The Doctor and his companions land on a spaceship orbiting a distant and mysterious world, where a human crew lie frozen somewhere between life and death. The planet is the Sense-Sphere, home of the Sensorites, beings of immense intelligence and power. Unable to leave, the Doctor and his companions must deduce the Sensorites’ intentions: are they friendly, hostile, or frightened? And what is the deadly secret at the heart of the Sense-Sphere?

As you’d expect this 6-parter is a bit padded out but when the main plot is on show it moves at a fair pace. Now when I say fair though I don’t mean lots of shoot-outs and violence, I mean the story progresses with an intelligent tempo. Following on from rather over-rated The Aztecs it’s a real sci-fi story with plenty of atmosphere, some nicely realised aliens and solid set construction. It’s a dialogue driven piece rather than effects bonanza full of firsts such as Susan’s telepathy and the Doctor mentioning his home planet etc.

The cast are solid and suitably stiff-upper lipped and though Hartnell does fluff a few lines here and there he does give one of his most rounded performances. The rest of the regulars do well and the Sensorites themselves, though bizarre creations are actually very effective, even if they resemble rotting, bearded fish.

Extras:

Commentary – Toby Hadoke moderates this entertaining gag-track that has contributions from actors William Russell, Carole Ann Ford, Joe Greig, Martyn Huntly, Giles Phipps, director Frank Cox, designer Ray Cusick and make-up designer Sonia Markham who each appear on a rotation sort of business. Hadoke helps jog along their memories of the recording of the episodes and gets some real pearls of information from them. Well worth listening to just to hear Hadoke’s infectious enthusiasm.

Looking For Peter – This quite brilliant documentary from Toby Hadoke tries to discover who on earth was Peter R. Newman, the man behind The Sensorites. Little is known about this talented chap, a quick Google of his name reveals that he wrote for Doctor Who and is given different dates for his death! Without giving too much away Toby does his best to uncover exactly who he was and why he seemed to disappear after writing Doctor Who. I won’t spoil it for you but it’s a very well made piece about a man only his family seemed to know about.

Vision On With Clive Doig – Ahh, the music used here is that from “The Gallery”, the soundtrack that accompanied viewer’s pictures during that classic TV series Vision On, the show in which Doig directed. But this is about vision mixing and Clive Doig was one of the best who worked on the first few years of Doctor Who. Far too short at only seven minutes or so, Clive describes his time on the show and how no one would have guessed at how successful Doctor Who would become.

Secret Voices Of the Sense Sphere – This extra unravels the mystery of some strange voices that appear during the story. Again if I tell you it would spoil it though many of you probably will guess but it’s a great chance to hear Clive Doig again.

Photo Gallery – A compendium of snaps from the production of the story accompanied by some rather creepy sound effects. One for die-hard fans.

PDF Materials – As you’d expect there’s the usual Radio Times listings here but as a real bonus we get to see the Original Design Drawings from the story.

Info Text – Watch with this one as once again it uncovers some real gems of information.

Coming Soon – A smart and polish piece of promotion for the forthcoming Revisitations 3 box-set.

The Sensorites is one of the stronger stories from the first series and has been cruelly over-looked for too long. Yes, it’s not exactly the greatest adventure or the most action-packed but one worth investing your time in even if you’re not much of a fan of the black and white era.

Released on January 23rd, you can buy your copy of The Sensorites from Amazon for just £12.99!

When the Time Lords died, travel to parallel worlds became all the more difficult to do. But luckily, we’ve got Big Finish, who seem to be able to rip a whole in the Universe and transport us to any era of the Doctor’s life. To start off 2012, they’ve decided to go back to an alternative version of 1977 and have returned with two Fourth Doctor tales that never saw the light of day in our Universe.

Of course the reality of this is that these unmade Doctor Who stories came across several pitfalls that stopped them from being commissioned but now, finally, we can all enjoy two new Tom Baker adventures that have spent the last 35 years gathering dust and what a treat they are!

The Foe From The Future and The Valley of Death mark several milestones in the Big Finish range of Lost Stories, not only do they adapt two long talked of tales for Doctor Who fans to finally enjoy but they also see the long-awaited return of Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela. To describe this box set as anything other than sublime would be doing it a disservice.

Originally outlined by Robert Banks Stewart and now adapted by John Dorney, The Foe From The Future finds the Doctor and Leela arriving in a quiet Devon village in 1977 where history is unravelling and the locals are behaving oddly. Sound familiar? It should do, the story fits into the 1977 era so well it’s rather like listening to a lost BBC soundtrack rather than a newly arranged play. The lead characters of Jalnik, Charlotte From The Village and Shibac are a delight to listen to as well as completely engaging, full of Baker era ticks that made the show so watchable back then.

The story is very much split into three acts (and also three CD’s which gives it a digestible charm) that vary it and keep the drama unfolding at a constant rate. Where the first act is entirely an old school affair, the second takes the Doctor and Leela more into Big Finish territory and the third and final act becoming a mix of the two. Writer Dorney talks in the box set’s extras regarding how the story starts off with input from Stewart’s original notes and ends up finishing with his scripts alone as Stewart left the piece incomplete. This gives the adventure a powerful update and brings it fully into the 21st century without a hiccup. Many of you may know that The Foe from the Future lent a lot to Robert Holmes when he created The Talons of Weng Chiang, spotting the stories similarities is not an easy task but is definitely a rewarding one. For example, the villain of the piece has fallen victim to a gruesome transformation due to the instability of his time travel experiments and now requires certain sustenance from his accomplices, while this is a very similar plot point for Magnus Greel it is changed enough in Foe for you to enjoy it all again but from a whole different perspective. Gone are the pitfalls of “evil for the sake of being evil” and welcomed in are more rounded and understandable explanations for motivation.

The last part of the story is a triumphant end to a thoroughly enjoyable tale and sees Baker at his natural best, not one for hugs and bestowing praise on human beings but more of a detached figure. Nevertheless he’s still the Doctor we love and know.

The Foe from the Future is an excellent addition to the Lost Stories Range and should be considered essential listening!

The second offering, The Valley of Death is a different story altogether which finds the Doctor and Leela joining an expedition to the Amazon to find a crashed UFO. From the start, events are already underway and the Doctor has been called in by UNIT to investigate. It’s lovely to hear them mentioned within this era after they had more or less been forgotten about since The Seeds of Doom. The first thing you will realise about Valley is that it was obviously to expensive a story to be made for the small screen, set pieces and action scenes that unfold would have shut the Doctor Who office down but with this version of the adventure you can finally listen to how events may have unfolded had there been the money. Think Doctor Who meets Lost and you have a vague idea.

Jungles have always been a speciality in classic stories but they sometimes lose a little bit of mystery on audio. However, with this strong a story and with rich and interesting characters, you can’t help but get lost in the Amazon with them. Valley makes the most of its surroundings and utilises them to create some very light-hearted scenes that will genuinely make you laugh.

Those worried about lengthy scenes set in the forest with lots of running about needn’t worry, the story’s second half dramatically shifts to London where a wonderful invasion starts to take place, echoing stories such as Shada, Terror of the Zygons, The Christmas Invasion and even the Virgin New Adventures novel The Dying Days. All this is played out as the Fourth Doctor investigates with gleeful swagger.

The Valley of Death comes across as slightly slow in its first half but this is all just intricate plotting and a well written build up by writer Jonathan Morris as he delivers the action and suspense on a frantic level in the last two episodes. This is an adventure to be truly explored.

Overall, these lost stories are simply amazing. Tom Baker is on fantastic form as is Louise Jameson and it’s a true delight to hear them working together again bringing to life this classic TARDIS team. What we’re presented with here is a fresh and playful approach to some classic scripts, enough for fans of this era to get lost in a wave of nostalgia and more than enough for new fans to get to grips with.

Big Finish has already outdone themselves with this release and you will not quite believe how much until you listen for yourself.

Doctor Who The Lost Stories: The Fourth Doctor Box Set is available this month on CD and download from www.bigfinish.com.

Destination: Nerva shines. It’s really that simple. The story is a direct continuation from 1977’s The Talons of Weng Chiang and it feels like there’s been no gap at all. As soon as the Doctor and Leela walk into the TARDIS console room musing about Jago and Litefoot you’re sold. This team feel like they’ve never left the show behind and in many ways, they haven’t. Jameson has been playing Leela in various Big Finish plays for many years now and Baker recently recorded three series of Fourth Doctor adventures for AudioGo so it is of no surprise that the two are able to fall effortlessly back into the ‘77 team up.

Nicholas Briggs’ season opener hits the ground running with such energy that you barely have time to keep up. There are no lengthily scenes of dialogue to be found here, no tedious exposition and no wobbly sets. Instead we’re offered a new take on an old scenario and it does not disappoint. Destination:Nerva is a solid mix of classic Who merged with the fresh ideas from the think tank at Big Finish. Old fans can delight, new fans can come on board and all will be welcomed by the authoritative and booming tones of Tom Baker.

As the two leads find themselves on the Nerva beacon in its early stages and before events in the Fourth Doctor story The Ark in Space, a nasty infection is being spread across the ship, one that is proving extremely problematic for the crew and extremely gruesome. It’s funny to think that a new crew will have similar problems in the future aboard the same station, maybe the company that designed it cut back on a few essentials like an efficient security system or decontamination unit. Whatever the reason, it really doesn’t matter because you’ll find yourself enjoying this adventure too much to care.

At 77, Baker is now the oldest of the official Doctors and also the oldest to reprise his role. Does this reflect in his performance or his voice? Not one bit. Baker’s mad enthusiasm, deadpan delivery and idiosyncrasies still shine in the character of the Fourth Doctor. In a bad situation he still has his razor sharp wit, in a conversation he still has his natural charm and when he’s angry he still spits his lines out through gritted teeth and with the same venom that he had back in the day.

Destination: Nerva not only signals a new chapter in the life of Big Finish Productions but it also sees the glorious return of Tom Baker, the wonderful chemistry of the fourth Doctor and Leela and the start of a whole new line of stories that are mesmerising.

It’s Saturday night teatime in 1977 all over again but this time everyone can be there for the occasion.

Destination: Nerva is available on CD and via download from this month at www.bigfinish.com.

Now that classic release is back thanks to the Vintage Beeb label and has been given a digitally-remastered polish. Now, in this day and age it’s hard to appreciate what such a release meant to the hardcore fan growing up in the 1970s, but this was the only way of getting your mind-set to read any Who related product at the time.

Produced by Dick Mills and Brian Hodgson of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop it’s a collection of sounds that were used to bring fantastic creations to life in some of the most famous and popular adventures. Just listen to “The Dalek Control Room” from Death To The Daleks and you’ll hear just how subtly the new run has looked to its past to help in creating new classic moments.

“Zygon Spaceship Control Centre” from Terror Of The Zygons is worthy of being on repeat as it’s just so perfectly formed whilst “Atomic Reactor Runs Wild” from The Hand Of Fear is a slow build up to a rather familiar alarm call of any industrial plant that appeared on the show during the 70s. As for “Dalek Ray Gun (3 Blasts)” from my all-time favourite story Genesis Of The Daleks is worth many a listen.

This may seem and odd and slightly eerie selection of noises but I wager that anyone of a certain age will have many nostalgic moments when they hear the subtle hum of “TARDIS Interior (In Flight)” and the shrill, piercing snap of “Gallifreyan Staser (3 Blasts)” from The Invasion Of Time. Best title has to go to “Inside Dr. Who’s Mind” which occurred in the serial The Invisible Enemy. Talking of which, the back cover (just like the front) is a reproduction of the original and the titles for some of the pieces were taken from working titles of some stories so The Invisible Enemy is billed as “The Enemy Within”. Don’t panic, inside the stories are given their correct name. The CD itself is designed to look as if made from vinyl, adding a nice authentic feeling to this well thought out release.

I guess this is a strange choice for a re-release as it does have a limited market, but for some it’s a priceless piece of nostalgia that instantly evokes memories of growing up and anticipating the next thrilling adventure with everyone’s favourite time-traveller.

Remember, as the original sleeve states, these recordings are for amateur use only!

You can purchase a copy of these Doctor Who Sound Effects from Amazon for just £3.97 – perfect for recreating the sounds of classic time travel adventures!

Set during World War II, Madge Arwell (Claire Skinner) receives the tragic news that her husband Reg (Alexander Armstrong), has died in combat. Unable to break the news to her two children, Cyril (Maurice Cole) and Lily (Holly Earl), she takes them away to a country home for Christmas. But there’s something familiar about the caretaker – a man with a bow tie who seems to bring Christmas spirit and other strange things with him. Most exciting of all there’s a big blue ox under the Christmas tree, but is it really a present or a gateway to a magical, mysterious adventure…

Though not the strongest ever Christmas Doctor Who offering The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe is still a decent enough episode and far better than anything else that was on this Christmas apart from the wonderful adaptation of The Borrowers. Seriously did you see The Royal Bodyguard or Mrs Brown’s Boys?

Anyway, Matt Smith is his usual eccentric self with even more heart than usual. The story, which is a sort of mix up between that Narnia favourite with a similar title and an old folk tale is well realised, it just sags slightly when you realise that it’s all going to have a happy ending. It starts off in spectacular fashion, hits us with a comedy routine Norman Wisdom would have been proud of then turns into a war-torn family tragedy set in a box.

Claire Skinner is wonderfully ballsy and three-dimensional as the wife left alone but Alexander Armstrong suffers from lack of direction, playing the usual stiff-upper lipped Brit he normally does. Maurice Cole and Holly Earl are the real stars here. Cole gives the easily lead youngster who starts all the trouble and innocent charm whilst Earl presents her character with a real edge. She senses something is wrong with her mother and Earl’s depth and real quality of acting shows that she’s going to be a real star in the near future.

Much mooted appearances from Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir amount to little than walk on parts but do inject a wonderful slice of very British humour to the proceedings. The effects are top-notch with the Wooden King and his wife slowly stomping around to great effect and although they project little menace when they first appear I’d like to see more of these wooden tops.

Extras

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe Prequel – This 90 second piece of promotion really does build up the episode nicely. Here’s the Doctor in distress, calling Amy whose not there in a situation that’s worse than hopeless! A wonderfully witty and smart segment which tells you nothing really of the episode that’s to follow.

The Best of the Doctor – This is a compendium of Matt’s best bits but not in a way you’d expect. “Not in a way you’d expect!” I hear you cry, well yes as this is all done from an American perspective thanks to BBC America. Yes, my friends, a gang of American NFL players, comedians, actors, actresses (including Danielle Harris, Canton himself Mark Sheppard and Anthrax’s Scott Ian) line up to tell us how cool the show is and why the Doctor is just plain awesome. I found this totally wonderful because American’s just don’t hold back and you get caught in their enthusiasm for the show. Why can’t we have the ability to gush as they do? It looks at all sides of the character and is never to saccharine in tone and to me is a sincere tribute which makes it even more refreshing.

The Best of the Companions – As above but focusing on Amy, River, Rory and Canton and exposing the heart the last few years have worn on its sleeve whether it had been about Rory and Amy, the baby, The Doctor’s relationship with everyone he encountered.

The Best of the Monsters – Again, as above we travel through the raft of Monsters the Eleventh Doctor has encountered in his two seasons. For some reason The Crack is included on this extra. I guess it was pretty scary within itself but not an official monster surely? Look out for some rather fun interviews with fans.

So then, not a bad release at all, it’s a canny enough adventure with a collection of extras you wouldn’t have normally had the chance to have seen which makes it all the more interesting.

Released today,  The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe has an RRP of £10.20 on DVD and £13.27 on Blu-ray. You can purchase from Amazon and make a saving, however – just £6.42 for the DVD and £8.99 for the Blu-ray!

With full approval from the man himself and any dialogue that would see the lead name himself as “the Doctor” excised for copyright reasons, I was fortunate enough to see the matinée performance on Saturday.

Long-term readers of Kasterborous will know that we’re good friends with Gareth Kavanagh, co-producer of the show and landlord of the venue. They should also know that we “call a spade a spade” (as we say in Yorkshire) and that if this show was a damp squib we’d be telling you.

So what are we telling you? Basically that someone should start a campaign to get this group of players touring the country and Doctor Who conventions with 50 minutes of tense, thrilling and awe-inspiring drama.

It’s remarkable to think that just because you know an actor’s name through their regular television performances that they aren’t necessarily the best in their field, or that there isn’t someone else out there who can deliver a performance with the same confidence, ability and timing. Making comparisons to the original TV version of Midnight perhaps wouldn’t be considered wise given the differences in budget bit given that this is a story based wholly on the drama of an increasingly tense situation it’s not something that we should shy away from here.

Directed by Brainne Edge, remarkable use is made of the limited space available in the pub’s small upstairs room (use of the downstairs area being restricted by performances of 2000AD‘s Halo Jones) with the audience sat in two rows and facing each other across an aisle – part of the cruiser set – while the seats for Dee Dee Blasco, Val and Biff Cane, Jethro, Professor Hobbs, Dr John Smith and of course Sky Silvestry are at the far end of the room.

This arrangement places the audience as close the action as you could possibly hope to be. I sat just inches from Zoe Matthews and Mike Woodhead performing the well-rehearsed famous moment of repetition and simultaneous dialogue from the episode, sweat trickling and hairs on the back of my neck tickling the ceiling above.

Now focussing on these two is doing a disservice to the excellent company around them – there isn’t a single person who doesn’t shine, and it’s even arguable that at least one of the players is superior to his TV counterpart. However, what you want to know is how Mike Woodhead copes with playing a version of the Doctor. I daresay you want to know how Zoe Matthews manages following in the footsteps of Lesley Sharp.

A great actress, Lesley Sharp tends to be cast in very similar roles when seen on TV. Midnight is no different while she is the unpossessed Sky Silvestry, but the moment she begins repeating the passengers on the cruiser is of course the moment when the episode moves from exciting and into the national consciousness – “the one where the woman copies the Doctor”. So how do you follow that?

Best ask Ms Matthews herself, because even if Lesley Sharp had been in that room herself it couldn’t have been more electrifying. Hypnotic and truly disturbing, this actress completely dominated the majority of the play; even with the shouts and cries of the passengers thrown into the mix. Amazing stuff.

Meanwhile Mike Woodhead took to the task of a man playing the Doctor in much the same was as Christopher Eccleston did. It’s a brave and potentially stupid comparison, given that the actor is clearly a northerner, but bear with me. Like Eccleston rejected the traditional look for a TARDIS-dwelling Time Lord so Woodhead has opted for a stripped-back appearance, discarding the Tenth Doctor’s suit and coat for something more akin to the sweater and leather jacket. Dressed in a scarf and combat trousers, Woodhead cuts a confident figure, his character as a traveller quick defined. He switches easily from cheerful nattering with the passengers to imposing his authority, falling from grace as Sky steals his voice and the occupants of the stranded cruiser turn on him.

With only a handful of performances as part of the Midwinter Lassfest, you’re too late to catch Midnight in the flesh. But if there is any future performance that you can travel to, I would recommend you make arrangements to do so the moment the anything is announced.

It’s Christmas special review time and as ever it falls to me, the editor of Kasterborous to do the honours, as it were. Lest we forget that it is Christmas, a time of year for faith, hope and charity, so don’t be surprised if you feel I’m over-kind to the episode.

In fairness, The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe isn’t without its faults, but at the same time it is a lot of fun, like a slightly drunk dad or uncle dressed as Father Christmas. The Grand Moff certainly ticks all of the Yuletide boxes and does an admirable job of not retreading the path of 2010′s special episode – that of closely following the source material – by introducing the lost husband/gateway/sentient trees/Androzani Major forestry commission operatives/Sontaran-esque spaceship in the vortex progression.

Really, you’ve never seen anything like it.

This works both ways – if you’re a fan of Doctor Who Christmas specials then you’ll have been sat with your eyes glued to your TV, mouth agape and drinking sherry or brandy with some extra Christmas pudding on the side. On the other hand, if you’re not a fan of these episodes then you might have been sat with your eyes red with anger, mouth agape with rage and throwing things at your haunted fishtank.

Over the past few days I’ve seen a lot of positive and negative criticism of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe. For me personally my life has changed considerably since last Christmas; I’m now a father to young twins and coupled with the imbibing of food and drink throughout the day transformed me for the first time from rabid fan into the target audience. There I was, an appreciative dad watching with his baby girl swaddled and drifting to sleep on his knee after a hugely exciting day, the very picture of the typical “stuffed-and-drunk” licence fee payer to whom Steven Moffat (and before him Russell T Davies) has pitched this type of festive fun.

I bloody loved it!

A long day of touring in-laws to share presents and take cute photos of the babies was topped off perfectly with an episode that combined madness, comedy and tragedy in equal measures. Yes, you could argue that Bill Bailey et al were criminally underused (and in possession of lines surely written by the late Robert Holmes) or that Alexander Armstrong was virtually anonymous (despite being over six feet tall and the bearer of a very distinctive face); you might even contend that Claire Skinner was slightly obvious for the part or that the children were trying too hard to be cute.

But you would merely be revealing your cold, metal heart. This was an episode with warmth, one of the celebration of motherhood and rebirth (to almost pagan standards, appropriate/inappropriate for the time of year depending on your beliefs and understanding of tradition) and tearful reunions.

Ah yes, the tear.

Matt Smith has shown again and again what an exceedingly perfect Doctor he is. After two Christmas specials no one was calling for the return of Christopher Eccleston, so why do I find online chatter making the same old unfavourable comparisons with David Tennant? What is wrong with these people? Well I’m going to stoke the fire, right here, right now. I’m going to say what a lot of people have been thinking and feeling over the past few months after letting the new chap bed in and get a series under his belt and grow into the character.

Matt Smith is the best Doctor since Tom Baker. In fact Matt Smith might even be the best Doctor ever.

Yeah, go on, read it again. I’m deadly serious. This guy barely puts a single word out of place, never over-enunciates and is perfect in every single scene he appears. Compare those words with the latter stages of Age of Steel from 2006, when David Tennant pitched his performance badly in the confrontation with the Cybercontroller.

The guy playing the Eleventh has never done that and shows no sign of doing so.

But back to Christmas. You might have found a couple of plot-holes in The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe – I couldn’t possibly comment because as far as I’m concerned everything that might cause, for instance, cause a regeneration (fantastic CGI spacecraft at the start don’t you think?!) was explained away with typical Whoniverse science. You’ll also find that Madge’s gun was perfectly within the context of the episode and her background.

With a rip-roaring opening, a Superman-esque encounter and some sentient trees – not to mention AT-AT walkers and World War II bombers – you’ll find that The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe recalled tropes from some of popular culture’s biggest successes but at its heart it was a story about family. As far as the Eleventh Doctor is concerned, his family are the Ponds and despite their departure just a few weeks ago the Time Lord was finally reunited with them for a Christmas roast two years after they last met.

If seeing the Doctor’s realisation of their place in his hearts and his in theirs wasn’t enough to bring a tear to your eye, you’re less human than a time-travelling alien.

But only within the capacity of your ears!

You may have heard of a little company called Big Finish, dedicated to bringing you the bold and exciting audio adventures of the first eight Doctors and their various friends and enemies. It’s been a huge year for the company, not only have they been releasing monthly adventures for Doctors five to eight, there’s also been two series of Lost Stories and a steady release of Companion Chronicles as well.

It wouldn’t be your fault if you missed some of the releases but it would certainly be an almost criminal act if you overlooked any of them. So with that in mind, we at Kasterborous are here to provide you with a “cut out and keep” guide to Big Finish’s biggest releases in 2011, just don’t blame us if you end up spending all your Grotzitz on their website…

The Sixth Doctor trilogy

The first three releases of the year saw the Doctor reunited with old friends, older acquaintances and even older enemies in The Crimes of Thomas Brewster, The Feast of Axos and Industrial Evolution. See what finally happened to awkward criminal/wannabe hero Thomas Brewster as his adventures finally reach a thrilling conclusion. The Crimes of Thomas Brewster is an action packed season opener with a lovely guest appearance from David Troughton as the suitably nefarious Raymond Gallagher. This trilogy also marks the first appearance of Flip, the Sixth Doctor’s newest companion from January 2012. Want to see what makes her so special? Here’s where you start…

The Fifth Doctor trilogy

You wait for ages for a Tegan Jovanka trilogy to come along and then two turn up within the space of a year. Heroes of Sontar, Kiss Of Death and Rat Trap continue the adventures of the Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough and an older post-Terminus Nyssa. Hear friendships grow and feel the heartbreak of betrayal as this TARDIS team continue their uneasy alliance through the Universe. Heroes of Sontar is a particularly engaging tale, the much-anticipated debut of the Sontarans in a Big Finish audio is a long overdue affair and will leave you not only satisfied but also very amused with some of the Sontaran “banter”! Add into the mix a scared and cowardly Turlough, played with amazing conviction by Mark Strickson and you’ve got yourself a belter of an Alan Barnes story.

The Seventh Doctor trilogy

A lonely and darker seventh Doctor takes on VOC Robots, Nostradamus and his own worst nightmares in Robophobia, The Doomsday Quatrain and The House of Blue Fire. Continuing his solo adventuring after Mel, Ace and Hex have all gone their separate ways. The Doctor once again encounters Grimwade syndrome (of sorts), prophets hunted by aliens-that-could-be-cousins-to-the-Judoon and his greatest fears. But who will be there to help him when he needs it the most?

This trilogy of stories finds the Seventh Doctor at something of an impasse, with a slightly different outlook on life now that he’s on his own. The House of Blue Fire is a particularly engaging tale which not only twists and turns the narrative like no other Big Finish Doctor Who adventure but is also perfect winter listening to scare the pants off you!

The Eighth Doctor trilogy

The trilogies come to a close this year with the full introduction of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley as the travelling companion for the Eighth Doctor. Talked about since 2001, first introduced last year and now finally stepping up for TARDIS adventures. It’s the most Byronic Doctor with surely his greatest match in The Silver Turk, The Witch from the Well and Army of Death. This trilogy really feels like a completely new start for the Eighth Doctor and also manages to create a nostalgic link to the TV movie. This is not by any direct reference but more due to the brilliant new theme tune arrangement, which evokes memories of the good half human Doctor and his series that might have been.

The Silver Turk in particular is not only a fine adventure for the Doctor and Mary to start with but is also one of Marc Platt’s finest scripts to date. Never thought that you’d feel sorry for a Cyberman? This will get the waterworks going. This is a strong first series of stories for Mary Shelley to start with, as she comes to term with time travel and some of the consequences that it can have. If you’re new to the world of the Eighth Doctor, this is a perfect jumping on point for you. These stories are fresh and original, just the jump-start that this incarnation needed.

Lost Stories and Companion Chronicles

Alongside these regular releases there are The Lost Stories to consider as well. Long forgotten tales given new life by the good people at Big Finish. Last year, we discovered what Colin Baker’s lost season might have been like if it had not been cancelled. This year we finally find out about the aborted Season 27 and what would have really happened to the Seventh Doctor and Ace had the BBC not decided to give Doctor Who a rest for the best part of 16 years. We’re presented with the story of Raine Creevy (including her father) and her journey to becoming a fully-fledged TARDIS traveller.

It’s an interesting look at how the series was starting to formulate new and original ideas that eventually took a further sixteen years to get to the small screen. Kasterborous particularly recommends Animal. Written by Andrew Cartmel, this eco war story features the long overdue return of Angela Bruce as Brigadier Winifred Bambera. Last seen in 1988’s Battlefield, Bruce picks up the character like she never left the role behind and even adds a few lighter lines in to give the good Brigadier a bit more of an approachable personality. If we don’t see a return of Brigadier Bambera to the Big Finish Whoniverse, it’ll be a crime…

There’s also another set of lost adventures for the Fifth Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa (this time before her departure in Terminus) as we are treated to some of the era’s scripts that never made it to screen for various reasons. These stories better recapture the era within which these characters belonged, where the new audio adventures for Nyssa, Tegan and Turlough give modern scripts to classic characters, these Lost Stories open up a long forgotten treasure chest of extended TARDIS scenes and larger than life villains for the Fifth Doctor and his ragtag crew. Rest assured, each story will leave you wanting more!

Finally, you wouldn’t want to neglect the first four Doctor’s and their adventures now would you? Bearing that in mind, you can lost yourself in some of the Excellent Companion Chronicles that have been made available this year. Including the last half of season five and the first half of season six, you might want to pay special attention to Peri and the Piscon Paradox - a wonderful tale that includes Doctor’s five and six with Colin Baker making a special appearance rather than having his part read by someone else.

You may also have heard the name Oliver Harper being thrown about the Companion Chronicle world; this enigmatic character turns up in a trilogy of plays alongside the First Doctor and Steven which climaxes in The First Wave - a tale that features the return of the Vardans! You might be more in the mood for a sequel however and if that’s your cup of tea, may we recommend Beyond the Ultimate Adventure, a sequel to the 1980’s stage play featuring Colin Baker and written by the legendary Terrance Dicks. It’s a vast improvement on The Ultimate Adventure and there’s not a sing-song to be heard! The story also gives us the long-awaited return of a certain Terrance Dicks monster not seen or heard from for nearly thirty years and it’s a real surprise to find out that the creature actually works well in an audio format.

For a feisty tale that moves at a quick fire pace, try Tales from the Vault which features Daphne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso (Grace and Chang Lee from the TV movie) and sees the two re-cast as UNIT operatives in a very secret storage area recalling tales from some of the Doctor’s companions. Jo, Steven , Zoe and Romana all make cameo appearances (played by the original actors) and make this particular story a lot of fun.

So there you have it, a mini guide to some of the releases at Big Finish over 2011. Now is the perfect time to treat yourself or someone you love (or like, or adore, or worship) to a Doctor Who Big Finish audio. Maybe just the one CD, maybe a subscription for multiple releases, the choice is yours and also plentiful. Either way, whatever you choose from this year’s Doctor Who releases, you will not be disappointed!

Certain subscriptions taken out in 2011 will get you a copy of The Five Companions, a Fifth Doctor tale featuring Nyssa, Steven, Polly, Ian Chesterton and Sara Kingdom which pits the TARDIS travellers against the Daleks and the Sontarans.

To hear the trailers and to find out pricing of all the Doctor Who adventures from Big Finish visit www.bigfinish.com.

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it’s a bit like Jago and Litefoot meets Torchwood: two older gentlemen who have formed a strong friendship investigate the strange and unexplained that other enforcers can’t quite deal with.

This story finds clever Professor Dunning in search of his partner Lionheart, who has gone missing under suspicious circumstances-cue a very amusing introduction of Dunning to the adventure, in trouble and finding himself without a rescue plan or any backup. The tale leads us to newcomer David Warner and starts a fresh chapter for The Scarifyers.

Warner is by no means a Courtney replacement but is much more of a character in his own right. An aged action hero with witty banter, a good heart and a love for gardening as well. The new line up of Molloy and Warner works very well, the due seem to have a natural chemistry that is just as sweet but also very different from that of Courtney and Molloy.

The story itself is a creepy tale of demonic possession and 20 year old deceptions that not only entices the listener in but also leaves you wanting more. As with any regeneration story within Doctor Who where you’re slobbering to see the new Doctor in action, The Magic Circle draws you in twofold; there’s the mystery of what’s happened to Lionheart and then there’s the joy of listening to a fresh new regular who manages to change the whole dynamic of the established series.

By the end of Part One you’re not only heartbroken but desperate to find out what exactly is going on and the ending does not disappoint in the slightest. “The Magic Circle” boasts some of the best action scenarios played out within an audio world, every moment tense, enthralling and most importantly, engaging. The story wraps up several years’ worth of adventures and sets up many more to come.

Finally, and by no means least, let’s address the issue of the wonderful Nicholas Courtney not being with us anymore. Nick’s presence is thoroughly felt throughout this entire story, more than that: he is heartbreakingly missed. By the end of “The Magic Circle”, such a lovely tribute is paid to Courtney that even the most hardened UNIT veterans will have a tear in the eye or a lump in the throat. But it’s a fitting end, one that makes you glad that Courtney and indeed Lionheart were able to make these wonderful stories come to life.

This story is not only a wonderful and macabre tale suitable for the chilly winter evenings; it’s also a love letter to Nicholas Courtney and a fitting way to hit the reset button for The Scarifyers.

“The Magic Circle” is available now from www.cosmichobo.com/scarifyers.

Sadly this is the last time you will see mention of The Scarifyers here on Kasterborous. In future, you can find these adventures at our sister site, Cult Britannia.

But it’s easy to forget (and maybe not even known by newer fans of Doctor Who) that the Doctor used to be less impressed when he met famous faces. Whilst incarnations nine to eleven seem to bestow a childlike excitement when running into the likes of Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie or Vincent van Gogh, akin to meeting ones heroes, Doctors one to eight (in their various media formats and existences) seem to be far more laid back; younger in body but perhaps older in mind.

In a way, that’s part of the reason that The Doomsday Quatrain is a refreshing tale for the Doctor. Landing in 16th century Florence, Doctor of the Seventh stumbles into the life of Michael de Nostradame AKA Nostradamus, the famous soothsayer. Rather than gush praise and fawn at his every word, this incarnation of the Time Lord seems rather more subdued, however. Clearly respecting the famous prophecy master but never giving too much away, this makes a nice reflection to the “they’re a famous historical figure so therefore they must become my friend” bandwagon that the later Doctors have so readily jumped onto (mind you, after a colossal war where all your people and your planet were wiped out, wouldn’t you want to be friends with just about everybody?).

What follows is not so much a tale about alien conquests or corporate greed (these elements do appear though) but more of a character piece. By the end of part two, we’re given a fairly big reveal-one that causes certain characters to question not only their lives but their motives as well. Again, a refreshing take on the Historical Figure tale in this instance is that it’s not the Doctor pushing Nostradamus directly forward but rather Nostradamus himself that does the forward thinking.

In fact, the Doctor spends a lot of his time saving the day as poor old Nostradamus does an incredible amount of soul-searching whilst trying to come to terms with all the events that are unfolding around him.

As stories go, The Doomsday Quatrain is a fair amount of action with McCoy at his (vocally) physical best. It’s a strange detail to add but Sylvester’s Doctor always managed to get the “action run” down to a tea-other Doctor’s couldn’t make it look quite as convincing but he always managed to make his movements look fluid and strong. This helps in the audio world and especially in this adventure when you’re called upon to imagine the Seventh Doctor running from alien menaces and evil doers. It also helps that McCoy doesn’t really sound a day older on audio and this helps to imagine his Doctor even more.

Overall, this play is a strange mix-a heavy character piece mixed into a typical alien invasion story but there are enough twists and turns to keep the listener engaged and, by the end, wanting to find out what’s going to happen to the Doctor next.

If Nostradamus himself had predicted this story, he would have been pleasantly surprised…

The Doomsday Quatrain is available now from www.bigfinish.com on CD and download.