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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Nov 10, 2020 9:26:47 GMT
Something is very wrong. The Fifth Doctor is lost in the Time War, heading for an encounter with his oldest and deadliest enemies... the Daleks!
Echo Chamber by Jonathan Barnes
It’s the radio talk show where everyone’s free to call in with their opinions. Time to welcome its host – the Doctor!
Towards Zero by Roland Moore
The Doctor finds himself in an old country house where he has to solve a very unusual murder – his own!
Castle Hydra by Lizzie Hopley
Nearing the end of his journey, the Doctor enters a jail filled with familiar faces. But who are the prisoners and who are the wardens?
Effect and Cause by John Dorney
A crash in the vortex leads the Doctor to the source of all his troubles, and to the Daleks. The answers are here. If he can live long enough to find them.
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Post by Timelord007 on Nov 10, 2020 9:28:56 GMT
Finished Shadow Of The Daleks 1 last night & enjoyed it, i need answers so get it shipped Big Finish.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2020 9:34:17 GMT
At long last! 🤩
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Nov 10, 2020 9:36:09 GMT
Finished Shadow Of The Daleks 1 last night & enjoyed it, i need answers so get it shipped Big Finish.
It's set in my home state of Adelaide, South Australia ..
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melkur
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,965
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Post by melkur on Nov 10, 2020 12:46:36 GMT
In a moment of lucidity, it has only taken my Mac about 20minutes to download and copy to my dictaphone I had planned on listening to the first release again yesterday, but never found the time. At the moment I'm making a start on the first (or is that fifth?) story, 'Echo Chamber', before lunch.
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Post by mark687 on Nov 10, 2020 13:53:27 GMT
Excellent conclusion all round Each Ep is a perfect example of its type, only problem is BF have set the bar so high for bang on single Eps with really strong connective tissue with these last 2 releases that all future anthology type releases will be judged by it.
Oh and I'll repeat my call from last time, please write a new Companion role for Anji Mohindra shes just so good
Regards
mark687
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Post by grinch on Nov 10, 2020 13:57:28 GMT
Excellent conclusion all round Each Ep is a perfect example of its type, only problem is BF have set the bar so high for bang on single Eps with really strong connective tissue with these last 2 releases that all future anthology type releases will be judged by it. Oh and I'll repeat my call from last time, please write a new Companion role for Anji Mohindra shes just so good Regards mark687 Makes you think doesn’t it. I know out of respect for the late Elizabeth Sladen they haven’t done anything with the Sarah Jane Adventures but I suppose there’s nothing to say that she couldn’t play an older Rani Chandra and travel with the Doctor for a while.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2020 15:55:28 GMT
Finished listening to the entire release earlier today. Shadow of the Daleks never ceases to amaze me. Not only the overarching experiment, spread across two releases, but also the writing, acting, and sound design which has lifted my spirits during lockdown. Truly one of the greatest Main Range anthologies of all time.
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Post by elkawho on Nov 10, 2020 22:00:04 GMT
I agree with all of you. This 2-parter was great from start to finish. It doesn't feel like an anthology, but it is. The performances were great every time.
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melkur
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 3,965
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Post by melkur on Nov 10, 2020 22:57:51 GMT
Well, that was a harder hit than I was expecting!
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Post by shallacatop on Nov 11, 2020 11:12:50 GMT
My criticism of Shadow of the Daleks 1 was that whilst each story was good, I didn't think they felt like they were their own thing in the way an anthology would usually be. Of course, that's not the intention, given the Shadow of the Daleks arc, but I didn't think that was strong enough either, with the Doctor going back to square one in each story. You don't get that at all in Shadow of the Daleks 2 and it's stronger as a result. The four stories are great in their own right, with the arc nicely seeded and it feels like the Doctor is on the back foot but it's also building up to something. He's progressing with each story and getting closer to uncovering the mystery. I rated the first instalment highly anyway, but I rate it that little bit better now it's completed, as with hindsight it's nice to get the balance that the two releases struck. I loved how uncomfortable the Doctor was in Echo Chamber. As he acknowledged, he's probably the worst incarnation to be hosting a radio show. Some of the other Doctors could go very Alan Partridge, I think! This one didn't go the way I was expecting it to; with the emphasis on the recording studio, the mentions of the Satellite and us knowing the Daleks were behind it all, I was expecting the twist to be that he was aboard Satellite Five! Something we'd be aware of as listeners, but the Doctor would leave the story none the wiser. I was wrong in the end, but that would've been a nice touch. Towards Zero was pleasantly Cluedo-esque and did well to encompass the mystery in a 25 minute running time. There's some great character stuff in Castle Hydra. And it's a really strong finish with Effect and Cause. As melkur said, I wasn't expecting it to hit hard as much as it did. And I think that's a testament to how fantastic both of these releases have been and the journey not only the Doctor has gone on, but the four members of the supporting cast, albeit as various characters. One slight niggle I had was how all over the place the sound was at times. I think it was a conscious decision, rather than a production error, but I think it would've been better off without it. It took me out of the story for a couple of minutes thinking there was an issue with my AirPods, which is never a good thing. I was actually expecting this to have something to do with the Emperor Dalek, given they're his guards on the cover of both releases, but in the end they'd just put the wrong Dalek variant on the covers! Still, great use of the Daleks and I really like the concept of the Time War and the Daleks interfering with the Doctor's timeline. It's exactly the sort of thing a Time War would do, and it's certainly what the Daleks would try to do. Strong pair of releases, great supporting cast (especially Anjli Mohindra), nice use of the Time War and a rich variety of stories. Amazing to think this was put together so fast, yet is so polished. A real testament to everyone involved in bringing these eight episodes to life.
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Post by constonks on Nov 11, 2020 18:40:03 GMT
Just finished, loved it, will absolutely listen again (and might just sit down and read the scripts at some point). But I have to explain what I thought was going on. Completely incorrect spoilers below the cut, friends! It was clear from fairly early on that the Echo People were either already Daleks or at least being turned into Daleks. So it became a question of why...
Then in episode 4, they mentioned a cyclops figure that looked vaguely familiar to the Doctor and I remembered the Manhattan Dalek.
And suddenly I thought I had it.
There are four of them... they're the Cult of Skaro! I began to think this was their training, shattered across time to learn what it is to be a Dalek.
The Cult learned ruthlessness in Aimed at the Body (do whatever it takes to win!), tactics and revenge in Lightspeed, knowledge and the dangers of remaining calm in The Bookshop, obedience to Dalek rule in Interlude, pure anger in Echo Chamber, how to kill the Doctor in Towards Zero and temporal engineering in the final two installments.
The Doctor even says to Yost in part 2 that he likes simple names - you know, like Sec, Thay, Jast and Caan...
Ultimately, though, nope! Not at all! Not even the training thing!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2020 19:40:49 GMT
Just finished, loved it, will absolutely listen again (and might just sit down and read the scrips at some point). But I have to explain what I thought was going on. Completely incorrect spoilers below the cut, friends! It was clear from fairly early on that the Echo People were either already Daleks or at least being turned into Daleks. So it became a question of why...
Then in episode 4, they mentioned a cyclops figure that looked vaguely familiar to the Doctor and I remembered the Manhattan Dalek.
And suddenly I thought I had it.
There are four of them... they're the Cult of Skaro! I began to think this was their training, shattered across time to learn what it is to be a Dalek.
The Cult learned ruthlessness in Aimed at the Body (do whatever it takes to win!), tactics and revenge in Lightspeed, knowledge and the dangers of remaining calm in The Bookshop, obedience to Dalek rule in Interlude, pure anger in Echo Chamber, how to kill the Doctor in Towards Zero and temporal engineering in the final two installments.
The Doctor even says to Yost in part 2 that he likes simple names - you know, like Sec, Thay, Jast and Caan...
Ultimately, though, nope! Not at all! Not even the training thing!
I didn’t even know TWO was out away to download now lol...am I getting auld and tired lol
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Post by IndieMacUser on Nov 11, 2020 20:31:29 GMT
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Nov 12, 2020 13:21:29 GMT
Halfway through, this is really good so far.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on Nov 12, 2020 14:05:52 GMT
Just finished, loved it, will absolutely listen again (and might just sit down and read the scrips at some point). But I have to explain what I thought was going on. Completely incorrect spoilers below the cut, friends! It was clear from fairly early on that the Echo People were either already Daleks or at least being turned into Daleks. So it became a question of why...
Then in episode 4, they mentioned a cyclops figure that looked vaguely familiar to the Doctor and I remembered the Manhattan Dalek.
And suddenly I thought I had it.
There are four of them... they're the Cult of Skaro! I began to think this was their training, shattered across time to learn what it is to be a Dalek.
The Cult learned ruthlessness in Aimed at the Body (do whatever it takes to win!), tactics and revenge in Lightspeed, knowledge and the dangers of remaining calm in The Bookshop, obedience to Dalek rule in Interlude, pure anger in Echo Chamber, how to kill the Doctor in Towards Zero and temporal engineering in the final two installments.
The Doctor even says to Yost in part 2 that he likes simple names - you know, like Sec, Thay, Jast and Caan...
Ultimately, though, nope! Not at all! Not even the training thing!
I didn’t even know TWO was out away to download now lol...am I getting auld and tired lol Never mate, it is all in the mind (apart from the bad back where you now need to sit down to put your socks on)
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Nov 12, 2020 16:51:17 GMT
Finished it, & I want to listen to it all again. Loved it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2020 18:56:26 GMT
Well how excellent was that?Have to say a very enjoyable listen and intriguing I loved the recurring cast and recorded during lockdown too...pretty seamless .I just love the Davison on his own stories Peter on audio has become a favourite Doctor of mine if I close my eyes during Warriors of the Deep even the Myrna can be terrifying hahahaha
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Post by slithe on Nov 14, 2020 11:58:33 GMT
Just listened to the first two stories. Very, very good and enjoyable. Considering I was not that over keen on 8 potential Dalek episodes, I am pleasantly surprised by this. Love the Agatha Christie Pastiche of Towards Zero (the neat continuity references are good - Lethbridge Stewart was my favourite.) The fact that Tom Baker appeared in an Agatha Christie adaptation of a similarly titled Marple story is icing on the cake as well.
Nice twist on the phone-in angle. Still think Live34 does it better as an experimental story.
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Post by slithe on Nov 15, 2020 12:59:32 GMT
Finished this now... Great set of stories that work quite well together. There's a lot of misdirection and subtle references that will make these stories worth registering to. I love the misdirection about the Grandfather Clock in Towards Zero - whilst it is unlikely that BF would have The Master in this, you just don't know do you? The links between the stories is also quite good - the reference to the war in the Bookshop are more relevant after the entire set has been listened to.
I liked the idea that the Doctor thought things would 'just snap back again' to as they once were. Not sure this is going to be the case, particularly if this is set during the Time War.
Davison is on very good form with this... I like his solo releases better, but the Marc-arc is also a highlight as well. I hope this standard is maintained in the successor to the MR next year. I will definitely be registering to these again.
Towards Zero is probably my favourite from this release (I like the genre) and Castle Hydra was slightly weaker. Considering this was put together in a rush, it is a remarkable achievement. It is also Daleks but a different approach.
The return of the Kaleds is interesting... If the Doctor says that the 4 humanoids were what the Kaleds could have been 'but for' Davros, then perhaps the Time Lords should have sent the 4th Doctor to Skaro at an earlier point in their history? Perhaps I am reading too much into it, but I got the impression that the mutation was the final result of the Thal-Kaled wars?
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