Christian Cawley's Blog, page 122
March 23, 2015
Wendy Padbury: “Would Kill” For One Line With Peter Capaldi!
Chris Swanson is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Wendy Padbury is best known to Doctor Who fans for her role as Zoe Heriot, companion to the Second Doctor. Zoe was a scientist from the far future. She was young, intelligent, and more than capable of handling herself in a fight, thus making her quite a bit different from a lot of the previous female companions. Alongside Jamie McCrimmon, she fought the Cybermen, the Dominators and many other nasty critters. These days, she’s also playing Zoe for Big Finish audio.
Kasterborous recently caught up with Ms Padbury, and she kindly gave us an interview.
KASTERBOROUS: How has it been coming back to play the character of Zoe for Big Finish?
WENDY PADBURY: It’s excellent. I was struggling to start with, trying to make Zoe-because I play Zoe as an older woman. Of course it’s much easier for me, seeing how my voice is now considerably deeper than it was back in 1968.
K: Now that you’ve reached 29?
PADBURY: Exactly! Trying to make Zoe sound like Zoe then is a bit of a struggle, but now, with the wonder of modern technology, they can tweak it slightly so that my register is up a little. But actually playing the character is brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
K: It’s nice that they’ve been able to explore the character a little, and more with her than they did on the show.
PADBURY: Yes, I’ve always felt there was more to her that we never saw on the show. And I know I left with memory wiped, but hey! It’s Doctor Who. So they’re trying to retrieve that memory in several of my early stories. And it’s fascinating.
K: I understand you’ve got something coming up soon with Frazer Hines and Colin Baker.
PADBURY: I have! It goes without saying that I love to work with Frazer, but I don’t get to work with Colin very often, and that’s an absolute joy because he’s so wonderful. And Frazer does the best Patrick.
K: It is absolutely astounding how good he is with that.
PADBURY: He is, and I don’t know quite how he does it, actually. I stand in the booth next to him, and when he’s doing Pat as the Doctor, he physically turns into Pat. He does all Pat’s mannerisms, which I imagine helps him to become Pat. He does it all. He’s fairly manic in the booth next to me. Sometimes he’s having to play two or three pages of dialogue where he’s the narrator, Jamie, and Patrick, all talking to each other. It is impressive. Please don’t let him hear this. I would hate him to think I was praising him in any way.
K: Don’t worry, I won’t sully your reputation.
PADBURY: Thank you, thank you.
K: Have you been watching much of the new series?
PADBURY: I have not, because I don’t get it in France. But I did go to the screening of Peter [Capaldi’s] first episode in Leicester Square, and I think he’s going to be amazing. I mean, I know he’s amazing; he’s an amazing actor. For the first few minutes, I think I felt he was trying a bit too hard, which is perfectly normal when you’re taking on a role such as this, to try and make it different. But ten minutes in, and I was completely hooked. And I think he’s going down well with the fans.
K: With the new series episodes that you have seen, what do you think of the portrayal of the female companions now as opposed to how they were portrayed back in the 1960s?
PADBURY: I think it’s totally different. I think back in the 60s, the companions were there more as the audience; to ask the Doctor a question so that he could explain and move the story forward. I think now the characters are much more rounded, much more grounded, much more interesting, much more depth to their characters than we had. I think we did slightly suffer from the generic writing of “The Girl”, “The Boy”. Although obviously Zoe was completely different from Victoria, and that’s how that was written. But there was never a chance to really progress.
K: From what I’ve seen of 1960s television, it does seem like Zoe was written as a bit more active and assertive than most women of that time on TV.
PADBURY: Yes, she’s often likened to Emma Peel from The Avengers.
K: The catsuit probably helped.
PADBURY: Yes, and throwing the Karkus over her shoulders probably helped as well. She was strong. “Humility” was not a word that was in her vocabulary at all. She was, at any given moment, able to tell the Doctor what she thought of him and how stupid he was being, and that she was far, far superior in intelligence than he was. What’s not to love about playing that?
K: Most of the best companions are able to call out the Doctor when he’s being a little tetchy or a little bit full of himself.
PADBURY: Absolutely. She used to be infuriated with him because he couldn’t get things right, and she knew what she was doing. She could blow up computers! Hey! By talking to them!
K: It had to have been very nice to have all the DVDs released, and to be able to watch them and do the commentaries and the like.
PADBURY: Oh! Commentaries! I love doing the commentaries! They used to ask me if they should send me the series, but what we don’t generally do is sit around on a Sunday afternoon and watch our own episodes. “Shall we send them to you so you can refresh your memory before the commentary?” And I’d say no, because it would be much more spontaneous because I haven’t seen them in so long. And the other fascinating thing about the commentaries was meeting people that I haven’t seen–like directors–that I haven’t seen since 1968. And hearing about their side of things the show was being made. Just basic things like budgetary restrictions, set design, how the sets came about. Just really interesting stuff that, at the time, we didn’t really have anything to do with, because we were very much there as the actors.
And I’ve heard a lot of people, Terrance Dicks for instance, talk about a shortage of episodes, panicked writing to redo something, and we were very sheltered from all that. We were just handed scripts, eventually, but we were unaware of all the pandemonium that was going on behind. So the commentaries are great.
K: If you were offered the opportunity to appear on the new series as Zoe, or even as a different character, would you?
PADBURY: Yes!
K: So, note to the BBC’s casting.
PADBURY: I gave up acting years and years ago, and became an agent. But I would kill to have one line—listen everybody—one line with Peter Capaldi, as Zoe.
K: Looking back, of the existing episodes or even the missing ones, or even of the Big Finish stuff, which one stands out as your personal favorite?
PADBURY: I don’t know about Big Finish. They’ve all got something that is so completely different, so with Big Finish, I don’t think I could give you a favorite. Of the series, when I was in it, my favorite story was The Mind Robber.
K: That…you know, that is one of my favorites as well. It’s just so overflowing with 1960’s strangeness.
PADBURY: (laughs) Yes, absolutely!
K: There was that inspired bit of writing with Frazer being out sick and they did that bit with the other guy’s face.
PADBURY: I know. At panels I say that’s why it’s my favorite story! Because Frazer wasn’t there for two weeks! I don’t mean it. And you had to be slightly literate. You had to have read some books.
K: You have to know who Gulliver was.
PADBURY: Yes.
K: You have to know who the Karkus was.
PADBURY: Exactly! I loved it. I loved the wackiness of it.
K: It does seem to be one that divides the fans a bit.
PADBURY: When I get asked, on panels, about my favorite episode and I say, The Mind Robber, there’s about five people that go, “Yay!” So, yes.
K: One last question. What would you like to see Big Finish do with Zoe from this point? Is there anything special you’d like to her to do? Go somewhere, meet someone. Hang out with the Master?
PADBURY: (evil chuckle) Hang out with the Master!
K: I think she’d break his brain pretty quickly.
PADBURY: I think she would! I think she’d be far superior. Oh, yes. That’s actually a brilliant idea. Yeah, I’ll go with that. Hang out with the Master.
K: Excellent. Well, thank you for your time!
PADBURY: You’re very, very welcome.
The post Wendy Padbury: “Would Kill” For One Line With Peter Capaldi! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Reviewed: Equilibrium
Peter Shaw is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Doctor Who in the early 80s is notable for a curious and short-lived phenomenon – the linked trilogy of stories. These included the “Return of the Master Trilogy”, the “Black Guardian Trilogy”, the “E-Space Trilogy”, and – of course – “Nyssa’s Mysterious Underwear Trilogy” (not really). While these connected stories are largely a later fan construct, it’s been adopted by official BBC DVD and video box sets, and the names have stuck. The other two trilogies were simply themed by returning villains: the Master and the Black Guardian. E-Space Trilogy is a bit different; the Doctor and his companions are trapped in the TARDIS in a ‘pocket universe’…
Now the nature (or point) of E-Space is not made very clear in the TV series. E-Space has a muddy greenish tinge a bit like bad pea soup, and the pocket universe is described as being smaller than ours. That throws up a bit of a problem of relativity: if our universe [N-Space] is infinite, what exactly does ‘smaller’ mean? And even if it’s just a few billion light years across, what possible difference does that make to the adventures – when the TARDIS can pop from one end of the universe to another almost in an instant? In the TV trilogy E-Space’s relative smallness isn’t that surprising. It’s a bit like visiting Luxembourg and expecting it to be a model village, somewhere you could stand in the middle and see Belgians and Germans either side waving to each other across the border.
E-Space throws up a bit of a problem of relativity: if our universe [N-Space] is infinite, what exactly does ‘smaller’ mean?
The first in the new trilogy, Mistfall, has all the hallmarks of a nostalgia-fest – a return to the setting of a much-loved classic adventure, with even the original writer on board to enhance the indulgence. But that too offers a constraint, it’s hard to reimagine a pocket universe when returning to an already-established planet. And, as a sequel to Full Circle, that’s not what Andrew Smith attempts to do, and I don’t expect that’s what he was commissioned to do either: ‘Go back to the setting of an old adventure but make sure it’s completely unrecognisable’. So it’s left to Equilibrium to attempt to explore the untapped potential of E-Space. Has the pocket universe only enough attractions for just a mini break, or is it worth coming back to explore more?
Equilibrium presents a pocket within a pocket. Isenfel is a very small icy realm within the mini universe of E-Space. And, although not described as such in the audio, author Matt Fitton says the inspiration behind the setting was a snowglobe. This neatly offers a parallel between the events of Equilibrium and what is happening to the whole of E-Space in this trilogy. As a much smaller universe, the effects of entropy are happening much faster in E-Space, and the whole pocket universe is dying.
Within that backdrop of a universe near to collapse, Equilibrium is smaller-scale story of a civilisation carrying out appalling acts to maintain its survival, with the truth about its origins unbeknown to its inhabitants. It’s familiar Fifth Doctor territory, with echoes of the invented world of Castrovalva, and the not-what-they seem humans onboard Monarch’s spaceship in Four To Doomsday.
Fitton’s script manages to achieve what many writers for the Davison era failed to do, he gives strong and integral roles to the Doctor and each of his three companions. The Fifth Doctor is much as we remember him, curious and brave but with a determination to uncover the truth, which often leads him into trouble and puts others in danger in the process. While on TV, Davison’s Doctor’s cautiousness was a welcome contrast to the confidence of Pertwee and Baker, he never quite showed the level of self doubt that Doctor Five displays in this story. In Equilibrium, the Fifth Doctor has a mini ‘am I a good man?’ moment – and it’s great that an actor of Davison’s skills is given some more emotionally-weighty material by Big Finish.
Nyssa is the voice of reason and objectivity, while assisting the Doctor with her technical abilities. She also gives the Doctor a reassuring pep talk during that moment when he questions his motivation for getting involved.Much more than a mouth-on-legs, Tegan is the brave heart and soul of the piece, questioning the ethics of Isenfel’s ruling elite, from bloodsports to their treatment of servants and, ultimately, the slaughter of innocent people to maintain the ‘balance’ the realm must maintain to survive.
As a thoughtful, exciting drama, with a good few twists along the way – on balance – Equilibrium really delivers.
Tricksy Turlough has more of a comic role in proceedings in a subplot where he is pursued by the brave and brash princess of Isenfel, Inger – enthusiastically played by Joanna Kirkland. Her lusty interest in the redhead (a source of wonder in a civilisation where everyone has blonde hair) is amusingly brushed aside by Turlough, who is more interested in self preservation than proving his hunting skills to the local aristocracy.
With such a packed TARDIS team, Fitton makes a crucial decision to keep the supporting cast to a minimum. This leaves plenty of room for Annette Badland (Aliens of London/World War Three and Boom Town) and Nickolas Grace (Robin of Sherwood) to shine as Queen Karlina and Balancer Skaarsgard/Viktor Skaarsgard. Both of the characters go through life-changing emotional journeys in Equilibrium – a story where there aren’t really any ‘baddies’, or ‘goodies’ for that matter. Although Isenfel has fairytale overtones – shades of Narnia with it’s world in winter, ice Queen and edge of the world setting – its inhabitants and their predicament feel real and significant.
One aspect that Big Finish has injected into E-Space is danger. It is not our universe… the Doctor might not be able to save it.
The success of all Doctor Who stories depends on balance: between things such as adventure and character, humour and pathos, fantasy and reality. And Equilibrium manages to deliver in each of those areas in equal measure. If it’s horror, villains and monsters you are after then this probably isn’t the CD for you. But as a thoughtful, exciting drama, with a good few twists along the way – on balance – Equilibrium really delivers.
But what of E-Space? It still seems to be a lost opportunity not making this universe a little bit less like just a smaller version of ours. Isenfel is populated by humanoids, they are surrounded by giant wolves, which they hunt on horseback. It has a novelty factor, a bit like visiting Gibraltar and noticing the red telephone boxes and the fact that they drive on the left, just like we do at home. But the one aspect that Big Finish has injected into E-Space is danger. It is not our universe and, perhaps, the Doctor might not be able to save it. We’ll have to find out in the final story in the new trilogy, The Entropy Plague.
For the record, I’d like to pitch a McGann E-Space adventure, with a new companion, Laguna, set on the planet Renault. It’s called Estate of Decay. Anyone? Oh, please yourselves…
Equilibrium is available to order from Big Finish now for £14.99 on CD and £12.99 download.
The post Reviewed: Equilibrium appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Thick of It Writer Iannucci Wants Capaldi Reunion
Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Armando Iannucci, creator of The Thick of It and self-confessed Doctor Who fan, hopes to reunite with its star and current Doctor, Peter Capaldi, and write an episode of our show.
Iannucci, whose credits include I’m Alan Partridge, Veep and his own, much underrated The Armando Iannucci Shows (personal favourite sketch: the man literally dying of boredom), has already held talks with Steven Moffat and has a clear idea of where he would like to take the Doctor: “I’m a big fan of Doctor Who and obviously with Peter, who’s loving it, it would be nice to,” Iannucci said. “I’ve spoken off and on to them but it’s a case of being able to fit something in. It’s a nice thought.”
Although an acclaimed actor and Oscar winner, it was the role of foul-mouthed Spin Doctor and master of the dark arts Malcolm Tucker (quotes that we can actually reproduce here include: “Oh, lovely, lovely. Well, look, I’d love to stop and chat but I’d rather have type 2 diabetes,” and “I have to say, I have never seen anyone sweat so much in my entire life. And I’ve been in a sauna with Pavarotti! I mean I know politicians and hot air are supposed to go together, but I’ve never actually seen one vaporise!”) that made Capaldi a household name.
A perfect piece of genre defining, barbed satire, it would be fascinating to see whether or not Iannucci brought some of that anti-establishment vibe to the ‘100% rebel Time Lord’ – what’s certain, he’ll have no problem writing stinging insults for the cantankerous Twelfth Doctor.
In an interview with The Guardian, Iannucci said: “In our conversations there was an idea we had, but it may be a wee while yet before we get round to working out when it would be. Knowing I am committed for the next year or so, it’s all on hold. Let’s get back in touch when we can.”
Here’s hoping that the hugely influential and outspoken Iannucci can clear a space in his hectic schedule and join the other big name writes like Richard Curtis and Neil Gaiman and write for The Doctor.
The post Thick of It Writer Iannucci Wants Capaldi Reunion appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Here’s Wink Taylor As William Hartnell!
Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
It’s funny, isn’t it? You wait almost 50 years for a Doctor Who mimic to turn up, and then three appear at once! Here’s Wink Taylor breathing new life into the First Doctor, and we think you’ll agree that he does a good job with it.
You’ve probably already heard John Guilor as the First, Fourth and Fifth Doctors (a quick check of our most popular podKast will cover you there), and recently Big Finish has introduced listeners to Tim Treloar, who narrates and voices the lines of the Third Doctor in typically Pertwee-esque manner. Throw in Frazer Hines voicing Patrick Troughton and William Russell and Peter Purves recalling William Hartnell with some relative ease, and you suddenly find that we’re swimming in replacement voices for the Doctor.
And that doesn’t even touch on impressionist Jon Culshaw’s body of work (he’s also reading Ark in Space for BBC Audiobooks soon).
We think Wink Taylor’s library of voices (which you can find more of on YouTube) is worth enjoying, so head on over there now.
(With thanks to Wendy)
The post Here’s Wink Taylor As William Hartnell! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
March 22, 2015
Hey, Just What IS A “CultKast”?
Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
You may have noticed one or two new posts on Kasterborous of late, either on the site or via Twitter, that appear to be podcasts but aren’t podKasts. These, dear reader/listener, are CultKasts, refugees from the now-defunct Cult Britannia, which regular readers will know lives on here at Kasterborous.
While the standard podKast is a weekly, Doctor Who-centric affair with occasional guests, the CultKast is a more irregular project, featuring people who are working on something I’m interested in away from Doctor Who, or who I personally admire. To date, there have been three CultKasts:
Ian Dickerson discusses efforts to reboot The Saint.
Tim Follin & John Guilor discuss interactive video game Contradiction.
Dean Wilkinson recalls his career as a comedy writer.
We are, of course, under no illusions that the connections with Doctor Who here are tenuous at best (obviously John Guilor has provided voice work on the main show and DVDs, and co-stars in Contradiction with Paul Darrow of Blake’s 7 fame), but the point really was to give these recordings a new home and give you, dear reader/listener, the chance to engage in something a little bit different. Efforts to remake The Saint have been ongoing for years and remain fascinating; Contradiction is a superb game for iPad and hopefully soon Windows and Mac OS X; Dean Wilkinson has carved a remarkably successful career as a writer while remaining largely anonymous.
We’ll have more CultKasts for you in future, along with the weekly podKast. Enjoy them!
The post Hey, Just What IS A “CultKast”? appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
CultKast 3: Dean Wilkinson Recalls His Award Winning-Comedy Writing Career
Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
You probably don’t know Dean Wilkinson, but you certainly know his work. Having written for names as esteemed as John Cleese, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, Ant & Dec and Mel Smith & Griff Rhys Jones, Dean Wilkinson is an unsung legend of British comedy, and kindly took time out from his busy schedule as a narrative developer (that’s what we call video game scriptwriters in 2015, incidentally) and children’s TV scriptwriter to recall some of his past successes and look forward to future projects, including a Sherlock spoof…
Shownotes
Teacup Travels
Sheerluck Online
Koouka trailer
Dean’s Wikipedia page
The post CultKast 3: Dean Wilkinson Recalls His Award Winning-Comedy Writing Career appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Your Vote Can Help Contradiction Become Available on Steam!
Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
We’ll start with the basics: Contradiction is an interactive video game, commonly described as an FMV, in which you control a detective as he establishes just who murdered a student in a remote village. It stars Blake’s 7 legend Paul Darrow (who also appeared in Doctor Who on two occasions, The Silurians and Timelash) and John Guilor (regular readers will know John; less regular will recognise his voice from The Day of the Doctor, where he provided new dialogue for the First Doctor, and the DVD reconstruction of Planet of Giants.
You may well have seen considerable coverage of the game – initially available on iPad only – on Kasterborous over the past few months, culminating with my review. The reason for such deep coverage is obvious: it’s a flaming great game, with a strong storyline, strong cast (beyond Darrow and Guilor), great performances, engaging gameplay and wonderful direction.
But you may not own an iPad. Worry not: the game is currently being developed for other platforms, and as you can see here they’re hoping to be able to distribute it through Steam for PC and Mac. In order for this to be successful, a special video has been made, designed to attract votes. Once enough have been cast, the game will be available for desktop computers for the first time
Here’s the pitch on Steam Greenlight:
Contradiction is an murder mystery adventure game that uses live-action video for the entirety of the game play. It’s a brand new take on the concept of an interactive movie and takes the genre to a whole new level of playability.
It features some great performances from the cast and has an intriguing story running through it, which you uncover as you progress. There’s no chance of ‘dying’ and having to restart and everything that happens is controlled by you.
Contradiction is designed to give you complete freedom of movement around the game environment as in a 3D graphics game. You can investigate areas, collect items, collect information and use items you’ve found. You can also interview the characters you meet and question them about the evidence and information you’ve collected. However, the centrepiece of the game is listening to their answers and spotting contradictions in their statements. When you spot a contradiction, they’re forced to admit it and the story moves along.
The game is already available for iPad (Contradiction on iTunes) and has had some great reviews, but the Steam version for Mac & PC will be the ideal format and will feature faster and easier navigation, additional game effects and HD video. The Steam version has also been designed to work with a game controller and will work best plugged into a big TV with good sound!
So if you like the idea, please VOTE YES!
If you hold a Steam account, and want to see the game on your computer (or proto Steambox…) head to the Contradiction page on Steam Greenlight to place your vote!
The post Your Vote Can Help Contradiction Become Available on Steam! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
March 21, 2015
Watch The Twelfth Doctor in FIVE TARDIS Console Rooms
Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Here’s a swish new promotional video for the Doctor Who Experience, in which the Twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, appears in not one, not two, not even just his own, but FIVE console rooms of the TARDIS!
Utilising the 1963, 1981, 2005, 2010 and 2012 versions of the control room, the video sees the Doctor snapping quickly between each, making an observation and enjoying some nostaligia for buttons. All of this, of course, is part of a much wider, um, experience, so don’t go trying to discern or divine just what the Doctor is really referring to throughout.
Instead, you need to head to www.doctorwho.tv/events/doctor-who-experience and book tickets.
After all, it’s nearly Easter!
The post Watch The Twelfth Doctor in FIVE TARDIS Console Rooms appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Big Finish Announce Plans for The Avengers: Steed and Mrs Peel!
Nick Kitchen is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
In addition to the ongoing The Avengers: The Lost Episodes range that recreates the missing episodes from the first season of the classic programme, Big Finish has revealed plans to begin work on a second Avengers line, The Avengers – Steed and Mrs. Peel: The Comic Strip Adaptations! They’ve also announced plans to republish the original strip, that ran in Diana magazine, as a single volume graphic novel.
Producer David Richardson had this to say on the project: “I’m so thrilled that we have been granted the opportunity to open a new chapter in our audio adaptations of The Avengers. Working on these productions has been an utter joy, and it’s so exciting to step into the colour era of the show and to bring in another iconic figure from its rich history.”
Richardson has also already seen the upcoming graphic novel artwork and says he is “blown away” by the work. Julian Wadham will be reprising his role as Steed and they’re currently casting for the role of Mrs. Peel. As more details become available, we’ll be sure to share them, dear readers, although some interesting suggestions have been made by fans, such as Rachael Stirling (2013’s The Crimson Horror and daughter of the original Mrs Peel, Diana Rigg) and Sally Bretton (Not Going Out).
For those of you who may not know, there is also a very prominent link between The Avengers and Doctor Who – Sydney Newman! The “father” of the show we love and love to discuss and write about is also the progenitor of The Avengers. Indeed, Newman’s work on the serial in 1960 no doubt gave him the clout to get the “risky” sci-fi series up and running.
There is one small piece of bad news, however, that we must still report. These new projects aren’t slated for release until April and November…2016 (respectively)! I’m sure that there will be plenty of things to keep us busy until then…lots of Doctor Who this fall and the next (and loads of audios out now and between then) and there’s also talk of those other Avengers doing something remarkable in the next month or so. However, if you’re so inclined, The Avengers – Steed and Mrs. Peel: The Comic Strip Adaptations and the companion graphic novel are available for preorder now.
Are you excited for more Avengers? Will you be picking these up? Let us know!
(via Big Finish)
The post Big Finish Announce Plans for The Avengers: Steed and Mrs Peel! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
Reviewed – The Fourth Doctor: The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death
Meredith Burdett is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.
Now THAT’S how you convert a set of old Doctor Who novels into something amazing.
Sitting down to enjoy the fevered delights contained in the Gareth Roberts box set from Big Finish, two dramatizations of 1990’s Virgin Doctor Who novels by the man himself; this reviewer was both excited as well as apprehensive. Although the previous audio adaptations of several Seventh Doctor novels in the past few years had been solid offerings with high production values, they had not been as enjoyable on a personal level as one may have hoped the transition from prose to audio leaving something to be desired.
However, that is not the case here. These conversions are wonderfully crafted, beautifully acted out, masterfully directed and wonderfully authentic to not only the books they are based on but also the era that they are emulating.
Make no mistake, this is not one of the Big Finish releases that you can choose to ignore, several important things happen all at once to please casual listeners and Doctor Who fans alike. These stories are not grossly overcomplicated or loaded with terms only science fiction fans could grasp; these stories are perfect for a casual Sunday afternoon listen. Anyone could jump on board and follow the story, there’s fun for all to be had.
But you’re not skimming over this review as a casual listener, more than likely you’ve thrown your attention our way to find out whether you should put the pedal to the medal and spend your hard earned wages on these releases. To settle your mind, let me iterate one vital point, Tom Baker and Lalla Ward perform together as the Doctor and Romana in these stories. Hoe have we all skimmed over this landmark event. Big Finish have reached into the ashes of yesteryear and bought back together the two performers in Doctor Who history who perhaps have had the very worst experience with one another on and off the show. They’ve barely mentioned one another in thirty years in public but somehow, magically, Big Finish have succeeded where broadcasting corporations and DVD companies have failed (I’m paraphrasing Davros but you get the point).
Hearing these two together again, albeit under a slightly different dynamic, is one of the last missing pieces of Doctor Who coming back together, proving that the power of the show will never, ever truly die. Of course, their relationship is slightly different. The mutual respect is still there, two burningly intelligent characters both in fantasy and reality sparking off one another but of course; the flirting and mutual attraction has gone, lost in the ether of love burned out long ago. But that’s no bad thing; we have two of Gallifrey’s finest back together again, that is important.
Both The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death bring their source material joyously to life, casting is spot on and most importantly, the atmosphere from the original prose is both present and powerful. For older fans of Doctor Who, these are stories worth repeating, the nostalgia factor they leave you with for the heady days of the Virgin Missing Adventures is worth the price of the admission ticket. For those newer to the world of Doctor Who, this is another great stepping on point; the adventures here are fun, adventurous, bold, rich and very, very funny. The Fourth Doctor dealing with idiotic Ogrons will have you in stiches.
This reviewer cannot recommend these two stories highly enough. If you’re still reading this then please, do yourself a favour: put down these words, journey over to your nearest Big Finish retailer,
purchase these adventures, listen to them and then thank us for the recommendation later. You won’t regret it.
The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death are available on CD or via download to purchase at www.bigfinish.com. You can also buy them as part of a deluxe box set with a wealth of special features.
The post Reviewed – The Fourth Doctor: The Romance of Crime and The English Way of Death appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.
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