Big Finish Monthly Ranked 15-11

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 15-11. As usual beware spoilers and enjoy!

15. Thicker Than Water, we're wondering into areas that I never expected Big Finish to go into here. Its an emotional story as Sixy decides to take Mel to see Evelyn and we see how and what she got up to after leaving The Doctor. Its an emotional story and an integral part of a story line throughout the main range. We get a cameo from a character who should be year and its in character that they are here. This feels like a loving bow out from Maggie Stables and at the time of writing I am reaching release number 120 and have no idea if I'll ever hear her again. Cudos to Big Finish for making me care about her.

14. Minuet in Hell, the final story in the 8th Doctors first season. Many people find this story annoying and stupid where I find it daft as a brush and bonkers. The Brigadier gets to meet the 8th Doctor and the crazyness with Gideon Crane is my kind of dark psychological horror. Daft and silly but I like it.

13. The Genocide Machine, the first appearance by the Daleks taking on the 7th Doctor and Ace in the opening part of The Dalek Empire arc. Its a lovely romp that starts with the Doctor returning some library books and escalates to the Daleks trying to take over one of the biggest repositories of knowledge in the universe. The Daleks appearing is just magic and this is the story I think of (ahead of the TV stories) when I imagine the sound design.

12. Loups-Garoux, as I said earlier in this list Mark Strickson turns up so infrequently as Turlough it still feels like a novelty when he does. Big Finish get Turlough, he's a fantastic character but a rubbish companion. Here we have a story featuring werewolves and having a companion whose first instinct is to run and lock themselves away in the TARDIS adds so much to the story. Rather than horror this release scores high because of its presentation of Brazil, the werewolf community and Peter Davison who after taking a while to get into the swing of things is in fine form.

11. The Marian Conspiracy, here we have it the origin story of Evelyn. What a fantastic character and what a fantastic performance by Maggie Stables. Those early scenes where she meets the 6th Doctor are pure magical and this is the first step of Colin Baker taking the Sixth Doctor in the direction he didn't get to go on TV. The initial mystery of what is happening to Evelyn and the journey back to the time of Queen Mary are intriguing. More importantly this is Big Finishes first deep dive into the past, they'd tip toed around historical stories before but this is the first time they flex their muscles. Without this story the range becomes more limited and we don't get a number of my favourite stories as well as at least one yet to come in this list.

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 20-16

 Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 20-16. As usual beware spoilers and enjoy!

20. Omega, its the 5th Doctors entry into the villain trilogy in the build up to Zagreus with this being my favourite entry in the trilogy. Omega is one of those characters that have a lot of story in them and hasn't  been used much over the years so its quite the treat when he does come up. Apart from his two televised stories this is the first time I've come across him and I'm happy to say there is a trend of leaving Omega in a more interesting place than when we found him. I love this story, its playing games with the listener - bait and switch on multiple occasions. We're constantly on the back foot, where are we, how did we get here, is this really the right time to be referencing Talking Heads? Certain information we get during this story is wrong, which we work out fairly early on but the crux of the story is why its wrong. Up until the end of episode three nothing makes sense and then something happens that changes the nature of this play. On top of that we still have a quarter of the action to go and the story is still developing. There is a lot going on in this entry, I'd recommend watching the two Omega TV stories before listening. If you don't you'll get nothing from this story, if you do you get a heck of a play with very good re-listen value.

19. Colditz, Nazis the old Doctor Who metaphor, until we get to the seventh Doctor era where they started popping up on a regular basis. Its the 7th Doctor and Ace going up against Nazis but this time on their own territory in their own time in Colditz ****ing Castle! Full of references to the TV series and board game this part of the story is at times ripping yarns and harrowing. But wait theres more! Theres a timey wimey plot as well! We get the introduction of Elizabeth Klein and she's got about as many secrets as the 7th Doctor usually has. We have a multi layered play full of novelty value for an early appearance of David Tenant, of interest for introducing Klein and a tight intriguing play in its own right.

18. Flip-Flop, if you asked me to name one writer I've encountered in Doctor Who spinoff that I'd like to see go on to bigger and better things (who hasn't all ready) it would be Jonathan Morris. I first came across him with the book Festival of Death and since then his stuff has a high hit rate with me. This story is from the experimental stage that Big Finish went through in 2003 and sees the 7th Doctor and Mel in a story where the two discs can be listened to in either order. The play is absolutely nailed to the plot with no moment to breathe but personally I love this aspect. I've heard this story on multiple occasions in both orders and the story still works. Its a proper bonkers timey wimey comedy as opposed to the timey wimey serious story that was the previous entry. The story doesn't come with first or second discs it comes with black and white discs. Amazingly if you listen to the black disc first its a much darker story. recommended Highly!

17. Creatures of Beauty, its another 2003 experimental story this time with the 5th Doctor and Nyssa. Its also slightly timey wimey as the story is told out of order offering more multi listen value. We start the story about two thirds through and spend the majority of the play filling in the gaps and seeing events from multiple angles. Its very interesting and a play that feels like its developing more as we go through. The reason this play is so high in my personal rankings is because of the ending, let me clarify that when I say the ending I don't mean the final act or episode I mean the final few seconds of the play. Up until those moments on the first listen I had this down as a good decent story but the final seconds hold a twist that I didn't see coming and caused this play to sky rocket in my estimations.

16. Zagreus, the 50th story in the range and the 40th anniversary (along with the preceding Villains trilogy) story! After a wait of eighteen months since the last 8th Doctor story (eight years for me due to falling behind) and that cliff hanger that it ended on we finally made it! This is a proper epic story, three discs long and strap yourselves in its going to be a long ride. I know there are aspects that fandom doesn't like but I love it. Its one of my most re-listened to stories, Jon Pertwees unexpected appearance is so emotional, Nicholas Courtneys role is lovely and I love the assorted regulars from previous eras playing different parts. Theres a good slab of continuity as series regulars & unexpected friends turn up as spin offs are launched and we're plunged into the divergent arc. A story that looks backwards as well as forwards, a story with an eight year build that for me was ultimately worth it.

Heroes - Unexpected

 Blimey when did Matt Parkman become an engaging character? I know it was in the previous episode but does anybody have the timestamp down to the mini-second? After a rut we are in the thrust of some dynamic episodes, there is no wasted space and every scene is jam packed - just when you think things can't can any better Stan Lee turns up.

This is what the series does best, taking characters with different motivations and throwing them into situations then going with whatever sticks. We have the full range of emotions crammed into 40 minutes of TV. The only downside of this episodes is there are a few characters put in jeopardy that its hard to care about as they haven't been fleshed out enough, namely Simone and Sandra. In particular this episode I enjoyed Mohinder and Sylers mission - and screaming at Mohinder to start noticing the blatant signs about Syler.

We have a new character added to the mix this week in the shape of Hana Gitelman who appears to be based on the X-man Sage. She essentially puts together a mini field team for a mission in a nice homage to the X-men, setting up the cliffhanger and the promise of another intriguing episode next week. On another note I hope Ando hasn't been written out as his double act with Hiro is one of the best things in the series, 9/10.

Heroes - Run

 Now this is more like it! Run is a proper fun episode and it feels like the series has climbed back onto the horse. This episode is so good Matt and Nikki two characters whose storylines were collapsing under the weight of boredom together and it works! Its taken them forever to get Matt away from the police force and now they have he's already been put in interesting positions whilst also being able to use his powers in the field.

Nathan Petrelli and the stuff with Claire is also engaging while the stuff with Mrs Bennet is very worrying indeed. As well as this we get a brilliant arc set up with Mohinder and Syler that is proper panto yelling good - if you weren't yelling at Mohinder to look in the kitchen you're watching this show wrong. On top of all this after treading water for two episodes Hiro & Ando are back to doing fun stuff with a storyline that feels like good farce. Closing things off we get another fun cliff hanger as Nikki is given a new target in the shape of Nathan. Brilliant stuff and the show needs to be more like this and less like the previous few episodes 8.5/10.

Heroes - The Fix and Distractions

 Due to time issues just a few notes on these episodes:

Heroes is a show that has left an impact felt in shows today, however one of the main lessons that has been learnt is editing and season length. This is not a 20+ episode a season show and should be done in ten or thirteen episodes if their not doing a monster of the week format that lends itself to the format. The pace is killing the show and some storylines have been spinning for weeks.

The narration is getting worse with each episode.

Christopher Eccleston is a tough watch, as far as I know its the first thing he did after Doctor Who and he looks like he's had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His hyper performance is reminiscent of Sylvestor Mccoy losing it while sat on the table in the Silver Nemesis documentary. Also notable is the fact Chris has a bit of the Braun Strowmans about him which was widely rumoured during his time at Cardiff.

Hiro and Ando's story should have been done in one episode, its cute but feels like the writer is writing down at us.

Noah and Syler have been booked perfectly so far, we get some 50/50 booking these episodes but its good booking and raises both to main even level.

Matts storyline is a mess, if the producers didn't want to explore what happens when a rank and file cop gets powers don't give them powers. 

Nikki, Jessica, D.L. and Micah is dead in the water, its dead there is no life to it and it needs to be put against the wall and given a blindfold and cigar.

Isaac and the thought and effort that goes into the paintings is the best thing about these episodes. When we eventually reach the events he paints there is still a surprise or two to be had.

Claires storyline comes across well and we get another guest actor who would go on to reach fame in Glee. The cliffhanger to "Distractions" with the Nathan Petrelli popping up unexpectedly is good 

In short these episodes are largely unwatchable with some of televisions worst bad habits with the odd good thing to remind you why you're watching. 1/10 and needs to improve.

Heroes - Godsend

"First episode done and its time for my thoughts on Heroes - Genesis,

Its a strange watch in 2020, these days we're used to super powered antics on streaming services and in the cinema but back in 2006 we were still two years away from the Robert Downey Jnr and Jon Favreau kicking the MCU into life. The big shows of the day from my POV were Lost and a newly returned Doctor Who so super hero wise we're in uncharted terri..."

* KNOCK KNOCK *

"Hello?"

"Hi Umb0g0, its me Claire Bennet. I better take over this weeks review as due to an administrative mix up you've had your memory wiped..."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure thats not meant to happen to later in the season around about the time the second arc of the season begins and we get some good character episodes."

"Yes you mentioned that in the latest review as well as how it takes some of the characters between two and six episodes to get from location to location when my dad turns up all over America in the same episode." 

"Jolly good, I hope I mention Mrs Petrelli saying she's going to get the best Doctor available and then Christopher Eccleston popping up later in the episode."

"You did, you said this was another good episode improved by various characters crossing paths and being repositioned for the next with a new purpose. Also that Linderman is popping up everywhere and proving to be a very interesting off screen character."

"Brilliant, lets give it 8/10 and get my memory unwiped for the next episode."

Heroes - Fallout

We're still in the aftermath from events two episodes ago but after last weeks side step this is the episode with the titular fallout. Various characters find their status quo shifted and motivations are set up for the next story arc. There is a sense of change in this episode as various characters yet to properly cross paths finally meet. Most of the characters find themselves in Texas this episode due to the events of "Homecoming" and it helps the production feel consistent. Sadly some second tier characters are written out of the show but with the increased presence of Syler and Bennets team this is understandable.

The major moments of the episode are the Haitian making a stand that will affect Claires relationship with her father and the cliffhanger which leaves us with questions about Peter. This is a strong episode, this is the traditional "slow issue" after a major cross over, a time to reflect and aim for a new direction. That said there is a lot going on and I'm very sorry to see the death of Eden who is the definition of a character that had legs. 9/10

The Thing What Went Bump in the Night!!!!

 * BUMP *

 * BUMP *

 * BUMP *

 * BUMP *

 * BUMP *

* COCK A DOODLE DOO *

THE END

Heroes - Six Months Ago

This is an absolutely beautiful episode based around the idea that Hiro goes back into the past six months instead of one day. As Hiro tries to save Charlies life we get various snipets of what other characters were up to at the time and how some of them came to be in the situation we found them in six months time. This is Zachery Quintos as we see the origins of Syler and the hand Chandra Suresh has in setting him on his path albeit inadvertently. 

This episode would go on to create a trope in Superhero shows where we would get an episode set earlier in the season from a characters point of view. Its easy to forget how influential this show is. On top of that this is perhaps the best directed episode thus far - even Nathans flight is handled well! This is both a technical and narrative home run. It gets a 10/10 from me.

Heroes - Homecoming

 Here we are nine episodes in and since this show is going with the comic motif we get the end of the first arc. This is such a good episode as everything thats been built up through Isaacs pictures come to fruition with regards to Claire. There are quite a few twists and turns with some good writing, last episode Hiro was written out of the rescue attempt and this leaves Peter as the only would be rescuer on hand with powers - but his are dependant on others! Its a good build up to the homecoming sequence with lots of character fluff with Claire and her school friends. Theres also some good stuff bubbling under with other plots which gives us things to look forward to in future episodes. Mohinder in particular coming to the decision to return, encounter with the dream child and finding of the list may have been the main plot in most other episodes.

We get to see a painting of Isaacs at the start of the episode that looks like Peter is going to die and its quite good how he gets out of the situation in the end. Syler though looks brilliant, he's so overpowered and it looks like nobody can be a match for him. As the arc ends we get to see repercussions of acts taken as early as episode one and one characters fate is badly telegraphed but fitting. There is so much going on in this episode that is set up for future events that I'm sat here typing this up wanting to see the next episode already. We have so many questions at this point; Is Hiro going to save Charlie? Whats going to happen to Peter? What is Bennet going to do with Sylar? What is Mohinder going to do with the list? Who will win in the ongoing D.L Vs Jessica debacle?

We have had a fantastic arc and we move forward onto our second arc in high spirits. 

Heroes - Seven Minutes to Midnight

I've been looking forward to this episode since my re-watch started. The episode at the diner is one of the most talked about moments and Charlie the waitress (played by Jayma Mays off of Glee) is one of the most memorable characters. She just has something about her that gives off a friendly pleasant vibe, its good casting as we care about this character before she meets her fate despite the short amount of screen time. On the other side of things this is the first episode where Sylar is played by Zachary Quinto and we get our good first proper look at him.

Mohinder being back home in India adds a worldy feel to the episode and his situation is intriguing. He's got a lot of decisions to make and the dream sequences are visually interesting. Matt Parkman continues to be infuriating as he keeps screwing up any chance of forward progression in the plot by being a clunker head. The interrogation scenes are done very well with added frustration that red tape is keeping the police from knowing whats going on.

Bennets part of the episode is so satisfying, we see his base of operations and some of the facilities he has on tap although we don't know who he works for. We get a vague explanation, but its one to take with a pinch of salt. Very much like last week we get another character seen from anothers point of view - this time Claire through Bennets eyes. We also see more of Eden who seems to have the power to influence people (Maxwell Lord!) which explains what Mohinder is doing back in India and how she nabbed Isaac so easily.

 

Something that this episode has that no other has had is that every group of characters has a solid location to base there actions around this episode. Most other episodes have characters drifting from one set to another with no solid base while this episode has the diner, Mohinders office, LA Police HQ and the paper factory. Sometimes one character will have this but not all and its a TV basic that Heroes largely doesn't do and suffers from.

In short this is my favourite episode so far, characters are growing, new ones being introduced and I'm invested in their fates. Also another blooming brilliant cliff hanger and it looks like Hiro very much like the TARDIS off of Doctor Who takes the scenic route instead of the quickest one.

Heroes - Nothing to Hide

 We're seven episodes in and its time to address the elephant in the room, the narration that is usually at the start and end of the episodes does not work. If anything it comes over as David Brent and is getting more farcical every episode.

Bar that its a largely good episode this week, even characters not involved this week feel present through their absence. What has happened to Isaac? Mr Bennet feels present through the use of Claire. Sylar and Linderman who we haven't met yet continue to make noises in the wings as they await their big entrances with Linderman in particular making a very interesting non appearance.

Hiro and Ando's appearance is possibly the highlight of the episode, they appear in the background of DL and Micahs storyline, make an impact and then politely scoot off. Its like they're making a guest appearance in their own show.

I love the fact that in the radioactive guy we meet someone with a proper dangerous alpha power and he's just going about his own life. The fate of the wife is tragic and very X-men. Matts part of the story continues to move at a snails pace.

Niki as a character is struggling, it feels like the writers are confused but I like the idea that Micah seems to know more about Jessica than he was letting on to Niki. 

Nathan and Peter are largely side lined this week as we meet more of the extended Petrelli family. Peters dream comes over as a potential power that he's picked up from someone else and I like how we get some insight into the fact Nathan is not interested in any aspect of their powers. It leads somewhere as we get the Linderman revelation.

Claires plotline feels a little lazy.

For fun heres an example of the characters and their powers;

Peter - Rogue.

Nathan - Eric Gibb.

Hiro - Nightcrawler.

Isaac - Destiny.

Niki - Hulk / Dr Jekyll.

Claire - Wolverine.

Matt - Professor X.

DL - Kitty Pryde.

Micah - Forge.  

Heroes - Better Halves

This is odd episode, everything feels a little bit off and the episode feels out of place or at least out of order. Nikki and Claire are the prominent characters this week and to put it bluntly neither are served well. Claire gets to meet her biological parents and it is atrociously written and acted. However revelation involving her father keep this subplot intriguing. 

Erin, becomes a little bit more interesting this week as we find out she works with Mr Bennet. Away from Nikki and Claires part of the episode the only other thing that happens is Peter and Isaac noticing that he paints in the style of a comic book artist. Which bearing Isaac is a comic book artist is about as surprising as a sunset.

Oh my god Nikki's stuff is awful this week, but its amusing to find out that the actress submitted this episode to get nominated for an Emmy. We meet D.L. properly this week and he also has a power - to phase through solid objects, much like Peters flying it does not translate well to screen and is hysterical. The main fault of this part of the episode is that we saw Nikki's powers first hand two episodes ago and this episode plays out like its meant to be a reveal. As we hear about this "woman" who set D.L. up the viewer immediately knows its Claire.

This episode feels like it was written be someone who hasn't seen or has any knowledge of previous episodes. Theres a lot of low key good stuff in this episode but its obscured by a lot of in your face rubbish and gets a 4/10. 

Heroes - Hiros

 Beware spoilers...

"Save the cheer leader - Save the world"

They finally said the thing!

10/10

Heroes - Collision

 Beware spoilers...

One of my favourite tropes when reading comics was the crossover or when two characters who didn't often meet crossed paths. This is the theme of this weeks episode as our cast of characters who have mostly been kept isolated from each other begin to intermingle. We get everything from teases as some regulars pass each other in corridors and full blown meet ups. Bar Mohinder and Nathans brief altercation I enjoyed this aspect of the episode in particular the ending which was a surprise. We get another good cliffhanger which leaves the viewer cursing the time they must pass before viewing the next episode and one of the best compliments I can give this show is that its rivalling Lost with the cliffhangers.

Claire gets a lot of action this episode, I enjoyed seeing last episodes cliffhanger from a different point of view. After escaping from the morgue she decides to take down her would be rapist/killer Brody - who I only just realised this episode is played by Matthew Lanter off of Timeless. Its good to see a character using potentially passive powers so aggressively. There's a lot of character stuff as she's reluctant to make a fuss and is only moved to so by hearing of another victim.

We get answers about Nikki's powers this episode - she's a Jekyll and Hyde character by the look of it. She takes on a stronger grittier persona when she blacks out - think Hulk without the CGI. We also get more teases regarding Linderman who remains tantalisingly off screen yet is connected to the Petrelli family.

Mister Bennet continues to be of interest despite remaining low key this week, despite the theme of the week involving characters crossing paths he has done the most interacting as of this point. He still does a bit but its hidden in the shadows and doesn't get much screen time.

Isaac does some more painting this week and what we see is mostly related to Claire which creates a good bit of tension in Claires scenes. We see a good little bit of plotting this week, its been established he needs to shoot up with heroin to paint the future so it takes him out of the picture (do you see what I did there) when Peter comes knocking at the door.

I love the juxtaposition of this episode where the one person who can't turn their powers on in Peter finally meets up with Mohinder and can't prove himself genuine when almost everyone this episode is going big on using their powers.

I really enjoyed this episode and its getting a 9/10. I've not seen any of Heroes since the initial broadcast and I got excited near the end because I thought Hiro was going to say THAT line. But I'm still excited because the ending reminded me of an episode yet to come that I'm really excited for now. 

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 30-21

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 30-21. As usual beware spoilers and enjoy!

30. The Wormery, possibly the most bat bleep crazy play in this ranking and I mean this in a barnstorming fun way. We have the sole appearance of Iris Wildthyme played by Katy Manning in the range who is a bonkers pastiche of The Doctor who first turned up in the books and has gone on to have her own spin-off range. Colin Bakers 6th Doctor is a wonderful foil for her, we have a vulnerable Doctor who is post trial and having issues. This leads to a story of wonderful melancholy, we're not in a Doctor Who story here - it feels like Big Finish have released this story in the wrong range - a feeling also put across by the cover. As I'm writing this entry my memory is being overloaded by wonderful memories. Like Zagreus the release beforehand this is a good gateway into other ranges and a story which has an unexpected cameo. If I could compare this play to something else it would be Twin Peaks, lots of surrealism lots of melancholy and lots of everything.

29. The One Doctor, a play thats become a Christmas tradition among Big Finish listeners as its fun panto. Similar to the 10th Doctor meeting someone who is himself dialled up to 11 in The Next Doctor the 6th Doctor does the same with Banto Zame imitating him. The jokes hit and its a fun Christmas family play.   

28. The Council of Nicaea, its the 5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem in a fantastic play where The Doctor and Erimem take opposite views and opposing sides in Emperor Constantines first council. Speaking personally I had no knowledge of the events in this play and was fully absorbed by the events. It speaks of how divisive religion can be in that it nearly tears the lineup of regulars apart. We would touch on The Doctor and Erimem disagreeing with each other and the unique perception Erimem has as a princess from ancient Egypt this however is the deepest this storyline would go.

27. Storm Warning, its hard to believe now but this play and the following season (and seasons) is the closest we felt we would ever get to a new series. Paul McGann was the current Doctor and a few years after getting the rites to Doctor Who they finally got the current Doctor. Theres something magic about the opening narration - of which is one of Paul McGanns best skills. We have lovely introductions of the 8th Doctor and Charley, we have a fun setting in the R101, we have a fun plot and fun guest stars. This play is a snapshot in time where everything was fun and fluffy.

26. Phantasmagoria, the second release in the range and first "proper" release after the multi Doctor story Sirens. Its another fun and fluffy play with the 5th Doctor and rare appearance by Turlough. Turlough is at his best when he's being a rubbish companion and this is played to a hilt. Its 1702 in London and we have fun and fluff with demons, highway men and the Diablo club. Its another case of a fun romp going for gold in being a fun romp.

25. Circular Time, an absolute gorgeous collection of one episode stories with a vague theme of seasons of the year. With the lineup of the 5th Doctor and Nyssa this is Big Finishes first collection of one episode stories in a release and its absolutely fantastic. After a fun rompy story in Spring things get deep and as a listener it shows that not all plays have to by two hour plus epics as we go the opposite way and go intimate. David Warners performance as Sir Isaac Newton is one of the best one off appearances in the range. The second disc contains Autumn and Winter feels like a complete change in style it feels like two epilogues (one of which the epilogue to an entire era) and its an engaging change of pace. We get to go to places we may have only been in our own head cannons and in that respect it makes me think it makes me ponder. This release is one of the ones I've only heard once but it lingers more in the mind than others and I look forward to a revisit.

24. No Man's Land, we're back with the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex in World War 1. A fantastic concept of a story with the Doctor being asked to investigate a murder and accidentally arriving before it happens. Its a whodunnit, a war story and a psychological horror with plenty of twists and turns.

23. The Harvest, we have the debut of Hex as the 7th Doctor and Ace investigate the goings on at a hospital. This story feels like the start of an era and is a good jumping on point if you want to go through a TARDIS lineup in story order. There are links to other stories - however this story also works if you don't know about them. Its a very intriguing and espionage heavy story, the format is very good as we don't see things from The Doctor and Aces point of view but are introduced into the events through Hex. This play is for you if you enjoy a thriller and want to come back multiple times to see how the story works after later revelations.

22. Seasons of Fear, now this is a proper fun one - the 8th Doctor finally gets Charley to Singapore where all hell breaks lose. Its a quest with the TARDIS off to a different location every episode taking on the mysterious Sebastian Grayle and his unseen (until later) mysterious allies. This is Big Finish doing The Chase / Dalek Masterplan and it feels like its built on a foundation of playing cards yet a strong riff keeps it together. Theres a lot going on and its a story where centrally there is a lot of fun fluff yet a lot of tangental ties to other plays in this season - again it rewards a re-listen. There's a fun little mystery to who Grayles allies are and the clues are all there if you want to play the game and avoid spoilers. Possibly one of the most fun plays in the range.

21. The Natural History of Fear, we're in the 8th Doctors third season with this being the highlight. Its a twist story where we're thrown in and try to work out what on Earth is going on. I don't mean this in s frustrating way, all the way through this play the listeners ears are on edge as we strive to work out whats going on, listening for clues and looking for dual meanings. There are two minor problems that stop this being higher, its C'rizz second story and the listener isn't as familiar with Conrad Westmass voice as the story requires us to be. This added on to the nature of characters we've already met in this story lead us part way to some answers before we're meant to get them. Without doubt this is one of the best scripts Big Finish have ever produced and its a shame Jim Mortimore hasn't done more. This story works best out of context with the season and shines during what was a frustrating time for the range.

Heroes - One Giant Leap

 Beware spoilers...

This episode feels rather like Game of Thrones in that there are a lot of plot lines going on and we're only meeting up with each one for a scene or two. We'll start at the end this episode - thats a corking cliff hanger, waking up during your own autopsy is the stuff of nightmares and is a fantastic way to end a TV show. Contrasted with Isaac finding a drawing of Peter and Simone kissing under the red umbrella (a fantastic visual) this show really knows how to end an episode.

Hiro and Ando are lots of fun this week as they follow the events in the comic - plus its a good easy way for Hiro to prove he isn't just insane. I like the fact their action in the episode ends just as the comic does, it echoes those youthful emotions of finishing a comic and not having to wait to find out what happens next issue. It looks like they're going on a road trip across America, no idea why but it looks like they don't know either.

We don't find out whats going on with Nikki but her husband is being built up for a late to the party arrival in a future episode.

The big thing about this episode is Sylar making his appearance on the show. He makes a fantastic overpowered debut feeling like a Dark Souls boss turning up in a Stardew Valley game. Already we have questions, what does he want with the girl? why does he have a similar map to Chandra and what is his connection to him? 

We're left asking new questions including who is this mysterious character popping up at the bar wating Matt?

Good stuff and its another 10/10 from me.

 

Heroes - Don't Look Back

Beware Spoilers...

This second episode reaps the reward of the first episode and is a more satisfying watch as a result. The repercussions of Peter jumping off the building in the previous episode hits deep. Nathan is denying it happened so it won't affect his political career, the mother is distraught and Peter is broken as he doesn't think he's special and now believes Nathan is. I spoke about the flight scene in the previous episode being a dog but the hovering scene goes the opposite way and is beautiful. Also the sketch is a good clue to what Peters true powers really are and is one of the elements that make a re-watch fun.

We're learning a few things about Claire and her family such as the fact that she's adopted and her caring nature. Already theres a feeling Claire is going to be a big factor in the series.

Niki's part of the episode is perhaps the most intriguing - I'd forgot what a slow burn the road to finding out what her power actually is and its fun. She's blacking out, seeing and odd reflection, it looks like she's killing people and from the skulls that pop up near the end she may have killed a lot.

Mohinder meets a new friend and finds a flash drive full of his fathers work, we also get the first appearance of Syler recorded on an answerphone and he gets a mention in another plot line of the episode. Theres a feeling that the show is getting the hooks out ready to hold us down for the long haul.

Matt Parkman played by Greg Grunberg pops up near the end of the episode and I'd forgot it took him this long to show up. By far the regular who went on to be the most recognisable imo. He discovers a hidden girl at a crime scene due to telepathy and is promptly arrested by Clea DuVall of all people - her of Girl Interrupted, Ghosts of Mars and The Faculty fame. I'd completely forgot she was in this!

Hiro after teleporting to New York finds out he's in the future by about a month, finds the dead body of Isaac, is arrested, witnesses an explosion and promptly teleports back to what we assume is the present. Blooming eck Masi Oka is absolutely charming as Hiro and should be doing more things that I'm aware of.

A brilliant second episode, sometimes a show just needs to get a tricky start out of the way so it can do what its designed for. In this episode see character arcs connecting, see more of their lives. This is without doubt near perfect TV and if you plan on watching the show I'd sit through at least this episode until you decide if you're in for the duration of season 1. I have to call out the one fault in this episode, I had no idea the dead body Hiro finds in the future is Isaac. One small yet pivotal lapse as the first time around I only picked it up from dialogue in later episodes.

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 40-31

  Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 40-31. As usual beware spoilers and enjoy!

40. Sword of Orion, during this ranking I've said that quite a few stories could rise with a re-listen and this play is a case in point. When this story came out it was not the story I was hoping for, Cybermen in the internet age doing new things with technology - awesome! Instead we get a boring traditional story that felt like it was copy and pasted from somewhere else. However thats not the case, with a re-listen we have a wonderful story that captures the sense of fun and energy that set the tine for Paul McGann. It gets better with every listen and I've grown quite fond of it. Its certainly the best of Nicholas Briggs "not nailed to the plot" stories and has fantastic world building. The stories weakness on the first listen has become its strength, the market that the 8th Doctor and Charley find themselves in is wonderful, the ships crew become well rounded characters and it matters more when the Cybermen turn up and try to spoil everything. This story is a lovely traditional world building (for spin off series) moment that I get soppy about.

39. Whispers of Terror, OMG its another one I get soppy about as its the first 6th Doctor story and third release over all. Along with Peri he's in an audio museum as Justin Richards pens a fun mystery which has some fun audio aspects. I have a fondness for this story as its the one I got along with Sirens of time and was a part of my first ever Big Finish haul. Of note are cast appearances by Lisa Bowerman and Peter Miles who are lots of fun.

38. 100, from part of the earliest haul its the final listen of the first 100 releases. A lovely collection of stories here as to celebrate the 100 release. Its nice that Colins 6th Doctor gets this moment as his Doctor has been repaired by Big Finish and he shares the stage with Maggie Stables Evelyn Smythe the companion who did so much for him. The stories are lots of fun with a menagerie of writers from the range - some of which haven't been around for a while. The first two stories are quite fun luring the listener into a false sense of comfort and then some rather interesting things happen on the final disc. A fun moment and a celebration rather than a play.      

37. Son of the Dragon, its a historical featuring the 5th Doctor, Peri, Erimem and Dracula - Yes Dracula! This isn't your Bram Stoker stuff this is full blown historical First Doctor era stuff going on here. A mighty stark story set in Eastern Europe sees enemies on all sides including among the companions as we visit an aspect of Erimem seen in an earlier story. Its good writing by Steve Lyons a familiar name from the book range with James Purefoy on good form as Vlad III.If I have to pick one word to describe this play its "stark" everything feels bleak and time travel feels like hard labour instead of fun - I mean this as a compliment. This is not one of the fluffy plays - its as far away as you can get with nothing in the shape of garlic and coffins to lighten the mood. Proper moody stuff indeed.

36. The Reaping, featuring the 6th Doctor, Peri and the Cybermen. Written by Joseph Lidster who I'd like to mention as a number of his plays have already been mentioned and this is the highest ranked. It gels with me which is largely a first for a full release story. Like the last one its also dark and theres a lot of things going on, Nicola Bryant is given some of her most powerful scenes, the Doctor feels like he's constantly a step behind and the Cybermen feel more vicious than usual. This play contains one of the best resolutions ever in a Big Finish release. Just when it looks like the Cybermen have won one of the best plot twists occurs that is so good I gave an expletive ridden gasp of shock.

35. Neverland, the finale of the 8th Doctors second season wrapping up the ongoing storylines that have been going on since Charley turned up and setting things up for Zagreus. This is a personal story for me as it marks the end of an era, I'd just left Uni and life was about to change and this story ends on such a good cliff hanger that I felt it was a good point to put things on hold and come back later. In hindsight this series foreshadows the format of Doctor Who when it returned to TV in the shape that we have a mystery thats been built up for most of the season, we get returning characters including someone whose been popping up in various stories and we're in the situation where its the companion in jeopardy instead of The Doctor - plus Charley is a Big Finish original companion! On first listen we have no idea if she's going to survive. A satisfying conclusion to the season with an impressive cliff hanger pulling us into everything that followed.

34. The Axis of Insanity, blimey its Simon Furman off of The Transfomers comics on writing duties. This play see's the 5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem visit a realm containing an elephants graveyard of broken time lines that has been taken over by an insane jester. This jester is so well performed it lifts the story and should be listened to for the performance alone. However theres enough fun and fluff from the characters and location that its not a one person play. Dare I say it, the play feels like it shouldn't work but work it does and its highly absorbing.

33. I.D. its our first two play release on this list for some time, we have the three episode long I.D. and the one part Urgent Calls. Colin Bakers Doctor is going solo on this release and its an interesting dynamic, I.D. is a very good story with an interesting cast including one time contender to be a companion if Sophie Aldred hadn't have locked her in the lavs and of all people Gyles Brandreth! Its very good cyber punk tech scavenging stuff. However the main reason this release is this high is due to Urgent Calls a lovely done in one play with a gorgeous format. The story is a string of phone conversations with a Whoish twist that leaves a lovely taste in the ears. I'd go as far as to say if this ranking was individual stories Urgent Calls would be top 10, maybe even top 5.

32. Night Thoughts, a fantastic scary night time monster / whodunnit story featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex. Oooh, this is another good one, full of twists, good characters and the 7th Doctor infuriating everyone by keeping secrets and getting things wrong until they go right. This entire team is a triumph and Hex has added so much to what including the books could be described as the most over used double act in Doctor Who. Also possibly one of the most memorable endings.

31. Medicinal Purposes, Doctor Who does the Burke & Hare body snatchings with a Doctor Who twist. Robert Ross on writing duties makes a near faultless debut - sorry your other play is so low! With a historical that at one point takes an unexpected turn with good results. a mystery turns into a battle of wits that in turn leads to an ethical decision. Leslie Phillips is giving a career best performance as Knox - one of Big Finishes best original creations. He has a voice I could listen to for days! This play is so rich, it draws you in, refuses to let you go and when it ends your left in a hell of a state. On note in the guest cast is David Tennant who is a pivotal presence in this story. The story features the 6th Doctor and Evelyn who go through the ringer again, if ever there was a TARDIS crew that deserved to land on the planet of milkshakes and fluffy bunnies its these two. Sometimes the good guys don't win, sometimes they only survive and this is one of those times.

Heroes - Genesis

 First episode done and its time for my thoughts on Heroes - Genesis,

Its a strange watch in 2020, these days we're used to super powered antics on streaming services and in the cinema but back in 2006 we were still two years away from the Robert Downey Jnr and Jon Favreau kicking the MCU into life. The big shows of the day from my POV were Lost and a newly returned Doctor Who so super hero wise we're in uncharted territory.

We're introduced to a number of characters who we don't know at this point are linked by fate with the added aspect that some of them are developing powers - some are ever so subtle, some we don't know about yet but the connection is powers are developing among certain people. We see, flight, teleportation, healing factors and the ability to predict the future via the medium of ketting up & getting the paint brushes out.

The filmography and making of the eclipse a central point of the episode along with Claires home footage of her emerging powers are the high points of a very poorly directed episode. The flight scene looks like the director has locked himself in the lav and took LSD just before filming.

Sendhil Ramamurthy as Mohinder is a good choice as narrator and his monologue sets the tone well. In fact him Claire and Hiro are the most memorable characters and we don't yet know who are going to be the main players. The strongest aspects of this episode are the introduction of the paintings of the future and the questions over who has and hasn't got powers - as well as what exactly are some of the power.

Its a very good watch second time around as there are a lot of nods to later and earlier incidents. Also I paused it as the flight picture is blatantly Peter and not Nathan - something I never noticed before.

However there are a lot of problems - I've mentioned the direction so I won't be going there again. The main take I got from this episode is that The Wachowski Sisters would be along a decade later to do this properly a decade later with Sense8. Its too network orientated, instead of feeling like a world encompassing story all the characters are in America already. Also theres a lot of low level misogyny going on, the female characters are either characterised by looks - being a cheerleader or a stripper - or by being someones mum in one occasion both.

Its a 6/10 from me as I'm enjoying a lot of the mystery and introduction of characters, however a lot of the basics of being a TV show need a good going over.

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 50-41

 Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 50-41. As usual beware spoilers and enjoy!

50. Unregenerate! Ooooh, we're into the top 50! I've no idea why there is an exclamation mark in the title but what the hell it looks good! What do you mean I've used up my quota of exclamation marks? This is a good one, starting off with a good situation that has the listener demanding to know whats going on. We know the 7th Doctor is in trouble and Mel is given the role as psuedolistener to find out whats going on. Its also a fairly tight play despite the flashy nature of the plot, although it does proper let rip when we get to the cliff hangers. It feels odd having the season 24 team in something that feels very late 7th Doctor era (possibly Virgin New Adventures era) although it doesn't jar, possibly the Doctor is realising he has to make changes if he wants this incarnation to work out. A tight low key story with some brilliant WTF moments.

49. Caerdroia, we're back in the divergent universe with the 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz but don't worry this is a fun one. This is the most joyful this arc ever got and theres still the odd dark moment. We're thrown into a series of set pieces that hold together, laugh at the audio format and examine the nature of The Doctor. We're nearly at the end of this arc and it feels like it, things actually matter in this story, we finally get answers and there is a chance to change the status quo. The listeners opinion of this story is going to be based on what you make of Eeyore and Tigger. Personally I enjoyed them and I think Paul McgGann did too.

48. Project Lazurus, lets go back in time to 2003 where for a period of a few months the range went experimental. In this case we have two interlinked two part stories featuring the 6th Doctor with Evelyn and then the 7th Doctor. This is one of the most continuity heavy plays although its not over the top and is rewarding. Its the second (and third) appearance of Nimrod and The Forge and its a good sequel. Its bloody dark as well which you would expect after the first story. Listening to this blind was one of my most rewarding listens as the first two parts flew by at the speed of sound. Evelyn goes through the mill and this is a pivotal story for her. The start of part three and a different incarnation of The Doctor rocking up with no warning is why I listen to the releases blind with no knowledge - as a result its one of my favourite moments in the range.

47. Project Twilight, its the first appearance of The Forge and Nimrod in a play thats a good one off listen as well as setting elements up for the future. Its the 6th Doctor and Evelyn in action with a good thriller set in a London casino. This story is noteworthy for me as its why I listen to the stories blind with no knowledge of anything - the writer gives away the nature of the villains of this story on the inlay notes. As a result it spoiled the first listen and this one is lower in my rankings that it should be. Caven Scott and Mark Wright the writing team have more than made up for it penning some top quality releases one of which is further up this ranking. 

46. The Nowhere Place, its another Nicholas Briggs written story and this time he's doing horror with the 6th Doctor and Evelyn. I'm pleased that Nicholas Briggs would take over the range when Gary Russell moved on as I firmly believe he's one of the most consistent creators in Who. This is one of my favourite horror stories in Who and essentially its done with little more than a door and a bell.  

45. Live 34, this was another shock to listen to blind. The format of the story is that of a radio broadcast covering the events of an adventure featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex. This is a case of how the story is told rather than whats actually happening lifting the play. We're hearing this story at points in the form of propaganda by the bad guys. Of note is a guest appearance from Andrew Collins off of 90s radio which lends the play a sense of realism.

44. Memory Lane, its the 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz in a surreal play involving a never ending street and the mystery of an astronaut. The image of spring and the snooker world championships gives this play a sense of nostalgia. The mystery of what is going on is delightful and theres some nice moments about culture. In lesser hands this story would be forgotten filler but its lovely in every way.

43. Threes a Crowd, an absolute cracking thriller featuring the 5th Doctor, Peri and Erimem. I love these types of stories as Big Finish do them so well. Set on an isolated space station with the thinning population living their lives with little social interaction - something is blatantly wrong and its up to The Doctor to find out what. Plus Erimem experiencing a science fiction setting is fun and Deborah Watling gives a good turn as Auntie.

42. Time of the Daleks, set in the 8th Doctors second season with Charley along for the ride this play written by Justin Richards whose doing what he does best - writing a romp. This is one of the best examples of a fun story the range has to offer. Theres a little bit of continuity which doesn't hamper the story as the season is nearly at its climax. The dialogue is cracking the jokes are good, there are a few good twists and the plot rockets along - utter fun!

41. Eye of the Scorpion, I've not heard this one in a while so this ranking is based purely on vague memories. However it introduces Erimem to the range joining the 5th Doctor and Peri. Its got a few good jokes, a good Elvis one and a really good memorable finale that makes use of archaeological / historical fact. Its also quite a surprise to see (or hear) us get a new regular. The Egyptian setting is wonderful and its quite nice to see Peri take centre stage for an episode as members of the court plot Erimems downfall.

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 60-51

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 60-51. Enjoy!

60. Winter For the Adept, another early one with release number 10 in the range featuring the 5th Doctor, Nyssa, Andrew Cartmel as writer, a first appearance on books by India Fisher, a guest appearance by Peter Jurasik of Babylon 5 fame and those eagle eyed among you will spot Sally Faulkner who appeared in the Patrick Troughton era. Blimey thats one hell of an introduction and we haven't touched on the story yet. Its still early days for the 5th Doctor and the story does something brave by introducing Nyssa an entire episode before The Doctor. We're in classic isolated location with spooky things going bump in the dark territory and the majority of this story has a cracking eerie atmosphere. Its a scene away from sticking the landing as "The Adept" don't quite fit in with the rest of the story but its still a string entry for Peter Davison after a few good but not great stories. 

59. Master, this is the 7th Doctors entry into the villain trilogy leading up to Zagreus and its The Master with a defining performance by Geoffrey Beevers. Anthony Ainley didn't work with Big Finish before he sadly passed away but one actors loss is another actors gain. Another guest actor heavyweight appears in the form of Philip Madoc he of the "don't tell him Pike" fame. I want to mention Joseph Lidster as a few of his stories have already come up which weren't my thing however this is his most memorable and its a fantastic example of how to do a deep dive and examine a villain in prose format. We're in late era solo 7th Doctor territory here and theres a heavy dose of Virgin New Adventures atmosphere to this story. It feels like the 7th Doctor is moments away from regenerating and he's paying for the sins of earlier deals and bad decisions.

58. Faith Stealer, we're back with the 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz in the divergent universe. After the heavy going of the previous season we get a fun start to this season and its saying interesting things about religion without making me cringe which is no mean feat. Its a strong moment for the range as for the first time in a while the 8th Doctor and Charley are having fun and this may be the first story to do something interesting with C'rizz. The Kro'Ka who at this point we're not sure if he is the antagonist or a bemused observer becomes far more interesting. All in all this is a good fun story which the storyline and incarnation of The Doctor needed.

57. Year of the Pig, its a rare appearance for the line up of the 6th Doctor and Peri in a wonderful dark comedic PG Wodehouse pastiche. A witty script that you can tell aroused the actors full of laughter and a few moments that will make you shudder. Its another stellar cast featuring Maureen O'Brien off of the 1st Doctors era, Adjoa Andoh off of the 10th Doctor era and Michael Keating off of Blake and his Merry 7. For a long part of this story it doesn't feel like Doctor Who and I'm all for it - Doctor Who is at its best when its trying to be something else. Its very close to being higher in this ranking, all it needs is a bit of a trip and a pig who is an actor not a line reader.

56. The Sandman, its the 6th Doctor and Evelyn in a very interesting story set aboard "The Clutch" a collection of spaceships controlled by the alien race the Galyari. A very memorable setting that in hindsight feels like a low level Valerian and the City of a 1000 Planets. Also the major plot of The Doctor being a bogeyman for a race is interesting and engaging - also amusing with the digs on the 6th Doctors coat. 

55. Dust Breeding, the 7th Doctor and Ace feature in a play written by Mike Tucker who I mostly associate with the 7th Doctors era in the BBC books. In short when I see Mikes name I know I'm going to enjoy it. This story is all about the first listen for me, its packed with returns including Bev Tarrant, Caroline John, a monster from the books and Geoffrey Beevers. Added to this is another return that I didn't see coming and squee every time I remember that cliffhanger

54. The Stones of Venice, we're in the first 8th Doctor season as he takes Charley to Venice. This story is Paul Magrs at his barmy best with the added delight of Michael Sheard in the guest cast. I've always regarded this as feeling more like a play than most of Big Finishes releases. Theres a very surreal number of scenes as Charley gets drugged and drugged and as it a production it feels like Big Finish flexing its muscles and growing.

53. The Spectre of Lanyon Moor, a proper good romp featuring the 6th Doctor, Evelyn and the Brigadier in the English countryside. James Bolam and Susan Jameson appear in the cast and this story just brings back memories of 1970s era Doctor Who - in fact you could easily fit the 4th Doctor into this. In short its more Doctor Who than jelly babies and hat stands.

52. Embrace the Darkness, the underrated gem of the 8th Doctors second season, its a proper Nick Briggs story in that the play is absolutely nailed to the plot which is Nicks greatest strength. The only flaw in this story is that there is no part three and is blatantly padding. Bar that this play is engaging with good horror and makes full use of the audio medium. Also the character ROSM is one of the most memorable one off characters in the range - Paul McGann and Ian Brooker are clearly having a ball in their scenes. Very memorable, full of good low level horror and has a very different vibe in this story to the usual house style.

51. The Sirens of Time, where it all started as the 5th, 6th and 7th Doctors team up to get the range rolling. I don't want to talk about the strengths or weaknesses, whatever anyones opinion of this is I'm cool with it I just think about the first time a Big Finish delivery came through my letterbox and hearing these Doctors in new material for the first time. Also Maggie Stables who would go onto become an original range companion is in it which I think makes for good karma. All the Doctors get to do a bit of solo action before teaming up and it sets the tone for the early releases. Of note is the 6th Doctor and there are some hints that its time to forget what we now about him as he's starting with a fresh slate - its a lovely early mission statement.    

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 70-61

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 70-61. Enjoy!

70. The Game, a fun story featuring the 5th Doctor and Nyssa in which the play pokes fun at football - also there is an intriguing guest appearance by Jonathan Pearce in the cast. An intriguing play with a slightly different format, Big Finish are flexing their muscles and working on multiple levels. Of note is another guest appearance by William Russell as Lord Carlisle a character who feels a little bit like the inspiration for River Song. 

69. The Juggernauts, another outing for Davros and he again crosses paths with the 6th Doctor along with Mel. Interesting things are going on here and the way The Doctor and Mel get involved in the situation is one of the most interesting in the Big Finish range. Also to compare it to Davros which appeared earlier in this ranking this feels like a story and not the writer harping on about the way of the world.

68. Jubilee, a story with a reputation for being reworked into the TV story Dalek but what about the play itself? I have a confession due to being on a break and the start of me falling behind with Big Finishes output I saw Dalek before hearing Jubilee. I don't think it affected my opinion as hearing it blind I didn't know it was coming. The 6th Doctor and Evelyn make for one heck of a team and both get put through the ringer. It oozes atmosphere but as a story it doesn't get near Rob Shearmans earlier releases - its missing an ending, with the one we get reminding me of Sherzo. This isn't a fun story, at times its deliberately unpleasant - its absolutely blooming memorable though. Its not one I revisit often, its the best example of a Big Finish tough yet fulfilling sit but I like it.

67. Renaissance of the Daleks, if I'm to be absolutely blunt this feels like the early story The Mutant Phase done right. From a story edited beyond recognisation from Christopher H Bidmead, its solid, its fun, has witty dialogue Davison has found his feet since the earlier story and this is a good way to spend a couple of hours. 

66. Red, an outing for the 7th Doctor and Mel as they arrive in The Needle where the citizens are unable to commit violence due to being chipped. Needless to say violence begins to occur and The Doctor is blamed. A very memorable story for audio reasons alone, the use of screaming Red, The Doctor being put through the mill as he struggles with the situation and the familiar tones of Sandi Toksvig among the guest cast. Certainly one of the best produced plays in the range.

65. Time Works, its the 8th Doctor, Charlie and C'rizz in a timey wimey play! I absolutely love this one, the opening half leaves me wanting to know what is going on and once we do know things get tense. As a story it drip feeds us information that keeps the listener on the edge of their seat right until the end.

64. Bloodtide, not only is this the first appearance of the Silurians in the range they are put in a play with Charles Darwin! If that doesn't grab you and make you listen nothing will, its an utterly gorgeous story that gets a little bit dark later in the play. This is the first appearance by writer Jonathan Morris who is a firm favourite of mine.

63. The Fires of Vulcan, its the 7th Doctor and Mel in a historical set in Pompeii just before the eruption of Vesuvius. This is still early enough in the range where historicals were a novelty and in terms of production this is a strong entry in the range. The ending brings things down and while it isn't cheating it feels like cheating, without this ending it would be possibly top ten.

62. Other Lives, its the 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz in an historical. Its very good its not as moody as a lot of stories with this line up are. Even though things are a bit dark for C'rizz and his personal arc after the cliffhanger ending of Terror Firma. Of note is an appearance in the guest cast by Ron Moody.

61. The Apocalypse Element, the 6th Doctors entry in Dalek Empire. There is a lot of stuff going on in this story and by that I mean a LOT of action. It blatantly isn't an audio and can be a little bit tricky to follow but in essence its the Daleks taking on Gallifrey in what canonically is an early skirmish in the time war. Romana played by Lalla Ward makes her first appearance in the range. Theres a lot of continuity going on but thankfully nothing that distracts from the story. This is the closest Big Finish have got to an all out action film and its a lot of fun if occasionally a bugger to follow.    

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 80-71

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 80-71. Enjoy!


80. Singularity, I have a soft spot for this one as it sees the return of Mark Strickson as Turlough for what feels like the first time in ages. Earlier in the range he was the first companion to partner the 5th Doctor and it was a rare treat when he popped up. As a result I always give an internal cheer when he turns up. At this point in the range Peter Davisons Doctor does exasperation so well and with Turlough essentially being a good character and a rubbish companion makes for a good mix. A good heady mix of Russian and Alien intrigue results in an enjoyable story. Of note is the fact that as the story progresses the stakes rise.


79. The Gathering, first of all a caveat as long time readers know I listen to these audios blind without knowing anything beforehand. I also occasionally buy them blind when on offer, that was the case with this release and as such I had no idea it was part of a loose trilogy until a lot later. As a result lots of the references to other stories are lost on me. We get another 5th Doctor companion in the shape of Tegan - her first main range appearance! I'm absolutely landed as I didn't think we'd get her on board. Everything that happens in this story is technically good, raised by Janet Fielding but the story needed an edit as its so depressing. Its a good story but there isn't a lot of trademark Big Finish wit or style.


78. Dreamtime, as I sit here to type this out I have to confess this is one I don't have much memory of. There were nice ideas and its in a section of my pile that suggests I've relistened to it recently, all I can remember is it being rather earnest but likeable.


77. The Settling, another release featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex although the later two get more of the action. Clive Mantle off of Casualty gives one of the best guest performances and the story is nothing if not dramatic. Away from the drama and feel there isn't enough going on for me - in particular the way McCoys Doctor is taken out of the main plot doesn't quite do it for me. If you're looking for a release dripping in atmosphere this one is for you. I can't let this entry pass without saying it genuinely wouldn't take much for this story to go into my top ten.


76. The Last, a right moody release with a good gimmick - that they telegraph with overuse. In terms of atmosphere its similar to the previous entry in this ranking albeit worlds apart in plot and theme. The 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz are at a point in the alternate universe arc where things are interesting and largely fun. This story is different to those surrounding it and it feels like Big Finish are getting back to grips with the season format after a tricky 3rd season. Very good stuff albeit you can see the end coming a mile away.


75. The Land of the Dead, an early fun romp featuring the 5th Doctor and Nyssa. Good location and fun plot make for a fun play - of note there is a location layout on the sleeve to help the listener follow the action. However I don't think its needed as the dialogue puts over the layout of the house very well.


74. The Wishing Beast and Vanity Box, a rather fun if odd release. I love Paul Magrs stuff and usually when listening blind I can spot his trademarks. This release is two stories spread over four episodes - 3 and 1 respectively. Its a very surreal set of stories and I come away thinking Vanity Box is more enjoyable where The Wishing Beast feels like it isn't comfortable with its episode length. Absolute fun - gets crazy at times and has a nice camp one parter at the end.


73. Valhalla, oooh its another solo story for McCoy near the end of the 7th Doctors era. Obviously its now known as the story with Michelle Gomez in and truth be told its added a fun element to the story. Marc Platt (writer of the TV story Ghostlight) does a lot on interesting things in this story and it works as both a disaster piece and a thriller. The Doctor going to a job centre is a memorable moment as its The Doctors mood that mirrors that of Valhalla. Rest assured this story may be moody but its good.


72. Nocturne, featuring the 7th Doctor, Ace and Hex this is an absolutely fascinating play. The concept of The Doctor having another favourite planet that we've not seen before makes for a fun story, however due to the quality of the world building by Dan Abnett I feel like I'm more familiar with the planet Nocturne than I've any right to be. I care what happens to this place, I buy that The Doctor has visited it many times before and has an emotional stake in this planet. As such the play presses my buttons and gets the emotions out of me that it should.


71. Primeval, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa visit an earlier era of Traken and theres a lot of fun going on here. Of course its a sequel to Keeper of Traken and the best compliment I can give Primeval is that whenever I come away from this story I want to my Keeper DVD. This story makes me think about good and evil, its interesting and endearing. Stephen Grief another Blakes 7 alumni gives a good performance as the villain and its a good turn my all.           

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 90-81

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. This is the second round of the rankings taking from 90-81. Enjoy!


90. ...ish, there are so many good things about this play set at a conference of lexicographers. It is the perfect story for Colin Bakers Doctor, it is perhaps one of the most quotable stories of this range and as I'm typing this many moments are waltzing into my brain to be remembered. Sadly this story is down low due to what it isn't rather than what it is. This story would make a perfect one parter or even two parter, its a shame it wasn't produced later in the series where imo it would have been produced as such. As such its padded - there is a lot to like about this story however there is a lot of standing around and talking to reach it.


89. The Rapture, at its best this story is trippy weird stuff which I will happily hit the dance floor for. When this story is at its best I haven't got a clue whats going on which I'm happy for - the stuff with Tony Blackburn is brilliant. However the rest of story is a bit "sensible shoes" not fitting in with the rest of it. The setting in late 90s Ibiza is not my jam, theres a lot of stuff to like here which is combined with other aspects which are not for me. If anything this one is down low due to my personal taste rather than quality.


88. Frozen Time, this is another story which could rise on a re-listen as I've only heard it once and its down this low for a daft reason. At the time of release a lot of the previous releases had three and one episode plays, as I got to the end of episode three I was thinking "its been OK, hopefully the one part story will give this release a boost" and then we had an extra episode of a story that already felt like it was coming to an end. As a story it does interesting things without absorbing me as a listener, from memory it looks like we're going to get a crossover with two villains / monsters at one point which doesn't happen. It feels rather lethargic in terms of story feel as the 7th Doctor towards the end of his incarnation is a strange beast. I wanted to like it more than I did and hopefully in the future I will.


87.The Twilight Kingdom, the end of the 8th Doctors third season and we're still in the divergent universe. As a story its very good, interesting in the right bits a good bit of intrigue and memorable. However against it we're still in the divergent universe story arc which is becoming a slog - it would get better in the next season but this story feels slightly out of place and would certainly benefit from a listening in isolation of the preceding stories.


86. The Next Life, its the end of an era. This is the last story Paul McGann would have as the current Doctor and for the next few years his stories would be one off and not in seasons. It mirrors the Divergent arc in many ways - its long and a bit of a slog. I feel that everything from the last two seasons are wrapped up and its satisfying that we're coming back to the main universe. The casting is outstanding with Daphne Ashbrook and Anneke Wills doing very good plus we've got Paul Darrow commanding our ears with his typical performance (Michael Keating was in the Twilight Kingdom for a Blakes 7 link). I often find myself defending this story as its absolutely riveting on a first listen, the middle episodes turn into a giant info dump centred around a hunt and C'rizz standing by a well. However the start is excellent and the end is really blooming good.


85. Something Inside, a tight moody thriller in a big box with an ace reference to Liverpool FCs Champions League win.


84. Catch 1782, ooooh the 6th Doctor and Mel! A team that has become a delight through Big Finish. A lovely little story that feels out of place spread over four episodes. I'm not too crazy about the resolution but it is a rather charming tale.


83. The Mutant Phase, the 5th Doctor and Nyssa are another lineup that have become a firm favourite due to Big Finish. Its a very moody story with dashings of story but it lacks a central point to hang this story around as there's no central location and a bit of TARDIS hopping. It ties in with an early Big Finish range - Dalek Empire and sees the third outing of the Daleks in the main range. The early episodes are quite good and a couple of my fan buttons were pressed. Its down low as it feels like Peter Davison and Big Finish haven't got quite to grips with the 5th Doctor.


82. Davros, a solo 6th Doctor encounters Davros. As a story this is possibly the most boring one in the first 100 releases mainly due to the fact globalisation bores the socks off me. However everything else about this release is cracking especially the performances, the cast is outstanding Colin Baker, Terry Molloy, Wendy Padbury and Bernard Horsfall lift the material.


81. Exotron, the first story on this ranking featuring a three part story and a single part story called Urban Myths. Unlike most releases of this nature where one story is usually a lot better than the other they are both good. Urban Myths is a proper fun laugh and Exotron is a good value thriller - high recommended and not talked about enough.     


In this section there are a lot of stories which are quite nice and lovely mixed with stories that should be better and are brought down by some aspect.

Big Finish Monthly Range Ranked: 100-91

Good afternoon lady and gentle readers, recently it was Big Finishes 21st anniversary of releasing Doctor Who output. Blimey 21 years, what better way to celebrate than with a list and for your pleasure I have ranked the first 100 releases of The Big Finish monthly range. Enjoy!


100. Nekromanteia, this story comes in last and its due to an incident in the story that I wont go into yet I firmly believe everyone whose heard it will remember. The unpleasantness haunts the story and makes it a story I will most likely not listen to again.


99. Pier Pressure, sadly the lowest story due to quality and at this point I must stress that this is my opinion which you are free to disagree with. Its dull, plodding and at times a struggle to listen to. The sequence where The Doctor takes liberties with a deck chair and a pensioner maybe the worst in the series. There are a few rather nice things in this play such as a nod to Carry On Screaming and a lovely William Hartnell. Max Millar played by Roy Hudd is very good casting. The best way I can sum this up is during a high point of boredom the characters start playing eye spy.


98. Scherzo, if anything I feel a bit churlish putting this play so low. As a theme it reminds me of Waiting for Godot with meaningless and possibly endless repetition something that I find eerily scary and horror is a recurring theme of Robert Shearmans Big Finish output. The play is both a story in its own right as well as dealing with the aftermath of the previous story and season arcs. At this point I want to point out that I listen to these stories blind without any knowledge of the story. Looking back at the actual plot of the story its something that should press my positive buttons, however the reason I have this so low is because The Doctor and Charley are acting so annoying during this story that it just drags the story down. This is the first story I've come to that I will freely admit could move in the rankings with a re-listen.


97. Scaredy Cat, I have no memory of this story what so ever bar a child endlessly repeating "scaredy cat" over and over again and the fact that Arthur Bostrom is in it. I remember not liking it but from what I gather it was heavily rewritten due to the TV show returning to our screens hence why its so short.     


96. Terror Firma, oh eck its the third 8th Doctor story in a row! Don't worry I will be squeeing about Paul McGann stories later in the rankings. This story sees the 8th Doctor, Charley and C'rizz return to the main universe however they unfortunately run into Davros and the Daleks. There is an aspect of this story very memorable that links back to an earlier story. Its a very interesting story as a whole and quite frankly its down this low due to the strength of other stories rather than weaknesses of its own. Hearing Paul McGann interact with Terry Molloys Davros is a delight. This is the start of an interesting direction for C'rizz and a good jumping on point. If you're looking to pick a TARDIS team and follow it along. Personally I find this story a tad unsatisfying due to the debate between The Doctor and Davros however it is often interesting.


95. Roof of the World, a rather dull forgetful story that does something pretty bloody awesome with the Big Finish created companion Erimem. For one episode this is genuinely Big Finish at its height going in an unexpected direction, shocking the listener and raising the level of the story to something special - for an episode. The surrounding story is rather forgettable though.


94. Red Dawn, the earliest story in the range so far featuring the 5th Doctor, Peri and the Ice Warriors. Its another case of one good episode as the opening episode feels like a William Hartnell era first parter as the regulars explore where they've landed mixed in with a ship landing on Mars. Things turn remarkably uninteresting when the Ice Warriors wake up and as such its a weak comeback for our favourite Martians. Of note is an interesting cast featuring Georgia Tennant, Robert Jezek and Stephen Fewell.


93. Invaders From Mars, another 8th Doctor story appearing early but this is a tale of two halfs. The first two episodes are dreadful with not a lot going on and having to many characters to introduce. The second half is absolutely gorgeous - full of ideas and charm. Also the Orson Welles War of the World plot kicks in.  In fact I'd recommend only listening to the second half Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson are amongst the guest cast. Some people moaned at the time that it was a waste given they were saddled with American accents. I however think they're good value and lots of fun as is the story if you give it time to get going.


92. The Dark Flame, its a rare main range appearance for Bernice Summerfield as she hooks up with the 7th Doctor and Ace. As a story its not very rememberable bar the fact Bernice is in it. In terms of quality it feels a little bit off - like the mix is wrong. On paper its a very traditional story however there is no fluff its a bit depressing. Michael Praed off of Robin Hood in the 1980s is lots of fun however with a good OTT performance.


91. The Creed of the Kromon, it is a genuine shock that half of the bottom 10 stories in this ranking are made up of Paul McGann stories. Creed sets the tone for the divergent universe arc, it introduces The Kro'ka, gives The Doctor a new companion in C'rizz and seriously screws with Charley. My enduring memory of this story is trying to listen to it and falling asleep five times, for ages I had no idea how this story started. Rest assured this story is interesting, has a bit of a hard task in setting everything up given the nature of the previous story. There isn't a lot of fun to be had here as its very dry and paced terribly - it feels like it goes on for days - what we do get is technically well done, well acted and well written however its paced terribly and feels like it goes on for days.   


Drawing conclusions from this part of the rankings theres a lot of stories that I like - even if its one episode. There are a lot of stories here which I would say aren't bad, to take a cricketing analogy there are a lot stories that take a swing and miss. I hope you enjoyed this ranking and look out for more.

The Boys Season 1 review

Every few years or so, a comic, movie or TV show poses the question, “What if superheroes really existed?” It’s a brilliant starting point for any direction you want to take the idea in, not just because the conventions of superhero stories are so ripe for parody, but by thinking  out how our existing governments & institutions might behave in a world with one big difference from ours an be an extremely effective way to criticise the way those institutions are behaving in the here and now.

The Boys is the latest show to have a go at this trope and while the idea may be familiar the execution is striking. On the one hand, The Boys is an expert deconstruction of superhero stories, with an appropriately winterish view of institutional power, be it corporate, governmental, religious, or caped. On the other hand, it’s an adaptation of a comic book series that launched in 2006 and is to an extent dated.

The most obvious thing that’s changed between the first issue of The Boys and its television debut is that superheroes have taken over pop culture. It’s hard to remember the before times now, but the Kiss Kiss Bang Bang influenced Iron Man didn’t kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe until 2008, with the DC Extended Universe not arriving for five years after that. Ennis and Robertson assumed that superheroes would be monetized the second they appeared, but working in the heyday of Blackwater, the natural business model was defense contractors, not movie studios. The first shot is a Marvelesque sequence in which thousands of comic panels dissolve into the logo for the fictional Vought Studios, and the second is a bus advert for a superhero movie. As Madelyn Stillwell, a villainous executive played by Elisabeth Shue, says at a Vought shareholders meeting, it’s a good time to be in the superhero business. And the show’s professional sports-flavored vision of that business assigning crime fighters to cities in exchange for concessions from local governments that is more satisfying and more vicious than in the original Marvel Civil War storyline.

The show’s increased proximity to the entertainment industry lets Amazon’s version of The Boys address the #MeToo movement. In the pilot episode, Annie January (Erin Moriarty), an innocent kid from Des Moines, Iowa, who can shoot beams of blinding light from her hands, gets the full star treatment: She successfully auditions to join Vought’s premier superhero team; she finally pleases her stage mother (Ann Cusack); she gets flown to Manhattan and driven around in a limo; she gets a dedicated handler (Colby Minifie, oozing resentment); she’s promised television appearances, movies, merchandising, and astonishing amounts of money; she gets to meet her delightfully named childhood heroes - a Superman type called Homelander (Antony Starr), a Flash type called A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), a Wonder Woman type called Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott). Then out of left field  she gets blackmailed into performing oral sex on an Aquaman type called the Deep (Chace Crawford). In one of the show’s better throwaway jokes, she pukes afterward in one of Vought’s unisex bathrooms: It’s a proudly progressive company, except for all the sexual assault. That plotline exists in the comics, but it doesn’t cause much trouble between Annie and her employer. Instead, it’s mostly a device to cause tension between Annie and her victim-blaming love interest (played by Jack Quaid on the show). Employees have a few more cards to play now, and the show smartly incorporates that reality.

But when Annie starts playing those cards, the seams created by refitting a 2006 series for 2019 really start to show. Annie is an evangelical Christian, and she chooses to break her silence about being assaulted onstage at the “Believe Expo,” a youth revival where superheroes cheerfully explain that their superpowers mean they were chosen by God. The mood is extremely Bush-era, faith and imperialism and homophobia balled up into a soft-rock, white jeans nightmare. The endless sense of grievance that mysteriously appeared in much white evangelical discourse after 04/11/08 isn’t present. Even same sex marriage - something evangelicals have mostly abandoned fighting - seems like an open issue, judging from the merchandise booth. But the most striking thing is the way Vought endlessly defers to white evangelicals - keeping gay superheroes in the closet, making sure another superhero doesn’t admit she’s had premarital sex, letting one of their stars advocate “praying away the gay” - in a way secular media hasn’t really done since they discovered there was more profit to be made in inclusivity than bigotry.

Which brings us to the biggest challenge in adapting The Boys for television in 2019, one that Amazon’s show never quite overcomes: adjusting for the election wins of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. There’s a scene in the very first issue of the comic book that illustrates the problem pretty clearly: The director of the CIA, played by Jennifer Esposito on the show, says, with a completely straight face, “The President is a man of total moral integrity.” That statement is no longer operative, to put it mildly, and it’s not just because the living embodiment of gammon is living in the White House. George W. Bush and Maggie Thatcher were not moral paragons but their supporters kept up appearances in a way that now seems quaint and has been proven to be unnecessary. In the comic books it’s the president who’s a ruthless Halliburton stooge and the vice president who’s a moron, but everyone operates under the assumption that if the president’s corruption or the vice president’s stupidity were publicly exposed, it would hurt them. The public simply wouldn’t stand for it.

But the current Premiers Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are the complete package;  corruption and stupidity, with racism, misogyny thrown in as a bonus - and he’s headed toward his fourth year in office with a strong chance of at least four more. The main plot of The Boys, like every conspiracy thriller, superhero or no, is built around the idea that someone, somewhere would care if the conspiracy were exposed. Even the show’s subplots - closeted superheroes, performance-enhancing drugs, what really happened aboard a hijacked plane - depend on the idea that if the truth were known, something would happen. But nothing will happen. There’s one superpower that beats heat vision, superstrength, invisibility, and even the ability to communicate with fish: complete and utter shamelessness. Still, if you’d like to spend some time in a world where supervillainy can sometimes be countered by superheroism, you could do a lot worse than The Boys.