Pointless Witterings

Starring Maureen O'Brian & Keith Drinkel  Written by Marc Platt  Directed by Mark J. Thompson  Vicki has a tale to tell. But where does it start and when does it end?  Ancient Carthage, 1164 BC.  Lady Cressida has a secret. She keeps it deep in the cisterns below the Temple of Astarte with only one flame for warmth. And it must never get out.  Regency London, 1814 AD.  The first Doctor, Steven and Vicki go to the fair and meet the fiery dragon, the novelist Miss Austen and the deadliest weather you ever did see.  But which comes first?  The Future or the Past? The Phoenix or the Egg?  The Fire or the Frost?  Or will Time freeze over forever?  The very first Companion Chronicle is a bit of an unusual beast. With it being the first Companion Chronicle, there was obviously going to be some differences to how the Companion Chronicles are released nowadays, but, in a way, it's similar to those later instalments, with real reflec...

Starring Colin Baker, Lisa Greenwood, Nabil Shaban, Dawn Murphy, David Dobson, Mary-Ann Cafferkey, Scott Joseph & Mandy Weston  Written by Philip Martin  Directed by Nicholas Briggs  Future Britain is bankrupt, it's corporate owners facing financial ruin. Fortunately, the Universal Monetary Fund, and it's slimy representative Sil, are willing to give it's President a multi-billion credit bail out... but terms and conditions apply, and Sil's proposed austerity measures go far beyond mere benefit cuts. Responding to a distress call, the Doctor and his companion Flip land in a London whose pacified population has been driven largely underground. But the horrors down there in the dark are as nothing to the horrors that await them at ConCorp HQ, where a young biochemist in Sil's employ is working on a permanent solution to the nation's terminal unprofitability. Because in the final account, Sil plans to make a killing... Many listeners will have been hotly antici...

Starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Jane Perry, Richard Grieve, Dait Abuchi, Janie Booth, Zerhra Navqvi, Belinda Hoare, Jef Higgins & Nicholas Briggs  Written by Joseph Lidster  Directed by Gary Russell  On the morning of 22 September 2006, Tegan work up. She was expecting to spend the day relaxing at home, and, that evening, tolerate a party thrown to celebrate her 46th birthday.  But things don't always go as expected - it's been over twenty years since she chose to leave the Doctor. She's got a job, mates... a life. Meanwhile her friend, Katerine Chambers, makes a decision that could change all their lives, and Tegan discovers that you can never really escape the past.  The Gathering is a story that, at the time of it's release, must have been hyped beyond belief. The return of Tegan made this one a story with impossible odds to overcome, but even without the hype, The Gathering is a story with, well, issues. There are some good things about it, ...

Starring Colin Baker, Maggie Stables, Nicholas Pegg, Anah Ruddin, Jo Castleton & Barnaby Edwards  Written by Jacqueline Rayner  Directed by Gary Russell  Tracking a nexus point in time, the Doctor meets Dr Evelyn Smythe, a history lecturer whose own history seems to be rapidly vanishing. The Doctor must travel back to Tudor times to stabilise the nexus and save Evelyn's life. But there he meets the Queen of England - and must use all his skills of diplomacy to avoid ending up on the headman's block... It has to be said that, despite some very good stories previously, The Marian Conspiracy is the very first story from Big Finish that really is something special. Colin Baker was The Doctor that Big Finish needed to rehabilitate the most, and The Marian Conspiracy is the story that really begins this. I imagine that many doubters will have been turned by this one release towards supporting Colin Baker's Doctor, especially thanks to Maggie Stables' Evelyn Smythe, who is...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Jenny Twigge, David Webb, Gareth Armstrong, John Bown, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Chris Boucher Directed by David Maloney  "I want it over and done with. I want to be free..."  At long last, Blake has found Star One.  His crusade is over... But today, everything is going to be ripped away from him... Nothing will be the same again. This is it. This is where the first two series has been leading us to. Star One sits right in the middle of the Blake's 7 story, homaging the first two years of the show, but also looking at how the show is going to work when it returns for series 3. Obviously, this is the final episode for Jenna and Travis, and Blake's last episode as a regular. And Star One is an absolutely fantastic episode. In fact you can forget The Way Back or Countdown or even the brilliant Pressure Point (essentially the dry run of this episo...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Bruce Purchase, Freda Jackson, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Allan Prior  Directed by Derek Martinus  The Liberator is on it's way to Goth, where the final barrier to getting hold of the location of Star One awaits. Before they can get there hands on it, however, Blake, Jenna and Vila are attacked and Jenna is declared to be the chieftain's bride to be.  Blake, meanwhile, attempts to rescue them by allying with his brother. And all the while, Servalan and Travis are also looking for the brain print that holds the key... The two sides are closing in - but who will get to Star One's location first?  The Keeper is essentially the beginning of the final act of Blake's 7 second season story arc. And, while it has it's plus points, it once again shows that the creators of the show haven't really thought this through. The Keeper is a bit of a dull, ...

Starring Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Sarah Mowat, Maggie Stables, Mark Gatiss, Michael Wade, Anthony Keetch, John Wadmore, Colin McIntyre, Andrew Fetts, Nicholas Pegg & Nicholas Briggs  Written and Directed by Nicholas Briggs  Gallifrey is in a state of crisis, facing destruction at the hands of an overwhelming enemy. And the Doctor is involved, in three different incarnations - each caught up in a deadly adventure, scattered across time and space. The web of time is threatened - and someone wants the Doctor dead. The three incarnations of the Doctor must join together to set time back on the right track - but in doing so, will they unleash a still greater threat? The very first Big Finish audio is something of an unusual anomaly. Having a multi-Doctor story is certainly an exciting way to start, and while there are some flaws with this story, it certainly delivers an enjoyable, fun, Doctor Who story that really proves how well Doctor Who can work on audio...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Aubrey Woods, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell and Peter Tuddenham  Written by Robert Holmes  Directed by George Spenton-Foster  Blake has finally tracked down  Docholli  to Freedom City, where he is being protected by Travis from various unscrupulous parties. However, Blake isn't the only one who is desperate to get to him: Servalan wants Docholli: dead or alive, and time is running out, before Servalan's hired muscle get there hands on him. Meanwhile, Avon and Vila decide to cheat the casino out of a great deal of money. With Orac's help, it appears there going to get away with it. But soon Vila is playing for his life in a game of speed chess: the most deadly game in the galaxy... After the ultimate flop of Voice From The Past, Gambit sees Blake's 7 return to form in a completely camp and outrageous instalment. Now normally, I would feel that camp instalments of any TV show w...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, Frieda Knorr, Richard Bebb, Martin Read, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Roger Parkes  Directed by George Spenton-Foster  Blake is suffering - under the strain of the conditioning that was placed on him by the Federation. Soon after, the Liberator changes course, and Avon and the rest of the crew find themselves barred and obstructed by Blake's odd behaviour. On a deserted  asteroid, however, Blake finds exactly what he needs - allies, to help in his fight against the Federation. But Avon is suspicious, and not everyone is quite what they seem... Voice From The Past is, like the state of Blake's mind in this episode, a jumbled mess. Everything is completely messed up, with little to actually recommend it. As usual, at it's heart, there are some really good ideas, but a lot of that gets lost under some really sciziopherinic elements. The whole of thi...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Tom Chabon, Paul Shelley, James Kerry, Lindy Alexander, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette & Jan Chappell  Written by Terry Nation  Directed by Vere Lorrimer The Liberator has come to Albion, where Blake aims to find Space Major Provine. However, his task is complicated when revolution on Albion means that the Federation are now more desperate than ever... The Federation activate the ultimate doomsday weapon - and only the Liberator can stop it. And not only that, but Blake must try to find Provine before the doomsday bomb goes off.  Added to that, the rebellion's main expert in bombs is Del Grant...Someone who has history with Avon... After the rubbish that was Hostage, Countdown is a an excellent return to form for Blake's 7, and a lot of that must be down to Terry Nation's fantastic script. After Redemption, Terry's script work has been fantastic, and he has quickly become one of the best writers for the second season. And one of...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, John Abineri, Judy Buxton, Kevin Stoney, Andrew Robertson, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Allan Prior  Directed by Vere Lorrimer  Blake receives a communication from Travis, after an attack on the Liberator. He is holding his cousin, Inga, hostage. Blake has no choice, but to travel to Exbar and rescue her.  However Travis has set a trap, one which will result in the Liberator falling into Travis' hands. Can Avon and Villa rescue him, before Travis gets possession of the Liberator, and before Servalan's pursuit ships close in?  This must tie with Delieverance as one of the worst Blake's 7 episodes so far. It seems a shame, but the strong run of Blake's 7 that started with an Allan Prior script, Horizon, must end with another of his, Hostage. Now, while Deliverance is simply dull and uninteresting, Hostage is badly plotted, poorly structured, b...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Paul Daneman, Ronald Lacey, Colin Farrell, Colin Higgins, Michael Gaunt, Morris Barry, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Robert Holmes  Directed by Vere Lorrimer  Avon and Villa are dropping in on an old friend: intent on getting hold of the Federation's latest method of communication. However, the pair are soon to find themselves double crossed, and there very lives in danger... Blake, on the other hand, has his own problems. A deep space cruiser has come into orbit around Fosforon, and the Federation base below are intent on studying it. However, that study could lead to the deaths of everyone on the planet...and maybe even the galaxy... I'm suprised that it took David Maloney so long before commissioning a script for Blake's 7 from sci fi genius Robert Holmes. His scripts for Doctor Who are, for the most part, phenomenal, and to see his name down on a Blake's 7 is an automatic boost. A...

Starring Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Jacqueline Pearce, Brian Croucher, John Savident, John Bryans, Peter Miles, Victoria Fairbrother, Claire Lewis, Michael Keating, Sally Knyvette, Jan Chappell & Peter Tuddenham  Written by Chris Boucher  Directed by Derek Martinus  After Gan's death, the Liberator crew need time to think. Blake disappears off the ship, leaving the rest of the crew wondering whether he has sold them out, or whether he is meeting with somebody else. However, the world on which Blake finds himself is a dangerous one, and soon Blake is fighting for his life... Meanwhile, Travis is facing death. Finally his over zealous actions have come back to bite him... A nd when his trial is over, his executioners will be waiting...  After the climatic ending to Pressure Point, Trial takes a very different tact. Instead of an action packed blockbuster, Trial is a more intimate, reflective piece that's driven by it's characters and there relationships, rather th...