CHRIS (VERITASERUMUK)

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I begin Series 2 of #JagoandLitefoot, starting with #LitefootandSanders

And now for the negatives:

- The plot is far too stretched out.
- Brewster could potentially return - frankly I hope that he doesn’t.
- Evelyn should’ve been given more to do, given this was Maggie’s final story.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ll start with the positives:

- The main trio give solid performances, especially given that the story is average.
- The sound department did a good job at creating a realistic Victorian Industrial Age.

Given that this was the final released performance by #MaggieStables as Evelyn, prior to her retirement from acting in 2013 and her death in 2014, I’d hoped for better.

That’s not to say that this was bad, but it’s definitely not one of the stronger Evelyn releases.

Up next:

More from #DoctorWho’s monthly adventures - #IndustrialEvolution

Overall, this was an extremely solid story, and a nice sequel to the original. However, it also missed the ball in areas, meaning it simply couldn't score higher.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars

Colin also did a wonderful job at being both the Doctor and his doppelganger, though that’s hardly surprising. Maggie Stables is also wonderful as Evelyn, proving she can go toe-to-toe with Colin, and is more than a match for his Doctor.

Although I warmed slightly to him last time, his untrustworthiness is beginning to get on my nerves.

Returning to the story, the Pertwee era is my favourite in all of #DoctorWho, so it was nice to have Bernard Holley return to voice them, recapturing the menace from the original.

Serving as a sequel to classic #DoctorWho TV story, #TheClawsofAxos, this story sees the return of the parasitic Axons. Also along for the ride are Evelyn and Brewster, the latter of whom continues to prove himself to be as untrustworthy as ever.

Up next:

More from #DoctorWho’s monthly adventures - #TheFeastofAxos

Think of this one in the same vein as #DoctorWho's #TheNextDoctor, except that #DavidMorrissey’s #JacksonLake is a far superior character.

This is a story completely elevated by the cast. Worth a listen, but nothing to set the universe ablaze.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Only one character worried me - Brewster. This story helped me to warm a bit more to him, something lacking in his previous stories, but it wasn’t by much. Him being the “Doctor” could’ve been executed a bit better, but instead just got abandoned once the real Doctor showed up.

With the return of Menzies, Brewster and Evelyn, this story could’ve been a rather bloated affair, but it actually felt quite rounded and natural. I enjoyed Menzies in both of her appearances before this and I’ve loved Evelyn’s character since her early stories. So I was hopeful.

Up next:

More from #DoctorWho’s monthly adventures - #TheCrimesofThomasBrewster

It wouldn’t work for TV, but for a 25-30 minute audio, this story thrived.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars

Time for the concluding chapter - #SpecialFeatures

Playing out like a DVD commentary, this tale was certainly different. I'll give it that. The plot itself is interesting, but it’s the full use of the audio medium that sets it up higher.

I was reminded of the scene in #DoctorWho’s #ThePowerofThree where the #EleventhDoctor couldn’t sit down. Being confined to one place for an extended period of time drove him mad - I can only imagine what solitary confinement did to the #FifthDoctor.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Next up - #DoingTime

This was a fun and more comedic tale - and definitely the strongest of this anthology, at least in my opinion. I couldn’t help but laugh when the Doctor mentioned all of the things he’d either changed or implemented on his first day.

A positive is that it uses the audio medium to its potential, but aside from a moment where I thought it was the Giggle laugh, heard in recent TV stories, the story fell into the solid, but ultimately unmemorable, category.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next up - #TheEntropyComposition

Much like with #TheDemonsofRedLodge, ‘The Entropy Composition’ is yet another #DoctorWho story that had an interesting premise, but didn’t live up to it significantly enough.

It’s such a shame because the way it started, and the atmosphere built up along the way, could’ve made this a classic and memorable tale. It only needed one more part and it may have just stuck the landing.

Such a shame.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

With such an enticing title, I had high hopes for this one. Hopes that were slightly dashed because of how short the story was. The 25-minutes flew by, which in any other time is a good thing, but in this case the resolution just felt rushed.

Every so often, #BigFinish likes to play around with a formula, and this release is no different. Like #FortyFive and #TheCompanyofFriends, it’s made up of individual stories - which means I have to do 4 small reviews rather than one whole one.

Up first - #TheDemonsofRedLodge

Up next:

More from #DoctorWho’s monthly adventures - #TheDemonsofRedLodge and #OtherStories

Unlike those others though, it’s mostly seen completely through the eyes of Ulrick, a Colonel, as he meets the different Doctors. It’s an interesting enough story, but doesn’t quite meet its full potential. Enjoyable but average sums it up.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 stars

The benchmark for a multi-Doctor story is #TheFiveDoctors and #TheDayoftheDoctor, something I always doubted this would be able to meet. Not because an audio couldn’t possibly do it, but because I doubted it would be free. That’s the sort of story that would be marketed and sold.

Well for starters, be prepared for minimal multi-Doctor scenes. In fact, there was likely more multi-Doctor dialogue in #DoctorWho's #TimeCrash than here. However, it’s a difference that may just set this apart from the others.

Where others have been made available for general release shortly after, #DoctorWho’s #TheFourDoctors never will.

So why is it so exclusive?

After all, we’ve had #TheTwoDoctors, #TheThreeDoctors and #TheFiveDoctors before.

What’s so different about this one?

For a number of years, #BigFinish has released a subscriber-exclusive story, but this one really did take the exclusive approach to a whole new level.

a woman wearing a large hat and a green scarf around her neck ALT: a woman wearing a large hat and a green scarf around her neck

The racism, the slow pace, the horrible main character Scarlet, the runtime... I could go on and on.

It's one of those movies I've thought about watching for many years because it's considered a "classic."

I won't be watching it again unless I need help getting to sleep.