Pointless Witterings

I, like many Who fans, was hugely disappointed with the last series of the TV programme. Series 8 had seemed to be a change for the better, with the TV show seeming to show a little bit of promise and a willingness to adapt. However, I felt that series 9 was a massive mis-step, with the show seeming to head backwards into the realms of over-obsessive continuity and plots that we'd all seen before. I, for one, was totally unimpressed with what was cooked up, and I was hoping for something a lot better than what we actually got. Over the past day or so, however, I've been thinking how I could have made it work a little better, making it into a more cohesive and engaging series. These are just ideas, but most of them are considered as to how they would be put into practice, and with clear examples. I've also tried to stick to what was in the series (e.g.. things like Missy, Davros, Ashildir etc.), and not add in things that weren't there (like say Romana or Susan or Cybe...

After a massive period of inactivity, I'm back. And things are going to change... First, a massive thank you to anyone who's been on this blog in the past. Putting opinions on the internet can be a scary thing, so thank you anyone who's enjoyed my witty ramblings on Doctor Who TV episodes, or Big Finish reviews, or even my opinions on Blake's 7. It means a lot to know that people have enjoyed the content, and I know several members of the Big Finish team (including Simon Guerrier) have been kind enough to say very good things about my opinions on the story's in question, even when they have been negative. So thank you for that. Next, the blog has been in a state of flux for about a year now, with things springing up and wilting all over the place. All of this content will remain on the blog - for now. Everything will be shelved, and kept for posterity and reference. However, what is likely, is that I will be looking over this content again in the future, so the ...

On an isolated world ravaged by battle, time itself has become a weapon, laying waste to all who live and die there. Arms and technology are in a state of flux – and it seems that everlasting war is their only option. The arrival of one battered Type Forty TARDIS inside this nightmare offers hope to the combatants trapped within. But when he discovers the truth, the horrors of the Neverwhen will shock even the War Doctor… After a rather lacklustre second instalment, Infernal Devices gets right back on track with probably one of Big Finish's most gonzo instalments in quite some time. The Neverwhen is quite simply mad, mostly because it takes the basic premise of a 'Time War' and milks it for all it's got. This is no offence to any of the previous five episodes, but this is the very first indication in these War Doctor stories that this is a temporal war, and that it's battlefields stretch across time. I'm sure that many people have theorised about how a...

The Daleks are developing a secret weapon on Asteroid Theta 12. It is imperative that their plans are uncovered. Cardinal Ollistra has her hands full studying the range of ancient and mysterious armaments the universe has to offer, but she makes it a personal mission to investigate the Dalek project. On this dangerous assignment, there is one particular Time Lord she wants at her side - and he will be accompanying her whether he wants to or not. When I first popped the disc in containing A Thing Of Guile into the CD player, I don't think I was completely prepared for the story that I was going to listen to. Certainly, the second story in the previous box set, Only The Monstrous' The Thousand Worlds had been based on older ideas reworked into a newly horrifying format for the Time War, but it was never predictable, formulaic or full of rather large plot holes. In fact, all of the four previous stories have been prime examples of Big Finish firing (if not on all c...

In a time of war, every means of victory must be explored. In the Time War, the unthinkable must be thought, and neither side can afford to be squeamish about their methods. When the destruction of an obscene weapon leads to the Time Lord once known as the Doctor uncovering a secret Gallifreyan initiative, he cannot believe what is being considered. Should victory be sought at any cost? Or are there worse possibilities than losing to the Daleks..? After the massive success of the first war Doctor box set, the immediate release of the second box set, only a few months after the first, is not really a surprise. After all, there is still a huge amount of the war Doctor's timeline left to explore, and since John Hurt is keen to do more, I was really excited for the next set of stories. And Legion Of The Lost certainly starts with a great deal of energy, launching into a raid on a Dalek world that has gone badly wrong. After the first ten minutes or so, however, the story does s...

Late 1939. Britain faces the might of Germany. Winston Churchill serves as First Lord of the Admiralty. But Churchill soon finds himself facing a more immediate threat than the looming Nazi menace. A ‘Stone’ with the most mysterious properties is discovered in the Thames’ sands, and soon oddly spoken soldiers are creeping round London ruthlessly trying to acquire it. Who are they? Can Churchill and his new secretary Hetty Warner defeat them? And what about the man in the battered leather jacket that Hetty meets? Churchill feels sure they can rely on the Doctor to help them! Except that this Doctor seems to want to stay hidden in the shadows… When Big Finish first announced The Churchill Years, I wasn't completely sure if it would work. After all, while Churchill is a huge part of British history, in the modern show he's only made a few appearances, two of which were cameos. It seemed like Big Finish were just trying to plum out another series because they wanted to work...

A modulated frequency wave cancellation signal isn’t something that the Doctor and Romana expect to detect in 1960s London. But then they don’t expect to find Professor Lanchester, the man who invented it, lying unconscious. Or MI5 investigating. With the help of MI5 Agent Miller, Lanchester’s daughter Jill, and his nephew a pirate radio DJ called Mark, the Doctor, Romana and K-9 investigate. They soon discover that there is more at risk than they imagined, and an alien invasion is about to begin. Can the Doctor identify and defeat the aliens in time? Will Romana manage to find a recombinant transducer before it’s too late? And how will K-9 cope with his new job? After three seasons of Leela in the Fourth Doctor Adventures, it certainly nice to get a bit of variety. Sure, Leela's been pared with K9, and we had a season with Mary Tamm's Romana, but other than that, we've not had much change in the Fourth Doctor line-up. However, after the great success of the fo...