I have to make a confession before continuing with this review. When Big Finish started their series of original Who adventures starring Paul McGann, I followed them for the first season or so and then, for various reasons, tuned out- apart from the occasional dip of the toes back into them, so it was interesting to return for this to see how things were progressing.
I’m glad to report that they are progressing quite well!
When I read the title of this adventure, the know-it-all nerd in me got excited, as it could only mean one Who villain, and that same know-it-all nerd was delighted to be proved correct.
The Seeds of Death is one of my all time favourite Who adventures, so I was delighted to see the return of the Ice Warriors in this story.
It sees the Doctor and his companion, Tamsin, arrive just in time (as they always seem to do) to see the Ice Warriors unleash a nefarious plan to regain control of their home planet of Mars.
First things first- the acting. It is terrific throughout, and it’s wonderful to see names like David Warner in there. There are also a well realised pair of tourists, who are caught up in it all, and they could only be improved if they were played by Terry Scott and June Whitfield (which is not to say that the actors do not make a sterling job of things!).
The other that struck me was the pacing, particularly of the first episode. There is a hell of a lot of plot crammed in there. We’ve got double crossing and action and two or three cliff-hangers in there, and there’s even time to do some running down corridors!
But… Only two episodes!?
In my day, there were four episodes in an adventure- but I see that this one leads directly on into the next in the series… it’s almost like Big Finish planned it that way or something!
Overall, this is great stuff, I really don’t know why all the Who fans out there don’t listen to these, as they provide an ideal fix until he’s back on the TV again, but it was over far too quickly. I want the next one!
I’m glad to report that they are progressing quite well!
When I read the title of this adventure, the know-it-all nerd in me got excited, as it could only mean one Who villain, and that same know-it-all nerd was delighted to be proved correct.
The Seeds of Death is one of my all time favourite Who adventures, so I was delighted to see the return of the Ice Warriors in this story.
It sees the Doctor and his companion, Tamsin, arrive just in time (as they always seem to do) to see the Ice Warriors unleash a nefarious plan to regain control of their home planet of Mars.
First things first- the acting. It is terrific throughout, and it’s wonderful to see names like David Warner in there. There are also a well realised pair of tourists, who are caught up in it all, and they could only be improved if they were played by Terry Scott and June Whitfield (which is not to say that the actors do not make a sterling job of things!).
The other that struck me was the pacing, particularly of the first episode. There is a hell of a lot of plot crammed in there. We’ve got double crossing and action and two or three cliff-hangers in there, and there’s even time to do some running down corridors!
But… Only two episodes!?
In my day, there were four episodes in an adventure- but I see that this one leads directly on into the next in the series… it’s almost like Big Finish planned it that way or something!
Overall, this is great stuff, I really don’t know why all the Who fans out there don’t listen to these, as they provide an ideal fix until he’s back on the TV again, but it was over far too quickly. I want the next one!
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