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Post by iainmclaughlin on Mar 30, 2018 18:56:21 GMT
At the time I remember thinking this was one of the most Doctor Who-ish bits of Doctor Who I'd heard from Big Finish. It sounded like Six being dropped into a mid 70s story, which I very much liked. It's the kind of story I wish he'd had on TV. The regulars' performances are excellent, too.
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Post by Timelord007 on Mar 31, 2018 7:08:43 GMT
I enjoyed this one, it was great hearing ole Sixey & the Brig team up & thought the story spooky & engaging with good performances from the cast.
8/10
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Post by number13 on Apr 3, 2018 9:00:00 GMT
Thanks all for the most interesting discussion upthread - I've learned a lot (this really is a great forum!) and it sort of tied in with thoughts I had while listening. I'd had the oddest feeling I was listening to an unmade Third Doctor, Sarah and Brig. story. But the explanation given upthread made everything clear - still, I wasn't so far off was I, only one regeneration out! I've waited for 'the right time' to hear this story (one more 'new' adventure with the Brig. is a most special event) and it was all I could have hoped for, a perfect, traditional & spooky slice of 1970s 'Who' by Nicholas Pegg, linked to one of my favourite TV stories of all and naturally, I loved it for that. 5* Hearing the Brig. (and Nicholas Courtney) adding an extra Doctor to his portfolio was a huge treat, that goes without saying, and I liked the way that he effectively becomes the Doctor's companion for the story while Evelyn has an almost completely separate adventure of her own. I though this was a clever idea and it kept me guessing - we're so used to looking for connections within a story that I wasn't expecting there to be two separate strands which only connect via 'the monster' and two fragments of his technology. Sir Archibald and Mrs Moynihan are not in league, it's pure coincidence that their schemes both peak at almost the same time. Although the Doctor saves Evelyn from Sir Archibald, he only does so by accident while scanning for power sources and never knows he's saved her, not during the story at least. (I imagine they shared their adventures over those chocolate puddings and pints at the pub when it was all over, during a long chat which the Brig. insisted on calling a de-briefing session. ) I did see the parallels with 'Terror of the Zygons' but there is a much closer parallel and a specific connection to a TV classic. You probably know this already, but I'm new to these early MR stories and finding it delighted me, so please bear with me for a moment or two while I scrape with my trowel and unearth the past... {DIG HERE... }The parallel and the connection is: 'The Dæmons'. For starters we have the alien spaceship and pilot buried in a tumulus (or barrow) for thousands of years, the local folklore built up around it and the people who tap into fragments of its power for their own ends: Sir Archibald Flint is a human 'Mr. Magister' and Mrs Moynihan is the dark side of Miss Hawthorne. And their power source is the same one: psionic energy. Sancreda powers his ship and does all his feats using exactly the same psionic energy as Azal; only their methods differ. Without the vast mental strength of a Dæmon (organised by words and symbols, seen as "spells" by humans), Sancreda uses technology made from very special minerals to amplify and direct the psionic energy. In 'The Dæmons', both the Master and Miss Hawthorne tap into Azal's power with fragments of his 'secret science'. Here, Sir Archibald and Philip have built an electronic equivalent to Sancreda's mineral technology, again allowing them to draw on his lesser, but still formidable power. Either way it's a mistake of course; do a deal with 'the devil' or even a 'goblin' for evil power and it will get you in the end... The final connection pleased me no end... There's a mention that Sir Archibald's ancestor Sir Percival Flint was one of those who dared to dig at Sancreda's ship-tumulus (in 1783) with spooky and bad results. He's described as an amateur archeologist, but I think he had much darker motives... Because Sir Archibald later boasts to Evelyn that today he will inherit his birthright. She puts it down to the rantings of a nutty member of the hereditary peerage feeling 'entitled' to power, but I think he meant it literally and that his family had been trying to access psionic power (one way or another) for centuries. Because Sir Percival tried again, ten years later. If we consult the learned writings of Barry Letts, we find that after another attempted dig in 1793 'Sir Percival Flint's miners ran back to Cornwall leaving him for dead'. And the site of Sir Percival's fatal dig was of course... (flash of lightning, clap of thunder...) {Spoiler}Azal and his ship, buried in the long-barrow at Devil's End I love it when writers pick up and expand on details like this. Another great story from early in the life of BF, no wonder they've been so successful!
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Post by sherlock on Apr 3, 2018 23:34:10 GMT
Decent story. Hearing six and the Brigadier interact was fun and there were some nice twists.
One thing is that there seems to have been a beat missed with Evelyn. In this story she already comes across as quite a seasoned companion, save for one or two moments, which just seems odd for her second story. Minor gripe though.
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Post by omega on Apr 4, 2018 3:16:05 GMT
Decent story. Hearing six and the Brigadier interact was fun and there were some nice twists. One thing is that there seems to have been a beat missed with Evelyn. In this story she already comes across as quite a seasoned companion, save for one or two moments, which just seems odd for her second story. Minor gripe though. If you look at the first page there's speculation that Nick Pegg had the Fourth Doctor and Sarah in mind while writing the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn, as the story feels very much like a Hinchcliffe horror and it's easy to imagine Evelyn's role in the story with Sarah instead (snarking at the Doctor's piloting skills or lack of, patronised by the male cast, doing research and looking for help from someone who turns out to be a bad guy).
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Post by charlesuirdhein on Apr 4, 2018 4:51:11 GMT
Love it. More than Marian Conspiracy. And it usually sits in my top 5 BF stories I would love to see animated, Cos Six and the Brig.
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Post by barnabaslives on Apr 5, 2018 20:35:49 GMT
This is another favorite of mine - I know, they're all my favorite, aren't they , but I really have listened to this more than any other audio, this being my fifth listen. It's also another one of my very first Big Finish DW audios, having heard it even before The Marian Conspiracy. I never have gotten the least bit tired of hearing it. Somehow I've never been surprised by who turns out to be on which side in this story so it's never been much of a shocker for me, but it has a lot of what I like about Terror of the Zygons and Stones of Blood, lots of atmosphere and interesting locations and particularly likable characters, and it's quite possibly my favorite thing Toby Longworth has ever done for Big Finish. It's another early MR story that made a tremendously good impression on me just when I was starting to explore DW again, and it really helped spur me on to listen to more. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had forgotten a lot of what went on in the 3rd Doctor era including Jo, UNIT, and even The Brig, but what a wonderful meeting of characters to bring all of those great memories back in a flash!
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Post by slithe on May 10, 2018 19:28:50 GMT
Just listened to this as I got it during the 99p download sale. Only intended to listen to an episode at a time (as I usually do), but ended up hearing the whole thing in a 'binge'.
An excellent release and a story that does the Sixth Doctor justice. Considering how early this is in Big Finish's run (release 9) - this is a real validation of: (a) how great Baker could have been had he been given a decent run of stories and proper scripting, (b) Doctor Who does 'work' on audio and (c) Big Finish is an excellent teller/producer of stories.
The quality really shows here - the plot is well scripted and makes a good use of all the characters. Baker and Stables feel like they've been travelling for a long time, even though this is only their second story together. Unlike on the TV, the Sixth Doctor isn't portrayed as sniping at his companions and being generally unlikable - he comes across as a compassionate individual, who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Where the JNT era went wrong, in my view, is that the audience/listener still trusts and has faith in the Doctor, even if those around him may not always do so. As a result, Baker gets to play a Doctor that brings out the best in the character. It is also helped that Evelyn is probably the ideal companion - although an 'older' companion (although not as old as the Doctor), she isn't portrayed as a screaming fool/airhead and is more than a match for the Doctor, both intellectually and personally (I love the way the two characters trade barbs with each other). The scenes with Baker and Stables are a delight to listen to and really help to make this an enjoyable listen. Perhaps the new series will learn from this approach - it would be great to see a slightly older companion for the Doctor on screen rather than the traditional 'youth'.
Although this story was initially offered to Tom Baker, it works just as well with Colin Baker's incarnation. It's well written and whilst the meeting with the Brigadier is a key highlight it is not overdone and doesn't descend into a nostalgic mess. From the initial introductory scene between the Doctor and the Brig it is straight down to business - it just cements how well both characters know and respect each other and the story is far stronger far it. Had this been a JNT/Saward script, its likely that every conceivable reference to past UNIT stories would have been mentioned or referenced somewhere. This shows the strength of Doctor Who's impressive backstory - the piece fits into this nicely and feels part of it without descending into continuity-laden cliches. The Brigadier is also characterised well - he is authoritative (rather than the slightly avuncular figure of fun he became towards the end of the Pertwee era) and is able to use his connections/military background well here - UNIT comes across as far more of an important organisation as opposed to 'Brigs Army'. The ending, whilst perhaps a bit silly, allows the Brigadier to get the glory he was sadly denied on screen and actually save the world. The character comes out far more rounded here than in TV episodes (or even in Minuet in Hell). It is a real pity that Courtney didn't do many more stories as he is definitely a delight here and is much improved on The Paradise of Death/Ghosts of N Space.
The other characters are well scripted. Yes, there is the stereotypical 'villain' in Flint, who is played by aplomb by James Bolam (one of those voices that is instantly recognisable). Bolam is clearly having fun with his character here and gives it as much as is possible without coming across as too 'pantomime' (again had this been a JNT script, it's likely the character would have been Anthony Ainley in disguise as the Master!) It is great to here the character get his just deserts. The others are not as well scripted (the Professor is a bit one-dimensional and the reason for the lab assistant helping Flint is also a bit unclear). There is some attempt at a twist with the tea lady being a turncoat, but I am not really sure whether her motivations are as credible as made out. Whilst the villain is interesting, I found it more comical than threatening - throwing a strop rather than having any real motive. I just envisaged the villain as more akin to 'Beep the Meep' rather than anything else.
Overall, a great release that draws heavily on the past (UNIT, the Brigadier, Season 12 of the Classic Series - the Hinchliffe feel with the moor and the macabre) makes this an early gem. It builds on the great renaissance of Colin Baker's Doctor that begun with The Marian Conspiracy and is a highlight of the Big Finish run. Highly recommended.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2018 20:23:35 GMT
An excellent release and a story that does the Sixth Doctor justice. Considering how early this is in Big Finish's run (release 9) - this is a real validation of: (a) how great Baker could have been had he been given a decent run of stories and proper scripting, (b) Doctor Who does 'work' on audio and (c) Big Finish is an excellent teller/producer of stories.
Overall, a great release that draws heavily on the past (UNIT, the Brigadier, Season 12 of the Classic Series - the Hinchliffe feel with the moor and the macabre) makes this an early gem. It builds on the great renaissance of Colin Baker's Doctor that begun with The Marian Conspiracy and is a highlight of the Big Finish run. Highly recommended. Great review - I'm always tempted to give this yet another listen over making inroads to my backlog of purchases. Learning through this thread of the planned casting makes sense now. For example I always pictured the Duke of Forgill (Terror of the Zygons) whenever James Bolam's Sir Archibald Flint was involved - it had me guessing whether it may be a red herring. I have no problems with it's supposed 'derivative' nature - it's just one of my favourite types of Doctor Who story and getting Colin Baker and Nicholas Courtney together for a traditional 70's adventure before it was too late adds a poignancy to the listening experience. The sort of thing that said that Big Finish deserved to be canonical who.
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Post by mark687 on May 28, 2018 15:29:56 GMT
Sixy meets the Brig and its great
Added to that James Bolam as a mad country Squire, Susan Jameson as a housekeeper so bad the final confrontation earns her the Doctor's full pity And contempt and a particularly grizzly random death and you've got a full on Phillip Hinchcliffe style for the 6th Doctor and another example BFs early confidence.
Regards
mark687
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2018 19:23:34 GMT
Sixy meets the Brig and its great
Added to that James Bolam as a mad country Squire, Susan Jameson as a housekeeper so bad the final confrontation earns her the Doctor's full pity And contempt and a particularly grizzly random death and you've got a full on Phillip Hinchcliffe style for the 6th Doctor and another example BFs early confidence. I could always visualise this as a TV story. The Spectre of Lanyon Moor is very much a traditional Doctor Who story and it certainly wouldn't have been out of place as a Fourth Doctor story from the Hinchcliffe era.
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Post by slithe on May 29, 2018 9:34:46 GMT
Sixy meets the Brig and its great
Added to that James Bolam as a mad country Squire, Susan Jameson as a housekeeper so bad the final confrontation earns her the Doctor's full pity And contempt and a particularly grizzly random death and you've got a full on Phillip Hinchcliffe style for the 6th Doctor and another example BFs early confidence. I could always visualise this as a TV story. The Spectre of Lanyon Moor is very much a traditional Doctor Who story and it certainly wouldn't have been out of place as a Fourth Doctor story from the Hinchcliffe era.
Personally, this is why I think the story 'works'. It comes across as a TV staple and isn't just a 'rehash' of something seen before. It works as both a link to the past and as a unique piece of fiction in its own right. It is also a nice 'jump on' for 2 hrs and doesn't need a lot of understanding of the past to enjoy - something that the new TV series (and in the end, the Classic Era) has fallen foul of.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2018 8:00:44 GMT
This is one story i would love on Cd. I found the setting great and a traditional Doctor who story but personally i would have omitted the opening scenes.Personally i feel that it would have heightened the nature and the mystery of the threat.Brilliant story full of great characters especially Susan Jameson
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