Music and Audio – Page 4 – The Bad Wilf Network

REVIEW: BIG FINISH: JENNY — THE DOCTOR’S DAUGHTER

She’s got planets to save, civilisations to rescue, creatures, to defeat… and an awful lot of running to do!

It’s difficult to believe the character of Jenny debuted in Doctor Who 10 years ago. Since then fans have wondered whatever happened to The Doctor’s daughter?

The character was rife for further exploration and it’s amazing the BBC never thought to bring her back.

Thankfully, we have Big Finish. They’ve taken the character and given her a range of her own.

The scripts are sharp, funny and perfectly honed. A lot of work and love has clearly gone into this box set. The stories are kinetic and full of real-world allegories; which in lesser hands could’ve come across as clunky.

Georgia Tennant and Sean Biggerstaff have instant chemistry as Jenny and Noah. A personal highlight is they allow Jenny to be fun. She makes jokes, which work well and relieves tension in scenes. The mystery surrounding Noah is intriguing and you finish the audios with even more questions about him.

Big Finish has done it again. The Doctor’s daughter is fantastic, a breath of fresh air. The theme music is epic. familiar but different. It perfectly encapsulates the Doctor’s nature in Jenny. The stories and the cast are engaging. The sound design is flawless.

Jenny-The Doctor’s daughter is firing on all cylinders. A perfect synergy between cast and crew. I’m practically begging for series 2.

Written By: Matt Fitton, John Dorney, Christian Brassington, Adrian Poynton

Directed By: Barnaby Edwards

Cast

Georgia Tennant (Jenny), Sean Biggerstaff (Noah), Siân Phillips (COLT-5000), Stuart Milligan (Garundel), Sarah Woodward (Vesh Taralesh), Clare Corbett (Lukaku), Arabella Weir (Angie Glazebrook), Silas Carson (Ood Leader), Rosalyn Landor (Vanessa Elledge), Olivia Darnley (Emily Cole), John Dorney (John Macguire), Pik-Sen Lim (Old Woman), Arina II (Shoon-Wei), Sara Houghton (Alitta), Paul Courtenay Hyu (Po), Adèle Anderson (Dreyda), Anthony Calf (Cal). Other parts played by members of the cast.

Producer: David Richardson
Associate Producer: Georgia Tennant
Script Editor: John Dorney, Matt Fitton
Executive Producers: Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs

REVIEW: Star Trek in concert

As part of the Royal Albert Hall’s Films in Concert, two showings of Star Trek were shown over the weekend. Saturday showed 2009’s Star Trek. Sunday showed Star Trek:Beyond.

Both screenings were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and conducted by Ernst van Tiel.

We attended the Saturday event.

I’ve attended concerts like this at The Royal Albert Hall, many times. But some how each time feels like the first.

For those who are unfamiliar with these concerts, the films are played on a suspended screen, above the musicians. The dialogue is intact, with the Orchestra performing the soundtrack and sound effects live.

Not only are these amazing musicians a sight to behold on stage, but the evening provided a phenomenal audio experience that no Blu-Ray can possibly live up to.

My personal highlight of the evening was the Orchestras performance of the Star Trek theme, over Leonard Nimoy’s “space the final frontier” speech. They received a seven minute standing ovation for this.

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What I took away from this event, is just how beautiful and timeless Gene Roddenberry’s vision is. This is an experience I will cherish for a life time.

I highly recommend attending one of these screenings. Click here to find out information about the next one.

Big Finish review-Torchwood: We always get out alive

In “We always get out alive,” Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams are faced with a cataclysmic event and must flee as fast as they can. As Torchwood operatives, they’re no strangers to danger and uncertainty, but this time there’s something else in the car with them, heightening the tension and suspense.

The audio production is a testament to the perfect synergy between writer Guy Adams and director Scott Handcock. While the premise of two characters sitting in a car for 98% of the audio may sound dull, Adams and Handcock have crafted an imaginative and captivating story that is both epic and intimate in scope.

Through the course of the audio, we gain deeper insight into the personal lives of Gwen and Rhys, and their struggles to balance their duties as Torchwood operatives with their responsibilities as parents. The natural chemistry between actors Eve Myles and Kai Owen shines through, adding to the authenticity and emotional resonance of the story.

Adams skillfully uses the audio format to his advantage, leveraging the constrictive nature of the car and the medium of audio to create a gripping and immersive experience for listeners. The audio is a strong character-driven piece, with well-crafted dialogue and superb acting that draws you in and keeps you engaged.

“We always get out alive” is a must-listen for fans of the Torchwood series and audio dramas in general. It is a well-crafted and engaging production that showcases the talents of everyone involved, earning it a solid 5/5 rating.

Big Finish Review-Torchwood:Believe

The Church of the Outsiders is on a mission to lead mankind to a new era of evolution, one that takes them beyond the stars. But Torchwood’s Owen Harper believes they must do everything in their power to stop them. With the original Torchwood team back together in full-cast audio, fans have been eagerly awaiting this moment. Despite the actors recording their parts separately, the result is flawless. You won’t be able to tell the difference, and it’s a joyous reunion.

Set before the end of series 2, Guy Adams has perfectly captured the era, creating an episode that feels like it was plucked straight from 2008. The performances are outstanding, with John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Burn Gorman, Naoko Mori, and Gareth David-Lloyd all shining. Each character is given the opportunity to develop, but the Owen/Tosh relationship is a particular highlight. Owen pushes Tosh to do unspeakable things while attempting to prove himself as a capable leader.

John Barrowman’s performance in this audio is absolutely fantastic. Despite recording his parts separately from the rest of the team, his chemistry with his co-stars is still palpable. He effortlessly slips back into the role of Captain Jack Harkness and delivers a performance that is both charming and commanding. Barrowman’s energy and enthusiasm for the character and the series shine through in every line, making it a real treat for fans to hear him back in action as the iconic Torchwood leader.

Prequel stories can be challenging, but Guy Adams’ script and Gareth David-Lloyd’s performance are so compelling that there’s one moment in particular where you’ll be genuinely concerned for Ianto’s fate. With such high quality, 2018 is shaping up to be an excellent year for Torchwood on audio. This is a must-listen, earning a 10/10 rating.

Big Finish review-Torchwood-The Last Beacon

In Torchwood: The Last Beacon, a distress signal from a Welsh mountain summons an ancient battlefleet to Earth, prompting Owen Harper and Ianto Jones to venture into the Brecons to put a stop to it. This buddy comedy offers a lighter tone than most Torchwood stories in the Big Finish range, making it a refreshing and amusing addition to the series.

Owen and Ianto’s unlikely partnership is an inspired concept, and their conflict in a small Welsh community allows for deeper character exploration. Ianto feels at home among his people, but Owen is out of his element and met with distrust from the locals.

It’s also worth noting the excellent performance of Burn Gorman in the audio play. He brings his unique talents to the role of Owen Harper, capturing the character’s wit and cynicism with ease. Gorman’s delivery of the dialogue is impeccable, and he brings depth to the character that is both engaging and entertaining. His chemistry with Gareth David-Lloyd’s Ianto Jones is fantastic and adds to the overall enjoyment of the story. Gorman’s performance in The Last Beacon is a testament to his talent and a highlight of the audio play.

Gareth David-Lloyd’s first foray into writing an audio play is impressive, as the story flows seamlessly and offers further development of the leads’ relationship. This quintessentially Big Finish Torchwood story is a fun and highly recommended listen. Hopefully, David-Lloyd will write another audio play in the future.

Review-Torchwood: The Death of Captain Jack

Torchwood: The Death of Captain Jack is difficult to review, without spoiling. So, I won’t be discussing the storyline.

This is a very ambitious audio, from David Llewellyn who once again proves himself to be one of the greatest writers Torchwood has ever had. He perfectly manages to encapsulate the history of Jack and John and give the Torchwood franchise a fresh new spin, all within an hour-long adventure. It’s an absolute joy. James Marsters absolutely shines as Captain John Hart and, instantly reminds us why he was so popular amongst Torchwood fans. He’s the perfect foil to John Barrowman’s Captain Jack.

There’s also a slight dig at Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Director Scott Handcock and producer James Goss have their awesomely unique style all over this release. Torchwood on Big Finish is the best Torchwood has ever been. They just get it, it’s ambitious, it’s loud, it’s sexy and over the top. Which is just how it should be.

10/10.

Torchwood contains adult material and may not be suitable for younger listeners.

Big Finish Review-Aliens among us: Part 1

Torchwood is back, and this time it is on audio with a brand new boxset, Aliens Among Us. The first volume of Aliens Among Us sets the stage for the new Torchwood, introducing us to new characters, and old favourites.

“Changes Everything” by James Goss “Changes Everything” opens up the new Torchwood, introducing us to the new team of Jack, Gwen, Mr Colchester, and Orr. Mr Colchester, played brilliantly by Paul Clayton, is a grumpy civil servant who has been tasked with managing the new Torchwood. Meanwhile, journalist Tyler Steele, played by Jonny Green, is questioning him. Tyler is a great new character, both likeable and unlikeable at the same time. Through his eyes, we meet the new Torchwood, and this is a really well-written story that sets up the future of Aliens Among Us while remaining self-contained.
“Aliens and Sex and Chips and Gravy” by James Goss This episode takes us on a funny, fast-paced romp that tackles murderous aliens who’ve invaded a hen night. It focuses on Gwen and Colchester and hints about where Gwen is headed in future box sets. What distinguishes this episode from TV Torchwood is that it has a more mature approach to mature subject matters. The title will no doubt remind you of the first series, but this episode deals with adult themes throughout. It is another really strong entry for Aliens Among Us.
“Orr” by Juno Dawson “Orr” introduces us to the titular character, an alien sexual psycho-morph. Similar to “Changes Everything”, this episode is focused almost entirely on Orr’s introduction. The character is played excellently by Samantha Béart, who manages to make the character feel believable. This episode also tackles an adult subject matter with a level of maturity that was unfortunately never seen on TV. This is another stellar episode.
“Superiority Complex” by A.K. Benedict The final episode of the first volume of Aliens Among Us gives the new Torchwood team a chance to shine. A new luxury hotel has appeared in Cardiff, with refugees right outside. The script highlights the problem with another script that, apart from the aliens, feels like it could be a true story. Every member of the team gets a chance to shine here, including Tyler, who keeps popping up. This is a brilliant way to end a brilliant box set, and it ends with an excellent cliffhanger for the second volume.

Overall, Aliens Among Us 1 is a great introduction to the new Torchwood. The boxset shows that Torchwood is at its best on audio. The stories are very politically charged, but each of the three writers on this set delivers amazing stories that feel natural and real. The characters are all well-written, and the new Torchwood team is a great mix of old favourites and new characters. With its compelling storytelling and excellent performances, Aliens Among Us is a must-listen for any Torchwood fan.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review-The lives of Captain Jack

One of the most interesting character’s in Doctor Who’s history is, Captain Jack Harkness. The con man-come immortal-time traveling adventurer, with a wink and a swagger.

Altough we got to see more of the character in Torchwood, I’d always wanted a Captain Jack spin-off. I wanted to know what happened after The Doctor and Rose left him. Finally, Big Finish have answered that question.

The Year After I Died by Guy Adams.

As the title suggests, this story takes place a year after ‘The Parting of the Ways’. We’re presented with a very different Jack, he’s tortued, trying to lead a quiet life, he’s living alone and has shun human contact. He’s also trying to figure out how he survived the Dalek attack and why The Doctor and Rose abandoned him.

His quiet life is turned upside down when a young reporter named Silo Crook (Shvorne Marks) comes investigating, he again finds himself tasked with saving humanity.

‘The Year After I Died’works extremely well as a direct sequel to ‘The Parting of Ways’. It builds on the story told in the series 1 finale, but doesn’t fall into to the sequel trap of telling the same story. As far as opening stories go, this is a great installment. John Barrowman shins in this, delivering the most subjude/reluctant version of captain Jack we’ve ever seen. This is a very well-written story, with great performances. I would like to see more set in this timeline.

9/10

Wednesday’s for Beginners by James Goss.

After reprising her role as Jackie Tyler for ‘The Ninth Doctor Chronicles’, Camille Codouri returns as everyone’s favourie mum.

The first 15 minutes focus on Jackie Tyler, as she pushes the story forward with monologue. We learn what happens when Rose is away and we experience the true pain and lonliness she feels, it’s heart breaking.

Soon after, she meets her “handsome American stalker” (Captain Jack) and the story really kicks into gear.

Jackie and Jack make a great duo, Barrowman and Coduri have chemistry to spare and clearly had a blast recording this. Fun and flirtacious inuendo are a bounded around and it’s an absolute joy to listen to.

Jackie’s feeling of isolation and loneliness really resonates and is perfectally juxtaposed with the adventure angle.

Deep down, this is a fun adventure that will have you howling with laughter.

8/10

One Enchanted Evening by James Goss.

This story takes place mere minutes after the Doctor leaves Jack in the bar in ‘The End of Time’.

It turns out the Tenth Doctor wasn’t just trying to get the pair laid, he had an ulterior motive.

Jack and Alonso are both in dark places, Jack had just murdered his grandson, Steven, to save man kind and obviously feels a lot of guilt. Alonso had just walked off the Titanic, a broken man. Feeling he should have been braver, more like The Doctor.

The pair bond over the course of an hour, as they work to save a spaceship from being destroyed. The villain is voiced by Katy Manning, whois camping it up no end and clearly having the time of her life.

Although the villain feels very generic, character wise this is the best in the box set. Captain Jack and Midshipman Frame both help each other exorcise their demons.

This is a character driven story, that allows both characters the redemption they feel they need.

8/10.

Month 25 by Guy Adams.

This is the story we’ve spent 12 years waiting for. When we were first introduced to Captain Jack (12 years ago!) we learned he was a former time agent, with two years of his memory missing. Now, we’re finally getting some answers. We even learn his real name..

I’m a long time fan of Guy Adam’s work with Big Finish, but this could well be his best story. It’s gripping spy/conspiracy drama, that some how manages to be laugh out loud funny. This is well-written and well acted. Barrowman perfectly manages to speak the way we imagine a twenty-something Captain Jack would speak.

9/10.

‘The Lives of Captain Jack’ is a remarkable set, which I highly recommend. John Barrowman delivers some absolutely stunning performances.

James Goss and Guy Adams have managed to take such a well-known character and find new ways to make him to grow and mature, as well as answering questions fans have had for well over a decade.

It’s a must have box set, let’s hope this becomes an annual release. Maybe Jack could even meet a certain Professor Song…

The Tenth Doctor and Rose to return!

David Tennant and Billie Piper are reprising their roles of the Tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler, respectively. For three new Doctor Who audio dramas from Big Finish Productions.

Executive producer Jason Haigh-Ellery said:

“Getting David and Billie back together was definitely on my bucket list – two wonderful actors who created an era of Doctor Who which is so fondly remembered and brought a different aspect of the relationship between the Doctor and his companion to the fore – love, both platonic and unrequited. It’s great to have the Tenth Doctor and Rose back again!”

Nicholas Briggs added:

“It was such a special time for me, working with Billie and David on the TV show and it is such an honour to revisit it with them on audio.”

The set opens with Attack of the Zaross by John Dorney, in which an alien invasion of Earth isn’t quite what it appears to be – Camille Coduri guest stars as Jackie Tyler.

In the second adventure, Sword of the Chevalier by Guy Adams, the Doctor and Rose arrive in Slough in 1791 and encounter Chevalier D’Eon, an enigmatic ex-spy who has lived his life as a woman. Together they must fend off alien slavers, who have come to Earth to abduct valuable humans.

Finally, in Cold Vengeance by Matt Fitton, the TARDIS arrives on Coldstar, a vast frozen food asteroid in deep space. But there is something sinister defrosting in the network of storage units… the Doctor’s old enemies the Ice Warriors! Nicholas Briggs plays Ice Lord Hasskor and Warrior Slaan.

The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume 2 is released in November 2017.

Episode 159:Gladiator Live at The Royal Albert Hall

In which Martyn and Gerrod attend and review Gladiator Live, at The Royal Albert Hall.

Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama filmdirected by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson.

The film was jointly produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures.

It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed (in his final role), Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, and Richard Harris.

Crowe portrays Hispano-Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, murders his father and seizes the throne. Reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murders of his family and his emperor.

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