The Best of Big Finish 2022

0:00 this is Jeffrey beavers and you will obey me you will listen to the Sirens of audio [Music] foreign

0:50 [Music] files this is the science of audio the show that explores the universe of Doctor Who in the audio medium I'm Dwayne and I'm Philip get a drink of the audio files well g'day Philip this has been a show a long time coming I promised this about two months ago and it's taken us a long time to get here let's try again this record has been hard work hasn't it it has and I thought I'm sorry but our good friend Kenny couldn't make it either so we're very sorry about that but we'll must make sure to have him on the show again very very soon indeed so for today we're going to be looking back at 2022 and the releases of big finish over that year and in instead of like previous shows

1:35 where we've done this we looked at different looked at the month and they picked a couple of ones that we liked from that particular month we've gone for the whole year and picked a top ten now Kenny was going to join us and it was turning into a top five each and we were going to try very hard not to double up but because Kenny couldn't join us you and I Philip are going to a top ten yes and even and we pitched some of his yeah we did pinch some of his so so thanks Kenny but it's still very difficult to to come up with 10 isn't it it's impossible to come up with 10. you've made me do it well it's not it's not impossible we've done it well we've done it but can I say if you ask the beginning a week's time it will change well I feel the same like I've looked at my list and I go that's how I feel today but yeah I could I could feel

2:21 differently tomorrow and our lists don't reflect the quality of anything that hasn't hit our lists I think primarily for me Philip and I don't know how you feel but when we're speaking of feelings these stories uh it's all about the impact and how they made me feel not about you know what kind of quality story it is or anything like that but if if the story has made me feel something uh it's gone in my list I do have an overall favorite for the year I don't know if you do too Philip but maybe maybe you can uh yeah think about that throughout the throughout the show we might disagree we might agree but time will tell as to what the favorite will be but before we do there is something we have to get to first you know what that is are we going to do that today as well are we yeah we're going to do it as well

3:06 right it's a rabbit hole let's jump in [Applause] [Music] I want to just briefly talk about our our year personally as a as a show over the the year of 2022 and I would have to say Philip that we had a pretty good year wouldn't you yeah it wasn't a bad year what are some of the standouts for you something stands for me I mean it's always to me it always comes down to the guests and some of the stories um we managed to get two doctors on so both Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy we head on to television Doctors Two

3:51 television yeah so two television doctors we had on uh during the course of the year we also had Tim trelaw so yeah so I think we've had because we've had one doctor this year as well just trying to work out where we've had the other doctors throw in um but yeah two television doctors um and that's yeah always very exciting and I love chatting with Colin and Sylvester where there were the opportunity arises we had yeah wonderful guests in terms of you know television companions as well um chatting with Nicola was amazing and yeah we've got lots of stuff that we talked about age and age with her which we haven't put out but just yeah we just kept chatting and having a great time with her um body Langford is a huge hero of mine through stage and screen and once again there's a lot of conversation we didn't put out which yeah

4:38 when I do my musical podcast we've got material it was yeah it was such a thrill to to get Bonnie I didn't think uh um we'd have that opportunity but I was so pleased that we did because yeah her time in Doctor Who's a very special time for me personally sentimentally yeah and the way she's just what the speakers have done with her character is just such a joy um yeah and Sophie Eldred we had on not last year we didn't it was at the very beginning of the year no that was Bonnie but I probably might as far as companions go uh my standout for me would have to be Maureen O'Brien we had the privilege of having her on a podcast for the very first time I was so

5:24 pleased that we're able to have such a in-depth chat with her and get to know her so so well over that time she was very relaxed with us by the end Phillip oh very casual having a great time and um since you'd come back yeah fantastic what do you want some of your other highlights uh it was really good to put that 20th anniversary challenge of Midnight Special together uh unfortunately Rob Sherman couldn't join us for that because we had Robert curbishly and we had Lennox Greaves and Sue Wallace uh on on that particular show just the three of them together because we had you know all three of them on at the same time so I had to do an interview with multiple people it is and they were having the ball together like they were they were having so much fun and teasing each other and it was just lovely yeah but as a result of that

6:10 Rob Sherman who wasn't able to join us at that time came on a bit later so it was good to have a a chat with him in depth about his big Finnish stories because he is certainly even though the volume of stories of Rob Sherman uh is is low you cannot deny his influence on uh the big Finnish universe and the Doctor Who universe as well just with one episode that he's written on TV so it was great to be able to to have him on too yeah um I was just thinking too in terms of um I mean you know having Nick Briggs come on too was Lobby he's very gentle with his time and and told us a lot just some of the some of the writers that were like I the random words would

6:55 come up and then you would contact me and say well I've just got in touch with uh Tony Lee or I've just got in touch with James Moran uh when we were going to talk about just do a quick review of the stories you'd often end up with the authors as well so Tony Lee in particular I thought was really thrilling to he's a good talker and it was good to to get his thoughts on things so those kind of episodes are great Ian Meadows was great it was awesome to talk to it's always awesome to talk to sound designers also have a catch up with John Dorney again Pat Mills was fascinating too and of course we had Susanna Harker come and talk to us which was which was thrilling for us we you know we're I'm a fan of sapphire and steel and uh you're a fan of House of Cards House of Cards so not

7:41 not Doctor Who related but uh well you sort of it sort of related if you can call Ian Richardson related to Miles Richardson who is very heavily in the Doctor Who universe so uh there's a bit of a connection there we're lucky to get our Joe Kramer on and out of that we managed to get our own theme song Oh fantastic thank you so much Joe we're going to be using that for a long time to come and what if that was to be offered a a theme for our podcast yeah absolutely our own original theme song by award-winning Joe Kramer that's one of the great things I said one of the highlights from iu2 um you know sadly we lost yeah some big names um but you know certainly David Warner passed away I actually think we um managed to put together a tribute to

8:27 David Warner which I'm actually really proud of because I think that stands up to um we'll set a really test the times in terms of honoring him and his memory and some of what he did so that was something I was really proud to have done yeah and speaking of uh attributes we did a tribute to the first series of Sarah Jane Smith as well uh towards the end of the year and that was fantastic to um to put together and talk to a lot of those people and Jess Fielder uh it was so nice to get to know him such a nice guy speaking of people who can talk yes yes he could talk and talk and talk so that was that was thrilling too to be able to to put that together and um yeah lots of people seem to enjoy that one so yeah we've there's lots of

9:15 names there that we missed we can't list everyone uh who's been there but uh it certainly was a great year for the podcast how do we top it Philip well we'll see but I think we can there's some good stuff coming up I mean we've already done pretty well with Jeffrey beavers and Michael trouter so we kicked the E off in an okay sort of fashion I think yeah it's a more some amazing stuff coming up already too we'll just keep plugging away I'm not burnt out yet are you burnt out yet no I'm not burned out yet getting there oh oh you know what I for something I feel like I am and then we sit down and have a conversation for two or three hours and I just go wow um I mean I know yeah it wasn't last year another one sadly lost last year was Stephen Griff another we didn't talk to him um last year was just at the end of the

10:01 year before um just being able to know that we had this you know amazing two plus hour conversation with Stephen growth and be able to share so much with him and he talks so much about us and once again an episode there that I'm very proud of his memoir um yeah he didn't want to write a book he did yeah I wasn't doing that he didn't think he might read it but he did want to record some of his history and he chose to do that with us and so yeah and remarkably honored by that and yeah we have a lot of other material you know we are going to do a bit of a tribute to him in the coming month or two anyway he didn't say specifically what he thought of the uh of the episode I think the main comedy said to me is don't you think it's a bit too long he wanted wanted me to keep cutting it out so that it didn't drag on and on he thought

10:48 people wouldn't want to listen to him but how wrong could he be very humble but fortunately that we have lots of other material now we can still put out yes all the stuff we cut out because it's gonna be too long yes and we are going to be uh sharing that with you very soon but as a result of that Stephen contacted me not too long afterwards and said I'm sure Jan Chapel would be interested in doing some of this how about I uh put you in touch with her so he put me in touch with Jan and we were able to talk to Jan as well you'd already independently been in touch with Sally So within that short space of time we were able to chat with those three um Legends to us of Blake seven and particularly you Philip because I know how close to your heart Blake 7 is and that was a pretty thrilling time so thanks to Stephen and then I mean it

11:33 was it was Lisa Bowman in the first place that put put well she she said that Stephen would be up for it and I dropped her name to to Stephen and uh and and he was so thank you Lisa Bauman I think I think you're part of part of the Great privileges this year as we have more people on the more names we can drop and the more people are willing to go to come on because yeah we look after people hopefully people feel respected and looked after and they work appreciated yeah that's what we keep aiming to do that's why yeah we aim not to talk too much because we just can't help it I know that's right over these sessions so we can chat away and then shut up with the guests are here yes that's right that's right all right that'll do us for our reflections of 22 on the podcast let's climb out of the rabbit hole and talk

12:19 about our top tens which I've made you rank Philip now why don't you like to rank things I don't like to rank things I don't want people to feel that they're not important or less important other people or you know don't wreck your children don't wreck your big finish but I have done it um but that being said there are things that I've left out because part of part of what I've tried to do is actually cover a spread of different series and so there would have been there would have been two black seven releases in my top ten but I've only put my top one in and left the other one out which would have sort of made it in so there's a few things that would have made it even but because of how I'm sort of wanting to show the breadth of big finish I've left them out

13:08 he's just yeah that your dog thinks that too I know sorry she's going a bit crazy all right let's um I know it's usually always your turn but let's start with you again and uh start off with your number 10 Philip okay number 10 which is still excellent I feel like it's the Biggest Loser no um I'm starting off with Doctor Who sorry Doctor Who Doctor of War Genesis when I found out they were bringing back doing some more Unbound um I loved the Unbound scenes when it first came out didn't love all of them but I loved the concept and I thought it was a bruin concept and it hasn't been played with for a while so when I heard they were bringing back that concept I thought was wonderful and

13:53 within the first three minutes it actually starts with Genesis dialects Tom Baker Sarah Jane Smith Harry Sullivan um for the Naylor we had this year too he was great um I've got we got this here and I've got original artwork now from him too because it was so good yeah um so whether it starts off with those three but it all goes wrong uh Colin Baker is in fine form in fact better than fine form so there's three in there's two there's two box sets first box set um Genesis uh three stories one by John Dorney one by Lou Morgan one by James kittel um I think last year we sort of discovered James Kettle for the first time and once again James Kettle continues to be someone I love to watch because he's in motion so John Dorney I know I'm gonna get a ripping yarn out of

14:40 um I'm gonna get some great movie references where he slightly distorts them but James kiss are not gonna get real heart and that's certainly what happened again um so the three stories very entertaining um a bit of a Twist um which which sort of threw me but I enjoyed that but the cast we are Tom Baker Jeffrey beavers um yeah the dialects having Nicola bride appears a bit um Sean Carlson's Navan it's just an amazing cast of who who's and it just doesn't lay up the paces aren't relenting and it's a bit Bleak and black but I like it did you what do you think of I really loved it um I love the concept it was really mind-blowing you have to concentrate really hard to get what's going on I actually preferred this second box that

15:27 came out which is Doctor of War destiny so the the very first story in that is my favorite Unbound story for this year but it doesn't make my top 10 that doesn't mean it's a a bad story it's you and and I've raved you about it offline about how much I enjoyed uh the the face of evil uh sort of Redux with Jeffrey beavers in the role of the doctor instead of the fourth doctor so um yeah I enjoy this Set uh but like you I'm trying to diversify a little bit and not trying to double up with you so we've compared lists so we know each other's list just for those who are watching so we're going to try and get a top 10 of each of us which gives you a top 20. yeah well I mean I equally love

16:12 the second box here but I can only have 10 so I've you know I'm not allowed to combine them together but yeah if you get if you get the first one you've got to buy the second set so get the first set what about your number ten Dwayne well I've chosen as my number 10 the 10th doctor strangely enough test doctor classic companions is a box set that came out now this is a result of the lockdown and uh all the scripts that were being written by uh a for David Tennant because it was suddenly available now recording a whole heap of things and this was recorded uh quite some time ago uh released this year uh in this last year in 22. three stories in there and not you see on the cover now you do see all the companions on the cover because there's three stories you think there's three companions but in actual fact there's four because you've

16:58 got the inclusion of K9 who has a pivotal role throughout the whole story and uh three three stories again the first one opens by uh by John Dorney called splinters but the second second one by Lizzie hopley the stunt man that was probably my pick of this one there is also an axos story so Roy Gill does a historical Quantum of axos and Roy Gill's always very sound writer so all those writers if I see their names I'll I'm pretty pretty happy that I know I'm going to get something good and combine David Tennant with these well he's got a love of Doctor Who doesn't he so he's got a love of the character so he's gonna love these classic companions too even though it was done remotely you can't tell it's beautifully done so you've got Louise Jameson as Leela Sarah

17:43 Sutton as Nissa Sophie aldred as Ace with John Leeson as canine you know I've I've kind of hesitated when I see a tenth doctor thing but but over the last little while I have softened immensely towards the tenth doctor in fact I've been watching the 10th doctor episodes uh with my kids and we're up to series four at the moment about halfway through series four and they're loving David Tennant so it's going to be interesting when he comes back as Dr 14 later in the year yeah great pick I mean I love those companions I guess why I wouldn't put in my top 10 is because they the companions that aren't quite what you might expect and that was enough just to knock it out of my top ten but yeah fantastic listen I mean I still think I think it's a year before Nissa and the master in the war

18:31 Master set um that's the one that just breaks my heart and makes me cry so this one doesn't come quite up to that height so yeah knock it out of the top 10 for me but she's she's an unsung hero isn't she said something is amazing incredible she said some incredible stuff over the last couple years okay Philip give us your number nine my number nine I'm gonna go for different series I'm gonna go for Sherlock Holmes ah I know you love your shoes I love my Sherlock Holmes I love Nick briggs's Sherlock Holmes uh it's one of those things I think I mentioned big finish tricked me into buying these and they gave away a free a couple of free episodes and I just got hooked so I've always enjoyed Sherlock Holmes I've always enjoyed the stories uh this new one the fiends of New York by Jonathan Barnes Jonathan Barnes for the last couple of well last few blocks that's a

19:18 few years it sort of they come sporadically for the last little while Jonathan Barnes has been doing box sets of stories in the style of Conan Jones Conan Doyle so they're not originals but he just captures Sherlock Holmes so perfectly and the mood and his tickets backwards and forwards all through Sherlock Holmes life and this one's called the fiends of New York City and it's just brutally played um if you love these Sherlock Holmes this is some lovely little twists happening Nicholas brings solution Earl are lovely Timothy bentick is as mikecroft Holmes added a lovely Dimension and Love Lucy brings Owen um James Joyce it's just a cast of Beautiful People just doing what they do the language is just so rich and over the top

20:04 um no one ever spoke like that I don't believe but I don't care because it feels like they should be speaking that in Victoria London and it just captured me for the very beginning and a lovely twist at the end and the the fiend the true fiend is a lovely surprise when it's all worked out so it's my pick for number nine I have listened to it but I forget the twist at the end I've listened to so much I I don't retain plot lines like that which makes it very enjoyable when I go back and listen to things again it's always very good they're very good at doing classic and period stuff like this yeah there's very much an A plus b plot to get Sherlock Holmes and Watson falling very different storylines but then the way they bring it together very clever yeah You're Number Nine my number nine uh is also off Doctor Who and that is uh the big

20:52 finish classic right Classics range uh the eighth one that was released last year Jacqueline Hyde it's been a couple of years uh coming uh due to the pandemic and other things but a fantastic adaptation of the theater play that Nick Briggs toured are probably seven eight years ago so it's this it's been out there a little while and it's it's interesting because it stays very true to the text of the actual Story by Robert Louis Stevenson however it puts a lot of focus on a character that only appears very briefly in the story so even though it stays true to the text um it is very different at the same time

21:39 and there are some performances in there that actually blew me away and you know Philip how much of a fan I am of this story and it's the language of Robert Louis Stevenson in this particular era that I love as well just like you love Sherlock Holmes and I do too but this is the kind of language that I just Revel in and uh I I was able to hear some of the words that I've read to myself and heard other audiobook readers do done in a way that was totally new so it was very refreshing and it even got you who'd never really been into the story to have a listen to it and appreciate it too Philip I believe it it actually freaked me out a bit um Partners I mean I think Barnaby K's performance is outstanding if there'd be a person of of the Year Barnaby might be

22:27 the person of the year just in terms of what he did in terms of coming to the fore of acting because he's done some amazing acting roles this is one of them but also in UFO he did directing and he did some writing he did he did pelidon at the start of the year which is not in our list but it's definitely worth a mention because it's um yeah it's one of those ones that um well I don't know why I didn't get into our list but it's just something has to be be left out but yeah he directed that really well some really great stories in the Peloton box yeah so directing acting writing his the triple threat that came in this year oh he's writing for River song Too wasn't he yep he did hmm so yeah from Big Finnish Productions big Finnish Classics Jekyll and Hyde

23:14 oh satisfied oh he's commonplace enough to look at me on the short side but when you do look at him you wish you had never done it you wish you could forget but I can never forget I'll never forget that face never forget what he's done they need to take your life you are a liar S I beg your pun and I did not give it by all lights and at all hours of solitude and Concourse I was to be found there if he be Mr Hyde I thought I shall be Mr Sikh

24:01 like a blind fool I welcomed it into my heart my home had it very nearly destroyed me the Lord I am rid of it big finish for the love of Stories the moment I choose I can be rid of Mr Hyde [Music] alright so that's our number nines uh let's go back to you for your number eight fillet number eight favors probably in some ways so Bernice Summerfield uh the new adventure has

24:47 been in Summerfield of um Blood and Steel um so I guess you know having a Bittersweet relationship David what had passed away before this was released and so I I was listening to it with a different with different ears and I've always loved beneath Summerfield I've got all the books um it's not there's nothing I don't know I just don't have a big finish got me on that one but yeah somehow they tricked me into buying all the videos some of Hills two along the way um they've made me poor we all Wicked hopefully my kids can sell these CDs down the track and make lots of money um but yeah I've always loved it in Summerfield I've once again the Unbound doctor in David Warner I thought his episodes in the Unbound when it first came out years ago were excellent and so

25:34 when they combined David Warner and Lisa Bowman together they just spark of each other um you feel the love you feel that you they have this I was gonna say that I was gonna say you can feel the connection between those two characters and I think it really it's it's a bit of a crossover from their personal life too it is and you know and yeah I didn't realize for years that they were connected and you know it's only in the recent times I'd realize how connected they were um they just play Beauty together Cybermen I always loved Cybermen and they just yeah great stories um James got someone in particular will come in I think the whole it's also sort of it's sort of like a cabaret period of Germany so between the two World Wars you know what's coming with the Nazis the cybermaid in some ways begin to emphasize how bad things are but they're

26:20 not the worst because Nutters are worse and it just it's once again it's a bit Bleak but the two of them together just pounce off and if you love it beneath Summerfield and you love your David Warner you can't miss this one Berlin the city is that never sleeps because if she slept she would have nightmares Berlin where the party never ends big Finnish Productions Doctor Who The New Adventures of Bernice Summerfield Vol 7 Blood and Steel Berlin in the 1930s no way you'd want an energy signal

27:11 first hypnotic pulse people standing mute as the Cybermen came [Music] let me go we are giving you a better life forever let me tell you about Cybermen they're always someone's son or mother or daughter it doesn't matter they don't remember all they do is kill I have always known our real forefathers controlled energies from Beyond this world my children are ready to March

27:59 this can't be right you always win well until the day I don't doctor I think you should run Summerfield big finish For the Love of stories coming through here comes Santa Claus all right so my number eight I'm just looking at it now coincidentally my number 10 was a tenth doctor my number eight is an eighth doctor and that is a more of a recent release only a few months ago connections was the name of the box set and so they've they've gone off and the eighth doctor range in 2022 finished up the stranded Series so we got stranded four earlier in the year and uh

28:47 connections was was it the first or second release of them I think it was the second eighth doctor set that was released with this Tardis team with Standalone stories in the box set so this is the second one of those and there were three awesome stories in this but my favorite story my favorite eighth doctor story I just there is something about the character of Drax that I that I love and he hardly appears ever never you know only two episodes on classic Doctor Who and only a couple of stories for big finish as well but I just love what particularly I think John Dorney loves to play with the character of Drax because he is a playful kind of character and you kind of expect that

29:33 but I really loved that story most of all you're talking about James Kettle with his emotional stories well he's got one in there called The Love vampires which is very uh James cattle so he's got he's got a certain uh stamp about him when when he writes stories you can you can sort of get a sense of his uh way of writing and Roy Gill uh writes a really nice uh story called alby's angels and I love the weeping angels and you think well how can the Weeping Angels because there's there's such a visual monster work on audio but they work I think the weeping angels can work in any medium because

30:18 if you think about it you're not actually seeing the Angels doing anything on screen generally particularly from the early episodes when they when they didn't move because they couldn't move because they were Quantum locked um so the Angels Menace is all in their imagination whether you're watching them on television or whether you're listening to them all the threat and Menace of the Angels is in your head so I think the the weeping angels are one of the best monsters ever created for Doctor Who because uh that is why they are so scary because all the Menace happens in your own imagination which is better than uh you know it's it's really really well done uh what Stephen moffatt did there with those angels yeah if you didn't pick this is

31:05 probably would have been in my top five right because I think the three stories are sounding are alby's angels just in terms of the character line it gives to Helen which he gets to meet her brother and spend time with her brother that's just it's got a really emotional heart and they do some lovely things with angels and Ice um I love one thing I said to John Doe before I love how he takes classic movies and distorts them so one of my favorite classic films is charade with Carrie Grant and Aubrey Hepburn and the trouble with Drax he steals mercilessly from that film because that whole film is about you know someone who gets thrown yeah thrown over off a train and killed somehow carrying a hundred thousand francs but they don't know you know in the goods he has what he's done with 100 000 francs these are so there once against the whole thing of where's

31:51 this money being kept and there's a funeral for the main character too where everyone walks in and one of them sticks with a pen and someone puts a mirror up his mouth this it's just a replay of that scene so you know as as that scenes happening in in connections I'm just laughing and laughing because I know John Donny has stolen mercilessly but just given it enough of a Twist to make it lovely so yeah love it fantastic all right give us your number seven number seven I'm gonna go for space 1999 so once again this has a lot of nostalgia for me as a kid um space 1999 was on every morning at 6am in the morning I used to get up and watch it um Thunderbirds at five and space in 1999 6 a.m I don't know how I got up so early but I managed to back then

32:36 uh this is I think this now the third release uh in the series if I'm correct um Mark Platt e medals Nicholas Briggs or bring very different stories but very much in the style the Caster once again just astounding they put together Mark Bonner Murray Teresa crazy are just lovely as konigan Russ as hell and Russell and the rest of cast just now often playing more than one major rule because of course the TV show is populated with huge numbers of basic personnel and they managed to reproduce them but just a couple of actors the same way what was your number seven it's very strange I'm looking down my list and I did not plan this but my number seven is a Seventh Doctor Adventure we got a sixth and fifth

33:23 doctor next oh I could do I could do but this is the box set silver and ice so I think the Seventh Doctor had a couple of box sets last year but silver and Ice was was one that I loved because of the fact that it's so fits into season 24 it's like the the season 24 story that we never got uh and there's two stories in there there's one it's uh set on reboss called The reboss Inheritance by Jonathan Barnes uh which recasts the role of Garen so he's in there wheeling and dealing again trying to con somebody and then the other one the other story is a two-part story called Bad Day in Tinseltown written by

34:08 Dan Starkey and every time I see Dan starkey's name on The Writer's credit I get excited because I love his writing it works really well it's a Cyberman story and it this could only work in season 24 this story but because season 24 exists it works so I really and I love Sylvester McCoy's voice it never seems to change a lot of the other doctors voices I aged a little over the years but Sylvester still seems to be the same as ever and it's I really enjoy the chemistry between him and Bonnie so I hope we get some more yeah excellent Bob said it really was okay we're up to number six uh I'm gonna go for the Avengers I think

34:54 people know not the MC of course the real Avengers uh Steed and Mrs peel uh I think people know I've always had a Fascination and passion for The Avengers love the 60s series man I used to watch it with my dad um so this is the comic strip adaptions for uh volume 16 and Mrs peel there's all kinds of bizarre rights issues that big fish have so they're allowed to do comic Bookers they can't do original Avengers stories but they can do Comics adaptions uh I'm speaking of John Dorney about it you know sometimes this comic strip may just be three or four panels and from that they create a whole story which is impressive once again uh Seven Deadly assassins as opposed to

35:41 the seven deadly sins by Roland Moore Mrs Peale twice I think on a Blackman does too there's often stories where there's all these assassins trying to kill them all and they're working their way through them all um it's a very very 60s feel or on a set on a ship as um Mrs Peale is in danger and Steed and trying to trying to get their way through and Escape all these people trying to kill them standard by Sarah cortala and you won't believe your eyes by John Dorney one of the things I love about Avengers stories is say something besides happening a time travel thing dinosaurs um people standing in delivery in terms of carriages with horses and and muskets and things and then as the story progresses you work out what's why that absurd thing has happened and all these

36:28 three comic strip stories all have that huge absurd element and then by the end they sort of wrap it up and conclude us but the dialogue is just so witty Julian Waterman Olivia Poulet uh bounce off each other all the time just the way they equip things all the time it's just I just it's a last minute I just yeah this is one where I just sit back and laugh you know they're talking about some dark ones before this is a sit back and laugh every third or third fourth sentence what about you Did You Have you listened to the Avengers this is why I'm not I haven't listened to this one uh but it is sitting there for me to listen to um and yeah you're absolutely right they I love I love the comedy aspect of of the Avengers uh and the the dialogue

37:13 I really enjoyed the Tara King ones actually because it the character of mother being played by Christopher Benjamin was uh was wonderful well it gets even more absurd that's that's seventh season it is what do you think that you know the TV series started with a very Bleak you know a doctor his wife's murdered him seeking Revenge event you know trying to avenge her death which is the whole concept that her first season was fairly dark and then it just gets more and more ridiculous but I love it very good you're number six my number six you're not gonna believe this but it's not a six doctor Adventure it's a Fifth Doctor adventure and my pick of this year there were two box sets in 2022 from the fifth doctor that was celebrating the 40th anniversary of the

38:00 fifth doctor and I think 41 volume 1 was released on the same day that uh the the Fourth Doctor's the fifth doctors first Adventure happened on television was it the 1st of January or the 3rd of January or something yeah third of January 1982 so yeah so I think that was released on the same day um it was a it was an interesting concept with the fifth doctor somehow traveling up and down his own timeline being in the wrong place uh with different memories and things going on it was all wrapped up in 40 Volume 2 and it's a single story called The auton Infinity now anything with autons on it I love they're probably my favorite

38:45 Classic series monster because they had such an impact on me as a child probably the scariest the most scary impact I was more scared of all times than I was of Daleks or Cyberman or anything so I I love that and what's great about this is you've got this story it's written by Tim Foley and at six episodes so very interesting a three CD Set uh single story but it's there's separate locations uh throughout so it also has John colshaw in it he's got mark strixon his turlo Janet Fielding as Tegan uh obviously John culture was playing the Brigadier so that's an interesting con

39:30 he's also playing chameleon in this in the story as well but it's kind of like it's almost like An auton Origin story but not and if I say too much more than that I'll give it away and the way that this particular nesting Consciousness comes to be I just love the conceit of it because it all it it all ties in so well and with the fifth doctor's era and the events that happened during the fifth doctor's television era ties it in so well Tim Foley's done an absolutely incredible job at this six-part story and absolutely my favorite Fifth Doctor story for 2022.

40:16 from Big Finnish Productions Doctor Who The Fifth Doctor Adventures 40. Orton Infinity so you are finally awake as ever I find you're the most surprising places oh are you the lady who's going to turn us into monsters we saw Shadows something nebulous nefarious this is it ladies and gentlemen Earth is under attack open fire you shot at us we shoot at you

41:04 an auton invasion and that's not our only problem notice something about these army tents did you crash did you land here by mistake this has all been planned run run out And So It Begins what have you done through those doors is just and gaping wound in reality that's raw Vortex energy nobody look at it the mighty doctor makes too many enemies I am afraid doctor that something is terribly wrong don't you worry doctor I'm not going anywhere yet

41:49 proximity Collision something's coming out of the vortex fast none he wants to be part of me because I am part of them and now I'm meant to kill you doctor [Laughter] okay so we're halfway there Philip yes fantastic so do you want my number five yeah hit me with it excellent um one of the series I think you know I enjoyed so much lastly was Torchwood James Goss wrote most of them I don't know how he

42:35 mentioned that was 21 yeah that was 21 which was astounding and once again this year they've been a very high standard but a lot more and different writers I think probably because I enjoy tortwood is it's very creative in terms of what it manages to do with a very small cast and I you know I think you know I love small casts that can be really creative is why companion Chronicles is part of what I love so much and why I'm loving the Blake 7. so I'm picking a Torchwood it's an unusual one though in terms of not a big story it's called restricted items archive entries 31 to 49. so this is a one-hander which is pretty amazing it's just Gareth David Lloyd playing yanto Jones by himself in the total basement and he's just recording on a recorder as

43:21 he's going through and the archive entry number 131 then 32 and he's describing what 31 is he's describing 32 is you would think it'd be unbelievably boring but it's not because there's a a whole plot going on in terms of these items and different items are going to be really essential for the end of the story as the alien menace becomes more and more clear Gareth David Lloyd's performance is just astounding it's set from fairly early in totaled soon after his girlfriend has been killed by the total team I think people know the sort of story his girlfriend was half converted in tortured one he brings it to Total three to Cardiff and hides her away but when she discovers and starts to go on a rampage of killing people the total team put her down and for quite a while

44:07 um yenta's a bit upset about that it's strange that who would be as he would be um and he's just he's feeling very much alone and he describes what's going on upstairs he's describing different characters describing about the other team building activity but they've all gone out to balls but forgot to invite him and so it's really very it just tugs the heartstrings as it goes along and then bit by bit you realize there's actually more going on with an amazing conclusion so it's hard to believe but one person by themselves in the archive dictating on a Dictaphone but it is just compelling compelling stuff brilliantly done new director Stephen karuma he's only done three things to be finished so far all tour towards but the three things he's directed just have a lot of

44:54 pace to them and a lot of energy and that's certainly what happens here pathos Pace energy love it you haven't listened to this have you Dwayne I haven't had a chance to listen to many to which was this uh last year so I've got a bit of a backlog yeah really really clever this one in particular really worth listening to it's a very clever story very good warrior number five my number five is a fourth doctor Adventure so I'm going one less now um it is was released earlier in 2022 the first Fourth Doctor Adventures box set called solo and I think that might be the first Fourth Doctor's box set that had a name rather than a volume number so I think this might be volume 11. and solo had two stories in it and there

45:41 was one story in particular that blew me away they're both very good stories but the first story is called blood of the time Lords which uh I think we were talking last week about the timelords and how you find them boring but I find them fascinating you find them boring at times and this is a very interesting Time Lord story so there's a a recusery where a whole heap of time Lords go to retire and hang out in a in an area and the fourth doctor goes to investigate a mystery there lots of his yeah that's right but this is not set on Gallifrey it's set somewhere else so that could be a Wyatt's it's one of the moons of Gallifrey that's where it's set so um so yeah I I

46:30 loved this story uh Annette Badland is in it um James Dreyfus is in it as the master I think this is the last time we are going to hear James dreyfus's Master here so if you want to catch him uh he is here in this one um so that's pretty cool I always I love all the Masters that big finish have brought in uh so it's always nice to to hear another one uh the second story in the set was called The ravencliff Witch written by David Llewellyn so he's an author that when I see his name I used to I get ready to listen to a good story he always delivers a good story didn't grab me as much as blood of the time Lords by Timothy X ATAC if I haven't mentioned

47:15 his name but still a good story and introduced a new character played by neris Hughes who is going to be very shortly joining the fourth doctor and Leela as a regular companion for big finish so overall this was blood of the time Lords in particular that story was my favorite Fourth Doctor adventure for 2022. yep that's pretty good I agree with that okay my number four I'm doing a day of attend here but I Dave attended with Colin Baker um as we mentioned before David managed to record lots of stuff in lockdown and this is out of time three week so another uh Angel's story I think it's um I think we can safely say that the monster of the classic series is the

48:02 um weeping angels I think more than any other monster they've captured the imagination so when we look at the top Monsters of Doctor Who still Daleks Simon so tyrants ice Warriors and weeping angels I think now are well and truly in the top five this is a plant which is always unbelievably bright and so you can't see anything because it's so bright but for an hour or two every couple of decades the sun gets dark enough that you can actually see and see what's going on and so two doctors happen to descend at the same time because they want to see the city they've been more you see for ages so Colin Baker Dave attended if you'd find form it's written by Lisa McMullen it's only a one disc story so it's pretty short but it's got some great tummy wormy stuff in there you've got angels in the past angels of the future things happening there's a

48:49 bit of fear going on but some very clever scenes and so David tin and Colin Baker just fantastic together very witty dialogue a bit of teasing which I love and uh a really good listen [Music] hello I'm the doctor could you say a doctor or the doctor hello what from Big finish Productions Doctor Who out of time three wink you're not by any chance a Time Lord oh depends who's asking the doctor hey over here give us a hand no no no no no no no no no stop these people can't see we can't what

49:34 they have no concept of sight why would they no need of it what are you talking about hello this is Astro where are you Dax ask him about the any of them have been moved hurry up they'll open automatically as we reach them a little more appreciation if you don't mind we just escaped two of the deadliest time assassins in the universe yes yes yes that's very good the weeping angels to all intents and purposes ordinary stone statues but only when you're looking at them the minute you turn your head the minute you so much as blink they're made of stone in it matter where they're facing they can't move they can't they might and if you carry on they definitely will where is that

50:20 angel now big finish for the love of stories my number four is a non-doctor who release and that is the first release that big finish have done recreating UFO the box set is called destruct positive and it stars Barnaby K and Jenny spark and I've got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this box set if a big finish is known for focusing on nostalgia and let me just have a look here was Nick Briggs involved in in this yes he directed it so he's and he was the script editor along with Jamie Anderson so uh a lot of attention to the

51:06 detail of UFO it's an interesting television series because it's sort of like a forerunner to space 1999 but no one talks about it as much as space 1999 but it is still equally as interesting as space 1999 although it could it could be accused of being the same thing every week in weekend if you have a six I never watched it yeah yeah I haven't seen the whole series I've actually got it sitting there I've I've ripped the DVDs to my hard drive and it's sitting in my hard drive in the TV and every now and then I'll throw on an episode and and uh just watch it but this is different because in the TV series it goes straight into the establishment of Shadow it's already up and running we know what they're doing because there's a title sequence

51:52 where it sort of explains what the shadow organization is however here we get a couple of episodes establishing uh the the main character whose name is Striker and it sets up the whole how he came to be in the shadow organization and how he came to be head of the Shadow organization in charge of um you know looking out for these UFOs and aliens who are trying to invade the Earth so it gives a lot of background that you don't get in the TV series and I love that about this set but it doesn't detract from the feel of the set and even though some people don't like the certain tropes of the early 70s late 60s early 70s when this was when the TV

52:38 series was made they've done away with some of those um they never bothered me in the TV series but even though they've done away with some of the tropes like um which was very hit and cigarette smoking which was very very heavy in the TV series um some of the UFOs often accused of being very sexist as well I don't really see that in the TV series but if you do you do and they have taken that away and given the female characters some pretty strong roles in this and as far as a recreation of a classic TV series goes this is absolute Brilliance and I can hardly recommend it that's why it's so high up on my list at number four yeah I

53:25 really enjoyed it too I mean I didn't know the TV series at all it's made me want to go and watches which I haven't done yet yeah that's what that's what big finish when they released calendar I'd never seen Callum before and uh when they did that I went and saw the TV series afterwards so yeah they have a tendency to do things like that if you haven't seen the series before so yeah definitely seek it out from Big finish Productions UFO destruct positive there's definitely something out there you can see a flashing light reflected in the continent damn it can you see it driver off-road I think I saw a light a flashing light and I'm under orders forget everything that's what they told me we can make him

54:11 doubt everything Lieutenant Colonel Virginia Lake you just don't give up do you normally I like that to the man [Music] ah feels cold that's just the drug entering your bloodstream please help me just once I wish we could catch a break just get one of them alive I want to hear what they have to say oh I just want to hear them scream after everything they've done to us are you familiar with project sign project Grudge

55:04 High beneath and expose you these phenomena aren't unidentified anymore others are just not human scaring myself despite is my life's trigger it will become yours [Music] get into the tree God damn it get Undercover I can see something over here ever seen one before not in the Flash

55:51 Shadow is all that matters now get down [Applause] welcome aboard skydiver Commander Captain Carlin tell me how you lost him but you already know if you've read I want to hear it from you Captain patching Shadow control through now the skyline adopt Lord's posture you're going to want to hold into something sir [Music] Petra eject get out delay that order

56:37 Petra Carlin is one of the best captains taking this all very personally what's your situation if anyone moves in my direction I will shoot don't be a damn fool s I'm ready so you really think they're what body snatches no I don't know anything I was just presenting a possibility Alec so this is what we do now a fight to survive to win this war [Music]

57:29 finish for the love of stories [Music] okay the top three these are the the big my three big ones uh firstly Ninth Doctor I've got to do some Ninth Doctor because the return of Christopher Eccleston has just been wonderful we are so lucky now to have him a big finish and he seems to be enjoy himself and he's sticking around which is really exciting um and hopefully we'll get a lot more out of it as well so the box that I'm choosing is the into the Stars box set that was released in August three really great stories salvation nine by Timothy X attack we've used his name before we do see the same names popping up over and over again uh this is a Salvation nine was my favorite from that box set oh I loved it it's

58:14 absolutely loved it it was fantastic a santara's story like no other santaren story Dan Starkey is wonderful and yeah that that one story is worth the whole box set but the next two stories are equally amazing the last is it a scene by James Kettle unusual James Kettle hasn't quite got the emotional punch there's a real gangster feel set in sort of a casino sort of world Maureen O'Brien is in this as well playing a Despicable character and she's wonderful or something uh something like this oh yeah that's right you don't like it I don't like that you know that so I just go for the voices but she was just wonderful and you know I love it when

59:00 they get the Doctor Who cast actors to do other roles because they're so talented it's great to actually see what they're able to do and this one and then break the ice by Tim Foley he's come up a few times too so three great Stories the Ninth Doctor in fine form um I would love to see him get a box set with rose I mean I'd love yeah he and Rose were able to do a boxer together because this is all still pre-rose which you know some people yeah Arc it a bit doesn't bother me if actually if I've been doing I would have said it I would have said it um between the doctor leaving Rose to go to the surgery to see the the pig creature and coming back together again I would say the whole you know a few box sets in that whole period um in time but if you look at that series there are lots and lots of gaps that you could gaps there but roses

59:46 usually with it but that's that's a gap where the dogs in the Tardis without robes so they want to do boxes without rows that takes away the order of yeah because we want to say he's just regenerated when he meets Rose we don't know that he does check his ease out but who knows anyhow knife doctor Christopher Eccleston amazing actor this is great Dan Starkey Mona Brown and others just a wonderful so enjoy from Big finish Productions Doctor Who the Ninth Doctor Adventures into the Stars [Music] immediately

1:00:38 I've died a few times it's always different we have captured a time traveler and these Tardis Tardis TARDIS [Applause] well that's no way to treat a customer I thought I was supposed to be always right my friend Zannah went hiking in the celovich once do you know Zana I don't everybody knows Anna married to Pat they've got three Planet Hoppers and a holiday home in Helicon Prime I'm new here well anyway the point is you know pleasure ports things happen here that you couldn't get away with anywhere else what is this Silo they're both activists I've seen them before get rid of them they think they can win the swine

1:01:29 [Music] would you be happy who are you another doctor no be interesting but you are fascinating Dr Bella I'm sorry dead yeah they've been frozen I only suspected before the Tardis fold in reality that gave me such a chill but now I know for sure on reboss you're called the better King on cacophony the cold bringer you go by many names but since we're nearest to Earth I ought to call you Jack Frost I'm here to save them doctor that's nonsensical it's obscene

1:02:14 why would anyone want to save the suntarens okay my number three you're not gonna believe it it's a third doctor adventure and it is the annihilators which came out uh earlier in 2022. what was interesting about the annihilators is that when it was advertised back in 2021 there was a different cover and I think it was the first of January I think this was the first announcement big finish made of uh 2022 is a new cover with the second doctor appearing on the cover and Jamie so second doctor and Jamie the doctor being played by Michael trouton so this is the first appearance of Michael trouton's second doctor and it

1:03:00 is also a seven part Adventure so we've got Daisy Ashford playing Liz Shaw uh John colshaw playing the Brigadier and with seven Parts this is firmly set in series seven which is my favorite Third Doctor series and it is just a Nostalgia Fest from start to finish the second doctor doesn't appear I I I've only heard it the once and I don't recall the second doctor appearing too much throughout the story which sort of sets up a bit of a mystery which is still ongoing even though we've had a a box set featuring the second doctor in full uh but it was still very intriguing nonetheless and this was just so well done so series seven uh it really ticked

1:03:48 all my nostalgic boxes and it is my number three Third Doctor number three temptra law is always in fine for yeah it was excellent [Music] did you notice anything odd about that policeman no why he seemed strangely blank from Big Finnish Productions the Third Doctor Adventures the annihilators there's no way out we're trapped what happened with the TARDIS there was an odd surge of well um of what

1:04:33 gravity oh my good yard what's that I'm hallucinating I must be talking to yourself is the first sign of Madness what what let's hope you appreciate the gravity Jamie it's so good to see you you too oh we better um keep our voices down [Music] For the Love of stories okay my number two I had to put a blank seven in here somewhere I think the whole Blake seven I think it's been three boxes this year they've all been excellent in different ways just the creativity that Peter and your lead is managing to show with them

1:05:20 and I'm just drawing them I had to choose one because I could put all three and I've gone for after the war um for those of you who know Blake seven at the end of season two uh the Universal Solar System is being invaded by andromedans for another you know from another galaxy and Blake is left to defend the entrance to this to the whole the Travis has brought down Travis is killed at the end of the story Blake stands to defend it and then the beginning of the third season is uh a couple of or several hours maybe days later and the library has basically been destroyed and all the crew have to evacuate um and what happens to the next so that's that's the sort of the premise

1:06:05 the TV show so these three stories all take place around that time um Andromeda one which is um by Trevor backingdale has Brian Croucher starring in it who is dead but it's actually it's very confusing because it says the box that is after the war and you know Travis dies in star one so how could he I think it's a very very clever piece of artwork uh to put Travis on that you think how could he possibly be there but it's very simply explained very very quickly in that first episode and I love it it's filling up all the gap between how Trevor's got to um where where you got to and it's all that backstroke but with modern's twists as well after after the event so it's it's a it's a lovely tribute to Brian Crouch and it's actually a really good

1:06:51 tribute to Travis in terms of understanding better what was going with Travis's Travis fall out by Steve Lyons is a lovely story for Jenna in terms of when her capsule crashes and of course the thing about the Andromeda is the shapeshifters and so you can never be sure who you're discussing and so you're aware that somewhere there's an alien on this planet is it going to be who you think it is how you're going to track them down those are the huge concerns there and the enemy is mainly a Cali Focus story but there's other characters as well once again looking at the whole idea of shape shifters and these aliens and how dangerous they are three different stories all fantastic um really really worth the money yeah out of the three that were released in 2022 after the war is my pick as well

1:07:38 uh if I had to pick a favorite uh and particularly that no they're all good but yeah I love that first story with Brian Croucher uh that's established the standout for 22. yeah there's a picture story in the next set which has um Stephen Griffin selling a vet together yes yeah which that that one particular story is possibly my favorite story out of the entire year but this box sets sort of picks that one story The War the loss of star one everything's complete shambles the Federation has failed the human race has failed I'm an Outlaw a traitor why did you leave you assume I had a choice what about you what do you believe in

1:08:24 survival from Big finish Productions the worlds of Blake seven after the war you're a shape changer an alien 600 ships all that was left of the Andromeda Collective carrying Gene Banks and all the weapons we could Salvage the survival of our race depends on us finding compatible beings in this galaxy human beings I'm human you're human we're on the same side the only side that matters now [Music] we almost dismissed your life capsule of space debris Jonah I'm trapped Callie help me carry

1:09:14 and you're a telepath of course how else could I anticipate your needs you're human am I right humans don't have telepathy believe me I know you're the aliens she's a shape-shifter from the next door Galaxy big finish For the Love of stories she was in pain I caused that pain me and my friends on the Liberator maybe it doesn't deserve that name foreign

1:10:06 number two am I going to have a second doctor story no my number two is a first doctor adventure and that is the introduction of Stephen Noonan to the role of the first doctor uh in a box set entitled The Outlaws the first story is the story of the same name written by Elizabeth miles and it is a pure historical story also speaking of blight seven uh features glennis barber in the role uh of the one of the main roles the thing about this set and Stephen Noonan's performance is that how can I how can I explain the difference between say Peter Purvis and then David Bradley as well who've also

1:10:52 played the first doctor for big finish there's something totally different about Stephen Noonan's performance and it is his you can sense his passion and his love for the role as he's playing the part he he concentrates so hard on getting things exactly right and he does such a brilliant job I don't think there's any way you can copy the first doctor exactly because as I've heard people I don't know who talked about it with us who talked about it with us Philip I'm sure someone said that might have been Mark Wright was saying that the the character of the first doctor was a character like in the fourth doctor you can hear Tom Baker in the Third Doctor you can hear John purt we when they speak but when you hear William Hartnell the actor

1:11:37 speak he doesn't sound like the first doctor so his whole character is a performance and that's what Steve Stephen Noonan seems to get his performance is is what's important he's getting all the intonations right he throws in uh line fluffs throughout in fact there is a part in here I think they go a little bit over the top with the line fluff so I'm not sure I'm not sure what they were doing there uh and it made me think oh they've gone a bit bit over the top there um some of his laughter might have been over the over the top as well but overall this set was so good because I'm such a fan of the first doctor uh it is a great uh homage to uh the first doctor and a great way to carry on the line of the

1:12:24 first doctor Adventures particularly that little Gap where we've got the first doctor and dodo traveling together alone uh just after Stephen and before the war game so it's nice to get that uh Lauren Cornelius plays dodo really well it doesn't I mean she does a great job but dodo is so brief uh on on television that uh um it just leaves it open for someone to just take the role and and just add more to it on audio here the miniaturist uh by Lizzie hopley is the Second Story a two-part story and when the trailer for this came out the miniaturist is played by Annette badlin she had a big year in

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