Episode 559 – Adversary Archive: The Toymaker II- Play the Game

This time we feature another one of our Adversary Archives, again looking at materials featuring The Toymaker.

This time we review the poem The Toymaker from the book Now We Are Six Hundred, written by James Goss with illustrations by Russell T. Davies.

Then we review Big Finish Companion Chronicle 4.12 – Solitaire.

And finally, we look at the comic End Game printed in Doctor Who Magazine issues 244 to 247.

Plus, we talk about the recent announcement that The Underwater Menace is getting an animation treatment.

Enjoy!

 

Episode 558 – Creag an Tuire!

In this week’s show, we dip back into some stories that take place in the fan-created, BBC-sanctioned “Season 6B”. This is the era between The War Games and Spearhead From Space.

This time we review a VERY recent release from Big Finish, Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Adventures: James Robert McCrimmon.

Plus, some news about an upcoming book release.

And, Glenn shares this week’s “Something New, 2 Minute Review”. Well, sort of. You’ll have to listen to find out.

Enjoy!

Episode 557 – Incarcerated in a Dalek Amusement Park

In this episode, we continue our reviews of materials that are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.

First, it’s the third release in Big Finish’s ‘Once and Future’ series, A Genius for War featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor.

Then it’s more of Doom’s Day. We review hours 6 through 9 with the two comics from Titan, A Doctor In the House? Part 1 & 2.

And then we discuss the Doctor Who: Lost in Time mobile game event, “AI am the Doctor” from East End Games, which wraps up Doom’s hour 10.

Enjoy!

Episode 556 – Adversary Archive: The Toymaker – The Nexus of the Primeval Cauldron

In anticipation of Neil Patrick Harris potentially being revealed as taking on the role of The Toymaker, we have decided to present to our listeners another Adversary Archive. We break down some stories featuring him. First, it’s Doctor Who: The Nightmare Fair, released as the first in the ‘Lost Stories’ series from Big Finish, We will be contrasting and comparing with the Target novelization written by Graham Williams who also wrote the script of the television story that was never made,

Then we look at the short story, The Game written by Warwick Gray, and was featured in Doctor Who Magazine issue 192.

Finally, we review the comic story, The Great Gamble from Doctor Who Magazine and written by John Peel.

And Keith brings us another ‘Something New, 2 Minute Review’ of ‘The Lost Stories: Daleks! Genesis of Terror’ from Big Finish.

Plus, we discuss several Doctor Who-related news items from the past few weeks.

Enjoy!

 

 

Episode 555 – Adversary Archive: Beep the Meep – The Doctor’s Furry Foe

In this episode for one of our special Adversary Archives, we look back on more materials featuring Beep the Meep.

First, it’s the (VERY) short story, Beep the Meep Gets 3000 Years.

Then we examine The Star Beast II and TV Action! comics.

Next, it’s the Sixth Doctor audio, The Ratings War, from Big Finish.

And Finally, the meta interview with Beep in Doctor Who Magazine’s Who on Earth… is Beep the Meep?

Enjoy!

Episode 554 – You Don’t Have to Kill to Work Here, But It Helps

In this episode, we look at some of the first materials from the ‘Doom’s Day’ multi-media event. First, we review the kickoff story, Doom’s Day Hour 1 by James Goss on www.doctorwho.tv. Then we examine the four comics comprising hours 2 through 5 in Doctor Who Magazine 592. These stories are ‘Target Selected’, ‘The Plastic Population’, ‘High Noon in Hollywood’, and ‘The Horn of a Dilemma’.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Episode 553 – Complicated, Hard to Explain and Up for Discussion

In this episode, we continue our reviews of Big Finish’s 6oth Anniversary specials with Once and Future 2: The Artist at the End of Time.

Plus, Doctor Who Magazine continues its contribution to the celebration year with the Fourteenth Doctor comic, Liberation of the Daleks. This time we look at parts 5 through 9.

And, Shuan has a “Something New, 2 Minute Review” of The Making of Doctor Who: The Original 1970s Programme Guide audiobook released earlier this month.

Enjoy!

 

 

Episode 552 – Meep! Meep!

In preparation for the 60th-anniversary specials coming up later this year, we turn back time and look at the Doctor Who comic story The Star Beast which was first published in Doctor Who Magazine. This is the story that introduced Beep the Meep.

Then, we review Big Finish’s take on the story with The Comic Strip Adaptations – “Doctor Who and the Star Beast”.

Plus, Glenn reviews the book, We‘re Falling Through Space: Doctor Who and Celebrating the Mundane for this week’s ‘Something New, 2 Minute Review’.

Enjoy!

Episode 551 – The Perpetual Police Box

This week we are taking another look at Season 6B. This time a book review! We’ll examine Doctor Who: World Game, the Past Doctors Adventure novel by Terrance Dicks and published in 2005.

Keith has a ‘Something New, 2 Minute Review’ of the recently released Big Finish audio, Doctor Who and the Ark, part of its Lost Stories series.

And a few weeks’ worth of news including a returning companion and Doom’s Day release info.

Enjoy!

‘Trapped in the Vortex’ Returns

Glenn’s blog is back and has a new home. You can now find it by simply going to www.trappedinthevortex.com. Below is a post from 2014. It’s just a sample of some of the things Glenn posts in his free time. Enjoy!


Staging an Adventure

On the podcast, Traveling the Vortex, we recently reviewed the Big Finish audio adventure, Jubilee. The story is set in an alternate dystopian250px-Ultimate_adventure3 timeline in which the British Empire, with help from the Doctor, has defeated a Dalek invasion and as a result, has conquered the world in the process.

The audio play begins with a trailer for a fictional story called Daleks: The Ultimate Adventure. This reminded me of a stage play I have read about called Doctor Who: The Ultimate Adventure a musical stage play that ran in the U.K. from March 23 to August 19, 1989.

Jon Pertwee first starred in the adventure reprising his role as the Third Doctor. The rest of the show’s run had Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor.

During Pertwee’s run, he was sick for a few of the performances, and his understudy, David Banks (best known for playing the Cyber Leader on television) briefly played a unique incarnation of the Doctor.

ultimate-adventure_cover_mediumThis is a piece of Doctor Who’s history, lost on those of us who never had the opportunity to see it. However, in 2008, Big Finish recreated the performance in an audio production that can now be heard by everyone.

Colin Baker revises his role as the Sixth Doctor in the story. He is joined by David Banks who played the mercenary, Karl on stage as well. Other actors and actresses who did not appear in the original, fill out the rest of the cast in this superb story.

From BigFinish.com:

The Daleks have allied themselves with the Cybermen and a deadly band of mercenaries. The future of Earth depends upon a vital peace conference. And Mrs T knows that only one Time Lord can save the world.

There are epic battles. There are betrayals. There is love, and there are even songs.

Take your seat for… Doctor Who – The Ultimate Adventure!

The story, written by veteran DW writer Terrence Dicks who also wrote the stage version, is aimed at a younger audience, but the jokes and the humor appeal to a vast age of fans. It explores a story set in several locations and borrows heavily from previous televised stories. Not the plot specifically, but rather a few of the devices used in some Dalek tales.

It’s quite enjoyable to see the Cybermen team with the Daleks in this outing, however the prior feel mostly like hired thugs utilized by the Daleks, whose ultimate plan is world domination.

Colin Baker is his usual best and performs the Doctor with the passion and delivery that has made him popular, especially in recent years with his portrayal of the character in the audio range.

The rest of the cast does a wonderful job with the unique characters created for the story. Noel Sullivan’s Jason and Claire Huckle’s Crystal make excellent companions to our hero and are really in step with the spirit of the many assistants created for the television series.

Something I found quite interesting was the use of three musical numbers that also appeared in the stage production. The use of the songs is not d6-w081jarring in the least, and fits into the narrative, without pulling you out of the story. It’s unusual for a Doctor Who story, but the production pulls it off very well.

I found it easy to imagine how this story might have played out on the stage. Except for a few obvious cues about the action going on, it feels as though the crew stayed true to the original material, and it has the same 1908’s feel that would have been prevalent at the time.

Overall, this is an enjoyable story, and the production is top-notch, as we have come to expect from Big Finish.

I should also note that this is the third release in the company’s “The Stage Plays” series which also includes 1965’s The Curse of the Daleks and Doctor Who and the Daleks in Seven Keys to Doomsday which came out in 1974. The latter was also penned by Terrence Dicks.

If Big Finish’s production of these shows is anywhere near the quality of recording as TUA, I will certainly be reviewing those shortly.

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