Planet Mondas

[singlepic id=829 w=208 h=208 float=right]Instructions on how to make an Elixir of Doom:

Take one Katy Manning, clone her until you have two…
Add a pinch of Derek Fowlds…
Sprinkle liberally with 1930’s era Hollywood Glamour…
Infuse with essence of Eighth Doctor…
Throw in some monsters for good measure…
Allow to simmer for about an hour…
Sit back, relax and enjoy….

So the latest in the Companion Chronicles series sees the unequivocally fabulous Katy Manning in not one, but two starring roles, as Jo Jones (née Grant) and Iris Wildthyme.

This version of Jo is contemporary with our time and has been travelling with Iris Wildthyme since “Find and Replace” (well worth a listen).  They turn up in 1930’s Hollywood with the intention of crashing a few parties, hob-nobbing with celebrities and generally living it up, but they stumble upon a dark secret and also the 8th Doctor.

With the party in full swing, it is crashed by a real horror film monster, the Lizard man, not a man in a suit, the real deal, dealt with beautifully by the Doctor by singing the Venusian lullaby.  But why are the monsters real, and what relation do they have to the ex husbands of the starlet, a character Jo has met before in her past, but in the future…..?

Katy Manning excels here, if I didn’t know that she played both Jo and Iris, I never would have guessed.  She plays Jo as an older, more worldly wise version than we are used to on the TV, but retains her essential kookiness and compassion, Iris on the other hand is a hoot, a real force of nature, blundering in, thinking later, they make a wonderful double act.

Plaudits also to Derek Fowlds as Claude, a quiet lapdog of a man.

It’s a real shame that we may not see any more of the Jo/ Iris pairing as the Companion Chronicles are coming to an end, how’s about a Christmas Special? The tone of the story is a lot more serious than the title suggests, it’s real body horror and actually quite tragic, but not morose and retains a sense of fun. It’s quite strange to have a story with Jo not being paired with the Third Doctor, but, surprisingly, his presence isn’t missed, testament to the script and the strong performances by Katy Manning and Derek Fowlds.

Overall a monster mash-up of a story! 9/10.

Written by Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

Once, Jo Grant travelled in Space and Time with the Doctor. Now, she is travelling with trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme.

Arriving in Los Angeles in the 1930s, Jo and Iris are caught up in the glamour of Hollywood.

Monster movies are all the rage.

But sometimes monsters are real…

CAST:

Katy Manning (Jo Grant/Iris Wildthyme), Derek Fowlds (Claude)

Written By: Paul Magrs
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

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[singlepic id=828 w=208 h=208 float=right]When we last saw Charley Pollard, she had solved the conundrum of travelling with Doctors eight and then six (in that order, it’s a long story, but well worth checking out) and at the end of the adventure Blue Forgotten Planet Charley had teamed up with the Viyrans, or rather been forced to work with them due to circumstances. For those not in the know, the Viyrans are an alien race dedicated to eradicating all viruses set free by the destruction of the Amethyst Station (again, long story, again, well worth checking out).

Charley is played once again by India “voice of master chef” Fisher, and she has been in the service of the Viyrans for a very very long time and fancies a change, and  when a handsome young stranger called Robert Buchan crosses her path, he proves just the inspiration to do something about her situation.

Like the Jago and Litefoot, and Dark Eyes series before it, Charlotte Pollard series one is split into four linked adventures:

Part One: The Lamentation Cypher sees Charley meet Robert Buchan, attempt to escape the Viyrans, and ends up with a choice of captivity or death.

Part Two: The Shadow at the Edge of the World is a tense thriller, Charley has crash landed in a forest in Scotland in 1936 where a desperate group of female adventurers are being picked off one by one by creatures they call Slaverings, a really tense piece of drama, actually quite tragic.

Part Three: The Fall of the House of Pollard oh boy this is good, by far the best episode of season one.  Anneke Wills plays Lady Louisa and Terrance Hardiman plays Lord Richard, Charley’s parents. Years later they are still coming to terms with having lost their daughter on the R101 airship disaster, but a caller to their home a young psychic called Michael Dee brings them hope against hope of seeing Charley again. A really bitter sweet, melancholy tale, with an ending that can either be seen as sad or happy.

Part Four: The Viyran Solution sees Charley back with the Viyrans who reveal their plan to erase the worst plague in the universe – life itself. A tense race against time and a cliffhanger ending leaving series 2 an inevitability.

This is an occasion where I liked the filling more than the bread, by that I mean, I really enjoyed part 2, loved part 3, but part 1 & 4 felt a bit overlong, then again they did serve the purpose of setting up Charley and her works and opening the door to more adventures, so in that way they do succeed and I really am looking forward to the continuing adventures of Miss Pollard and her new friend Mr Buchan without the Viyran threat as I think they make a great team. I really do think that now the continuity of almost 15 years of adventures has been boxed off, the slate is clean for Charley to become her own woman, however, if anyone at Big Finish is reading this, how’s about Charley meeting up with Jago and Litefoot? Anyone?????

Overall a promising start to a new series, 7/10

Written by Ed Watkinson

A PERSONAL NOTE[singlepic id=830 w=155 h=160 float=right]As I was listening to this box set in preparation for my review, I read the sad news that Paul Spragg had died. Paul was Planet Mondas’ contact point at Big Finish and I had exchanged several emails with him and always sent him a copy of reviews before they were posted here.

Paul was always very encouraging and supportive of me as a review writer, he always took the time to feed back to me, never asked for any amendments and valued the critique I had written.

Mine and the condolences of Mike Nuttall and all the staff and members at Planet Mondas go out to the family, friends and colleagues who knew Paul Spragg.

Thanks,

Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

Charlotte Pollard’s adventures are over. She escaped death aboard the R101 and travelled in time and space – but now in the service of the monolithic, unknowable Viyrans, their unending mission is stifling her. An encounter with would-be adventurer Robert Buchan, near the mysterious Ever-and-Ever-Prolixity, provides the opportunity Charley needs for escape…

So, the adventuress is abroad once more: meeting a lost expedition in uncharted forests, solving enigmas, and hoping beyond hope to see the people she misses most: her family. But Charley cannot run forever. The Viyrans know the power of the ‘Lamentation Cipher’ and they have a solution… for everything.

Part One: The Lamentation Cypher

Part Two: The Shadow at the Edge of the World

Part Three: The Fall of the House of Pollard

Part Four: The Viyran Solution

CAST:

India Fisher (Charlotte Pollard), Anneke Wills (Lady Louisa Pollard), Terrence Hardiman (Lord Richard Pollard), Michael Maloney (Viyrans), James Joyce (Robert Buchan), Nicholas Briggs (Bert Buchan/The Slaverings), Jacqueline King (Mrs Turnerman), Abigail McKern (Susan Broadstairs), Nicola Weeks (Charity Savage), Lucy May Barker (Emmeline Leigh), Charlie Norfolk (Violet Warren), David Dobson (Michael Dee), Louise Brealey (Millicent Belanger III), Nadia Kamil (Miss Griffin)

Written By: Jonathan Barnes and Matt Fitton
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

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[singlepic id=824 w=208 h=208 float=right]Another month, another Hartnell era Companion Chronicle. In previous months we have had tales by Ian and Vicki, this month it’s Steven’s turn, but this story is a little different.

Set a long time after he left the Doctor, an older Steven has been deposed as King of the planet he left the Doctor for in the TV story The Savages. He has been the victim of political machinations from two of his daughters, (very much like King Lear), and as he is visited in his cell by his grand daughter Sida, he tells a tale of how his life experiences have led him to allowing this set of circumstances to occur….

If this were a TV episode, it would be described as a Doctor-Lite, as the great man doesn’t really play much part in the narrative, he gets captured at the beginning, saves the day at the end, but that is all, this really is Steven’s story, a coming of age tale forged in the insanity of perpetual war without meaning.

So, The Doctor, Steven and Dodo arrive on the planet Comfort.  The Doctor is arrested as a subversive, Steven and Dodo are drafted to the army to fight in a perpetual war against an unknown enemy, and they are split up and put into different units, Steven is an ex soldier, so he accepts, grudgingly at first, the mundanity of military service.  As the weeks and months move on, he almost becomes institutionalised, then the elections come up, and Steven thinks that maybe he can make a difference.

As Steven is telling the story to Sida, he is also teaching her a fundamental life lesson about freedom of thought, word, deed and expression.  Steven soon becomes a mouthpiece for ending the war the voice of the “ordinary soldier” but is he being used by the powers that be to make a point?

Part Jacobean tragedy, part Orwellian nightmare, part homage to The Prisoner (the episode Free For All) the story raises many questions of ethics and morality, about power and blindly following orders because “that’s what we do”.   It is one of the most thought provoking stories I have heard for a while.  The cliffhanger to part one, though not totally unexpected is chilling, the trauma and hopelessness of what Steven and Dodo are put through is quite harrowing, this story does not pull any punches.

I was almost sad when the story ended, but it needed to, there needed to be closure, and Steven being not really part of the solution was apt, as really he was nothing more than a bystander caught up in events.

Another great entry into the Companion Chronicles, such a shame they are ending soon, so my view on this story is that I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered, however, if I had to pick a number, it would be a well deserved 9/10.

Written by Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

Years after he gave up travelling in the TARDIS, Steven Taylor is the deposed king of a distant world.

From the confines of his cell, he shares his story with a young girl called Sida.

And one story in particular – a visit to a whole world at war, which will mark Steven for life…

CAST:

Peter Purves (Steven Taylor), Alice Haig (Sida)

Written By: Simon Guerrier
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

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READ OUR WEBCHAT WITH SIMON GUERRIER HERE

[singlepic id=823 w=208 h=208 float=right]As Old Sixie himself once said: ” Change m’dear, and it seems not a moment too soon”.

Well, when I was 5, I certainly didn’t believe this, my Sarah Jane had gone and been replaced by a strange shouty tough action girl, I spent most of the next couple of years wondering if Sarah Jane would come back, not exactly disliking Leela, but more pining for Sarah Jane.

When I was a child, I thought as a child, now I am a man I put away childish things and as an adult I really truly appreciate Leela and am in permanent gratitude that an actress of the calibre of Louise Jameson has been a huge part of our show.

What I have tried to say in the last few paragraphs of rambling is that I am a Leela convert, not an evangelist, but a firm supporter, and every month I am amazed at how much depth that the character has and more importantly had. Big Finish haven’t done a major re-establishing of her like they have done with Mel.  The thing is, the character was always there, subtle, with depth played by an actress at the top of her class.

So, on to The Evil One, which really is Leela’s story.  She is suffering from nightmares, very out of character for her.  She believes herself responsible for her father’s death and when she gets separated from the Doctor, her world is turned upside down, and we see the person she could have become without the Doctors’ influence, a cold, heartless savage, capable of callous atrocity. But who is pretending to be Xoanon? Who is exerting such an influence over Leela and why? Unfortunately, spoilers galore if I let you in on this, but suffice to say, it takes the Doctor and Leela’s relationship to the edge and back again.

The feel is very “season 15 space opera”, and the accompanying incidental score is the most authentic recreation of the era I have heard. But unlike the season 15 era, the plot is very character driven, giving Louise Jameson an almost blank canvas to stretch her not inconsiderable acting muscles.  Boy is she good in this one, possibly her best performance as Leela, and the scene at the very end with her and Tom is a real bittersweet joy to listen to.

This is almost like Shakespeare, the plot may be derivative, some of the characters are stock, but oh my, the words just break your heart, and words as good as this delivered by an actress as good as Louise Jameson and what is there not to like?

Overall, when the curtain falls on this one, the dust settles at 9/10

Written by Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

The TARDIS lands in the cargo hold of luxury space cruiser the Moray Rose. The crew and passengers are missing. The agents of Inter-Galaxy Insurance are determined to find out what’s happened and the shadowy Interplanetary Police Inspector Efendi is showing a very particular interest.

Caught up in all this, the Doctor and Leela find themselves facing a horde of metal mantis-like aliens. But throughout it all, Leela is haunted by terrible nightmares and the dawning realization that everything she knows about her life is a lie.

CAST:

Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Geoffrey Beevers (The Master), Michael Keating (Calvert), Gareth Armstrong (Arthley), Nicholas Briggs (The Salonu)

Written By: Nicholas Briggs
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

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[singlepic id=822 w=208 h=208 float=right]I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this one, of course I had read the synopsis, listened to the “coming soon”, but really couldn’t fathom what type of story this was going to be. Some stories really do defy categorisation, and this is one of them, just when you think you have a handle on it, it goes off on another tangent, yet in many ways is one of the most traditional Doctor Who stories Big Finish have produced..

We begin with the fifth Doctor and Nyssa materialising on an Autumn day in Suffolk, after some really quite charming banter, they are attacked by a lion and saved by a Native American called Silver Crow, who is factotum to The Lord of the manor Nathaniel Whitlock, who having fallen on hard times is importing big game for the idle rich to hunt for sport. With me so far? Good.

As I said, it feels like a very traditional story, very period BBC, think, Blandings or Black Orchid and you won’t be far from the mark, lots of bluff upper class types talking ignorantly about the law of the jungle etc then everything changes.

The Moonflesh of the story title is a crystal found by Silver Crow, when one of the guests tinkers with it and takes a scraping of the crystal, she releases an alien entity and upper class parlour drama becomes a base under siege and a race against time.

This story sometimes feels like a Doctor Who greatest hits package, and could be a little derivative of several classic stories, Black Orchid, The Hand of Fear, and in episode four The Deadly Assassin and Snakedance, but despite these vast changes in tone and swings in emphasis, the story hangs together very well with the many different styles complimenting each other.

So, a bit of an odd story, straight down the line traditional Doctor Who in the style of the TV series from the early 80’s, very schizophrenic, but strangely homogenous, safe and familiar.

Not quite over the moon, but definitely not an eclipse.

7/10

Thanks to Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

One wouldn’t normally expect to find elephants, gorillas and rhinoceroses roaming free in Suffolk in the year 1911. One wouldn’t normally expect to find an extra-dimensional police box at the same time/space location either. Two aliens, named the Doctor and Nyssa, exit said box, only to find themselves pursued by a hungry lioness – for they’ve landed in the private hunting grounds of the famous explorer Nathaniel Whitlock, who’s brought together a motley group of friends and acquaintances for a weekend’s shooting.

But one of Whitlock’s guests isn’t all they seem. One of them wants the secrets of the Moonflesh, the mystic mineral looked after by Whitlock’s retainer, a Native American known as Silver Crow. Because the Moonflesh is reputed to have the power to call down spirits from another realm…

…and soon, the hunters will become the hunted.

CAST:

Peter Davison (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Tim Bentinck (Nathaniel Whitlock), Rosanna Miles (Phoebe Whitlock), John Banks (Silver Crow), Francesca Hunt (Hannah Bartholemew), Hugh Fraser (Edwin Tremayne), Geoffrey Breton (Hector Tremayne)

Written By: Mark Morris
Directed By: Ken Bentley

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[singlepic id=821 w=208 h=208 float=right]Alliteration, get used to it, because it will be using it a lot in the next few paragraphs.

My lords, ladies and gentlemen, please show your appreciation for those valiant voracious vocal vaudevillian Victorians. Those daring doers of detection and derring do Those capital capering capable coves, my lords ladies and gentlemen, please bid welcome to Mr Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot!

Series seven is my first time listening to our Herculean heroic historical heroes, and boy am I ashamed with myself, utterly gutted that I have taken this long to make a start.  Tear down Torchwood, shift aside The Sarah Jane Adventures, these genial gentlemen from a post Georgian era are the very best of all the various Doctor Who spin-offs.

The story begins with Jago and Litefoot on the run, having been falsely accused of trying to assassinate Queen Victoria in series 6.  Series 7 is split over four stories, each self contained, but each having a thread of the Jocular Jago and the Prissy Professor attempting to clear their names.

The first story is called The Monstrous Menagerie by Jonathan Morris, it is a real daft romp in the boys own adventure style, featuring Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle who is fed up of Holmes fans asking him to bring back the great detective.  Featuring Time travel, dinosaurs and the inspiration for one of Holmes greatest adventures, great one liners by all, very knowing to Holmes fans and fans of Arthur Conan-Doyle, witty banter and repartee abound.

This is followed by The Night of 1000 Stars by James Goss, this really is something extraordinary.  I have been listening to Big Finish audios for about 12 years, but this is just special, utterly wonderful.  A completely character driven piece where the four characters, Jago, Litefoot, Ellie and Leela have their souls laid bare as they relive their most dark and sorrowful moments. It really is a thing of beauty told through the prism of acts in a theatre, it broke my heart.

Third is 7.3 Murder at Moorsey Manor by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris, (think of a Victorian “Murder by Death” and you wont be far off), a mansion, a gaggle of Holmes enthusiasts and a death announced in the hour every hour. A really exciting whodunit ending on a cliffhanger which leads into the final part.

Lastly we have 7.4 The Wax Princess by Justin Richards, Jack the Ripper is at large again with a plot to wreak revenge and find his lost love. Gruesome, strange and compelling, and ending on an almighty cliffhanger (and a song!) that leads nicely into series 8.

What really makes this set special are the profound personable performances from Messers Benjamin and Baxter, who don’t sound like they have aged a day from Talons.  They really are masters of their roles. The camaraderie is obvious and the warmth of their performances shines through. The supporting cast are fab too, with special mentions to Lisa Bowerman as Ellie and especially Louise Jameson as Leela, who conveys comedy and tragedy sometimes in the same line.

So, do I like it?  Well of course I do, and I have series 1-6 and the Mahogany Murderers on my wish list to catch up with!

In summing up, to quote Mr Jago “oh corks!”, and I pop the cork on this jereboam of genial japery at a gigantic 10/10.

Thanks to Ed Watkinson

SYNOPSIS:

Four brand new stories featuring the investigators of infernal incidents, in one box set.

7.1 The Monstrous Menagerie by Jonathan Morris

Jago and Litefoot are on the run! Framed for a crime they didn’t commit, the infernal investigators seek refuge in a house on Baker Street owned by their old friend, Professor Dark.

That’s when Doctor Arthur Conan Doyle enters their lives. Tired of his popular creation Sherlock Holmes, Doyle has moved onto other works that he considers more worthy.

And then Laura Lyons comes knocking at the door…

7.2 The Night of 1000 Stars by James Goss

Leela is back!

With a murderous beast on the loose, Jago, Litefoot, Ellie and Leela are trapped in Baker Street.

There is a story to tell, and the four of them put on a show for each other. Their pasts will be unfolded, secrets will be told…

And the last act will be a killer.

7.3 Murder at Moorsey Manor by Simon Barnard and Paul Morris

Jago and Litefoot visit Moorsey Manor, hoping to get help from the only man who can help them clear their names.

They arrive at a gathering of Sherlock Holmes fans, who are mourning the death of their idol at Reichenbach Falls.

Then death arrives at Moorsey Manor, in the most ingenious of ways…

7.4 The Wax Princess by Justin Richards

The past has come back to haunt former chief inspector Abberline – Jack the Ripper has escaped from custody!

As the notorious killer strikes again in London, Jago and Litefoot are drawn into a web of intrigue.

One that will lead to the palace itself…

CAST:

Trevor Baxter (Professor George Litefoot), Christopher Benjamin (Henry Gordon Jago), Conrad Asquith (Sergeant Quick), Lisa Bowerman (Ellie), Louise Jameson (Leela), Adrian Rawlins (Inspector Abberline), Steven Miller (Arthur Conan Doyle/Soldier), Lizzie Roper (Miss Florence Woolley/Beatrice the Maid), Philip Pope (Dr Reginald Peacock/Mr Rippon/Baker), Flaminia Cinque (Crone), Brian Protheroe (Merridew/Driver), Philip Drury (Carlton/Major Fanshaw), Alex Mallinson (Private Willis)

Written By: Jonathan Morris, James Goss, Simon Barnard & Paul Morris, Justin Richards
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

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