The Big Finish Catch-Up: December 2017

For those of you new to this section of the blog, I started listening to the Big Finish Doctor Who releases when they started back in 1999, getting them as they were released up to mid 2002 and release No 33 Neverland. At that time I left Uni and due to being a bit busy with life and what not I only heard one or two releases over the next few years. I started getting back into them around 2008 and was 6 years behind at that point. Due to wondering off into the Lost Doctor range and a relaxed listening pace I fell further behind. In order to catch up I'm listening to two releases a month (or more when its a 60 min single disc release, plus without seeing the cover or knowing anything about the story) and my mission to catch up continues;

First up this month is "Psychodrome" part of a box set featuring the 5th Doctor. As opposed to Nyssa who I'm used to appearing in Big Finish we have Tegan and Adric. Matthew Waterhouse making his first appearance as Adric since his TV days and Janet Fielding is starting to crop up more often - I've heard her in one main range stories and a number of Lost stories. Without doubt this is a strong story which both sounds like its from season 19 and feels like it. Having a freshly regenerated Doctor and an unsure TARDIS crew make for an uneasy feel which adds to the verve of the story. A strongly plotted story with a few swerves its 9/10 from me.

Next up its "A Thousand Tiny Wings" featuring the 7th Doctor and a returning character from earlier in the main range Klein. An atmospheric story set in 1950s Kenya during the Mau Mau uprising. Centered around a group of British women hiding out in an abandoned farm waiting for rescue this story oozes atmosphere and tension. The Doctors relationship with Klein is so interesting yet not the centrepoint of this story which has an interesting mystery plot. A fantastic story with a good mystery that takes the Doctor and Klein in an interesting direction that feels like the start of an interesting plot line 10/10.

Philippe Coutinho has left Liverpool

In case you've been living under a rock lady and gentle readers you can't help but have noticed that Philippe Coutinho has left Liverpool for Barcelona. I'm sad to see him go but the fact is we've known he wanted to leave for a good few months and it was either going to happen in January or the end of the season. The fact of the matter is players come and go with none of them being bigger than the club. So bye bye little magician and have fun at Barcelona.

However lets look to the present and future, FSG are finally putting their money where their mouth is and shelling out for some good players in Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. We've amassed a squad with the likes of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. We're looking good in attack and we have a fighting chance of finishing top four. In short back Jurgen Klopp, we'll get whoever we get and Klopp will know who he wants. Hopefully for the fans there'll be a bit of buzz throughout January with maybe a new signing coming in. But all in all at the moment for Liverpool fans the reasons to be cheerful outnumber the reasons to be pessimistic.