Doctor Who Audio Round-Up December 2010

A bumper crop of releases this month kicks off chronologically with The First Doctor Box Set, the first release in the second season of Lost Stories from Big Finish.

Nigel Robinson’s adaptations of Moris Farhi’s two scripts for the original TARDIS crew take a bit of getting used to: part dramatisation, part talking book, it jumps between the formats sometimes within the space of a single scene.

It’s terrific to hear William Russell and Carol Anne Ford recreating the roles of Ian and Susan once more, and Farhi’s script for the main item, Farewell, Great Macedon is both a strong thriller and a great character piece. Highly recommended.

VERDICT: 8/10

The first eight Doctors feature in Big Finish’s first proper Short Trips audio release, with appropriate people to the era relating the tales, including David Troughton, Katy Manning and the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker reading one of his own stories.

If this had a subtitle, it would probably have to be “Perspectives” as most of the shorts feature a new perspective either on or for the Doctor and his companion(s). As with the Short Trips printed collections, some are stronger than others with Louise Jameson’s reading of Leela’s death a personal favourite.

VERDICT: 7/10

The Fourth Doctor’s Demon Quest for AudioGo continues with A Shard of Ice, which features a terrific cover by June Hudson. Narrated by Samuel West’s character Albert Tiermann, it’s an atmospheric story set on an icebound German plain that rattles along.

So far, this second series has proved stronger than the first in every aspect, and West and fellow guest star Jan Francis make this an eerie pleasure.

VERDICT: 7/10

The Sixth Doctor is the focal point of the Companion Chronicle this month, A Town Called Fortune.

An unfortunate coincidence of release timing means that this comes shortly after the 11th Doctor’s visit to the same milieu in The Runaway Train, but the two stories are very different, with Maggie Stables’ very dry rendition of the Sixth Doctor perfectly complimenting the tale.

A number of Western clichés are referenced, which means that some of the “reveals” are nothing of the sort, but that doesn’t stop this being enjoyable.

VERDICT: 7/10

The Seventh Doctor’s 2010 trilogy comes to a close with Lurkers at Sunlight’s Edge, an H.P. Lovecraft homage featuring creatures from the Old Time, mad writers, power-mad Americans and some great moments for both Philip Olivier as Hex and Sophie Aldred as Ace.

Michael Brandon and Stuart Milligan provide authentic American accents for once, but it seems unusual that there aren’t any real connections to the previous two stories in the trio. An enjoyable standalone.

VERDICT: 7/10

The Eighth Doctor’s encounter with the Ice Warriors concludes with The Resurrection of Mars. The surprising presence of Lucie Miller at the end of Deimos is explained, and means the Monk – brilliantly played by Graeme Garden – is back as well.

The end of part one is one of the most shocking in Who history, and there’s a fantastic scene between the Doctor and Lucie as this more peaceful incarnation explains why he’s no longer the player on a thousand chessboards. Also highly recommended.

VERDICT: 8/10

Jumping forward to modern Who, and the first season of Matt Smith’s tenure is condensed to 168 minutes for Doctor Who: The Essential Companion, narrated by Doctor Who Confidential’s Alex Price.

Very much in the mould of Nick Briggs’ Dalek Chronicles from a few years back, this doesn’t simply tell the story of the season in chronological order – it picks up themes and elements from across all 13 episodes and mixes and matches as appropriate.

The only major problem is caused by the incidental music: for some reason, AudioGo weren’t provided with a clean copy of the dialogue, which means that there are times when the music underneath the words jumps mid-bar into something completely different. Clearly the tracks exist – as proved at both the Prom and Doctor Who Live – so hopefully they can be provided for next year’s release.

VERDICT: 7/10

Sarah Jane and her friends are also kept busy this month. Wraith World by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright is a quite frightening tale of creatures that come to life from the pages of a book (think Inkheart or The Book of Lost Things), which benefits from some good accents by Lis Sladen, but is let down by the constant repetition of the show’s musical sting.

That also affects the other release, Jason Arnopp’s Deadly Download, which also features a possessed Rani – a bit more variety in future stories would be welcomed.

VERDICT
Wraith World: 7/10 / Deadly Download: 6/10