Doctor Who: Come Die With Me

Writer: Jamie Anderson
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: Alan Barnes
Cover Illustration: Joseph Bell
Music & Sound Design: Steve Foxon
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Sylvester McCoy & Sophie Aldred
Released December 2015

Come Die With Me marks the halfway point of the You Are The Doctor anthology and, so far, it looks to be one of the most disposable releases yet. Jamie Anderson's story of an old-fashioned mansion in the future seems to be desperately trying to create a Night Thoughts-style atmosphere, but ends up closer to The Silurian Candidate.

The setup initially seems to be a murder mystery game organised by the skin-crawling Edwin Norris that has stumped the greatest minds from all time and space. This naturally piques the Doctor's curiosity, while Ace is pulled below stairs with the housekeeper. They learn more about the situation in tandem and eventually the Doctor must save Ace and defeat Norris. It's not especially challenging stuff, which isn't a problem in itself, but this is so chaotic it's hard to get a handle on anything and hence hard to pay attention.

There is something in Anderson's story of a murder mystery in an old house with the Sylvester McCoy Doctor that evokes stories like Master and The Magic Mousetrap. Unfortunately, that is where comparisons to these two superior releases end. Control of knowledge seems to be the 'theme' of this anthology so far, unless you count Ace having a go at flying the TARDIS, which still wouldn't be the flimsiest arc Big Finish have attempted. In Come Die With Me's climactic scene, Norris ends up giving McCoy a run for his money in the gurning and histrionics stakes, revealing that he wants to trap the minds of anyone in creation more intelligent than him in his library so that he can be the cleverest being in history. On the strength of the 20 minutes preceding this, he's going to need a bigger library.

So much care goes into crafting these stories in post-production that it seems ungrateful to criticise. There must be nightmares on so many productions that the listeners never discover because of talented sound designers managing to save them. But still, the presentation of Come Die With Me leaves a lot to be desired. This can be laid at the door of director Ken Bentley; McCoy gives a shocking performance, vamping it up like a good 'un on what appears to be his first encounter with the script. Sophie Aldred as Ace isn't much better, sounding like she got out the wrong side of bed and going massively over the top on almost every line. The sound design completely misses every open goal with regards to building atmosphere, and instead goes gives the impression of stock tracks for an am dram matinee. The music is also far too lightweight and completes the impression that the production team see this as disposable fluff, and consequently that's what they have made.

It is entirely reasonable to skip Come Die With Me without missing anything in character, plot or production terms. When people are paying £15 for this release that is inexcusable. At least You Are The Doctor was trying something different; it speaks volumes that the actor playing Norris isn't even credited.

Doctor Who: The Widow's Assassin

Writer: Nev Fountain
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: Alan Barnes
Cover Illustration: Anthony Lamb
Music: Howard Carter
Sound Design: Steve Foxon
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Colin Baker & Nicola Bryant
Released October 2014

The Widow's Assassin sees writer Nev Fountain at his most unpredictable, which is quite achievement. Across its four episodes, the listener is taken on a journey through a fairy tale made flesh, royal court intrigue, battles inside multiple minds and home in time for tea. That this is accomplished with such style is a credit to Fountain and director Ken Bentley.

Following the end of Scavenger, in which the sixth Doctor's latest tagalong Flip (Lisa Greenwood) departed seemingly definitively, he turns up on Krontep in search of reconciliation with Peri (Nicola Bryant), following their own fractious parting. Familiarity with the 1986 Doctor Who TV story Mindwarp benefits the listener a surprisingly great deal when listening to The Widow's Assassin. No sooner has Fountain finally married Peri and King Yrcarnos (Brian Blessed, on TV) than he's done away with him, and this is the catalyst for the rest of the story. Maybe catalyst is the wrong word, as the first episode alone is audacious enough to take place over the course of five years - and then the second goes one better and doubles it.

Setting the story over such a long period allows Fountain to establish and pay off some of the Doctor/Peri relationship work he is famed for. The irony is that, in the end, barely any time at all has passed for Peri, compared to decades for the Doctor. Ordinarily stories that concern themselves with, to paraphrase The Androids of Tara, the affairs of a piffling little planet, hold little interest. But Nev Fountain's colourful universe of characters really makes this story stand out from the crowd. Most notable is Constable Wolsey, Peri's head of security and also half-man/half-sheep. In fact, it is Wolsey who carries the story's first half, narrating events and taking the lead in the second episode. The Doctor's absence here creates a noticeable void, Fountain's writing creating questions in the listener's mind. What he has been up to is more than anyone would expect.

The Widow's Assassin skillfully walks the line between being intelligent and impregnable. Something this high-concept could have made for a difficult listen, especially at its extended length, and especially given it is such a hardcore sequel to Mindwarp. Ken Bentley, the cast and the post-production succeed in making this extremely listenable and realising the script's considerable ambition. The music in particular is to be commended for completing such a rounded production.

As a scene-setter for a new era of travels for Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant, The Widow's Assassin functions perfectly. While it is not a flawless script - the reappearance of the Doctor's first ever foe that comes to nothing is perhaps one subplot too far - the relationship of the Doctor and Peri, characters thirty years in the making is at its core and on this Fountain, Baker and Bryant never put a foot wrong. It is refreshing to have a story as genuinely witty, in writing and execution, as this and it is an absorbing listen, particularly the first two episodes. A triumph for all involved, setting the bar high and leaving the listener hungry for the next story.

Counter-Measures: The Fifth Citadel

Writer: James Goss
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: John Dorney
Cover Illustration: Alex Mallinson
Music: Nicholas Briggs
Sound Design: Martin Montague
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Pamela Salem, Simon Williams, Karen Gledhill & Hugh Ross
Released June 2013

The Fifth Citadel is an immediate step up for Counter-Measures. James Goss easily demonstrates how to really make this series work, mixing mystery and horror with real history and hard science and coming up with something much better than that sounds.

As with Ian Potter's script for the first series, The Pelage Project, The Fifth Citadel wastes no time in scoring points through its atmospheric setting and intriguing premise. Counter-Measures can't seem to escape one of the regulars bumping into an old acquaintance each episode but at least here Goss gives Sir Toby some agency in his pursuit of Dr Elizabeth Bradley (Celia Imrie). The story never shies away from the truth of what's in the Underground tunnels, nor what's beneath them. This gives it an edge that lifts it beyond pulpy spy-fi and at times makes for challenging listening.

But the production team and cast never forget themselves and while the awful story of the bunker might take its time unravelling, the episode plays more on the feeling of dread than trawling through the gruesome details. The Fifth Citadel inventively divides the four lead characters in a way that not only gives us unusual combinations but also makes narrative and character sense once the cards are on the table.

This is a story best enjoyed untainted, but safe to say the level of the production values is reliably commendable, particularly in the use of mechanical and metallic noises. In the tunnel scenes, the listener is never in any doubt that life carries on for the rest of London, trains screeching past in the distance (and not-so-distant). Imrie and Hugh Ross as Sir Toby are an electric pairing, and the latter once again turns in the episode's standout performance. But it's also a more dignified entry than the season opener for Pamela Salem (Professor Rachel Jensen), Karen Gledhill (Dr Alison Williams) and Simon Williams (Group Captain Gilmore). Not bad for three characters from a Doctor Who story broadcast in 1988.

Intelligent storytelling at every turn and captivating right to the end, The Fifth Citadel raises the bar for Counter-Measures. It is a great character piece but tackles a situation with potentially disastrous consequences head-on and doesn't pull any punches and somehow also finds time to build on the listener's uneasy impression of Toby's new aide Templeton. A superb, albeit chilling, episode.

Doctor Who: You Are The Doctor

Writer: John Dorney
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: Alan Barnes
Cover Illustration: Joseph Bell
Music & Sound Design: Steve Foxon
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Sylvester McCoy & Sophie Aldred
Released December 2015

Opening a quartet of stories starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred as the seventh Doctor and Ace, You Are The Doctor is an entertaining, if not outstanding, way to fill 25 minutes. Any innovation it exhibits is in its novel presentation, the plot itself being as rote as they come. The 'decide your destiny'-style narrative and the accompanying commentary at each fork in the road are used to good effect and fill the run time well enough without pushing any boundaries.

It could be said that You Are The Doctor is somewhat obvious, but then that does seem to be the point. The pig-like Porcians return from author John Dorney's own The Fourth Wall, a full-length main range story featuring Colin Baker and Lisa Greenwood. This time it appears the Doctor's old adversary Chimbly and his wife Keith have actually, against all odds, managed to invade and take over a planet, so the Time Lord's suspicions are immediately aroused.

What follows is an inoffensive jaunt through their spaceship, punctuated by the Doctor and Ace's numerous deaths, after which the listener is instructed to return the beginning of the story. The most successful element of presenting the story in this decision-based framework is that the track numbers on the CD or in the digital album do actually correspond to the options Chimbly gives, so you could actually play along if you wanted. This is arguably unnecessary given almost all listeners will, on first pass at least, play the entire story, but this kind of attention to detail elevates the episode.

This is well-directed but it's notable how McCoy, in particular, and Aldred are able to sound so ill-prepared 30 years into playing their characters. Kim Wall returns as Chimbly and the performance suits the role though the listener could be forgiven for mistaking Wall for Nick Briggs. It really is uncanny. And try as the cast might, the Porcians still aren't as funny as the script seems to think they are. The sound design and music do a good job of setting up the narrative structure and providing extra tics to denote sections such that the listener knows what's going on before any dialogue is spoken.

You Are The Doctor was perhaps inevitable. It's pleasant enough, and sets its sights no higher than that, which is fine. While this is refreshingly unconvoluted for a Big Finish McCoy episode, we've done this story now, so hopefully the second instalment in this release will prove more substantial.

Doctor Who: The Scorchies

Writer: James Goss
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: Jacqueline Rayner
Cover Illustration: Alex Mallinson
Music & Sound Design: Richard Fox & Lauren Yason
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Katy Manning
Released March 2013

The Scorchies is a masterpiece. Deliriously fun from the outset, James Goss' story of homicidal glove puppets is one of the standout Doctor Who tales from any medium. The fact that it is brought to life by just two actors, Katy Manning and Melvyn Hayes, with considerable assistance from composers and sound designers Richard Fox and Lauren Yason, only makes it more impressive.

Goss likes to skip to the interesting bits of stories, and The Scorchies is no exception, as we open on Jo Grant being introduced to the latest episode of The Scorchie Show, live in the studio. It's an attention-grabbing opening and quickly sets the tone for the colourful cast of characters that will populate next hour of the listener's life. The most memorable are the loveable Professor Baffle, who Jo ends up spending a lot of the show with, and the Magic Mice, but there's also Cool Cat and ringleader Mr Grizzfizzle. This band of animated puppets have been going from world to world with their television show, burning each planet when they're done, which is how they earned their name. Another feature of many Goss stories is one of the characters having made a mistake long ago that has led to the current situation, and here it's Professor Baffle that is to blame. Manning and Hayes do an excellent job of not only bringing the troupe to life but keeping them all distinct and recognisable.

It's hard to go much further without mentioning the musical contribution to this story. Each of the pair of episodes features two songs, performed in character as part of the narrative, and it's safe to say they fit seamlessly into the unhinged world Goss has created. Cheerful on the surface but deadly on closer examination, they are a pitch-perfect reflection of the murderous puppets. The lyrics, performance and arrangements are flawless; the story would leave much less of an impression without them. A big round of applause for Fox and Yason, whose contribution throughout raises the bar for Big Finish.

Although this features, in a roundabout way, the third Doctor, this is very much Jo Grant's story, fitting given this was released as part of the Companion Chronicles series. The Scorchies takes the technicolor psychedelia of season eight and turns it up to 11, to brilliant effect - and this is from someone who thinks the action thriller-based season seven is the pinnacle of Doctor Who's original run. Small wonder that the Scorchies have since turned up in three other series. It's testament to James Goss' abilities as a writer that he was able to turn out this and The Last Post, another astonishing (but totally different) third Doctor story, in short succession.

In short, The Scorchies is an essential listen for any Doctor Who fan with a sense of humour (narrows it down). This is a much greater, and more exciting, justification for Big Finish acquiring the license to produce Doctor Who audio dramas than seeing how the first Doctor and Susan left Gallifrey or what happened when River Song turned up a bit early for The Talons of Weng-Chiang. The Scorchies expands the Doctor Who universe and is a delightful hour of escapism that I have come back to time and again. A sparkling addition to the embarrassment of riches that are the Companion Chronicles.

Counter-Measures: Manhunt

Writer: Matt Fitton
Director: Ken Bentley
Script Editor: John Dorney
Cover Illustration: Alex Mallinson
Music: Nicholas Briggs
Sound Design: Martin Montague
Producer: David Richardson

Starring Pamela Salem, Simon Williams, Karen Gledhill & Hugh Ross
Released June 2013

The opening episode of Counter-Measures' second series leaves the strong impression that it will basically be more of the same, no reinventing the wheel. But that's OK because wheels are fine as they are, and so too is Counter-Measures. This series of sixties-based adventure that's as much spy-fi as sci-fi fielded a promising first box set and Matt Fitton's Manhunt continues resolutely in that vein.

One of the most refreshing things about Counter-Measures is its lack of reliance on extraterrestrial incursion. This could easily have simply been a precursor to UNIT but science is usually placed at the heart of the story, some secret experiment or project uncovered when it goes wrong. In this respect, Manhunt is no different.

The story begins with Group Captain Ian Gilmore on the run, wanted for murder. He is of course innocent, which makes waiting for everyone else to catch up a little tedious. But there's intrigue at the centre of this conspiracy and although the twist concerning two characters is genuinely unexpected, it's also, to put it politely, complete bobbins. Even for a series based in the orbit of Doctor Who, Fitton's use of science stretches credibility and he gets away with it pretty much by having laboratory boffins Professor Rachel Jensen, also the boss of Counter-Measures, and Dr Alison Williams reason that it must be possible because it's happening in front of them.

With the villain riding off into the sunset, it seems like round two is in the offing, and given the title of the series finale is Sins of the Fathers, there may not be too long to wait.

On the production side, this is nearly immaculate. Ken Bentley's talented cast ably race through the material, even if it sometimes becomes a challenge to distinguish the three RP ladies. Particular praise to Hugh Ross, reliably excellent as the slippery Sir Toby, Big Finish's only original addition to the series' line-up. The sound design is faultless throughout but the music once again throws up a few issues. The theme tune revamp did not fall on grateful ears; it was already a racket and the last thing it needed was even more going on. Likewise, some of the incidental music that errs closer to sounding like Nick Briggs falling asleep at his synthesizer breaks the illusion Bentley creates, interrupting and overwhelming dialogue. On the whole, the pieces containing just a couple of instruments work well but the cacophony of flutes, pianos, drums and goodness knows what else really make it seem like Big Finish are sending up the sixties rather than trying to evoke them.

On balance this is a vanilla episode to ease the listener back into Counter-Measures, exactly on par with Fitton's contribution to the first series. Hopefully the remaining three episodes will push the boat out a bit more, but as a benchmark, the series could do worse.