The last Main Range audio of the year / decade, Blood on Santa’s Claw is an “and Other Stories” release that is actually more one single story where the location changes a bit in between. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but often entertaining, Blood on Santa’s Claw is a good end to the range in 2019, if not exactly the most original story you’ll listen to this year… Let’s take a look!
It’s the start of October and it’s time for a new Doctor Who Christmas story! The Eighth Doctor already holds the prize for best Doctor Who Christmas story with the classic audio “The Chimes of Midnight”, and while I don’t think this topples it, it’s a damn fine story. Creepy, fun and told with a really interesting story-within-story narrative, this two parter is not to be missed (though probably best listened to a little closer to December…)
Not even a year later (release-wise) from the previous debut story, we have David Tennant’s debut in the role, as well as the first Doctor Who Christmas Special (of the modern era, anyway…) The Christmas Invasion, as the title suggests, certainly doesn’t forget to remind you of what time of the year it was, but it at least doesn’t forget to tell a story about how the 10th Doctor came to be, and how Rose managed to adapt to the sudden change. So… let’s take a look! Ho-ho-ho! (it’s September as I write this…)
The Regeneration Marathon comes to an end, fittingly with a story that has heavy ties to the very first regeneration! Peter Capaldi’s great but possibly underused Twelfth Doctor regenerates in a story that feels more like an Epilogue to his run rather than a full-on adventure, but it at least gives his Doctor a good send off, and sets up the next era with a bang (though while simultaneously trashing a previous era…). Let’s take a closer look!
The Time of the Doctor is Matt Smith’s swan song, whilst at the same time being a Christmas special, but also its an attempt to tie up plotholes that Steven Moffat had left, which he sadly does quite badly. Despite all this it is a good send off for the Eleventh Doctor, though I’m not a big fan of the actual regeneration scene either… Mixed bag then! Let’s look at it!
The 10th Doctor’s swan song, The End of Time, is an odd one. It tells a good story, plays with the lore in fun ways and Bernard Cribbins can do no wrong, but the actual ending is overly drawn out (though that kind of retroactively makes sense now…) Still, lot’s of fun to be had, so let’s take a good look!
Hogan Reviews 