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| What: | Asylum (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 18 April 2011 |
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| Rating: |   7 |
This has a really good beginning, explaining how Nyssa meets the fourth Doctor, and this sets up the story really nicely. Pity then that the story sags a lot in the middle & Nyssa feels irrelevant to the rest of the story until the gripping ending.
A lengthy explanation plus historical notes from the author after the story are a nice bonus
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 | Far better ending than usual... |
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| What: | Planet of the Spiders (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 18 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
It may be true that the regeneration from Jon pertwee into Tom Baker is one of the most dissapointing of the whole of the classic series, but the final whole scene has to be one of the finest in the show's long history. And far more poignant and effective than those stupid way over the top new series finales. Understated and excellently acted. It really is a scene to make you sad that Jon is finally leaving the role. Well let me put it this way, this scene on first viewing was one of the only times in the show's history that I nearly cried!!
His final story in his maintime of acting the errant timelord is packed with excitement and adventure and spiders that actually arent that bad looking at all. The story is extremely well paced for a six parter, one of the most ripping yarns of the third Doctor era. The finale with the Queen Spider in the cave is still one of my favourite Doctor Who endings ever. And its brilliant that the villian iniates her own downfall.
Elizabeth Sladen always seemed far more better served as a companion during her single season with Jon than in her two with Tom Baker. She got decent sized chunks of script to get her teeth into. And she really was a stellar companion. And we get the return of Richard Franklin as Mike Yates who always was such an interesting character. The other characters too are all well rounded and none appear to be too extremely faceless. All the elements tie together rather well.
The cliffhangers throughout this story too are very satisfying and tense. This is all one could ask from a final story. A crescendo that delivers on all fronts. This is one of the best stories of the original series, with plenty to offer. Far better than anything in that stupid new series. The new series has totally lost its way. Im not looking forward to the latest series from all the new casts on the BBC site: i hope theyre not planning on making the role of the Doctor more moronic and antihero than ever...if they do its a serious mistake indeed....The classic series always has been far more fulfilling. Yes, even with its wobbly sets and dodgy effects and stupid costume design at times. It had such character. And Planet of the Spiders has plenty of that.
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| One great, one not so great |
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| What: | Kamelion Tales (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Glyn Viney, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 17 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Out of the two, surprisingly I find The Kings' Demons the better tale. Succint and a great entry for Kamelion.
Planet of Fire has never rated highly for me, but the Special Edition with confusing cuts, and a pointless prologue, just makes a bad story worse.
| What: | The Wormery (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
At first when I heard that the Building was a Tardis I wondered who it was then when they mentioned The Valeyard I sort of guessed who it was but they both worked really well together I thought and I thought the person talking about the past about the Tapes was talking to a villian until the end of the story.
| What: | Zagreus (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I did enjoy this story but I like it better when the past Doctors are playing themselves I understand its his concsiousness (think I spelled that right) I didnt like the way Rassilon was defeated I know the Doctor is the hero but Rassilon was meant to be one of the mightiest Timelords and think it could have went a different way nevertheless I did enjoy it and had to listen to the John Pertwee parts on my Hi Fi as I couldnt hear him properly on my MP3 player. Plus I didnt like the fact they said the Doctor will lose his Timelord senses in the new universe, because Tardis Time and Doctor should always be together, Ive still got to get through the future ones so something might change about this (Hopefully)
| What: | Prime Time (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Max Allen, London, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The Real McCoy
| What: | Goth Opera (Missing Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Max Allen, London, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 14 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Top range stuff!
| What: | Black Orchid (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
What struck me the most about this wonderful two parter is its brilliant costume design. The ladies dresses particularly look highly authentic and convincing. This is light relief from the stories around it. And yet this story is a really touching little jewel. George is a tragic character, and the treatment he's recieved from other characters is barbaric. Sarah Sutton too gets a brilliantly strong role as Nyssa and Ann Talbot. I love Nyssa a lot. She has such a caring attitude which appeals greatly to me. The fall from the roof by George is a really downbeat and sad conclusion to a brilliantly realised whodunnit. This is definiely a very very very good Doctor Who story. And the Doctor has to explain what trains are to his alien companions, which is a good case in point as the crew seem to know rather a lot about Earth otherwise which I always thought was a strange point, so Terrence actually remembered for once that Adric and Nyssa are alien.
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| The Time Meddler medal... |
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| What: | The Time Meddler (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This tale is a comedic rest after the Chase. William Hartnell is on fine form, Peter Purves really gets into the role of Steven, and Maureen is great as usual as Vicki. The inclusion of Peter Butterworth is inspired, he's excellent as the Meddling Monk. The natives are interesting, although the vikings here are wonderfully stupid and spineless! The fight sequence is a bit flaccid, but this was the 1960s. This is a highly entertaining character piece, and Peter Butterworth dominates everything so very well indeed. A great historical piece.
| What: | The Beginning (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
An Unearthly Child is a brilliant start to the best series on TV, at least the classic series anyway. It starts with a good mystery, and quickly rips off into an historical yarn that is dark and very convincing. The Daleks is at times a little strained and slow, but the conviction of the entire cast is a revelation. The Edge of Destruction is brilliant, a good little piece of psychology and a good character piece. The characters are really studied in depth and so we begin to feel we know them after these tales. This was Doctor Who back when it first began: With style and drive. These were very strong stories. The fight between Za and Kal is unexpectedly realistic, and the moral dilemma in the Daleks is addressed excellently. The start of something really cool is what these three stories were....
William Hartnell was perfectly cast as the gripy Time Lord, and Carole Ann Ford was a wonderful foil to his strong character, in that she frequently calmed him down when he flew off the handle at anyone or anything. And William Russell and Jacqueline Hill were totally awesome characters. They had such humanity and charm, and they all worked together so well. The stories are all the better for their chemistry.
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| Grim, dark, creepy and effective... |
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| What: | Revelation of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Terry Molloy was allowed to tone down the madness of Davros in this story. That makes his Davros all the more menacing and believable. So at times he is raving, but then there are quite moments when he barely whispers, which makes Davros scary as hell here.
The Daleks really seem to take the back seat in this story righ up until the explosive ending when the black Daleks arrive. That head in the glass dalek was very diturbing and frighteningly effective. William Gaunt is excellent as the Knight of Oberon. But who i like the most are Eleanor Bron and Clive Sift, their characters are so demented and sickly in their own ways, and both actors give their all to the role. The mutant at the beginning is a tragic addition to the story. And for once the Doctor takes a bit of a back seat too. This is more of a Davros story. But that isnt a bad thing. We seem to truly get into his head in this story more than any of the other TV stories except for aye Genesis.
The fact that the Doctor here falls for the trap set by Davros bursts the sixth doctors pomposity bubble for once, and makes him a little bit more vulnerable as he has been in the Big Finish story run.
The bodysnatchers are very interesting characters, and Alexei Sayle as the DJ is a revelation. Sad that they all get killed off at the end of the story. he resolution to this tale isnt as overblown and good as in many others. This makes a good change for a change. Nicola is rather badly served as Peri again, but that doesnt detract from the fact that this is a very good story indeed.
| What: | The Mind Robber (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This story has always been a favourite of mine. The first episode is highly effective, a its really quite different in tone from all other Doctor Whos up to this point. The crew are in the middle of a white void, whilst an intelligence tries to get them to leave the TARDIS. And then after the brilliant climax of the TARDIS blowing up is a real shock, and the console disappearing into the void, we come to the brilliantly realised Land of Fiction.
I love the minds behind Frazer going down with chicken pox, and their casting of Hamish Wilson at a minutes notice. A real piece of good thinking, which is exceptable because the story's structure is made for good tweaking. The Toy Soldiers are an incredibly good design, although they must have been hell for the actors to wear with those straight leg sections.
The White robots too are excellent, and their "theme" is really quite chilling.
Benard Horsfall is brilliant as Gulliver, and his charm is great and brings the character to life right from the start. All the children here in this story are also very good indeed, and the acting isnt at all bad! Jamie and Zoe getting stuck in the book is another very strong cliffhanger to part four. The Karkus is brilliantly prtrayed by Chris Robbie. This is a highly imaginative story thats works so well because it has so many elents within it.
| What: | Ghost Light (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This is a dark and brooding tale, with plenty of horror elements. Those husks are excellently done, and those screeching birds make for a chilling scene. And Ace's horror at where they are is very very well performed by Sophie. I love the Reverand's stance on Josiah's theories, which are total twaddle. Light is a highly interesting creation. And the ending is original. The characters are all very well rounded and have lots of layers. The Policeman is some light relief compared to the harder horror aspects of this story. And Sylvester McCoy is and manipulative and unthamably good as ever. The editing at times can be a bit jarring, and the plot is hard to follow with ease, but once grasped then this is a very strong piece of Doctor Who. Sad it was the last one to be made for the last series, a real high note indeed.
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| An excellent follow up to the Daleks... |
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| What: | The Dalek Invasion of Earth (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This story has a better pace, better ideas and better acting than the first story to feature the metal pepperpots from Skaro. The ending of this story too is moving and a fitting farewell for Carole Ann Ford, whose depature is highly emotional for the time. The Doctor's leaving speech is an excellent piece of scripting. The Daleks too are well utilised throughout the story, doing their sucker waving. The ships dont look all that good, but the CGI effects are welcome and just add to the feel of the story which is very stong in making its point. The captured human scenes in the mine are more like a concentration camp. Their is credible acting from many of the crew, who really give the feel of despair at the invasion of the Daleks. The only thing that grates on me is here the dalek voices seem pretty wierd, too high pitched and totally un daleklike. But the action is well paced and th twists and turns are brilliant. The Slyther is pretty good too, although I dont know why a dalek would honestly want to have a pet. But on the whole a very good story, with especially Barbara getting a lot to do. And William Hartnell as usual is pretty excellent, dispite the fact that he was injured during the making of this story.
| What: | Vengeance on Varos (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Vengeance On Varos always seems to be reknowned for its violent content. And yet what I see is not so much violence as poltical bickering with a brilliant creation, Sil. Nabil Shaban is perfectly cast as the creature, giving the role real flare and inflection. He is a very interesting kind of villain.
One might think this is going to be a super cheap show, as that awful first scene of the punishment domes are the worst model use I think ever used on the show. But this is not the case, for the rest of the sets are imaginative, especially the punishment dome sections within. And I dont really care about weak looking models anyway.
Colin Baker is already on fine form as the Doctor. This Doctor always seemed louder, more easily riled, and yet his abhorence of evil is still as strong as it ever was. He gives a great performance in this story, from portraying his apparent dismay at the TARDIS not working properly. There is some brilliant dialogue here, as there is throughout the story.
Nicola Bryant is strong too, and her look as a bird is rather impressive. The Doctor's fight with those guards near the acid bath is an infamous scene, but I cant see what the problem is. The Doctor appears to be defending himself for the most part, and its accidental that the first bloke falls in. So there is no "infamous" stuff here whatsoever.
Martin Jarvis is also well cast as the troubled Governor of Varos. There is real depth of character within this story. The only thing Id say about this story is that it does seem to go too fast at the end, with everything settled within a few minutes. But at least the ending is not farcical or unbelievable.
I cant see a whole lot of violence in this, its more of a satire on the effects of violence. So overall this is a very strong story.
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| The Highest Note possible.. |
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| What: | Survival (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The fina season of classic Who was one of the finest of the history of Doctor Who. We had the Arthurian legends in the excellent Battlefield, then the gothic insanity tale Ghost Light, then the finest Doctor Who horror story in The Curse of Fenric, and then came the intelligent and cat filled Survival. Why in the hell did they stop Doctor Who after this? Sylv and Sophie were the perfect duo, and all the characters were so very strong and catching. The Cheetah people are really impressive, and Ant Ainley was at his most evil best here in Survival, regressed to little more than an animal. And its highly effective stuff. The location work is brilliant, and the character of Ace is once again really delved into, more so than any previous companion I feel. Survival was Doctor Who at the height of its powers, and then some silly man says its being cancelled. How stupid. Whats even more stupid is when THE Doctor came back in the film and the new series, it was overall done abismally. Up til the end of Survival, Doctor Who always had character, and now all thats been lost sadly. The new series is about 20 out of 100, whilst Survival is 100 out of 100.
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| Can be summed up in one word: |
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| What: | Inferno (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Incredible!
| What: | The Web Planet (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
Aside from the truly excellent looking Zarbi, the best design of the William Hartnell period of the show, and William's performance, this tale is just so very wooden and bland. The Animus looks very impressive too, but everything else about this tale is so dragging and forgettable in the extreme. One of the few terrible past stories. The Zarbi deserved more of a chance. They were a splendid creation, but just ended up in a totally lacklustre story. Sad indeed.
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| Flaming orange brilliance! |
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| What: | The Claws of Axos (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
1: Jon Pertwee is reaching his heights as the third Doctor. That the Master falls for his bluff towards the end of the tale is brilliant, and shows this Doctor is really quite manipulative but for a very good honest reason.
2: The UNIT team are all on fine form, highly entertaining. That Chinn idiot is a brilliant poncey political character. He has a hot head and nearly causes the entire destruction of Earth.
3: The axons are an incredible design. They look like totally mad spaghetti mutants and appear very real indeed. And the gold skinned axons are pretty brilliant too, aside from the very obvious zips!
4: Axos is a brilliant piece of design work. Totally garish, and I love that pulsing foam, giving the appearance of a heartbeat.
5: Roger Delgado is back as The Master and here at last we get a taste of his whole background story with the Doctor. His character is truly 3d and affective. Its no wonder he was so popular during the Jon Pertwee years.
6: The only niggles are Jo Grant given absolutely nothing to do at all throughout the whole of the story, she's just a true spare part. And if that complex was nuclear how come the explosion was so very small? Or did axos partly succeed in draining its power? This isnt really explained at the end. But aside from this minor snag this is a brilliant and convincing story. And Pigbin Josh is just an amusing creation. Uh...but why kill him off so soon> Ooohaarrh?!
| What: | Resurrection of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 1 April 2011 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
The Peter Davison dalek story is definitely the most action oriented. But this is a special tale because there is thought behind the story too, unlike Earthshock, which i believe is Eric Saward's weakest script. I cant understand his views when it comes to his script for Ressurection. Its a neat and classy tale that isnt light hearted and has no dull background characters.
Tegan's farewell scene is excellently done too. I love Janet's obvious upset at leaving the crew of the TARDIS. Very convincing and a brilliant end to the story which is a real rollercoaster ride with sadly more death than the Terminator. Terry Molloy makes a very impressive debut as the cretinous Davros.
The Doctor's moral fibre coming to fruition again within this tale is very good too. When he starts out to kill Davros, you just know he wont see it through because he actually possesses a conscience (yeah, he did back in the classic series) You also get a brilliant one off appearance from Rula Lenska, who is truly great. Her role is very sympathtic and believable. Even the Dalek mutant designs are better than the last ones, they dont look like a mass of floppy skin! They are big mutant blobs that totally look like they mean business! All the plot threads within the story join together very neatly and the pace just never lets up.
Davros' total instability makes him a classic villain, and Terry has taken over from Michael and David brilliantly. That he should start to be affected by the movellan virus too is a brilliant touch. And the character of Stein is very interesting, as he really has some decent character developement through the story. And the gas effects make up is pretty disustingly realistic too. So I cant really see whats wrong with this story. Even those creepy policemen are totally soulless and inhuman, adding even more of a dark edge to the tale. After Kinda, Snakedance, Caves of Androzani and Planet of Fire this is probably Pete's best story. The daleks are back on good form, looking for a cure for the Movellan virus.
Perhaps the only thing I find a bit off with this tale is that that woman planning to blow up Davros dies so early, i feel there could have been a great character in her. Even in the few minutes shes in shes bold and yet also callous to the core, when she shoots her comrade down. Mind you, I dont think he would have wanted to keep his face when it was like that! In fact to be honest, this story could have easily have been a film if it werent just for the fact that its shot partly on tv camera and partly on film, as it is that grand in its thinking and its many complex elements. Even the woven in threat to the high council of time lords is done well, and all the plot elements tie together so well. This is a hugely enjoyable, and tense, and pretty sad tale. There was no playing about in this story, and its all the better for it!
