NFET's Doctor Who Spinoff Corner

False Gods - 7th/Ace/Hex. A simple story set in an archeological dig in Egypt that centers on a mid-story twist. It’s reasonably interesting, giving us more diversity in the kinds of Time Lords out there, but there’s not much substance to it. Pre-fame Benedict Cumberbatch is in it, which is pretty fun, though his character doesn’t amount to much. C+


Order of Simplicity - 7th/Ace/Hex. Just a huge bore of a story that is mostly people standing in a room explaining things that are happening, with very little action. The Ace and Hex banter is the only redeeming thing. - 7th/Ace/Hex. D+


Casualties of War - 7th/Ace/Hex. A sweet story that has Ace confront a younger version of her mother while her great uncle gets tangled up with aliens. The main story is forgettable, but Aldred’s performance is good. B


The Word Lord - 7th/Ace/Hex. An amazing short story that makes up for the rest of the collection being lackluster. A bizarre but tight murder mystery that keeps you on your toes, with constantly shifting rules and an ingeniously weird villain. The Doctor is in full puzzle solving mode and that’s always a delight to see. A


Return of the Krotons - 6th/Charley. I don’t know why anyone would want to revisit the Krotons and this story doesn’t give a good reason. It runs through all the standard tropes of Doctor Who with little interest beyond a clever solution by the Doctor at the end. The Krotons are even more boring here than their original appearance, reduced to generic, human threatening baddies. At least Charley and Six remain excellent characters. C


Gallifrey: Warfare - And with that Pandora is finally defeated, not even halfway into the series. The pace Gallifrey moves at is breathtaking, but in this case maybe it’s a little too fast. Pandora has to be suddenly given weaknesses in order to be brought down in the 75 mins available, and said weaknesses are built on more technobabble mumbo jumbo involving the Matrix and Arton energy and more poorly explained concepts. However the characterization of the cast remains sharp as ever, and that’s what really matters. Plus it does an impressive job depicting compelling battle scenes given the limited resources the audio format provides. Disappointing, but still very good. B+

(I'm miles behind but still reading, I'll catch up soon!)

Psychodrome - 5th/Adric/Nyssa/Tegan. Right off the bat, I want to say Waterhouse’s voice just cannot capture Adric the way he used to be, and it’s pretty annoying. As for the story itself, it’s a pretty fun mindbender. Put into a strange land with a cast of stranger characters, the TARDIS crew find themselves completely lost, and it’s fun to see them figure out what’s going on. The first half has a bit too much running around without much actual action, but the second half uses all the information established to kick into high gear and increase the tension. The story also gets nice mileage out of setting the story right after “Castrovalva”, when the still new crew doesn’t know or trust each other. It becomes a story very much about these strangers working together for the first time, and it’s moving because of that. A great return to what’s otherwise an uneven era. A-


Bernice Summerfield: The Heart’s Desire - A mess of a story that’s incomprehensible for the first two acts, followed by a reveal that the chaotic nature was the point all along! This doesn’t excuse it, and the bickering and minimal action that follow. This coupled with what feels like a couple out of character moments for Benny makes this a poor return to the series. D+

The Nightmare Fair - 6th/Peri. The first of many unproduced TV scripts given new life on Big Finish. Starting with a whole season of scripts from Colin Baker’s era is a curious choice given that’s a low point in TV Who in my opinion, but “Nightmare Fair” feels like a step above the boring, nasty, and nonsensical scripts of that time. Mostly that comes from a jolt of fun energy provided by the return of The Celestial Toymaker, played excellently by David Bailie. The audio format also allows for ideas that would be hard to depict in a non-hokey fashion on screen to work in your imagination, so all of the Toymaker’s ridiculous games translate well. The story is very thin though, mostly the Doctor and Peri going from one dangerous situation to the next with little breathing room. The story wraps up when the time comes with very little climax. It’s better than what I’ve come to expect from a season 22 story, but “Nightmare Fair” is missing a spark that lets it go beyond ordinary. C+

Prole we're just on complete opposite sides on Gallifrey I guess. If you don't like season 2, season 3 is definitely not worth pursuing. Agreed on Baker and Bryant though, they're a lot better here than they were on TV, which lightens up the stories. 

Mission to Magnus - 6th/Peri. A ridiculous piece of sexist, illogical camp that is nonetheless also pretty wild and funny in parts. The poor guest performances loop around to being funny in how stagey they are, and the story is filled with insanely ill conceived ideas. Before the promised Ice Warriors finally show up in the second half, the Doctor has to deal with an evil matriarchal society, a bigoted Time Lord bully, and everyone’s favorite money grubbing slug, Sil. The overconvoluted story reaches a hilariously dumb solution. This feels on a script level exactly like the era it was trying to capture, strengths, flaws, and all. The only thing that stands different is Lisa Bowerman’s self aware direction and Baker and Bryant’s much more winning performances they’ve developed in the decades since. I feel compelled to give this a low grade given how objectively bad it is, but it’s a way easier listen than most of the Cs I give due to boredom. C

Here There Be Monsters - 1st/Susan/Barbara/Ian. Carole Anne Ford turns in a better performance here than she ever did on the show as she tells a creepy tale about a spaceship run by a plant based lifeform. There’s other big ideas like punching holes in space-time and a human civilization gone decadent, and it may be a bit too much to give due, but it’s interesting. The other character in the story feels very underdeveloped too, and wraps up the story in a very deus ex machina fashion. Still, the atmosphere is top notch, drawing unsettling fascination. A solid throwback. B+

The Hollows of Time - 6th/Peri. Another misfire, and definitely the most boring one yet. The Doctor and Peri are stuck in a story weighed down by unintelligible technobabble and the vaguest of stakes. The Tractators from Frontios return with very little impact on the nonsensical plot. The Master also comes back (albeit never referred to as such) and this is a very typical bad Master story, where his motivations are inscrutable and his methods overcomplicated. The guests aren’t much help either, Rev. Foxworthy is mildly interesting (it’s fun to be introduced to a human friend to the Doctor he sees as a peer) but an annoying boy named Simon is a constant drag. There’s just nothing to recommend here. C- 

The Doll of Death - 3rd/Jo. The story has a fantastic hook at the halfway point: The Doctor and Jo suddenly start experiencing time backwards and have to relive the past day (episode) in reverse to get to the cause. It’s a fascinating, evocative idea that the story has fun with, and Katy Manning is clearly enthusiastic about it in her narration. It’s a shame the rest of it is so difficult. The villain of the piece has shaky motivation and it’s impossible to tell what they’re trying to do throughout the story. The hound like monsters, though terrifying in their depiction, also seem to have little explanation attached. With a little more time spent explaining the how and why of what was happening, “Doll” could have been a classic, instead it remains just very good. B+

Paradise 5 - 6th/Peri. Space resorts aren’t new territory for Who, but the mystery at the heart of Paradise 5 keeps it interesting. The monster threat of the Elohim is undercooked, but the humans Gabriel and Michael are a hoot, fantastic villains that are fun to spend time with. Baker and Bryant continue to shine in these stories, and writers PJ Hammond and Andy Lane give them a lot of great material to work with. Between the fun dialog, Baker’s softer performance, and the far out there story, what makes this work over past Lost Stories is it feels frankly more modern than the other throwbacks. Read into that however you want, I’m just glad there is salvageable work from these outcast scripts. B+

Empathy Games - 4th/Leela. The setting of this story is weird, and it throws a lot of interesting ideas at the wall, so why is it so boring? Probably because it falls into a common pit trap I’m noticing in Companion Chronicles, the story keeps the companion in a passive role, reacting to what’s happening around them and waiting for the Doctor to solve the problem, rather than taking an active role. This is annoying in standard stories, but when the companion is the POV character it makes the story very dull. This is no exception, Leela gets drafted in a society’s strange telepathic ritual and the hour running time is mostly spent describing it as she stumbles through the weird events until the Doctor puts a stop to it. With no momentum it’s hard to get invested. Pass. C

Home Truths - 1st/Sara/Steven. Finally the true potential of The Companion Chronicles is reached in this chilling ghost story as the Doctor, Sara, and Steven solve a murder in a mysterious house. The story makes great use of each characters’ contrasting personality, while setting up a tight and ingenious little mystery for them to solve. This is the first Chronicle where the framing device is also as compelling as its main story. Knowing Sara is dead sets up a great mystery as to why she is able to tell this tale, one that reaches a satisfying answer tying both stories together. Plus the quick details we are given of the far future era of Earth it’s set in are fascinating. Jean Marsh is also on point, her reenactment surges with panic and dread while in the framing device she displays a chilling calmness. Every element of this story clicks wonderfully, a pure delight of Who. A


Bernice Summerfield: Kingdom of the Blind - A really strange story (but then that’s the Bernice Summerfield line’s bread and butter) by the always reliable Jacqueline Rayner. What starts as a simple story about Benny trying to help slaves revolt against their masters, albeit with the added twist of telepathy, becomes something much darker and more morally gray. Props to the great Lisa Bowerman, as well as to Stephen Fewell who makes for a great foil. B+

Song of the Megaptera - 6th/Peri. “Megaptera” has something every other lost story and most of the Saward/JNT era was missing: fun. Pat Mills script about a battle between The Doctor and Peri and some space whalers has a some great comic banter, colorful characters, fascinating aliens, and a wild change in location. There are some very cringey bits too, but they’re easily outweighed by some fantastic chemistry between Baker and Bryant that Mills uses well. This is pulp Who through and through, and it’s a blast. A-

The Transit of Venus - 1st/Ian/Barbara/Susan. Ian gets stuck on a ship with Captain Cook and Jonathan Banks, and goes slowly insane thinking Banks knows more about the future than he should. That’s pretty much it! Jacqueline Rayner gives the story great atmosphere and characterizes Ian well, which compensates for the story’s simplicity. Exceptionally well researched too, “Venus” delivers a fine slice of history even if it doesn’t reach depths deeper than that. B+

The Judgement of Isskar - 5th/Amy. A hyperactive story that is really two stories inelegantly mashed together, with neither half given enough room to breathe and establish themselves. Sure, both halves have a bunch of linking characters, including new companion Amy (not Pond), new villain Zara, and the Ice Warriors, and both involve a new hunt for the Key to Time. But the change in setting and introduction of several new characters halfway in really messes with the flow of the story. What happens between the breathless exposition is...well not much it’s mostly breathless exposition about what is going on as the Doctor and the mysterious Amy track down three (!) segments in the span of two hours. There’s some inspired ideas, but the lack of fun action and care in developing the characters make it hard to be invested in anything. C


The Prisoner’s Dilemma - 7th/Ace. An interesting experiment where the Companion Chronicle is told from two perspectives, with Ace sharing narration duties with Key 2 Time villain Zara. Split into three sections that intertwine, with action in the present being intercut with Zara and Ace both monologuing about how they wound up locked up in an alien prison together. While the action in the present is inert and dull, the backstory proves to be fascinating. Zara’s story gives us a lot of insight into her history and personality, deepening her character significantly, and this forms the heart of the story. Ace’s story is less special, but it is neat how it intertwines with Zara’s. A great companion to “Judgement of Isskar” enhancing that story, if only it stood well on its own. B-

Bernice Summerfield: The Goddess Quandary - A fast and funny story with fun characters. Though the send up of organized religion is a bit cliche, as is the presence of an alien superweapon, the writing is sharp enough to carry this one. It also features Keri, who is a great, unpredictable character. Solid stuff. B

The Destroyer of Delights - 5th/Amy. A ridiculous camp fest in ancient Sudan that offers nothing interesting or worthwhile. For the first story to use the Black and White Guardians as major players they are pretty useless, their depowering makes them uninteresting bystanders with their squabbling grating every moment. The other characters The Doctor and Amy meet are all thinly drawn and either boring or annoying. There is nothing surprising or interesting here, just killing time in between the bookend stories. D

Bernice Summerfield: The Crystal of Cantus - A gut wrenching thriller with the Cybermen that wisely becomes about so much more than just the Cybermen. The iconic monsters are just a eye catching red herring distracting from the darkness and betrayal that unfolds at the heart of the story. Also engaging is the time shifting structure, starting near the end of the story and jumping forwards and backwards to constantly challenge the listener. It delivers some great character work for the regulars in the line too. A great step forward. A-

Agreed, Key 2 Time was a baffling bad execution of an already dumb idea, and though I neglect to mention it in any reviews, Davison seems so bored during all of it, it's a terrible performance.

The Innocent - War Doctor. The opening War Doctor story makes the weird decision of acting like nothing more than an introduction to the War Doctor, strange because anyone listening to this will certainly have seen the big anniversary special dedicated to him. Yet still, “The Innocent” entertains only a token threat for the Doctor to face in favor of detailing out his philosophy during war time, one that isn’t much different or deeper than what was already on TV. John Hurt’s performance is still excellent however, he’s perfect in this role. The guest cast is also superb. Here’s hoping the next story has more substance. C+

The Chaos Pool - 5th/Amy. An illogical mess that at least has the courtesy to feature slightly more interesting characters than the last story. Still, jumping from illogical idea to deus ex machina to confusing plot twist, this story offers no real substance or anything of interest. The most effective element is how it concludes Zara’s character arc, though even that feels like it takes a huge leap, and is mostly working off of goodwill from Prisoner’s Dilemma. Amy fails to establish herself as anyone interesting, a rare dud of a Big Finish companion. Even Romana’s big return is wasted, she affects very little of the story and is really just there as part of an elaborate bait and switch that relies too much on past continuity. It’s safe to say that Key 2 Time is a failure. D+

Resistance - 2nd/Polly/Ben/Jamie. A story that finally gives Polly an overdue spotlight and deepens here character. Wills was a great performer on the show, but never given much to do. Here she’s faced with a strong ethical dilemma and is given a lot of interesting backstory. Combine that with a great setting in Occupation France and a fantastic twist in the end, and “Resistance” is a solid story that does credit to this underserved character. B+

The Heart of the Battle - War Doctor. A bland and boring Dalek story with nothing new about the creatures. The characters play rote roles with unclear motivation. The Daleks’ scheme is a complete also ran. Despite John Hurt insisting his name not be said, nothing sets him apart from any other Doctor here. A boring nothing hour that fails to justify its existence. C-

Enemy of the Daleks - 7th/Ace/Hex. A riveting action story filled with pulse pounding tension and gruesome horror. The idea of giving the Daleks a rival is nothing new, but it’s the creation of the evil Kiseibya that mirrors the Daleks’ that gives the story extra depth. The contrast between McCoy and Baker is interesting, and leads to a highlight reel of what makes the 7th Doctor so fascinating. The story cleverly keeps the Daleks as evil as ever, even when contrasted with a more horrific rival. The rock heavy soundtrack is also a change of pace for Who, but sets the tone well. One of the darkest Who stories out there, but the darkness is used to great effect. A-

The Mahogany Murderers - Jago and Litefoot. A delightful story that elevates two ancillary characters into fun protagonists solving their own mysteries. The mystery at the center of this story is undercooked, only because there’s only an hour running time, and a lot is spent on Jago and Litefoot going on several delightful conversational tangents. The charisma of Trevor Baxter and Christopher Benjamin carry this story, and I can easily see why these two headline a long running spinoff. And while the mystery is a little thin, it’s still suitably creepy in its imagery. A great backdoor pilot. B+

Late as ever. I really like Dead London - it's a weird story and it's one I feel does a good job of embracing what audio can do that TV probably couldn't. The ending's a bit clumsy, but in the overall scheme of things that feels like a minor mis-step. And though I know Lucie is rather the forgotten companion she really is rather marvellous.

I'd like to add a general comment on the War Doctor stuff - while some of it is decent Doctor Who (and some of it very much isn't), very little of it shows the ambition that's really needed to make the War Doctor sing. I love Hurt in the role, and I could listen to Jacqueline Pearce* read out her laundry list, but so much of the storytelling is by-the-numbers. The one thing the Time War should never have been is Just Another War, yet that's mostly what it's portrayed as. There's a couple of exceptions, and the final volume is the best it ever gets, but overall the series really is a bit of a disappointment.


* If you get the chance, you absolutely totally and completely have to listen to Call Me Jacks, Big Finish's interview/semi-memoir of the redoubtable Ms Pearce. Even if you don't know who she is (Servalan in Blake's 7, Chessini in The Two Doctors, Cardinal Ollistra in The War Doctor), it's just an absolute riot to listen to her. Simply magnificent, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

And you're right about the Key2Time being a complete bust.  What a complete and utter waste (full disclosure, I didn't listen to it under ideal circumstances, but my over-riding memory of it was, "what's even the point of this?" and that remains my impression to this day, so its good to know I'm not the only one that thinks so).

Brave New Town - 8th/Lucie. A creepy story that in its premise of a cheerful village trapped in time recalls the best of Rob Shearman, though it’s second half is far more conventional. Despite limping to a simple conclusion once the veil of mystery is lifted, the first half is so gripping in its surreality. Another highlight in what’s shaping up to be a fantastic season. A-

Patient Zero - 6th/Charley. Another Dalek story, so soon after the last 6 and Charley one, could easily be a bore, but this works because the Daleks are the third or fourth most relevant thing here. They’re main purpose is to be integral to the backstory of new villain Milla, who is truly chilling. Add in the continued tension between Charley and the Doctor, and the first proper appearance of the Viryans and now it’s a fresh story. The pace is excellent as well, briskly cutting between fast paced action on the Doctor’s side while Charley encounters Milla in a talky but chilling encounter. Finally, the story ends with a twisted new status quo that has me eager to see what’s next. Maybe it doesn’t stand perfectly on its own, but it’s fascinating what it sets up. A-

The Glorious Revolution - 2nd/Jamie/Zoe. A historical with an extra focus on time travel that examines the oft examined question of changing history but with a twist. Depicting Jamie’s history as mutable because he’s directly impacting his own personal history is an interesting take on depicting the titular bloodless revolution. When Jamie’s intervention accidentally makes the conflict more dangerous, it’s fun to see the effort the Doctor and company have to put in to make a new history that resembles the old. Hines is one of the better narrator’s of this line too, resulting in a solid story. B+