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Showing posts from September, 2014

Random Ramblings - Doctor Who: The Gathering

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, but there are

Random Ramblings - Doctor Who: The Marian Conspiracy

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

Random Ramblings - Blake's 7: Star One

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 episod

Random Ramblings - Blake's 7: The Keeper

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,

Random Ramblings - Doctor Who: The Sirens Of Time

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. Up till