Big Finish not in Manhatten/ Evolution of the Big Finish Doctor Who cover

A brief history of the Big Finish covers

So you have a Big Finish. How do you date it based on the cover? Find out here..

October 1999 (The Sirens Of Time)

The middle of the top third row contains the TV Movie logo used on other contemporary Doctor Who products e.g. books, VHS tapes

The audio title is underneath

The bottom row states that is “a brand new full-cast audio drama starring (insert doctor and companion billings here)”

The audio cover image forms the background, layered behind the logo and title but not encroaching on the “full-cast audio drama” bar

February 2000 (The Fearmonger)

The “full cast” is dropped from the bottom bar

January 2001 (Storm Warning)

The bottom bar is dropped, so that the audio cover covers the entire cover (makes sense to you?)

For the January to April 2001 releases only, the logo is gold

Just the Doctor and companion billings are on the bottom

January 2002 (Invaders From Mars)

The Doctor billing is moved above the logo while the companion billing stays on the bottom

March 2007 (Renaissance Of The Daleks)

The audio title, writer are placed in a bar on the left side. This bar also includes actor billings for Doctor, companion and other guest stars. An image of the Doctor starring in the story is also included

Along the top is states “Classic Doctors Brand New Adventures” and the bottom says “Full Cast Audio Drama”

The rest of the space is used for the cover image

February 2008 (The Condemned)

 The side bar is widened and the Doctor image is now a headshot

This is the model still used as of July 2012

BUT other ranges can be picked out by their distinctive covers.

The Companion Chronicles

January 2007 (Frostfire)

The bottom says “The Companion Chronicles” instead of “Full Cast Audio Drama”

Stock images of that audio’ Doctor is used

July 2008 (Here There Be Monsters)

The Doctor image is now a snapshot from that Doctors title sequence (of the head of that Doctor superimposed on top of their title sequence where applicable)

January 2011 (Peri And The Piscon Paradox)

For multi-Doctor stories, a Tardis is used for the Doctor image

Eighth Doctor Adventures

January 2007 (Blood Of The Daleks Part 1)

The Doctor image is a shot of Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith

January 2008 (Dead London)

The Doctor image is just a McGann head shot

The Lost Stories

November 2009 (The Nightmare Fair)

The “Classic Doctors Brand New Adventures” line is replaced with “The Lost Stories”

Hehehe. Did you see through my attempt at delaying you from wondering where my Lost reviews were? Read into that as you will, I have a review to do....

Hint of things to come

Sorry for the recent inactivity. I am working on two projects right now, a review of more
Big Finish and something else Big Finish related...

Also of note, I have reached a Target milestone that I will post very shortly.

See you soon!

Yet another Target update

Yes, I am about to tell you where I am with the Target challenge. First off, I award myself with the Hinchcliffe medal. I now give myself certain medals depending on what I see as important milestones. For example, I still need to read Seeds Of Death and the Peladon books to get the Ice Warrior medal.

Books I have recently completed include The Auton Invasion (otherwise known as Spearhead From Space),  The Three Doctors and Planet Of Evil. The book I am now reading is Mind Of Evil. Yes, I need to do a serious Third Doctor catchup.

Here are some figures.

And my season total:

Red means urgent (0 read)
Orange means needs work, but not urgent (1-2 read)
White means all good (3-all but one read)
Green means complete (all read)

So far I have only completed season 25

Big Finish review: the Key 2 Time trilogy

Featuring:

117 The Judgement Of Iskaar

118 The Destroyer Of Delights

119 The Chaos Pool

Main range release 117 The Judgement Of Iskaar (Simon Guerrier)

Released January 2009

This release reintroduces the Key to Time to the Doctor Who universe. First appearing in season 16, the quest to recover and assemble its six segments joined together the Fourth Doctor, Romana and K9. At the conclusion of this search, the Doctor scattered the segments again because the alternative was to give it to the Black Guardian.

Now in his Fifth incarnation, the Doctor finds himself on a rainy planet, summoned by a newly born human tracer whom he names Amy. She informs him that he will help her relocate the segments because they are destroying the universe. This audio shows the Doctor and Amy locating three out of the six segments, on Chaos, Mars and Safeplace. It also introduces Amy’s ‘twin’, if you like, Zara. To keep balance, the Grace (the Key’s creators) made Amy and Zara to collect three segments each. But Zara wants all of them.

I like how Amy and Zara are equal and opposite in a way. Both are recently created and have the means to locate and store the segments. But their behaviour is opposite. Zara’s experiences before the events of this audio have made her opportunistic and selfish, shown in how she leaves partner in crime Zinc (no, I am not kidding) to die at the hands of the Ice Warriors. By contrast, Amy shows compassion, having moulded herself on the Doctor. This connection will echo in later stories featuring the characters.

I will admit that the story can get confusing. We don’t want to see the Doctor at the Genesis of the Ice Warriors, or how he was involved. When the action moves to Safeplace, the conflict between the Valdigians and the Ice Warriors is puzzling. I would just sonic cannon the castle to bits or damage the foundations so the castle collapsed.

Good effort, but three segments in one story can seem much. On the bright side, the next two audios can focus on one segment apiece. Oh, that cliffhanger….

Main range release 118 The Destroyer Of Delights (Jonathan Clements)

Released February 2009

If the last story looked at the range of appearances each segment could take, this one shows the Guardians, who played a small part in the original Key to Time.

The last story ended with the Doctor and Amy stuck on a ship falling into a sun, separated from the Tardis and faced with the Black Guardian (voiced by David Troughton!). The opening scene establishes how the next segment (note how it is never referred to as the fifth segment, correct me if I’m wrong) is nowhere is space and time. Both guardians have been searching for millennia and found zip, nada nothing. So the Doctor proposes something not unfamiliar to the guardian: randomosity (I paraphrased). So the Doctor ends up in the desert and Amy in a palace, both in 9^th century Sudan.

This audio highlights Amy’s reliance on others to determine her behaviour. She has had only the Doctor to learn from, and has no other experience. Needless to say, he inexperience and naivety drive Nisrin up the wall (figuratively, not literally, because that would be a blatant anachronism) especially when it comes to Prince Omar. This confusion goes two ways, as listeners will find out.

There is an element of who’s who, if you have a keen ear, or have read the cast list for this and the next story. Try to identify the Cassim or the Caliphate before the Doctor can. The alien in the story does not over stay or impose on other characters. In fact, many elements of this story stem from, and in the DW universe will inspire, Arabian Nights, as writer Jonathan Clements mentions is the bonus features. Aladdin will seem the most obvious, what with the treasure cave and all.

One final thing, the nature of this segment is very creative. It highlights a problem found with Eternals, in that a person has to come up with an idea for the Eternal to have it. The idea that the segment comes into being through the Black Guardian’s actions towards finding it is clever. This kind of twist makes the story a very good one, one that surpasses Judgement.

Main range release 119 The Chaos Pool (Peter Anghelides)

Released March 2009

Acting as the trilogy’s finale, there is naturally a lot at stake. The Teuthoidians are arriving from the dawn of time to face the Atrians (is that right?) who come from the end of time above the planet Chaos, location of the fabled Chaos Pool. Members of the Atrios fleet include Professor Lydel (a guess who character), Princess Astra and a certain human tracer called Zara…

It is here that the Doctor and Amy come in, become separated from the TARDIS (as usual) and get underway with the search for the sixth segment of the Key. After some identity confusion, the search for the Chaos Pool is underway..

I like how Zara has developed. As she has experienced the universe, she becomes her own person, as opposed to an agent of The Grace. Zara has learned to love, and this is very different to the antagonistic behaviour she exhibited back in Judgement. She is encouraged to make her own choices, not to do as others ask of her.

Concerning the nature of the sixth segment, this story links back to the original Key to Time finale, the Armageddon Factor in that the segment is a person. Also harking back to that story is sixth member of the sixth something being crucial the story. In this case the captain of the Atrios fleet, Pargrave (Zara’s crush) is the sixth son of his family’s sixth generation. Funny how his path led to the sixth segment!

Lalla Ward does double duty and plays both Astra, who has aged curiously, and Romana. (Another Armageddon link!) This allows for an interesting turn in regard to who turns into a segment. It seems that being restored to a human segment caused Astra to draw on the life energy of those around her ie the Atrians. This gave her a sort of immortality at the cost her people. To save them, she allowed herself to be the home of the sixth segments essence, sparing Romana. What a surprise!

Upon the conclusion of this tale, Amy is written out so the Doctor can return to Peri. I found Amy an interesting companion. She demonstrated just how the world around us and the people we meet influence us. Given that she was created for the purpose of the Doctor having a new companion (reflecting Romana’s original recruitment perhaps?) Amy had no further use. She has been quite good in the Graceless series, so I recommend giving that a listen.

Did you enjoy this review? if so, please comment on any releases or trilogies that you want me to listen to.

Target update

I have finished The Chase and Tomb Of The Cybermen. Now I am up to Enemy Of The World.

Fun reading action: When reading the lines of distinctive sounding aliens ie daleks, cybermen or ice warriors, use those voices. I find Ice Warrior the most fun. Can't wait to read seeds of death and the curse/monster of peladon then.

Your turn to contribute

That's enough of me prattling on and on. Lets give you a chance to express you opinions. How about the classic which Doctor you like best question? Just answer in the poll below. You have a choice of the first eleven doctors OR any of the four from The Curse Of Fatal Death. Lucky you. SO if you liked Rowan Atkinson of Joanna Lumley (the only woman Doctor!) you can vote for them! I can do a poll for just the Curse doctors if you like, just comment.

And I know I misspelt First. I am a terrible fast typer.

What Doctor do you like best?
	The Fist Doctor
	The Second Doctor
	The Third Doctor
	The Fourth Doctor
	The Fifth Doctor
	The Sixth Doctor
	The Seventh Doctor
	The Eighth Doctor
	The Ninth Doctor
	The Tenth Doctor
	The Eleventh Doctor
	Any Doctor from the Curse Of Fatal Death
pollcode.com free polls

You can also follow me at @jbmastawa on twitter. I don't do Facebook, although I may be tempted to do so if I get support from any readers.....

The Target list

I said I would, I now I am. I promised to keep you up to date with my Target reading and that means I must show what I have read already. It is done by release number, book name (sans Doctor Who and the..), Doctor and author. Here is that list:

3 The Androids Of Tara (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

4 The Ark In Space (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

11 The Creature From The Pit (4^th) [David Fisher]

14 The Cybermen (2^nd) [Gerry Davis]

15 The Daemons (3^rd) [Barry Letts]

16 The Daleks (1^st) [David Whitaker]

18 Day Of The Daleks (3^rd) [Terrance Dicks]

20 Death To The Daleks (3^rd) [Terrance Dicks]

22 The Doomsday Weapon (3^rd) [Malcolm Hulke]

27 Genesis Of The Daleks (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

30 The Hand Of Fear (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

33 The Ice Warriors (2^nd) [Brian Hayles]

35 The Invasion Of Time (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

39 The Leisure Hive (4^th) [David Fisher]

42 The Masque Of Mandragora (4^th) [Philip Hinchcliffe]

45 Nightmare Of Eden (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

48 Planet Of The Spiders (3^rd) [Terrance Dicks]

49 The Power Of Kroll (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

53 The Robots Of Death (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

55 The Seeds Of Doom (4^th) [Philip Hinchcliffe]

61 The Talons Of Weng-Chiang  (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

62 The Tenth Planet (1^st) [Gerry Davis]

63 Terror Of The Autons (3^rd) [Terrance Dicks]

67 Underworld (4^th) [Terrance Dicks]

69 The Visitation (5^th) [Eric Saward]

72 The Web Of Fear (2^nd) [Terrance Dicks]

77 Four To Doomsday (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

78 Earthshock (5^th) [Ian Marter]

81 The Five Doctors (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

83 Snakedance (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

84 Kinda (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

85 Enlightenment (5^th) [Barbara Clegg]

87 Warriors Of The Deep (5th) [Terrance Dicks]

90 The Highlanders (2^nd) [Gerry Davis]

92 The Caves Of Androzani (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

93 Planet Of Fire (5^th) [Terrance Dicks]

94 Marco Polo (1^st) [John Lucarotti]

95 The Awakening (5^th) [Eric Pringle]

98 The Invasion (2^nd) [Ian Marter]

102 The Time Monster (3^rd) [Terrance Dicks]

103 The Twin Dilemma (6^th) [Eric Saward]

106 Vengeance On Varos (6^th) [Philip Martin]

109 The Savages (1^st) [Ian Stewart Black]

111 The Celestial Toymaker (1st) [Gerry Davis, Alison Bingeman]

116 The Faceless Ones (2^nd) [Terrance Dicks]

118 The Sensorites (1^st) [Nigel Robinson]

123 The Macra Terror (2^nd) [Ian Stewart Black]

124 The Rescue (1^st) [Ian Marter]

125 Terror Of The Vervoids (6^th) [Pip, Jane Baker]

132 The Edge Of Destruction (1^st) [Nigel Robinson]

138 Attack Of The Cybermen (6^th) [Eric Saward]

141 Mission To The Unknown (1^st) [John Peel]

142 The Mutation Of Time (1^st) [John Peel]

143 Silver Nemesis (7th) [Kevin Clarke]

144 The Greatest Show In The Galaxy (7^th) [Stephan Wyatt]

146 The Happiness Patrol (7^th) [Graeme Curry]

148 Remembrance Of The Daleks (7^th) [Ben Aaronovitch]

149 Ghost Light (7^th) [Marc Platt]

150 Survival (7^th) [Rona Munro]

155 The Evil Of The Daleks (2^nd) [John Peel]

The Pirate Planet (4^th)

Resurrection Of The Daleks (5^th)

Revelation Of The Daleks (6^th)

Those without numbers at the front are from the New Zealand Fan Club, whose website I linked to an the previous post.

For those who want figures, here is a diagram:

If you can recommend anything not on this list, it would be very helpful. After all, 60 down, 96 to go....

You can leave you suggestions in the comments box. If you want me to look at where I am with the other books e.g. New Adventures, Past Doctor Adventures etc just comment at the same place.

Why I keep on Target

Isn't it annoying how 106 episodes are missing? Or how watching the episodes that remain won't give you an intimate view of characters? This is why I like to read the Target novelizations.

You can even read the books that Target or Virgin did not publish. City Of Death, The Pirate Planet, Resurrection and Revelation of the Daleks and Shada can be found at http://nzdwfc.tetrap.com/, so if you are able to, you can read from an Unearthly Child all the way to Survival. These books are a great way to see whats going on in all stories, missing episodes or not. For example, in The Doomsday Weapon (based on Colony In Space, DW fans), you hear how Dent got to wherever the story was set. You read how IMC played a huge role in his life, and how he came to owe much to IMC. Another Target novel that is well written is The Twin Dilemma. Regeneration explanation aside, the history of the machine that saves the Doctor and Peri is very funny. It was designed by someone with an eternal hangover from a habit of binge drinking. He realized that a same place teleporter could hold the hangover at bay. He spent the money on this discovery on, surprise, more booze and went into the machine. He used it, and turned into a giant booze bottle. His guests emptied him in no time at all. It is moments like these that make me want to read more, in hopes that there are more moments like that.

I will keep you up to date with all the books I have read. Right now, I am reading Tomb Of The Cybermen featuring the Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria "Never Vic" the screamer. I list of what I have read so far will pop up soon.

And yes, I know that I got the name of this post from a DVD documentary series.

Getting started

My first post, not The Last Post, thats an upcoming Companion Chronicles release with Caroline John, the last one unfortunately :(

Here I will be looking at all sorts of Doctor Who merchandise, from TV episodes to books to audios. I should warn you, in some cases I may jump many releases, based on what is in my collection. I may even foray into Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures (must not blub).

I will be writing about the TV episodes (can't wait for Asylum Of The Daleks), the books in all their different ranges (NA, MA, EDA, PDA, NSA and the Target books) and the audios (AudioGo and BigFinish). These will not be comprehensive reveiws, just my thoughts on each title.

Let me say which Doctor I like the best. Peter Davision's Fifth Doctor was far superior in my book than the rest, but that's not to say that the rest came pretty darn close.

So keep coming and reading what I have to say, and enjoy. Come back to now from then to reread and so on.... After all the Five Hundred Year Old Diary gets completed by filling out the first page.