I am Ashley Elsdon

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Tag: Dr Who

I’ve been a Doctor Who fan as long as I can remember

Doctor Who: Hornet’s Nest – the Stuff of Nightmares

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

I can remember finding out about this story and buying it on iTunes and then listening to it on a train home one winters evening and being struck by just how much fun it was to listen to. Whilst on the one hand it was a very traditional fourth Doctor story, it was also different in the way it was told and how it was constructed. A nicely congruent departure for number 4. Added to that was the excellent script, which I’m sure was added to by Mr Baker, it was, and still is a joy to listen to.

My favourite line from that particular story is “Glumly I had a terrible pot of tea and a damp Garibaldi“, which speaks volumes about the story and the writing.

Even though I know the story very well I can still safely say that it’s one of my favourites out of all of the stories in the whole series. Perhaps because it’s the beginning, perhaps because it’s lovely to hear old and new characters come back into a story. I don’t know, and perhaps it’s better like that.

Doctor Who, Paul Magrs, and some wonderful stories

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

Having just finished listening to all three story arcs by Paul Magrs I thought I might write a little something about each of these lovely stories. So expect some waffling on about Doctor Who over the next few days. Not that you wouldn’t expect waffling on about Doctor Who if you’re a regular reader of this blog.

Starting Serpent Crest

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

I’ve listened to the Hornet’s nest and Demon Quest, and now it’s time for the third in the Paul Magrs set of stories, Serpent Crest. I don’t think I’ve listened to this for about a year or so and I’m looking forward to hearing it again this week. The whole thing is in 5 episodes and runs for about five and a half hours, which is just about right for listening to in a week.

That should keep me going until some new Doctor Who arrives in January anyway.

New Who!

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks
Ferril’s Folly
Tales from the Vault
The Stealers from Saiph

Ok, not exactly new Doctor Who, and, in fact, arguably not Doctor Who as these are of course “Companion Chronicles”. However, they are the remaining Mary Tamm stories that I haven’t heard, so I’m looking forward to listening to them a great deal.

 

Doctor Who: The Sands of Life

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

Another great fourth doctor story with Mary Tamm, and with the excellent inclusion of David Warner. This is the second story in Big Finish’s second season for Tom Baker, and this story is really the kick off for the main story arc in the series. It’s a great story arc too, and David Warner is at the centre of it. It’s far more like a serious Doctor Who story as opposed to the Auntie Matter, which was quite frivolous and yet wonderful to listen to.

The Sands of Life is quite a traditional story in many ways. The doctor meets a life form he’s not met before which is threatening all life on earth but only due to a mistake caused by Cuthbert (played by David Warner). I won’t say anymore about the story in case you do listen to it. I’d recommend it, it’s an excellent story and it continues with “War with the Laan”, but more of that another day.

Doctor Who: Demon Quest

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

So I’ve moved on to the next set of 4th Doctor stories from the Hornet’s Nest, the Demon Quest story. Again it’s a five part story, each part being around an hour long and it has the same core characters as hornet’s nest as it is in effect a continuation from the end of the hornet’s nest.

But five hours is a good long time to develop a whole story. Of course each episode is a self contained story in its own right, but the whole thing hangs together very nicely too. It’s a nice arc and that’s what I really like about these three stories or arcs from Paul Magrs. It’s a shame in a way that there won’t be any more of these, or at least it’s my expectation that there won’t be more of them as Tom Baker has moved on to working with Big Finish now. Not that that isn’t a great thing in itself as the work he’s done there is excellent. But like any fan I always want more!

What else would you expect?

Doctor Who: The Auntie Matter

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks

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After watching the Day of the Doctor I decided to go back to listening to some old(new) doctor who. I thought I’d listen to the second season of the fourth doctor from big finish. The first episode, the auntie matter, is just awesome. Great fun and a very good way to start off the season again.

The Day of the Doctor

Posted by on in TV

Well I watched it, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting it to be. In fact there were bits I actually quite liked about it. However, my one question overall is about why there’s a new doctor inserted into the chronology, and what does that mean for the overall chronology of doctor who. I suppose it means that overall every doctor after Paul McGann moves up a number, making the new doctor (who I very much approve of) number 13. Isn’t that a problem?

If I remember correctly, in the Keeper of Traken the Master was on his 13th regeneration and couldn’t regenerate after that, although of course he did regenerate but it was at someone else’s expense, Tremas’ expense actually (and of course Tremas is an anagram of Master).

So will the latest doctor be the 13th regeneration? If so, what happens after him? Obviously I’m guessing that the writers will just find a mechanism to get around it. Hopefully not like the master though, I don’t think it’d be very popular for the doctor to subsume another person.

Of course the best thing about it was the return of Gallifrey, or at least its restoration. I always thought that the whole thing with the time lords at the end of Tennant’s doctor was awful and massive mistake not in keeping with how the time lords had been described before. At least now all of that nonsense has been undone.

Anyway, so a not bad effort overall. With a 50th celebration it’s always going to be hard to pull off and this one wasn’t bad at all.

And back to the Hornet’s Nest

Posted by on in Books and Audiobooks, Listening

I’ve had this audiobook for about 4 or even 5 years now and I still love it. I can remember the first time I listened to it and just how much I enjoyed it. The thing is, I still do. It’s a great Doctor Who story, part of a nice arc too. The whole story arc runs to about five hours, which is just right as far as I’m concerned.

It’s such a good vehicle for Tom Baker’s doctor. It allows him just the right amount of space to be himself and move the story along too.

I decided to listen to all three story arcs from the pen of Paul Magrs. This is the first, the Hornet’s nest, then there’s Demon Quest, then Serpent Crest. I wish that there were more of these, but now that Tom Baker has started to do stories for Big Finish I’m not sure that there will be space for any more of these. Still, never mind. Whenever I listen to them I enjoy them and find something new in the story.