Destiny of the Doctor: Shadow of Death - AudioReview

Article author: Alwyn Ash


Celebrating the longest-running science fiction show, Destiny of the Doctor delivers a mysterious and atmospheric tale that is worthy of an anniversary release...

Following on from January's First Doctor adventure Hunters of Earth, the second part of Big Finish and AudioGO's Destiny of the Doctor 50th anniversary series stars Frazer Hines as he narrates the tale, joined by Evie Dawnay as Doctor Sophie Topolovic. So what does Shadow of Death have to offer in terms of plot and production...?

First off, it can definitely be said that listening to Hines' performance is an absolute dream; his impersonation of Patrick Troughton's Doctor is beautifully acted, a genuine surprise following David Troughton's own achievement in Serpent Crest stories The Hexford Invasion and Survivors in Space, also released by AudioGO. There are moments when you just forget it is actually Hines who is playing the part. We are introduced to a base on the surface of a planet orbiting a pulsar, in the year 2724, where its crew are investigating the disappearance of the planet's original occupants, The Quiet Ones. Typically the TARDIS is forced to make an emergency landing and the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in yet further danger...

Introducing the base-under-siege theme is so appropriate for this Doctor, and both music and sound design (courtesy of Simon Hunt) superbly recreates the show's sixties feel. Simon Guerrier's writing, perfectly polished by director John Ainsworth, offers a tale that will engage and intrigue for an hour.

With a theme that covers time distortion and pioneering, it just goes to show that you should never annoy your neighbours! It is also interesting to see a linked strand in these tales, a jigsaw puzzle reaching out and piecing every Doctor together. In previous story Hunters of Earth Susan sensed danger, "Something terrible is coming... I can feel it. Something that will affect, everything..."

In Shadow... the Doctor himself has an encounter with an element that will be instantly recognisable to Doctor Who fans. No spoilers. The Second Doctor's reaction to this event, however, is quite familiar, "You know you're breaking all the laws of time!"

Pairing in these tales so far works well (there is no doubt that Carole Ann Ford and Tam Williams were perfect choices in the debut for Destiny of the Doctor) and Dawnay as Sophie is no exception, opposite Hines. In January, writer Guerrier blogged, "the magnificent Evie Dawnay plays a character I named after my GCSE astronomy teacher".

Anyone not familiar with Dawnay will be interested to know that she has appeared in previous Big Finish audio drama Survival of the Fittest (opposite Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy) and Bernice Summerfield adventure Year Zero, as Pallis; in addition to voice overs for TV and radio, there have been television parts including that of Vanessa Marsh in Law & Order UK (produced by Kudos Film & TV - other Dr Who actors to have appeared include Peter Davison and Freema Agyeman); film credits include The Fairbank Hotel (2003), where she portrayed the role of Aurora Dawn Phillips.

As for Hines, what else can be said? He is known for his roles as Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969 (returning to the role twice, in 1983 and 1985) and Joe Sugden in British soap opera Emmerdale (1972-94). In Shadow... he not only reprises the role of Jamie but takes the story's heart and enlarges it to such an extent with his performance and narration that we, the listener, are treated to something... timeless.


Further reading: AudioGO - official website

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Destiny of the Doctor - Babblesphere

Article author: Alwyn Ash


The big celebration to see launch of exciting stories for every Doctor...

Eleven Doctors, eleven months! These magnificent tales continue with Destiny of the Doctor 4 adventure Babblesphere, featuring the Fourth Doctor (as regularly played by actor Tom Baker from 1974-81). Written by Jonathan Morris and directed by John Ainsworth, Babblesphere follows in the footsteps of January's First Doctor story Hunters From Earth, February's Second Doctor adventure Shadow of Death, and this month's Third Doctor offering Vengeance of the Stones. Lalla Ward and Roger Parrott play the roles of Romana and Aurelius respectively.

"The violent, volcanic world of Hephastos is home to a colony of composers, painters, authors and poets, all striving to create the greatest works of art the universe has ever seen. But in pursuit of their goal, artistic collaboration has been taken a stage too far... When the Doctor and Romana arrive, they discover the colonists have neglected their well-being and their once beautiful habitat, which has now succumbed to decay, and they are enslaved to the Babble network which occupies their every waking moment. Every thought, however trivial or insignificant , is shared with everyone else and privacy is now a crime.

"The colonists are being killed and the Doctor and Romana begin to suspect that a malevolent intelligence is at work. With time running out, the two time travellers race to discover the truth before they too are absorbed into the endless trivia of the Babblesphere..."

It has been worked out rather nicely so that the current Doctor (played by Matt Smith in the television series) will appear in his own title in November, the Anniversary month! All stories are produced by Big Finish for AudioGO. Performers for each adventure will be announced through the year.

These audiobooks will be available for download, or on a single CD (RRP £10.20). With music and sound design courtesy of Steve Foxon, what better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the greatest sci-fi show on Planet Earth than to add this title to your audio collection...

Jonathan Morris has written for both the BBC Eighth Doctor and Past Doctor Adventures in addition to audio scripts for Big Finish including The Haunting of Thomas Brewster, Bloodtide, and the Judge Dredd range.


Further reading: AudioGO - official website

These adventures can also be purchased via the official Big Finish website.

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Destiny of the Doctor: Hunters from Earth - AudioReview

Article author: Alwyn Ash


Celebrating the longest-running science fiction show, Destiny of the Doctor delivers a mysterious and atmospheric tale that is worthy of an anniversary release...

For the 50th anniversary where else better to start than in Shoreditch, London, 1963. Hunters From Earth, a collaboration between Big Finish and AudioGO, sees the First Doctor hurrying through the darkened streets of the East End. He is being stalked in the thick fog. Performed by Carole Ann Ford (as Susan Foreman), and joined by Tam Williams (real-life son of Simon Williams, who played Captain Gilmore in Remembrance Of The Daleks), this is the debut of an audio series, Destiny of the Doctor, which will see one story for each of the eleven Doctors for every month leading up to November. Writer Nigel Robinson, once editor of the popular Target Books' range of Doctor Who novelisations, manages to cook up a mix of suspense, which escalates as a small group of young people behave strangely out-of-character and threateningly.

Taking a look at 15-year-old Susan at Coal Hill School (briefly touched upon in the television serial An Unearthly Child) is a thoroughly interesting experience, especially when she befriends Sixth Form student Cedric (played by Williams). The introduction of Mr Rook, a teacher at the school, enhances the Alfred Hitchcock-esque tale as Susan and her grandfather are drawn into mystery and danger. Just what is affecting the teenagers of Coal Hill, and just why is Mr Rook so interested in the Doctor and his granddaughter?

Though Susan wants to be the normal girl, settle at school and make friends, her obvious "difference" and intelligence stand out among the other students, something that is noticed, too, by Rook. And as something changes, an atmosphere of restlessness and hatred, the time travellers must face life-threatening encounters.

The decision to set this First Doctor tale prior to Doctor Who's televised debut is genius, permitting further insight into London life in the early sixties, where Beatlemania is present and satellites are orbiting the Earth (the first artificial Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, had only been launched a few years previous, in 1957). It is kind of disappointing that there had been no mention of schoolteachers Ian Chesterton or Barbara Wright (even a cameo with William Russell would have been something extra special) but Hunters From Earth delivers what it promises. Plus there are nice nods too, including a mention of Magpie Electricals (2006's The Idiot's Lantern) and the line "I trusted you, and you betrayed me" (which reminds this reviewer of Ace in Remembrance of the Daleks).

It must also be said that both the music and sound design, implemented so wonderfully by Simon Hunt (who has contributed to other titles including Pest Control, Snake Bite and The Wheel of Ice), does everything right, allowing for a perfect balance of suspense and every-day normality; there is always fear to be found around every corner, whether it be at night in a foggy street or elsewhere.

The only negative is Carole Ann Ford's impersonation of the Doctor, however this reviewer would have it no other way - it is an honour to listen to this actress revisiting a character she originally played almost fifty years ago, and reprised in the twentieth anniversary of the show alongside Richard Hurndall as the First Doctor (see The Five Doctors).

Though Hunters From Earth is a self-contained story, it is clear that there is a darkness approaching. As Susan tells her grandfather, "Something terrible is coming... I can feel it. Something that will affect, everything..."

A tale passionately directed by John Ainsworth, and given all by the whole team.


Further reading: AudioGO - official website

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Destiny of the Doctor - Vengeance of the Stones

Article author: Alwyn Ash


The big celebration to see launch of exciting stories for every Doctor...

Eleven Doctors, eleven months! These magnificent tales continue with Destiny of the Doctor 3 adventure Vengeance of the Stones, featuring the Third Doctor (as regularly played by actor Jon Pertwee from 1970-74).

Written by Andrew Smith and directed by John Ainsworth, Vengeance of the Stones is sure to be a winner, following on from January's First Doctor story Hunters From Earth and this month's Shadow of Death. Richard Franklin and Trevor Littledale perform as Mike Yates and Garlin respectively.

"Two RAF fighter jets are on a training flight over North East Scotland when one of them is plucked from the air and promptly disappears. UNIT are called in, and the Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart are soon on the scene. They enlist the help of a local military officer - a young lieutenant by the name of Mike Yates. The Doctor discovers a link to the recumbent stone circles that are plentiful in this part of Scotland. The stones are thousands of years old, and are soon revealed to hold a terrible secret. Then Mike Yates disappears, abducted by an alien race that has a grievance with humanity. Their intention is to harness the power of the stones in order to take their revenge. For the Doctor and the Brigadier, the race is now on to save their new friend Mike and the entire planet Earth."

It has been worked out rather nicely so that the current Doctor (played by Matt Smith in the television series) will appear in his own title in November, the Anniversary month! All stories are produced by Big Finish for AudioGO. Performers for each adventure will be announced through the year.

These audiobooks will be available for download, or on a single CD (RRP £10.20). With music and sound design courtesy of Simon Hunt, what better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the greatest sci-fi show on Planet Earth than to add each of these to your audio collection...

Andrew Smith wrote the 1980 Doctor Who television serial Full Circle (and the Target novelisation that followed, released in 1982); and audio scripts The Invasion of E-Space and The First Sontarans for Big Finish.


Further reading: AudioGO - official website

These adventures can also be purchased via the official Big Finish website.

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Destiny of the Doctor - Shadow of Death

Article author: Alwyn Ash


The big celebration to see launch of exciting stories for every Doctor...

Eleven Doctors, eleven months! These magnificent tales continue with Destiny of the Doctor 2 adventure Shadow of Death, this time featuring the Second Doctor (as regularly played by actor Patrick Troughton from 1966-69).

Written by Simon Guerrier and directed by John Ainsworth, Shadow of Death is sure to be another success, following on from last month's First Doctor story Hunters From Earth. Frazer Hines and Evie Dawnay perform as Jamie McCrimmon and Sophie.

"Following an emergency landing, the TARDIS arrives on a remote world orbiting a peculiar star - a pulsar which exerts an enormous gravitational force, strong enough to warp time. On further exploration the Doctor and his friends, Jamie and Zoe, discover a human outpost on the planet surface, inhabited by scientists who are there to study an ancient city. The city is apparently abandoned, but the scientists are at a loss to explain what happened to its sophisticated alien architects. The Doctor discovers that something dark, silent and deadly is also present on the world - and it is slowly closing in on the human intruders..."

It has been worked out rather nicely so that the current Doctor (played by Matt Smith in the television series) will appear in his own title in November, the Anniversary month! All stories are produced by Big Finish for AudioGO. Performers for each adventure will be announced through the year.

These audiobooks will be available for download, or on a single CD (RRP £10.20). With music and sound design courtesy of Simon Hunt, what better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the greatest sci-fi show on Planet Earth than to add each of these to your audio collection...

Simon Guerrier has penned the BBC Doctor Who novels The Time Travellers, The Pirate Loop, and The Slitheen Excursion; his work for Big Finish includes Key 2 Time adventure The Prisoner's Dilemma, Companion Chronicles tale Shadow of the Past (featuring Caroline John as Liz Shaw), and Sapphire and Steel outing The School. He also brought us Graceless, starring Ciara Janson and Laura Doddington as Abby and Zara respectively.


Further reading: AudioGO - official website

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