The Early Adventures 2.4 - The Isos Network

Before Doctor Who came back in 2005 my favourite story was “The Invasion”. I had loved it since reading the Target Novelisation and the VHS release didn’t disappoint (unlike Tomb) – I loved the pace, the almost hard boiled detective feeling, UNIT, Tobias Vaughn and of course The Cybermen. That scene of them marching down St. Paul’s steps is a classic; the threat feels really big and global. On my many, many watches of the story, from VHS to the DVD with animated episodes one and four, I didn’t give a second thought to exactlywhere the Cybermen who invaded the Earth had come from. But a certain Mr Nicholas Briggs has and this (in part) is what The Isos Network is all about.

Beginning as the Cyber-fleet in The Invasion is destroyed – The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe witness a single ship escaping and decide to follow it. They arrive on a deserted planet that seems to be populated only by empathic giant slugs with not a person or Cyberman in sight – but the Cybermen are not far away; they are lurking under ground, licking their wounds and planning the next phase in their desire to survive at all costs.

The planet in question is Isos 2 and it is indeed where the Cybermen launched their invasion of Earth from – their numbers are heavily depleted, their Controller is in hibernation, but as always the Cybermen have an indomitable urge to survive.

In showing us Isos 2 as a launch point for their invasion Nick Briggs shows us Earth as it could have been had the Doctor and UNIT not defeated the Cyber Invasion, he shows us a world where the population have been used literally as spare parts for a Cyber Army. This is personified in the character of Hilsee – a partially converted resident of Isos who befriends Zoe and helps her when she becomes separated from the Doctor and Jamie. Hilsee is a tragic character, a sorrowful reminder of just what it is the Cybermen take away from us and destroy what we are.

Frazer Hines reprises his role as Jamie and continues to dazzle with his portrayal of the Second Doctor.  He really has captured the essence of Patrick Troughton, all the vocal mannerisms, the throat clearing, pauses and bumbling facade all honed to perfection.

Nick Briggs has not only written and directed this story but also plays the Cybermen and as a true devotee his vocal performance is absolutely spot on and completely of their era – his Cyber Controller is particularly chilling…

The story itself is very “Season 6” and like some stories that season seems a little padded, it may have been snappier as a three part story? The content and structure are interesting, but there does seem to be a lot of too-ing and fro-ing – much as there was in the era so in that way it does retain its authenticity and lives up to the strapline of an audio adventure in Black & White. As a sequel to an all-time classic story this has a lot going for it: Cybermen, the Cyber Controller, a bonkers Cyber Plan (sorry for bonkers, read “completely logical”) a commanding performance as the Second Doctor from Frazer Hines – it just seems to lack a little bit of pace.

7/10.

4th Doctor 5.1 - Wave Of Destruction

What type of Doctor Who fan are you? An odd question maybe to the ‘not we” but very pertinent to us fans. Long, long before the “Classic” v “New” debates that seem to plague fandom (solution – there is no classic or new its all called “Doctor Who”) there was the Tom Baker era. There was only one Tom Baker era wasn’t there? To the untrained “not we” eye the answer is yes – but us fans know differently. There are two Tom Baker eras the Hinchcliffe era and the Williams era. I could spend pages and pages discussing the relative merits of each particular producer (but I won’t) because I can categorically state Williams was better. Anyone who wants to argue can contact me via Twitter…

Where Hinchcliffe had “gravitas” (one of my least favourite words – it means a sort of pompous superiority if the internet is to be believed, Williams had joy in abundance – a sort of intelligent, knowing, delightfully silly joy – and this was honed to perfection in Season 17, once seen as the nadir of all Who is now revered as the classic it was.

Which brings me to the latest release from Big Finish in their Fourth Doctor range – Wave of Destruction, set during season 17 it has the classic combination of Tom Baker and Lalla Ward as The Doctor and Romana and as with the era it is a pastiche of the story is delightful, silly, pithy and yes, joyful.

With several nods to Douglas Adams and not a hint of “gravitas” in sight (or sound) the Doctor and Romana investigate a modulated frequency wave cancellation signal which really shouldn’t be on Earth in England in 1964.

During the course of the investigation Romana goes shopping for shoes and a handbag (a plastic one if you were wondering), the Doctor meets a detective who’s name is a fantastic in joke to fans of Broadchurch and Midsomer Murders, an old (and rubbish) enemy makes a reappearance and K9 gets to DJ on a Pirate Radio station called Radio Frantic who have some very addictive jingles, and last but not least breadcrumbs are used as an offensive weapon.

The story is a riot – a rollercoaster ride of jolly japes from beginning almost to end – in fact the end sees a somewhat darker tone to the story made all the more shocking after all the jollity and silliness that precedes it.

A great start to the series from one of my very favourite Doctor/Companion pairings and a great antidote to the dark January evenings.

8/10.

208 - The Waters Of Amsterdam

So it’s early 1983, Tegan has just rejoined the TARDIS in Arc of Infinity and the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan are off to face the wrath of the Mara and Martin Clunes. Whoah there – not if Big Finish have anything to do with it they’re not.

This month sees a new trilogy of adventures of the post Adric pre-Turlough TARDIS crew of Season 20 and it begins just where Arc of Infinity left off.

The big difference between “Classic” and “New” Who for me is character progression – in Arc of Infinity the Doctor and Nyssa meet Tegan again and things carry on as if nothing had happened – The Waters of Amsterdam addresses this, and in episode one we find out what Tegan has been doing in the intervening year between Time Flight and Arc of Infinity – she has gone back to being an air hostess, been fired from being an air hostess and had a 3 month relationship with a man called Kyle who she dumped because he wastoo perfect. Wouldn’t it be odd if he turned up in Amsterdam as well? Well it would and he does – it turns out that Kyle is a bit of a fan of Rembrandt and wants to go to see a new exhibition of his work – but this is no exhibition that the Doctor has heard of, this exhibition shouldn’t exist – this is an exhibition of Rembrandt’s “Vessels of the Stars” – not only paintings of Spaceships, but designs that would actually work. Naturally the Doctor decides to have a word with Rembrandt…

This story wears many coats and has many tones – part one is a character piece filling in missing detail about Tegan, parts two and three are the much celebrated genre of “Celebrity Historical” in which are heroes and Tegan’s ex boyfriend Kyle meet Rembrandt and part four is a very “New Who” feeling episode with a divergent timeline, a vengeance set in place centuries earlier and a tearful goodbye.

So a very uneven story, well yes, but it flows a lot better than it sounds, in fact you will be so caught up in the dealings of the Goblin like Nix – creatures formed from Water and their conflict with the Countess Mach-Teldak that you will not notice – in fact the changes of pace and tone play very much to the stories advantage in a way as you really do not know what tangent it is going to go off on next – it has a freewheeling feel that really does not pause for breath as events in 17th century Amsterdam are trying to directly forge a new future for the world…

What about Rembrandt and the crew meeting him? Actor Richard James is given the part of the great master, and initially plays him like a grumpy harassed dutch man – but the delight to his performance is how this bluster and misanthropy is a shield to disguise his grief at the loss of his wife Saskia – there is a truly beautiful scene in episode three where he discusses the nature of grief and loss with Nyssa.

So a celebrity historical very much in the style of The Shakespeare Code, but still feeling more like the Visitation – very much of its era but with modern attitudes towards character and emotion. Definitely not a wash-out.

8/10.

The Prisoner Volume 01

There are three Television programmes that have shaped the person I am today.

1. Doctor Who gave me my moral compass and my sense of compassion

2. Twin Peaks gave me my imagination and ability to look beyond the apparent.

3. The Prisoner fired my intelligence and made my question everything.

Actually The Prisoner was my “angry young man” programme – I discovered it in 1992 and it spoke to and shaped my 20 year old mind like no other, it almost turned me into a proto Number 48, rebelling against all conventions because they are there to be rebelled against. Today I look back at my 20 year old self and laugh – the long hair, the makeup, the attitude – you see the Prisoner stirred up something that had been dormant in me, it stirred up my very own internal number 6 which made me view the world as the Village.

Seventeen short episodes long – that’s all The Prisoner is, but in those episodes McGoohan and company have examined all that is good and bad about society and the individuals role in it and turned it into a mind bending, thought provoking, disturbing, life affirming TV Series. It asks the fundamental questions of our existence – are we free? are we in charge of our own destiny? who is pulling our strings? who are we in thrall to? It seems that if you conform, wear your number and just get on with living that the Village can be a happy place. But what of those who don’t want to fit in – McGoohan as Number 6 is the prime example of this – in one of his most famous speeches he says he “will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered” and he spends the series trying not to conform. Trying to bring him to heel are a succession of Village Chair people designated Number 2 – they are replaced periodically, sometimes mid episode and they sometimes come back to have another go at breaking Number 6. But Number 6 isn’t satisfied with dealing with the monkey, he wants the Organ Grinder, he wants to see Number 1…

The 2009 re-imagining with Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellan was interesting but didn’t carry the ethos – McKellan plays Number 2 for the whole series, and it somehow lacks charm – even though it deals with the same themes of paranoia and isolation – it doesn’t quite feel right.

So in early 2015 it was announced that Big Finish were going to be re-imagining The Prisoner my response was lukewarm. Under the guidance of Nick Briggs my response – hooray! and over the last 12 months they have teased out little morsels of information (information… information!), casting was announced and a brave decision to cast relative unknown Mark Elstob as Number 6 rather than going for a name, and Four outstanding actors to play Number 2 – John Standing, Celia Imrie, Ramon Tikaram and Michael Cochrane and that three of the four stories would be retellings or reimagining of TV episodes “Arrival”, “The Schizoid Man” and “The Chimes of Big Ben” with an original episode “Your Beautiful Village” written by The Briggs-Master himself. Surely it couldn’t fail???

No it couldn’t, of course it couldn’t – Big Finish have produced a bold and brave retelling of the original, keeping everything that worked in the original, but giving the series a lot more edge, actually a lot more cruel and disturbing feel. Elstob as Number 6 is a lot more angry than the wry performance by McGoohan – Elstob is a raging unstoppable torrent of anger at his situation – the actors playing Number 2 all have a glee and a zeal, they seem to enjoy their job and the power that it gives them over the village inhabitants – and this deliberate cruelty is the biggest change in emphasis – yes Number 2 is charming and avuncular but if they do not get what they want they will use extreme methods because they can and because they enjoy exerting their authority, not only over Number 6 but over the Village as a whole.

There are four stories in the set and they are:

Episode One: Departure and Arrival

Starting with a meeting in Belgium, Agent ZM73 resigns from his job as a top secret agent – he is about to go on Holiday to the Bahamas but blacks out and wakes up in The Village and in the Village he is designated Number 6. So begins the odyssey in this retelling of Episode One – it is expanded and added to but keeps the ethos of the original perfectly. There is an edge of hysteria running through the proceedings – technology seems much more of the “now” than of the 1967 that it should be – Virtual reality maps, tablets are “the latest thing”. There are also clones in the village, the Taxi Driver, the telephone operator, the announcer are all played by the same person. This episode also introduces us to Number 9 (Sara Powell) who will become very important to Number 6 over the course of the set. This episode has John Standing as a commanding and very British Number 2, only for him to be mysteriously replaced by Celia Imrie towards the end of the episode and she carries on as Number 2 in the next episode.

Episode Two: The Schizoid Man

Carrying on directly from Episode One – the new Number 2 (Celia Imrie) enacts her plan to crack Number 6. This is another retelling of a TV episode. Number 6 somehow forms a psychic bond with Number 9, she can read his mind and they perfect a mind reading act for the upcoming Village Festival. Then one morning Number 6 wakes up in a new house with a moustache and different hair and everyone is calling him Number 12, what is more unnerving is that an exact copy of him is living in Number 6 house and claims to be Number 6. Playing on the theme of identity and reality Imrie’s Number 2 has a delight and glee in what she is doing, she also has a cruel self confidence as she works to engineer a crisis point so that Number 6 will break. Cold, calculating and cruel but utterly compelling.

Episode Three: Your Beautiful Village

Some episodes of The Prisoner were just plain weird – Free For All, Living in Harmony and Fall Out being prime examples and this one is up there with these episodes – in fact it is my joint favourite Prisoner episode.

It is harsh cruel, demented and downright disturbing – Number 6 experiences the ultimate sensory deprivation, he has lost his sense of sight and smell, he can use the phone and does this to contact Number 9 for help -but no other sounds from the village can be heard – Number 9 is suffering this as well as apparently is the new Number 2 (Ramon Tikaram) who talks of a catastrophic system failure in the Village. Incredibly Kafka-esque (read Before the Law for a comparison) – you get the feeling that the Village is there for a specific purpose and also that for all their supposed power Number 2 is just as much an inmate and victim of the Village as Number 6. A classic.

Episode Four: The Chimes of Big Ben

The set finishes with another retelling of a classic episode, this time the highly regarded The Chimes of Big Ben. The new Number 2 is Michael Cochrane, and his doddery avuncular personality soon gives way to a hard edged tyrant.

Again this pretty much follows the plot of the TV episode with 6 befriending the new Number 8 and planning an escape to London. Those familiar with the TV episode may be surprised at how this pans out, it certainly caught me off guard.

There is also a fifth disc of bonus features and interviews.

What else is there to say? The Village is under safe hands under the Chair-Person-ship of Mr Nick Briggs – the series is given the respect it deserves and brought right up to date – if the original was analogue 16mm psychedelia, this is hard edged Hi-Def paranoia – and just like the original it makes you think, it fires the imagination and it makes you question, because the whole world really is The Village, you really are Number 6 and there really is no escape.

Be Seeing You.

10/10.

Blog Finish - End of Year Awards.

As 2015 draws to a close, lots of sites take a retrospective look at the year - so to do something completely different, I will do EXACTLY THE SAME THING - My Lords, ladies and gentlemen, the red carpet is here (actually its my kitchen floor) the champagne glasses are full (actually its my mug of tea) and the awards are about to be issued.

1. Doctor Who - Best Main Range Release

The nominations are: 

201 - We Are The Daleks by Jonathan Morris

204 - Criss-Cross by Matt Fitton

206 - Shield of the Jotunn by Ian Edgington

And the winner is......

204 Criss Cross

Almost a reboot for the Sixth Doctor, a cracking Adventure introducing the sublime Miranda Raison as Mrs Constance Clarke, this really does feel like the beginning of something special.

2. Doctor Who - Best Non Main Range Release

The nominations are:

The Romance of Crime by Gareth Roberts adapted by John Dorney

The Fate of Krelos by Nicholas Briggs

The Sixth Doctor - The Last Adventure by Nicholas Briggs, Alan Barnes, Matt Fitton, Simon Barnard & Paul Morris

and the winner is.....

The Sixth Doctor - The Last Adventure

a true epic that really does have it all, four great stories and a wonderfully understated, heroic exit for Old Sixie.

3. Best Doctor Who "Spin Off" release

The nominations are:

Jago & Litefoot & Strax: The Haunting by Justin Richards

Torchwood - Fall to Earth by James Goss

The Diary of River Song Series 01 by Jenny T Colgan, Justin Richards, James Goss & Matt Fitton

and the winner is.....

Jago & Litefoot & Strax: The Haunting

Pure gold from beginning to end, a laugh out loud, stand out release - Henry & George play so well against Strax it really is a match made in heaven.

4. Best Drama Box Set

The nominations are:

Survivors Series 2 by Ken Bentley, Louise Jameson & Matt Fitton

The Omega Factor Series 1 by Matt Fitton, Phil Mulryne, Cavan Scott & Ken Bentley

The Confessions of Dorian Gray Series 4 by Roy Gill, Sam Stone, James Goss, George Mann, Eve Chown, David Llewelyn, Mark B. Oliver & Matt Fitton

and the winner is....

Survivors Series 2

A truly difficult and challenging listen, a cracked mirror held up to modern society and a stark look at how close we really are to barbarism. A truly stunning release.

5. Outstanding Release of the Year

The nominations are:

Damaged Goods by Russell T Davies adapted by Jonathan Morris

The Worlds of Big Finish by David Llewelyn

Doom Coalition 1 by Matt Fitton, John Dorney, Marc Platt & Edward Collier

and the winner is....

Damaged Goods

Quite possible THE best Doctor Who story in any format, this really is something special - it is RTD's mission statement for modern Doctor Who - all run down council estates, desperation and despair. The story is tinged with the sadness & melancholy that would come to fruition in post 2005 Doctor Who (heck it even has a character with the surname Tyler) Not an easy listen but a rewarding one, its almost as if Doctor Who had been made as a late night Channel 4 drama in the late 1990's - groundbreaking stuff and without a doubt my release of the year.

So there you have it, 2015 in review and it has been a cracker - I would like to offer my thanks to the owner of Planet Mondas, Mike Nuttall for giving me a platform for my reviews, to all at Big Finish - especially Ian & Nick Briggs for their support and to my lovely wife Hayley for all her proof reading.

The bar has been set VERY high in 2015 - 2016 should be a great year for Big Finish.

The Diary of River Song Series 01

Lets start with some hard facts – I absolutely ADORE River Song so may not be as objective as usual – consequently this review may be very short – here we go “River Song OH EM GEE – she so pretty, best box set ever 137/10”

 I showed this review to Mrs W and after the the “wifey tut and eye roll” I promised I would try to be a bit more objective and not mesmerised by the big hair & the sassy attitude, difficult when you are married to said Big hair & sassy attitude (i’ll get my coat) – but I promised to have another go and not review the box set like a lovesick teenager despite River having the second best big hair and sassy attitude in the universe!

 I really shouldn’t like the character of River Song – she is everything I don’t like about modern Doctor Who – all time paradoxes and “messing about with time travel” and do you know, with River I do not care – in fact its the inherent tragedy in her character that I like – she made me cry on Christmas Day, the Library story makes me cry every single time – her tragic and doomed marriage to the Doctor is one the the triumphs of post 2005 Doctor Who, and this is in no small part due to Alex Kingston – she makes what could have been a smug, annoying character into a tragic heroine – she is strong, intelligent, caring, tough, devastatingly beautiful, yet at the same time vulnerable and lost – her fleeting time with The Doctor that we witness is tinged with sadness because we and he know what her ultimate fate will be. But what about when The Doctor is not around? What does River Song get up to without her husband? This first box set (at least in part) explores this.

 Back in June 2015 Big Finish encouraged listeners to tweet pictures of themselves doing a “shush” (fingers on lips) intrigued I gave it a go. On the next Saturday it was revealed why – I was like Del & Rodney when they find out how much their old watch is worth in the last episode of Only Fools and Horses (OK last DECENT episode) I cheered lots, which was a bit embarrassing as I was in work at the time but hey ho  Not only was she in a series of her own but also going to be in Doom Coalition with Paul McGann – intriguing, how would this play out, The Doctor doesn’t meet her until The Library? This box set explores her relationship with earlier Doctor’s as well as Paul McGann makes an appearance in episode four – interested? well read on.

 As is the convention with Big Finish, this Box Set is split into four interlinked stories:

 1.1 The Boundless Sea by Jenny T Colgan

 I don’t know why, but River always makes me think of Art-Deco – all glamour and adventure, and this first story is set firmly in the early 20th century conforms to the art-deco feel. River is holding a position as a Professor of Archaeology at a British University when she is asked to investigate a Mesopotamian tomb – problem is the last person to enter the Tomb vanished without a trace.

Full on 1920’s style Indiana Jones homage boys own adventure is how I would describe this. River even gets her own “companion” of sorts on the person of Bertie Potts (Alexander Vlahos) a member of the British consulate – a real upper class twit, sort of Bertie Wooster-ish, to accompany her on her Tomb raiding. What transpires is a trip through “Mummy Movie” B-Movie horror given a suitable “New Who” twist. River is clever, very very clever – she tries to think like The Doctor but she really is more passionate than our favourite Gallifreyan and comes at problems with t much more worldly and human attitude. An interesting beginning with a clever hook into part two.

 1.2 I Went to a Marvellous Party by Justin Richards

 Continuing the “Art-Deco” feel, this episode is almost an homage to Agatha Christie – the events of episode one lead River to the  “marvellous party” of the title on a space liner. This is a never ending event for the super rich and super powerful – these “elite” delight in manipulating the fates of people, planets and star systems for amusement and profit. And then one of them is murdered. River takes on the role of detective, but not everyone is what they seem, and once the truth is revealed how will she deal with it? A classic “whodunnit” in pure Poirot style with a cliffhanger ending you most definitely will not see coming….

 1.3 Signs by James Goss

 If Art-Deco are the themes for part one and two, part three takes a more avant-garde approach. River is travelling with a handsome and mysterious stranger (I will say no more SPOILERS Sweetie) investigating mysterious Spore Ships – mysterious spaceships that appear and reduce planets to mulch. This story has a very surreal dreamlike structure with some exceptional narration from Alex Kingston, and her companion played by Samuel West is charming and intense – they have almost the perfect relationship, they were almost made to be together. This is a story you will get most out of if you listen to it alone with absolutely no distractions – it is multi layered and complex and demands your attention, much like the TV episode Heaven Sent it really will stand up to repeated listenings – to give away any more really would spoil the story.

 1.4 The Rulers of the Universe by Matt Fitton

 And so The Doctor turns up – but not the Doctor River may have been expecting – in fact she laments the choice of incarnation because there are some she is not allowed to play with. The seeds (or should that be spores) planted in episodes one to three all come together – River and Bertie on a crashing command deck try to help the Doctor to defat the menace of the spore ships without him finding out who she is. River really cares about the Doctor, all incarnations of the Doctor, and it is lump in throat time when she muses as to what she would say to Doctor number 8 if she could meet him face to face.

An exciting and rather melancholy end to the series.

 So there you have it – I CAN be objective where River is concerned, and it is a very very good box set. Alex Kingston gives River her all just as she does with the TV series, but as she is centre stage we get more layers to her character other than the wise cracking flirting we are used to – we get to see her as she is when not trying to impress The Doctor, but we also get to see the genuine love she has for him. Kingston is ably supported by the wonderful Alexander Vlahos as the cowardly and latterly loathsome Bertie Potts and Samuel West oozes charm in part three in what is a two hander with River and a very cleverly written one at that.

 So, perfect? Not quite. Charming – definitely, pathos – plenty of that, and do I want more – definitely YES. 9/10 Sweetie.

Black Dog

As Whovians we are so lucky to have an actress of the calibre of Louise Jameson continue to take part in our universe (and in the further Universes of Big Finish as a whole) she is a real renaissance woman, actress, writer, director, teacher – a true artist. She has a style that makes acting seem effortless and natural – Mrs W & I were lucky enough to see her as Miss Marple a year or so ago and the layers of character she brought to Jane Marple that hadn’t been touched on before were just wonderful – she made Marple a much more playful character than the usual bird-like old spinster we usually get, Louise brought us a Marple who had really lived just with a few facial expressions and sidelong glances.

Of course on audio we don’t have the actor to see, but it is such a visual medium and narration is another of Louise’s strong points – she creates an aural landscape with ease, and in the short 34 minutes of the play we were given a story that deepens the bond of respect and friendship between Leela and the Fourth Doctor, and this story really is an interesting Leela-centric story.

Arriving on a planet about to be given back to the natives by the Earth Empire – the Doctor and Leela are introduced to the legend of the planet’s God – “The Black Dog” of the story title, the legend goes that if you dream of the dog it will hunt you down and unfortunately Leela has the dream. What follows in the short 25 minutes or so remaining is the complete cultural and religious history of the planet and the continuation of the themes of science over superstition that characterised the Fourth Doctor and Leela’s time together. Louise’s narration makes the listener really care about the characters she portrays, no matter how minor and explores the reason for the Alphans ceasing to worship a pantheon of Gods and have only the avenging Black Dog as their God.

Of course the “Black Dog” is a metaphor for depression and in this story the metaphor is carried forward and expanded upon – it isn’t easy listening by any means, it is a dense and involving 35 minutes that demands attention from the listener – a story that works on many levels and for only 35 minutes long that is a lot of story.

9/10.