Doctor Who: The Veiled Leopard

Big Finish: DWM Releases #367

by Iain McLaughlin, Claire Bartlett

This is an audio play released as a free bonus with issue 367 of Doctor Who Magazine.

Monte Carlo, 1966: Four time travellers. Two missions. One costumed ball. The Doctor has sent Peri and Erimem to prevent the fabulous Veiled Leopard diamond from being stolen. Which is odd, seeing as the Doctor has sent Ace and Hex to steal the diamond. How will the two teams cope with this contradictory task? Will Peri's asp slip? Why does Ace have to pretend to be a French maid? How will Erimem cope with Pharoh Rammalamadingdong? And can Hex really 'do posh'?

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Media Tie In

Audio CD

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally included as a free gift with Doctor Who Magazine, this would have been one of my earliest Big Finish releases that I’d listen to.

The story focuses on two sets of companions in this Doctor-lite as Peri and Erimem in Part One along with Ace and Hex in Part Two.
Both sets are on a separate mission for their respected Doctors in 1960’s Monte Carlo.

While the first half was the strongest of the two, it was still an enjoyable romp that really evoked the early Bond movies of that time.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

A two part audio adventure from the makers of the Doctor Who audiobooks, with two sets of companions from two different Doctors, both from a different era. Peri & Eriman from the 5th Doctor & in the other corner Hex & Ace from the 7th Doctor, but NO Doctor in sight or in this tale except for some explanation why the companions are here.

A tale set in 60's Monte Carlo one side to protect "the veiled leopard" a fabolous diamond and another crew to steal it. And in between them some other characters.
The tale is passable but there is never a pay-off in the sense that you as listener feel you have heard something great.
Enjoyable if you have heard some of the better stuff by Big Finish, this being an extra with the release of the Doctor Who magazine issue 367 March 2006. There have been better releases with the magazina than this one.

Only for Doctor Who complementists.

[Nicholas Whyte]

The Veiled Leopard brings together Peri and Erimem, but no Fifth Doctor, and Ace and Hex, but no Seventh Doctor, in Monte Carlo in 1966, to avert or arrange the theft of a famous jewel known as the Veiled Leopard. The first half of this is very good, with Nicola Bryant particularly sparking and Peri and Caroline Morris reacting nicely as Erimem. I have to say that the second half, with Ace and Hex, did not grab me and I waited in vain for the punchline.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short romp with two companions each from two different Doctors. Peri and a companion I was not familiar with, but apparently from ancient Egypt, Erimem (Who I kind of like. I don't think anyone messes with her!) show up from the 6th Doctor in 1960s London to thwart the theft of a diamond known as the Veiled Leopard. (Actually a heirloom from Erimem's Dad. (Who was a Pharaoh no less!) Meanwhile, unbeknownst to each other, Ace and another companion I had not heard of before, Hex, show up to steal the diamond under the direction of the 7th Doctor. Hmmm.... don't these guys have memories?

Well, If you think about it, what initially may appear to be a problem with logic is not. As the story develops, it could very well be the Doctor solving a problem that would only arise after the adventures of the first companion's mission. This means we have two stories, playing at at the same time, with the same object. Unfortunately, neither Doctor makes an appearance and this may have been an early edition of the companion chronicles. In any case, it is up to the two duos to save the day.

There are some interesting characters and more people than you would think who are after the diamond for one reason or another, but the story manages to hold together over it's running time. This would be a 3.5 star tale, but I have not rounded up as while the dialogue was witty and fun, there was too much of it and not enough story. It is always fun to listen to Nicola Bryant and Sophie Aldred but this could have been done in half the time. Still, for the price a fun listen.

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's free. That's the main thing. It's okay for a free, bite-sized adventure.

There's not a lot of action going on and it outright lacks a conclusion. Some of the supporting voices are very similar and hard to distinguish at times. And for the love of God, did we not learn our lesson from "Nekromanteia" about constantly sexualising Peri and Erimem?

But still, at the end of the day, it's free; originally with DWM, but now just on its own. If I had to pay for this my ranking probably would have been lower, but at the end of the day, it's a free story with Hex in it, so that's always welcome.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking for this one forever, and I was delighted when the Big Finish site offered it as a free download not too long ago. I am a huge fan of both Nicola Bryant and Sophie Aldred, so having both of them in this story was a real plus for me, I just wish that Peri and Ace would've interacted with each other in the story. The other companions -- Erimem and Hex -- were favorites of mine as well, so just on the cast alone, this story was bound to go over well with me. The story was fast-paced and immersive, perfect for an evening session of cleaning bathrooms.

[Sidney McKidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this was better than the second half. Not to say that the second half wasn't interesting; the "everyone's trying to steal the diamond" thing could've been fun, but it was basically just undermining everything that had happened in the first part instead of working with it. Maybe it would have been better if the two groups had interacted more/the story was one long narrative instead of two pieces, or something.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had gotten quite a few of these stories from big finish.

I kind of set these aside for a while.I had a lot going on in life and was going down a different vein of reading.

Since i've bought the other books , I feel the need to pick them up and read some, i just hope that they're a lot better than this last book.

Narration wasn't too bad at all. storyline was just weak.

Going to go ahead and try another see if it's any better.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really quite good for a freebie.
I did enjoy myself, and especially Peri and Erimem are great in this.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peri tries to stop a burgerler from stealing a precious stone while hex and ace try to steal it.

[Daniel Cork · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun bond-esgue story with some cracking humour, it was interesting to see four companions from two respective of Doctor's in this, on an errand for him but for two different purposes... 8/10

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, short companion story.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great first half of a story, doesn't quite end so well, although I did like the premise.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly just the companions. Fun for a bit but then kinda falters by the end.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating storyline with a handful of companions doing shenanigans for the greater good, what you can expect from a Whovian story as always.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a fun one

[Frank Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt rather asinine. A whole lot of companions but no Doctor in sight. It's a fun concept, pitting two sets of companions against one another, but it's a rather fruitless effort.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun romp. But it really is more like a Pink Panther spoof even though they kept trying to make references to James Bond. It’s fun, it’s silly, it’s contrived. But it was free.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was fun to see Peri and Erimem off together on an adventure. Ace and Hex were also lots of fun. It was nice to see people having an adventure without the doctor around for a change. The only thing that was odd about this was that it was set in the 60s when it had much more of a 30s feel to it. I guess they wanted James Bond type references but all the posh people didn't really convey that. Still it was a fun story and I enjoyed the different dynamics.

[Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crossover of sorts of the Fifth Doctor and the Seventh Doctor. While the Doctors are only referred to and never actually "seen" in this short story, Five's Companions Peri and Erimem (much less grating in this story than in "The Council Of Nicaea") and Seven's Companions Ace and Hex interact, sort of.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erimem and Peri are at the party to keep a diamond of great renown, The Veiled Leopard, from being stolen. Ace and Hex are there to steal The Veiled Leopard. The Fifth and Seventh Doctors were last seen arguing with each other so the companions are on their own. An amusing romp.

[Delta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Doctor Who stories, but I generally like the Doctor to be in the stories. While the companions are always interesting, they are not the reason I listen to these books. However, great story writing and acting.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Doctor Whos meet Peter Sellers in a whole cat burglar and diamonds time traveling farce.