To celebrate 20 years of making Doctor Who audios, Big Finish released a special, roughly six-hour story titled “The Legacy of Time”, and now I’ve finally found the time to finish it, I can say it was a fun collection of stories, but was definitely just that. There wasn’t much of an over-arching plot, which is fine, it’s just different to what I was expecting. Let’s take a closer look!
Well, this is odd! Only a few months ago I wrote a review for the original comic version of this story as part of the Audio/Comic Companion Debut Marathon, and now here I am reviewing the audio adaptation! Well, some of this review, particularly the look at the story itself, are copied and pasted from that, but with some extra thoughts on the audio side of things, obviously. So let’s once again take a look at “and the Star Beast”, or just “The Star Beast” for simplicities sake…
Thought I was done with new Doctor Who releases this month? Ha! There is one more audio box to go through, and that starts with The Iron Legion (or “Doctor Who and The Iron Legion”, but that’s a bit of a mouthful…) Unlike the next story in the set, I haven’t gotten around to reviewing the comic this is adapted from on this site, but I know I will some day, so I’ve future proofed the title! Anyway, The Iron Legion is a crazy and very cartoony story in comic form, and I’m happy to say it’s just as crazy and cartoony in audio form as well! Let’s take a closer look, shall we?
Season 18 made its way to blu-ray this week, so as per usual I thought I’d review a story from the season to “celebrate”, so to speak. The big draw of the set is the new Special Edition of Logopolis, but given I’ve reviewed that already, I decided to go with the story I haven’t seen in the longest, which in this case was Meglos. Nearly 10 years since I last watched it and mentally wrote it off as “boring”, I actually enjoyed it more than that memory would‘ve had me believe. By how much? Well, let’s find out!
If you thought “The False Guardian / Time’s Assassin” was Daleks’ Master Plan-y, then you haven’t seen anything yet! Yes, the four part, two hour story “The Perfect Prisoners” goes even more all-in with its sequel to the 12-part Hartnell TV classic, including either the return of or the son of every delegate remaining from the original story, plus more! Is is worth a listen on its own, or is it just hanging on its sequel-ness? Let’s take a look!
We take a break from all the Syndicate side plots and Daleks’ Master Plan references for a more traditional, self-contained Fourth Doctor Adventure. Fever Island manages to mix a James Bond parody with a good old-fashioned Doctor Who “force from another dimension” plot to create an enjoyable hour. Let’s take a closer look…
When is using existing continuity going too far? That’s what question was on my mind while listening to this story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very fun story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but I do have to wonder about… well, the continuity it uses. Want to know more? Then by all means skip to the “Spoilers appear from here on out!” part of the review and find out!
What happens when you take a historical person like Ada Lovelace and place her in a plot not unlike The Terminator? Unsurprisingly, given how I phrased that specific question, you get this! Seriously though, the idea of using the woman who, for all intents and purposes, invented computer code in a story about machines going back in time to change history was a great one, but does the story do the idea justice?
The Doctor and his new companion Ann Kelso visit their first alien world together, and it just so happens to be a bit Jurassic Park-y (and Alien-y!)… but with Drashigs! I’ve always loved the Drashigs, they were heavily featured in my first Jon Pertwee story, and I always thought those shots of them screaming and suddenly twisting their heads towards the camera was unsettling… at the time. Anyway, I’m glad they’ve finally been brought back, and even made to work well on audio! Let’s take a look…
Series 8 of the Fourth Doctor Adventures is a significant event as it features Tom Baker’s Doctor getting a brand new companion in the form of Ann Kelso, and it’s not long before the two strike up a good back and forth. The rest of the story is an odd mix of 70s police show and general British gangland stuff, but with a heavy alien presence, obviously! Let’s take a look…
Hogan Reviews 