Reviews in Time and Space2022-04-18T11:17:01+01:00RSS Feed from Reviews in Time and Spacehttps://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/News in Time and Space Ltdhttp://reviews.newsintimeandspace.netreviews@newsintimeandspace.netBlake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures: Vol 5.3: Restoration - Part 3tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev214352022-04-18T10:17:01+01:002022-04-18T11:17:01+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=28705&h=300" alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Vol 3" title="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Vol 3" /><br />
Written by Trevor Baxendale, Steve Lyons & David Bryher<br />
Produced and directed by John Ainsworth<br />
Stars: Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Yasmin Bannerman, Alistair Lock, Evie Dawnay, Hugh Fraser, John Green, Rebecca Crankshaw, Sheila Ruskin, Paul Darrow<br />
Big Finish Productions, 2020</div>
<p><i>"How long do you think it will take?"</i></p>
<p><i>"Not too long, I hope. We need Avon."</i></p>
<p><i>"Yes, I think you're right."</i></p>
<p><i>Tarrant and Cally, <b>Blake's 7 - Restoration: Imperium</b></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>Previously on <b>Blake’s 7</b> … Kerr Avon is missing, feared dead, after the destruction of the <b>Hyperion </b>research station. The <b>Liberator</b>, now under the control of a hostile extraterrestrial artificial intelligence, has returned to Federation space but is following its own flight path that seeks to locate (and destroy) the last remnants of the System, the starship's original creator. And the remaining crew of the <b>Liberator </b>– Cally (Jan Chappell), Vila (Michael Keating), Tarrant (Steven Pacey) and Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman) – are contemplating what to do with stowaway and former <b>Hyperion </b>station scientist Selene Shan (Evie Dawnay). What is her agenda? And is she friend or foe?</i></p>
<p>The third and final boxset in the <i>Restoration </i>saga of the <b>Blake’s 7</b> Classic Audio Adventures marks the beginning of the end of Big Finish’s mostly brilliant recreation of the classic TV series over the past 10 years – at least in the format we know and love. Certainly, it is the first instalment in the series to be missing three of its most beloved (and sadly departed) leads: Paul Darrow (Avon), Gareth Thomas (Blake) and Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan). Darrow passed away between the making of volumes 2 and 3 of <i>Restoration</i>, with Avon caught in a cliffhanger position. This leaves the remnants of the original Series C cast – Chappell, Keating and Pacey - and Bannerman to carry the flame in Darrow’s absence – and all things considered, they do an outstanding job, no doubt assisted by great writing.</p>
<p>The first two volumes of <i>Restoration </i>rather slowly set the scene and built up the momentum for the climactic tales in this set (only two episodes – Vol 1’s <i>Abandon Ship</i> and Vol 2’s <i>Hyperion </i>– stood out tallest in the first eight). Volume 3 is, in spite of Avon’s disappearance, the best and the most consistent of the three volumes in the trilogy. All the episodes are well written and performed, and the production qualities are – as can be expected of Big Finish – first-rate.</p>
<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration: Parasite" src="https://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=28703" style="float:left; height:221px; margin:10px 5px; width:221px" />
<p>If there is a weak link, then it is possibly the first episode <i>Parasite</i>, which picks up from the events of <i>Hyperion</i>, as the crew have to cope with the loss of Avon and reluctantly trust Selene whose understanding of System and Quonar technology is their best hope of regaining control of the <i>Liberator </i>and its flight computer Zen (Alastair Lock). <i>Parasite </i>intercuts between events on the <i>Liberator </i>and the distant ocean world of Tronis, whose subterranean/underwater inhabitants are in peril as the mysterious power source which has sustained them for centuries breaks down.</p>
<p>The Tronis sub-plot is archetypal <b>Blake’s 7</b> (reminiscent of TV episodes like <i>Deliverance</i>, <i>Power </i>and <i>City at the Edge of the World</i>), where the <i>Liberator </i>crew visit a society that is on the brink of collapse, thanks to a decline in ancient technology that it has never fully mastered or understood. We only meet two inhabitants of Tronis – Primus Valren (Trevor Littledale) and his acolyte Zoraya (Becky Wright) – but their exchanges are highly entertaining, thanks to Wright’s child-like enthusiasm and excitement, coupled with a hint of mischief, and Littledale’s schoolmaster-like discipline, paternal disapproval and scholarly disposition.</p>
<p>In many respects, Trevor Baxendale’s script bears some superficial similarity to <i>The New Age</i>, the corresponding opener in <i>Restoration </i>Vol 2. In that tale, the <i>Liberator </i>crew encounter a former System world - Eloran - whose population attempts to eschew technology altogether. Any hope, though, that the <i>Liberator </i>crew could salvage the System technology they need is sabotaged by Avon's contempt for the local populace and results in needless death. Something similar threatens to reoccur in the climactic stages of <i>Parasite </i>but this time the <i>Liberator </i>crew is able to resolve the misunderstanding. Cally and Vila's presence (in spite of Vila's pretence for panic and fear of the worst) has a vastly different impact on the denizens of Tronis than their counterparts on Eloran. You can't help but think that Avon's absence in the circumstances is a positive.</p>
<p><i>Failsafe</i>, by Steve Lyons, is probably the best episode of the boxset. It effectively opens mid-story, as Tarrant and his arch nemesis General Mordekain (John Green) recover from blackouts to find themselves chained to each other and Dayna manacled to the loathsome yet dying Terran Federation President (Hugh Fraser). To complicate matters, the quartet, along with Selene and Orac (also voiced by Alistair Lock) are stranded in an abandoned underground mine, cut off from their ships, and besieged by the local rebels. Mordekain is suffering from amnesia, having no recollection of the past 24 hours before his blackout, and outright refuses to entertain Tarrant's claims that he has been conspiring to overthrow his President, whose ailing condition threatens all their lives (the President still carries an explosive in his ribcage primed to go nuclear the moment his heart stops beating).</p>
<p>What follows is a fight for survival, as the protagonists and antagonists painstakingly climb their way back to the surface, amid much squabbling, philosophising and pointed one-liners (as their chains link the wearers' nervous systems, creating mutual pain and suffering if one harms the other, Dayna at one point flippantly threatens to shoot a body part on the President she doesn't have!).</p>
<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration: Failsafe" src="https://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=28702" style="float:right; height:221px; margin:10px 5px; width:221px" />
<p>The closing stanza of the episode sees the President achieve a tactical victory over the <i>Liberator </i>crew while also revealing important information about Avon's welfare post-<i>Hyperion</i>. But what is most revealing is the epilogue which completely reframes the President's and General Mordekain's relationship. <i>Failsafe </i>marks (barring the return of the character in future BF <b>B7</b> projects) the closure of Mordekain's storyline. As flawed as Mordekain is, there is an innate duty and honour to his character that dates as far back as his debut in <i>Crossfire: Paradise Lost</i> - when we learned he refused to fight for Servalan in the Intergalactic War and was determined to restore the President to his rightful place for the good of the Federation. However, it is clear by the end of <i>Failsafe </i>that Mordekain is (quite literally) another tool of the President and he has inadvertently paid a massive personal price in his bid to help restore the Federation to its former glory.</p>
<p><i>Reunion</i> also marks the final appearance of Zeera Vos (Rebecca Crankshaw), whom script writer David Bryher introduced in the instalment <i>Fearless</i>, part of the first <i>Crossfire </i>boxset. The <i>Liberator</i>, still under the control of the Quonar AI, returns to the very scene where the starship was originally discovered in the Season A episode <i>Spacefall </i>- the sector of space neighbouring the former Federation penal colony Cygnus Alpha. While in that region, the Quonar-controlled <i>Liberator </i>clashes with another Quonar vessel that has been commandeered by Zeera (presumably after the events of <i>Restoration: Damage Control</i>) and is subsequently drawn back to Cygnus Alpha where Vila and Zeera solve an age-old mystery, and Tarrant and Dayna fight off a Quonar-controlled robot. Meanwhile, the AI on the <i>Liberator </i>mentally tortures Cally as it fights off Selene's attempts to regain control of Zen.</p>
<p>For the first time since <i>Fearless</i>, Vila and Zeera are forced to reconcile their differences which pre-date the first TV episode <i>The Way Back</i>. Both Keating and Crankshaw have some great dialogue and exchanges which border between blind panic and assertiveness (in Vila's case) and bravado and sheer paranoia (from Zeera). In the end, it's Vila's courage that shines through - not only does he strike a bargain with the Quonar AI that saves the <i>Liberator </i>crew but, thanks to Keating's portrayal, he is quite mature and comradely to Zeera, in spite of their troubled history. Again, like Mordekain, it's a shame to see the last of Zeera, a part which Crankshaw (as a strong fan of the TV series) really loved. However, perhaps there is still a place for the character in the broader <b>B7 </b>universe prior to the events of <i>Fearless</i>.<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration: Reunion" src="https://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=28701" style="float:left; height:221px; margin:10px 5px; width:221px" /></p>
<p>The boxset's concluding serial <i>Imperium</i> is the culmination of the <i>Restoration </i>saga and with so many loose ends to tie up, script writer Trevor Baxendale lives up to the task. He weaves together showdowns between the President and the <i>Liberator </i>crew, and the System and the Quonar, resolves Zen's and Selene's fates, and ultimately reunites the crew with Avon, whose brief but virtually seamless dialogue is lifted from the late Darrow's previous <b>B7</b> recordings. Darrow's posthumous "return" as Avon is an eerily wonderful marvel of modern technology - even as a sound recording and very clipped lines, Darrow's voice really steals the show in the climax, reminding you just how much you have missed Avon's authority, keen intelligence and irony for much of the boxset.</p>
<p>This triumphant "performance" overshadows (if not eclipses) the reprisal of the System character Alta-One by the very still alive Sheila Ruskin - more than 40 years after her appearance in the Series B episode <i>Redemption</i>. There's nothing terribly remarkable about Ruskin's portrayal of Alta-One, she recaptures the emotionless demeanour of a System lackey as well as personifying the last vestiges of the System program which inevitably attempts to reassert its control over the <i>Liberator</i>. To be honest, Ruskin's participation is more an Easter egg for the fans, she probably didn't need to be in it at all - the part could have been just as capably performed by actors such as Abi Harris, Sophie Bleasdale and Ruth Sillers who had played Altas in previous <b>B7 </b>audio episodes. Indeed, the living person who really steals the show is again Hugh Fraser's President, who continues to confound the <i>Liberator</i> crew by cleverly anticipating their moves (albeit with Avon's and Orac's help). Fraser clearly enjoys playing the President - and it's great that the actor and character alike haven't entirely been wasted in BF's subsequent <b>Worlds of Blake's 7</b> spin-off range. </p>
<p>Marking the end of the traditional episodic format as we so fondly know it, <i>Restoration </i>Vol 3 is a fitting way for BF to finish the <b>B7</b> Classic Audio Adventures. <i>Restoration</i> as a whole is probably not as strong a storyline as the preceding <i>Crossfire</i> but nonetheless without the likes of Servalan to provide a worthy adversary, and eventually with the disappearance of Avon himself, BF still manages to produce an intriguing and at times compelling narrative.<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration: Imperium" src="https://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=28704" style="float:right; height:221px; margin:10px 5px; width:221px" /></p>
<p>Since the release of this boxset at the start of the COVID pandemic (February 2020), BF has (following a 15-month hiatus) successfully revamped the broader <b>B7 </b>universe by revisiting characters and concepts such as rebel fighter Avalon, the villainous and over the top Bayban the Butcher (portrayed once again by Colin Baker), the Terra Nostra crime syndicate and the Clonemasters. Each boxset has cleverly utilised <b>B7 </b>stalwarts in Keating, Chappell, Lock, Sally Knyvette, Stephen Greif and Brian Croucher. I'm uncertain how well these boxsets have been received by fans or how well they have sold (compared to the <b>B7 </b>Classic Audio Adventures) but I would certainly recommend that the President is entitled to his own series. As there is a whole backstory between Tarrant and the President that has been hinted at in previous instalments of the <b>B7 </b>Classic Audio Adventures, it is surely ripe ground for exploitation. BF has shown it has enough writers - of the calibre of Trevor Baxendale, Steve Lyons and Mark Wright - to make it work - and Stephen Pacey is unlikely to turn down the offer to reprise Tarrant.</p>
<p>While I will eventually give some of these spin-offs a go, it would nonetheless be in BF's interest to explore in the long-term how it can revive <b>B7 </b>proper for audio - both in terms of the <i>Liberator</i>'s further adventures and even the exploits of <i>Scorpio </i>in Series D. This may mean recasting the three main leads - if not the entire ensemble of characters (something that was attempted unsuccessfully more than a decade ago by B7 Media). This is a tall order for sure but there is a new generation of actors out there that are not only capable of bringing Blake, Avon and Servalan back to life within the existing continuity but also honouring Thomas, Darrow and Pearce's rich legacy. BF has already resurrected sadly departed Doctors in its <b>Doctor Who</b> range with appropriate recasting, so why not the leads in <b>Blake's 7</b>?</p>
<p>It is only fitting that the final piece of dialogue to conclude the <b>B7 </b>Classic Audio Adventures is between the TV series' two leads - Darrow and Thomas - as the boxset segues way back to the conclusion of Series C and the <b>B7</b> crew's eventual fate in Series D:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>Avon: Are you sure about this, Orac?</i></p>
<p><i>Orac: Of course I am sure! The message can only be deciphered by your authority.</i></p>
<p><i>Avon: Let's hear the signal.</i></p>
<p><i>Orac: Playing now.</i></p>
<p><i>[Static, followed by a clearing of the signal]</i></p>
<p><i>Blake: Avon! This is Blake!.</i></p>
<p><i>Avon: Well, now ...</i></p>
<p><i>[Cue to end signature titles]</i></p>Blake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures: Vol 5.2: Restoration - Part 2tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev207892020-05-07T23:36:10+01:002020-05-08T00:36:10+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=27753&w=300" alt="Blake's 7: Restoration - Part 2" title="Blake's 7: Restoration - Part 2" /><br />
Written by Mark Wright, Steve Lyons,<br />
Sophia McDougall & Trevor Baxendale<br />
Stars: Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Yasmin Bannerman, Alistair Lock<br />
Produced and directed by John Ainsworth<br />
Big Finish Productions, 2019</div>
<p><i>"Of the many things that I have come to dislike about Avon, the most aggravating one is that he's usually right!"</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>Del Tarrant, <b>B7 - Restoration: Happy Ever After</b></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It will never rank as a seminal highlight of a career that spanned 56 years but Volume 2 of <b>Blake's 7 - Restoration</b> will forever be remembered as one of the last credits of Paul Darrow (aka <b>B7</b>'s iconic anti-hero Avon), who died on 3 June, 2019. Indeed, fans ought to be forever grateful that, despite ill-health in his twilight years, Darrow was able to act with such spirit, good humour and enthusiasm.</p>
<p>In late 2014, Darrow developed an aortic aneurysm that unfortunately resulted in the loss of both of his legs. He consequently had to record much of his dialogue as Avon separately of the rest of the cast in a studio close to his home in England's southeast. Yet in the five years up to his death, not only did he carry on the part of Avon with zest (as if nothing had happened), he even wrote a script (<i>Erebus</i>) for <b>B7</b>'s <b>Crossfire </b>audio saga. His brain and wit remained as sharp as ever - and so too did his acerbic delivery as Avon. In turn, it is a credit to Big Finish that it has still been able to produce such quality work across different studios - never once did I doubt that the full <b>B7 </b>cast wasn't together for the recordings.</p>
<p><b>Restoration </b>continues the quest by the <i>Liberator </i>crew to locate the makers of their ship - who may hold the key to restoring it to its former glory. As a result, the failing vessel and its crew return to the 12th sector of the galaxy, once ruled by the seemingly omnipotent System (which Blake and his original gang apparently vanquished in the 1979 TV episode <i>Redemption</i>). As a result, we learn a little more about the three worlds that the System controlled before it went offline (and which were hinted at in <i>Redemption</i>) and what links the System to another seemingly obscure settlement that the <i>Liberator </i>crew visited in the first episode of this 12-part <b>Restoration </b>saga.</p>
<p>The opening instalment of this set - Mark Wright's <i>The New Age</i> - takes the listener to Eloran, the third planet of the former System. This world's denizens, who were once part of the System's slave labour force, are now free of their oppressors and have splintered into diverse communities. One such community is led by a charismatic, technophobic leader in Vulkris (Caroline Pickles). She advocates for a simpler, more agrarian lifestyle and vehemently distrusts the use of any technology, which she blames for their prior enslavement. Temporarily stranded after a teleport energy spike dumps them on Eloran, crew members Vila (Michael Keating) and Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman) enjoy a night with the settlement - and the apparent simplicity of the lifestyle proves very enticing to Vila (although it would probably have not been as tempting or romantic as the life he could have had with Kerril in the TV episode <i>The City at the Edge of the World</i>). However, enter Avon (Darrow) whose contempt for the indigenous population shows no bounds - and makes the rebel crew's members (and the listener) question whether they still stand for something positive in an increasingly dark universe ...</p>
<p><i><img alt="Blake's 7: Restoration - The New Age" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=27754" style="float:left; height:200px; margin:10px; width:200px" />The New Age</i> is in many ways an almost "by the numbers", lacklustre <b>B7 </b>instalment. Aside from the opening scenes of the episode, which are set aboard the derelict remains of Spaceworld, the System's outer space stronghold, not much of note truly happens in the episode. To paraphrase Caroline Pickles in the CD extras, it's a story akin to "throwing away your mobile phone and growing carrots"! Given we're all currently living in isolation, perhaps the eschewing of technology for a simpler existence is more prescient than ever. However, given Wright's other <b>B7 </b>scripts, including <i>Resurgence </i>(which reintroduced the System), have been quite dramatic and action-packed, the change of pace - particularly for an opening instalment in a boxset - doesn't really work for this listener.</p>
<p>Steve Lyons' <i>Happy Ever After</i> is also a peculiar contribution after a number of other cracking scripts that he wrote for the <b>Crossfire </b>saga and <i>Abandon Ship</i>, the concluding chapter of <b>Restoration </b>Vol 1. It's not as slow and uneventful as <i>The New Age</i>, and despite the Federation's absence, there are still plenty of political machinations and double-dealings going on in the medieval-style kingdom of Zareen. However, the world Lyons envisages is in some respects totally at odds with the explanation that was given for the System's origins. In <i>Redemption</i>, it was said the omnipotent computer came into being because of its three warring planets but if Zareen was one of them and isn't much above medieval development, then how could it ever have been involved in a multi-world conflict?</p>
<p>This continuity quibble aside, the story provides an intriguing premise - what would have happened if Tarrant (Steven Pacey) had eloped with a medieval queen and left the <i>Liberator </i>to its demise? In spite of the serial's title, it seems a new life would not necessarily have been any easier or romantic for Tarrant, and (again, much like Vila in <i>City at the Edge of the World</i>) he would still have craved his spacefaring, rebellious life. In fact, it becomes clear that Tarrant manipulates Queen Janylle (Lisa Bond) to uncover Zareen's secrets as much as she does him to forge their union. As a result, because the setting and the tone of the story is very Shakespearean, the performance of the guest cast is regal and flawless. Cliff Chapman, as the conniving Queen's advisor Tyrric, also has a voice not unlike that of a young Paul Darrow. Dare I say it but could Chapman be a worthy successor to the great man himself as Avon in the future?</p>
<p>The "alternate timeline" scenario, which is atypical of <b>B7 </b>- but certainly a common trait of its sunnier side up counterpart <b>Star Trek</b> - provides a fascinating insight into the fates of the <i>Liberator </i>crew, had the events of the TV series not followed their course. It's not quite as ingenious as an earlier <i>Liberator Chronicles</i> instalment (<i>Spoils</i>) but it provides an important lead for the crew - even though Avon flatly rejects the notion that lead is an indirect message from the future.<img alt="Blake's 7: Restoration - Happy Ever After" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=27756" style="float:right; height:200px; margin:10px; width:200px" /></p>
<p>The third serial - Sophia McDougall's <i>Siren </i>- is contemporaneous with the events of <i>Happy Ever After</i>, and sees Dayna and Cally (Jan Chappell) visit the unnamed second world where they encounter the more active remnants of another System stronghold. While the presence of the System is more prevalent in this serial than in any other parts of the boxset, it still doesn't quite live up to the promise that was implied in the closure of <b>Restoration </b>Vol 1 or Wright's earlier instalment <i>Resurgence</i>. Nonetheless, there are some nice points of continuity with <i>Resurgence</i>, as <i>Siren </i>explores the psychological impact of Dayna's prior encounter with the System and Alta Six.</p>
<p>The female-centric cast also features some nicely thought out three-dimensional characters. Mida (Catherine Bailey) and Veskar (Phillipe Bosher) are an odd yet sweet couple - an ex-slave and a former System guard respectively, even if the hardened Mida tends to hold back her true feelings for Veskar, with his puppy-like optimism. The Altas (Sophie Bleasdale and Ruth Sillers) also offer points of comparison. Alta Nine (Bleasdale), much like Veskar, marvels at the simplicity of the world through reawakened eyes as she embraces her restored individuality; in contrast, Alta Ten (Sillers), with her emotionless, yet child-like voice, stubbornly holds onto her tenuous link with the System, exposing the vulnerability behind her veneer of cold calculation and determination.</p>
<p>Finally, it takes until the fourth serial but this boxset starts to finally build some much needed momentum with Trevor Baxendale's <i>Hyperion</i>, as clues uncovered in <i>Happy Ever After</i> and <i>Siren </i>lead the <i>Liberator </i>crew to a supposedly independent research station on the cusp of Federation space. It is here that Avon meets Dr Selene Shan (Evie Dawnay), a scientist who has recently explored the remnants of the System. In the course of his discussions with her, Avon realises the <i>Liberator</i> may have fallen under the influence of an insidious third party, thereby tying this saga back to the first instalment of Vol 1 (Baxendale's episode <i>Damage Control</i>).</p>
<p>To add further complications, the scheming tendrils of the Federation - in the form of the visiting Kommissar Krent (Richard Reed) - begin to inveigle themselves in the <i>Liberator</i>'s affairs once again. With the President (Hugh Fraser) having voiced his desire back in Vol 1 to restore Federation Central Control, it now seems Dr Shan's exploration of the System may yet offer the Federation the intel it needs to make that a reality. Reed is excellent as the impassioned Kommissar - a man determined to make an impression and please his President, and who eyes off an opportunity for promotion when he realises the <i>Liberator</i>'s outlaws are aboard the Hyperion facility.</p>
<p>Dawnay also delivers the right degree of arrogance and impatience as the self-important Shan - but the character's sudden 360-degree turnabout is poorly written and executed by Baxendale and Big Finish. Shan changes from pompous scientist for the bulk of the serial to almost double-crossing femme fatale as the climax to this boxset looms. There are no hints she will turn and there seems even less opportunity in the narrative for her to organise treachery (especially in Avon's presence).</p>
<p>Interestingly, prod<img alt="Blake's 7: Restoration - Siren" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=27757" style="float:left; height:200px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:200px" />ucer John Ainsworth confirms in the CD extras that the original antagonist of the story was meant to be Servalan, with Shan relegated to a lesser role. Following the untimely death of Jacqueline Pearce, the character of Shan has assumed greater importance, and indeed appears in <b>Restoration </b>Vol 3 (implying Servalan's presence would have been even more keenly felt). Interestingly, I suspect Pearce's death had a two-fold impact on Baxendale's writing, as in <i>Damage Control</i>, the character of Zeera Vos also behaved like Servalan.</p>
<p>As an aside, this writer is amused that Baxendale has inserted references to etheric beam emissions into the serial. Etheric beam emissions were first referenced in <b>Doctor Who</b> in <i>Genesis of the Daleks</i> in 1975 and over the years have been name-dropped in <b>Who</b>'s various spin-off media. They came back to prominence, though, in 1999 when the Red Nose spoof <i>Curse of the Fatal Death</i> used etheric beam locators to great comedy effect. It therefore is somewhat amusing to hear Darrow and Dawnay engaging in dialogue about etheric beam emissions - in a serious context and completely oblivious to the running joke that Steven Moffat started two decades ago.</p>
<p>So where does <b>Restoration </b>Vol 3 go from here? It's uncertain but having correctly tipped that the System would figure in this story arc, I am willing to speculate that Baxendale may yet have devised the foe that the System was fighting when it <img alt="Blake's 7: Restoration - Hyperion" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=27758" style="float:right; height:200px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:200px" />was forced to abandon the <i>Liberator </i>near Cygnus Alpha, way back in the second TV episode <i>Spacefall</i>. It will be particularly interesting to see how the final boxset works without Avon. <i>Hyperion </i>fortunately rescues what is mostly a lacklustre <b>B7 </b>boxset but the story outlines for <b>Restoration </b>Vol 3 hint that the overall story arc may yet provide a satisfying conclusion.</p>
<p>And given this was Paul Darrow's last <b>Blake's 7</b> work before his unfortunate death, there is a certain poetry to his signature character's exit in the cliffhanger. At the end of the original <b>B7 </b>TV series in 1981, the character of Avon was the last man standing as elite Federation troopers converged on him. In a cliffhanger-like finish, Avon (and Darrow) beatifically smiled at the camera before the episode cut to the closing credits and echoes of gunfire. The ending was ambiguous, implying that Avon could have died but also may not have met the same fate as his crewmates. <b>Restoration </b>Vol 2 also ends on a cliffhanger, with Avon outmanoeuvred at the last moment and seemingly abandoned as the <i>Liberator</i>, under a malign influence, heads back into Federation space. While, as fans, we know the character of Avon will ultimately survive (<b>Restoration </b>is set in the months leading up to the finale of Series C <i>Terminal</i>), it would nevertheless amuse Darrow greatly that he and Avon should once again bow out in ambiguous fashion - with the character seemingly caught in a no-win position.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Blake's 7 - Vol 5.1: Restoration - Part 1tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev201422019-03-28T10:44:00+00:002019-03-28T10:44:00+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26916&h=300" alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1" title="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1" />Written by Trevor Baxendale, Iain McLaughlin,<br />
Scott Harrison, Steve Lyons<br />
Produced and directed by John Ainsworth<br />
Stars: Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Yasmin Bannerman, Rebecca Crankshaw, Hugh Fraser,<br />
John Green, Olivia Poulet, Ian Brooker, Jonathan Christie<br />
Big Finish Productions, 2019</div>
<p><i>Vila: I never trusted that computer! I said so, didn’t I? Always acting like we were just irritants to him! His problem is he thinks he’s better than anyone else!</i></p>
<p><i>Tarrant: Is that Orac you’re referring to – or Avon?</i></p>
<p><i>Cally: Now’s not the time, Tarrant!</i></p>
<p><i>Dayna: Well, there may not be a better time. I still don’t believe it though!</i></p>
<p><i>Tarrant: That Orac could have turned against us?</i></p>
<p><i>Dayna: No, that Vila could have been right about something!</i></p>
<p><i>From <b>B7 – Restoration: Abandon Ship</b></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Previously on <b>Blake’s 7</b> … The galactic civil war is over. Servalan has been deposed as the President of the Terran Federation after a final showdown on Geddon (and thought killed). Her predecessor – the nameless yet charismatic man simply known as the President (Hugh Fraser) – is once again poised to fill the breach. Outflanked and outgunned by the President’s flagship <i>The Lethal Shadow</i> in the climactic battle over Geddon, the <i>Liberator </i>is heavily damaged beyond its ability of self-repair and its crew led by Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) are licking their wounds (both actual and psychological). But that’s (in Avon’s parlance) only “the good news” – the ship is caught in the gravity well of a blue star and seems destined for destruction, with seemingly no other avenue for the crew to escape …</p>
<p><i>Restoration </i>– the first new <b>B7 </b>boxset for 2019, comprising four hour-long serials – resumes almost exactly from the cliffhanger that closed out the previous saga <i>Crossfire</i>. Naturally, the crew’s quandary is solved – with a <i>deus ex machina</i> that takes its inspiration from <b>Star Trek</b> (the series that <b>B7 </b>creator Terry Nation himself sometimes subconsciously and other times deliberately channelled) – before settling into the first story proper.</p>
<p>Trevor Baxendale’s opening script <i>Damage Control</i> is more of a first chapter in a story arc that covers 12 serials in three boxsets, rather than a solid story in its own right. In fact, as a self-contained entity, it makes for a pretty undramatic piece of storytelling, as the last vestiges of Roj Blake’s rebel group query their loyalties to one other while attempting to revive the fortunes of their battered and failing starship.</p>
<p>Cally (Jan Chappell) becomes a mouthpiece for the <i>Liberator</i>’s artificial intelligence Zen (Alistair Lock), and the manner in which Avon exploits her to obtain the information they need to survive certainly earns the disapproval of Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman). Tarrant (Steven Pacey) is left paranoid, weary and scornful – it’s not just the battle of Geddon that has taken its toll on his professional pride, he is left questioning life in the aftermath of the tragic events that destroyed his family in the episode <i>Kith and Kin</i> (in <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2018/06/blake_s_7_the_classic_audio_adventures_series_4_3_c.html"><i>Crossfire </i>Vol 4.3<\/a>). When it seems there may be an opportunity to lure him away from the <i>Liberator</i>, he is seriously tempted – much to Cally’s chagrin (in the CD extras, Chappell even remarks that this moment of disloyalty changes her long-term perception of Tarrant’s character, and were she Cally, she’d have him voted off the ship!).</p>
<p><img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1 - Damage Control" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26917" style="float:left; height:200px; margin:10px; width:200px" />Vila (Michael Keating) continues to be a subject of derision for nearly everyone in the <i>Liberator </i>crew – from Avon (who is typically disdainful of everyone) to Dayna (whose taunts are more playful and teasing than downright rude) to even Cally (who at one point is insulted when Orac [Alistair Lock again] suggests Vila could undertake certain repairs faster than she can!). That said, it becomes clear over the course of the episode that Avon and Orac (in their ruthlessly cold, logical ways) appreciate Vila’s skills and prowess. For instance, Avon suggests (in what is probably about as close as he’ll ever give to a compliment!) that Vila, because of his lockpicking skills, is best equipped to detect and overcome a series of booby traps in a series of underground tunnels. It's a point that actually plays to Vila’s ego just as he is on the verge of slipping into an all-out panic! In many ways, were it not for the various character dynamics that play out in this episode (which Baxendale captures extremely well, particularly in the dialogue), it is doubtful <i>Damage Control</i> as an episode would have much else to recommend it.</p>
<p>Certainly this first instalment poses more questions than answers, which you have to assume will be addressed in later boxsets. What is the significance of the desolate planet that the <i>Liberator </i>seeks out after Geddon? What is so special about the circuit boards that Avon and the crew discover there – and how can they be compatible with the <i style="float:none">Liberator </i>’s technology? And are the ape-like creatures the crew encounter (hinted at but also glimpsed on the serial’s cover sleeve, left) also relevant to the bigger picture?</p>
<p>These enigmatic details aside, the oddest aspect of <i>Damage Control</i> is the return of old foe Zeera Vos (Rebecca Crankshaw). Given the character had aligned herself with the President at the end of <i>Crossfire</i>, Zeera’s motivations for pursuing the <i>Liberator </i>seem inconsistent – leading to the suspicion that perhaps Baxendale’s original intention was to employ Servalan as the antagonist (which would make more sense in terms of motivation). Of course, Jacqueline Pearce, who passed away last September, was likely ill at the time of production, and Baxendale had to rewrite accordingly. Crankshaw nonetheless approaches the part with zest and the character’s trademark cynicism. Kudos also to Lock who convincingly plays a dying Mutoid pilot under Zeera’s command!</p>
<p><i>The Hunted</i>, the second serial in the set, is a departure from regular <b>B7 </b>episodes – and one that, from a visual effects standpoint, could definitely have not been attempted on TV (at least not convincingly). That said, with Avon and Vila commandeering a ship from space pirates to run interference against <i>The Lethal Shadow</i>, the story has more of a “Series 4” feel to it (when the crew changed to the planet hopper <i>Scorpio</i>) than a “Series 3” instalment (this boxset is nominally set towards the end of the program’s third season).<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1 - The Hunted" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26918" style="float:right; height:200px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:200px" /></p>
<p>Producer John Ainsworth states submarine dramas were the inspiration for <i>The Hunted</i> (an analogy that is also described of the classic <b>Star Trek</b> episode <i>Balance of Terror</i>), although the general concept is also highly evocative of the classic asteroid sequence in <b>The Empire Strikes Back</b> (as Vila quips, Avon tries out the pirate ship’s weapons on some “innocent asteroids”!). The intrigue of the episode (like <i>Balance of Terror</i>) is the “cat and mouse” game played between the protagonists and antagonists – the Federation President and his deputy General Mordekain (John Green) – who don’t physically interact but nevertheless attempt to out-think and outflank each other.</p>
<p>The President’s motives in this episode are thought-provoking, especially in light of the overall title/theme of this boxset – <i>Restoration</i>. We assume the title mainly refers to our heroes’ efforts to resurrect the <i>Liberator </i>but it also could equally apply to the Federation itself, which – having been weakened by the destruction of Star One, the Intergalactic War and <i>Crossfire</i>’s galactic civil war in quick succession – is now in the process of reunification.</p>
<p>By the end of the original <b>B7 </b>TV series, the Federation seemed almost as strong as it had before Blake’s crusade began. The <i>Restoration </i>saga may well “fill in the dots” in explaining how the Federation was able to re-establish its influence in a short space of time (and certainly more quickly than Avon and his cohorts anticipated). Indeed, the answer may well lie in some important dialogue between the President and Mordekain late into the story …</p>
<p>The third serial <i>Figurehead </i>also delves into Federation politics, as Cally and Tarrant enter an uneasy alliance with Zeera (whose presence in this serial is justified, compared to <i>Damage Control</i>) to curb bloodshed and violence on a Federation colony that has been hijacked by extremist rebels. The <i>Liberator </i>crew wouldn’t normally bat an eyelid at such chaos, if it weren’t for the fact the rebels are seemingly being led by freedom fighter Avalon (Olivia Poulet), whom we first met in the TV episode <i>Project Avalon</i> in 1978 and revisited in the <b>B7 </b>40th anniversary set <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2018/03/blakes_7_the_classic_audio_adventures_the_way_ahead.html"><i>The Way Ahead</i><\/a> last year. Needless to say, Avalon must be a totally inept rebel. To be caught, drugged and duplicated the first time around is plain unfortunate. To have it happen all over again is surely pure incompetence!</p>
<p><img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1 - Figurehead" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26919" style="float:left; height:200px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:200px" />It’s interesting to note from Ainsworth’s comments in the CD extras that originally Avalon’s part in the serial was proposed for Blake, although that idea was abandoned because it would have been difficult to convey the character without any dialogue. Nevertheless, it would have been a bolder move than bringing back the uninspiring Avalon. Yes, Gareth Thomas is no longer alive, but Pacey proved in the final <i>Crossfire </i>set that he wasn’t above channelling his inner “Blake” – either he or even comedian Jon Culshaw would have been excellent choices to do a light impersonation that would have not been disrespectful to the deceased Thomas or the part of Blake.</p>
<p>In a case of revisionist history, the story also implies (in what is obviously one of the elements that wasn’t omitted from the original proposal) that Blake was captured by the Federation in his first stint as Freedom Party leader on Earth because he fell in love with an undercover Federation agent. While this seems consistent with the Federation’s motives for identifying and eliminating possible troublemakers (after all, Avon was similarly duped), it is an obscure factoid that would have best been omitted from a tale which even some of the actors admit they had a hard time understanding. It’s hard to pinpoint if the agent specifically mentioned by name was meant to appear in the story (if Blake had featured) or may appear later in the <i>Restoration </i>saga. It’s also unclear if there is further mileage in the Federation’s elite Infiltration Elimination unit whose members are such masters of disguise it seems they can be physically modified to resemble trusted allies. Scott Harrison’s script offers up some interesting ideas but fails to be an engaging and provocative storyline.</p>
<p>Conversely, the final instalment <i>Abandon Ship</i> is an outstanding script by Steve Lyons. Unlike <i>Figurehead</i>, which is a “by the numbers” piece, <i>Abandon Ship</i> truly does something bold, astonishing and ingenious with one of the <i>Liberator </i>crew (no spoilers). Indeed, perhaps the title of the serial really should have been “Survival Imperative”, as the <i>Liberator </i>crew learn that the ship has apparently only sufficient power left to sustain three crew members; two of the others will have to leave. As a result, the characters question their places aboard the <i>Liberator </i>and contemplate possible futures without it. Only Cally maintains the faith, not only because she is an optimist by nature but because she regards the crew as the closest thing she has to a family after the destruction of Auron.<img alt="Blake's 7 - Restoration - Part 1 - Abandon Ship" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26920" style="float:right; height:200px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:200px" /></p>
<p>Lyon’s tightly plotted script works well precisely because it is mostly set aboard the <i>Liberator </i>and focuses on the six principal cast members (including Orac). He perfectly captures the tension and the dry humour that would resonate amongst characters that are stranded in their situation. My only criticism about <i>Abandon Ship</i> is Avon’s motivations towards the end of the script. Having been supplied with all the data and stimuli he needs to make an informed decision, his subsequent course of action is quite <i>bewildering</i>. It’s not out of character for Avon to look after his own self-preservation but given there is still a high probability of survival, not to mention keeping the ship and the band together (so to speak), what he does next seems counter-productive to his own well- being!</p>
<p><i>Restoration </i>is a solid return for the <b>B7 </b>audio series after an extended break (we had to wait eight months between <i>Crossfire </i>Part 3 and <i>Restoration </i>Part 1). While the stories in this set have not necessarily been as well written or as memorable as some of the instalments in the <i>Crossfire </i>saga (the standout is <i>Abandon Ship</i>), there is a sense of a gradual build-up and a long-term strategy. Big Finish’s production values remain virtually flawless, and the well written, snappy dialogue between the regular cast is wonderfully performed by the artistes, particularly the veterans of the original TV series. The exchanges between the <i>Liberator</i>’s crew members, particularly Avon and Vila, always make for entertaining listening!</p>
<p>The boxset concludes with another hint that the so-called ‘restoration’ of the title may be that of an old foe that will threaten not just the <i>Liberator </i>crew but the Federation as well. As the <i>Liberator </i>heads out into the unknown regions of the galaxy, it can only be a matter of time before the ship, with its crew of wayward rebels, meets its maker …</p>Star Trek: Prometheus - In the Heart of Chaos (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev200742019-01-16T23:40:17+00:002019-01-16T23:40:17+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26838"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26838&w=300" alt="Star Trek: Prometheus - In the Heart of Chaos (Credit: Big Finish)" title="Star Trek: Prometheus - In the Heart of Chaos (Credit: Big Finish)" /><\/a>
<div>
<p><b>Written By:</b> Bernd Perplies & Christian Humberg</p>
</div>
<div>
<p>Read by <b>Alec Newman</b></p>
</div>
<div>
<p><b>Released by Big Finish December 2018</b></p>
</div>
</div>
<p><b><i>Star Trek Prometheus</i></b> is an ultimately fruitless endeavour. I felt the first book focused way too much time and attention in back references and a tedious amount of attention to details I felt were unimportant. The second book won me over, it felt like it had a real story after all, and that the first books overlong set up and an endless parade of references and past characters were just a fluke. But here we are at the end...and a new parade of references and past characters get trotted out as well. Any interesting story there was feels relegated to the last few chapters, giving us a decent conclusion, but not one worth wading through all the garbage to get to it.</p>
<div>
<p>When you spend an entire chapter devoted to the disgraced engineer from a first season episode of The Next Generation, and just when you can't be bored enough with that Wesley Crusher shows up out of thin air to once more play the role and savior of the day by providing the answers we need just in the nick of time...you know you've got major problems. It is distracting to get a recap of a random episode of TNG from 30 years ago. It is distracting from the actual story of the book and feels like a lazy way to find an answer to a problem. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p>This book meanders for far too long, with our main characters seemingly doing very little to affect the story for many chapters, and then the answer is suddenly dropped in their lap by a forgotten engineer and an ethereal Wesley Crusher. It's weird. You also get the Chief Engineer Jenna Kirk musing about her ancestor and how he would deal with these situations...and it just made me actually yell at an audiobook and say "give me a break and move on!" There was no reason for this character to be related to James T. Kirk other than hoping we will applaud them for making pointless continuity connections. </p>
</div>
<div>
<p>In the end, I think<i><b> Prometheus</b></i> needed to be cut down from three books to just one. They needed trimming, a LOT of trimming. You could easily take the basic set up in the first book, make it into a prologue and a couple of chapters, then use the bulk of the second book's development, and then cut out all the wasted time and fat in this final book and conclude it. It didn't need to drag on and on for three full novels when they clearly had a story for one.</p>
<p>I was initially excited by the idea of Big Finish tackling some Star Trek. But I'm not sure that it works. Big Finish is best when they have a property being written and produced by big fans of said property. Their Doctor who work is amazing because the company was literally founded with the goal of getting that license. I think this was less of a goal and more of happenstance. They managed to get the license to produce basic audiobooks of a trilogy of Trek books, which were originally written in German by a European Publisher. These books seem like a bit of an oddity in Trek novels. Their rights were held by someone other than the usual US Publisher. And the fact that the audiobooks feature the occasional weird pronunciations of standard Trek iconography, just makes me think the franchise doesn't quite fit into Big Finish's wheelhouse. </p>
<p>While the final chapters give a decent wrap up to the trilogy, the rest of the book just feels like it is wasting time to get to those final chapters. I can't really recommend this book or this series in the end.</p>
</div>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 7 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197792018-09-04T11:00:22+01:002018-09-04T12:00:22+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25912&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 7 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 7 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><br />
<b>Written by:</b> Ian Potter, Tom Mallaburn, John Dorney<br />
<b>From Scripts by:</b> Terence Feely, John Lucarotti, Lester Powell<br />
<b>Directed by</b>: Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Starring</b>:<br />
<b>Anthony Howell </b>(Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen</b> (Carol Wilson), <b>Ramon Tikaram</b> (Saunders), <b>Karina Fernandez</b> (Dr Ampara Alvarez Sandoval),<b>Bettrys Jones</b> (Barbara Anthony), <b>Dan Starkey</b> (One-Ten)<br />
<b>Music by: </b>Toby Hrycek-Robinson<br />
<b>Cover by:</b> Anthony Lamb<br />
<b>Duration:</b> 180' approx<br />
<b>Originally Released January 2017</b></div>
<p>The trio of stories in the final instalment of Steed and Keel’s adventures are slightly odd choices for such a finale. Many episodes along the way have sidelined one or the other into mere cameos in the other’s story, but here we get an adventure for Steed in which Keel does not appear at all, a completely Steedless outing for Dr. Keel, and only one final team up for our heroes in the very last episode.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Dragonsfield</b></p>
<p>Operating completely solo, without any sidekick whatsoever (not even a one off substitute such as Carlos in <i>Crescent Moon</i>) casts Steed in a surprisingly different light. As does the complete absence of any kind of cover story or clever ruse. The Dragonfield facility- an underground warren of corridors and laboratories – is experiencing unusual problems that smack of sabotage while mysterious coded radio messages from “Zeus” to “Europa” are being intercepted in the area. And Steed is dispatched by his shadowy Department, quite simply and matter of factly, to end the problem by any means necessary.</p>
<p>And them, of course, the murders begin.</p>
<p>It’s fascinating to see an edgier Steed, less full of bonhomie. Presumably it’s the result of not having a partner to show off for, but the net result is that we can believe in Steed as the kind of man who’s done the messy, knuckle bruising work required in his line of work.</p>
<p>There’s a sequence near the end where Steed is threatening the revealed villain of the piece with having his hand pulped beneath a giant cog of machinery unless he gets the information he needs to complete his mission. With Keel at his side, you’d never doubt it was a bluff. Without him, it feels much less certain. The script certainly refuses to give us any such playful moment of relief from the question.</p>
<p>Originally <i>Dragonsfield</i> aired on television as the final episode of series one, so might be seen as a testbed for how well a Keelless second series might work. Instead it shows the importance of that plural “<b>Avengers</b>” mandating a succession of equal partners for him. <i>Dragonsfield</i> gives us a window into an alternate show simply called “Steed,”and for all its finely tuned mystery and well thought out action, it’s a world better glimpsed than lived in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Far Distant Dead</b></p>
<p><i>The Far Distant Dead</i>, meanwhile, gives us Dr. Keel without his Steed and the result is no less curiously atypical. For one thing, it must have the expansive timeframe of any <b>Avengers</b> episode ever. Over the course of the story Keel founds, builds and fully staffs and equips an entire hospital! He gets into this during what was supposed to be a short holiday to Mexico but when the country is devastated by the second hurricane in as many years he feels obligated and help (well, pretty much take over, in fact) relief efforts in the worst part of the country.</p>
<p>The use of Mexico like this is a distinctly unAvengerish touch. No matter how paper thin the disguise, every vast Eastern European superpower, Western African former British colony, and Caribbean island sidestepped any accusation of direct political commentary or insulting any real nation’s pride by populating it with corrupt Presidents or maniacal death cults. So the choice to depict Mexico, specifically and by name, as a country with only a handful of doctors and in desperate need of Dr.Keel to tell them how to go about their business is a curious one by original writer John Lucarotti. Though it does form a strange sister episode to his <b>Doctor Who</b> story <i>The Aztecs</i>. But one in which the people of Mexico are rather more happy to accept the interference of the English do-gooder.</p>
<p>Of course, this is still <b>The Avengers</b> so it’s not long before Keel is distracted by a strange spate of apparent food poisonings adding to the country’s woes. Tracing it back to a batch of hydraulic fluid deliberately labelled as olive oil he’s soon punching his way through the chain of command of people responsible all the way to Paris.</p>
<p>As with <i>Dragonsfield</i>, it’s a curious insight into an alternate universe - here one in which Steed hadn’t taken root in the show’s DNA. The main impression is that it would been devilishly difficult to keep finding ways for Keel to get into trouble every week. It does, however, get bonus points to be a rare <b>Avengers</b> story where there’s some actual Avenging going on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Deadly Air</b></p>
<p>Our very, very last story feels like a curiously random finale to end the run of twenty-six episodes on. It feels largely like another day at the office for our heroic duo. Steed is investigating sabotage and murder at yet another government facility. Keel is dragged in for his medical credentials – even though he quite sensibly spends the whole thing pointing out that being a GP in Chelsea has given him barely any more grounding in the science of virology and vaccine development than Steed has. The mystery aspect is a little weak this time – even Steed wistfully admits when unmasking the killer that, after all, all the other suspects had been successfully bumped off by that point, leaving only one solution left.</p>
<p>On television of course, Keel’s last on screen appearance was even more random – the banana insurance scam comedy episode <i>A Change of Bait</i> (presented by <b>Big Finish</b> in Volume 4 of their reconstructions). Thereafter, he simply disappears from the show without fanfare. But as <b>Big Finish</b> have already shown the willingness to rejig the running order, there are more appropriate episodes they could have ended on. <i>Toy Trap</i>, for instance, with its fierce climax of Steed and Keel coming to blows as the latter threatens to quit their friendship in protest at Steed’s sometimes callous approach to collateral damage. Or <i>Kill the King</i>, with its coda of an unusually reflective Steed pondering whether this lifestyle is actually good for Keel and whether the good doctor mightn’t be living a happier life, more able to move on from his fiancee’s death, if Steed stopped calling on him.</p>
<p>Instead, <i>The Deadly Air</i> does its best to cap the series with a plot in which Steed comes rather closer to dying than it usual even for him, leading him to as impassioned a confession of his high regard for Keel and the value he’s placed on their friendship, as he can manage through his stiff upper lip. And a final scene, surely more inspired by <b>Doctor Who’s</b> <i>Survival</i> than anything in <b>The Avengers</b> canon, where Steed and Keel walk off into the sunset, the secret agent twirling his brolly and declaring that there’s still a whole world of mad scientists, enemy agents, and criminal conspirators out there for them to outwit.</p>
<p>“Dr. Keel… We’re needed!”</p>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
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<![endif]--></p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 6 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197602018-08-24T12:52:18+01:002018-08-24T13:52:18+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25911&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 6 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 6 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><br />
<b>Written by:</b> Berkley Mather, Ian Potter, John Dorney<br />
<b>Adapted by:</b> Rae Leaver<br />
<b>Based on storylines by:</b> James Mitchell and John Kruse<br />
<b>Directed by:</b> Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Starring:</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen </b>(Carol Wilson), <b>Michael Lumsden</b> (The Deacon),<b>John Culshaw </b>(Sir William Bonner),<b>Dan Starkey</b> (One-Ten), <b>Pete Colins</b> (Harry Black)<br />
<b>Music by:</b> Toby Hrycek-Robinson<br />
<b>Cover Art by:</b> Anthony Lamb<br />
<b>Duration: </b>180' approx<br />
<b>Originally Released July 2016</b></div>
<p><b>Big Finish’s</b> exploration deep into the darkest heart of the missing <b>Avengers</b> episodes was always going to be a finite journey. There are, after all, only so many adventures for Steed and Keel to reconstruct. And so this penultimate boxset sees the usual number of instalments reduced from four to three.</p>
<p>As with <i>Volume Five</i>, we’re also exploring some of the most missing of episodes where only a couple of typed pages of outline – of the type Terry Nation might have delivered to Dennis Spooner’s doorstep before vanishing into the night in his sports car – survive. And ironically this again creates a consistency and characterization the more complete episodes sometimes lacked. It was an inevitable reality of sixties television production that many writers would only have seen a handful of episodes of the show they’d been commissioned for. The difference in having a Steed and Keel crafted by people who’d followed this endeavour all the way through is notable.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Frighteners</b></p>
<p>One of the key problems in any crime-of-the-week drama is the insertion of the regulars into the case. Some shows make this straightforward by having their leads be police detectives simply assigned to the investigation. Others almost made such a feature of the improbability that, Murder She Wrote style, audiences began to wonder if the lead was actually a serial killer and each episode a meticulous frame job. <b>The Avengers</b> has pinged back and forth from Steed recruiting Keel to help with a mission of national security that he’s been assigned, and Keel begging a return favour from Steed to help some patient or friend in need.</p>
<p>Of the former, <i>The Frighteners</i> is a bit of an oddity. It never quite convinces that “the Department” that Steed works for would trouble itself with a ‘frighteners service’ – a criminal enterprise renting out experts in intimidation and warning beatings. In fact, this particular case of a millionaire attempting to have a lothario gold digger warned off his daughter seems like something Steed would firmly file under “Not My Problem.” It may have worked better with the beaten lothario one of Chelsea doctor Keel’s patients and Steed dragged in that way.</p>
<p>It is, however, wonderfully daft. One of the frighteners gets his neck broken in a fight with Keel and Steed and is then extorted into helping them – led around town as their informant on the threat that they otherwise won’t bring him to the hospital to get his broken neck fixed before his spinal column gets cut by the jagged bone. And the final resolution is so completely left field that adapter Rae Leaver suggests that it’s the result of someone fluffing their line in the original television recording and then the entire case winging an entirely new ending off the top of their heads.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Death on the Slipway</b></p>
<p>Our second case in this boxset is much more up Steed’s alley. A shipping yard responsible for construction of the Royal Navy’s latest experimental nuclear submarine is suspected of being targeted by the usual Unnamed Eastern European Foreign Superpower. Steed’s assigned to keep an eye on things, undercover as an metallurgist from the Admirality but immediately finds himself helping the police investigate a suspicious death. Very few <b>Avengers</b> stories are whodunnits but present themselves as games of cat and mouse between our heroes and their targets and this is no exception. But it’s an exceptionally satisfying one as we follow the two strands in parallel – Steed following the clues to identify the mole at work on the site, and the foreign agent trying to evade him and his increasingly fraught relationship with the British asset he’s blackmailed into helping him. Steed may be approaching Peak Flirt in these scripts but there’s rarely been the sense of danger and high stakes as is to be found here.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Tunnel of Fear</b></p>
<p>It’s hard to identify exactly what makes <i>Tunnel of Fear</i> so relatively forgettable for an Avengers episode. Whatever the reasons, the end result is a rather by-the-numbers story. It does stand out in featuring one of Steed’s other assets – a wrongly convicted man whom Steed has gotten out of prison in return for infiltrating criminal gangs for him. It’s a wonder Keel isn’t jealous as that’s usually the sort of work he gets landed with. The use of hypnotism feels very weak though, even if it gives Julian Wadham the opportunity to have fun playing Steed’s complete refusal to be hypnotized.</p>
<p>One unique point of interest, though, is that since this audio was released the original TV episode has actually been found. Allowing us a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the story John Dorney had to write almost from scratch to the actual end result.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A slimmer volume than most, <b>The Avengers Lost Episode Volume 6</b> still contains enough drama, action and wit to satisfy any fan of our heroes. With Tunnel of Fear it also provides that rare opportunity for fans to get an insight into how close to the 'real thing' the other reconstructed scripts may have come. That alone makes it an essential purpose for the most devoted.</p>
<p> </p>Star Trek Prometheus - The Root of All Rage (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197152018-08-19T16:00:00+01:002018-08-18T17:51:57+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26254&w=300" alt="Star Trek Prometheus - 2: The Root Of All Rage (Credit: Big Finish)" title="Star Trek Prometheus - 2: The Root Of All Rage (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<p><b>Written By:</b> Bernd Perplies & Christian Humberg</p>
<p>Read by <b>Alec Newman</b></p>
<p><b>Released by Big Finish July 2018</b></p>
</div>
<p>I had been pretty disappointed in the first Star Trek Prometheus audiobook, Fire With Fire. It felt like a lot of wasted time before finally starting to get into an interesting story and mystery...and then it just ends and leaves you waiting for the next book. So I went into The Root of All Rage expecting it to be more continuity and back references, and a real lack of anything fresh...but luckily, that nugget of mystery and story prevailed, and this second entry in the Prometheus tale builds wonderfully, and actually becomes a fresh new story. And though it still doesn't have a complete ending, the cliffhanging tease in this story is more satisfying than the end of the first book had been.</p>
<p>While the references and returning characters from Trek lore aren't completely missing, they aren't as overwhelming as they had been in that first book. Sure, Lwaxana Troi and Picard make an appearance in this one, and there are references to past episodes and characters, but the actual story of the Prometheus and the new characters are all expanded on in far greater detail. The mystery of what is going on in this region of space and why the once peaceful race has turned to fanatical terrorism begins to unravel...and I found myself far more engrossed in the story this time.</p>
<p>I will admit I was a tad disappointed that the big reveal that the being that may be causing all the havoc might be a reference to a single episode of the Original Series...but they left it open enough and added a more interesting major detail that left me quite interested to see it all end.</p>
<p>This second book turned me around on the series. The first book spent too much time showing off it's Trek history knowledge, but this one spends that same time building it's own characters and story. Instead of referencing other Trek works, it adds to the vast Trek lore. And that is a good thing.There are still some issues. I still don't think this series is accessible to newcomers. If they could skip all the reference garbage from the first book and pair it down, then launch into the story of the second book, it might actually work as a fun new jumping on point.</p>
<p>Beyond that there is still the issue of Star Trek phrases being mispronounced, which is not terrible, but it does leave the audiobook feeling like slightly less Big Finish love was poured into it than some of their other ranges. Still…story-wise this is a vast improvement on the first book, and I am actually quite interested to hear the conclusion in December. It may not be great for newcomers, and big Trek fans may be annoyed with some of the mangled Trek words, but there is a good story at the heart of this book. </p>Omega Factor: Series 3 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197192018-08-19T09:00:00+01:002018-08-18T17:46:44+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26253&w=300" alt="The Omega Factor: Series 3 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Omega Factor: Series 3 (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<div style="float:left">
<p>Written By: Roy Gill, Natasha Gerson, Louise Jameson, Phil MulryneDirected By: Ken Bentley</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Louise Jameson (Dr Anne Reynolds), John Dorney (Adam Dean), Natasha Gerson (Morag), Alan Cox (James Doyle), Lucy Goldie (Claire McTeal), Roberta Taylor(Olivia Kirkland), Leighton Pugh (John Gardener), Orion Ben (Adhara Rahul / Nurse), Jamie Newall (Professor Peter Shand), Miranda Keeling (Lucy Williams), Gunnar Cauthery (Edward Milton), Elizabeth Payne (Grace Roberts), Ben Porter(Professor Stephen Wright). Other parts played by members of the cast.</p>
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt FittonExecutive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
</div>
<div style="float:left"> </div>
!</div>
<p>As I began Omega Factor series three, I must confess to feeling a little of what I can only call trepidation. With the quality of the first two series being so high and after proclaiming them to be my favourite Big Finish products EVER, well one starts to wonder if ANYTHING can live up to those expectations. Not only that but series 2 ended on such a bizarre (but wonderful) cliff-hanger, that the challenge seemed two-fold. Of course, I forgot the immortal words of Yazz; ‘The only way is up…’</p>
<p><b>Under Glass- Roy Gill</b></p>
<p>Returning after the superb, <i>The Changeling</i>, Roy Gill’s opening script wisely keeps the Omega conspiracy and various dangling threads from the last series in the background. Instead it chooses to concentrate on the relationship between Louise Jameson’s Anne Reynolds and John Dorney’s Adam Dean. They’ve come a long way since season one and the chemistry between them allows Gill to experiment with introducing elements such as a potential love interest for Adam Green, whilst at the same time making it perfectly clear that he’s also developing a closer relationship with his daughter. Both of these facts send a clear message to the audience but also make perfect material for an opening story, particular when Adam’s new love interest is directly connected to the demonic threat. The guest cast are of course superb, with Roberta Taylor delivering a wonderful performance as Olivia Kirkland.</p>
<p><b>Let us Play- Natasha Gerson</b></p>
<p>Morag herself is the author of the next story in the set and boy what a story. <i>Let us Play </i>uses the contemporary video game obsessions to great effect, telling the story of a mysterious game that is having unpleasant effects on the students who have trialled it. Jamie Newall steals the show here as Proffesor Peter Shand, presenting a likeable but tragic character and delivering one of the stand out moments of the entire series thus far in his confrontation with this stories villain. One of the highlights of the set.</p>
<p><b>Phantom Pregnancy- Louise Jameson</b></p>
<p>After her fantastic episode last season, Louise Jameson returns with another tale. This story concerns a refugee who has mysteriously fallen pregnant. It’s a story that confronts some difficult issues, both socially but also personally, directly targeting Anne’s role as a scientist and her attitude to her work. At points I must confess to being a little confused as to exactly <i>what </i>the supernatural threat was and where it was coming from, though the real joy of this episode is its exquisite character studies. I must also state that whilst I admire the teams desire to try something different with the voice of the supernatural entity, it’s far more amusing than it is horrifying. However their minor niggles with another outstanding story in a series that has never failed yet. Special mention must be made of Orion Bens excellent portrayal of Adhara and one hopes we’ll have the pleasure of hearing her again. One also hopes that there’s more scripts to be had from the superb talent that is Louise Jameson. Another highly enjoyable story. </p>
<p><b>Drawn to the Dark- Phil Mulryne</b></p>
<p>One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this series is how it’s really tapped into the history of Edenborough and <i>Drawn to the Dark </i>is no exception. This story also features the return of Drexel and resolves the plot points that were left open at the end of the last series. Not only that but it offers tantalising hints into the history of Omega and provides a satisfying conclusion to three series worth of stories. The final sequence provides an epic conclusion and the story itself manages to stand alone as a great horror story, whilst also providing many treats for long term listeners.</p>
<p>It’s confirmed in the behind the scenes features that OF will be returning at some point for a fourth series and I for one cannot wait. OF continues to be one of the single best products put out by Big Finish and for my money <i>the </i>best. Highly recommended.</p>Blue- Sycorax Collective (Etcetera Theatre, Camden Fringe)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197522018-08-18T20:00:00+01:002018-08-18T17:42:31+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26252&w=300" alt="Blue - Sycorax Collective (Credit: Blue - Sycorax Collective)" title="Blue - Sycorax Collective (Credit: Blue - Sycorax Collective)" /><br />
</div>
<p>Now in its thirteenth year, Camden Fringe has become something of a highlight for any fan of the London theatre scene; on or <i>off </i>the west end. Featuring three-hundred performances across nearly twenty-venues, it’s gained a reputation as an exciting home of inventive and creative theatre. One of these venues is the Etcetera theatre, housed above the Oxford Arms on Camden High Street. A wonderfully intimate space that is known as a home of diverse and original entertainment it’s the home of the London Horror Festival, has been called one of London’s ‘Great pub theatres’ by <i>The Guardian</i>. Perhaps more importantly, it also happens to be one of the founding theatres of the fringe itself. This year one of the performances their housing is ‘Blue’, the first production by ‘Sycorax Collective’ and being the Whovian I am, that name alone immediately had me hooked (yes my mind still goes straight to <i>The Christmas Invasion- </i>Shakespeare reference or not!). Doctor Who referencing company aside, <i>Blue </i>should be of interest to readers of this site as it uses a Science Fiction, fairy tale-esque plot to tell a wonderfully touching story about mental health issues.</p>
<p><i>Blue</i> is the story of….well ‘Blue’ a young woman who lives on the moon with her pet Lobster ‘Spock’. Using a ‘Cbeebies’ esque voiceover who explains Blue’s life to us, the first half shows Blue as a character who could of stepped right out of a children’s programme in the vein of Mr. Tumble. She spends the day collecting star-dust, fishing and playing with Spock. The genius here though is that even between all the laughs and audience participation, we are immediately made aware that something is not…quite right. Dialogue such as ‘To make the world sparkle and hide the darkness in her mind’ is wonderfully secreted in an otherwise fun and gentle moment. What’s wonderful is that Kim Scopes, who performed the role of Blue, also wrote the piece. It’s clearly a passion project for her and she does herself and her colleagues immensely proud, channelling a range of emotions in a brief space of time. In particular the final five minutes or so is <i>incredibly </i>powerful and Scopes really throws herself into what must have been a very challenging role. Directed by Holli Dillon, the two work wonders together and I imagine they’ll be two to watch out for in the future.</p>
<p>Set design is, due to the nature of the performance and theatre, simple but in its simplicity lies its genius. Blues moon based ‘fort’ fits in with the childish, frivolous world of the story but the surrounding black drapes with tiny glowing lights (representing stars) hint at something darker. Even the stars on the backdrop appear to have been in the shape of a smiley face, further pushing the theme of forced happiness. And the Science Fiction? Well in the plays brief run-time we get to hear the classic Howell version of the Who theme, various Star Trek gags (including a rather brilliant waving joke) and Rock Horror references amongst others. Whilst all this certainly amused me, the real joy was in the poignant way the plays message was delivered. As I left the theatre I heard someone state that for anyone who had ever suffered mental health problems, the piece ‘really got what it felt like’. I think that’s the best compliment any artist can get.</p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 5 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197502018-08-18T16:35:31+01:002018-08-18T17:35:31+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25910&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 5 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 5 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><br />
<b>Written by:</b> Dan Starkey, Dennis Spooner, Phil Mulryne, and John Dorney<br />
<b>Adapted by:</b> Rae Leaver<br />
<b>Based on storylines by:</b> Terrence Feely, Geoffrey Bellman, John Whitney and Max Marquis<br />
<b>Directed by:</b> Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Starring:</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen </b>(Carol Wilson), <b>Stephen Critchlow</b> (Doctor Jones),<b>Chris Porter </b>(Stefan),<b>Faye Castelow</b> (Carmelita), <b>Alice Haig</b> (Stella Creighton<br />
)<b>Music by:</b> Toby Hrycek-Robinson<br />
<b>Cover Art by:</b> Anthony Lamb<br />
<b>Duration: </b>240' approx<br />
<b>Originally Released January 2016</b></div>
<p>Steed and Keel are back for a fifth set of adventures. This time it feels like the show has finally settled into a groove midway between the more fantastical episodes and the dark and brooding crime investigations. In part that may be down to a solid three quarters of this set being based on some of the most lost <b>Avengers</b> stories of all. Only storylines survive from the original production of three of these episodes, resulting in more freedom for the adaptors to build a more consistent tone and characterization into their scripts.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Nightmare</b></p>
<p>The first of these, <i>Nightmare</i>, has been worked up from Terence Feely’s scant outline by the multi-talented Dan Starkey. Known to <b>Doctor Who</b> fans as the Sontaran butler Strax, he also appears in these episodes as Steed’s boss One-Ten and various other parts. But for <i>Nightmare</i> he sits behind the scenes and crafts an almost original tale of a missing scientist and Keel adopting the missing man’s identity to smoke our his abductors. It’s a story which nicely merges two sides – the nightmarish effects of the pscychoactive drugs Keel unwittingly gets exposed to, and the finely ratcheted tension when a doctor involved in the conspiracy finds Keel at his hospital’s A&E.</p>
<p>Starkey does a fine job with a potentially difficult task – working with fixed plot points without, perhaps, the supporting plot gubbins that made them make sense and having to put his own supports in place. Certainly, a bit where the villains essentially post themselves to Keel in a package feels like something Feely had now lost reasons for. Overall, though, Starkey’s created a perfect blend of modern storytelling standards and the old school <b>Avengers</b> spirit. If he did his own, completely original, <b>Avengers</b> scripts in the future it would be no bad thing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Girl on the Trapeze</b></p>
<p>You’d be mistaken for thinking <i>Girl on the Trapeze</i> was a similar case, but here is the only instalment in this set where adaptor Rae Leaver had Dennis Spooner’s complete script to work from. It’s an atypical story from Spooner, who was always one of sixties <b>Doctor Who’s</b> most ironical and witty writers. But there’s little levity or humour here, in a story that begins with Keel witnessing a young woman throwing herself from a bridge into the Thames, and follows on into a Soviet plot where teenage girls are being drugged up to the eyeballs and smuggled across Europe. Well, I say ‘Soviet’, but of course in typical <b>Avengers</b> fashion the exact identity of the superpower to the east of Europe with its vast, and ruthless, intelligence apparatus goes unnamed. Presumably ABC were worried about getting letters of complaint from the Soviet Ambassador if they said the obvious out loud, which seems positively charming to modern eyes.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the general tone is very much of the <b>Spy Who Came in from the Cold</b> mode and sits nicely in the <b>Avengers</b> canon as one of the rare stories to deal with spycraft and counter-espionage with the same grittiness as the crime stories about heroin and prostitution.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Crescent Moon</b></p>
<p>Phil Mulryne’s<i> Crescent Moon</i> deserves a lot of credit for its authenticity when it must have been tempting to expand it. Another case where only an outline remains of the original, Mulryne keeps the Caribbean island setting restricted to what the show could actually have accomplished. So there are lots of scenes indoors, where you could imagine the location being nodded to by a ceiling fan and wooden shuttered windows, and the exterior scenes full of back projection and a couple of bushes on a set.</p>
<p>Where Mulryne possibly does take advantage is in easing back on the slight edge of Imperialist nationalism that’s shaded previous jaunts by Steed abroad. Yes, we’re again in a former British colony, and, yes, we’re again in a situation where the ‘good’ local leader (ie the one friendly to British interests) needs help fighting off the machinations of the ‘bad’ local (ie the one who wants the British kept out). But there feels like a better balance at play here and all the characters have their own agendas and motives beyond national stereotypes. It also helps that Steed is treating it all like a jolly holiday rather than, as on previous adventures, actively trying to leverage some nation into signing away its resources.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Diamond Cut Diamond</b></p>
<p>I’m trying to imagine what Steed actor Julian Wadham’s face looked like when he opened this script and saw that Steed adopts a broad Australian accent for much of it, but I’d say it was a picture. In fact, is was probably an echo of whatever passed over Patrick Macnee’s features opening the original, now lost, script.</p>
<p>Fortunately, subtlety doesn’t seem to be the intention here and setting vocals on “Putta notha shrimp onda barbie,” seems perfectly in character for what Steed would actually do while going undercover as a womanizing (of course) Australian air steward with a history of unproven accusations of smuggling. Balanced against this, though, is some of starkest and best acting Wadham has been called upon to do. Finding himself blackmailed for killing a woman in a drink driving hit and run, Steed’s blacked out memory means he can’t be sure if it’s also a frame job or if he actually has killed someone. His raw horror and angst at the possibility makes for an usually, and satisfyingly vulnerable Steed beyond the flippancy and wit he usually shows the world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Volume Five is possibly one of the strongest <b>Avengers</b> sets so far due to the comparative free hand the adaptors have been given by fate. Ironically that’s likely due to the tonal inconsistencies of the original show from week to week being ironed out to create a vision that feels more like <b>The Avengers</b> that lives in our memories than the actual show often did. With relatively loose continuity between all these sets, you could do worse than make this one your first purchase in the <i>Lost Episodes</i> range.</p>Star Trek Prometheus - Fire With Fire (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev197032018-07-14T22:41:16+01:002018-07-14T23:41:16+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26180&w=300" alt="Star Trek Prometheus (Credit: Big Finish)" title="Star Trek Prometheus (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<p><b>Written By:</b> Bernd Perplies & Christian Humberg</p>
<p>Read by <b>Alec Newman</b></p>
<p><b>Released by Big Finish July 2018</b></p>
</div>
<p>Continuity is a tricky mistress. On the one hand, I am a fan of sprawling continuities with lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and it is fun when those dots connect in fun and creative ways. My fandom of both <b><i>Doctor Who</i></b> and <b><i>Star Trek</i></b> of evidence of this. On the other hand, when writers get bogged down in the continuity of a franchise, it can become tedious really quick. And there lies the major flaw of<i> </i><b><i>Star Trek Prometheus</i></b>. </p>
<p>The first half of this book is nothing but nods to continuity, what little plot there is in the first half is essentially the same bits of information being repeated over and over. There was an attack, members of one race seem to be taking credit for the act, but they don't have the tech to pull it off. It could be some other group but there is no evidence to suggest that so far. I think that cycle of information repeated itself for about 4 chapters. Just the same info being regurgitated to a different character. </p>
<p>But in those early chapters that isn't what is important. What is important is references! We get a ton in the first half, and it becomes tiresome pretty quick. The novel isn't particularly interested in introducing us to the cast of characters on the Prometheus, and even when they do we have a Chief Engineer named Kirk. And she is Captain Kirk's Grand Niece. Give me a break. But don't worry, he comes Alexander Rhozhenko! Miles O’Brien and Nog! And Spock for no real reason! And Ezri Dax is a Captain. Why does Trek's spinoff material require that all main cast members eventually be promoted to Captain or Admiral or beyond? Ezri Dax was a Counselor with no real ambition for command. And since they make mention that the fleet is depleted because of multiple recent wars and conflicts...why would all these characters end up being Captains? There can't be enough ships!</p>
<p>While <b><i>Deep Space 9</i></b> is quite probably my favorite Trek series, I do wish that Trek didn't keep resorting to War arcs in all of it's media. Exploring a longterm arc about War is what set DS9 apart. But now it just seems like all anyone is interested in doing with Trek. It seems that the books have been doing that for some time, and even the latest Trek TV series, <b><i>Discovery</i></b>, took a crack at it. I miss sci-fi concepts and exploration in Trek!</p>
<p>At any rate, there is actually an interesting story hidden underneath all the continuity porn. There was a terrorist attack, and the book works a bit like a mystery about unravelling who was behind it all. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t actually solve it. The novel itself ends abruptly, then leads into an epilogue which only serves as set up for the second book. It is wholly unsatisfying, and it left me rather annoyed, especially as the book had turned a corner for me and stopped being so full of itself about celebrating the minutiae of the continuity, but actually about something deeper. And then the book just ends with "buy another one to find out how this ends!"</p>
<p>I do wonder what the endgame is for Big Finish. Do they plan to continue making more Trek stuff? Is this a dry run to prove they can successfully handle the franchise? As the <b><i>Prometheus</i></b> books were originally published in Germany, and were original to a specific company...did they only get the rights to do these three novels and that is it? As it is this isn't a particularly launching point for them. It has little crossover appeal, and only really can satisfy mega-Trekkies who love continuity and references. And not just a ton of references to the old shows and movies, but this requires a ton of homework of the novel universe as well. It is not an easy jump on point for newcomers, and if Big Finish has any plans to continue with Trek, using this to show they can sell the property has a major roadblock. And while their <i><b>Doctor Who</b></i> knowledge is top notch...as a fan there were nerdy nit-picky things that were mispronounced here and there, and it took down there Trek-cred, making one wonder if they should really take on this property. I think they really could do some cool stuff, but nothing on par with <i><b>Doctor Who</b></i>. They just couldn't wrangle the casts in the same way. </p>
<p>This is a hard one to recommend. Once it gets past the references to all sorts of Trek lore, it has the makings of a decent mystery story that is contemporary and intriguing...but it doesn't have an ending, and it doesn't stand on it's own in any way. It requires tons of homework just to fully grasp what has been going in the Federation since <b><i>Deep Space 9</i></b> and<b><i> Voyager </i></b>went off the air...and you clearly need the follow-up books to even get the full picture of what the Prometheus is about. </p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 4 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev196912018-07-06T23:59:28+01:002018-07-07T00:59:28+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25909&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 4 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 4 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><br />
<b>Written by:</b> James Mitchell, Lewis Davidson, Richard Harris, and Eric Paice<br />
<b>Adapted by:</b> John Dorney and Justin Richards<br />
<b>Directed by:</b> Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Starring:</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen </b>(Carol Wilson), <b>Dan Starkey</b> (One-Ten), <b>Adrian Lukis</b> (Major Harrington), <b>Elizabeth Morton</b> (Stella Preston), <b> Karina Fernandez </b>(Margarita)<br />
<b>Producer </b>David Richardson<br />
<b>Executive Producers</b> Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs<br />
<b>Music: </b>Toby Hrycek-Robinson<br />
<b>Cover Art:</b> Anthony Lamb<br />
<b>Duration:</b> 4hrs<br />
<b>Originally Released June 2015</b> </div>
<p>This fourth volume of Steed and Keel’s adventures paddles more in the dark crime drama end of <b>The Avengers</b> pool before suddenly veering into wild fantasy towards the end.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Kill the King</b></p>
<p>In many ways a re-tread of last time’s <i>The Yellow Needle</i>, we again have a foreign leader (this time from an oil rich far eastern country rather than a newly independent former colony in Africa) being subject to repeated assassination attempts. Again it creates headaches for his security detail that he doesn’t care much about his own safety, and again there’s a tight deadline for an important treaty some forces in his own country don’t want signed. And unfortunaely again there’s a slight non-ending where we never even find out if the treaty is signed.</p>
<p>Where it distinguishes itself is in the tone set by original scriptwriter James Mitchell, who went on to create <b>Callan</b>, itself subject to a <b>Big Finish</b> revival these days. As indicated his later work, Mitchell has a much more cynical view of spy work than the average <b>Avengers</b> writer. Here that shows through in plot elements like Steed not genuinely giving a damn about King Tenuphon’s life or the oil he controls, but simply fearing demotion or worse if he fails in this high profile assignment. Tenuphon himself is a mean, arrogant man that Steed disdains, while the old boys network within British Intelligence coming in for the same scorn that Callan brimmed over with.</p>
<p>Mitchell also presents a rather more rounded and human version of Steed and Keel. He’s one of the few <b>Avengers</b> writers to remember Keel’s murdered fiancé too. Though it’s in what amounts to little more than a cameo for the good doctor (Ian Hendry clearly being on holiday the week this was originally filmed). Even Steed comes as close as he can to speaking of concern and caring for Keel, and pondering if working with Steed is what’s best for Keel, even if it’s to Steed’s advantage.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>A Change of Bait</b></p>
<p><i>A Change of Bait</i> is the first of these adaptations where I’m not entirely sure the originally intended tone has been captured. The combination of the story description of minor villain Potts having a very bad day, and the surviving telesnaps of the panicked performance of John Bailey (who’d later go on to play Victoria’s father in <i>Evil of the Daleks</i>) as Potts, makes it sound like the TV episode was a format busting comedy episode. Instead the audio is very much a standard crime drama and while all the plot beats remain the same little is done to play up the more fanciful elements.</p>
<p>After all, this is a plot in which Carol’s landlord (given to having fainting fits in response to bad news) slightly accidentally ends up the owner of an entire cargo ship of bananas and the race to get them offloaded and up the length of England before they turn black. And it involves Steed doing his best impression of Peter Sellars in <b>I’m Alright Jack</b> and bamboozling dock workers with a bunch of pseudo-union jargon. It just feels like it’s meant to be played more ironically than it is here, where it all seems as serious as their cases about prostitution rings and heroin dealers.</p>
<p>It does get a huge thumbs up, however, for featuring an actual ending – rather than simply a punch up or Steed more or less shrugging that the details of wrapping up the case will be handled later. In fact, it’s a rather elegant bit of confidence trickery from Steed that winds things up in a nice sting ending.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Hunt the Man Down</b></p>
<p><i>Hunt the Man Down</i>, meanwhile, is another rare case in terms of the challenges in adapting it. The original TV episode is lost. Very lost. Totally lost. In a case that should make <b>Doctor Who</b> fans consider just how lucky they are, there is no video, audio, or even script surviving from this instalment of <b>The Avengers</b>. You could argue that this gave Justin Richards, coming aboard <b>The Avengers</b>’ <b>Big Finish</b> team with this release, more freedom. But the <i>Behind the Scenes</i> extras give a window into just how hard he worked to make the script he worked up from the surviving single page synopsis as loyal as possible to the original TV show. Right down to calculating how much location filming they could have afforded and restricting the number of outdoors scenes accordingly. Similarly, Richards takes care that the length of any given scene kept to those typical of the time.</p>
<p>It’s to Richards’ credit then that this sounds so thoroughly authentic and doesn’t stick out at all on this boxset. It’s a nice little tale of cross, double cross and triple cross, with Steed, Keel and Carol trying to insert a little quadruple cross of their own. All in pursuit of a hidden stash of stolen money. It plays with the trope of the decent career criminal in conflict with out of control maniacs – but never losing sight of the fact a criminal is still a criminal.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Dead of Winter</b></p>
<p>It wouldn’t be quite accurate to say that this is <b>The Avengers</b>’ take on <b>They Saved Hitler’s Brain</b>, but it’s not that much of an exaggeration either. When the frozen corpse of an escaped Nazi turns up hidden inside a beef carcass being shipped from South America, it creates a bewildering mystery for Steed. It also gives Dr. Keel the opportunity to show off his German as he infiltrates a group of former Nazis plotting the rise of the Fourth Reich. (As usual, when in doubt The Avengers gives Keel some previously unrevealed skill to justify Steed’s need for him).</p>
<p>It’s only the conviction with which is everything is played that stops this from being an episode that would fit in perfectly in the colour era. With (distinctly half formed) plans to wipe out all life on Earth in a nuclear apocalypse while the Nazis wait out the radiation in a fridge. It’s all delightfully daft and also shows off Steed’s more comedic side. This most Bondian of stories start in typical Bondian style, Steed having to console his newest conquest, a Contessa no less, that he has to go as his country needs him. While later he also has to negotiate, for the second time in this set, with union workers at the docks for their help. It’s a world away from the grim civil servant fed up with the seediness of his assignment in<i> Kill the King</i>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These<b> Lost Episodes</b> releases have always had a bit of a split personality. There’s little here for those that like their <b>Avengers</b> light and witty, but the one story that does fit that mould is so bizarre it might be irresistible.</p>
<p> </p>Star Cops: Mother Earth: Part 1 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev196722018-06-14T22:01:43+01:002018-06-14T23:01:43+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26141&w=300" alt="Star Cops: Mother Earth (Credit: Big Finish)" title="Star Cops: Mother Earth (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<p>Written By: Andrew Smith, Ian Potter, Christopher Hatherall, Guy AdamsDirected By: Helen Goldwyn</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>David Calder (Nathan Spring / Box), Trevor Cooper (Colin Devis), Linda Newton (Pal Kenzy), Rakhee Thakrar (Priya Basu), Philip Olivier (Paul Bailey), Andrew Secombe (Brian Lincoln), Ewan Bailey (Martin Collyer), Nimmy March (Shayla Moss), Delroy Atkinson (Charles Hardin), Zora Bishop (Armina Hamid), Mandi Symonds (Caroline / Mother Earth), Tim Scragg (Ashton / Hughes), Amerjit Deu (Rez Varughese / Gish), Gabrielle Glaister (Joanne Stack / Janine), George Asprey (Alby Royle / Steven Moore), Andy Snowball (Danny Neal / Pan-Pacific President), Sophie-Louise Dann (Simone Babin). Other parts played by members of the cast.</p>
<p>Purchase from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787035174?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ6CGLNQOBRZIJCTQ&tag=thdowhnepa-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1787035174">Amazon UK<\/a></p>
</div>
<p>Like a majority of more recent Big Finish releases, Star Cops starts with a bombastic theme tune, a far cry from the cheesy 80’s pop song that accompanied it during it’s original television run. One of the benefits Big Finish has with this release however is that probably very few people can remember the original series. Only managing one season, this reviewer must confess to having little-to-no prior knowledge and binge watching a few classic episodes to get the feel for what BF were going for. Having seen that and now heard this, it makes one wonder if BF’s intent was to try and do an ‘Omega Factor’, taking a short lived TV property and trying to fill a gap in the genres their audios currently cover. So instead of horror with a sci-fi twist, in this case its crime but with a sci-fi twist. Whereas the original series felt more like episodes of The Bill in space, this feels far more contemporary with the four stories linked by a growing threat from a terrorist organisation. Several members of the original cast are back but joined by new characters, giving a fresh angle for new listeners.</p>
<p><b>One of our Cops is Missing- Andrew Smith</b></p>
<p>This opening story puts a lot of the main plot pieces for the rest of the ‘series arc’ in place, as well as re-introducing old characters and introducing new ones. Not an easy thing to do. So it’s not really a surprise that what results is rather less than perfect. The problem is an awful lot is going on, too much in fact. The character of Paul Bailey, played by the always excellent Phillip Olivier, is incognito until the end sequence, which gives him a darker edge shamefully ignored in other stories. Considering this is his introductory story it’s an odd choice, particularly when another character who’s <i>only </i>in this story is given a lot more air time. The cast is all superb, with David Calder and Trevor Cooper slipping effortlessly back into character and new comers Rakhee Thakrar and the aforementioned Olivier, giving likeable, if not at this stage fully rounded characters. Ultimately though it’s something of a let-down and one really one wonders if perhaps the larger ongoing plot should have been left until later.</p>
<p><b>Tranquillity and other illusions- Ian Potter</b></p>
<p>Easily a highlight of the set, this one gives a lot of focus to the always wonderful Trevor Cooper. What results is an interesting (if admittedly obvious) mystery, with a lot of laugh out loud comic moments. Unlike the first story, Mother Earth’s presence here doesn’t seem superfluous to events and their threat begins to become palpable. The one negative is that a lot of the characters relationships are tested here, making decisions which as a listener we are informed are not the best idea, only for them to go nowhere or have no consequences.</p>
<p><b>Lockdown- Christopher Hatherhall</b></p>
<p>The only earthbound story sees a riff on such classic films as <i>The Towering Inferno </i>and <i>Die Hard</i>. Unfortunately the story is nowhere near as action packed as those two films and at points the obvious ‘riffing’ gets a little <i>too</i> closer (in one sequence a line from <i>Die Hard </i>is uttered in almost the exact same circumstances). Whilst the lack of action is disappointing, the mystery is somewhat interesting and at least Hatherhall is trying to play with his villains motivations and not making Mother Earth the obvious culprit.</p>
<p><b>The Thousand Ton Bomb- Guy Adams </b></p>
<p>Wow- well at least the set goes out with a <i>bang </i>(pun intended). Adams presents us with a gritty, menacing and genuinely intense finale that blows all the previous stories out the water. Phillip Olivier is given some really fabulous dialogue and he doesn’t disappoint, finally rounding his character out just that little bit more. There’s a genuine undertone of grittiness to this one that works wonders and it’s a shame that the other stories could not be up to this standard.</p>
<p>Admittedly I feel I’ve been a little unfairly negative towards ‘Star Cops’. On the whole I did enjoy listening to it and it’s certainly an interesting addition to the Big Finish cannon. Unfortunately just a lot of the stories felt half-baked and needed something more to round them out. Recommended for fans of the original series, but it will be interesting to see where Big Finish take this next.</p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 3 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev196652018-06-14T19:18:43+01:002018-06-14T20:18:43+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25908&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 3 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 3 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><br />
<b>Written by:</b> John Whitney, Geoffrey Bellman, Patrick Campbell, Gerald Verner, Bill Strutton<br />
<b>Adapted by: </b>John Dorney<br />
<b>Directed by</b>: Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Cast</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen</b> (Carol Wilson), <b>Dan Starkey</b> (One-Ten), <b>Miranda Raison</b>, <b>Sarah Lark</b>, <b>Geff Francis</b><br />
<b>Producer:</b> David Richardson<br />
<b>Executive Producers:</b> Jason Haigh-Ellery, Nicholas Briggs<br />
<b>Cover by:</b> Anthony Lamb<br />
<b>Originally Released January 2015</b></div>
<p>At times, <b>The Avengers</b> feels almost like the work of two separate writing teams, working to very different series guidelines. Earlier boxsets in this <b>Big Finish</b> range included contributions from Brian Clemens himself, who’d go on to be the architect of the more whimsical and witty <b>Avengers</b> of later seasons, and the likes of Donald Tosh, known to <b>Doctor Who</b> fans as of that show’s more humourous writers. But this third set is by a completely different group, one who wholly embrace the original conception of the show as a dark, almost sordid series. It also moves Keel firmly back to centre stage. So much so, in fact, that Steed spends fully half his time running around on Keel’s behalf rather than the other way around.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Springers</b></p>
<p>Our first story pulls the narrative trick of dropping us straight into an adventure already in progress. Keel is in prison, using his status as a disgraced former doctor to win over the members of a criminal gang. It’s only at visiting time we learn the real situation – Keel’s genuine medical knowledge has left him perfectly placed to work for Steed as a replacement for a jailbird medic Steed has temporarily gotten out of the way. That criminal is suspected to be next in line for an escape route that has mystified the authorities and Keel’s undercover work is designed to expose it.</p>
<p>Despite the novel setup, this is really one of the lesser <b>Avengers</b> episodes, with the secret of the escape route run out of a nearby finishing school for young ladies being rather pedestrian and not really deserving of Steed and Keel’s skills. It tries its best to make up for its slight plot by dialling Steed’s flirtatiousness with every woman to come within twenty feet of him but it fails to lift it out of the ordinary.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Yellow Needle</b></p>
<p>If Steed’s giant libido can make for innuendo and seductive banter that would likely be seen more as sexual harassment this century, <i>The Yellow Needle</i> is possibly the first <b>Avengers</b> episode that feels like it would be entirely impossible to get made today. But for entirely different reasons.</p>
<p>Continuing the trend of new elements of Keel’s history and skillset randomly popping up out of nowhere, we now learn that he spent a year working in a poorly funded hospital in a desperately poor African country. And, for good measure, became best friends with his mentor – the then doctor and current Prime Minister Sir Wilburforce. Now in the midst of negotiating the nation’s exit from the British Empire he’s the target of assassination attempts and while Keel watches his back in London, Steed sets off to stereotypical Darkest Africa to try and root out the leaders of the conspiracy. It’s Steed’s side of the story that’s the real issue, with witch doctors, death cults, torture and tribal leaders distrustful of democracy.</p>
<p>It’s against a problematic backdrop too, with the divide between ‘good’ Africans who want to maintain close ties with the British Commonwealth and ‘bad’ Africans who want nothing to do with the British anymore. Added to this is a remarkably abrupt ending. I had to re-listen to three times to confirm that, yes, it really ends with Keel in mid-fight to save a victim’s life without ever telling us if he lives or dies or what the conclusion of the independence talks actually were. All in all, it adds up to the first genuinely poor episode <b>Big Finish</b> have yet adapted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Double Danger</b></p>
<p>One of those episodes which inverts the typical formula of Steed recruiting Keel to a mission, here it’s Keel that finds himself up to his neck in trouble but with the good fortune to know a dashing bowler hatted secret agent who owes him a favour or three. At this stage though, Keel being recruited a gunpoint by a criminal gang to treat a dying man’s wounds feels like a bit of a cliché though we do get the neat moment of Keel sending one gangster off with a list of medicine to retrieve from Carol which includes the mysterious drug “Phonus Equus.” Though that’s mainly because, when Steed does answer Carol’s call we get to hear him dryly note what a terribly clumsy clue it is.</p>
<p>Perhaps never before have we seen the two halves of <b>The Avengers</b>’ personality as a show bump against each other so obviously – as Keel sweats it out in his tense and dramatic situation, and Steed wittily and humourously tracks him down. A scene in which Steed has to interview an old man who’s deaf as a post is terrific fun, and sounds like they had almost as much fun recording it. And Whadham sparkles in those scenes were, as in the previous boxset’s <i>Dance with Death</i>, Steed seems to be treating dealing with ‘ordinary’ criminals as a nice day off. He’s entirely inappropriately delighted, for instance, when a cornered gangster’s moll prepares herself for a visit to the station to stonewall the police and he gets to tell her he was <i>actually</i> thinking of perhaps entombing with some rats for company until she talked.</p>
<p>As is a recurring weakness in these episodes, the secret of this week’s McGuffin (stolen diamonds this time) is too easy to guess and requires the bad guys to be really quite thick, and the conclusion is little more than a fight scene followed by the end title music. But, as usual, it’s hard to care when the journey there is as nice as this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Toy Trap</b></p>
<p>Probably the darkest story so far in <b>The Avengers</b>, <i>Toy Trap</i> deals with a prostitution ring scooping up teenage girls straight off the bus to London. Seduced first with attention and gifts the young girls joining the toy department of a major store are one by one inducted into the ring. Because after the initial seduction comes a suggestion to have sex for money, just once or twice to help set themselves up in London, then the incriminating photographs, and the blackmail threats to tell their families back home, and finally the iron fist of the pimp in charge of the gang and virtual slavery.</p>
<p>When Keel is tasked by an old friend with keeping a fatherly eye on the friend’s daughter while she establishes herself in London he quickly becomes alarmed by goings on among her circle of friends at the hostel for girls where she’s staying. So once again he calls on Steed for help in an area where Steed really has no official mandate or motive beyond doing a favour to keep one of his best assets sweet.</p>
<p>But the result creates conflict between them unlike anything since Keel was first investigating his fiance’s murder. Steed pursues it as just another case (and one he’s somewhat ambivalent about and wants dealt with quickly rather than neatly) and Keel sees it as a battle to save his surrogate daughter figure from rape. In a range where the resolutions are perhaps the biggest weakness, this leads to one of their best endings, as the two come to actual blows and the Keel/Steed partnership almost ends forever. Indeed, since <b>Big Finish</b> have shown a willingness to fiddle a little with the running order of these episodes, it’s almost a shame Toy Trap wasn’t moved to being the series finale. With only a small bit of tinkering it would have created a dramatic and effective exit for Keel.</p>
<p> </p>Blakeâs 7 â The Classic Audio Adventures: Series 4.3: Crossfire â Part Threetag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev196592018-06-06T22:46:43+01:002018-06-06T23:46:43+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26130&w=300" alt="Blake's 7 - Crossfire - Part 3 (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" title="Blake's 7 - Crossfire - Part 3 (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" /><span style="float:none">Written by Una McCormack, Trevor Baxendale,<br />
Christopher Cooper and Steve Lyons</span><br />
<span style="float:none">Produced and directed by John Ainsworth</span><br />
<span style="float:none">Big Finish Productions, 2018</span><br />
<br />
<span style="float:none">Stars: Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila),<br />
Jan Chappell (Cally), Steven Pacey (Tarrant),<br />
Yasmin Bannerman (Dayna), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac),<br />
Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Hugh Fraser (The President),<br />
John Green (Mordekain), Rebecca Crankshaw (Zeera Vos),<br />
Dan March (Verner), Susie Riddell (Bowkan),<br />
Bruce Alexander (Galon), Malcolm James (Dev),<br />
Charlotte Strevens (Reeva), Peter Aubrey (Kimar),<br />
Steven Pacey (Kervon).</span></div>
<p><br />
<i>"How badly do you want this civil war to end, Avon?"<br />
"An excellent question! How much are we prepared to risk for peace?"<br />
<b>Zeera Vos and Avon, B7: Crossfire - Death of Empire</b></i><br />
</p>
<p>The first two volumes in the <b>Blake's 7 - <i>Crossfire </i></b>saga have put Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) and the <i>Liberator </i>crew in the middle of a Federation civil war. Avon has been content to run disruption against the factions of President Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) and her predecessor (Hugh Fraser) whom she usurped during the events of the TV episode <i>Star One</i>.<br />
Nor have the two presidents been interested in recruiting the <i>Liberator</i> to their respective sides. Indeed, in the finale to Volume 4.2, the President and his cybernetically-augmented second-in-command, Space General Mordekain (John Green), framed the <i>Liberator </i>crew for a terrorist attack on a Federation colony - to boost a propaganda campaign that portrayed Servalan as weak on security.<br />
However, as the war escalates and civilian casualties mount, the <i>Liberator </i>crew, with the advice of seemingly omniscient supercomputer Orac (Alistair Lock), realise that if they are going to intervene in the war to hasten its conclusion, they must choose a side - and it's a decision that threatens the fragile stability of the rebel crew ...<br />
The first of the four plays in this set is Una McCormack's <i>Ministry of Truth</i>. This tale continues the propaganda theme from the concluding tale of Vol 4.2 (<i>The Scapegoat</i>), although this time it focuses on the "infotainment" wing of Servalan's regime, whose purpose, to quote dramatist Chella Bowken (Susie Riddell), is to "keep the masses entertained, undereducated and misinformed".<br />
Part of that "infotainment" is the drama series <i>Space Command</i>, chronicling the adventures of a Space Commander (Rebecca Crankshaw) hunting down a terrorist group led by the notorious renegade Kervon (Steven Pacey, hilariously channelling his inner "Gareth Thomas" as the fictional hybrid of Blake/Avon!). As McCormack herself describes <i>Space Command</i> in the CD extras, it's <b>B7 </b>within <b>B7</b>!<br />
A critique by a show of itself implies that <i>Ministry of Truth</i> is satirical. However, while <i>Space Command</i> is indeed a parody, it is secondary to a plot which is quite hard-edged and traditional for a <b>B7 </b>tale. <i>Ministry of Truth</i> is more a "base under siege" instalment than high farce, reminiscent of the Vol 4.1 episode <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2018/01/blakes_7_the_classic_audio_adventures_vol_4_1_cross.html"><i>Fearless</i><\/a>, which introduced the smuggler Zeera Vos (Crankshaw again). The difference is Vos is acting as an official envoy for Servalan, as she investigates whom aboard the infotainment station has leaked valuable wartime intel to the President's forces. Coincidentally, Avon, Cally (Jan Chappell) and Tarrant (Pacey) teleport aboard the station, in a bid to deal Servalan's Federation a blow in the war.<br />
The series regulars and Crankshaw do a superb job of holding the audience's attention, especially as this story marks the first confrontation between Avon and Vos. Crankshaw is cool and collected as Vos in her dealings with the outlaw leader, while Darrow brings out his inner "bastard" as Avon.<br />
It's difficult to tell if it's McCormack's portrayal of the lead or Darrow's penchant for overactIng (or both!) which make Avon seem more ruthless and paranoid in this serial than he is in the remainder of the boxset. His portrayal is more akin to his series 4 persona than the first three TV seasons, exemplified by his prescient exchange with Cally in the closing moments of the story:</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26131" style="float:left; height:300px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:300px" /><br />
<i>"It's not easy to forgive betrayal, is it, Avon?"<br />
"I'd say it's the unforgivable crime!"</i></p>
<p><br />
As in <i>Fearless</i>, the twist of the tale isn't as astounding as it could be, with the identity of the traitor confined to two suspects: Bowken and infotainment producer Verner (Dan March). The characters are a great contrast; March's calculating, pragmatic and egocentric producer versus Riddell's naïve, idealistic and sympathetic apprentice. Their scenes are the highlight of McCormack's play, and like the character of Zheanne in the previous play <i>The Scapegoat</i>, they provide some insight into how much Federation citizens are frustrated insiders caught in internecine politics.<br />
In many respects, Verner is as much a "survivor" as Avon prides himself. As he says to Bowken:</p>
<p><br />
<i>"You know my philosophy - keep your head down, do your job, don't worry too much about who's in charge! These generals and presidents and space commanders - they don't care a jot for people like us! [On] the plus side, as long as we keep below the radar, they generally don't bother us! I intend to survive this war - and the best way to do that is to go unnoticed!"</i></p>
<p><br />
Cally has been described as the moral compass of the <i>Liberator </i>crew, and while there are flashes of her scruples in <i>Ministry of Truth</i>, it is best demonstrated in Chappell's passionate portrayal in the second serial <i>Refuge</i>. Having lost her home world to Servalan's machinations (in the TV episode <i>Children of Auron</i>), Cally is not about to abandon war victims when the <i>Liberator </i>encounters a people-smuggling ring orchestrated by Gev Galon (Bruce Alexander), a Federation officer-turned-smuggler and a contemporary of Vila (Michael Keating). Of course, the refugees turn out to be pawns in another scheme, again involving Vos (and by extension Servalan).<br />
While <i>Refuge </i>isn't groundbreaking, Trevor Baxendale's script effectively portrays the war's impact on the so-called "little people" and creates two quandaries for the <i>Liberator </i>crew - whom to back in the conflict and what to do about its humanitarian problem. There are no easy solutions to either problem, and Baxendale writes some great scenes and exchanges between the regulars as the <i>Liberator </i>crew debate the ethics and implications of throwing their lot behind a specific side.<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26132" style="float:right; height:300px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:300px" /><br />
Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman), for example, is loath to provide any support for Servalan, the woman she has vowed to kill for murdering her father. Tarrant is also hardly enamoured with the idea of supporting the former President, his past employer. Further, Tarrant accuses Avon of having a subconscious "connection" with Servalan that precludes him from taking her out! Tarrant also has another valid point at the serial's end - that as rebels opposed to despotic regimes, it shouldn't be their job to clean up after the warring factions!<br />
Pacey has a great turn as Tarrant in Christopher Cooper's <i>Kith and Kin</i>. Having determined in <i>Refuge </i>that it is time to take a side in the war, the <i>Liberator </i>crew shows little hurry to intervene! Or more accurately, Avon permits Tarrant to follow up a lead by his late brother Deeta (whom Pacey played in the TV episode <i>Death-Watch</i>) on Corrolos, a "retirement village" planet supposedly beyond the Federation sphere of influence.<br />
While Corrolos is largely immune from the events of the civil war, it is clear an earlier conflict - the intergalactic war that bridged series 2 and 3 of <b>B7 </b>- has had an impact on that world's oblivious citizens. One of the inhabitants is Kimar Laratesh (Peter Aubrey) whose wife ended up being sucked into the depths of space while playing a golf tournament!<br />
In the absence of Vila in this tale, Kimar is the light relief, and while Peter Aubrey plays the part well (especially in conveying Kimar's confusion at Tarrant and Cally's news that the colony's administrators haven't been telling the truth), you still get the impression that a potentially great character has been criminally underdeveloped.<br />
For example, Kimar tells the story that his wife called him "Penny" - as in bad penny, or bad luck! It ought to be a nice touch, to help the listener relate better to him. Yet after Kimar tells the story, neither Tarrant nor Cally refer him to by his nickname (making the listener question the purpose of the anecdote!). Nor is any effort made at the conclusion to focus on how Kimar feels when the whole of Corrolos comes crashing down around him - he's presumably meant to process it all by himself after he's bundled off the <i>Liberator </i>onto a long-distance shuttle by an intolerant Avon. It's already taken the poor man 18 months to finally accept that he shouldn't feel so guilty for his wife's demise!<br />
<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26133" style="float:left; height:300px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:300px" />Of course, the fate of Corrolos apparently pales in comparison to the traumas and tribulations of "House Tarrant". While the TV series occasionally focused on the family links of some of the main characters, it's interesting that Big Finish has over the years sought to develop the characters in the audio plays by providing them with (in some instances) contrived backstories that were never even hinted at in the TV series (eg Vila's father is a former Federation governor and high councillor, Avon and his elder brother were members of a neo-fascist, evangelical cult, and Dayna's mother, thought killed in Hal Mellanby's rebellion, is still alive). The Tarrant family history proves to be just as convoluted, as - in what smacks of fanwank - we are introduced to Del Tarrant's <i>other </i>brother who, it is inferred, we've met before - in fact, as early as <i>The Way Back</i>, the very first episode of <b>B7</b>.<br />
Indeed, the connection (by the Tarrant name, which was a cliché of series creator Terry Nation in his <b>B7 </b>and <b>Doctor Who</b> scripts) is tenuous and ambiguous. There's no denying the antagonist is Del Tarrant's brother - it's a more a question of whether the listener accepts the inference that it's the <i>same </i>character that essentially kickstarted Roj Blake's journey and <b>B7 </b>in the first place. Cooper and producer John Ainsworth insist in the CD extras it is - but fans are equally entitled to treat the notion with some hefty spoonfuls of salt!<br />
It is a credit to performer Malcolm James that he provides a three-dimensional backbone to an otherwise two-dimensional character (that was originated on TV by the late Jeremy Wilkin). However, to make Tarrant's brother <i>that </i>character takes artistic licence a little too far and merely attempts to "plug" a continuity "hole" that didn't exist in the first place! It also detracts from the quality of what is (in dramatic terms) a decent tragedy.<br />
Fortunately, Vol 4.3's finale <i>Death of Empire</i>, from a continuity perspective, is a bit more palatable. The story also applies artistic licence to a "gap" in <b>B7 </b>continuity (as referenced in the TV episodes <i>Traitor </i>and <i>Sand</i>) but Steve Lyons, who hinted at the <i>Crossfire </i>story arc as early as his excellent episode <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2015/05/blakes-7-devils-advocatetruth-and-lies.html"><i>Devil's Advocate</i><\/a> (Vol 2.5), delivers a cracking and logical conclusion to the saga as the President's forces, tipped off by an informant, close in on Servalan, who is holed up in her palace on the jungle world of Geddon ...<br />
The story - and the outcome of the conflict - plays out as I predicted in my <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2018/04/blakes_7_the_classic_audio_adventures_vol_4_3_cross.html">review of Vol 4.2<\/a> - although it's never feels like a <i>fait accompli</i>. This chapter is compelling, balancing drama and action with lighter moments, courtesy of humour from Vila and even Zeera in some of her scenes with Servalan (eg "I did not build my imperial palace only to cower beneath it!" Servalan proclaims, to which Zeera counters: "Do you mind if I do?"). All of the protagonists and antagonists are well served by Lyons' script, and as a result, the cast deliver outstanding performances - eg Servalan's larger than life proclamations as "Supreme Empress" (being presidential apparently isn't enough!), the President's sophisticated charm and composure, Avon's dour and sceptical attitude, and Vila's terror of "monster" snakes!<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26134" style="float:right; height:300px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:300px" /><br />
Lyons also revisits the rivalry between Tarrant and Mordekain as they attempt to outwit each other in a game of strategy aboard their respective starships, the <i>Liberator </i>and the <i>Lethal Shadow</i>. John Green clearly relishes his part as the General while Pacey infuses Tarrant with extra obstinacy and anguish in the aftermath of events in <i>Kith and Kin</i>.<br />
In the wash-up (and in true <b>B7 </b>fashion), the <i>Liberator </i>crew find that as much as they want to influence events for the better, they are still very much bystanders in the war - and in internecine Federation politics. Their intervention on Geddon does little to change the outcome, the seeds of which were sewn as far back as the concluding moments of Vol 4.2. Even the identity of Servalan's informant isn't entirely surprising, as it fits within the character's modus operandi to hedge bets both ways.<br />
And so the three-volume, 12-part <i>Crossfire</i> saga comes to a satisfactory conclusion, with this micro-series (much like all four seasons of the TV series that inspired it) ending on a cliffhanger. Overall, the saga has been an ambitious and entertaining run from Big Finish, with some excellent episodes and consistently high auditory experiences throughout.<br />
There have been a few misfires - the terrible Cally one-hander <i>True Believers</i>, the Paul Darrow-scripted <i>Erebus </i>and this volume's<i> Kith and Kin</i> - but for the most part, the episodes have been well written, with a few very clever ideas thrown in for good measure (eg Vila's "devil may care" persona in <i>Fearless</i>, his impersonator in <i>The Scapegoat</i>, the reprogrammed soldiers in <i>Shock Troops</i> and the brilliant blind-siding of both presidents in <i>Funeral on Kalion</i>). The only other criticism one could make (which was itself also true of the TV series) is that the civil war story arc and the characterisations of the regulars are sometimes disjointed. You would expect Dayna to have been psychologically scarred by her experiences in <i>Shock Troops</i> and even Vila to be confused after his turn in <i>Fearless</i>.<br />
As for what BF's next <b>B7 </b>saga holds ... well, it's no doubt all in the name - <i>Restoration </i>(at time of writing, BF has only announced the title, it hasn't nominated a release date or confirmed the cast). With the Federation recovering from intergalactic and civil wars, the <i>Liberator </i>crew will no doubt be a target now that the Federation has been reunified under one leader. As Avon says: "The new regime - the same as the old regime!"<br />
BF may also be raising the stakes a little higher - the "restoration" may well allude to an even greater threat (hinted at in Vol 4.1 episode <i>Resurgence</i>). If so, it may not be long before the revamped Federation begrudgingly calls on the assistance of "the galaxy's most notorious outlaws" once again ...</p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 2tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev196192018-05-03T23:00:56+01:002018-05-04T00:00:56+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25907&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 2 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 2 (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<p><b>Written By</b>: Peter Ling, Dennis Spooner and Fred Edge<br />
<b>Adapted by:</b> John Dorney<br />
<b>Directed By:</b> Ken Bentley</p>
<p><b>Cast</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel),<b> Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), <b>Lucy Briggs-Owen</b> (Carol Wilson), <b>Terry Molloy</b> (Jacques Beronne/Cafe Owner/Barman), <b>Martin Hutson</b> (Felgate/Porter/Clerk), <b>John Banks</b> (Marko Ogrin/Peter Somers/Policeman), Jacqueline King (Mrs Marne),Rachel Atkins (Olive Berrone), <b>Richard Franklin</b> (Inspector Tudor), <b>Richard Hope</b> (Kollakis/Sleeping Car Attendant), <b>Dan Starkey </b>(Phillip Anthony/Trevor Price/One-Ten/Watchman/Tough)</p>
<p><b>Producer</b> David Richardson<br />
<b>Executive Producers</b> Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
</div>
<p>As<b> Big Finish</b>’s recreation of the missing, believed wiped, episodes of <b>The Avengers</b>’ first season continues into its second volume it provides almost a mirror image of the progression seen in the first boxset. While the original batch of adventures are hardcore crime dramas into which a steadily increasing sense of the strange and avant-garde is injected, the four which follow are high concept spy fun which occasionally veers into more gritty corners as if one or two writers on the staff missed the memo.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Ashes of Roses</b></p>
<p>One of the interesting developments of this box set is its willingness to play with the Keel/Steed formula. In this episode Keel takes a backseat to his own secretary, as its supporting cast member Carol (Lucy Briggs-Owen) whose help Steed is eager to recruit. It does feel comically unlikely that Keel is so cynical that things will go as smoothly as Steed promises, and keenly aware of how many near-death experiences Steed has led him into but still ultimately adopts an attitude of ‘oh, go on then,’ when Carol basically pleads to be let have an adventure of her own. This time out Steed’s been assigned to chase down a professional arsonist who left a dead victim in his wake at his last fire and his best lead is the exclusive hairdressers that potentially the next target. If using Carol as his ‘woman on the inside’ is a throw-forward to the plot of about half the Mrs. Peel stories,<i> Ashes of Roses</i> is distinct in that Carol’s lack of guile and weak explanations mean she effectively has “I AM A SPY” on her forehead and a target on her back from the moment she arrives. As is usually the case in these early stories, it all climaxes strictly to the formula (one part Hercule Poirot drawing-room explanation, one part Harry Hill “FIIIIIIIIGHT!”) but is livened up by a bit of business with an escape by train.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Please Don’t Feed the Animals</b></p>
<p>As you might guess from the title, this is most definitely one of the stories on the forward edge of<b> The Avengers</b>’ evolution, with a plot that could have been adapted to almost any era, right up to the days of Tara King, by adjusting the mix of silliness and drama accordingly. From the clanking typewriter of Dennis Spooner, always one of early <b>Doctor Who</b>'s must fun and gifted writers, what grounds it firmly in Series One territory is the entry point of civil servants being caught with their pants down, quite literally, in honey traps with prostitutes and then being blackmailed into handing over first cash, and then state secrets. What suggests the series to come is the use of a private zoo run by a typically Avengerish eccentric as the handing over point, and the hapless victims being disposed of via crocodile once they’ve reached the end of their usefulness. As with most of these stories were essentially introduced to the villains at the start, but there’s an additional level of ‘whodunnit’ at work here – though with so few suspects, you’d be hard-pressed not to guess the solution. But the real joy is the banter between Steed and the zoo owner as the two big personalities try to out-eccentric-Englishman each other. Splendid fun.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Radioactive Man</b></p>
<p><b>Doctor Who</b> fans are well aware of the necessity of the punishing 1960s filming schedule meaning a need for regular time off for the series regulars, but simultaneously a never-ending treadmill that leaves no gap in the schedule for it. In this case, even in my mind’s eye listening to the audio, it’s hard not to imagine Steed’s handful of very brief appearances featuring a sudden jump from videotape to pre-recorded film inserts – while Patrick Macnee no doubt surrounded himself with a bevy of adoring ladies while on holiday on the south coast of France. Instead, Keel moves further centre stage than he has since <i>Hot Snow</i> and gains his own sidekick in the form of no nonsense Inspector Tudor (played by the wonderfully distinctive voice of Richard Franklin, formerly Captain Mike Yates of UNIT). If the emphasis on Keel is a throwback to the start of the season, so it the plot. Okay, so it features a ‘radioactive man’ of sorts, but the case of an illegal immigrant, accidentally exposed to radiation at a hospital, and who goes on the run when spooked by the authorities’ desperate race against time to save his life, would barely be outside the mandate of<b> Z-Cars</b>. It is however, very well done, and radioactive man Marko’s fear and anxiety, matched by Keel’s increasingly stress and determination to find him, makes for some genuine tension. Marko’s burgeoning romance with his landlady Mary too presents us with some of the most real, unironic, emotion found anywhere in the show’s canon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Dance with Death</b></p>
<p>A story that bounces us almost all the way back to the start of the season, this is firmly an adventure for Keel, in which Steed plays a firmly supporting role. The long lost Dr. Tredding even gets a mention! It also reflects the sort of low seediness of the earliest episodes, with women getting electrocuted in the bath with heaters, and much of the episode touring the suspects with motives as mundane as wanting to seize control of her half of a dance school. Steed only shows up at all in the latter third of the tale, and then seems to treat the whole thing as a jolly holiday from his more important and stressful work. By the point he’s caught in a hotel, boring a hole in the door to an adjoining bathroom (“there’s a girl in the bath, you see”) he’s clearly having the time of his life. Dragged into things by a Keel frustrated by the lack of action by the regular police, our bowler hatted agent quite rightly points out that Keel’s supposed to be at his beck and call, not the other way round. And in a neat, but distinctly unAvengerish, touch of realism he notes the restriction that he can’t act with the usual blank cheque of authority to do whatever he deems necessary to crack the case. It’s both slightly unfortunate, though, and a testament to how well Julian Wadham has settled in to the role, that this is the first time for ages that as a listener you find yourselves wishing we still had Patrick Macnee’s interpretations of these scenes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All in all, Volume 2 illustrates just how far we’ve come in a short space of time. Underlined by how even as the plots ping and pong back and forward between two genres, Steed is now distinctly Steed in both.</p>
<p> </p>The Omega Factor: Series 2 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195912018-04-16T10:56:27+01:002018-04-16T11:56:27+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26027"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26027&w=300" alt="The Omega Factor: Series 2 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Omega Factor: Series 2 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><\/a>
<p>Written By: Phil Mulryne, Roy Gill, Louise Jameson, Matt FittonDirected By: Ken Bentley</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Louise Jameson (Dr Anne Reynolds), John Dorney (Adam Dean), Natasha Gerson (Morag), Camilla Power (Dr Jane Wyatt), Alex Tregear (Kate), Alan Cox (James Doyle), Richenda Carey (Sarah Maitland), Gunnar Cauthery (Edward Milton), Hugh Fraser (Anthony Archer), Alan Francis (Alasdair Reiver), Ben Fox (Graham Stocker). Other roles performed by the cast.</p>
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt Fitton</p>
<p>Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
</div>
<p>At the end of my review of the Omega Factor series 1, I made something of a bold statement. I remarked that out of Big Finish’s entire output, the Omega Factor was my favourite release of all time. Now there’s two things to bear in mind here. One is that I haven’t managed to listen to EVERY Big Finish release, though I do feel I’ve listened to enough to make a judgement on the high quality of their products. The second is that I’m admittedly something of a horror aficionado and particularly of tales done in the ‘Jamesian’ mode, namely subtle menacing tales of the supernatural. However, those two factors, the sheer <i>genius </i>on display in OF series 1 was awe inspiring. Not only that but the level of care taken in ‘rebooting’ the series, shows appreciation for the original merged with a strong desire to push it into new and terrifying dimensions. Series 2 then had a lot to live up to and it can’t have been an easy task following on from a series that achieved such critical acclaim. Matt Finton and his team of writers, however, have clearly thought incredibly hard about how to continue. Firstly, they involve an element from the original series that was conspicuously missing in series 1- the organisation Omega itself. However. rather than just have them pop up randomly for the finale, they seamlessly weave them throughout the four tales and even link them to unanswered questions in series 1. Their brief mentions in the prior series already established them as a powerful and dangerous threat, even to listeners unfamiliar with the original series. To help this several reoccurring characters are brought in, Edward Milton (Gunnur Cauthery) and Dr Banks (Richenda Carey). Both actors play their respective roles wonderfully and are given ample time to shine. In line with this new element the series also has more of a ‘thriller feel’, involving political elements and embracing the conspiratory nature of Omega.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Somnum Sempiternum by Phil Mulryne</b></p>
<p>The first story by Phil Mulryne demonstrates this, as Department 7 are called in by Doyle to investigate a series of political assassinations. Jameson and Dorney slip effortlessly back into their roles cementing far they’ve grown together as a double act. Alan Cox, as Doyle is given a lot more to do and we get to see him soften a little towards the department, a theme which grows throughout the series. Dr Jane Wyatt who was a villain in the previous series, <i>The Old Gods</i>, returns again played by Camilla Power, who plays the role with the same chilling lack of empathy that made her such a success in the previous set. Sadly she doesn’t really have much to do in the episode bar standard villain actions, ala reporting to her mysterious overlords and having a VERY brief confrontation without heroes. It would have been great to see her have more of a standoff with Jameson and Dorney, but that aside it’s an extremely strong opener.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Changeling- Roy Gill</b></p>
<p>‘The Changeling’ is by far the stand out story of the set. This episode sees Adam go undercover in a maximum security prison to investigate a series of mysterious deaths surrounding a particularly disturbed inmate, Alistair Reever (Alan Francis). This episode is structured primarily as a mystery, with Dean attempting to work out exactly why Reever committed murder and what forces may be behind it. Due to that fact the less said about this story the better and I urge readers to avoid spoilers as much as possible. However it should be said that the final revelation is utterly devastating and beautifully tragic, Gill having teased the reality slowly but presented enough red herrings so that when the truth hits it hits hard. The Changeling finishes with an element of ambiguity but rather than leave it here this is followed up in later instalments. Whereas one might expect this to damage the stories individual merit, on the contrary it benefits it. These later revelations allow the very personal tragedy on display here to be part of something larger and more sinister, in particular the nature of those events only makes it all the more poignant. A beautiful, haunting masterpiece.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Let the Angel Tell Thee- Louise Jameson</b></p>
<p>Our third tale begins to escalate the events surrounding Omegas plans, despite our heroes still being somewhat oblivious to the danger around them. Most notably this is written by Louise Jameson who once again proves to be one of Big Finish’s strongest assets. Listening to her in interviews one is given the distinct impression that she has a real soft spot for <i>The Omega Factor</i> and her character of Dr Ann Reynolds. In particular, she applauds the decision to set the series thirty years later (which I also commended in my review of the first series) and it’s a decision she utilises to the full her, exploring Ann as an older woman. Jameson’s strong sense of character is so rich that even brief passing moments of dialogue allow a glimpse into aspects of Ann’s life that we haven’t seen before. The story itself may seem like an old cliché, with Omega attempting to dispose of Ann by getting to her through her love life but like the best of this series, that’s merely an excuse for in-depth character exploration. All of the other regulars are great as is the guest cast, (Hugh Fraser) but on the whole, this is a showcase for the supreme talents of Louise Jameson and what a wonderful showcase it is.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Awakening- Matt Finton</b></p>
<p>The final tale in the set brings together all the developing plot threads and also includes a surprise (though not entirely unexpected by this point in the series) Villain. Admittedly as a stand-alone story it does suffer somewhat from having an entire set riding on its back, but how it transforms the two sets into one complete story is what makes it great. For example whilst the reveal of what Omega and our extra-Villain are each up to respectively is certainly interesting but not exactly new or groundbreaking. What does make it stand out is the incredibly clever way in which they tie several episodes across the two series together, transforming simple standalone stories into important aspects of a grand master plan. Whilst the setting of the hospital does at points endanger a small scale feeling to what is essentially a grandiose season finale, the emotional links (primarily Adams previously unseen but much spoken of family being involved) work to make the stakes high. All in all the Awakening delivers what its promised and provides a tense and satisfying conclusion, whilst giving a tantalising hint of what’s to come…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With the quality of series 1 so incredibly high, the OF team really had their work cut out in trying to equal it. This work must have been made all the harder by then having to resurrect the previously untouched Omega organisation. The result is not only every bit the equal of the original but a wonderful continuation of an excellent audio series. I made the bold statement in my last review that just after having heard series 1, the OF was my favourite Big Finish series, I stand by it here. A towering achievement that continues to impress.</p>Blake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures - Vol 4.3: Crossfire - Part 2tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195842018-04-15T06:59:19+01:002018-04-15T07:59:19+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25928&h=400" alt="Blake's 7 - Crossfire - Part 2 (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" title="Blake's 7 - Crossfire - Part 2 (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" class="right" />
<p><b>Written by Trevor Baxendale, Cavan Scott,<br />
Paul Darrow and Steve Lyons</b></p>
<p><b>Produced and directed by John Ainsworth</b></p>
<p><b>Big Finish Productions, 2018</b></p>
<p><b>Stars: Paul Darrow</b><b> (Avon),<br />
Michael Keating (Vila), Jan Chappell (Cally),<br />
Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Yasmin Bannerman (Dayna),<br />
Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac),<br />
Hugh Fraser (The President), Trevor Littledale (Maldor),<br />
Imogen Church (Niner), Tam Williams (Jay),<br />
Tania Rodrigues (Captain), Issy Van Randwyck (Eve Adams/Nada), Anthony Townsend (Commander/Robot),<br />
John Green (Mordekain), Toby Longworth (Lockwood),<br />
Kerry Skinner (Zheanne)</b></p>
</div>
<p><i>We’ve no idea if we’re surrounded by friend or foe. That’s the trouble with civil war – both sides look the same!</i></p>
<p><i>Avon, <b>B7 – Crossfire: Shock Troops</b></i></p>
<p>At the conclusion to the first boxset in <b>B7</b>’s <i>Crossfire</i> saga, President Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) became aware that the man she deposed – the former President of the Terran Federation (Hugh Fraser) – was building an army and preparing to move against her. A Federation civil war was inevitable …</p>
<p>In <i>Crossfire</i> – Part Two, the war is in motion, and the <i>Liberator</i> crew are confronted with a dilemma. Do they take a side in the conflict or, as Avon (Paul Darrow) suggests, run disruption against both sides? And what happens when the crew become pawns in the former President’s machinations against Servalan?</p>
<p>This middle part of the <i>Crossfire</i> saga doesn’t disappoint. The four serials are well written and performed, with only the third chapter – <i>Erebus</i> (written by one Paul Darrow) – being the weakest link.</p>
<p>Trevor Baxendale’s <i>Funeral on Kalion</i> is the pick of the set. For the second consecutive play (not counting the recent <b>B7</b> 40th anniversary boxset <i>The Way Ahead</i>), listeners are served up a heist story – after <i>Crossfire</i> - Part One concluded with the episode <i>Fearless</i>. However, where the big reveal in <i>Fearless</i> was a damp squib, the twist in <i>Funeral on Kalion</i> is, for all its simplicity, ingenious.</p>
<p>In the serial, Servalan and her presidential predecessor visit the independent world of Kalion to pay their “respects” to its recently deceased sovereign. Given Kalion’s independence is tolerated by the Federation in exchange for the manufacture of warships for more than 60 per cent of its space fleet, both presidents see an opportunity to exploit the power vacuum and seize control of Kalion’s shipbuilding facilities for themselves. The sovereign’s death also attracts the attention of the <i>Liberator</i> crew, with Avon realising Kalion’s shipyards could be the key (figuratively and literally) to the mutual destruction of the presidents and the downfall of the Federation.</p>
<p>Baxendale’s clever script uses plenty of misdirection to distract not only the three parties vying for Kalion’s control but the listener as well. He also successfully injects plenty of political irony and subtle humour into the narrative. This script marks the first face to face meeting (at least on audio) between Fraser’s nameless President and Pearce’s Servalan, and their dialogue and pithy exchanges are extremely well written and wonderfully performed by the two actors.</p>
<p>The regular cast members are also on song, with Vila’s scepticism about death and funerals being one of the highlights of the play, and conveyed with all the alacrity that you’d expect of Michael Keating:</p>
<p><i>Vila: It’s all just a racket anyway!</i></p>
<p><i>Tarrant: What is? Death?</i></p>
<p><i>Dayna: How very existential!</i></p>
<p><i>Vila: No, funerals! No one benefits from a funeral – except the undertaker!</i></p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25929" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:left; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" />However, the standout performance of the play is from Trevor Littledale as Maldor, the late sovereign’s chancellor. Littledale delivers a regal, diplomatic and understated turn that makes you warm to him as a character, little realising that he has a few tricks up his iron sleeve. His reserve also stands out against the extroverted Servalan and the smooth-talking, brown-nosing President. Indeed, this is one of the few <b>B7</b> episodes where you find yourself rooting not for the <i>Liberator</i> crew but for Maldor and Kalion. Indeed, the conclusion – and the twist – is a masterstroke, and it seems only fitting that Kalion’s destiny is assured.</p>
<p><i>Shock Troops</i>, from Cavan Scott, is the boxset’s obligatory “experimental” episode. With one or two exceptions (notably Kevin Lloyd’s Trooper Par in the episode <i>Trial</i>, in the second season of the original TV series), <b>B7</b> never really highlighted the men – or women – behind the faceless masks of the Federation’s soldiers. (Indeed, the only women we ever saw in uniform were Servalan and Travis’s Mutoid posse.) For the most part, on TV, Federation soldiers were dehumanised, ruthless thugs and cannon fodder for Blake and his cohorts. <i>Shock Troops</i> is Scott’s attempt to illustrate not only what life is like on the frontline for Federation troops but to show the humanity and virtues of some of them.</p>
<p>The serial is told largely from the viewpoint of Trooper 229R (or “Niner”, played by Imogen Church), and briefly through her colleague 971J (or “Jay”, played by Tam Williams), as their unit seeks to restore law and order on a remote pastoral colony. In addition to being told from Niner’s point of view, the serial also occasionally takes on a video game feel, as we visualise combat scenarios akin to a first person shooter. However, after a rebel attack kills most of the unit’s members, new recruits arrive in the form of service robots and Trooper 817A (or “Alpha”). However, Alpha is no ordinary trooper. It is evident (at least to the listener) that the newcomer is Dayna Mellanby (Yasmin Bannerman), whom the listener assumes is on a covert mission for the <i>Liberator</i> crew.</p>
<p>It’s a credit to Scott (BF’s former <b>B7</b> range producer) that his narrative style and characters for this serial keep the listener engaged in the first 15 minutes before Dayna materialises and pushes its momentum along. Having in recent years written some spin-off fiction for that other space opera in a “galaxy, far, far away”, Scott has taken a leaf from the pages of Disney’s latest <b>Star Wars</b> trilogy and not only made this squad of Federation troops nameless (designated only by alphanumeric titles) but also heavily inhabited by women (as we see amongst numerous examples in the First Order). As Scott puts it in the CD extras, when it comes to gender, the Federation military is an “equal opportunities death machine”.<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25930" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" /></p>
<p>Scott, however, also hides in plain sight a revelation about Dayna, Niner, Jay, other members of their squad, and possibly even their commanding officer Captain 492M (Tania Rodrigues), that deserves further exploration in future <b>B7</b> instalments beyond the <i>Crossfire</i> saga. In some respects, the disclosure (and Avon’s motives in the serial’s concluding moments) are more suited to events in season four of the TV series (and not season three, in which this tale is ostensibly set). It is also disappointing that the events of <i>Shock Troops</i> – and their impact on Dayna as a character – are self-contained and not referenced in the subsequent stories in the set. That said, <b>B7</b> on TV was equally as guilty of inconsistency in this regard.</p>
<p>Darrow’s <i>Erebus</i> is also guilty of inconsistency, albeit with regards to characterisation of the <i>Liberator</i> crew rather than necessarily story (or program) continuity. The serial itself is a vast improvement on Darrow’s other <b>B7</b> works, largely (I suspect) because producer John Ainsworth has invested considerable time and effort into ensuring Darrow’s script doesn’t run off-track.</p>
<p>The title of the serial draws its name from an idyllic Earth-like planet that also happens to be the President’s base of operations in the civil war against Servalan, but the plot has little to do with Erebus – nor even the President. Darrow’s script focuses on what is best described as Avon and Orac’s feminine “counterparts” – the seemingly emotionless, cold Federation colonel Eve Adams and her computer Nada (both played by Issy van Randwyck). Adams has a score to settle with Avon and their prior history contradicts the circumstances that led to his incarceration with Blake at the beginning of the TV series (not to mention it strongly implies he had an additional lover to Anna Grant).</p>
<p>In many ways, the story is a cat-and-mouse game between the <i>Liberator</i> crew, Adams and the President but with very little sense of intrigue or ingenuity. Darrow attempts to infuse a lot of humour into his script to substitute for the lack of drama or action but for the most part it falls flat. An exchange between Tarrant and Vila about “cross-dressing” Federation guards almost goes as much over the listener’s head as it does Vila’s! It’s not so much Tarrant as a character being whimsical as Darrow as a writer being infantile! The President’s Noel Coward-like robot aide de camp – with an emphasis on <i>camp</i>! – starts off as mildly amusing but as the story progresses the joke behind it runs very thin. Nevertheless, Anthony Townsend deserves a mention for his dual, vastly different performances as the robotic aide de camp and a butch yet incompetent Federation space commander. Both parts are caricatures but it’s certainly not obvious they’re the same actor!</p>
<p><img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25931" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:left; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" />But what makes this story most disappointing is the portrayal of the regular characters. To his credit, Darrow resists giving Avon all the best lines and the best scenes. However, while he ought to know all the characters well, the dialogue he writes for them just doesn’t sound like any of them. There is also a sense of distrust and bitchiness between the characters, particularly Avon and Cally, that just doesn’t seem warranted in the story and is not portrayed in any of the other serials in this boxset (or indeed in the TV series). “I’m the telepath, Dayna!” Cally almost snaps at one point, when Dayna expresses reservations that Tarrant and Vila may be heading into a trap. Vila also shows a dependence on Tarrant’s heroism that jars with his character. The supporting cast try their best with the script but, as I’ve written elsewhere, Darrow is exceptional when he works with other people’s <b>B7</b> material, he’s just not necessarily adept at writing his own!</p>
<p>The set’s final instalment <i>The Scapegoat</i> sees the <i>Liberator</i> crew drawn to the Federation world Astra Valadina, a planet (that aside from its weapons manufacturing expertise) is renowned for mesmerising and pacifying its population through mindless entertainment and propaganda on giant video screens. There, Avon and his crew meet with a supposed arms dealer, only to be implicated in a terrorist attack orchestrated by the President and his number two Space Colonel Mordekain (John Green). Key to the deception is a supposed video confession by Vila that the <i>Liberator</i> crew is behind the attack …</p>
<p>Steve Lyons’ script is an excellent conclusion to the set and more in keeping with <b>B7</b>’s penchant for political drama than <i>Erebus</i>. While Trevor Littledale’s Maldor is still the highlight of this set, due credit also goes to BF veteran Toby Longworth in <i>The Scapegoat</i> for his portrayal of conman and method actor Kurt Lockwood who provides a passable impersonation of Vila.</p>
<p>This is another strong story for Vila following the previous boxset’s finale <i>Fearless</i>. Lockwood is a great character study in comparison to Vila – he may effectively be Vila’s “biggest fan” (capturing some of Vila’s clumsiness and anxieties, even down to babbling when arrested by Federation guards) but, much like Tano Herrick in <i>Fearless</i>, Lockwood’s fright and dread get the better of him. Vila is at least savvy enough not to panic quite so easily and endanger both their lives. Keating and Longworth are a great combo – the dialogue exchanges between the two are laugh out loud funny, especially when attempts to force the real Vila into a false confession lead to accusations that his “performance” is below par. By comparison, Lockwood claims his performance as Vila is “nuanced” and layered, eg:</p>
<p><i>Lockwood: Look, does this man look like a ruthless terrorist to you? He’s completely miscast!</i><img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25932" style="float:right; height:300px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px; margin-top:10px; width:300px" /></p>
<p><i>Vila: Do you mind? I’ve been playing me all my life!</i></p>
<p><i>Lockwood: Which is why your performance is so utterly stale!</i></p>
<p>In all, the story is a good ensemble piece for the regular characters, as well as the President and Mordekain. While Avon, Dayna and Vila are caught up in the “A” plot, the “B” plot sees Tarrant (Steven Pacey) fighting for survival when he and a pretty pick pocket Zheanne (Kerry Skinner) are trapped in the rubble of the building destroyed in the “terrorist” explosion. While we see a softer, compassionate and selfless side to Tarrant, Zheanne provides an insight into how the average citizen views the Federation with (for the most part) unwavering and unquestioning obedience – even when the evidence presented to them is to the contrary. There is at least some hope for Zheanne at the conclusion, but Tarrant is left to lament the point of fighting for a populace that is so indifferent to the Federation’s manipulation.</p>
<p><i>Crossfire</i> – Part Two provides some entertaining, and in some instances thought-provoking, chapters to the middle part of what Ainsworth describes as a “trilogy”. Each instalment is solidly performed and produced (as long-term listeners of BF productions would by now expect) and has a significant point of difference. Although the civil war, for the most part, occurs very much in the background of the four tales, there are hints at the end of <i>The Scapegoat</i> that the tide of the battle is starting to turn against Servalan and there may well be a traitor in her midst …</p>
<p><i>Crossfire</i> – Part Three promises to be a cracking finale – and will no doubt push the envelope for the protagonists as much as the antagonists. As for the “winner”, my money is on Hugh Fraser’s villainous President, but in a universe that is as uncertain as <b>Blake’s 7</b>, there could still be plenty of twists and turns to come …</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>The Omega Factor: Series 1 (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195832018-04-07T21:48:50+01:002018-04-07T22:48:50+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26015"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26015&w=300" alt="The Omega Factor: Series 1 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Omega Factor: Series 1 (Credit: Big Finish)" /><\/a>
<p>Written By: Matt Fitton, Phil Mulryne, Cavan Scott, Ken BentleyDirected By: Ken Bentley</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Louise Jameson (Anne Reynolds / Demon), John Dorney (Adam Dean / James / Volunteer 2), Alan Cox (James Doyle / Beast / Ian Raskin / New Orderly), Sandra Voe (Mary McConnell), Natasha Gerson (Morag), Tracy Wiles (Reverend Lucy Douglas / Angie), Terry Molloy (Edmund Fennick / Malcolm McConnell / Chief Superintendent Malcolm Wade), Camilla Power (Dr Jane Wyatt / Presenter), Kate Bracken (Elinor Gordon / Volunteer 1), Georgie Glen (Wanda Maccrum / Demon), Hilary Maclean (Dr Jacqueline Everson/Samntha Matheson / Demon / Clerk), Derek Hutchinson (Fraser Kirkland / Peter / Orderly 2), Laura Dos Santos (Lorraine Armstong/Jill)</p>
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt Fitton</p>
<p>Executive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
</div>
<p>Lasting for only a single ten-episode series broadcast in 1979 <i>The Omega Factor</i>, is the very definition of a cult TV show. The series told the story of Tom Crane, a journalist who discovers he has psychic powers and becomes involved with Department 7, an organisation that investigated the paranormal and the strange. Attracting negative criticism from Mary Whitehouse, the show was axed before it really had a chance to get going and disappeared into obscurity. Thirty years later, enter Big Finish, who were apparently on the lookout for a more overt ‘Horror’ styled series, picked up the rights and produced the first in a series of box sets continuing the adventures of Department 7. Except they didn’t continue those adventures, well at least not the <i>same </i>Department 7. The genius of Big Finish’s version is that it’s more reboot than continuation. With the majority of their productions they usually continue right where the series left off, with the covers featuring the cast as they were on the screen. However, there was one somewhat major issue; original star James Hazeldine had passed away some years prior. It would have been easy to introduce a copy of his Tom Crane character in all but name, but Big Finish are far more intelligent than that.</p>
<p>Instead, we pick up in the present day with Louise Jameson’s Ann Reynolds now in charge of the department. We experience this through the eyes of Adam Dean (John Dorney), the original Tom Crane characters son. In many ways, this recalls the first series of the rebooted <i>Doctor Who </i>and many of the techniques used there are replicated here. Things are kept simple. The Omega organisation who represented the ‘Big Bad’ are kept absent from this series bar a brief mention and other returning elements are drip fed. The series is then left to concentrate on what it excels at, creating terrifying stories.</p>
<p><b>From Beyond- Matt Fitton</b></p>
<p>Matt Fittons series opener presents a simple supernatural tale of an old psychic woman believing her long-dead brother to be haunting her. Original it may not be but effective it is and for the first half this element is kept mostly in the background, allowing Fitton to instead concentrate on character development. From the off, John Dorney’s Adam Dean comes across as an entirely likeable and fully rounded character. Having had some experience in this area myself, I particularly liked that the decision was made to have him working in a care home. The real genius is that this isn’t simple character signposting (‘look he’s a caring guy!’) but comes up later in the plot, with him noticing warning signs that have gone unseen by Jameson’s Dr Reynolds. Speaking of Jameson, she slips back into her character effortlessly but this older, stronger Reynolds provides a great foil for Dorney’s Dean and creates some wonderful character moments.</p>
<p><b>The Old Gods- Phil Mulryne</b></p>
<p>Easily one of the strongest in the entire set, <i>The Old Gods, </i>presents a wonderfully creepy tale of a spiritual centre attempting to help people who suffer from electrosensitivity hiding a dark secret. Terry Molloy provides a wonderfully chilling turn as Edmund Fennick, somewhat reminiscent of Cyril Luckham’s Edward Drexil in the original series. One particular scene in which he confronts Lousie Jameson stands out for it’s sly menace and he’s helped in the creep factor by Camilla Power as the cold Dr Jane Wyatt. Whilst the ending perhaps could have benefitted from a little more subtlety, rather than the overt supernatural manifestation we are instead given, it doesn’t affect what is a brilliant story.</p>
<p><b>Legion- Cavan Scott</b></p>
<p>Notable for featuring the return of Morag (Natasha Gerson), <i>Legion </i>is sadly the weakest in this particular series. That doesn’t of course mean it’s a bad tale, far from it, particularly when the quality here is so high. However the multitude of voices used to depict the titular ‘legion’ of Demons is somewhat overpowering and makes for an uncomfortable listening experience, I wasn’t always sure which character was speaking. There’s also not many twists are turns to be had, Department 7 go looking for Morag, find her, end the supernatural happenings surrounding her and then leave. An entertaining listen but one which pales compared to the other excellence on display.</p>
<p><b>The Hollow Earth- Ken Bentley</b></p>
<p>Truly terrifying are the only words that can be used to describe Ken Bentley’s superb finale. Taking place within a church and featuring <i>something </i>trying to break through to our world, <i>The Hollow Earth </i>is a claustrophobic masterpiece and certainly one to be listened to with the lights on. One particular scene (in which a Vicar goes somewhere she defiantly shouldn’t go!) caused me to actually press pause just so I could recover and calm down. The supporting cast are as always wonderful with Tracey Wiles giving a wonderful performance as the aforementioned Vicar. As an odd aside it features a number of similarities to the 2013 film <i>The Borderlands, </i>a superb little horror film that any fan of the genre should check out.</p>
<p>I was going to open with this but I thought I’d build up to it rather than open with what is a pretty bold statement. <i>The Omega Factor </i>is my favourite Big Finish production. Period. A wonderfully evocative set of stories that manages to be brave, terrifying and four hours of well-developed and well-acted characters. A must have for horror fans.</p>The Island of Dr Moreau (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195782018-03-31T10:36:12+01:002018-03-31T11:36:12+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26011"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26011&w=300" alt="The Island of Dr Moreau (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Island of Dr Moreau (Credit: Big Finish)" /><\/a>
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt FittonExecutive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
<p>Written By: HG Wells, dramatised by Ken BentleyDirected By: Ken Bentley</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Ronald Pickup (Doctor Moreau), John Heffernan (Edward Prendick), Enzo Cilenti(Montgomery), David Shaw-Parker (Captain/ Constans), John Banks (Mate-LV/ M'Ling/ Satyr-Man), Tim Bentinck (Helmar/ Captain John Davies/ Ape-Man), Daniel Goode (Seaman/ Mate-I, Dog-Man).</p>
</div>
<p>Now this was the biggie. <i>The Island of Dr Moreau</i>, is my favorite H.G Welles novel and easily the adaptation out of this entire series that I was looking forward to the most. After being astounded by <i>The Martian Invasion of Earth, </i>which was then blown out of the water by <i>The Time Machine</i>, I became convinced that Big Finish could do no wrong with these adaptations. Biting the bullet, I decided to test this theory and see if their version of, in my mind Welles masterpiece, lived up to these expectations. Needless to say, <i>The Island of Dr Moreau</i>, is another sure-fire hit in what is doubtless one of best series put out by Big Finish in recent years.</p>
<p>Like <i>Time Machine </i>and <i>Martian Invasion, Moreau </i>sticks rigorously close to its source material. The novel tells the story of Edward Prendick (John Hefferman) a castaway after a shipwreck, who’s picked up by another boat containing Dr Montgomery (Enzo Cilenti). Montgomery is heading to an Island on which lives the mysterious Dr Moreau (Robert Pickup, recently seen in cinemas in <i>Darkest Hour</i>) and after a misunderstanding, Prendick ends up there also. When there he discovers that Moreau has been conducting experiments through vivisection, turning animals into man-like creatures. These ‘Beast-men’ are contained by strict laws which attempt to hold back their animalistic nature. However, Prendick’s arrival sets off unforeseen events and soon catastrophe looms for all on the island…</p>
<p>I said in my review of <i>Martian Invasion</i>, how generally terrifying that adaptation was, and although the interpretation of the Morlocks within <i>The Time Machine</i>, was somewhat lacking it had equally horrific moments. <i>Moreau </i>is easily the most ‘horror’ of all of Welles works, written as a pamphlet against vivisection. Thus this audio features large amounts of body-horror, with detailed descriptions by Hefferman of the inside of Moreau’s workshop. Truth be told the descriptions are not that extreme, but the constant emphasis on blood and the scars on Moreau’s creatures is powerful and leaves the impression of an incredibly graphic tale. Ken Bentley’s adaptation has expertly weaved this horror throughout the entire piece but his crowning achievement is the sequence in which Moreau explains his work and motivations to Prendick. The dialogue in this sequence is utterly chilling and what’s more, like the previous examples, the historical political subtext so important to Welles work is once again inherent here. As stated, <i>Moreau </i>was originally written as a pamphlet against vivisection and (unlike several film adaptations) the means through which <i>Moreau </i>conducts his experiments is still through vivisection and not updated to genetics or any other form of modern science. This works particularly well and the horror with which Welles viewed this particular form of biology is inherent in this audio play. Thus, although comparisons can certainly be drawn, Moreau is not a god-like figure- but a scientific meddler who conducts his work without a care for the creatures he makes.</p>
<p>The cast is- as always- exceptional. These Welles adaptations have attracted some talent who are not usually drawn to the more ‘cult’ orientated material that Big Finish usually puts out, but who seems well at home in their ‘classics’ label. None more so than Robert Pickup, who at first comes across as a somewhat kindly Moreau but later transforms into an utterly chilling and inhuman monster. The aforementioned speech he gives about the nature of his work is the golden moment of the entire play, a testament to Pickups superb performance. Hefferman similarly gives an excellent performance, managing to allow his character to come across as somewhat unhinged. This presents a different level to the piece, leaving the audience to wonder whether perhaps his bizarre story is true- or simply the fantasies of a madman. Enzo Cilenti gets some particularly juicy moments and at points comes across as more villainous than Moreau.</p>
<p>All in all, <i>The Island of Dr Moreau</i> is another success story in what is quickly becoming the best thing to come out of the classics range.</p>The Time Machine (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195672018-03-26T20:07:46+01:002018-03-26T21:07:46+01:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26008"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=26008&w=300" alt="The Time Machine (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Time Machine (Credit: Big Finish)" /><\/a>
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Nicholas BriggsExecutive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
<p>Written By: HG Wells, dramatised by Marc PlattDirected By: Ken Bentley</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Ben Miles (The Time Traveller), Nicholas Rowe (Mr Wells), Anjella Mackintosh(Uweena), Nicholas Asbury (Mr Filby), James Joyce (Mr Pollock), Hywel Morgan(Morlock Leader), Christopher Naylor (Mr Naylor).</p>
<p>Other parts played by members of the cast.</p>
</div>
<p>My second venture into Big Finish’s range of H.G Welles adaptations tackles his first novel, 1895’s <i>The Time Machine</i>. Welles story of a man who invents a time machine and travels into a horrifying vision of the future is a tale that should be familiar to many a Whovian as its influence upon our beloved show is beyond vast. That said, it’s not a particularly easy tale to adapt, given that the narrative occurs primarily in the first person with the unnamed ‘Time Traveller’, retelling his story to a group of friends in London. The future world unto which our hero finds himself is not one that allows easy dialogue scenes, as the two species he encounters cannot communicate with him. Big Finish has adapted the original novels narrative style, and what results is something akin to their earlier ‘Companion Chronicles’, with Ben Miles time traveler retelling his tale and other voice actors providing the sounds of the Eloi and Morlocks.</p>
<p>An audio drama in this style then relies heavily on the actor delivering it. Admittedly Ben Miles is not an individual I am particularly familiar with, but I am delighted he'll be playing the brooding <i>Callan</i> in BFs upcoming release because here he is <i>fantastic</i>. Throughout the course of the two hours, Miles goes through a variety of emotions, often with no one but himself to bounce off. Not only that, but the nature of Welles 1895 novel means that he is often required to break with the story for sections of discussion regarding such subjects as the class system. Reams of philosophical debate and huge chunks of descriptive dialogue are, with Miles skilled tongue, transformed into mesmerising or terrifying depictions of a future gone horrifyingly wrong.</p>
<p>One of the great joys of this version of <i>The Time Machine</i> (and the same can be said for <i>The Martian Invasion of Earth</i> though I failed to mention it in my review) is how much the script revels in its Victorian heritage. Unlike, for example, the 1960 film adaptation (which by the way is still my preferred version away from the novel) this drama doesn’t attempt to update its source material by having trips to events that are to us history but to Welles in 1895, was the future. Not only that but this version sticks rigorously to Welles central theme of class conflict, that is the cause of the development of the Eloi and the Morlocks. So no trips to WW1 here, no world war III sequences and nuclear holocausts. Not only then is it exceptionally close to its source material, but the entire atmosphere of the piece reeks of 19th-century fantasy. Indeed one can imagine that, were the technology around, that a contemporary audio version would have a similar tone. A wonderful score (which includes frightening electronic pieces for the travelers arrival into the future and a beautiful theme for our hero) perfectly captures the wonder present in Welles story, that has been so expertly transported to this version.</p>
<p>Which of course brings me to the sound design. In a production like this one can imagine it’s an incredibly hard thing to do after all the soundscape conjured up by the Big Finish team has to stop this piece appearing like a talking book. It must reflect what Miles is saying and compliment it and whilst not dominating the proceedings. Admittedly whilst on the whole, I thought they did a stellar job, there were a few choices which I felt were somewhat uninspired. The sound effects used for the Morlocks, which are made incredibly Simian in this version (I mean just look at the cover) are particularly ape-like and in my opinion a little too much. The Morlocks are on paper, truly terrifying creatures and although there is the reasoning within the plot (Darwinism in reverse) to make them Simian, having them screech like monkeys and nothing else is far from frightening. Perhaps if the ape-like noises had been enhanced somewhat the effect might have been better but as it stands it feels like a missed opportunity. Sadly the same can be said for some of the Eloi sound effects, which come across as intensely irritating and can have an impact on the drama when we’re supposed to care about them.</p>
<p>All in all, however, <i>The Time Machine </i>stands as a marvelous achievement and another great entry in Big Finish’s adaptations of H.G Welles. In fact next to the 1960 film, it might be my favourite version of the novel.</p>Blake's 7: The Classic Audio Adventures - The Way Aheadtag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195132018-03-04T20:49:51+00:002018-03-04T20:49:51+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><span data-guidetag-data="%7B%220%22%3A%2225933%22%2C%221%22%3A%22Blake%26%23039%3Bs%207%20-%20The%20Way%20Ahead%22%2C%222%22%3A%221417%22%2C%223%22%3A%221417%22%2C%224%22%3A%22%22%2C%225%22%3A%22%22%2C%226%22%3A%22%22%2C%22pid%22%3A%2225933%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Blake%26%23039%3Bs%207%20-%20The%20Way%20Ahead%22%2C%22width%22%3A%221417%22%2C%22height%22%3A%221417%22%2C%22description%22%3A%22%22%2C%22credit%22%3A%22%22%2C%22link%22%3A%22%22%2C%22tagname%22%3A%22Blake%26%23039%3Bs%207%20-%20The%20Way%20Ahead%22%7D" data-guidetag-name="Blake's%207%20-%20The%20Way%20Ahead" data-guidetag-tag="i%3Dw%3D300%7B25933%2F-%3DBlake's%207%20-%20The%20Way%20Ahead"><img src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25933&w=300" title="Blake's 7 - The Way Ahead" /><br />
</span><br />
Written by Mark Wright<br />
Produced and directed by John Ainsworth<br />
Big Finish Productions, 2018<br />
Stars: Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila),<br />
Sally Knyvette (Jenna), Jan Chappell (Cally),<br />
Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Yasmin Bannerman (Dayna),<br />
Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Stephen Greif (Travis),<br />
Glynis Barber (Magda), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac),<br />
Olivia Poulet (Avalon), Kate Brown (Cassandra),<br />
Sam Woodward (Sheltak/Freighter captain), Catherine Bailey (Mutoid/Captain), Fanos Xenofós (Interceptor commander/trooper), and Gareth Thomas (Blake).</div>
<p><i>‘They were titans of a rebellion that tore the galaxy apart, symbols of hope against tyranny. They had been comrades, blasting through star systems to topple dictators and liberate the oppressed. Some called them terrorists. Many called them heroes …’</i></p>
<p><i>Hahaha! What lurid nonsense!</i></p>
<p><i>Kerr Avon, <b>B7: The Way Ahead</b></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>It’s the 40th anniversary of a science fiction phenomenon – and the latest instalment in this space opera opens on a remote island world where our hero is living his life in seclusion, away from the rest of the galaxy which has feted him (much to his chagrin and reluctance) as a hero and a symbol of the resistance against an evil galactic order. The young woman who persuades him to tell his story is convinced that he’s still a beacon of hope and there is good that he can still do …</p>
<p>No, it’s not the plot for the most recent <b>Star Wars</b> instalment <i>The Last Jedi</i> – although you could be forgiven for thinking it is, especially when the supreme commander’s seat of power is trashed in a brazen rebel attack (while aboard said vessel the key antagonist offers the protagonist a shot at an alliance) …</p>
<p>It’s actually the recent <b>Blake’s 7</b> serial <i>The Way Ahead</i>, a three-disc special release from Big Finish that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the program’s debut on BBC TV on 2 January, 1978 – approximately seven days after the original <b>Star Wars</b> (aka <i>Episode IV – A New Hope</i>) premiered in UK cinemas.</p>
<p><b>Star Wars</b>, of course, has just commemorated its own 40th anniversary with a myth-busting tour de force of the second film in its sequel trilogy, much to the consternation of traditionalists. <i>The Way Ahead</i>, despite a few superficial parallels with its big screen counterpart, is perhaps not so daring, largely because the broader <b>B7</b> saga has already been told. Nevertheless, perhaps those same purists decrying the latest <b>Star Wars</b> installment may find some solace in <i>The Way Ahead</i>, which is a more predictable approach to storytelling by scriptwriter Mark Wright, compared to screenwriter/director Rian Johnson’s more unconventional style with <i>The Last Jedi</i>.</p>
<p>That’s not to say that <i>The Way Ahead</i> is a staple <b>B7</b> adventure – the two-part story doesn’t shatter the status quo of the <b>B7</b> universe but Wright dares to tinker around the edges a little, particularly in the second half. It is set across three eras: some time in the first season of the TV program (the first episode <i>Project Aquitar</i>), when Roj Blake (the late Gareth Thomas) is in charge of the <i>Liberator</i>; at some point in the third season (the second episode <i>Dissent</i>), when Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) has taken command of the iconic starship; and at least 20 years after the showdown on Gauda Prime (GP) which ties in with Darrow’s <a href="http://reviews.newsintimeandspace.net/2015/10/blakes_7_lucifer_revelation_audiobook_.html"><i>Lucifer</i> trilogy<\/a> of <b>B7</b> novels.</p>
<p>The post-GP framing device is probably the only thing that might upset <b>B7</b> traditionalists, as Darrow’s books would be viewed by some – including this writer – as apocryphal (“lurid nonsense” indeed!). Nevertheless, the telling of the two episodes in a flashback is executed well, thanks to the chemistry of Avon and his lover Magda, played by a mature Glynis Barber (who portrayed crew member and gunslinger Soolin in the TV program’s fourth and final series).</p>
<p><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25934"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25934&w=300" alt="Blake's 7 - Project Aquitar (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" title="Blake's 7 - Project Aquitar (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" /><\/a><i>Project Aquitar</i> is the most traditional of the two episodes and encapsulates what the first season of <b>B7</b> was about – Blake’s feud with his scarred arch nemesis Space Commander Travis (brilliantly reprised by the original actor Stephen Greif). Sadly, with Gareth Thomas has passed on, the character of Blake is relegated to the background, and merely mentioned in despatches (ie Blake and Gan, originally portrayed by the late David Jackson, are manning the <i>Liberator</i> when it is attacked by pursuit ships while the rest of the crew teleport to mining world Lorgan Minor to destroy Travis’s latest scheme). It is up to Sally Knyvette (Jenna) and Darrow to shoulder most of Blake’s dialogue and actions in Thomas’s absence. Indeed, if <i>Project Aquitar</i> had been made for TV, it would have been Blake and Travis trapped in an underground rockfall, not Travis and Jenna. Nevertheless, the dialogue between the pair is fascinating, as they attempt to justify being on opposite sides.</p>
<p>On TV, Knyvette fell into the trap that often befell some <b>Doctor Who</b> companions in the 1970s and 1980s – she went from being an <b>Avengers</b>/Emma Peel-type heroine to being (as Knyvette recalls on the 40th anniversary retrospective on the third disc) “a bit girly and a … sex symbol which is a shame because … I would have liked to have seen the stronger sides of her character coming out”. The one thing Knyvette has relished since BF revived <b>B7</b> for audio has been to restore (again to paraphrase the actor) integrity, feistiness, and strength to Jenna’s character. Those qualities are most evident when she takes on Travis one on one, mocking him for his incompetence. “I don’t need Blake to rescue me!” Jenna tells Travis while in combat. “I can make an idiot out of you myself!”</p>
<p>What’s also interesting about the portrayal of Jenna in <i>Project Aquitar</i> (and indeed in some of BF’s other portrayals of the character) is how much she believes in Blake and his cause (and how much she maintains that faith after departing the <i>Liberator</i>). When Travis asks why a smuggler would follow a would-be freedom fighter on his “senseless crusade”, Jenna insists that if she “dies today … then I’ll die knowing what I did was right”. She also refutes Travis’s allegation that she is a terrorist with the following reasoning: “The Federation endures through terror, so you tell me who the terrorist is!”</p>
<p>This revolutionary idealism is shared by fellow freedom fighter Avalon (Olivia Poulet), a character that was originally introduced on TV in the 1978 episode <i>Project Avalon</i> and bridges the gap between <i>Project Aquitar</i> and <i>Dissent</i>. The difference between Avalon and Jenna, as well as her crewmates Cally (Jan Chappell) and Vila (Michael Keating), is that they will not fight dirty. When Avalon seizes control of the plot’s “MacGuffin” (which hails back to a bit of dialogue in the third episode of the TV series <i>Cygnus Alpha</i>), she is prepared to strike at Federation troops with the same force that has befallen her comrades on the planet Malanar Delta. It takes Cally’s persuasion to make Avalon (it seems) see the error of her ways.</p>
<p>While <i>Project Aquitar</i> is a traditional, serviceable and enjoyable episode in its own right, <i>Dissent</i> is the strongest, most dynamic installment of <i>The Way Ahead</i> boxset. The listener jumps ahead to <b>B7</b>’s third series as the <i>Liberator</i> crew – minus Blake, Jenna and Gan, and incorporating Tarrant (Stephen Pacey), Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman) and Orac (Alistair Lock) – once again cross paths with Avalon. The events that follow are unexpected (albeit only temporary) but they raise the stakes for both the rebellion and the Federation, now personified by arch nemesis Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce).</p>
<p>Having explored the nobility behind Blake and Jenna’s fight in <i>Project Aquitar</i> – to restore democracy and independence to the galaxy – Wright explores the reality of what that fight has truly achieved by this point in the broader <b>B7</b> saga. In the third series opener <i>Aftermath</i>, Avon remarked that he hoped Blake “survived long enough to realise he was winning”. In <i>Dissent</i>, it becomes clear that Blake’s victory (if indeed it ever was one) was only temporary and that under Servalan’s leadership, the Federation is rebuilding and becoming more streamlined and deadlier than before. Further, Avalon’s zeal and meddling, far from striking a blow to the heart of this new incarnation of the Federation, will merely harden Servalan’s resolve.</p>
<p><a href="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25935"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25935&w=300" alt="Blake's 7 - Dissent (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" title="Blake's 7 - Dissent (Credit: c/- Big Finish Productions, 2018)" /><\/a>My only criticism about <i>Dissent</i> is the “MacGuffin” (or plot device) which is central to <i>Project Aquitar</i> is barely utilised (being reduced to one scene and a couple of throwaway lines). The manner that Wright deploys it – and then discards it – is far less convincing (are we seriously expected to believe Avalon’s group would really have the brains to assemble another “MacGuffin” patterned on the original?).</p>
<p>That aside, the performances of the returning cast members are outstanding. The dialogue of Greif and Knyvette in <i>Project Aquitar</i> and Darrow and Pearce in <i>Dissent</i> are the highlights of the serial. The other supporting actors – Keating, Chappell, Bannerman, Pacey, Barber, and Lock – are solid performers. Knyvette deserves to do more audio work based on the strength of her performance and perhaps the solution would be a box set about Jenna’s own adventures in the years after she left the <i>Liberator</i> (perhaps following the lines of <i>Jenna’s Story</i>, one of the installments in Volume 6 of <i>The Liberator Chronicles</i>).</p>
<p>It’s also a nonsense that going forward Barber may have to play other guest roles if she wishes to continue doing <b>B7</b> plays. BF claims it doesn’t have the rights to do <b>B7</b> stories set during series 4 and therefore can’t use the Soolin character (even though two of the serials in the aforementioned <i>Liberator Chronicles</i> V6 are nominally set during series 3 and 4, Soolin is mentioned by Magda and we even hear the teleport effect used in series 4 at key moments in <i>Project Aquitar</i>). While I can understand that BF feels there is plenty of fertile ground to still explore by keeping its serials rooted in the third series, it is inevitable that the company will eventually want to venture into series 4 territory. If so, then BF should already be opening negotiations with B7 Media for those rights and employing a talented actor like Barber while she’s available.</p>
<p>In conclusion, <i>The Way Ahead</i> is an outstanding release. Wright and the BF production team subtly place plenty of Easter eggs honouring <b>B7</b> throughout the narrative, largely in dialogue and in sound effects. There’s also a couple of fun, humorous parallel moments in both episodes between the same characters (eg Avon’s responses to Vila’s disappointment at the survival of <b>B7</b>’s antagonists are beautifully written and performed). We also get to hear dialogue and exchanges between the antagonists and protagonists that could almost have been written for the 1979 and 1981 finales <i>Star One</i> and <i>Blake</i> respectively. The play also is more than happy to riff off other SF properties in its dialogue as well (notably <b>Star Wars</b> and <b>Doctor Who</b>) but the most touching Easter egg features the titular character himself – Blake – in the closing moments of <i>Dissent</i>, as we hear a monologue by Gareth Thomas (sadly) for the last time.</p>
<p>As an anniversary tale, <i>The Way Ahead</i> is an enjoyable listen and a worthy celebration of a short-lived yet popular and memorable TV program that through BF’s audio output endures today. <b>B7</b> will never be as grandiose as <b>Star Wars</b> (nor should it ever try to be) but the enthusiasm of its storytellers and artists remains as undimmed and avid as the small band of rebels that it portrays.</p>The Martian Invasion of Earth (Big Finish)tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev195122018-03-01T18:37:00+00:002018-03-01T18:37:00+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25927&w=300" alt="The Martian Invasion of Earth (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Martian Invasion of Earth (Credit: Big Finish)" />
<p>Producer David RichardsonScript Editor Matt FittonExecutive Producers Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
<p>Written By: HG Wells, dramatised by Nicholas BriggsDirected By: Nicholas Briggs</p>
<p>Cast</p>
<p>Richard Armitage (Herbert), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Amy), Hywel Morgan (Curate), Ewan Bailey (Daniel), Richard Derrington (Ogilvy), Helen Goldwyn (Agatha), Christopher Weeks (Edward), Benedict Briggs (Boy), Nicholas Briggs (Martians / First Officer). Other parts played by members of the cast.</p>
<p>Available to order from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1787030679?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ6CGLNQOBRZIJCTQ&tag=thdowhnepa-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1787030679">Amazon UK<\/a></p>
</div>
<p>The last in Big Finishes series of H.G Welles adaptations, <i>The Martian Invasion of Earth </i>is of course a version of Welles’s magnum opus <i>The War of the Worlds</i>. The story has something of a history on Radio with Wikipedia stating fourteen broadcast versions. Most famously Jeff Wayne created a wonderful musical version starring Richard Burton (later re-recorded with Liam Neeson) and Orson Welles panicked America with his 1938 Halloween broadcast. Admittedly I was intrigued to see how Nick Briggs would handle what he stated was a ‘pet project’, when the story has been done many times and done well. I needn’t of worried however, with Briggs achieving that very rare mix of an adaptation that pushes it’s source material into new and interesting directions, yet allows it to be faithful at the same time. Not only that but he manages to rival the Orson Welles version in how utterly frightening it is.</p>
<p>Richard Armitage stars as Herbert Welles (not the first time one of his unnamed characters finds themselves taking their creators name in an adaptation) and it is partly his wonderful performance as a man struggling to keep it together in the face of a terrifying event that lends the play its horrifying power. By adding an extended role to the narrators wife (more on that below) this version works rather wonderfully as a love story. Briggs shows us how the narrator puts on a front for his wife, showing bravery before silently creeping away and sobbing. Armitage makes these moments truly horrifying and it is with this human factor that the play really succeeds.</p>
<p>The most startling change implemented by Briggs is the extended role he has given to the protagonist’s wife. In the original novel, the character disappears somewhat early on, only to miraculously reappear at the end. The tome is certainly a mail orientated one and our hero meets no significant female characters. Period adaptation or not, Briggs appears determined to make this adaptation current and thankfully that includes a strong and respectful female role. ‘Amy’) as she is called in this version) is played by Lucy Briggs-Owen who gives a powerful performance and has wonderful chemistry with Armitage. Briggs appears to have invested much time in her character, allowing her to become a wonderfully rounded character. At times she feels of the period and beyond it, having much to do and making meaningful decisions. Coupled with Briggs-Owens acting, she’s one of the highlights of this version.</p>
<p>Nick Briggs script also includes several interesting moments of commentary concerning some of the socio-political subtext featured within the novel. This includes interesting moments of discussion concerning colonialism, militarism and religion. At times this is somewhat heavy handed but for the most part it’s effective and certainly allows this version to be current and meaningful.</p>
<p>Ian Meadows provides incredible sound design, helping the audio to fully capture the feel of a full scale onslaught with a very small cast. His version of the Martians war cry, is <i>terrifying</i>, particularly when listened to through headphones and mixed with the sounds of screams. The soundtrack is similarly effective, a mixture of bizarre sounds and an epic feel adding to the chaotic atmosphere. Unfortunately it is let down by some ‘bombastic’ moments early on that don’t quite fit with the intimate nature of the horror as portrayed in this version. Thankfully these moments are brief and less frequent as the play continues.</p>
<p>For fans of the novel, they really can’t go wrong with this version. Alongside Jeff Wayne’s musical and Orson Welles 1938 version, this has to be one of the best adaptations of the novel. Nicholas Briggs really has outdone himself and along with superb performances from Richard Armitage and Lucy Briggs-Owen create a masterpiece and one of Big Finishes best. </p>The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 1tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev194992018-02-24T21:43:24+00:002018-02-24T21:43:24+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25906&w=300" alt="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 1 (Credit: Big Finish)" title="The Avengers: The Lost Episodes Volume 1 (Credit: Big Finish)" /> <b>Producer</b> David Richardson
<p><b>Executive Producers</b> Jason Haigh-Ellery and Nicholas Briggs</p>
<p><b>Written By:</b> Brian Clemens, Ray Rigby and Richard Harris<br />
<b>Adapted by</b> John Dorney<br />
<b>Directed By:</b> Ken Bentley<br />
<b>Cast</b><br />
<b>Anthony Howell</b> (Dr Keel), <b>Julian Wadham</b> (John Steed), Lucy Briggs-Owen (Carol Wilson), <b>Colin Baker</b> (Dr Tredding), <b>Adrian Lukis</b> (Spicer)<br />
<b>Original Released:</b> January 2014<br />
<b>Series Devised by Sydney Newman<br />
<br />
Available to purchase from <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1781782644?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ6CGLNQOBRZIJCTQ&tag=thdowhnepa-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1781782644">Amazon UK<\/a></b></p>
</div>
<p><b>The Avengers</b> is an unusual show in that few programmes have evolved so quickly or become so self-referential over the course of its seasons. More than that, with most of the early episodes not just missing but <i>extremely</i> missing – with few to none of the telesnaps, off air recordings and other saving graces that allow <b>Doctor Who</b> fans to at least experience its junked instalments in some form – it’s a case of, arguably, a descent into self-parody where few have seen the ‘self’ being parodied.</p>
<p>So <b>Big Finish</b> are to be saluted for their resurrection of those early missing episodes – episodes potentially unrecognizable as <b>The Avengers</b> to those familiar with, and loving, the existing seasons – and being so faithful to both the letter and the spirit of the original. This dedication shows through in the extras where adapater John Dorney ruefully admits that for most episodes only the camera script, rather than the full original version, survives. Meaning in cases episode endings like "Action Sequence as Discussed" have to had to be interepreted by a mix of faithfulness, imagination and pure luck.</p>
<p>Of the leads, Anthony Howell has the easier job in playing Keel - a character the original version of which few have seen - and grants him a deep earnestness that plays opposite Steed nicely. The more difficult task falls of course to Julian Wadham in playing not only so iconic a character as John Steed, but having to play him initially as a quite different take on the secret agent before transitioning towards the man we know and love. While actors who've played the Doctor are often praised for their mecurial, 'turn on a sixpence' quality of sudden shifts from whimsy to outrage, Macnee's Steed instead changed gears from jovial charm to lethal dangerousness with the smoothness of a performance sports car. Wadham, perhaps wisely, doesn't even attempt to replicate that and instead for the most part a Steed somewhere in the middle - never quite as urbane <i>or </i>as ruthless, but with an element of both present in every line.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Hot Snow</b></p>
<p>If anyone had any doubt about <b>The Avengers</b> beginning as an almost completely different show to the one that gave us cat-suited Emma Peel, killer robots, and an intelligence agency run out of an office on the Number 707 bus to Picadilly Circus, <i>Hot Snow</i> blows them away with its grit and cynicism. A woman is gunned down in the street in front of her fiancé, junkies hang out in the waiting rooms of struck off doctors and slimy low level heroin smugglers search for a missing package of four grand’s worth of ‘snow’. Even an attempt by a middle aged swinger to invite our hero into a group sex session with her and her husband seems seedy and slightly depressing, rather than something to elicit a purr of naughtiness from Steed.</p>
<p>The hero on the receiving end of that indecent proposal, by the way, is Dr. David Keel, not John Steed. Dragged into the shadows of the London underworld by sheer chance when a consignment of heroin is accidentally delivered to the surgery where he works, he’s willing to sacrifice his career in his quest for revenge on those who murdered his fiancée to cover it up. In fact, he’s ambivalent about his own survival so long as he gets his chance to confront the man who pulled the trigger. Steed himself is a shadowy figure, happy to use Keel’s vendetta as leverage to manipulate him for his own agenda. It’s slightly a shame it’s impossible to appreciate <i>Hot Snow</i>, and Steed’s role in it, the way it was originally intended. Steed here is a dangerous, ambiguous figure happily presenting himself as a double agent to both sides but with his real intentions opaque to the viewer in 1961. Much of the tension in <i>Hot Snow</i>’s script is derived from whether Steed is going to betray Keel – he tells the doctor that he’s tricked the smugglers into thinking he’s delivering him to them to kill, and tells the smugglers that he’s tricked Keel into coming to a meeting so they can kill him. In 2018, we know which side he’s on, of course, but the clever edge to the script can still be appreciated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Brought to Book</b></p>
<p>If anything, the second episode in the set smacks even more of a road not taken than the first. Trigger man Spicer has moved on to the employment of a new crime family, brought in as a ‘specialist’ to help settle a budding gang war in definitive fashion. Once again Steed (now describing himself as a ‘kind of civil servant … deep undercover’) is primarily interested in destroying both sides but offers the presence of Spicer as an incentive to Keel to be his asset. And once again there’s an edge of possible betrayal in the air. While Keel infiltrates one gang as a ‘mob doctor’ when Steed arranges him to be in the right time and the right place to assist when the gangster soon to be formerly known as ‘Pretty Boy’ has his mouth slashed, Joker style, as an opening shot in the war, Steed is already positioned in the other – planning an attack on the very flat containing Keel and his new chums.It all raises visions of a parallel universe where <b>The Avengers</b> continued as a show as fixed in its structure as<b> The Fugitive</b> – Spicer always moving on, Keel in pursuit to avenge Peggy, Steed succeeding in breaking up the new gang but Spicer escaping… But fortunately, the episode ends, appropriately enough, with Spicer brought to book (albeit in a way that probably wouldn’t pass muster with the modern Crown Prosecution Service) and Keel warily agreeing that Steed can call on him again if the case requires his particular skills.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>The Square Root of Evil</b></p>
<p>Rather than pursuing that alternate reality, the third episode instead does a handbrake turn into something much more familiar. In fact, it’s such a swift turnabout in the show’s format that one can only imagine there must have been some fascinating meeting where it was consciously decided to change the tone and style of the entire series in what’s almost a second pilot, albeit one that assumes knowledge of the two prior episodes. From the classically Avengerish pun of the title – a pun that appears to simply exist for its own sake; as even adaptor John Dorney admits he has no idea what it has to do with the story – to the treatment of Steed as the lead and Keel as his sidekick (a sidekick who only even shows up about halfway through), the dumping of The Rising Sun as Steed’s base of operations (along with, thankfully, the highly dodgy Chinese stereotype of Lily) and of Colin Baker’s Dr. Tredding, who had been set up as a supporting character to worry and fret about Keel, all signal a serious re-think of what the show would be like. Steed’s lascivious manner and tendency to treat deadly danger at least half as seriously as a sane person would, both materialize fully formed here too.What still remains is the fairly unremarkable nature of the criminals they go up against. The heroin smugglers and protection rackets of the first episodes are followed here by a counterfeiting operation being run out of a garage. It also somewhat runs out of steam by the end. Having set up the drama in Steed going undercover in the gang by pretending to be a notorious Irish counterfeiter, under constant danger of exposure, original writer Richard Harris (no, not that one) seeming can’t decide where to bring the story next. So, after a few near misses, Steed is found out and simply punches his way through all the bad guys and across the episode's finish line.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>One for the Mortuary</b></p>
<p>The final story in the set sees the rapid transformation of the show’s format continue apace. Just a few hours of listening on from Dr. Keel being introduced as a relatively fresh young doctor setting up in General Practice to deal with chilblains and dispense vitamins and he’s now the sort of figure to get invited to high level World Health Organization conferences in Geneva. In parallel, Steed is no longer doing anything so gritty or streel level as infiltrating a gang of small time heroin dealers and instead tasked with ensuring a microdot containing the chemical formula for a new world-changing wonder drug reaches the conference. Oh, and the villain du jour is a one eyed man with a sword cane.</p>
<p>It’s a gone a bit… <b>Avengers</b>.</p>
<p>Even a diversion where Keel draws an erroneous conclusion from a clue and winds up having a bizarre conversation at cross purposes with a taxidermist specializing in pet memorials feels like the sort of thing that latter seasons of <b>The Avengers</b> would make a unique selling point of the show. The key thing grounding the show at this stage to the world we began with is that Keel seems somewhat befuddled by just how insane things are getting. In time, <b>The Avengers</b> would become a show where even the local milkman seemed to have a knowingly ironic sense of the pop spy world they live in. For now, it remains the story of an ordinary man moving deeper into an extraordinary world.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A fascinating bit of television archaeology, this set allows us to almost see into Clemens’ brain as he reassess what type of show this could be. In a sense, and appropriately for a show originated by Sydney Newman, this set allows us to see both the original premise and it’s “Dalek moment” when wilder elements began to be added to great success.</p>
<p> </p>Blake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures: Vol 4.1: Crossfire - Part 1tag:doctorwhonews.net,1999:post-dwnRev194602018-01-29T13:58:01+00:002018-01-29T13:58:01+00:00<div class="reviewsidebox"><img src="//images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25784&w=300" alt="Blake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures: Vol 4.1: Crossfire - Part 1 (Credit: Big Finish Production, 2017)" title="Blake's 7 - The Classic Audio Adventures: Vol 4.1: Crossfire - Part 1 (Credit: Big Finish Production, 2017)" />Written by Steve Lyons, Simon Clark,<br />
Mark Wright and David Bryher<br />
Directed by John Ainsworth and Nigel Fairs<br />
Big Finish Productions, 2017<br />
Stars: Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon),<br />
Michael Keating (Vila), Jan Chappell (Cally),<br />
Steven Pacey (Tarrant), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan),<br />
Yasmin Bannerman (Dayna), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac),<br />
Clare Vousden (Winterhaven), John Green (Mordekain),<br />
Hugh Fraser (The President), Rebecca Grant (Gwen Parker), Walles Hamonde (Gunner Kalvert), Roger Parrott (Mavlek),<br />
Becky Wright (Goddess/Distributor/Curator), Abi Harris (Alta-Six), David Warner (Tavac), Donovan Christian-Carey (Herrick), Rebecca Crankshaw (Zeera), Daniel Collard (Jallen)</div>
<p><i>“We have to tell the others! We need to be ready!”</i></p>
<p><i>“Ready for what?”</i></p>
<p><i>“Servalan will do anything to cling onto her throne. We need to be ready for war!”</i></p>
<p><i>Cally and Dayna, <b>B7 - Crossfire: Fearless</b></i></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Following the successful relaunch of <b>Blake’s 7 </b>on audio, with the excellent <i>Spoils of War </i>boxset, Big Finish wasted little time in late 2017 following it up with the first volume of <i>Crossfire</i>, part of a “season” of 12 new adventures across three boxsets. Unlike <i>Spoils of War</i>, which was an anthology of four tales loosely set throughout the third season of the original TV series, <i>Crossfire </i>is intended to fill the “gap” between that season’s penultimate episode <i>Death-Watch</i> and the climax <i>Terminal</i>. And if you think that that “gap” isn’t ripe for exploitation, well, as Avon (Paul Darrow) himself might say, “Oh, you’ll have to do better than that …”<br />
<i>Crossfire </i>reveals that there is in fact quite a lot of fertile ground that can be covered, drawing not only on the rich content of the original TV series, but also from Big Finish’s own <b>B7 </b>output. The opening episode <i>Paradise Lost</i> sets the theme – and a very high bar – for this lot of tales and subsequent boxsets as an old adversary of the <i>Liberator </i>crew (played again with charisma and panache by Hugh Fraser) triumphantly returns. Newcomers to the <b>B7 </b>range of full cast audio adventures are recommended to listen to earlier instalments (notably the serials <i>Mirror</i>, <i>Cold Fury</i>, <i>Caged </i>and <i>Devil’s Advocate</i>, all available on download from the BF website for as little as £2.99) before they begin listening to this set, as they really establish the political state of play in the Terran Federation.<br />
<i>Paradise Lost</i> is the strongest of this quartet of plays, even though it ceases to be a story in its own right half-way through and becomes the first chapter in an epic, broader political saga. Nevertheless, writer Steve Lyons sets up an air of mystery in the opening minutes and throughout the first half of the play. Vila (Michael Keating) and Cally (Jan Chappell), aided by a zealous Federation dissident Alana Winterhaven (Clare Vousden), materialise on the former tourism and entertainment spot of Erewhon (pronounced “air one”) in a bid to ambush President Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce) who appears (to all intents and purposes) to be on the planet.</p>
<p>However, as the crew’s investigation reveals, the true villain of the piece turns out to be someone quite different yet familiar and equally as dangerous. Avon is subsequently forced to be quite ruthless (in a manner reminiscent of TV episodes <i>Rumours of Death</i> and the finale <i>Blake</i>) to protect his crew and his ship as they are unwillingly dragged into an unstoppable tide of events.<br />
<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25785" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:left; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" />Steve Lyons’ script is also a terrific ensemble piece, as it gives all the regular characters, including Tarrant (Steven Pacey) and Dayna (Yasmin Bannerman), plenty to do within the story, as well as some great dialogue. Dayna ends up having a great verbal stoush with the villain, while Tarrant is introduced to Mordekain (John Green), an embittered former Federation space colonel who bears many of the cybernetic hallmarks and scarred psyche of the late Space Commander Travis without being a complete carbon copy of that character (Lyons carefully foreshadows Mordekain’s introduction through an earlier aside to Travis between Avon and Vila).<br />
Tarrant and Mordekain’s conversation about military honour and duty would be dull in the broader SF genre but, thanks to the high quality of the writing and the strength of Pacey’s and Green’s performances, it is entertaining and fascinating. It’s also undercut by moments of light humour; when Mordekain reveals that he has remotely deactivated a landmine that Tarrant has stepped on during their exchange, Tarrant mutters disappointedly: “Oh! Oh, well, you could have mentioned it sooner! I’ve got cramp in my foot now!”<br />
It’s a little disappointing then, that with such a dramatic, momentous first episode, the rest of the plays in the boxset are largely removed from this story arc. That’s especially when the second entry in the boxset – <i>True Believers</i> – is arguably amongst the worst pieces of drivel to be produced under the <b>B7 </b>banner!</p>
<p><i>True Believers</i> is notable for using a single member of the regular cast – Cally – in the narrative. Otherwise, it’s a totally forgettable experience. It’s another example of BF attempting to replicate <b>B7</b>’s habit (especially in the third series) of experimenting with more mystical, fantasy-driven episodes from SF and fantasy writers (eg Tanith Lee). Of course, the lesson that BF hasn’t learned from history is that such stories in <b>B7 </b>were ordinary instalments and are largely unpopular with the fanbase 40 years on. Worse, some episodes often tied in with Cally’s telepathy and mental abilities, creating a cliched, cringeworthy trope.<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25786" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" /><br />
Simon Clark is a renowned SF and horror scribe who has received much acclaim for <b>Night of the Triffids</b> (the authorised sequel to John Wyndham’s original <b>Day of the Triffids</b>, which Clark and BF have also adapted for audio). However, drafting a talent like Clark to write a <b>B7 </b>script is no guarantee of quality. The script is universally awful and, worse, unashamedly pulls the “Cally card”, as our heroine, her mind under assault from a powerful entity, teleports alone to a desolate, former Federation colony, whose human inhabitants are besieged by a horde of the planet’s indigenous natives under the influence of a malign being. (Never mind that in the logic of the story, and the broader context of the TV series, <i>no one</i> aboard the <i>Liberator </i>would just <i>let </i>Cally go off on her own, especially if she was under mental duress.)<br />
Cally befriends a self-appointed high priestess (Rebecca Grant) who claims she can commune with the local goddess, and a young militia man (Walles Hamonde) who is besotted with the priestess. They embark on a quest to the Singing Grave, an ancient monolith of the <b>2001: A Space Odyssey </b>variety, which also appears to be the source of Cally’s distress (and the malign influence). It doesn’t help that the performances from the guest cast are variable (although Roger Parrot is good as agitator Mavlek), and that even Jan Chappell overacts throughout the play.<br />
There is a line from Cally in the play – “My brain is scorched!” – that sums up perfectly just how painful <i>True Believers</i> is for the listener by its close! Paul Darrow would be especially grateful that his services were not required for this script.<br />
Fortunately, the third and fourth instalments rescue this boxset from being a disaster. <i>Resurgence </i>is a terrific episode, and a great ensemble piece, while <i>Fearless </i>is a Vila-centric episode with a twist.<br />
<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25787" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:left; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" />If <i>Paradise Lost</i> and <i>True Believers</i> respectively could be described as political drama and (bad) fantasy, then <i>Resurgence </i>is just good old-fashioned space opera. It is a sequel to <b>B7 </b>series two opener <i>Redemption </i>and features the “resurgence” of another old foe. While TV series creator Terry Nation would not have envisaged the underlying concept of <i>Resurgence </i>as worthy of further exploration, writer Mark Wright demonstrates in his play the wonderful potential the antagonist had to be a perennial “big bad” – in the spirit of <b>Doctor Who</b>’s Cybermen and <b>Star Trek</b>’s Borg. Wright himself argues in the CD extras that the way the adversary was dispatched in <i>Redemption </i>always seemed a little too easy and convenient (designed to meet the confines of a 50-minute TV episode), and that it makes sense for something of that adversary to survive, and to reassert itself.<br />
<i>Resurgence </i>is, in many respects, a retread of events in <i>Redemption</i>. However, the fact it features the later <i>Liberator </i>crew headed by Avon, and not the original crew lead by Blake, means that characters like Dayna and Tarrant react quite differently and unexpectedly to a threat they are encountering for the first time, as opposed to Avon and Vila, whose familiarity breeds contempt and acquiescence (“Oh! <i>That </i>[spoiler]!” Vila exclaims upon realising the identity of their attacker). Indeed, it is Dayna’s own troubled psyche that proves pivotal in the climax …<br />
The “big bad” is well represented by Abi Harris as Alta-Six, who captures the intonations of her predecessors on TV perfectly. She even develops a catch-cry – “All infarctions will be punished with extreme force!” – that is reminiscent of Cybermen and Borg alike (eg “Resistance is useless! You will be deleted!” or "Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated!”). By the end of this tale, the implication is that the “big bad” endures, despite all the damage wrought by the <i>Liberator </i>crew – and that there may still be remnants of its deep space fleet out there that could respond to its call …<br />
The final instalment – <i>Fearless </i>– is a heist tale. Vila and Cally infiltrate a black market auction, managed by a former colleague of Vila’s – Zeera Vos (Rebecca Crankshaw) – on an abandoned Federation station that is orbiting an unstable neutron star. As if conning the con-artist won’t be enough of a challenge, it’s not long before the <i>Liberator </i>shipmates realise that the other prospective bidder is Servalan …<br />
The biggest twist of this story, however, is with Vila. It would be a spoiler to give away <i>how </i>and <i>why </i>he undergoes such a dramatic change in personality, but gone is the cowardice, the caution and insecurity – the qualities that embody Vila’s fear, as he says early in the tale. Instead, the Vila that arrives with Cally on the space station oozes confidence, arrogance, impatience, assertiveness and even a self-belief in his own animal magnetism! Not only does Vila attempt to make Zeera envious of his suddenly new-found charisma and wealth, he even passes off Cally as his girlfriend! And then in the climactic scenes with Servalan, he not only holds his own against her threats but startles her with some cheeky and suggestive retorts:<img alt="" src="http://images.doctorwhonews.net/image.php?pid=25788" style="border-style:solid; border-width:0px; float:right; height:300px; margin:10px; width:300px" /></p>
<p><br />
<i>Servalan: “Stop talking Vila – right now, or I shall cut out that cowardly tongue of yours!”<br />
Vila: “Oh, I can think of far more pleasing things you could do with my tongue!”<br />
Zeera (in shock): “Vila!”<br />
Servalan (equally as shocked): “I beg your pardon?”</i></p>
<p><br />
It would have been all too easy for Michael Keating to really camp up his performance as this more brash, haughty and self-assured Vila but to his credit he doesn’t overplay it, particularly in the scenes with Servalan. He plays it straight and entirely convincingly. Strangely, in the CD extras, Keating isn’t even asked what he thinks of this new, super-improved portrayal of his character – which is extremely odd by the BF production team!<br />
As a contrast to Vila, the only “cowardly cutlet” in sight is Zeera’s partner in crime Tano Herrick (Donovan Christian-Carey), a former technician who is on the Federation’s “wanted list” for desertion. His reaction when he realises that one of the bidders is none other than the Federation’s President/Supreme Commander/Empress is to panic:</p>
<p><br />
<i>Herrick: “Why didn’t you tell me about Servalan?”<br />
Zeera (dismissively): “I didn’t think it mattered!”<br />
Herrick: “It’s Servalan – (high pitched whine) Servalan!”<br />
[And later] “Yet … (with even more hysteria) She’s Servalan!”</i></p>
<p>Ultimately, Herrick’s own fright and dread get the better of him, although if the Vila we’re most familiar with was in the same situation, he would be savvy enough not to panic quite so easily and endanger the lives of so many others in the bargain. It no doubt galls another sidekick – Servalan’s accompanying officer Jallen (Daniel Collard) – that he is the victim of such errant stupidity. As a hardened soldier, he remains loyal to his President and is withering of the <i>Liberator </i>crew, even as Cally shows the utmost compassion to try to save his life.<br />
The only disappointment with <i>Fearless </i>is that for a hustle/heist story, the twist is so mundane as to not count as one. The joy of heist-themed tales is seeing how the major characters end up being heroes or victims of their ploys. In the 1981 <b>B7 </b>TV episode <i>Gold</i>, the twist is that the prize becomes worthless because the Federation changes the goalposts on the protagonists. In <i>Fearless</i>, the prize similarly proves a sham – except the protagonists are completely unaware of that as they flee before the big revelation. Only Servalan learns the truth and by that time she has abandoned her hopes of attaining the elusive prize altogether – although in Zeera, she finds a kindred spirit (Zeera is every bit as nasty and ruthless as Servalan, if not as refined). With the closing minutes of <i>Fearless </i>tying back to <i>Paradise Lost</i>, it’s clear that a new partnership is forged … It will be fascinating to see where it goes and how the rivalry between Vila and Zeera is developed against the larger wartime backdrop.<br />
In all, apart from the dire <i>True Believers</i> (which is best ignored by listeners altogether!), <i>Crossfire – Part 1</i> is a good start to a loosely connected story arc that promises to shake up the stability of Servalan’s Federation while also testing the resolve of the <i>Liberator’</i>s rebels. Who do they back in the impending conflict? Can they step to one side and hope that the lesser of the two evils wins? Or will they have to make a stand when it’s crunch time? If the quality of <i>Paradise Lost</i>, <i>Resurgence </i>and <i>Fearless </i>is any guide, the rest of the <i>Crossfire </i>saga promises to be suspenseful, entertaining and exciting.</p>