Big Finish review- Doctor Who: The Doctor Chronicles: The Eleventh Doctor: All of Time and Space

The Doctor Chronicles range from Big Finish has had a mixed reception, with some fans ridiculing the entire range. However, ‘Geronimo!’ stands out as one of the best box sets of 2022, receiving widespread praise for its imaginative and enjoyable stories. Jake Dudman and Safiyya Ingar also established themselves as a new fan-favourite TARDIS team. Now, we are treated to a reunion with the Eleventh Doctor and his cybernetically-enhanced companion in ‘All of Time and Space’.

‘All of Time & Space’ provides a mind-bending experience that offers insightful commentary on the art of creative writing. This gripping story centers around a character who gains sentience inside an unfinished story and must complete a quest that involves erasing the Doctor’s biography. The unknown writer behind this script has shown tremendous potential, and I would love to see more from them.

‘The Yearn’ by Angus Dunican is a true gem of an episode. The gestalt collective is at war with itself, with one side desiring individuality and the other preferring to remain a hive mind. What sets this story apart is the unique depiction of the Yearn as angry, bestial energy panthers. It’s a standout episode and might even be my favorite Eleventh Doctor audio adventure.

‘Curiosity Shop’ is a character-driven piece that showcases the talents of James Goss. The Doctor believes he is a junkyard owner, and it’s up to Val to bring him back to reality as she gives up her cybernetics. The pacing of this dialogue-heavy story is impeccable, making it a brilliant way to wrap up the box set.

Finally, it’s worth noting what a revelation Safiyya Ingar is as the new TARDIS team member. Their performance as Val is nuanced and engaging, and their chemistry with Jake Dudman’s Eleventh Doctor is fantastic. They continue to impress as a versatile actor, and I can’t wait to see where their career takes them.

Overall, ‘All of Time and Space’ is another fantastic box set that lives up to the high bar set by ‘Geronimo!’. The writers deserve kudos for their imaginative and enjoyable stories, and Jake Dudman and Safiyya Ingar continue to impress as the new TARDIS team. I eagerly anticipate what’s in store for the Doctor and Val in their next adventure.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review-Doctor Who: The Gemini Contagion

As the anticipation builds for the 2011 series of Doctor Who, fans can get their fix with the return of the last Time Lord in audiobook form. Meera Syal, known for her role as Nasreen Chaudry in the Silurians two-parter from series 5, delivers an excellent performance, capturing the essence of every character with ease.

The story itself is reminiscent of the late great Douglas Adams, with a focus on a new anti-viral handwash named Gemini that has been laced with Meme-Spawn, a sentient microorganism that makes the user fluent in every universal language. However, the manufacturers failed to test it on humans, resulting in violent communication in every language at once. The Doctor and Amy find themselves on an Earth-bound cargo ship loaded with Gemini and an infected crew, with Amy facing infection herself. The Doctor must decide between saving Amy or the Earth.

The audio quality is impressive, and the story is so gripping that you’ll find yourself wishing it was an episode of the TV series. The only minor niggle is the believability of the manufacturer not testing the product on humans before selling it to them. But overall, this under-a-tenner audiobook is a great value and a must-listen for any Doctor Who fans craving a quick fix.


Episode 06: The Vampires of Venice

In episode 6, Gerrod and I discuss ‘The Vampires of Venice’, ‘Amy’s Choice’.

The Vampires of Venice” is the sixth episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was broadcast on 8 May 2010 on BBC One. It was written by Toby Whithouse, who previously wrote “School Reunion”, and was directed by the first-time Doctor Who director Jonny Campbell.

Following from the end of “Flesh and Stone” where his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) had kissed him, the alien time traveler the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) picks up Amy’s fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill) and takes the two on a romantic trip to Venice in 1580. There they are intrigued by a girls’ school whose students appear to be vampires and discover that they are really alien refugees in disguise, who plot to make Venice their new home.

Amy’s Choice” is the seventh episode of the fifth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It first broadcast on BBC One on 15 May 2010. It was written by sitcom writer Simon Nye and directed by Catherine Morshead.

In the episode, the Eleventh Doctor, a time-traveling alien played by Matt Smith, and his human traveling companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill), are in a trap set by the mysterious “Dream Lord” (Toby Jones), wherein they repeatedly fall asleep and wake up in a different reality. In one, Amy and Rory are happily married but pursued by elderly people possessed by aliens, while in another they are on board the Doctor’s time machine, the TARDIS, where they anticipate being frozen to death by a nearby astronomical phenomenon. They must decide which is the real reality and die in the dream, to wake up in reality and escape the trap. At the episode’s conclusion, the Dream Lord is ultimately revealed to be a manifestation of the Doctor’s dark side and self-loathing.

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