noticed Sixie singing the Zagreus rhyme to himself. Hmmm...
I was surprised by how gory things got, especially the effects of Nimrod's arrows. Granted, on audio the level of blood is up to the listener's imagination, and being a horror fan, I imagined Kill Bill levels of splatter. Poor Evelyn!
The Doctor's outrage over the blood farm was exactly the kind of response I expected to hear about the Silurians' larder in Bloodtide, so I'm glad I wasn't way out in left field on that one.
I had a lot of fun with this story, very good stuff.
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Post by slithe on Nov 30, 2019 11:32:29 GMT
Project Twilight
I've always loved the mythic significance of vampires in Doctor Who lore. Yet, they're not usually very prominent. So any time we get a vampire story, I always relish it. This is an interesting 2000s take on the subject, more akin to Underworld than Dracula. And I love me some Underworld. Maybe it was the name Amelia that took me down that road. Speaking of, Amelia, Reggie, and Cassie are a really strong group of guests. The first two are deliciously nasty in different ways, while Cassie just needs a hug so badly. Evelyn's tenderness toward her is very endearing. The script does a good job keeping the question of whether they're monsters or victims struggling with a darker side up in the air for most of the runtime. An intriguing introduction to Nimrod and the Forge. I've never heard anything from this arc before, and I'm very interested to see how it develops. Also noticed Sixie singing the Zagreus rhyme to himself. Hmmm... I was surprised by how gory things got, especially the effects of Nimrod's arrows. Granted, on audio the level of blood is up to the listener's imagination, and being a horror fan, I imagined Kill Bill levels of splatter. Poor Evelyn! The Doctor's outrage over the blood farm was exactly the kind of response I expected to hear about the Silurians' larder in Bloodtide, so I'm glad I wasn't way out in left field on that one. I had a lot of fun with this story, very good stuff. Great release this one and a real highlight of BF from the early days. Definitely a more 'adult' release and unlikely to ever be on TV - but it gets as close to a Sawardian version of Doctor Who as possible without turning the audience off completely (the Doctor and the takeaway scene at the start, Evelyn and Cassie in the flat are lighter moments). Also sets up a huge arc that affects a range of characters for many, many years to come. Would love to see BF go back to this style, but not sure it is possible (or would get approval now from the BBC).
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Post by sherlock on Nov 30, 2019 12:36:58 GMT
Terror Firma
Davros returns to put the eighth Doctor through the wringer again (The twists of who Samson and Gemma are is genius). C’rizz gets mentally tormented, again, but at least the ending here reveals this is now part of an ongoing thread as opposed to before when it just semed like writers had no idea what else to do with the character.
All in all a good start to the post-Divergent Universe era, with the eighth Doctor back on form.
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Post by tuigirl on Nov 30, 2019 19:21:11 GMT
Lost Stories The Elite. Great banter. Dark story. An increasingly furious Doctor. And some really awesome sarcastic one- liners. This is great.
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Post by polly on Nov 30, 2019 21:39:19 GMT
Great release this one and a real highlight of BF from the early days. Definitely a more 'adult' release and unlikely to ever be on TV - but it gets as close to a Sawardian version of Doctor Who as possible without turning the audience off completely (the Doctor and the takeaway scene at the start, Evelyn and Cassie in the flat are lighter moments). Also sets up a huge arc that affects a range of characters for many, many years to come. Would love to see BF go back to this style, but not sure it is possible (or would get approval now from the BBC). Oh, I very much doubt the BBC would okay it, which is a shame because I really don't think the family audience is a big chunk of the BF pie - it's more adult collectors and fans, surely?
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