The Big Finish Catch Up: March 2014

Back when Big Finish started doing the Doctor Who audio's I was all over them to the extent when I was getting them the month they came out. However when Neverland came out it coincided with my leaving University and I thought given the cliffhanger it was a good time to put a hold on listening to them and come back at a later date. I heard the next one or two over the next few years as I was given them for Christmas and Birthdays etc, however it wasn't until 2008 until I got back into buying them and 2009 when I started getting them on a more consistent basis. I've by and large limited myself to getting one a month however the growing realisation that I'm more than 100 stories behind has motivated me to start listening to two a month and make an effort to catch up.

I'm going to do regular reviews as being so far behind I'd like to have an in depth natter about them but people would rather talk about the current stuff. Right so lets get down to the two I listened to in March:


The Roof of the World

This story sees the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem (an original Big Finish companion) visiting Tibet in 1917 to take part in a cricket match - the Fifth Doctor going to a cricket match, never saw that coming. Its a bit of an odd one, the first episode is outstandingly rich in atmosphere as well as slightly doom laden in setting up what appears to be a mystical villain. The second episode is a good one as Erimem is put through the ringer as the villain engages in some serious spooky psychological warfare that's rarely been seen in Who. Sadly the story falls to bits at the point with the second half coming over bland and insipid, I can't go into it in detail as I've already forgotten it. In short a game of two halves, good first poor second.


The Next Life

I must state I'm listening to the monthly range slightly out of order as I didn't want a load of stories featuring the same Doctor all in one go. The Next Life is the finale to the 8th Doctors 3rd Big Finish season usually referred to as "The Divergence Season" and is in actual fact Paul Mcganns final story as the current Doctor. As far as I'm aware I think the TV comeback motivated Big Finish to end the Divergent Universe earlier than planned but am not certain.

Personally I found this to be a very frustrating story, quite frankly there's not a lot going on here and the story doesn't justify its length. Questions asked earlier in the season are answered, however this may require a re listen as I'm not sure everything was explained in a satisfying manner. The need to explain The Doctor and Charley being attacked by some bugs early in the season came across as an amazingly nitpicking moment. I'm not quite sure who Kro'ka was working as a double agent for, one side was definitely Rassilon but I'm not sure if the other was Keep or the Divergence. "The Last" is the surprisingly pivotal story in the season although most stories are referenced. Judging this season as a whole I thought it was okay, a good idea putting the 8th Doctor in a new universe where potentially different kinds of stories could happen, although in fairness there's a fair mixture of traditional and "radical" stories with "Faith Stealer" and "The Natural History of Fear" being my respective favourites from each category.

Actor wise its a cracking cast, the regulars Paul McGann, India Fisher and Conrad Westman were on fine form. Due to my avoidance of spoilers I had no idea weather C'rizz (played by Westman) would stay or be written off at this point - this story keeps you guessing right up until the end. Stephen Perring as the sly Kro'ka has been a wonderful foil for the regulars this season and his final scene with Rassilon is poetic. Don Warrington was a good choice for Rassilon however I don't think we was given the correct material for the character. Other cast members of note are Paul Darrow mostly known for Blakes 7, Daphne Ashbrook from the TV Movie and Anneke Wills reprising her role as Charleys mum.

The story itself as I said earlier is rather frustrating in that there's a really tight good regular length story buried under the padded length. The first episode is quite pacey and things get pacey around about episode five when some characters and twists are introduced, however in between its a series of conversations in a jungle and a swamp. Highlights for me included the dream weave sequence, the revelations of a characters origin late in the play, a poetic fate for Rassilon & the Kro'ka and a fantastic character scene between The Doctor, Charlie and C'rizz at the end.

There is a firm conclusion to the seasons story line and a knowing wink to the audience right at the end. In short recommended however if you intend to get the entire season, otherwise I don't think you'll get the full experience from the story.