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Post by Kestrel on Apr 27, 2021 9:53:59 GMT
Great, but not ANOTHER 50% off the first 100 stories! Come on Big Finish, let's get stuck in to 101 - 150. Maybe it's too soon? I fully expected them to reduce the prices of 101-200, at least, with the end of the MR. Now that they're shifting to boxsets, sales for MR releases are likely to stall and lowering the prices for older adventures would definitely be pretty appealing to most of us, I think. Big Finish certainly has a large enough library that they can afford to make a little less money on older stories, especially as it would result in making more money off the newer releases.
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Post by number13 on May 1, 2021 13:39:40 GMT
World Record Breaking Range They're celebrating a range THEY CANCELLED?!!
They could have had an even longer record if they'd kept the range going... just imagine.
'Look at this guys, we've got the World Record!' 'Wow great news, that'll really boost sales and subs, let's get out there quick, promotional emails, maybe a special World Record Sub offer, a ...' ... 'Oh.' 'Drat.' 'Double drat'.
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Post by elkawho on May 1, 2021 16:29:50 GMT
Ok, another week of listening to comment on: 23) Project: Twilight: The beginning of the best multi-Doctor, multi-character story arc ever done in any medium of Doctor Who, IMO. There's some wonderful, dark stuff in this. Themes that only early BF would tackle, as I don't think they would even attempt this these days. I have always had a problem with how easily Sixie is duped into helping Amelia develop the "cure". I mean, he sees a veritable torture chamber, people horribly transformed, and blood payments and yet doesn't realize who his foes are until it's way too late. That being said, the feeling of danger and terror of these people and this place is palpable. So much so that the first time I heard it I felt nervous and uncomfortable through the whole thing. The beatings of Cassie are horrific. I have to hand it to Rosie Cavaliero, her portrayal of Cassie is nothing short of amazing. It is not easy to play a character that goes through what she goes through without having said character sound clawing and whiny. She is just brilliant at playing a young woman and mother who has gotten herself in way, way over her head. Quite the perfect set up for what will be an arc that takes years to play out. And the fact that BF didn't rush this and allowed the whole Forge arc to slowly come together is something that I also think wouldn't happen today. It seems like everything has to be done in a three-story arc. Especially now with the MR ended. Imagine if they had allowed a character like Daniel Hopkins to evolve organically through multiple stories before they turned him into what he became. It would have worked better and been much more powerful. Great story. 9/10
24) The Eye of the Scorpion: Another good start, and the third of BF's new companions. Wonderful to have BF give us some time with Five and Peri, and Erimem fits in very well with these two. And while she's not quite an alien companion, she's from so far back in history that she may as well be. And that is just so nice to have in the Tardis. Another great one. 8/10
25) Colditz: BF is on a roll. They are really showing just how good they can be at this point. Another start to a wonderful story arc with an interesting and thought-provoking "companion" (although I'm not sure Klein really fits that bill). And David Tennant's BF debut. He's good at playing villains, and he's having a ball with this one. Everything comes together really well in this. Sophie Aldred is having a great time with Ace as well. She's lucky she never gets herself shot. Keep 'em coming BF! 9/10
26) Primeval: I was talking about this one with my DW group last night. I love how BF take something that is made fun of in the TV show (Nyssa's tendency for headaches and needing to rest) and use that to create an excellent story. The two leads are great in this one, and I get a sense of old Traken and how it's changed by Nyssa's time. Excellent. 8/10
27) The One Doctor: One of the best, and one of the few successful comedic takes on Doctor Who. Just brilliantly done. It still makes me laugh, and I've heard it quite a few times. A shame we never got more Banto Zame. 8/10
28) Invaders From Mars: Lots of terrific ideas and performances in a story meant for audio. A shame it didn't come together well and is kind of a mess. Not bad, but not nearly as good as recent releases. 6/10
29) Chimes of Midnight: What can I say that hasn't been said? Just exceptional. Even though I think it works best on first listen and tends to lose something once you've heard it, it's still a wonderful story that get played frequently. Especially at the holiday. 'Cause Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without it! 10/10
30) Seasons of Fear: One of my favorite all time Eighth Doctor stories. And another villain I wish we had heard more from. The Doctor and Charley sparkle off each other in this one. 10/10
Ok, more next week.
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Post by eric009 on May 1, 2021 16:40:27 GMT
this is a Epic Main Range Commemorative Relisten not a epic thing about prices internet been down DW MR 069 Three's A Crowd 6/10 DW MR 070 Unregenerate! 7/10 DW MR 071 The Council of Nicaea 6/10 DW MR 072 Terror Firma 5/10 DW MR 073 Thicker than Water 10/10 DW MR 074 LIVE 34 10/10 DW MR 075 Scaredy Cat 4/10 DW MR 076 Singularity just stared this 1
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 2, 2021 7:17:24 GMT
Release number 11 The Apocalypse Element (August 2000). The first epic release from BF but it was a struggle to get through, took me about 3 attempts to finish it. Good performances but it's far too long & could have done with a couple rewrites to refine things.
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Post by number13 on May 2, 2021 11:13:57 GMT
Ok, another week of listening to comment on: I'm enjoying following this thread and your post made me want to go back and listen to all those stories again, right now! It was a great run like most of the early MR. But I'm trying hard to push on and complete the listening gap I have between 150-200, so they'll have to wait.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 2, 2021 15:22:58 GMT
12th release from September 2000, an enjoyable pure historical called The Fires of Vulcan. Even the presence of 7th Doc & Mel didn't hamper my enjoyment too much.
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Post by sherlock on May 2, 2021 17:11:31 GMT
6. The Marian Conspiracy
Simple story well told and Evelyn is a joy.
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Post by mark687 on May 4, 2021 20:51:48 GMT
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Post by eric009 on May 12, 2021 20:24:12 GMT
internet be down but still going on DW MR 076 Singularity Russian setting not bad 7/10 DW MR 077 Other Lives 5/10 DW MR 078 Pier Pressure 4/10 should been namned poor pressure all 3 main actors tryed their best story alet down DW MR 079 Night Thoughts 10/10 very dark very good DW MR 080 Time Works 6/10 DW MR 081 The Kingmaker 9/10 very good best not to read up anything on it DW MR 082 The Settling 8/10 good history 1 DW MR 083 Something Inside 4/10 do not like at all DW MR 084 The Nowhere Place 9/10 very dark DW MR 085 Red very good but not one on the replay list DW MR 058 The Harvest as the other 2 in this trogy are next why not DW MR 086 The Reaping 9/10 very good cyberman story DW MR 087 The Gathering 8/10 5th dr DW MR 088 Memory Lane 8/10 fun fun DW MR 089 No Man's Land ww1 hospital 8/10 DW MR 090 Year of the Pig 7/10
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Post by elkawho on May 16, 2021 15:56:12 GMT
Oh Jeez, I've listened to a lot since my last post. This will be a long one!
31) Embrace the Darkness: A decent story with some scary body horror. I get creeped out and horrified whenever anyone in any story has something done to their eyes, so this one gets me. 7/10
32) The Time of the Daleks: I always want this one to be better. Daleks, Shakespeare, Eighth Doctor....it really should be amazing. But it's just ok. And the fact that they never ask the kid his name till the end just doesn't work for me. 5/10
33) Neverland: Terrific. An excellent look at the relationship between The Doctor and his companion and how important to each other. (I've never believed that Eight loves Charley the way she thinks he does. He loves her in the way The Doctor loves his closest friends. And he really does. They are his family.) 9/10
34) Spare Parts: Classic. One of the very great Big Finish stories. Everything works. The performances from everyone are fantastic, but for me the stand out is Sally Knyvette. Her portrayal of the Doctor-man without hope is amazing. 10/10
35) ...ish: A terrific story that would be lessened if any other Doctor was doing it. It's one of those stories that can only be done by the Sixth. It's complex and doesn't speak down to it's audience. 8/10
36) The Rapture: Boy, this one is frustrating. It just doesn't work. I don't hate it, but I don't particularly like it. And it introduces a character that could have been interesting if they had done more with him, but it's like they completely ignored it. And the ending makes no sense whatsoever. 4/10
37) The Sandman: I like the idea of a race of being that sees The Doctor as the boogeyman. 6/10
38) The Church and the Crown: I love this one. Doctor Who's take on The Three Musketeers! Swashbuckling and identity mix-ups abound! 8/10
39) Bang-Bang-a-Boom: Another try at comedy that falls flat. It's better than I remembered it, but I remembered it very poorly. Some scenes are actually hard to listen to. 3/10
40) Jubilee: Tries to do a lot, and succeeds. I really love this one. It's dark and mad and really funny in places. And one of the best "humanity as Dalek" tales of warning ever. I think RTD's choice to base his first Dalek episode on this story was brilliant. 10/10
But from this amazing story we move on to....41) Nekromanteia....ugh. Repulsive. Nothing else to say. 0/10
42) The Dark Flame: Not bad, but not great. However, it is a masterpiece when placed right after Nekromanteia. And I really like Benny in this one. 5/10
43) Doctor Who and the Pirates: One of the best things this range ever produced. 10/10
44) Creatures of Beauty: Another one of the best things the MR ever produces, IMO. I love everything about this. It gets me every time. 10/10
45) Project Lazarus: another great story in the Forge arc. The second act is particularly good. Colin is fantastic as the not quite Sixth Doctor. 8/10
46) Flip Flop: I love the stories that experiment with the medium. Even this one, where the experiment is better than the actual story. 7/10
47) Omega: A very good story, although the weakest of the first 3 villain stories. 7/10
OK, that's where I'm at right now. On to Davros next.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,062
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Post by ljwilson on May 16, 2021 21:27:33 GMT
Great summary elkawho, but I'm still the president of The Time of the Daleks Fan Club!
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Post by elkawho on May 16, 2021 23:35:54 GMT
48) Davros: A great story. I can't listen to this one without thinking about I, Davros. Terry Malloy never fails to amaze. And does anyone want to just shout at Mrs. Baynes, "Zoe! What are you doing!!!" 9/10
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2021 9:04:46 GMT
48) Davros: A great story. I can't listen to this one without thinking about I, Davros. Terry Malloy never fails to amaze. And does anyone want to just shout at Mrs. Baynes, "Zoe! What are you doing!!!" 9/10 It was nice hearing familiar actors in unfamiliar roles during that #50-#100 bracket of Main Range stories. I remember Wendy Padbury doing Lorraine Baynes and William Russell's appearance as Lord Darzil Carlisle in The Game. Both playing against type. The Baynes make a great power couple, there's a bounce between Padbury and Bernard Horsfall that feels utterly convincing. You can pick out why these two people came together under TAI. They've very similar methods and mindsets. Jane Elphinstone's musical soundtrack was remastered and released by Jim Mortimore on his Soundcloud account sometime ago. Wonderfully eerie. She also did the music for Project: Twilight and Seasons of Fear.
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 28, 2021 6:01:37 GMT
I'm way behind on this compared to some of you, only just finished number 13, The Shadow of the Scourge. Not my cup of tea at all this one. It's on the never listen again list.
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Post by number13 on May 28, 2021 9:17:29 GMT
I'm way behind on this compared to some of you, only just finished number 13, The Shadow of the Scourge. Not my cup of tea at all this one. It's on the never listen again list. Now then JHD I know we've crossed political swords occasionally on here, so I'll believe it if I'm not your cup of tea and you don't want to listen to me ever again, but claiming to have finished me is a bit much, don't you think?
EDIT: Oh, sorry, I get it now... thought I saw my name...
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on May 28, 2021 13:48:29 GMT
The Holy Terror (release number 14 from November 2000) is thought of quite highly I think but it didn't work for me, the tone was all over the place, the basic idea of Frobisher is a bit silly & the voice acting of The Child was so annoying. A shame because there are some good ideas in the script. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if it was shorter.
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Post by elkawho on Jun 2, 2021 10:44:36 GMT
49)Master: Ok, this one is a mixed bag for me. The first time I heard this I had never seen an episode of Classic Who with the Master, I had only ever seen John Simm's Master. I did not understand this one bit, and hated it. Over time my view has changed on this one, but I still think it only works up to a point. There are some wonderful things here. The performances are wonderful and I love Beevers in pretty much everything he does. But the inclusion of Death here as a character is extremely confusing. I have never read the New Adventures books, so Death as a character means nothing to me. And the character seems to random and out of place for me, that the main plot of the story just doesn't seem to work for me. So I am giving this one a pretty high score, but this one is all about the performances. 8/10
50) Zagreus: I've been dreading talking about this one. There is so much a could say about it, good and bad, but I think I'm going it keep it simple. Too many ideas thrown in a blender and mixed together until you have something resembling a story. There are some really amazing things about it, and some really horrible things about it. And it's easy to miss the things you need to make any sense out of it. 4/10
51) The Wormery: I've come to like this one a little more than my first listen, when I disliked it immensely. I think this story might be why I've never warmed to Iris. I'm just not a fan of this one. 3/10
52) Scherzo: I simply loved this one on first listen. I was blown away by the use of the medium and the performances given by Paul McGann and India Fischer. And I still feel that way, although familiarity breeds a little more indifference on this one. I'm not as enamored with it as I once was. The more I listen, the more chinks in the armor of the story become apparent. I still think it's a great release, with a unique and unconventional story. 8/10
53) The Creed of the Kromon: Just boring and awful. Worst introduction to a new companion that BF has done. 2/10
54) Natural History of Fear: From the worst story in the DU to the best. Unlike Scherzo, this one blew me away when I first listened and continues to do so. Also one that uses the medium brilliantly, it can only be done on audio. This story stays with me for a while every time I hear it. 10/10
55) The Twilight Kingdom: Not actually bad, but the ideas in this one are kind of gross. I do like individual part of this one. I love Michael Keating and he is excellent in everything he does, and it is interesting having him play the bad guy. IT just doesn't really come together here as well as you want it to. 6/10
56) The Axis of Insanity: Great ideas in this, the execution of which are hit and miss. 6/10
57) Arrangements for War: What a beautiful story this is. An exploration of the relationship between Six and Evelyn that allows both of them to develop relationships and grow. Collin's performance toward the end of this story is phenomenal. 10/10
58) The Harvest: I saw a post on Facebook where someone described this story as the best introduction to a companion in the history of Doctor Who, and I will not argue that. It's one of the best Seventh Doctor story they have done, and it made me a Hex fan right from the start. And it is great to have a slightly older and wiser Ace. 10/10
That's it for now folks!
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Post by johnhurtdoctor on Jun 2, 2021 15:19:31 GMT
Time for...The Mutant Phase! Enjoyed this one.
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Post by mark687 on Jun 2, 2021 15:29:33 GMT
Time for...The Mutant Phase! Enjoyed this one. That surprises me. I like Nick Briggs stuff a lot more then some seem too, but this is a real clunky, predictable affair I think the Bunker Scenes in the first half are the only thing going for it. Regards mark687
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