Pointless Witterings

With this, I thought I'd offer some thoughts on an issue that a lot of people bring up. Where do you start with Big Finish? It's an important question, as so many people want to start a Big Finish collection, but then find that there are so many releases, and it's almost impossible to choose. So, if you're new to Big Finish, I'd recommend using this as a guide for entry points, and then going on from there to finding other releases to listen to. Technophobia - Starring David Tennant & Catherine Tate If you didn't expect this one to be on the list, then I'd ask what was wrong with you. While not being a personal fan of the David Tennant era, I can't deny that, for a lot of people, he is the most popular of all the 21st Century Doctors, and was responsible for the show being given pretty much carte-blanche by the BBC. And while Technophobia isn't what I'd call amazing, it features a clever little premise, compactly told with some strong perf...

Starring Paul McGann, Hattie Morahan, Nicola Walker, Alex Kingston, John Shrapnel, Tim McMullen & Nicholas Woodeson. Written by Matt Fitton & Directed by Ken Bentley . While River Song takes Helen on an archaeological expedition like no other, the Doctor finds himself enlisted by an alien Queen to save her people. Trapped and alone, Liv stares death in the face as she meets the enemy who’s been dogging the TARDIS travellers’ footsteps throughout Earth’s history. The Doomsday Chronometer has been protected for five centuries: secret cults and societies jealously guarding its mystery. But what is their real purpose? The Doctor is about to discover the truth… After the triple-whammy cliffhanger that ended The Eighth Piece, I did wonder how Fitton was going to continue the story, bringing in more of the Doom Coalition arc as he does. And while The Doomsday Chronometer falls into some of the pitfalls that I mentioned The Eighth Piece avoided, the story does continue fair...

Starring Paul McGann, Hattie Morahan, Nicola Walker, Alex Kingston, John Shrapnel, Tim McMullen & Nicholas Woodeson. Written by Matt Fitton & Directed by Ken Bentley. 15th Century Prague: in the castle dungeons, a prisoner raves about the end of the world. Outside, Liv Chenka seeks out the workshop of a strange Clockmaker to see what he is creating. England, 1538: Lord Thomas Cromwell finds his duties interrupted by otherworldly forces – clockwork soldiers, an unusual nun, and a mysterious scholar calling himself ‘the Doctor’. Perhaps the truth can be extracted in the torture chamber of London’s Bloody Tower? Rome, 2016: Helen Sinclair has an appointment with an enigmatic Professor, whose greatest work is almost complete. Only the Eighth Piece is missing… For nine episodes now, we've all be wondering 'what is the Doom Coalition?' For nine episodes, seemingly random events have been threaded throughout numerous stories (the escape of the Eleven, the unloc...

Starring Paul McGann, Hattie Morahan, Nicola Walker, Jeremy Clyde & Ian Puleston-Davies. Written by John Dorney & Directed by Ken Bentley. Earth. The late 20th century. Across the world, the mobile phone is gaining popularity as more and more people decide to join the digital age. But for the residents of a sleepy English town sitting in the shade of a new transmission mast, that ubiquity has a troubling cost. When the TARDIS veers off-course, the Doctor and his companions find themselves in the middle of a mystery. Sometimes the past comes back to haunt you. And sometimes the future does as well. After eight episodes, the Doom Coalition arc seemed to be going nowhere really, merely laying hints for the future that didn't really seem that interesting or exciting. I hoped that, with this third box set, the questions that the first two sets had built up would begin to be answered. And, while Absent Friends is only one quarter of Doom Coalition 3, if this story is a...

Starring Paul McGann, Hattie Morahan, Nicola Walker, Alex Kingston & Mark Bonnar. Written by Matt Fitton & Directed by Ken Bentley. On the other side of the galaxy a mining company is exploiting the already unstable planet of Syra for every precious mineral it contains. River Song is attempting to save the native people. She needs the Doctor’s help, but she also knows he mustn’t yet discover her true identity. The final confrontation sees the Doctor once again face his enemy the Eleven in an attempt to prevent the destruction of Syra and the genocide of its inhabitants. I'm really not sure where Doom Coalition's going at this point. We're eight stories in, and I've no idea what to make of the whole thing. The Sonomancer is possibly the ultimate expression of that: there are some really great ideas here, and a really doom-laded tone to the whole piece, but the whole thing feels really perfunctory, and there are a billion loose threads everywhere. In man...

This review, and indeed all those in this set, is dedicated to the legend that is Sir John Hurt. You can read my full tribute to him here: http://fandoctorwhoproductions.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/sir-john-hurt-painter-of-thousand-words.html . Rest In Peace, John.   Starring John Hurt, Jacqueline Pearce, Louise Jameson, Alan David, Beth Chalmers & Jane Slavin, with Nicholas Briggs as the Daleks.   Written & Directed by Nicholas Briggs.   The Dalek Time Strategist has a new plan to ensure final victory in the Time War. As its forces gather for a huge assault on the enemy, ahead of the fleet something hovers above the planet of the Time Lords. And on Gallifrey itself, shadows move among the Cloisters.   The Time Lords face a threat alien to their entire universe. To save their world, the War Doctor and his allies mu st enter the Enigma Dimension... So, here we are. The final story to feature John Hurt as the Doctor. This very last story r...