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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 13, 2021 16:08:43 GMT
Okay, I think it’s time to give this a go. There are some stories that I’ve only heard once (I’m looking at you Industrial Evolution!) and some I’ve not wanted to hear more than once (#41, I still shake my head). Back on Outpost Gallifrey, there was an excellent running review of the Classic Series - “Day By Day” by a Mr. J. Dorney. I loved reading it for a different perspective to anything else that was then available. I can’t promise that level of entertainment, but I’m going to try and do my best. Wish me luck 🍀
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 14, 2021 15:53:47 GMT
30th release, Seasons of Fear which came out on 25 March 2002. A great idea, moving through time to defeat a worthy opponent for the Doctor but after starting well this just got less interesting as it went along although things do pick up a bit in the finale.
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Post by cjr on Jul 14, 2021 20:56:44 GMT
So here I go, back to the start…
“The Sirens of Time”. I’ve listened to this story a handful of times, and unfortunately it never sits too long in my memory. I always remember the second part with the submarine and the 5th Doctor best. And the final episode which sees the 5th to 7th Doctors working together is much better than I have previously remembered it to be. I love the 6th Doctor commenting on the aspects of their personality and his particular pragmatism before executing his resolution to their dilemma. My one criticism, and it’s a personal taste issue, is the use of the cliffhangers to episodes 1-3 showing each of the Doctors in trouble without dynamically moving the story forward. With everything being tied up in episode 4, i think it detracts from the self contained potential of the initial episodes. If I was listening to this an episode a week, it would possibly not interest me to come back. As a way of announcing the three Doctors on the roster, it made sense.
The story is ambitious and bold, if at times unclear. Looking back 22 years later, it’s interesting to consider the differences in production quality over time as compared to the classic TV series. Indeed, many of the first 100 BF stories are dead-set classics. I’m looking forward to revisiting the Black and White era of Big Finish.
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Post by cjr on Jul 16, 2021 6:04:43 GMT
“Phantasmagoria” Written by Mark Gatiss and notably the first BF Historical adventure. The Doctor mentions the Type 70 TARDIS wistfully (possibly remembered from The Sirens of Time). For once he very rarely seems on the back foot as the story progresses. It’s interesting to see Turlough develop in ways we never got to do on screen before his final outing in Planet of Fire. The sound design fits the era, although the cliffhangers rely on non-verbal cues to crescendo in a way later stories perhaps address better. A decent story to show the Doctor in his element.
“Whispers of Terror” We join the Doctor and Peri as they land in the Museum of Aural Antiquities in the middle of the night. It’s a little hard to buy into Krane being the greatest actor in the World from the snippets of dialogue we heard. But other than that, this is an interesting and fun story that rollicks along. Colin Baker’s Doctor is back with bombast, and the pleas of Peri to tone it down are ignored. We have an interesting take on the unreliable narrator in the blind curator Gantman, and a payoff in the revelation of identity of one of the visitors. Towards the end of the story, the Doctor speaks to Krane who thanks him for restoring him, by soothing him and turning down his excesses. It is a wonderful meta-projection of what will come for the Sixth Doctor in the hands of BF and Colin Baker that sees this explosive regeneration become the most nuanced and developed (in my opinion) beginning with his next outing.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 16, 2021 11:50:00 GMT
Release number 31 (29 April 2002) Embrace the Darkness. This is atmospheric & intriguing in its first half but falls apart a bit for me in its finale which has lots of exposition, some revelations that feel added just for the sake of it (which happens a few times with Brigg's scripts) & feels anti-climactic. On the plus side McGann is great & there are hints at more to come in respect of Charley.
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Post by elkawho on Jul 18, 2021 14:03:05 GMT
70) Unregenerate!: I think one of the things that works against this story is the title. I was thoroughly intrigued by it before my first listen. I thought it was going to be a story exploring the ramifications of regeneration in one way or another on Timelords or The Doctor. But the story actually has nothing to do with the title. And it is not good enough to elevate over those dashed expectations. I don't feel like the cast gives their best performances either. So it's not a terrible story, just a disappointing and forgettable one. 3/10
71) The Council of Nicaea: One of many excellent Five, Peri and Erimem stories. I knew nothing about this event in history before hearing this story. One of the many stories that show how different Erimem is from most companions. A very different mindset since she comes from such a different place in history. 8/10
72) Terror Firma: I actually like the addition of Gemma and Samson, since it's the first time we see that Eight had a life after the TV Movie and before Charley. The story is a little hit and miss, but more hit than not. Especially with the addition of Terry Malloy as Davros, who elevates every story he's in. 7/10
73) Thicker Than Water: LOVE. Getting into the nitty gritty of Six and Evelyn's relationship, this is a great way to move forward with their story. 10/10
74) Live 34: I will say it again, any story that experiments with the medium is a plus for me. This is one of the stand-outs of the range. 10/10
75) Scaredy Cat: The only good thing about this is the length. 2/10
76) Singularity: One of my favorite Turlough stories. I like the setting in Russia, we don't get too many stories like this. 8/10
77) Other Lives: A quiet story, but that doesn't mean bad. Poor C'Rizz. Charly and The Doctor get to live in comfort and he gets put in a cage. 7/10
78) Pier Pressure: I liked this one a bit better this time around than I did in the past. It's not terrible, although it moves a little slow. I still think it lacks something. 5/10
79) Night Thoughts: Scare, creepy....and all the actors firing on all cylinders. One of McCoy's best performances. 9/10
80) Time Works: I've always loved this story. I feel like it's the only DU story that did something clever with how time works in that universe, and then it was no longer set in that universe. But it still feels like it should be. Just a very interesting, well done story. 9/10
81) The Kingmaker: Another one of the best they every made. I love everything about this story. On my first listen I honestly thought Stephen Beckett was a pseudonym for Chris Eccleston, and I looked him up to make sure that he was real. Even so, in my head it's Eccleston that I see playing Richard while listening. It's clever when it needs to be, silly and funny when it needs to be, and yet it all comes together to make a fun, exciting story. In my top 10 releases. 10/10
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Post by cjr on Jul 19, 2021 0:22:06 GMT
“Land of the Dead” The fourth BF release sees Doctor Who meet Permian Park and the Skeletons in the cupboard you can’t escape… I’ve listened to this story a half dozen times over the last 20 years. And each time I find myself drawn in as I find it engaging and enjoyable. It sees the start of the loose Psionic thread running through Nyssa’s timeline. Monica Lewis sparks off the Doctor, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if they crossed paths again. Brett is somewhat generic in characterisation - rich, aloof and driven by the past. His half-native liason, Tulung, is captive to the same history they share. The Permians are a fascinating evolutionary cul-de-sac. They spell the end of life, and are posited as the cause of an extinction event on Earth before the rise of the dinosaurs.
“The Fearmonger” Bold and assured, this feels like a natural fit for the Doctor and Ace post Survival. Again., I’ve listened to this story a half dozen times. But not in the last five years. The warning contained about use of fear of the other in Politics feels timely, although it’s always a good warning for Democracies. Ace is still reckless and fearless, and the Doctor is characterised as a master manipulator like in the NA range. I wish Jonathan Blum would write for the Doctor Who range again.
So far, a cracking good start to the main range.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Jul 19, 2021 14:13:54 GMT
The Land of the Dead is both good and bad in equal measure, which is not surprising considering how quickly it was knocked together.
However, I do really like it and it is definitely one of my comfort audios.
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Post by mark687 on Jul 20, 2021 9:32:41 GMT
Another GWR Certificate Vid
Regards
mark687
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Post by sherlock on Jul 23, 2021 14:00:48 GMT
12. The Fires of Vulcan
A well made drama in the shadow of Vesuvius. It’s not as good as the eventual new series counterpart would be, but perfectly good story which uses the Season 24 going on 25 Seventh Doctor well and starts the redemption of Mel.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2021 14:51:41 GMT
Tartarus part 1
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Post by elkawho on Jul 24, 2021 14:52:48 GMT
82) The Settling: Haunting and certainly UNsettling. One of the few brave historicals that tackles horrendous, murderous events and strives to allow all points of view on the matter to inform the narrative. (The Peterloo Massacre is another that comes to mind, although it will be a while yet before we get to that one.) When I first heard this I knew nothing about Irish history and was completely fascinated and appalled after looking it up. Since then I have done some reading on the subject, but I am no less appalled. The performances are fantastic, especially Philip Olivier. This is such a personal story for him, and the first time we get to see Hex take such a large role in the story since The Harvest. His journey through this story is futile and heartbreaking, and the first in a series of stories that puts him through the ringer and SHOULD have warned him that his travels in the TARDIS will only end badly. He thinks about leaving, and probably should have. Clive Mantle's Oliver Cromwell is terrifying. 10/10
83) Something Inside: Great idea for a scary Doctor Who story, unfortunately not executed as well as it should have been. One more edit on this story would probably have done it some good. The torture scenes go on too long, and we could have seen a little bit more of C'Rizz's character in this one, there was plenty of opportunities here. And Charley seems somewhat out of character. I've heard people complain about the music, and yeah, it's not great but it doesn't bother me as much as it does for others. This one should have been better. 5/10
84)The Nowhere Place: A good, solid Doctor Who story with good performances and some nice character work between Six and Evelyn. Yes, we know the Earth dating issue, but I think it's the point of the surprise. It's a testament to the wealth of excellence we have with Six and Evelyn that this story is scored this low in comparison to their other outing. 7/10
85) Red: I love this story. So scary, and really, it's about human nature more than anything else. A great Seven and Mel story, which are sorely needed. 9/10
86) and 87) The Reaping and The Gathering: I'm putting these two together because they are so very connected, and have similar flaws, as well as similar reasons that they shine. They both seem to want to take a Modern Who look at Classic Who companions, with the focus of the stories on Peri's and Tegan's lives away from the Doctor. Their families and friends, how they inform the characters of the companions. I've always liked this choice, and wish we had more Classic companions with full back stories. I think this ends up working better in The Gathering, not because Peri's life isn't interesting, but because of the performances of our leading ladies. Janet Fielding is a welcome return here, and gives us a mature and mellowed Tegan that is wholly believable. Her story is a tragic one, but yet we get a sense that she's at peace with her life, and still Tegan through and through. Unfortunately I feel that Nicola Bryant's performance is sorely lacking. I don't feel as if she's emotionally connected to a single person in this story. Her crying scenes are terrible. In fact, I'm not sure I can blame her, since no one seems to cares for her a bit here, and I see why she's happier traveling with the Doctor than going home. This story fall victim to some of the issues that BF have with stories set in America. Not following up on details to make it feel real, so as an American it feels like I'm listening to a story set in an alternate reality USA. Both stories have some awfully clunky writing as well. Even with all of these faults, I do enjoy these stories, and the way they harken back to The Harvest (or harken ahead?) is lovely. 6.5/10
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Post by cjr on Jul 25, 2021 23:23:04 GMT
“The Marian Conspiracy” Jacqueline Rayner’s introduction of Dr. Evelyn Smythe as a companion of the Doctor is wonderful. Listening to the Doctor attending and hijacking Evelyn’s lecture is great, as is her no-nonsense attitude to her new acquaintance. The story is not world shatteringly grand (which is good - sometimes the more intimate stories are the most satisfying), but the stakes are high for the existence of Dr. Smythe.
Religious freedom and the unreliability of History books to show what the thoughts of the common people are touched on. Not much else that I want to say other than give it a listen if you’re new to BF, or just finding the Sixth Doctor on audio. The Doctor and his first new companion since the TV movie are off on many more adventures - It’s quite a ride!
”The Genocide Machine” Overall, I liked this story, and could see it as part of the Dalek Time War stories. It introduces us to Bev Tarrant who will meet the Doctor and Ace again before joining Benny.
Unfortunately, I’m left with a few questions/observations that sound like I didn’t enjoy the story. It’s not the case, I just think it could have been handled a little bit better.
1: as the Daleks contemplate the failure of the first data transfer, they discuss the second. There is no time to delay. Rush, rush, rush. But this story begins with the Daleks having been waiting for over a thousand years to ensure their plan worked…
2: As for the test subject Daleks… why were they armed? I can forgive the first as Dalek arrogance until it fired on the other Daleks. But the second test subject surely would have been disarmed prior to submitting to the process!?
3: I almost expected the Kar-Charrattians to dispose of Elgin as the TARDIS departed. The usual goodbyes seem too rushed given the severity and consequences of the actions of the Librarians. It’s hard to believe he would be left to his own devices until the Time Lords arrive.
4: Mr. Prink. A one note joke which jars with the tone of the story. Yes, It gives Chief Librarian Elgin a bumbling edge that could be endearing/frustrating, but there are other means of doing this without overtly being comedic. As no-one else acts in such a hammy manner, it’s out of place. It is good however that Prink finally does get to express something towards the climax of the story.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jul 30, 2021 15:46:24 GMT
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Post by cjr on Aug 4, 2021 9:01:09 GMT
And then I hit “Red Dawn”… and had to take a break. I’ve listened to “Madam, I’m” which was quite good (although very Norton), Lady Christina vol. 1 (not too shabby, and with more links to other ranges/characters than I thought it would have) and Artemis by Andy Weir (read by Rosario Dawson) which I’m quite enjoying. But I needed a palate cleanse. So back to Red Dawn in a few days.
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Post by elkawho on Aug 4, 2021 18:09:58 GMT
88) Memory Lane: A great Eighth Doctor Story. All three of our regulars shine in this one. In fact, the characters spark off of each other so well and it has such great pacing that it could fit in as an EDA story. 8/10
89) No Man's Land: Poor Hex. Another story where he has a miserable time. Great look at the ideas of cowardice and courage, and what men do to each other during war. Excellent. 9/10
90) Year of the Pig: A wonderfully mad story that gets better with each listen. The first time I heard this one I couldn't get past the talking pig. This must be the 3rd or 4th time I've heard it, and for the first time I realized how wonderful it is. The dialogue shines, and the performances are surprisingly believable! 9/10
91) Circular Time: A beautifully done anthology. Of course Autumn and Winter are my favorites, since both stories are character pieces that bring even more life to our central characters, but I do love it all. David Warner as Isaac Newton is fantastic. 9/10
92) Nocturne: Honestly, this was better than I remembered. Nothing that really stands out, however I do like the idea of the monster being living music. A very original monster. 6/10
93) Renaissance of the Daleks; A convoluted mess. Not a fan. 4/10
94) I.D.: The start of the 3-part stories. Not bad, just not very memorable. I only heard it two days ago and I can barely remember it. Something about switching personalities between people. Anyway, I'll say 5/10. However it also has one of the best Six stories ever just tacked on to it. Urgent Calls is such a simple but fantastic story. I do feel sorry for Laura at the end when she never hears from Sixie again. 10/10
95) Exotron: A somewhat better story than ID, only because I remember it more than I do the latter. 6/10. Urban Myths: This one is paired with an enjoyable one-parter, but no where near as good as Urgent Calls. 7/10
And that's where we stop for now.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2021 7:48:53 GMT
88) Memory Lane: A great Eighth Doctor Story. All three of our regulars shine in this one. In fact, the characters spark off of each other so well and it has such great pacing that it could fit in as an EDA story. 8/10 89) No Man's Land: Poor Hex. Another story where he has a miserable time. Great look at the ideas of cowardice and courage, and what men do to each other during war. Excellent. 9/10 90) Year of the Pig: A wonderfully mad story that gets better with each listen. The first time I heard this one I couldn't get past the talking pig. This must be the 3rd or 4th time I've heard it, and for the first time I realized how wonderful it is. The dialogue shines, and the performances are surprisingly believable! 9/10
91) Circular Time: A beautifully done anthology. Of course Autumn and Winter are my favorites, since both stories are character pieces that bring even more life to our central characters, but I do love it all. David Warner as Isaac Newton is fantastic. 9/10 92) Nocturne: Honestly, this was better than I remembered. Nothing that really stands out, however I do like the idea of the monster being living music. A very original monster. 6/10 93) Renaissance of the Daleks; A convoluted mess. Not a fan. 4/10 94) I.D.: The start of the 3-part stories. Not bad, just not very memorable. I only heard it two days ago and I can barely remember it. Something about switching personalities between people. Anyway, I'll say 5/10. However it also has one of the best Six stories ever just tacked on to it. Urgent Calls is such a simple but fantastic story. I do feel sorry for Laura at the end when she never hears from Sixie again. 10/10 95) Exotron: A somewhat better story than ID, only because I remember it more than I do the latter. 6/10. Urban Myths: This one is paired with an enjoyable one-parter, but no where near as good as Urgent Calls. 7/10 And that's where we stop for now. It's taken a while for me to put a name to it, but I think Year of the Pig might be one the extremely rare moments where Doctor Who does the slice-of-life genre. Conventional dangers and doom emerge by the end of the first episode, but we spend a lot of time in Belgium just soaking up the atmosphere. Like sun on a beach. It's compelling in the same way as watching film footage from an old trip abroad. The exotic mundanity of the 1910s charms its way through the story.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Aug 5, 2021 11:11:00 GMT
032. Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks. On the 21 May 2002 8th Doc encountered the Daleks for the first time & what a mess, terrible stuff with lengthy exposition boring characters a silly story (Daleks quoting Shakespeare is fun once or twice but the more it happens the more annoying it gets). I will never ever listen to this crap again.
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Post by mark687 on Aug 5, 2021 11:16:30 GMT
032. Doctor Who: The Time of the Daleks. On the 21 May 2002 8th Doc encountered the Daleks for the first time & what a mess, terrible stuff with lengthy exposition boring characters a silly story (Daleks quoting Shakespeare is fun once or twice but the more it happens the more annoying it gets). I will never ever listen to this crap again. Oh well Its Neverland next... Regards mark687
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Aug 5, 2021 12:53:59 GMT
Re Year of the Pig, Nurse Albertine is a great character.
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