Big Finish Main Range
Holy POOP. That’s some preview to begin this audio on. “Welcome to hell.” after a bunch of screaming, then the intro music begins. Wowzers. Absolution just sounds SCARY. I’m going to guess that the order of the writers matches the order of the stories.
100BC – I’d call this one quaint and fun. Evelyn acting herself, for women, and the Doctor himself, protecting history. Nothing too special. A 3 jelloid adventure on its own. Fun. Pleasant, with a little twist that I wouldn’t believe of any of the other Doctors—they would notice such things! Jacqueline Rayner also wrote The Marian Conspiracy and Dr. Who and the Pirates. So yes, it fits right in. fun, good adventure.
-by- Jaqueline Rayner
My Own Private Wolfgang – Hehehe. Now this one’s interesting. How many Mozarts can a person stand? An explanation of the unfinished symphony and how it came to be in the TARDIS library. The finished version, anyway. Robert Shearman also wrote The Holy Terror, Chimes of Midnight, Jubilee, and Scherzo. This is more of the tone of The Holy Terror, overall. I like the idea that clones of Mozart would want to destroy his reputation so he isn’t cloned. The whole time traveling bit is a bit mysterious—just how do those clones pop back and forth, anyway? But overall, a decent adventure story.
-by- Robert Shearman
Bedtime Story – Hmmm. Well, Joseph Lidster is certainly good at the unhappy ending! Goodness. Talk about a twisted life form! Ouchies. An unhappy bedtime story. Joseph Lidster also wrote The Rapture, Master, Terror Firma, The Reaping, and The Gathering. He definitely does the character study thing very well. I don’t want to say too much to ruin this one but it reminds me more of Creatures of Beauty in the cause and effect, though the Doctor isn’t the cause or effect in this one. Just trying to prevent the cause and effect to generations of a family.
-by- Joseph Lidster
The 100 Days of the Doctor – Another interesting one. The Tharsis Acumen? A technocracy ruled by science. 100 days of declining health to search out the assassin. Paul Cornell also wrote Seasons of Fear, Shadow of the Scourge, and Circular Time. This one falls in place as a short development of how Evelyn gets to see some other faces of the Doctor, talk to him about his other faces and his other companions. It’s a bit different from anything else Cornell done but he does have the experience writing half of Circular Time. Definitely the go-to guy for the short tales in my book!
-by- Paul Cornell
Overall, these stories hang quite well together, each a different exploration of the Doctor and Evelyn relationship and how they impact the world as they interact with it. Some negative, some just a viewing, but mostly just, well, interesting. Good stuff and I can’t say that any one of these is stronger or weaker than the others, honestly. They’re all well done in their own ways but nothing outstanding enough to give it 5 out of 5 jelloids. I think it’s almost a 4 jelloid adventure but not quite. They’re just average, good Big Finish audios! It’s really no disappointment that a “standard” adventure is the middle of the mark. Big Finish has just set the bar very high for the really good audios. It could have to do with my mood as the adventures that make me just feel more getting higher ratings, or feel more for the characters even. Thus I try to listen to everything at least twice and eventually, I will.
Though once again, interviews galore at the end of the audio. How much can they get actors to talk about the audio they are participating in? oh, nevermind. A LOT, apparently. Oiy vey. I would still rather have more story, thanks. I listen to everything but I just don’t think I’d listen to anything again. And bloopers? Oh, the pain. I’m expecting a lot of pain listening to them. Again. Peter Davison at least attempted to make it fun and funny with Son of the Dragon but come on, bloopers aren’t funny for the people listening, only for the actors who participated in them. Ugh. That’s been my experience with any DVD where I’ve bothered to watch the bloopers…
Hehehe. Okay, Robert Shearman admits that it’s a really silly concept for “My Own Private Wolfgang” that wouldn’t work as a full 4-part adventure. Warming up to interviewing the authors. They give us more on how they create the story and their idea creation. And I really like how he ends the story—annoying with things suddenly… Nicholas Briggs admits that the multi-Doctor stories aren’t amongst the classic, best audios in the Big Finish canon. Refreshing to hear something honest from someone involved in art instead of just praise for everything. Thank you NB!
Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant
100 BC: Will Thorp (Gaius Julius Caesar); Lucy Paterson (Aurelia); Susan Brown (Midwife)
My Own Private Wolfgang: John Sessions (Mozart/Young Mozart/Butler/Mask/Old Mask)
Bedtime Story: Will Thorp (Jacob); Frank Finlay (Old Jacob);Martha Cope (Talia); Susan Brown (Mary); Lucy Paterson (Julia); Alex Mallinson (Patrick)
The 100 Days of the Doctor: Nicholas Briggs (Assassin)
Director: Nicholas Briggs
Release: September 2007