Game Review: Doctor Who: Lost in Time

Doctor Who has long been a beloved sci-fi franchise with a dedicated fan base. And while the show has seen its fair share of successes and failures in the video game space over the years, Doctor Who: Lost in Time unfortunately falls into the latter category.

The game’s main flaw is perhaps the one thing that Doctor Who should never be, tedious. Lost in Time is essentially an energy mining game that requires the player to tap repeatedly on their screen until they’ve built up enough energy to progress. And while there are slight variations in the gameplay, the core loop is one of endless repetition.

Adding insult to injury, the game also comes with a heavy emphasis on in-app purchases. For real money or by watching ads, players can increase the automation and productivity of their various energy mines. But ultimately, the game feels like it’s trying to convince players that digging coal out of the ground with their bare hands is a fun time – and then offer to lease them a pickaxe.

The perfunctory storyline and simplistic character designs only add to the game’s lackluster quality. And worst of all, the constant notifications reminding players to play the game only serve to add insult to injury.

In short, Doctor Who: Lost in Time fails to capture the sense of adventure and fair play that fans have come to expect from the franchise. It’s a dull and repetitive game that leans too heavily on in-app purchases, and one that is unlikely to satisfy even the most die-hard Doctor Who fans.

Doctor Who: Lost in Time is available through both the App Store and PlayStore

Episode 231:Big Finish-Doctor Who: Out of time

In which Martyn, Sam, and Chris discuss ‘Out of time’ the latest Doctor Who release from Big Finish.

Out of Time 1 stars David Tennant and Tom Baker. It was written by Matt Fitton and directed by Nicholas Briggs.

Read Martyn’s written review here.



The Big Finish Chris appears on can be bought here.

Check out Chris’ adaptation of Sleuth here.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to;

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Doctor Who: Out of Time 1 is now available from the Big Finish website.



Review-Doctor Who: Out of time

Covid 19 has been an utter horror, but it has given Doctor Who fans content we wouldn’t have gotten without it. Not only did we get a Sarah Jane Smith finale written by Russell T Davies, we also got the news that Christopher Eccleston has signed up to Big Finish.

It also enabled Big Finish to bring forward their release of Out of time 1. This was recorded entirely in lockdown and only happened because the events of this year cleared out David Tennant’s insane schedule.

Out of Time is the first, in a trilogy of original audio adventures that sees the Tenth Doctor pit himself against his most iconic foes, with a former Doctor by his side. In this story he’s joined by The Fourth Doctor, played by the legendary Tom Baker.



Multi-Doctor stories are nothing new, but this is the first time these two incarnations have met and it’s absolutely joyous. There’s the standard bickering we get when two Doctors meet, however there’s more love and mutual respect between these two.

Writer Matt Fitton perfectly manages to balance the tonal difference between two entirely different eras of the show. Ten and Four bounce of each other spectacularly well. Both lead actors absolutely soar in their respective roles.

Howard Carter’s music perfectly compliments the drama, punctuating the actors performances. The supporting cast are all on top form and Nicholas Briggs takes on a dual role as actor and director, he does both with absolute vigour. This is clearly a passion project for all involved, a love letter to Doctor Who and its fans.

Out of time may well be the best multi-Doctor story yet. I can’t wait for the second and third instalments.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cast:

Listen to our podcast discussion about ‘Out of time’ here.

Doctor Who: Out of Time 1 is now available from the Big Finish website.

Book review-Doctor Who:Scratchman

Roughly 40 years ago, one Thomas Stewart Baker sat in the pub with his Doctor Who co-star, Ian Marter and started writing a Doctor Who movie, Doctor Who meets the Scratchman.

Ultimately, it never secured the required funding and the un-produced film became the stuff of legend. Tom Baker later had to apologise, after kids started sending their pocket money to the BBC. After he joked that fans could fund it.

Over the years, you’d hear a rumour here and there at fan gatherings and meet ups. Some people even claimed they’d read it. It sounded bonkers, the fourth Doctor going up against the devil and at some point, pinball would be involved..

Now, after years of speculation and “what ifs” Tom Baker- with the help of James Goss, has adapted the screenplay into a novel.

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive at a remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, who are preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.

With the fate of the universe hanging in the balance, the Doctor must battle an ancient force from another dimension, one who claims to be the Devil. Scratchman wants to know what the Doctor is most afraid of. And the Doctor’s worst nightmares are coming out to play…

Baker and Goss have taken full advantage of the novel medium. There’s a sense of freedom here, that a film probably wouldn’t allow. The story takes its time and feels like the fourth Doctor era, but it’s also clearly influenced by the big sci-fi/horror films from the 70’s. Mostly John Carpenter’s work, but I also got hints of Wicker man and the Omen. This blend makes for an intriguing read.

The first half reads very much like a standard Doctor Who story, it’s the second half that gets whacky, outlandish and high-concept. I don’t want to spoil it. It’s a bit far-out and some may feel it makes the book a bit disjointed. But it worked for me.

This is the most fun I’ve had with a book for years. Tom Baker claims this will be his last time writing a Doctor Who book, if that’s true then he’s left us with an entertaining read. However, I’m hoping he can be talked into another.

How to put together a passable fourth Doctor cosplay, at short notice

Last month I was invited to a fancy dress party in Devon’s Devon. I had a weeks notice and the only thing I was told about the party was “vintage”.

Given this limited information, I decided to go as a vintage character from Doctor Who. The fourth Doctor, as played by Thomas Stewart Baker.

Now, before we get into it. Let me start by saying I wasn’t aiming for screen accuracy here. I just wanted something that would be passable and recognisable as Doctor Who. I was also only going to Devon for the day, so I wanted something I could wear on the train to and from.

The first item I purchased, was a burgundy crombie jacket from Jacamo.

Again, in no way screen accurate. But, it’s passable and a really comfortable jacket to wear.

The jacket cost £99 and can be ordered here.

It could also pass for a Twelfth Doctor burgundy jacket.

For the trousers, I just went for a standard black pair. Again, in no way screen accurate. But passable. You can get these anywhere that sells trousers.

For the fedora, I just picked up a cheap one on amazon.

I also ordered a brown curly wig from Amazon. As the wig made my head massive, I put two safety pins through the wig and into the fedora to keep it on my head.

The scarf came from Lovarzi and is a 13” replica of one of the scarfs Thomas Stewart Baker wore, as The Doctor. This is a high quality replica and I absolutely love it.

Shoes, I just wore my Nike’s. I know, not screen accurate.

But you can’t prove he isn’t wearing these on Big Finish audios!

Overall, I was proud of the way this outfit came together. I’m in no way a cosplayer, but after doing this. I can see why people enjoy it, I got so many smiles, hugs and high-fives at the party. Maybe I’ll work on a more screen accurate version in the future.



Tom Baker writes Doctor Who novel

Doctor Who legend Tom Baker, has written his first Doctor Who novel. Based on his original idea for a film Doctor Who: Scratchman sees The Doctor, Harry and Sarah Jane Smith arrive on remote Scottish island, when their holiday is cut short by the appearance of strange creatures – hideous scarecrows, preying on the local population. The islanders are living in fear, and the Doctor vows to save them all. But it doesn’t go to plan – the time travellers have fallen into a trap, and Scratchman is coming for them.



Tom Baker said:

“I love the improbability of Doctor Who. Reason plays no part at all. As in religion, the overriding thing is faith. It may be improbable, but just believe in it and it’ll all come right.”“When I was approached about the book, I thought, ‘Why not?’ I’m always on the lookout for a novelty. I’m very enthusiastic as I get close to darkness.”

 

Doctor Who Meets Scratchman began out of boredom somewhere in the 1970s, an idea for a story formed by Tom Baker and Ian Marter between set takes and pauses in filming during the Fourth Doctor era.

Despite great enthusiasm and valiant attempts, funding Scratchman proved difficult (Baker accidentally made a newspaper appeal to the British public for help, and found himself deluged with children’s pocket money – which he had to return.)

For a long time, Scratchman was forgotten, until a script was found in 2006. It was donated to the British Film Institute by former Doctor Who producer John Nathan-Turner before his death in 2002.

 



 

 

Episode 168: The Pirate Planet (James Goss interview).

James Goss shares his journey through rare Doctor Who documents and his commitment to letting Douglas Adams shine through his latest book, adapting Adams’ Doctor Who story The Pirate Planet.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, PodchaserPlayer FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

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Tom Baker makes a surprise reveal

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Tom Baker attended the launch party for ‘who on horror’ today and made a surprise reveal.
He was actually due to appear in the Doctor Who spin-off ‘The Sarah Jane Adventures’. But, the sad passing of Elisabeth Sladen stopped this from becoming a reality.
Baker didn’t say who he would have played, but it really is a shame that the pair didn’t have one more on-screen adventure.

Elisabeth Sladen famously played Sarah Jane alongside Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker. She left the role in 1976 but reprised it four times, before being given her own spin-off in 2007.
Sladen lost her secret battle with cancer in 2011.

Who on horror launches on the horror channel on Good Friday.

Episode 51: Doctor Who-Genesis of the Daleks

In which Martyn, Gerrod and, Pete record in the same location for the first time. We discuss Genesis of the Daleks, then go off-topic.

Happy Merry New Year! 🎉

Genesis of the Daleks is the fourth serial of the twelfth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by David Maloney, and originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975 on BBC1.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, PodchaserPlayer FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

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Episode 22: The Ribos Operation

Martyn and Gerrod discuss Doctor Who Series Six. New Bad Wilf team member, Pete reviews The Ribos Operation from AudioGO

The sixth series of British science fiction television programme Doctor Who was shown in two parts. The first seven episodes were broadcast from April to June 2011, beginning with “The Impossible Astronaut” and ending with mid-series finale “A Good Man Goes to War”. The final six episodes aired from August to October, beginning with “Let’s Kill Hitler” and ending with “The Wedding of River Song”. The main series was preceded by “A Christmas Carol”, the 2010 Christmas special. The series was led by head writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, alongside executive producers Beth Willis and Piers Wenger. Sanne Wohlenberg, Marcus Wilson, and Denise Paul served as producers. The series was the sixth to air following the programme’s revival in 2005 after the classic era aired between 1963 and 1989, and is the thirty-second season overall.

The series stars Matt Smith as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time and space in his TARDIS, a spacecraft whose exterior resembles a British police box. It also stars Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill as his companions, newlyweds Amy Pond and Rory Williams. Alex Kingston also returns as River Song, a mysterious woman from the Doctor’s future who is revealed throughout the series to be Amy and Rory’s part-Time Lord daughter and the Doctor’s wife. In addition to Song, the series continues story threads from the fifth series, most notably the Silence, the cause of the TARDIS exploding in “The Pandorica Opens” / “The Big Bang”.

Reluctantly cancelling his well-earned holiday, the Doctor sets off in the TARDIS to trace and re-assemble the six segments of the Key to Time on which the stability of the entire Universe depends. Assisted by the argumentative Romanadvoratrelundar and K9, he lands on the planet Ribos in search of the first segment and finds himself entangled in the machinations of two sinister strangers, Garron and the Graff Vynda Ka. Who are they? Is Garron simply a shady confidence-trickster dealing in interplanetary real estate? Is the Graff Vynda Ka just a power-crazed exile bent on revenge? Or are they both really agents of the Black Guardian, intent upon seizing the precious Key in order to throw the Universe into eternal chaos? Risking his life within the monster-infested catacombs of Ribos, the Doctor has to use all his wit and ingenuity to find out…

An exciting unabridged reading, with music and sound effects, and this novelisation of a classic Doctor Who adventure, first published by Target Books in 1979.

The podcast is available from all good podcast services, such as but not limited to Amazon Music, PodchaserPlayer FM, Stitcher, and Apple Podcasts.

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