Synopsis For Doctor Who - Destiny of The Doctor: Death's Deal

Its the 10th Doctor's turn to take center stage in the penultimate story of the series.  This story is narrated by Catherine Tate who played Donna in the new series.  Here is the synopsis and you can order it from the Big Finish website.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/death-s-deal-857

Responding to multiple maydays, the TARDIS lands on the planet of Death’s Deal, but the distress calls are old, the final echoes of terrified lost souls. This is an exotic world of lethal creatures, nicknamed ‘The Deadliest Planet in the Galaxy’, and only the brave, foolhardy or greedy would ever dare to visit.

Finding themselves stranded among a motley bunch of space-tourists, the Doctor and Donna must lead a struggle for survival against the frenzied wildlife, as they slowly realise that other members of the group have very different agendas.

And soon the Doctor learns of an even bigger threat hiding on Death’s Deal. Somewhere deep below the surface, is something that must never be unearthed.
Time is running out, and only an impossible survivor holds the key…

 

Written By: Darren Jones
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Catherine Tate (Donna Noble), Duncan Wisbey (Krux/Erskine)

Doctor Who: Destiny Of The Doctor - Babblesphere

Doctor Who:

Destiny Of The Doctor –

Babblesphere

By Jonathan Morris

Performed By Lalla Ward

The Doctor and the second Romana arrive on the volcanic world of Hephastos which is home to lots of people who thrive in the world of art.  Unfortunately the inhabitants of Hephastos let their world go to pot and allowed it to get run down and look junky almost like a dump.  The Doctor discovers that they are enslaved by the babble network which occupies their every moment and every thought is shared with everyone else on Hephastos no matter how trivial it is and privacy is deemed a crime.  With the population being killed The Doctor and Romana suspect a higher evil intelligence is at work and prepare to free the people of Hephastos from its control.

Babblesphere was a fun story even if it was all over the place in parts.  I have been enjoying the Destiny of the Doctors series and the Fourth Doctor entry continues that streak of good stories.  Lalla Ward does a fantastic job returning to the role of Romana and impersonating Tom Baker.  It was like stepping back to the late 70’s as Lalla Ward did not miss a beat and it seemed like she was still in the part of Romana.

Babblesphere even though it was a good story it did not really captivate me and is so far my least favorite of the series.  This is unfair to Babblesphere really since the previous three were just super and if this was a standalone story not part of an arc it would be really excellent.  But judging it against the other three stories it falls a tad short.  I liked the premise of the story with the whole Babblesphere and what The Doctor eventual came up with to stop it.  Babblesphere while a fun story and it was nice to hear Lalla Ward again it just did not live up to the rest of the arc but it was still pretty good and worth a listen.

Grade B -

Synopsis For Doctor Who Destiny Of The Doctor - Enemy Aliens

This month's story continues with the 8th Doctor and his Big Finish companion Charley as we get closer to to the finish and wonder what mysterious message the 11th Doctor will leave this time.  It is available at the Big Finish website.

http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/enemy-aliens-855

1935: a message from a Time Lord in trouble sends the Eighth Doctor and Charlotte ‘Charley’ Pollard to the streets of London’s West End, in search of a mysterious alien adversary – unaware that something monstrous is already on their trail.

They soon discover that an insidious conspiracy is indeed at work, its tentacles extending the length of the British Isles. Proving its existence won’t be easy, however, after a confrontation in a music hall ends up with the Doctor under arrest and Charley on the run, suspected of murder. All their hopes rest in a musical clue and a man named Hilary – neither of which are much consolation, with the two time travellers the object of a nationwide manhunt.

And all the while, the enemy aliens are drawing closer and closer still…

Written By: Alan Barnes
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
India Fisher (Charley Pollard), Michael Maloney (Hilary)

Synopsis for Doctor Who - Destiny of the Doctor: Trouble In Paradise

If it is the sixth month then it must be time for the 6th Doctor to get his turn in the 50th anniversary audio audio adventure.  This time it is performed by Nicola Bryant who played Peri during Colin Bakers era.  You can buy it from the Big Finish website.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/trouble-in-paradise-853

Responding to a desperate summons from the Doctor's future self, he and Peri find themselves on a sailing ship in 1492, where the crewmen are gripped by superstitious fear.
They say the Devil walks among them, stalking and striking them down. Even though they have landed in paradise, they fear that 'El Diablo' himself will drag them over the edge of the world and into the depths of Hell.
When the Doctor and Peri meet the captain of the ship, they both discover that heroes can sometimes behave unheroically. Peri's reaction leads her into deep water, and soon the Doctor fears not only for her life but also for the existence of the ship, the paradise island, and the universe itself...

 

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Nicola Bryant (Peri), Cameron Stewart (Christopher Columbus)

Doctor Who - Destiny of The Doctor: Shadow of Death Review

Doctor Who
Destiny of the Doctor:
Shadow of Death
By Simon Guerrier
Performed By Frazer Hines & Evie Dawnay

The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe have appeared to have landed on outpost on a planet that is orbiting a pulsar star.  The scientists there are studying an ancient city that appears to have been abandoned.   What makes its interesting is that they appear to be in a type of time field where time is going differently for those at the outpost.  It appears that there is a being also on the outpost that is killing the crew members.  The Doctor discovers that if the being touches you it makes you age rapidly and die instantly.  So its up to The Doctor and a very peculiar message to help save the day and make sure no one else dies.

I really enjoyed this release in the Destiny of the Doctor series that Big Finish and Audio Go have made for the 50^th Anniversary.    Shadow of Death was a really well written and very enjoyable to listen to as it held my interest throughout and I was very intrigued to find out what would happen next.  I also liked the mystery of what the aliens wanted and why they were doing what they were doing what they were doing. 

What was really cool and a nod for us fans was the message that the 11^th Doctor gave the 2^nd.  In the first story Hunters of Earth The Doctor received a message from a DJ over the radio.  This time The Doctor receives his message from the psychic paper that was left like a note on the window of the outpost.  It was a pretty cool moment as the 2^nd Doctor and 11^th Doctor meet very briefly.  Definitely the best part of the entire story.

One of the highlights of this CD is the performance of Frazer Hines.  His performance as Patrick Troughton is spot on and is one of the best impersonations I have heard.  It actually sounded like I was listening to the Second Doctor on this CD and not Frazer Hines acting as him.  It was a really good performance and worth the price alone to listen to Frazer Hines as The Second Doctor. 

So far the Destiny of The Doctor series has been really good and spot on in recreating the eras of The Doctor the story pertains to.  Even though the story is under 90 minutes on one disc it doesn’t feel like it is short as the action moves briskly. I have really enjoyed the first two entries in this series and am looking forward to hearing the story unfold in the coming months.

Grade A

Doctor Who: Destiny of The Doctor - Hunter of Earth Review

Doctor Who:
Destiny of The Doctor -

Hunters of Earth

By Nigel Robinson

Performed By Carole Ann Ford

The year is 1963 and two travelers from a distant world are living on Earth and while one is trying to fit in with the high school kids the other is stealing electronic parts to help repair the TARDIS.  While hanging out with her new friends Susan has noticed strange things going on.  Strange as in when the radio is playing some of her friends become mean and malicious and downright hateful.  It appears that something over the radio waves is causing people to be hateful towards people who aren’t from England.  Like Rosa the owner of Rosa’s and of course The Doctor and Susan.  Things get even stranger when a certain government agency asks The Doctor for help and soon what seems to be an isolated problem is now a bigger problem.

To celebrate Doctor Who’s 50^th Anniversary Audio Go and Big Finish have come together to produce this 11 part story that spans through all 11 Doctor’s era’s.  The first one obviously features the First Doctor and the adventure is performed by Carole Ann Ford who played Susan.   She does a very good job as William Hartnell’s First Doctor and she seems to have no problem getting back into the groove as Susan also.  Her performance is really good and helps in the enjoyment of listening to the story.

The overall story was pretty fantastic.  There is one particular scene you need to listen and pay attention too as it is very integral to the story and possibly the overall arc.   I really did enjoy this story as it was pretty cool to hear an adventure that happened before An Unearthly Child.  The mystery of the story was pretty good as it kept me guessing till the end.  Hunters of the Earth also gave us more of an insite into Susan’s character as we learn more about the girl.  It is refreshing to see them do something different and nothing to radical.  We have to remember that she is an awkward girl just trying to belong in high school and we all know how she feels as it has happened to most of us at that age. 

Doctor Who: Destiny of The Doctor – Hunters of Earth is a good start to this celebratory adventure that I’m looking forward to the next releases in the series.  It was a fun story to listen to and is really different as we get an adventure before all the cool stuff happens on TV.  So if you are looking for something fun, written adventure than you should listen to Hunters of Earth.

Grade A

Doctor Who Vengeance of the Stones Synopsis

The next installment in The Destiny of The Doctor features a 3rd Doctor story performed by Richard Franklin who played Captain Mike Yates.  So far this story has been pretty solid and I'm sure this installment will continue along those lines.  You can but it at the link below.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/vengeance-of-the-stones-850

Two RAF fighter jets are on a training flight over North East Scotland when one of them is plucked from the air and promptly disappears. UNIT are called in, and the Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart are soon on the scene. They enlist the help of a local military officer - a young lieutenant by the name of Mike Yates.
The Doctor discovers a link to the recumbent stone circles that are plentiful in this part of Scotland. The stones are thousands of years old, and are soon revealed to hold a terrible secret. Then Mike Yates disappears, abducted by an alien race that has a grievance with humanity. Their intention is to harness the power of the stones in order to take their revenge. For the Doctor and the Brigadier, the race is now on to save their new friend Mike and the entire planet Earth.

Written By: Andrew Smith
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Richard Franklin (Mike Yates), Trevor Littledale (Garlin)

Synopsis For Destiny of The Doctor - Shadow of Death

The next part in the 11 part Destiny of The Doctor is The Shadow of Death and features a 2nd Doctor story performed by Frazer Hines.  Frazer Hines does a great Patrick Troughton impersonation so this one should be pretty good to listen to. You can order it at the link below.
 http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/shadow-of-death-849


Following an emergency landing, the TARDIS arrives on a remote world orbiting a peculiar star – a pulsar which exerts an enormous gravitational force, strong enough to warp time.

On further exploration the Doctor and his friends, Jamie and Zoe, discover a human outpost on the planet surface, inhabited by scientists who are there to study an ancient city. The city is apparently abandoned, but the scientists are at a loss to explain what happened to its sophisticated alien architects.

The Doctor discovers that something dark, silent and deadly is also present on the world - and it is slowly closing in on the human intruders...

Written By: Simon Guerrier
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast
Frazer Hines (Jamie McCrimmon), Evie Dawnay (Sophie)

Synopsis for Doctor Who: Destiny of The Doctor "Hunters of Earth"

Here is the beginning story in Big Finish's 50th anniversary story, one of them anyway, Destiny of The Doctor's. Part one of Eleven is about the First Doctor and stars Carole Ann Ford.  Hunters of Earth can be ordered at this link.
http://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/hunters-of-earth-848



Shoreditch, London, 1963. The Beatles have beaten John Smith and the Common Men to No. 1 and satellites are being launched in outer space. Back down on Earth, strange goings-on are occurring: the normally placid teenagers of Coal Hill are running riot and a master thief is stealing highly specialised equipment.

Schoolgirl Susan Foreman just wants an easy life for herself and her grandfather, the mysterious Doctor. She wants to be liked and accepted by Cedric and all the other pupils at Coal Hill School. But there’s trouble in the streets and bombsites around Totter’s Lane.

The teenagers are becoming dangerous… Their mission: to hunt down anyone different, or alien… Susan’s quiet life is about to spiral out of control. Having inadvertently started drawing attention to herself, she finds herself drawn into a desperate situation. Suddenly, the chase is on and she and her grandfather are now the hunted.

Written By: Nigel Robinson
Directed By: John Ainsworth

Cast

Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman), Tam Williams (Cedric)

AudiGo Releases Destiny of The Doctor For The 50th Anniversary

Here is a cool idea.  AudioGo will be releasing an Eleven Part story Titled Destiny of The Doctor and the first part will be out in January, the 3rd of January in the UK,  and will run every month up to November.  All The Doctor's will be represented and each story will have a special star from that Doctor's era performing in the story.  Here is the full details.

Eleven Doctors, Eleven Months
The series will begin in January with the First Doctor – as played by William Hartnell in the original TV series – and progress through all his TV incarnations to date, culminating in the Eleventh Doctor – as played by Matt Smith – in the anniversary month, November. Performers for the stories will be announced in the coming months, with some very familiar Doctor Who names expected to be in the line-up. The series is produced for AudioGO by Big Finish Productions.

First story announced The first story is Hunters of Earth (Destiny of the Doctor 1) by Nigel Robinson. Set in Shoreditch, London in 1963, it features the First Doctor and his granddaughter Susan prior to their departure from Earth at the beginning of the first ever TV story. It’s performed by Carole Ann Ford and Tam Williams, with sound design by Simon Hunt.

Source: AudioGo, Blogtor Who, Doctor Who News