|
Post by grinch on Feb 13, 2020 14:44:47 GMT
Predated them, to be accurate. I miss the easy days when he was just Constable Goody. Don’t we all...
|
|
|
Post by tuigirl on Feb 13, 2020 17:24:27 GMT
I cannot make my mind up if this is worth it or not. My subscription ran out, and since I was not really interested in this (but not really because of the controversial actor) my new subscription starts next month. I still have not seen the Greatest Show, and while I adore Sylvester in person, I have never been the biggest fan of his Doctor. Also, this version of the Master has not really convinced me in previous releases (1st Doctor and Home Guard). Reviews also seem to be mixed, although skewing towards good. Am I missing out on something? I enjoyed it, but it's not a must buy audio. Save your money for something that means more to you. Thanks!
That is a good honest recommendation. Will wait for a sale.
|
|
|
Post by Audio Watchdog on Feb 13, 2020 21:38:31 GMT
Ah...back in the old days when he was the 1st Master. Predated them, to be accurate. According to Big Finish when his casting was announced he was designated specifically as being the first incarnation of The Master. I understand that you may view him or his placement differently but that doesn't change how he was announced or initially marketed by Big Finish.
|
|
dorney
Big Finish Creative Team
Likes: 3,063
|
Post by dorney on Feb 13, 2020 22:06:32 GMT
Predated them, to be accurate. According to Big Finish when his casting was announced he was designated specifically as being the first incarnation of The Master. I understand that you may view him or his placement differently but that doesn't change how he was announced or initially marketed by Big Finish. Not claiming it does. But the announcement (which was the first I heard of him being ‘the First’) came after all the scripts were written and recorded. So his first recording is in the days predating him as ‘the First Master’. (And that’s fairly explicit in the script!) (I’m also pretty certain it wasn’t as far back as 2013/2014. We weren’t that far ahead back then).
|
|
|
Post by constonks on Feb 13, 2020 22:46:43 GMT
According to Big Finish when his casting was announced he was designated specifically as being the first incarnation of The Master. I understand that you may view him or his placement differently but that doesn't change how he was announced or initially marketed by Big Finish. Not claiming it does. But the announcement (which was the first I heard of him being ‘the First’) came after all the scripts were written and recorded. So his first recording is in the days predating him as ‘the First Master’. (And that’s fairly explicit in the script!) (I’m also pretty certain it wasn’t as far back as 2013/2014. We weren’t that far ahead back then). It was 2017 ("the other week" as of June 2017) - So just a few months before the September 15th announcement of The First Doctor Adventures. I wondered what would happen with that story, given that it won't be released until next year at the earliest (unless there's something yet to be announced)...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2020 23:17:51 GMT
Well, I have to say I actually enjoyed The Psychic Circus. Sure, it probably won't go down as a classic Doctor Who story in years to come, but I found it a lot better than last month's release anyway. Seven is my least favourite BF Doctor, but with no Ace to annoy me I thought Sylvester put in a solid performance in this and I found The Psychic Circus worked better for me with no companion around. It's turned out to be a good Seventh Doctor story that works well if you've seen The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. As for, you know who, well, I thought his Master was actually very good in this story and it's probably his best performance in the role. (I never really liked the idea of a "first" Master, so was happy to generally hate the character ... but he worked ok here and Dreyfus came across as menacing enough to be the Master in this story.) So yeah, an above average story that I actually liked, despite my expectations being low after last month's MR release.
For fans of the Seventh Doctor's TV era The Psychic Circus is definitely worth a listen. Although it's not a spectacular release, I did find it an enjoyable listen. 3/5
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2020 16:39:17 GMT
I miss the easy days when he was just Constable Goody. Don’t we all... There's still scope for him to meet his match with a future (Unbound?) incarnation of the Doctor...
|
|
|
Post by vivdunstan on Feb 14, 2020 17:07:13 GMT
Listened to this today. I quite enjoyed it, but overall it felt too slight for me, and too drawn out in many places.
The Seventh Doctor was very well performed, and suited the circus setting well, with his juggling and other tricks. And I liked the nods to the past. I didn’t expect Paradise Towers to play a part as well.
I liked the two viewpoint characters introduced at the start, but the Master’s voice messages became rather annoying for me after a while. Maybe partly cos I found them harder to hear. I was a lot happier when the Master was properly revealed to the Doctor.
There also seemed a lot of long pauses, covered by music. Last time that happened was the Mags London story. It wasn’t as extreme in this case, but still noticeable to me in a not good way.
So mixed views from me. It has a nice sense of the era it nods back to. But the story is too thin and stretched out for me. I think it would have better suited a 90 minute story as it stands.
|
|
|
Post by theotherjosh on Feb 14, 2020 20:52:46 GMT
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy comes from my favorite era of Classic Who. I'm especially fond of Greatest Show in particular. I feel the trivia track on the home video is especially good.
I even dressed as Whizz Kid when I met Andrew Cartmel. I had a sign that read "Although I never got to see the early days, I know it's not as good as it used to be" on one side and "but I'm still terribly interested." on the other.
Ian Reddington remains terrifying, even as a stooge. Ace was right about clowns, of course.
Dreyfus gives a very good performance, though I'm not quite sure that the presence of the Master adds a lot to what's already there.
McCoy is in especially top form as well. Some of his best work since the Hex era.
I really enjoyed this release! There's been nothing quite like it in a long time.
|
|
|
Post by slithe on Feb 15, 2020 12:48:42 GMT
I am about halfway through this... Not quite sure what to make of it. It does come across as slow, but it is well structured and plotted with a lot of world building here. I do get how this would have fitted into the McCoy era on the TV - with subtle digs about government policies and people challenging authority. I would be interested in seeing how it all fits together.
Putting Dreyfus to one side for a moment, I did quite like the idea of the Master as a, pardon the pun, Master Manipulator - putting it all together from behind the scenes. It is a good mirror image of the chess-playing Seventh Doctor. Whether the Master is needed or not, is another question, but I suppose he does work as a plot driver. If I had to choose an actor to play the Master in the MR, personally, I'd rather have Gomez, Jacobi or Sacha...
McCoy is very good here. He is in the background but is enjoying the material (and it shows). Been a good run of stories for him so far.
Not sure what BF is doing with the 7th Doctor theme - we are back to the shorter versions. Also, we have non-Movie costume Doctor with Movie-era TARDIS?
|
|
|
Post by themeddlingmonk on Feb 15, 2020 14:22:24 GMT
I am about halfway through this... Not quite sure what to make of it. It does come across as slow, but it is well structured and plotted with a lot of world building here. I do get how this would have fitted into the McCoy era on the TV - with subtle digs about government policies and people challenging authority. I would be interested in seeing how it all fits together. Putting Dreyfus to one side for a moment, I did quite like the idea of the Master as a, pardon the pun, Master Manipulator - putting it all together from behind the scenes. It is a good mirror image of the chess-playing Seventh Doctor. Whether the Master is needed or not, is another question, but I suppose he does work as a plot driver. If I had to choose an actor to play the Master in the MR, personally, I'd rather have Gomez, Jacobi or Sacha... McCoy is very good here. He is in the background but is enjoying the material (and it shows). Been a good run of stories for him so far. Not sure what BF is doing with the 7th Doctor theme - we are back to the shorter versions. Also, we have non-Movie costume Doctor with Movie-era TARDIS? We have many many many many stories with non-movie costume Doctor with movie-era TARDIS. Namely pretty much every Seventh Doctor BF story since The Settling, except maybe the Lost Stories and a few others.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2020 18:13:19 GMT
There were moments when I thought this story was going to be lost under its own references (of which there are many - I'm still not sure how I feel about Paradise Towers making an appearance), but on the whole, I found this tale to be pretty darn amazing. Just how splendid is Ian Reddington here? The cast as a whole are terrific, and the music echoes Mark Ayre's original score beautifully. The story itself is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be, and the script contains the same manic dream-like quality as The Greatest How in the Galaxy. So much so that part four is actually rather terrifying. The fact that this is both a prequel and a sequel means we get some very eccentric wordplay, especially from Sylvester, who is on absolutely top form here. When he gets a script worthy of him, The Seventh Dotor shines brightly. Doodly doodly doo!
James Dreyfuss is excellent as this incarnation of The Master, each syllable dripping with malevolence. His fate in this tale is great, very satisfying.
Best Seventh Doctor release for a very long time. Come back soon, Mr Wyatt.
|
|
|
Post by IndieMacUser on Feb 18, 2020 17:26:02 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Ian McArdell on Feb 18, 2020 18:15:36 GMT
My take has just landed on CultBox - I was a touch underwhelmed. Plenty of good ideas and yes, Ian Reddington was excellent as the Chief Clown, but I found it a bit complex. I agree with other posters who question the need for the Master here too, regardless of the casting.
|
|
|
Post by slithe on Feb 19, 2020 11:04:01 GMT
I have listened to the second half. I think this is the better section of the story. Although, on reflection - there are probably two narratives here - the collection of all the cast together and the reveal of the Master's plan. They actually complement each other quite well and the change in focus between the halves makes for a stronger story overall. Whilst the story is somewhat limited by the TV episodes, it does a good job of leading up to them. I also liked the idea of the chess-playing 7th Doctor being somewhat trapped by events and gingerly having to tiptoe around things.
Whilst the Master was perhaps superfluous, it was interesting to see him a victim of his own arrogance (not as good a schemer as the Doctor, which made for an interesting foil). The idea of him being trapped by the Gods could have been developed more and you get the feeling that the Master wants the Doctor to help him out of the hole he has dug for himself. Personally, the Celestial Toy Maker might have worked better, but that is a minor quibble. I am non-plussed about Dreyfus - I would have preferred Beevers or the latest incarnation. The Master is more subdued here than we usually see, which could have also been worked more into the script.
On balance, a decent story. Sadly, I think it is going to be tainted by the controversy surrounding Dreyfus, which is not the fault of the writer. It feels very much a 7th Doctor story and the social context and political message is not out of place with the era. McCoy is also better here and is enjoying the material. Definitely a stronger run for him this time.
|
|
lidar2
Castellan
You know, now that you mention it, I actually do rather like Attack of the Cybermen ...
Likes: 5,810
|
Post by lidar2 on Feb 20, 2020 12:58:55 GMT
I miss the easy days when he was just Constable Goody. Don’t we all... I'm sure Dreyfus does as well
|
|
|
Post by timegirl on Feb 22, 2020 16:50:26 GMT
Listening to the Psychic Circus, I can’t help but notice how well this release replicates the feel of late ‘80s Who, more than any other 7 releases I have listened to!🤔 Everything from the acting styles to the electronic music just oozes the late ‘80s!😀
|
|
|
Post by nottenst on Feb 27, 2020 15:37:07 GMT
There were moments when I thought this story was going to be lost under its own references (of which there are many - I'm still not sure how I feel about Paradise Towers making an appearance), but on the whole, I found this tale to be pretty darn amazing. Just how splendid is Ian Reddington here? The cast as a whole are terrific, and the music echoes Mark Ayre's original score beautifully. The story itself is every bit as good as I'd hoped it would be, and the script contains the same manic dream-like quality as The Greatest How in the Galaxy. So much so that part four is actually rather terrifying. The fact that this is both a prequel and a sequel means we get some very eccentric wordplay, especially from Sylvester, who is on absolutely top form here. When he gets a script worthy of him, The Seventh Dotor shines brightly. Doodly doodly doo!
James Dreyfuss is excellent as this incarnation of The Master, each syllable dripping with malevolence. His fate in this tale is great, very satisfying.
Best Seventh Doctor release for a very long time. Come back soon, Mr Wyatt.
Just finished it today. It has been too long since I last saw Greatest Show and I completely forgot most details about it, but looked them up. I am glad they got some of the cast from that to reprise their roles. Ian Reddington was supremely creepy in this audio. Overall I did enjoy it and would like to see Greatest Show again sometime.
|
|
|
Post by TinDogPodcast on Feb 28, 2020 21:33:17 GMT
|
|
|
Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Mar 1, 2020 12:31:54 GMT
|
|