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The Fourth Doctor Adventures #12A
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures, Series 12: New Frontiers
12.1 Ice Heist! by Guy Adams (4 parts) - Recently, the world changed for Margaret Hopwood. Everything she knew was turned upside down by the arrival of a strange man in a blue box. And now nothing in her life seems the same. So when he comes back with a lady called Leela and an invitation to an unusual art gallery, she’s more than happy to join him for the ride. And what a ride it is. Because it’s an art gallery on a distant world… where a deadly plan is about to commence - one involving creatures called Ice Warriors.
12.2 Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne (4 parts) - Antillia. A place of mystery. A manufactured island in space, lost to time. But now it’s finally been found. The Doctor and his friends arrive on Antillia at the same time as an expeditionary party, delighted to solve one of the great mysteries of history. But they may have found more than they bargained for. Some things are better off lost.
12.2 Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne (4 parts) - Antillia. A place of mystery. A manufactured island in space, lost to time. But now it’s finally been found. The Doctor and his friends arrive on Antillia at the same time as an expeditionary party, delighted to solve one of the great mysteries of history. But they may have found more than they bargained for. Some things are better off lost.
Audio CD
First published March 2, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 15, 2023
Ice Heist! by Guy Adams – 4,5/5
Sculptor Margaret Hopwood’s world was completely turned upside down when she came across the fourth doctor in The Ravencliff Witch. Now she’s just bored, living her normal and ordinary life. So when the doctor visits her again and asks if she wants to come to an art gallery, she doesn’t hesitate to jump into another adventure with both feet.
When the Tardis arrives on another planet, Margaret is visibly shaken. Leela does her best to comfort Margaret by saying that she’ll protect her. But Margaret just stammers away, still a bit taken aback by the whole situation. Then the highlight of the art gallery’s auction is presented to the audience. This is what the doctor wanted Margaret to see. A piece of art created by a sculptor who died on planet earth three hundred years ago. A sculptor named Margaret Hopwood. Margaret’s head feels like it’s about to explode as she just can’t wrap her head around the whole situation. She panics and runs away. And she runs straight into an ice warrior.
The ice warriors chase after Margaret, trying to stop her from raising the alarm. The doctor on the other hand seems to think the art gallery is growing colder by the minute. Can he figure out what the ice warriors are planning and stop them, before their time runs out?
Tom Baker is almost ninety years old, and yet he still brings such passion and youthful energy in this audio adventure. You can tell how much the role of the doctor means to him. Whenever he’s given a good story, he’ll always give it his all. This is very much appreciated and undoubtedly elevates the entire story for me. But it’s new companion Margaret Hopwood who ends up stealing the show here, in her first story as an actual companion. The two lead actors are now at a certain age, and their characters are much younger than they are. So adding an actual pensioner character like Margaret Hopwood into the mix is just a stroke of genius. It creates an interesting dynamic that allows the characters to show off their experience in a very enjoyable way, and at a pace that very much suits the actors.
What’s also really cool is, the reason the doctor decided to bring Margaret onboard was to show her that her art will live on. But she only sees it as her gravestone at first. And she absolutely rejects that idea. She may be old, but she’s not done living just yet. Which is why she so quickly says yes to the doctor taking her on another adventure through time and space.
The plot is not actually extraordinary per se. It doesn’t aspire to be anything special. It’s just a good, solid heist story that tries to hit all the right story beats, with a few cool twists along the way. It’s also appreciated that the story leaves more than enough room for all the characters to have their moment in the sun.
What a highly enjoyable, relaxing and well-written story with the ice warriors. Such fun!
Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne – 3,5/5
The doctor, Margaret and Leela arrive on Antillia, a mythical island lost in time. And they’re not the only ones. A small exploration team is on a mission to unearth the truth about the biggest unsolved mystery in time and space.
The setting of Antillia is very obviously inspired by Atlantis. It’s a technologically advanced island that mysteriously and suddenly seems to have vanished in time and space. I love the legend of Atlantis. I love lost world stories. I love Doctor Who. So this kind of story seemed right up my alley on paper. And the beginning is quite strong. Love the exploration aspect of the story in general.
It’s a story that’s driven by the mystery of the setting, the inhabitants of said setting and basically a conspiracy or even a traitor in the midst of the explorers. It’s a story that does rely on familiar tropes and clichés quite a bit, both in terms of the plot and the characters. Like the damsel in distress, the base under siege, the greedy money-oriented businessman, the good scientist, the underground-living locals, … But it’s all done rather well and makes for a solid and steady-paced adventure.
It’s the characters who really carry this story. Tom Baker is once again at the top of his game here. But it’s the guest characters who get most of the attention. This is good for the plot of the story as it means the guest characters are fleshed out well and everything makes sense every step of the way. But it does mean a bit less “screen time” for the doctor and his companions.
Sculptor Margaret Hopwood’s world was completely turned upside down when she came across the fourth doctor in The Ravencliff Witch. Now she’s just bored, living her normal and ordinary life. So when the doctor visits her again and asks if she wants to come to an art gallery, she doesn’t hesitate to jump into another adventure with both feet.
When the Tardis arrives on another planet, Margaret is visibly shaken. Leela does her best to comfort Margaret by saying that she’ll protect her. But Margaret just stammers away, still a bit taken aback by the whole situation. Then the highlight of the art gallery’s auction is presented to the audience. This is what the doctor wanted Margaret to see. A piece of art created by a sculptor who died on planet earth three hundred years ago. A sculptor named Margaret Hopwood. Margaret’s head feels like it’s about to explode as she just can’t wrap her head around the whole situation. She panics and runs away. And she runs straight into an ice warrior.
The ice warriors chase after Margaret, trying to stop her from raising the alarm. The doctor on the other hand seems to think the art gallery is growing colder by the minute. Can he figure out what the ice warriors are planning and stop them, before their time runs out?
Tom Baker is almost ninety years old, and yet he still brings such passion and youthful energy in this audio adventure. You can tell how much the role of the doctor means to him. Whenever he’s given a good story, he’ll always give it his all. This is very much appreciated and undoubtedly elevates the entire story for me. But it’s new companion Margaret Hopwood who ends up stealing the show here, in her first story as an actual companion. The two lead actors are now at a certain age, and their characters are much younger than they are. So adding an actual pensioner character like Margaret Hopwood into the mix is just a stroke of genius. It creates an interesting dynamic that allows the characters to show off their experience in a very enjoyable way, and at a pace that very much suits the actors.
What’s also really cool is, the reason the doctor decided to bring Margaret onboard was to show her that her art will live on. But she only sees it as her gravestone at first. And she absolutely rejects that idea. She may be old, but she’s not done living just yet. Which is why she so quickly says yes to the doctor taking her on another adventure through time and space.
The plot is not actually extraordinary per se. It doesn’t aspire to be anything special. It’s just a good, solid heist story that tries to hit all the right story beats, with a few cool twists along the way. It’s also appreciated that the story leaves more than enough room for all the characters to have their moment in the sun.
What a highly enjoyable, relaxing and well-written story with the ice warriors. Such fun!
Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne – 3,5/5
The doctor, Margaret and Leela arrive on Antillia, a mythical island lost in time. And they’re not the only ones. A small exploration team is on a mission to unearth the truth about the biggest unsolved mystery in time and space.
The setting of Antillia is very obviously inspired by Atlantis. It’s a technologically advanced island that mysteriously and suddenly seems to have vanished in time and space. I love the legend of Atlantis. I love lost world stories. I love Doctor Who. So this kind of story seemed right up my alley on paper. And the beginning is quite strong. Love the exploration aspect of the story in general.
It’s a story that’s driven by the mystery of the setting, the inhabitants of said setting and basically a conspiracy or even a traitor in the midst of the explorers. It’s a story that does rely on familiar tropes and clichés quite a bit, both in terms of the plot and the characters. Like the damsel in distress, the base under siege, the greedy money-oriented businessman, the good scientist, the underground-living locals, … But it’s all done rather well and makes for a solid and steady-paced adventure.
It’s the characters who really carry this story. Tom Baker is once again at the top of his game here. But it’s the guest characters who get most of the attention. This is good for the plot of the story as it means the guest characters are fleshed out well and everything makes sense every step of the way. But it does mean a bit less “screen time” for the doctor and his companions.
July 28, 2025
Another boxset I've been meaning to finish since January and have finally got around to it.
Two solid stories. The first one, Ice Heist!, gives Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor an Ice Warrior story while also setting up Margaret Hopwood as the new companion. What's great about Nerys Hughes as Margaret is that she changes up the pre-established Tardis team of 4 and Leela while also being a great companion in her own right. Ever since Nerys Hughes appearance in Kinda in TV Doctor Who, she's been heavily requested to be companion ever since. While she plays a different character, this is her finally getting the chance to be a companion.
The second story, Antillia the Lost, is probably the weakest of the two, but even then, it's a fun sci-fi adventure. It takes the historical mystery of the missing island of Antillia and gives it a science fiction makeover.
I'm looking forward to seeing where Margaret Hopwood's story goes.
Two solid stories. The first one, Ice Heist!, gives Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor an Ice Warrior story while also setting up Margaret Hopwood as the new companion. What's great about Nerys Hughes as Margaret is that she changes up the pre-established Tardis team of 4 and Leela while also being a great companion in her own right. Ever since Nerys Hughes appearance in Kinda in TV Doctor Who, she's been heavily requested to be companion ever since. While she plays a different character, this is her finally getting the chance to be a companion.
The second story, Antillia the Lost, is probably the weakest of the two, but even then, it's a fun sci-fi adventure. It takes the historical mystery of the missing island of Antillia and gives it a science fiction makeover.
I'm looking forward to seeing where Margaret Hopwood's story goes.
January 14, 2025
Two 2-hour stories in which the Doctor and Leela are joined by Margaret, an elderly artist who appeared in a previous audio story. She’s something of a change from the usual companion we get, with previous audio-only companion Evelyn being the closest point of comparison. She has some direct relevance to the first story but is more just keeping up the numbers in the second, but she’s superbly played by Nerys Hughes, which is a plus.
Ice Heist! – In many ways, this is a straightforward base-under-siege story, with traditional villains the identity of which is obvious from the cover. However, there are some twists on the usual format that at least set this slightly apart. The story takes place on a lethally cold planet, with the base in question being an art museum and auction house, rather than the more usual type of setting. We do have the common “incompetent boss” trope often seen in these stories, although here, it’s at least partially subverted by everyone ignoring her almost from the beginning. Other than that, however, the characters are more varied than usual, with clashes of personality on both sides, and the twist that the base is hiding a secret that almost nobody involved is initially aware of.
The presence of Margaret provides a different take on a popular episode from the modern era, but otherwise she doesn’t do much, mostly keeping by the numbers by giving someone for Leela to bounce off of when the Doctor isn’t there. Fortunately, the ‘bouncing off of’ part works really well, giving Leela all sorts of opportunity to comment on the Doctor and the nature of their adventures together. It’s this, and some great lines of dialogue, that really raise the story above the average and make it an entertaining listen. It’s not the most original Doctor Who story ever, but it takes a common format and runs with it, providing a really solid traditional-style story that is reminiscent of the Graham Williams era at its best. 4.5 stars.
Antillia the Lost – This too, has some elements of a base-under-siege, although there is more to it than that. It sees the TARDIS being drawn after a spaceship entering a pocket universe to discover a space station that has previously vanished into it. Although hostile forces on the station provide the base-under-siege tension, it doesn’t last long and the main focus is on trying to work out what happened (which is reasonably obvious, at least in outline) and then trying to escape.
It's slower going than the first story, which may make some of the plot holes more obvious. There’s also a missed opportunity to give Leela more of a chance to interact with another female warrior, who notably comes from a very different tradition and background to her own. Without that being taken up, the latter is reduced to a stock character, as are most of the other members of the expedition… it’s done well enough but has no great feeling of freshness. Having said which, the villain is good, and there are some interesting ideas here in a world that uses the ‘pocket universe’ theme to do considerably more in its two hours than the E-Space trilogy managed it its first four (which perhaps isn’t surprising, given that State of Decay in particular wasn’t originally written for the arc). I didn’t find this as strong as the first story, but there’s some decent worldbuilding behind it that others may find attractive. 3.5 stars.
Ice Heist! – In many ways, this is a straightforward base-under-siege story, with traditional villains the identity of which is obvious from the cover. However, there are some twists on the usual format that at least set this slightly apart. The story takes place on a lethally cold planet, with the base in question being an art museum and auction house, rather than the more usual type of setting. We do have the common “incompetent boss” trope often seen in these stories, although here, it’s at least partially subverted by everyone ignoring her almost from the beginning. Other than that, however, the characters are more varied than usual, with clashes of personality on both sides, and the twist that the base is hiding a secret that almost nobody involved is initially aware of.
The presence of Margaret provides a different take on a popular episode from the modern era, but otherwise she doesn’t do much, mostly keeping by the numbers by giving someone for Leela to bounce off of when the Doctor isn’t there. Fortunately, the ‘bouncing off of’ part works really well, giving Leela all sorts of opportunity to comment on the Doctor and the nature of their adventures together. It’s this, and some great lines of dialogue, that really raise the story above the average and make it an entertaining listen. It’s not the most original Doctor Who story ever, but it takes a common format and runs with it, providing a really solid traditional-style story that is reminiscent of the Graham Williams era at its best. 4.5 stars.
Antillia the Lost – This too, has some elements of a base-under-siege, although there is more to it than that. It sees the TARDIS being drawn after a spaceship entering a pocket universe to discover a space station that has previously vanished into it. Although hostile forces on the station provide the base-under-siege tension, it doesn’t last long and the main focus is on trying to work out what happened (which is reasonably obvious, at least in outline) and then trying to escape.
It's slower going than the first story, which may make some of the plot holes more obvious. There’s also a missed opportunity to give Leela more of a chance to interact with another female warrior, who notably comes from a very different tradition and background to her own. Without that being taken up, the latter is reduced to a stock character, as are most of the other members of the expedition… it’s done well enough but has no great feeling of freshness. Having said which, the villain is good, and there are some interesting ideas here in a world that uses the ‘pocket universe’ theme to do considerably more in its two hours than the E-Space trilogy managed it its first four (which perhaps isn’t surprising, given that State of Decay in particular wasn’t originally written for the arc). I didn’t find this as strong as the first story, but there’s some decent worldbuilding behind it that others may find attractive. 3.5 stars.
October 4, 2023
The 4th Doctor Adventures is the range that started my Big Finish journey and what a wonderful ride it's been, I know people have their issues with this range but most of the time I find this range incredibly fun. Even when the stories aren't necessarily the best, they are still enjoyable to listen to for the most part. But here we are now on series 12, let's get this show on the road!
Ice Heist!:
The Doctor has returned to Ravencliff to welcome Margaret Hopwood on the journey of a lifetime alongside his companion Leela. He takes her to an art auction in the far future with a surprise for her. But when the auction is attacked by rogue Ice Warriors, it seems this adventure is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Guy Adams isn't my favorite writer for this range by any means, but what I do find with his 4th Doctor stories is that their always incredibly fun and fast-paced. This story had a lot going on from introducing Margaret to The Tardis team, to the return of The Ice Warriors whilst also dealing with corporate greed. This was a really enjoyable action-packed adventure with a couple of nice twists and turns along the way! 8.5/10
Antillia The Lost:
AntillIa is a place of mystery. A manufactured island in space, lost forever. Or is it? The Doctor and co caught in a temporal shift from an expedition ship find themselves in the lost city and their about to discover for themselves that perhaps some secrets should never be solved.
Phil Mulryne has written a really terrific script that has a nice sense of atmosphere, terrific world-building, and some really cool ideas. This story shows just how cruel scientific advancement can be, especially when it's being spoonfed by a corrupt corporation. The revelations in this story are heartbreaking, cruel, and downright evil. The villain of this piece was quite creepy and I liked how Mulryne conveyed how dangerous it can be if unleashed upon the universe. 9/10
Overall: 17.5/20
Ice Heist!:
The Doctor has returned to Ravencliff to welcome Margaret Hopwood on the journey of a lifetime alongside his companion Leela. He takes her to an art auction in the far future with a surprise for her. But when the auction is attacked by rogue Ice Warriors, it seems this adventure is about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Guy Adams isn't my favorite writer for this range by any means, but what I do find with his 4th Doctor stories is that their always incredibly fun and fast-paced. This story had a lot going on from introducing Margaret to The Tardis team, to the return of The Ice Warriors whilst also dealing with corporate greed. This was a really enjoyable action-packed adventure with a couple of nice twists and turns along the way! 8.5/10
Antillia The Lost:
AntillIa is a place of mystery. A manufactured island in space, lost forever. Or is it? The Doctor and co caught in a temporal shift from an expedition ship find themselves in the lost city and their about to discover for themselves that perhaps some secrets should never be solved.
Phil Mulryne has written a really terrific script that has a nice sense of atmosphere, terrific world-building, and some really cool ideas. This story shows just how cruel scientific advancement can be, especially when it's being spoonfed by a corrupt corporation. The revelations in this story are heartbreaking, cruel, and downright evil. The villain of this piece was quite creepy and I liked how Mulryne conveyed how dangerous it can be if unleashed upon the universe. 9/10
Overall: 17.5/20
March 2, 2024
2.1 Ice Heist! by Guy Adams (4 parts) - 4/5 Stars
Such a fun little tale but I felt that there was a bit too much padding in the first half. Bit disappointed the Ice Warriors had to be the evil in this as I'd love a story that just has them as side protagonists. Margaret is lovely.
12.2 Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne (4 parts) - 3/5 Stars
This was a rather standard tale. Overal it was fine.
Such a fun little tale but I felt that there was a bit too much padding in the first half. Bit disappointed the Ice Warriors had to be the evil in this as I'd love a story that just has them as side protagonists. Margaret is lovely.
12.2 Antillia the Lost by Phil Mulryne (4 parts) - 3/5 Stars
This was a rather standard tale. Overal it was fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2023
The Doctor takes another companion to join him and Lela.
January 26, 2024
The stories were fine. Didn’t enjoy them quite as much as others. Was kinda weird hearing Ice Warriors talk about racism.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews