Big Finish Doctor Who Audios
"Winter for the Adept"
reviewed by Kathy Sullivan
by Andrew Cartmel
"Winter for the Adept", a four part adventure written by Andrew Carmel and directed by Gary Russell, has a different opening than usual. A narrator reminisces about her days at a school in the Swiss Alps in 1963. This is a nice change of pace, allowing for background information and details about the school and its teachers to be established, as well as why there are two students escaping from the "ghost academy" in the middle of a blizzard.
Nyssa arrives on her own in the middle of the blizzard, and she's not happy with the Doctor and his experiments. She's rather grumpy towards him throughout most of the audio. She takes up the challenge of figuring out the mystery of the spirits supposedly haunting the school. Are the movements of the furniture caused by ghosts, poltergists, or...something else?
Sarah Sutton is great as Nyssa in detective mode. Peter Davison is a more relaxed Fifth Doctor, a little less self-assured--especially when Nyssa starts scolding him--and a little more secretive. Liz Sutherland and India Fisher are excellent as the two students, with just the right mixture of boredom and wonderment.
Andrew Cartmel's "Winter for the Adept" is a nicely paced 'haunted house' story, with twists and chills and close calls. Russell Stone's music and Andy Hardwick's sound design and post production produce just the right atmosphere.
Along with Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton, the excellent cast includes Liz Sutherland as Alison Speers, India Fisher as the stubborn Peril Bellamy, Sally Faulkner as the HeadMistress Miss Tremayne, Hannah Dickinson as Mademoiselle Mauspassant, Peter Jurasik as Lt. Peter Sandoz, Christopher Webber as the hapless Harding Wellman, Andy Coleman as Commodore, and Nicky Goldie as Empress.
The trailers for "The Apocalypse Element" and "The Fires of Vulcan" are included on the CD and sound especially good. There's also a little additional segment at the end of the very last track.
100 minutes
Highly recommended.
"The Apocalypse Element" (Dalek Empire Part 2)
by Stephen Cole
"The Apocalypse Element", a four part adventure written by Stephen Cole and directed by Nicholas Briggs, opens on the planet Archetryx with Monitor Trinkett and her assistant Ensac coordinating the arrival of several timeships from various races for a major conference. Some uninvited timeships also turn up: the TARDIS has been pulled off course and materializes in the wake of another timeship. But the other conference-crashers aren't so friendly.
The delegation from Gallifrey requests the Doctor's assistance and, although suspicious of the CIA's motives, he agrees to help, especially when he learns that Romana is missing. What caused the disappearance of a planet she and others were on twenty years ago? Why are the gravity wells of Archetryx suddenly unstable?
I've enjoyed all of the Sixth Doctor's travels with Evelyn. This companion doesn't take any nonsense from him, and it's fun to watch the Sixth Doctor dealing with situations in a much calmer manner, thanks to her. Evelyn copes with strange aliens rather well, and it's interesting to puzzle out when she's impressed and when she's just being misleading. She's not afraid to take chances, and she doesn't hesitate when people need help.
Lalla Ward is excellent as Romana. This story pushes the Time Lady's resources and strength of will to their limits. I enjoyed the pairing with the Sixth Doctor--the two work well together.
Stephen Cole's "The Apocalypse Element" is a very well-plotted fast-paced story. The Daleks are exceptionally devious this time and the excellent cast of characters with their own agendas added levels to the plot. The battles with the Daleks are choreographed rather well, and the cliffhangers are especially good. There's also a link to the tv movie that I quite liked.
Nicholas Briggs' sound design and music are marvellous as always. One reason the story flows so well is probably because he does the post-production as well as directing.
Along with Colin Baker and Maggie Stables, the cast includes Lalla Ward as Romana, Karen Henson as Monitor Trinkett, James Campbell as Assistant Monitor Ensac, Andrea Newland as Commander Borna, Anthony Keetch as Coordinator Vansell, Toby Longworth as Monan Host, Michael Wade as The President, Alistair Lock and Nicholas Briggs as Dalek Voices, and Andrew Fettes as both Vrint and Captain Reldath.
The trailers for the McGann stories that start coming out in January and "The Fires of Vulcan" are included on the CD and sound intriguing.
120 minutes
Highly recommended.