TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.10: From Out Of The Rain

From Out Of The Rain feels like a true Torchwood episode once again. This time around, we’ve left behind the very heavily character driven stories which we’ve had recently. It was nice for the series to step into the weird and wonderful themes of horror once again. With this episode written by Peter Hammond who wrote the amazing Small Worlds, it was no surprise that it was very reminiscent to series one.

The start of the episode builds up the creepily dramatic flare with the Ghostmaker, a stereotypical showman with his top hat and big moustache, welcoming all people into his circus. It’s a true classic horror in the way it is filmed, feeling as if you’re someone wondering around the circus, as everyone looks towards the camera. The Ghostmaker hands a girl a ticket to the circus when all of a sudden, the whole circus disappears, leaving only the girls mother behind. This story feels like it could be straight out of a Sarah Jane Adventure series.

In true Torchwood style, they are already on the case, as Ianto finds some rift disturbance at an old cinema he used to go to as a kid. As they watch the film believed to be old footage of Cardiff, the Ghostmaker mysteriously appears, gesturing to the audience to come up to the screen. The themes of the circus living within the film is a truly horrifying concept, as it suggests the possibility of the circus performers eternal life. In a shocking twist, it turns out that Jack went undercover to find out what these circus performers were up to 80 years ago, when many people went missing when the circus came to town. This would have been an amazing path to take to delve into Jack’s history once more as he tries to cover up who originally sent him. That would have been the moment to develop Jack’s character just a little more, but unfortunately was missed.

What’s nice about this story, is it’s very heavily lead by Ianto as he seeks to find out who these people are and why they’re taking the souls and the very essence of their being. It really gives Ianto a leadership side which we haven’t seen previously in stories. If we wanted to go down the more character driven route as with Owen previously, this would have been Ianto’s time to shine.

Another missed opportunity was with the Ghostmaker and Pearl. The idea of these two going around capturing life essences from people is great, but the threat of the whole situation seemed incredibly mild in comparison to other events the Torchwood team have endured. What would have been amazing, was if the circus had already re established itself travelling around the country and everyone started to disappear again; it would have created more of a deadly impact for the team to sort out. However, the resolution to this episode is a quick finale as if they were running out of time for the episode. 

The Torchwood team quickly work out the only way they can stop the night travellers from taking the life of any more people, is to destroy the film they were living in. It’s a great concept, but it would have been more amazing if the team had to work this out in a last minute escapade. It’s never really explained why the circus people are doing what they are doing - they just seem to appear and not do all that much. What would have been amazing is if they turned out to be some kind of alien water vampire, or was that the plot of “Waters of Mars” I’m thinking about? Instead, we get a very speedy, Jack saves the day again ending, which has become a repetitive problem throughout Torchwood as a series.

Overall From Out of the Rain had a great concept that could have been helped with maybe this being a two part story. There are so many opportunities to establish character and plot, however it was all very rushed to fill the 40 minute time frame. There is a great little twist at the end of the episode. Just as Jack is about the put the flask away that captured the souls for the circus performers, a boy and his dad find another film canister with the same logo as the flask has on it. Has Jack really defeated the night travellers?

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Big Finish Productions, in association with BBC Studios, today announces the long-awaited return of Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor in a brand new series of audio adventures.

First seen on screen in 2005, Christopher Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor introduced a whole new generation of fans to Doctor Who.

Now he's back in Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures - a brand-new series of twelve fantastic full-cast audio adventures in space and time, due to be released across four box sets, starting with volume one in May 2021.

Christopher Eccleston said:

“After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor's world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.”

Story details, writers and additional guest cast are being kept under wraps at present but this Doctor Who audio series promises to be, once again, the trip of a lifetime.

Big Finish’s Chairman, Jason Haigh-Ellery said:

“I first talked to Christopher about returning to the role of the Doctor at a fan convention in February this year. Christopher said he was enjoying meeting the fans and was pleased that his Doctor was remembered so fondly. I am so pleased that Christopher has decided to return to the role with us – and I'm excited to welcome him to the Big Finish family as we discover the new adventures of the Ninth Doctor.”

Big Finish’s Creative Director, Nicholas Briggs, added:

“Working with Chris was a very special time for me. The beginning of my Doctor Who TV career. So, writing for and directing him feels incredibly exciting. He’s such a powerful performer and it’ll be amazing to work with him again.”

Doctor Who fans worldwide can now pre-order all four volumes, which are available in three formats – collector’s edition CD, digital download or limited edition gatefold triple LP vinyl – exclusively from the Big Finish website.

Each of the four volumes in Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures will be released as a 4-disc collector’s edition box set or download containing three brand-new full cast audio adventures, plus a selection of behind-the-scenes extras.

Below is the teaser trailer, released by Big Finish:

;

[Source: Big Finish]

Big Finish has today revealed its final contribution to the Doctor Who multi-platform adventure Time Lord Victorious with a new limited edition vinyl – starring David Tennant and Paul McGann. 

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious - Echoes of Extinction comprises of two separate adventures that listeners can play in any order and form a greater narrative.

This very special double-A side vinyl Doctor Who release features a different incarnation of the Doctor on each side and will be released on split red/blue vinyl.

Trapped, a haunted monster waits to consume new victims. It needs help. It needs a doctor. Unfortunately, it also needs to kill whoever it meets. Thrust into immediate danger, and on the back-foot, it will take all of the Doctor’s ingenuity to triumph.

Two interlinked adventures. Two Doctors. One foe. 

The stellar supporting cast also includes Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who, Broadchurch), Burn Gorman (Torchwood, The Expanse), Mina Anwar (The Thin Blue Line, The Sarah Jane Adventures), Kathryn Drysdale (Benidorm, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) and Paul Clayton (The Crown, Him and Her).

David Tennant said:

“The Doctor in Time Lord Victorious is a different character. He's slightly lonelier, slightly scratchier, when he doesn't have one of his pals to hold him back. But it's nice to tell stories from different times of his life. You just have to try and make sure you're in the right mindset. The script is fascinating. I've only got one side of it, but I'm very aware there's more to this story, that there's another Doctor on the other side of the disc. I look forward to getting my LP so I can listen to it all.”

Paul McGann added:

“I've read this script twice through and I'm still none the wiser. I'm more confused after the second time than I was after the first. It's only while working on it that I've become aware of how it's going to be structured. It really appeals to me, the idea that it's in two parts, on two sides of vinyl. I think it's fun for people listening. Part of the excitement is when the different incarnations meet... or nearly meet.”

Writer and Producer Alfie Shaw said:

“Director Scott Handcock has pulled together an amazing who’s who of Doctor Who for the cast. We’ve got alumni from the series as well as Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It’s been an honour to create Big Finish’s first commissioned-for-vinyl story, and utterly thrilling to write for both the Eighth and Tenth Doctors.” 

The vinyl will launch in selected UK ASDA stores on 27th November 2020.

A digital download of the story will be available globally from the Big Finish website from 4th December 2020 and is now available for pre-order at £8.99.

[Source: BBC Studios]

DWO have received the cover art and details for the upcoming DVD, Blu-ray & Steelbook release of Doctor Who's missing serial Fury From The Deep, which will be released on 14th September 2020.

Following the success of existing animations The Power of the Daleks, The Faceless Ones, Shada and The Macra Terror, Fury From The Deep fills another gap in missing Doctor Who content lost in the purge of the BBC’s archive in 1975.

The three-disc release gives fans the opportunity to enjoy Fury From The Deep in high definition, either in full colour or in black & white. The release will include the surviving clips from the original 1968 production as well.

Fury From The Deep is told across six episodes and stars Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling. The storyline concerns a colony of sentient, parasitic seaweed, last seen in the eighteenth century, returning to attack a number of gas instillations in the North Sea in an attempt to take over humanity.

Animated episodes from Big Finish Creative Limited in association with Digitoonz Media & Entertainment and Thaumaturgy are joined by a wealth of exciting extras.

A making-of featurette ‘The Cruel Sea - Surviving Fury From The Deep’ sees original cast members Frazer Hines, June Murphy and Brian Cullingford revisit filming locations with production assistant Michael Briant, assistant floor manager Margot Hayhoe and helicopter pilot Mike Smith. Other contributors to this segment include writer Victor Pemberton and actress Deborah Watling. There’s also an archive audio interview with director Hugh David.

Additional material includes: 

· Audio commentaries
· The Cruel Sea – Surviving Fury From The Deep
· Original surviving footage
· Behind The Scenes 8mm footage
· Animating Fury From The Deep
· Archive interviews with Peter Day and Victor Pemberton
· Teaser Trailer
· Photo Gallery
· The Slide Audio Drama
· PDF scripts

Check out the teaser trailer in the player, below:

+  Fury From The Deep is released on 14th September 2020.
+  PREORDER this title from Amazon.co.uk! 

[Source: BBC Studios]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.9: Something Borrowed

We start the episode with a flash back scene to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang where Gwen announces her engagement to Rhys. It was about time we finally faced the family of Rhys and Gwen, as keeping their lives and Torchwood separate couldn’t last much longer.

The best way I can describe this episode, is a more adult version of “The Wedding of Sara, out to kill Gwen who has been impregnated by a murderous shape-shifting alien - pure Torchwood. It’s a great way to make fun of soap opera style weddings which always end in some kind of disaster but with a sci-fi element to it. Gwen wanting the marriage to take place no matter what, really shows a strength of character and the love between Rhys and Gwen.

I do have to mention the issues of Gwen’s relationship with Owen, as again the affair from series 1 is never brought up, even at the key moment when Gwen has to be honest with Rhys about getting married because she loves him. What makes the situation even more awkward is in fact that Owen is there at the wedding with the pair of them. I do feel hugely sorry for Rhys in the series, as his character gives so much love and dedication, even to the point of marrying someone who is pregnant with an alien. He’s given no kind of redemption story arc for everything that has happened without his knowledge. This has been a problematic theme throughout Torchwood, but I’ve come to terms  with the fact that it’s something that will never now be resolved.

This episode reinforces the Torchwood cheesy storylines we’ve come to know and love. The shape-shifting alien mum out to kill Gwen, almost feels as if it was toned down in respect of the blood and gore which would fit in well with a “Sarah Jane Adventures” story line. To have the shape-shifting alien hide in between their relatives and even taking the form of Rhys’s mum, does create a somewhat comical effect as in a lot of Scooby-Doo style chase scenes that would work perfectly with the “Doctor Who” episode “Love and Monsters.” Again the problems are very quickly resolved with the Singularity Scalpel as it zaps away the alien baby before the mum can tear open Gwen’s stomach to get to it. The Singularity Scalpel is becoming as common as the sonic screwdriver from “Doctor Who.”

A lovely final moment for the relationship between Jack and Gwen is when Jack finally takes out the shape-shifter and he picks her up as a trophy. Realising that Rhys is there, Jack places her on the ground and puts Rhys and Gwen’s hands together saying “The hero always gets the girl.” Again it’s the final resolution that is needed for their relationship now that Gwen is committed to Rhys and loves him, so he should be the man with whom she celebrates her victories.

It does start to feel that Torchwood has found a truly good balance between the gore, sex and violence from its previous series. This is very prominent with Phil Ford’s writing, as he creates some fantastic one liners throughout the episode - “That’s what I love about Torchwood. By day, you’re chasing the scum of the universe, come midnight, you’re the wedding fairy.” It’s a wonderful send off, as the Torchwood team retcon the entire wedding so nobody will remember the event thats happened. That will be fun to explain when the wedding photos are finally developed. 

We finish the episode with a touching scene of Jack looking through all his past photos, which appear to date back to the late 1800’s. One is of what appears to be a wedding photo, as Jack softly smiles, reminiscing about his past life and why he feels so comfortable letting Gwen marry while she’s working in Torchwood. It’s a nice send off to the episode as the camera pulls back, and the world is right once again. 

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.8: A Day In The Death

A Day in the Death is a very solid story about what I’m calling the how Owen is coping with being dead saga. This episode heavily surrounds the character development of Owen, from being the arrogant man we saw in series 1, to a more understanding but still problematic character in the way he now has to come to terms with being dead.

The story delves into the world of death and the problems that surround life and how those two should intertwine. The great way in which this story is depicted, is because it’s from the narrative view point of Owen, as he sits next to Maggie, a woman who is about to take her own life. But what’s Owen doing there? Was he there first or was he there to help Maggie? 

We experience this story as a historical event, so whatever happens as the story progresses, Owen will always end up on the rooftop. It’s quite worrying to see his character stripped of his Torchwood duties as Jack is worried about Owen’s more fragile personality and physical state. Again in a retaliative response, Owen gives up everything that makes him seem human; his food, booze, aftershave and even the loo roll. He throws it all away as if he’s giving up all his material possessions and facing the harsh reality that he won’t be able to enjoy life the way he does anymore. The music progresses to a repetitive tune as he faces these facts. Owen not taking this very well, lashes out at Tosh yet again, as she pops over with a pizza, just to make sure Owen is ok.

Owen finally giving in, heads towards Cardiff Bay, runs and jumps into the bay to try and drown himself. However, he suddenly opens his eyes and pulls himself out as he realises he can’t drown if he can’t breathe. Captain Jack, conveniently in the same area at the time it happened, watches Owen as he pulls himself out of the bay and queries for how long will this keep going? 

The whole theme of Owen being dead, heavily impacts the story, as millionaire alien artefact collector Parker (played by the wonderful Richard Briers) has a device that’s going to blow up the whole of Cardiff. Again, we have the typical Torchwood Mcguffin, as this alien device must be stopped. Owen is the only man who can stop Parker using the device, but he has to get through the heat sensors in the house without being detected. Owen and Parker have quite a nice but short bonding session over the themes of death and the resemblances it has with being alive. Being in a dark room, all alone, it all seems to be working well until Parker has his fourth and final heart attack, dying in front of Owen. To Owen’s horror, he can’t give him CPR as he doesn’t breathe and therefore can’t save Parker.

So this appears to be why Owen is on top of the roof with Maggie. It also turns out that the alien device is called the Pulse and it isn’t actually a nasty bomb but a message from beyond the stars, from aliens Torchwood haven’t met. Owen uses this symbolic moment to help Maggie, who we later find out is trying to kill herself as her husband died on their wedding day. It’s symbolic of a message of hope for the both of them, to carry on living and reflect on their past, which they’ve both done in this story.

What this story does so well, is it finally gives Owen some kind of resolution. He accepts the fact that he is now dead, because to be fair, for how long could the woe is me storyline play out before the audience themselves find the repetitiveness of the themes uninteresting. The major flaw for me, is not a reflection on this specific episode, but  the overall issues of Martha returning. Unfortunately, I feel for the past three episodes she was in, her character was heavily underused as it played under the Owen accepting death story arc. I wish we had one more episode with Martha after this, to establish her relationship with the Torchwood team, as Jack says she can come back at any point.

With the Torchwood team back to their usual antics, where will this take the final few episodes of the series? Only time will tell.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.7: Dead Man Walking

The themes of this storyline, compare very closely to the ‘Doctor Who’ episodes “The Impossible Planet” and “The Satan Pit”.

From the  experience of the dramatic cliffhanger concerning Owen’s death in “Reset”, I was ready for the emotional impact of losing another Torchwood member. Even with Owen’s problematic traits, the other Torchwood members have a strong connection with him. You feel grief on their behalf, that is until Captain Jack comes running through the door claiming he has a way to save Owen.

The character I do feel most sorry for in this whole story is Martha. I was hugely excited as we finally had the chance to see her use her skills as a UNIT doctor to help the Torchwood team grow and develop into an awesome team. However, she’s sidelined in Owen’s story and then turned into an old woman by the resurrection glove. 

I do like the way Ianto has a sassy joke about there being another resurrection glove, as they usually come in pairs. It’s a throw back to series one where they tried to bring Suzie back and are now using the same technique with Owen. Miraculously Owen is back, and again he stays alive after the 30 seconds -  but what energy is keeping him alive? It turns out it literally is Death itself that is keeping Owen alive, using him as a portal to get through to earth to take it over again. The event leads to quite a dramatic cliffhanger style event, which is very oddly cut away from as Death goes to attack everyone; suddenly we’re in the hospital to look after Martha? I am assuming there must have been a scene to tie these together, but it leads to a somewhat abrupt and very confusing episode that feels very clunky in its story telling. 

The themes of death have been a recurring aspect from series one, as you can’t have a main character who is immortal without addressing the consequences of cheating death. In terms of Owen, he’s not like Jack. All his bodily functions have stopped working, leading to a somewhat revolting scene as he throws up beer in a police cell as he can’t digest the alcohol. It’s a really weirdly comical scene for the tone of the episode which is meant to be quite sombre with Owen trying to take everything in about being alive again. Its conflicting themes, tend to leave the scenes in this episode somewhat jarring and pardon the pun, leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Unfortunately for me, the character of Owen hasn’t been that likeable, so it’s been really tough trying to feel sorry for him as the episode progresses. I found this especially in the scene when he emotionally hugs Gwen. It reminds me of the time Gwen drugged Rhys for cheating on him with Owen and eventually leads to no real consequences for either of those actions. It is also the case for Tosh who finally confesses her love for Owen, something which is cruelly dismissed by Owen. Again she is sidelined for the rest of the story.  

I really wanted to like this story as series two of Torchwood has made a vast improvement with its story telling over the last couple of episodes. There are some elements to this story which are very quickly glossed over or too easily resolved. This is where we come to the hugely clunky part of the story, the fight between Owen and Death. So Death needs 13 souls to transfer his energy to the Earth and live permanently there. So the resolution to the story? Owen, in a very awkward wrestling match, throws Death around for a bit as he’s a man with nothing to lose, quite literally as he’s not alive and somehow that defeats Death once again. There’s no real explanation to anything that has happened in this story, not even a throw away line of some techno-babble. The only thing that continues with the series arc, is there is something to the darkness of death that is coming. Does Jack know what it is and has he seen it himself?

How long will the Torchwood team be able to keep Owen safe or will this end up being a tale like the film “Death Becomes Her”? Only time will tell.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Publisher: Independently Published

Written By: Meg MacDonald

RRP: £3.99 / $4.99 (Kindle) | £12.99 / $15.99 (Paperback)

Reviewed by: Sebastian J. Brook

Review Posted: 13th July 2020

Meg MacDonald's world building is the first thing that hits you in Oath Sworn; an epic gaslamp fantasy that feels so much bigger than the sum of its parts. The sheer scale and richness of detail make this a read that even Tolkien would be proud of - for this is the calibre that the author deserves to be compared to.

To give you but a taste of what we mean, here is an extract, mere pages into the first chapter:

"Beyond mullioned windows, the late-winter sky was plum-dark, the low-lying parish streets cloaked in mist. Even on a clear night, the broad expanse of the northern heavens offered precious little moonlight so close to year’s end. Only a single moon shone brightly, the others waning crescents, slivers of melting ice soon to turn dark faces on their world."

It's by far one of the most original fantasy stories we've read in a long time, and we've read some truly fantastic titles over the past few years. Think Lord Of The Rings meets Star Wars meets The Witcher and you are starting to enter an adjacent postcode to Aralt's world.

We drew the comparison to Tolkien at the start and like The Fellowship Of The Ring, it's a slow build, but one that you can savour every description and character that graces the page. There's adventure, too... You want sky pirates - you got it! Awesome weapons in the form of crystal swords that are tuned to the hands of their keepers - you got it! A foreboding enemy hell-bent on destroying souls - you better believe it! 

There's bags of emotion, too; due to the hard work put in early on, you really care for the characters and cultures within, and the tumultuous relationship between the main protagonists (Aralt & Lian), will keep you entertained throughout. Not ashamed to say we *may* have reached for the tissues more than once.

All the effort put in by both the author and the reader at the start, gradually build to an epic conclusion - you could not of hoped for a better conclusion than the one we get here!

One final thing we would be remiss not to mention and which we absolutely loved were the many journal extracts, teachings and notations that prefaced each chapter. Whether or not it was intentional, they allowed for a brief pause to take yourself out of the action and ponder the sentiments, before being launched back in again. Excellent tool from the author!

To have left things where they are in just one book would have been a disservice to all the hard work that MacDonald has poured into Oath Sworn, and without giving anything away, we thankfully have a sequel in the form of Blood Sworn, which is slated for release later this year!

If you want an engrossing Summer read that will take you away to a far off world (and then some) - THIS is the book for you!

+  Oath Sworn is Out Now!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.co.uk!
+  Follow @Kyrrimar (Meg MacDonald) on Twitter.

BBC Audio and Demon Records have today announced that they will be publishing a brand new Doctor Who audio story for the Tenth Doctor as part of the Time Lord Victorious multi-platform adventure.

Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox will be released on CD and digital download by BBC Audio on 3rd December and will be released on vinyl by Demon Records on 4th December, marking the first simultaneous publication of a BBC Audio title across CD, digital and vinyl formats. The CD and digital editions will also feature a short Coda to the story.

The audio story is available to pre-order on Amazon and Audible now and will be available to purchase globally.

In this original story, the Doctor travels with Brian, the Ood assassin, to the planet Magnox, one of the greatest receptacles of knowledge the universe will ever know, and home to the Minds of Magnox. The Doctor needs to ask a vital question, but the answer is Grade 1 Classified. In order to gain an audience with the Minds of Magnox he must take a dangerous test.

Meanwhile, Brian gets involved with a criminal group and is asked to assassinate the Minds of Magnox. However, others also have the planet within their sights...

Doctor Who: The Minds of Magnox is written by Darren Jones and narrated by Jacob Dudman. Darren Jones has written several previous Doctor Who stories for BBC Audio, including Doctor Who: Paradise Lost, Sleepers in the Dust and The Eye of the Jungle.

Jacob Dudman has previously read Doctor Who: Paradise Lost for BBC Audio, and has recently starred in Netflix’s The Stranger alongside Richard Armitage.

+  Time Lord Victorious: The Minds Of Magnox is released on 3rd December 2020, priced £10.99.
+  PREORDER this product on Amazon.co.uk for just £9.98!
+  DISCUSS the Doctor Who audio released in the DWO Forums!

[Source: Doctor Who Magazine]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.6: Reset

We start the episode with a mysterious VIP visitor who Jack is very excited to see and who would Jack be most excited about? Well it had to be Martha Jones played by the wonderful, Freema Agyeman.

What’s amazing about this episode is that you can feel and see the love and friendship Martha and Jack have from their time travelling with the Doctor. It’s the kind of chemistry you get when you see a friend to whom you haven’t spoken for a long time, and when you finally meet, it’s just as if hardly a day has passed. Martha has gained a job at UNIT as a doctor and this makes you cheerfully punch  the air. You know Martha  has just got on with life after The Doctor and has become a hugely successful person in the process. It’s a great piece of character development which is amazing to see in the spin-off series that’s so highly regarded.

Back to the story, Martha is drafted in by Jack and she’s found a connection of mysterious deaths that appear to be unrelated until you look at the finer detail. It’s nice to see Martha use her medical knowledge in ways we didn’t get to see in “Doctor Who.” Owen and Martha quickly form a partnership as they’re working together to find out what’s been injected into the victims bodies to kill them. Naturally, it would turn out to be an alien threat, manipulated by humans for their own gain. In this case, it’s small bugs that appear to cure all kinds of cancers, diseases etc in the human immune system. But what doesn’t make sense is why people are being injected with bleach to hide the evidence. Just before one of the victims dies, she tells Martha and Owen about this place called The Pharm, that is using volunteers in their clinical trials to help with their medical history. Of course, where there’s a cure, there’s some kind of money making scheme behind it and that’s when we meet Professor Aaron Copley, the chairman of the whole operation.

Martha volunteers to spy on the medical trials to find out what is going on and to recover the missing medical records from the victims that were killed. During the process, she is quickly discovered after being chased by one of the alien creatures being used to create the miracle cure. What’s also great in the episode, is Martha is still affected by what happened to her on her travels with the Doctor - her blood cells having unique properties manipulated by the Time Vortex. This could be a theme to a whole episode in itself. Torchwood usually has its famous McGuffin’s, as Owen luckily has a device which can get the alien creature out of Martha just in the knick of time, before it bursts out of her stomach in “Alien” style. 

Reset delivers the very conventional Torchwood plot of the big baddy who needs to be stopped no matter what. The narrative of this episode parallels that of “Meat” where the alien meat was being chopped up to be sold on the  open market for money. What makes the difference, is Professor Aaron Copley thinks that experimenting on aliens and humans is ok if the outcome means he can save the world in the future with this new cure.

Just as you think the Torchwood team has just saved the day once again as they shut down the facility, Professor Aaron Copley steps out from the darkness with a gun, ready to take vengeance for destroying his life’s work. Owen, no stranger to facing a gun, steps forward to disarm the situation. As the audience, you believe he’ll come out fine as they always do in Torchwood, until he takes a fatal shot to the heart. It all doesn’t seem real until Martha confirms “He’s dead.” It’s a moment that really is shocking as we’ve just got Martha back and everything felt like it was becoming a bigger family unit; it’s all cruelly taken away in an instant. Jack immediately fires back in anger killing the Professor on the spot. The camera then appears to be flying higher and higher into the air, as if it were following Owen’s soul to heaven.

Knowing how Torchwood deal with scenarios, I don’t think this will be the last time we see Owen.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Publisher: BHC Press

Written By: J.W. Garrett

RRP: £10.95 / $14.95 (Paperback)

Reviewed by: Sebastian J. Brook

Review Posted: 1st July 2020

Remeon's Destiny follows the story of Thomas, a young man growing up in 1940's rural Virginia, who dreams of more than the expected path set before him. Immediately we felt pangs of nostalgia due to the loose parallels with Superman and Star Wars; Clark Kent growing up in rural Kansas - destined for greater things, and Luke Skywalker growing up on a moisture farm on the desert planet of Tattooine - destined to bring peace and order to the galaxy.

It's a recipe that works so well as we all root for the central character to achieve their aspirations, but it's always so refreshing when an author actually adds something new and unexpected to that recipe - and that's exactly what J.W. Garrett has done here.

The juxtaposition between the setting of post-World War II America and that of the futuristic world of Remeon is stark and ultimately meaningful as events, experiences and choices made in the future, make for fantastic character development in Thomas and for the messages and warnings that are underlying for our own planet.

Speaking of characters, those featured in Remeon's Destiny are rich and well-rounded, and whilst Thomas is our main protagonist, there are some fantastic female characters full of depth and who give great poignance to the story. It feels wonderfully balanced and, as a result, real.

Garrett's skill of painting both mundane life in rich, beautiful detail, coupled with the far out complex strokes of a distant world in the same brush is commendable. All this whilst maintaining a driven, entertaining story that compels you to keep on reading - and boy does it do that! 

There are so many moments that jump off the page and feel like a full-on emotive scene that you'd expect to see in a big-screen movie.

There's one particular line near the end of the story, and without giving too much away, it captures a moment every son hopes to have with his father; an acknowledgement of change and being accepted as an adult:

"James desperately searched for answers as he combed the face he thought he knew so well. “Son,” he said, as he grasped Thomas’s shoulders, his voice quivering, “you’ve changed. I can see it in you. A man’s eyes don’t lie.""

That sense of journey; a beginning, a middle and an end - the load-bearing principles of good story writing are all here, but there's so much colour and attention to detail that, (if you pardon us one more arty metaphor), you end up with a masterpiece so full of depth you'll want to bask in it time and time again.

Whilst we are aware the is a prequel to this story now available (and we are very much looking forward to reading it), we cannot help wanting to see what happens next in Thomas' story. As of writing we have just had news that Book 3 in the series (Remeon's Crusade) is out in August - and we cannot wait!

+  Remeon's Destiny is Out Now!
+  Buy this book from Amazon.co.uk!
+  Follow @GarrettJLW on Twitter.

Escape Hunt has today released booking slots for customers to play a remote version of their 5 star escape room Doctor Who: Worlds Collide.

Now booking, this remote experience invites friends, family and colleagues to come together via Zoom and play Escape Hunt’s physical escape room from their own homes. You and your team will direct a real-life expert games master, move them around the room, find hidden clues, solve puzzles, and see if you can escape before time runs out!

In Doctor Who: Worlds Collide, The Doctor needs you: a tear in space and time has been detected, and the Cybermen are about to break through! Step into the future. Enter the offices of ChronosCorp HQ, where eccentric billionaire Alastair Montague’s efforts to develop commercial time travel have caused a tear in the fabric of space and time. The Cybermen are ready to take advantage and attack Earth. You, the Doctor’s friends, must investigate the incident. The remains of Montague, his prototype time engine and the extensive collection of time-related artefacts acquired over the course of his experiments, are all that you have to work with. The fate of the universe is in your hands. Take too long and the human race will be “upgraded”.

Richard Harpham, CEO Escape Hunt PLC, says:

“We’re delighted to be expanding our range of at home experiences with remote play games. It’s fantastic that now, using technology, we can give people the opportunity to play our much-loved physical escape rooms in their own homes.”

The play at home experience allows players from the same or separate households to take part together and solve the puzzles.

It's a 1 hour experience replicating the in-room play experience suitable for 1 to 6 players aged 8+. Prices are charged per game play and are set for all group sizes. Doctor Who: Worlds Collide costs £60 per gameplay.

+ For more information on how to book – https://escapehunt.com/uk/play-at-home-games/

[Source: BBC Studios]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.5: Adam

We begin with the Torchwood theme, but hang on a minute, there’s a new addition to the team, who we as the audience, have never seen before. I love that the opening has immediately smashed the 4th wall perspective by adding this new team member, Adam, to immediately create a sense of confusion, implying he had been there since the beginning of the series.

The whole concept of this episode is the theme of, “What If?” What if Tosh became a more confident woman; what if Owen was more of the reserved nerd. It’s an interesting twist we’ve seen a fair few times with superhero/ Sci-Fi genres, to really change the dynamic of the team and how they’re going to combat this. I love that with Rhys being more involved with the team, there’s a sense of gravitas and consequence to their actions and how they need to keep the team safe. The whole first half of this episode does leave a long trail of what does Adam want and why has he decided to become part of the Torchwood team in this way? Again as the audience, we’re treated as the people who always know more than the team and for me, I find myself shouting at the TV as soon as you know they’re being used or put in imminent danger. It’s a kind of weird,out of body experience watching the episode. 

Adam is an alien existing by living in other people's memories. Everything all seems fun and games as the team carry on as normal, up until Gwen fails to recognise who Rhys is. After a very intense fight between Gwen and Rhys, Jack turns the tides and there is a compromise between them both. Rhys almost has built a slight sense of trust, despite everything else.

In an interesting turn of events for this story, we delve into Jack’s history and where he’s come from. Adam tricks Jack into remembering his past which he has long forgotten. With Adam’s alien powers, he’s able to access Jack’s memories of losing his family when he was younger and we as an audience, start to get that understanding of why Torchwood means so much to him. The scene of Jack letting go of his little brother’s hand, is heart breaking. Jack Montgomery, who plays young Jack, puts so much into showing the pain of his mistake and the burden this places on  himself as the older Jack. Torchwood is the stable family he found enabling him to recover from his past.

You feel Adam is almost helping the Torchwood team until - well let’s just say Ianto is the character who takes a considerable chunk of heartbreak and emotional torment in this episode. We’ve seen up until half way through the episode, that Adam has given the team good memories, as well as exploring forgotten memories; but what happens when things don’t exactly go Adam’s way? Ianto in his dorky way, kept a diary of all the teams adventures and finds that in a not so shocking twist, Adam isn’t in any of the entries. This is where the episode becomes incredibly dark and twisted. Adam not only has the ability to provide good memories but also bad ones. In a horrific montage of images, he leads Ianto into thinking he’s a predatory murderer, making him believe all the false memories. It turns into a scene which is incredibly uncomfortable to watch but Gareth David-Lloyd really puts everything into the emotions and you can feel the pain and anguish.

This is the last straw for Captain Jack. He takes Ianto to a lie detector to prove he didn’t murder anyone and also convinces the team that Adam can only exist by using their memories. They realise the only way to get rid of Adam, is to retcon themselves. However, Adam is not quite done yet. He convinces Captain Jack to relive family memories and the good times they had, however, Adam tries to distort them and leaves Jack with a conflict; he either lets Adam live by remembering these memories or  he has to forget everything he’s discovered about his family. In the end, Jack makes the ultimate sacrifice for the team by forgetting the last 48 hours as if nothing happened.

The ending has a sombre tone as the team wake up after taking the retcon and can’t remember anything. At the end, Jack finds an open box which belonged to Adam showing the sands of Jack’s home world;  however, with Jack’s memories gone of his home world, in confusion, he places it back where it was found. It’s an ending that breaks your heart completely.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.4: Meat

“Meat” is an episode that guides you towards a pretty simplistic story line, well simplistic in terms of Torchwood, with an alien being chopped up and being sold to distributors to sell as cheap meat to go in all kinds of food. However, “Meat” throws the curve ball of Gwen having to finally make her choice of staying with Torchwood or choosing Rhys.

I always feel sorry for Rhys. He’s the boyfriend who always seems to be 5 steps behind not only the Torchwood team but the audience as well. As the series has been going on, we’re finally getting to terms with the Torchwood team and their dynamic as Gwen finally seems to be settling in, but there’s always been this niggle at the back of Gwen’s mind and that is Rhys. Coincidently, as one of his lorries has an accident, Rhys finally gets his chance to call Gwen out on her job, as he sees her investigating the accident.

The argument scene between Rhys and Gwen is the build up we’ve all been waiting for. The tension and the rapid cuts and zooms in the scene create the heated tension of their relationship. The one moment that makes me slightly annoyed is when Rhys asks if Gwen has been sleeping with Jack and she replies “all I ever asked, is for you to trust me.” Now this should have been the moment Gwen confesses about sleeping with Owen; it’s a moment from series 1 that seems to be completely glossed over with no consequences to her actions. However, it is finally nice that we have got over the secrecy between Gwen and Rhys, as it allows his character now to develop within the series.

Rhys’s plan was to find out what Gwen was up to and thereby he inadvertently becomes involved with the alien meat trade. What I think would have made this episode interesting, would have been if Rhys was directly involved with this illegal alien meat trading. It would have raised a great conflict in Gwen, deciding if her duty of working for Torchwood outweighed her love for Rhys, rather than just being coincidental involvement because  of the gang running the alien meat operation with Rhys’s distribution company.

With Rhys being involved, we get a kind of Scooby-Doo plot, finding out who these people are, why they’re selling the meat and trying to stop them. In true Torchwood style, it really tries to create a sense of relatable moments of humanity as again the Torchwood team face the decision of saving the poor alien whale that’s being used for the meat, or to end it and the horrific life it’s had to endure on Earth. Tosh does have what seems quite a throwaway line of ‘Its sentient,’ -  how does she know? It’s all brushed over very quickly. Unfortunately, the special effects haven’t aged too well as time has gone on, I always still believe less is more. The eye has been animated so well and you can really feel the true pain of the sentient creature as it’s being cut into. However when the camera pans back, the emotion is somewhat lost, as it gives it a cheapened look.

The whole episode is very quickly resolved as it turns out about only 5 amateur gang members are involved with this crime and are very quickly taken out. It leaves loads of open questions such as, how did they know this meat is edible and would grow back again and again? This is a very relationship centred story, more than anything before, and does explore how dysfunctional the Torchwood team really are at the moment, even to the point where Gwen would volunteer to be Retcond if it meant she would stay with Rhys. With all its’ flaws, it’s a great episode for the development of the characters of the team; with Rhys knowing more about Gwen’s life, what is now left in store for the both of them?

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Chris Chapman

RRP: £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download)

Release Date: May 2020

Reviewed by: Nick Mellish for Doctor Who Online

"July 1944. The TARDIS materialises in a small village near Rouen, where celebrations are in full swing. A joyful France is in the midst of liberation as the local population welcome a battalion of Allied soldiers – along with a colourfully dressed Doctor and his two rather excited friends.

But there are screams amidst the celebrations as an angry crowd dish out their brand of justice to one of their own that they have branded a traitor. While Constance and Flip find themselves on opposite sides of a war beyond a war, the Doctor has other concerns. 

The local community is used to the fires of battle, but a new type of blaze is burning – leaping from aircraft to aircraft, man to man – and this fire seems to be just as eager for revenge as the village mob."

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers. You have been warned!

Scorched Earth by Chris Chapman takes us back into the war, landing us in France after its liberation. It feels like you cannot move for World War II-related things when it comes to Big Finish right now. We’ve the ersatz Third Doctor and Churchill in Operation Hellfire, Churchill again bothering the Seventh Doctor but a couple of plays ago, and now this. Whether this was all done to coincide with the VE Day celebrations in 2020 or just a coincidence, it does feel like we’re riffing on the same territory time and again right now, which made me slightly sigh as the play started up.

This is unfair really as there is a lot to celebrate in Scorched Earth. The sound design seems to be back to its usual strength after last month’s notable blip, and Chapman paces the script really well. We move from action to drama to quiet character moments to big incidents with ease. Were it in print, you’d call it a page-turner and as it is, it passes two hours very quickly.

That said, there are some strange moments in here. Flip seems to be playing some sort of game where she is only allowed to talk in quips and pop cultural references, which feels forced and lacks credibility. I know the point of her character is often to contrast with Constance but we move into the realm of being unbelievable here. She also seems to be fire retardant, able to withstand standing in a burning building, smoke and all, for ages. Perhaps it’s not real fire though, as the Doctor is also able to stand in the middle of the inferno and spout some exposition before saving the day.

Elsewhere, there is drama to be had with Constance realising just where, and when in time, she is, but the Doctor’s anguish over it seems to evaporate fairly quickly so that the plot can get on with telling a story. This is probably for the best, but again it ranks as one of the play’s strange moments.

Likewise, soon after the play starts we witness a woman, Clementine, being called a traitor and singled out for punishment by a braying mob, and rather than stop this, as Flip wants to, the Doctor decides to let them be, for the sake of blending in with the locals. This leads to clashes between Constance and Flip throughout the rest of the play. Constance believes the woman should be punished if she has betrayed the town to the Nazis; Flip just sees a scared and crying woman. The clash between them both on this is not subtly drawn but works well, reminding us of their different timeframes and perspectives, and it remains a thread throughout, with the play siding with Flip and agreeing she’s in the right. Whether or not you personally agree, it is inarguably the stance Doctor Who usually takes in such matters; the Doctor, too.

On the one hand, you can see just why the Doctor does as he does, not interfering, but on the other it feels very atypical of him to just stand by and let these things unfold. It’s not like in Rosa where inaction is key, it’s just slightly strange and hard to really justify. Colin Baker clearly feels the same way as he goes to some lengths to do just that and defend the scene in the extras, but not entirely with conviction. For me, it left a slightly bad smell in the air, reminding me a little of Timewyrm: Genesys and its rather infamous excusing of sexual assault as a ‘product of the time’.

Still, it’s nothing compared to the Doctor later on thanking a couple of Nazis for their help. A notable part of this play is Chapman, rightly, pointing out that many were forced into fighting against their will and even against their own beliefs, but it’s still a slightly strange thing to hear. Nothing wrong with being a bit challenging in your content though, so hats off to Chapman for that.

We end the play with things largely resolved between the TARDIS team after Constance is able to help save the day with a nice speech (a personal grumble of mine in Doctor Who in general. It feels a very tired resolution, and almost never a convincing one), though it will be interesting to hear if actions here prove to be the first cracks in an otherwise mostly watertight team.

Is Scorched Earth perfect at all? By no means, and the WWII fatigue doesn’t help, even if that’s not Chapman’s fault but that of scheduling. However, it’s also a largely enjoyable affair with neat sound design and very good ideas in there. A definite up after last month’s outing.

+ Scorched Earth is OUT NOW, priced £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download).

+ ORDER this title on Amazon!

The global educational publisher Twinkl has partnered with BBC Studios to create a ‘Dalek-table’ range of educational Doctor Who resources for children between seven and eleven years old.

Launching today, these are the first-ever Doctor Who educational resources to be linked to the UK national curriculums.

The resources include activity sheets, interactive presentations and reading comprehensions based around several episodes from series 11 and 12 of Doctor Who. These resources can be used separately or alongside episodes and link the Doctor’s adventures to units of study for school years three to six. 

Covering core subjects including science, geography and history, the materials introduce children to figures such as Rosa Parks, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, and teach them about subjects such as the Indian partition, artificial intelligence and animals and their ecosystems. Children are also encouraged to explore the different uses of electricity and the many forms it takes, as well as how to remain safe when using electrical equipment around the home.

Free to use and accessible to everyone, the resources can be downloaded through the Twinkl website and are a valuable teaching tool for teachers, parents and carers.

Twinkl’s mission is to help those who teach and the company offers over 640,000 teaching and learning materials on its website, which are all teacher created and checked. The company has recently created a bespoke Home Learning Hub, full of daily activities and materials, to support parents, teachers and carers with home learning.

Vanessa Hamilton, Head of Brand, Doctor Who, BBC Studios, said:

“We’re delighted to be partnering with Twinkl to create Doctor Who educational resources for children across the world. Doctor Who has been inspiring and entertaining children for generations, so we’re thrilled that we can bring this much loved series to the classroom in an educational and engaging way.”

Jonathan Seaton, CEO and Co-Founder, Twinkl, said:

“Working with BBC Studios to create this exciting range of Doctor Who learning materials has been out of this world! We are always looking for new ways to help those who teach, and hope that these resources provide teachers, parents and carers with a unique new way to engage children in learning.

We know that now more than ever parents are looking for ways to help children learn at home and hope that the Doctor Who resources will be a big hit in households and at schools right now, as well as far into the future."

+ These resources can be downloaded from www.twinkl.co.uk/doctorwho

[Source: BBC Studios]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.3: To The Last Man

We open this episode with an escaped, conventional ghost hunter, as we follow two people through St. Teilo’s military hospital with what looks like a GPS tracker, not something that belongs in 1918. As the two strangers run around the hospital, a shocked nurse is surprised they’re not ghosts; not a typical reaction to the situation, which makes you question for how long this has been going on? As the two strangers run around the hospital looking for these ghosts, they see a vision of a soldier with none other than Tosh!? The solider tells the strangers to take him from 1918 and the tension builds up as the strangers comply with the soldier’s orders. They rush to the bedside of the shell shocked soldier as we get the final build up to the hugely cheesy line, as the two strangers reveal themselves as “Torchwood.”

We then flash forward to the present time and we see a very excited Tosh getting ready for what looks like a date. However, this isn’t any normal date as we see the exact same soldier Tommy, who is in a cryogenic chamber. Gwen’s role is the perfect platform to explain why they have to defrost Tommy once a year, as one day they’re going to need him. In another plot scenario, there is a magical box, sorry temporal locked box, that can only be opened by psychic powers. There are some elements in “Torchwood” that always seem to have a convenient way to sort out of all of their problems. It’s something that closely resonates with the sonic screwdriver in episodes of “Doctor Who.”

There’s also a touching moment between Tosh and Owen, as Owen says “be careful”. It really resonates  as when Owen lost Diane in “Out of Time”. It’s a great moment which shows Owen is really taking responsibilities for his history. 

Tosh and Tommy have a little date, as they both try and make the most of the time Tommy is awake for. It’s another great insight into Tosh’s innocence and maybe answers why she hasn’t been dating in previous episodes.  In a weird time travelling way, Tosh has known Tommy for 4 years, which for him has only been 4 days. It’s a very Doctor and companion kind of relationship, as Tommy has seen many things but is still a young man. For a couple to know each other technically only for a few days, shows how close as a dynamic duo these two are.

Gwen and Jack go to explore the the hospital to find clues as to why Tommy is so important in this tangled web of ghosts and time. They both find the ghost sightings are becoming more and more frequent because the hospital itself is being torn down. And suddenly the box of tricks that has been time locked all this time, pops open with instructions on how to fix everything. Regrettably it feels a bit of a cop out for the episode and everything seems too easily fixed.

The jeopardy element in this whole story, is the two time zones merging together destroying reality, as well as the consequences of the actions by Torchwood. Tommy is a man literally condemned to death, as no sooner he returns to his own time, he is shot by his own platoon for desertion, which was brought on by shell shock. It brings up the questions of do Torchwood’s actions in saving the universe outweigh their moral?. “To The Last Man” is a great story exploring these decisions.

Tosh is such a stand out character in this whole story, as she takes it upon herself to help guide and bring comfort to Tommy as he makes his noble attempt to save the universe. She acts like his guardian angel, as Tommy uses the switch to close the rift in time and she watches over him. Owen claims that Tosh was strong however, she said it’s because of Tommy. They were the perfect pair to save the universe and she hopes it was worth the sacrifice. The end shot focusing on Tosh’s face says there’s hope, and she smiles as she walks away.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.2: Sleeper

Oh Torchwood, it was a valiant effort but a difficult one to keep up with after a triumphant first episode. “Sleeper” is an episode that tries to combine the elements of Paul Cornell’s Virgin New Adventure “Human Nature” but with more grown up themes of violence, death and alien spies. 

We start the episode with a very happy couple sleeping away in their bed, when a noise disrupts them as burglars break into the house. There’s a lot of close up camera shots to create a sense of distraction and confusion, as murderous screams ring through and dissolve into the Torchwood theme. 

The Torchwood team once again are called in by the police as they try and investigate how the two burglars were murdered, as there were puncture wounds to chest and forehead and one was thrown from the window onto the car below. Not a typical self defence technique. This is a very true typical Torchwood style kind of story, however this is when it all starts getting a bit messy.

Owen and Gwen go to the hospital to interrogate the couple from the flat. This is when the plot moves at a million miles an hour. We’re introduced to Beth who was in the flat and all of a sudden we’re dragged into the Torchwood interrogation room with Jack screaming “We know you’re an alien”. We then take a trip around Torchwood and on to meet Janet the Weevil, who is scared of her. Unfortunately all of this happens in the space of about 5 minutes and it really detracts from the emotional connection we’re supposed to feel towards Beth, as we can’t slow down enough to take in everything she’s feeling. Jack again seems to be really unlikable for no reason. I know we had a lot of this through series 1, but there’s usually a reason that builds up and Gwen confronts him. This time, his attitude is almost down played as Ianto sees the interrogation and Jack as a joke. It’s all very strangely paced and again I found this really distracting to what’s going on. 

The direction of the story is also somewhat distracting, with quick pans and zooms in scenes that don’t appear to require it, such as a conversation between the Torchwood team as they try to work out who she is. Unfortunately this technique happens quite a few times though the story and iit really distracted me from the plot.

The Torchwood team think it’s a good idea to use the mind probe. What!? No, not the mind probe I hear you cry? Well I like what James Moran was trying to do, as most Doctor Who fans will know the mind probe is something you do not mess with; however, other than the shock factor, the whole design of it disappointed me a bit. I liked the archive shots  which were used to show how the mind probe digs through the subconscious and suddenly we find Beth is a sleeper agent.

As they discover this, suddenly all the other sleeper agents activate and go on a murderous rampage around Cardiff. I like what they were trying to do by taking out the military base and use the nuclear war heads to destroy the world to take over, however there’s not enough build up in the episode and too much exposition to take in before we even start to care about the situation.

What makes this episode stand up is the relationship between Beth and Gwen. It challenges the conventions of what it takes to be human, as Beth discovers she’s an alien. Beth explains she is someone who fell in love and wants to start a family and Gwen takes it upon herself to say “What is it that makes us human, anyway?” It’s not about the body, it’s about your mind and how you feel, which was a nice take on her facing this identity crisis.

Once Jack and the team take out the last sleeper agent, Beth knows she can’t go on. She’s seen the devastation the sleeper agents have caused and makes the ultimate sacrifice by getting herself killed, by pretending to attack Gwen before being gunned down. Beth chose to be the person she wanted to be and I think that’s the clear moral message here.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Get ready for some dimensionally transcendental meditation! Qualified hypnotherapist - and former TARDIS traveller - Nicola Bryant will be hosting a ‘Quantum Hypnosis’ session via Zoom on the evening of June 18th at 7pm.

Lie back and let Nicola - who played companion Peri opposite Colin Baker’s Doctor - help you to exchange stress for relaxation, as she takes you on a mental voyage to create resilience and a deep sense of peace. The session will last for approximately one hour. You will need somewhere quiet and relaxing where you can lie down to fully participate. 

Nicola is putting on this unique wellness event to raise money for ‘Dogs on the Street’ and ‘Chimney Farm Rescue’ - two charities close to her heart, dedicated to helping vulnerable canines and their owners. 

Tickets cost £10 and can be purchased from: https://www.outsavvy.com/event/4650/quantum-hypnotherapy-with-nicola-bryant-tickets

[Source: Richard Unwin]

Doctor Who Magazine have sent DWO the cover and details for Issue 552 of DWM.

THE FIRST DOCTOR’S GREATEST ADVENTURES – CHOSEN BY THE READERS OF DWM!

Thirty-two First Doctor stories battled for the top spot in our epic Twitter contest. Which is the fans’ favourite? 

Issue 552 also includes:

•  Series 11 writers Pete McTighe, Vinay Patel and Joy Wilkinson interview each other.
•  Mark Gatiss answers questions from the TARDIS tin.
•  Time and Space Visualiser presents a rare William Hartnell interview, conducted during rehearsals for The Sensorites in 1964.
•  50 brilliant things about Doctor Who – not including Doctor Who!
•  A tribute to Doctor Who writer Pip Baker.
•  A previously unpublished interview with Pip and Jane Baker.
•  The Fact of Fiction explores Parts Nine to Twelve of 1986’s The Trial of a Time Lord.
•  More of DWM’s recommended lockdown viewing, with a guide to stories available on DVD and streaming services.
•  A look at Race Against Time, a game book in the 1986 Make Your Own Adventure with Doctor Who series.
•  A review of The Maze of Doom, the latest Doctor Who book by David Solomons.
•  The final part of The Piggybackers, a new comic-strip adventure featuring the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends.
•  Big Finish previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, The Blogs of Doom and much more!

+  Doctor Who Magazine Issue #552 is out Thursday 28th May, priced £5.99.
+  SUBSCRIBE to Doctor Who Magazine, digitally from just £2.69 a month!
+  Check Out The DWO Guide to Doctor Who Magazine!

[Source: Doctor Who Magazine]

Commencing January 2022, Big Finish will relaunch its regular Doctor Who release schedule as a series of dedicated ranges for each of the first twelve incarnations of the Doctor.  

For more than two decades, Big Finish has been producing brand new Doctor Who audio adventures starring the actors who originated the role on TV; Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, David Tennant and John Hurt.  

In recent years, many new ranges have been introduced to the release schedule, incorporating all of the Doctors’ eras from 1963 to 2017. As the company looks to the future, a revised schedule will see a number of new range additions.  

Senior Producer David Richardson said:

“There are so many exciting new directions ahead. Where did the First Doctor and Dodo go next after leaving the planet of The Savages? What happened to the Second Doctor after The War Games? What new adventures await the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith? What happened on the Seventh Doctor’s Last Day? The adventures are only just beginning...” 

The original Big Finish audio drama range – now called the Monthly Adventures – represents a continuous, unbroken run of new Doctor Who audio adventures, one every month, since 1999. This range, of late featuring adventures for the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors, will end with release number 275. Thereafter, there will be a regular rotation of releases, with each Doctor starring in their own box sets of adventures throughout the year.  

Big Finish chairman and executive producer, Jason Haigh-Ellery said:

“One comment we hear more often from new listeners is that they find it hard to know where to begin with our back catalogue of Doctor Who adventures. This change to our release schedule will make it easier for people to start. With a range for each Doctor, there will be a natural ‘stepping on point’ for fans.”  

Creative director and executive producer, Nicholas Briggs, added:

“As well as making our ranges much less confusing for Big Finish beginners, these changes will allow us more exciting new possibilities and creative freedom.  

By freeing the Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Doctors from the constrictions of the Monthly Adventures schedule, and giving them their own distinct ranges, we will be able to introduce more surprising cast combinations, different story lengths, and more story arcs.” 

Big Finish listeners keen to complete their collection of Monthly Adventures should read the following:  

-  A 3-release CD / download subscription will be available, starting from #271, #272 or #273, which should enable the majority of subscribers to extend their subscription to the end of the range. Three-release subscriptions are priced at £32.50 for collector’s edition CDs and £27.50 for downloads. 

-  Any existing subscribers who find themselves unable to purchase #274 or #275 via a combination of the 12/6/3-release options should contact sales@bigfinish.com, who will be able to process their orders offline. 

+  Discuss all the Big Finish releases in the DWO Forums.

[Source: Big Finish]

A new feature for the DWO News page we are thrilled to now include relevant book recommendations from new authors we have discovered. These will include themes that are similar or concurrent with those in Doctor Who and which we think would be of interest to our many readers.

We're pleased to kick off our first recommendation with 'The Loop' by Ben Oliver. Below are the book details, synopsis and purchasing information:

Publisher: Chicken House
Released: 2nd April 2020
Price: £7.99
Ages: 14+ 

CONTROL. ALTER. DELETE.

Luka Kane will die in the Loop, a prison under the control of artificial intelligence. Delays to his execution are granted if Luka submits to medical experiments. Escape is

made impossible by a detonator sewn into his heart.

Trailer:



About the author:

Ben Oliver began writing creatively at age seven, and was promptly placed into the lowest reading and writing group at school. Frustrated by his lack of immediate success, Ben chose to step down from the world of writing. A mere twenty-five years later, and now a high school English teacher, Ben’s first novel The Loop is scheduled to be published in 2020.

+  BUY this title on Amazon!

Do you have a book recommendation that you'd like us to cover? Perhaps you are an author that would love to be featured? Get in touch by emailing the DWO News team at: news@drwho-online.co.uk.

+  Follow @benjamin0liver on Twitter!
+  Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter! 

[Source: Doctor Who Online]

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Darren Jones

RRP: £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download)

Release Date: April 2020

Reviewed by: Nick Mellish for Doctor Who Online

"Violently ejected from the Space-Time Vortex, the TARDIS crash lands on the remote planet of Cygia-Rema, a mountainous world ruled by the bird-like Vultriss. Their newly-crowned Queen Skye is expecting first contact with alien ambassadors – Ice Warriors - and the sudden arrival of the Doctor, Flip and Mrs Constance Clarke causes confusion.

However, Skye is no ordinary ruler, she is the Fabled One gifted with the deadly power of ‘The Cry’. The queen who will enable the Vultriss to fly once again – at any cost.

But as the Doctor investigates why the TARDIS crashed, he discovers that the Vultriss are hiding a deadly secret. An ancient legacy that if left unchecked will plunge half the galaxy into an eternal living end."

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers. You have been warned!

I’ll get the awkward part out of the way now: this is not going to be a positive review. I wish it were. I always find it hard to write a review like this about something like an audio play: some people probably find it easy to do so, but I struggle. The hours that must have been put in by the writer, the director, the actors, the sound designer, the musician. Good intentions run deep in most art, and certainly here nobody has gone out of their way to create something unenjoyable. Also, what one person finds unenjoyable another will delight in, and that’s how it should be: reviews will only ever be subjective. Sadly though, this play failed to land for me in every single way.

We open with a rousing political speech given, promising a population of bird people that good times are ahead. Soon after, we join the TARDIS crew as they sail through the vortex while the Doctor is having a bit of trouble with the controls: so far, so traditional. A callback to Static reminds you how long it has been since this particular TARDIS crew (the Doctor, Flip and Constance Clarke) graced our ears, and it is undoubtedly nice to hear them back as they’ve proven to be a successful team. In fact, I would say that Flip and Constance are far better together than they ever were apart, and perhaps this is one of the play’s problems as they’re separated for much of the play. We lack their spark as they play second-fiddle to a series of uninspiring supporting characters.

Indeed, all the writing and dialogue feels uninspired. At best, it’s gracelessly functional and gets the job done; at worst, it’s overwritten and steeped in cliché. The dialogue is perhaps the greatest offender of the lot with dozens of examples of say-what-you-see writing, which is incredibly grating and unrealistic. I get that you need to paint a picture without visual aids, but it doesn’t work when someone with perfectly fine eyesight tells someone else with equally good eyesight exactly what they can both see, from the position of birds in the sky to rocks that are jutting to the size of places or the design of props. It’s audio exposition at its very worst. Perhaps, like the overall plot, it’s trying to ape a certain style, but to me it felt tired, with twists and turns in the plot flat and predictable.  I’m not sure how that is possible in a play about bird people, political intrigue and Ice Warriors, but here we are.

‘Flat’ also sums up the direction and sound design. This is unusual given how Big Finish usually excel in these matters, but in the opening episode especially it all sounded very studio-bound and lacked sparkle. Early on, the TARDIS crew is attacked by birds and we are told they are attacking from above but there is no indication of this in the sound, just loud squawking with the bare minimum of shift in the stereo field. Again, maybe it’s a feel they are going for: to make this feel televisual in its static soundscape and writing, but it’s a huge miss for me.

From start to finish I found myself clockwatching, wishing the next scene would hurry up and get here. It’s not a nice experience to be listening to a play because you have to, knowing full well that if you did not you’d have given up a long while ago and instead listened to something actually enjoyable instead.

It is tired, boring, overlong (bar the opener, every episode clocks in at over half an hour in length) and obvious, with lacklustre sound design and flat performances from many of the guest cast. I could not in any good conscience recommend this play to anyone. I am sure Cry of the Vultriss will have its fans but for me personally, listening to it made for one of the least enjoyable experiences I have had with Big Finish for quite a while.

+ Cry Of The Vultriss is OUT NOW, priced £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download).

+ ORDER this title on Amazon!

Doctor Who Magazine have sent DWO the cover and details for Issue 551 of DWM.

FORMER DOCTOR WHO SHOWRUNNERS RUSSELL T DAVIES AND STEVEN MOFFAT INTERVIEW EACH OTHER!

The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine also includes:

•  Extended Production Notes from current showrunner Chris Chibnall.
•  Composer Segun Akinola reveals his inspirations for the Series 12 soundtrack.
•  In the first virtual Out of the TARDIS, Neil Gaiman answers questions from the TARDIS tin.
•  The Fact of Fiction explores the 1984 classic The Caves of Androzani.
•  A tribute to the late David Collings (Revenge of the Cybermen, The Robots of Death, Mawdryn Undead), including extracts from a previously unpublished interview.
•  How Doctor Who fans around the world are staying connected during the lockdown.
•  A lockdown viewing guide to Doctor Who stories that are available on DVD and streaming services.
•  A look at Birth of a Renegade, a short Doctor Who story from the Radio Times 20th Anniversary Special.
•  A review of the Doctor Who: The Collection – Season 14 Blu-ray box set.
•  Time and Space Visualiser presents a lockdown special, with contributions from former Doctors and companions.
•  Public Image presents a full round-up of how Series 12 performed in the ratings.
•  Part Three of The Piggybackers, a new comic-strip adventure featuring the Thirteenth Doctor and her friends.
•  Big Finish previews and reviews, news, prize-winning competitions, The Blogs of Doom and much more!

+  Doctor Who Magazine Issue #551 is Out Now, priced £5.99.
+  SUBSCRIBE to Doctor Who Magazine, digitally from just £2.69 a month!
+  Check Out The DWO Guide to Doctor Who Magazine!

[Source: Doctor Who Magazine]

BBC Studios have just announced the surprise updated special edition release of The Power Of The Daleks on DVD & Blu-ray.

While no complete film recordings of The Power of the Daleks are known to have survived the purge of the BBC’s archive in 1975, fresh animation in high definition breathes new life into this much-loved story.

The six animated episodes replace the 2016 physical and digital release, with new and improved animation and authentic black and white visuals. The latest release also showcases a vast array of exciting new special features, in addition to all of the VAM on the 2016 release.

New additional material includes:

·  Two new documentaries about Power of the Daleks.
·  1993 BBC audio version of The Power of the Daleks narrated by Tom Baker.
·  Raw incidental music.
·  Photogrammetry Featurette.
·  Whicker's World - I Don't Like My Monsters to Have Oedipus Complexes.
·  Daleks - The Early Years: A 1992 documentary presented by Peter Davison.
·  Robin Hood - 1953 Episode: Patrick Troughton’s earliest surviving TV appearance.
·  BBC archive footage from BBC regional news, BBC Breakfast, Blue Peter and Newsnight.
·  Previously unreleased animation trailers and animatics.
·  Easter Eggs.

And old favourites including:

·  Audio commentaries by Anneke Wills on each episode
·  Animation test footage
·  Photo Gallery, including previously unreleased and rediscovered full colour on-set photos from 1966.
·  Servants & Masters - The Making of The Power of the Daleks
·  Doctor Who – The Highlanders

+  The Power Of The Daleks: Special Edition is released on 6th July 2020.
+  PREORDER this title from Amazon.co.uk! 

[Source: BBC Studios]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

2.1: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

We kick series 2 off in true Torchwood fashion, with a Blowfish driving a sports car in a high speed car chase. I laugh at the fact that the Blowfish lets a little old lady cross the street before speeding off, then Gwen pulls up in the Torchwood mobile asking if she has seen a blowfish driving a sports car? The lady points in the general direction of where the car drove off towards, shouting "Bloody Torchwood” at them. Torchwood is meant to be a top secret organisation, so to then have a little old lady know who they are, If that doesn’t set the theme of what Torchwood is about, I don’t think anything will.

It’s all feeling like a very typical scenario, as the Blowfish holds a family hostage to try and get away from the team. This part does feel slightly clunky as the Fish recounts all the characters flaws. Without having Captain Jack with them, it’s almost like having a ‘Previously on Torchwood’ mid episode to remind the audience of who the team are. However just as the Blowfish vindictively taunts Ianto about not being able to kill him, who should pop up in the knick of time, Captain Jack himself with probably one of the most iconic lines of the show; “Hey kids. Did you miss me?”

We cut back to the famous Cardiff rooftop carpark, where an altercation is taking place. However at the same time, a sparkly rift appears with a very distinguished looking man appearing in a redcoat military uniform to confront the attacker. As the audience, you start thinking oh great, here we have another person who could join Torchwood, before he grabs the attacker by the throat and throws him off the top of the carpark. This mysterious anti-hero becomes more and more intriguing as the story progresses. He swiftly moves onto the local club for a celebratory drink.

Meanwhile back at the Torchwood hub the team are not happy with Jack’s disappearance. It’s never clearly explained for how long Jack left the team. It could be months, or even years? With time being reset in “Last Of The Time Lords”, this is another time, when we as an audience know a lot more about what happens with Jack and the world, than the Torchwood team itself. Is Jack keeping the meeting with the Doctor a secret because he doesn’t want to explain the trauma he had to go through to get back here? But there’s no time to confront this before the team zoom straight off again as Jack’s vortex manipulator beeps for the first time. Then, who should be leaving a message, but the mysterious redcoat man himself. There’s a great reference to ‘Star Wars’ before Jack shoots off again. This person seems very familiar with Jack, however maybe not the best of friends, as Jack doesn’t want the team to follow him. The Torchwood team have learnt too many times not to do this, as Ianto quickly whistles for a Taxi as soon as possible.

The bar scene is brilliant. It carries all the connotations of a true western movie, as Jack walks through the saloon style doors with the redcoat stranger at the other end of the club. Both of them have pure hatred in their eyes as they walk towards one another. You think this is going to be a full on fight before suddenly, they start kissing! It’s a moment that makes you think, why is Jack so familiar with such a brutal character, before they end up in an all out fist fight. It’s almost like they have a mutual level of respect, in a weird way, as they stop the fight once the guns come out. After a heavy drinking session, we see Jack’s face, hilariously showing his disgust and the Torchwood team nearly getting fired upon. The myserious man finally reveals himself as Captain John Hart (James Marsters) a Time Agent and former partner of Captain Jack. Again it’s a reference into Jack’s past. Is this something that’s going to be divulged more as the series goes on? 

Captain John explains the reason why he’s come to this time and place is to find three radiation cluster bombs, before they go off affecting the future of the world. Captain Jack has the look of a man who is going with this story, just to find out what’s going on, however the Torchwood team seem pretty convinced by it. I mean with everything that’s happened in the previous series, would you really dispute it?

The Torchwood team are still very cautious of this new stranger, especially Gwen. There’s a nice moment when Jack holds Gwen’s hand for comfort when he realises she’s got engaged. It’s a moment when you think, yes she listened to Jack about keeping some normality in life when Gwen actually says “No one else will have me.” It creates a sombre mood, as Gwen has not only been rejected by Owen but she’s lost that love she once had for Jack.

Jumping back straight into the action in true Torchwood fashion, they locate all three canisters for Captain John and split up to go and search for them. Now again if anyone has watched Scooby Doo, you know this is not a good idea. Surprise, surprise, Captain John quickly poisons Gwen once they found the first canister, smacks Tosh in the face and shoots Owen in the hip. Now I'm not saying it was stupid to leave Gwen on her own… but it was stupid to leave Gwen on her own. 

We then find Captain Jack and Ianto searching a very bland office, which Jack surprisingly treats  like a winter wonderland. There’s a lovely moment between Ianto and Jack as he finally asks Ianto on a date. Ianto agrees, but does it in a shy school boy way as he doesn’t look at Jack through embarrassment. It doesn’t take long for Captain John to find Ianto before shoving him in a lift to have Jack all to himself.

Captain Jack up on the roof (I mean where else would you find him), finds the last capsule. Jack having none of John’s game ,mocks him, calling the capsules “radiation cluster bombs” John in this scene, genuinely wants Jack to come back with him and there are moments that you think, oh Jack, don’t trust him, it’s a true conflict of emotions. John’s failing conviction in his speech, makes Jack throw the canister over the edge. It’s a moment you finally feel that Jack has one up on John but suddenly with a push and a “Whoops!” he shoves Jack off the roof. Now this moment is shocking, with pure dark humour, as you cut to a shot of Jack almost split in half on a concrete bench. This is the moment you know, nothing will stop John.

Tosh and the team use her tech to find Gwen in one of the containers and honestly this moment really shows how close and united the Torchwood team have become. They all use their skills to save Gwen before her organs shut down from the nerve toxin gloss.

We then go back to John in the Torchwood hub, putting all the pieces of the canister together  where it almost seems he’s won a swift victory, before the Torchwood team rock up in a bad ass fashion. It’s a moment when AC/DC Back in Black could start playing. John seeming surprised isn’t put off by this, until Jack rocks up. John really acts as if he’s just seen a ghost and in his disbelief seems to be out of his depth this time. It’s a fantastic contrast between the cocky man we saw at the start of the episode.

So what’s this episode about? John wants to steal one of the most precious gems in the universe, kills his lover and his lover takes revenge. It’s a moment that feels triumphant before he kidnaps Gwen, nearly killing her with a bomb. However, in true Torchwood fashion, they find a way to save her and the anti-hero gets away. It’s a feeling that this won’t be the last time we see him. 

It’s a brilliantly, well balanced episode and a strong starter for the second series. Welcome Torchwood series 2.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

BBC Studios is pleased to announce that Doctor Who will be the focus of a multi-platform story launching later this year. Time Lord Victorious will see partners including Penguin Random House, Doctor Who Magazine, Titan Comics, Escape Hunt, Big Finish Productions, Eaglemoss Hero Collector, Immersive Everywhere, Maze Theory, BBC Books and BBC Audio, unite to tell a brand new Doctor Who story.

Time Lord Victorious will launch later this year, with products and experiences scheduled to launch over a twelve week period.

Time Lord Victorious will tell a new and untold story, set within the Dark Times at the start of the universe, when even the Eternals were young. Following several Doctors across space and time as they defend their home planet from a terrible race, this is a story like no other.

The story will feature the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Doctors, companion Rose Tyler and monsters including the Daleks and the Ood, with more to be revealed over the coming months as products are announced.

James Goss, Producer, said:

"BBC Studios’ Doctor Who licensees have come together to tell an amazing epic – one that’s full of monsters, fun and heart. All strands of the story unite into a mighty patchwork that ranges from one end of the universe to the next. There's more to be revealed, but the enthusiasm and ideas which the licensees have come up with are breath-taking. It's going to be such fun." 

Doctor Who is one of the longest running action adventure television series in the world, spanning 56 years and winning over 100 awards. The brand has a proven track record in consumer products and live events with over four million Sonic Screwdrivers sold in the past eleven years, over 12 million action figures sold since 2005, over 18 million DVDs sold globally and over one million tickets sold for live events.

Further information about Time Lord Victorious can be found on DoctorWho.TV, where a timeline of product releases will be collated as products are announced.

[Source: BBC Studios]

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

1.13: End Of Days

Here we go ladies, gentleman and everyone in between. If you want a proper Russell T. Davies era finale, look no further. Written by the current Doctor Who show runner Chris Chibnall, we look on how the whole of series 1 is summarised into the most climatic and emotional episode we’ve had of the series. 

The episode starts with everything seeming quite normal. Gwen watches Rhys as he sleeps and it all seems a calm morning until Captain Jack calls Gwen to watch the news. It appears as if a weird cascade of events are occurring, as if people and aliens are falling through the cracks in time.

Back in Torchwood, Ianto reads apocalyptic accounts in order to find some resolution to what has happened to the world. (Quite an apt thing for Torchwood to face, as we battle our own troubles in 2020. Owen and Jack aren’t convinced by the readings as they abruptly interrupt Ianto describing a creature known as Abaddo, but that won’t appear, will it? Captain Jack brings the conversation right round to the point in hand, and that is if the splinters in time are anything to do with them? Well, yes but more to the fact, it was Owen. Owen denies any responsibility for his actions, as he proclaims he opened the rift to save Jack and Tosh. This may be partly true, however as the audience ,we know he was doing it to prove whether he could go back and see Diane again. Captain Jack can’t even respond to Owen’s claims or even thank him. The conflict between the team and Jack becomes even more visible during this episode.

Despite the cracks in time affecting the world, Captain Jack and the team appear to have it all under control. In Doctor Who this would be a good laugh to try and get everyone back to their own time zones, however what happens if the people who fall through the cracks, end up brining something with them? Owen and Tosh have a harrowing shock when they discover a person who has fallen from the 14th century, has infected a whole hospital with the black death. The Doctor (no not that one) in disbelief, shouts at Owen “You’re Torchwood! You’re supposed to fix all this!” However as Owen knows he’s responsible for this outbreak, all he can do is manage the situation and leaves it in the Doctor’s hands.

With the cracks in time becoming more and more apparent, Tosh is suddenly stopped in her path, as if she has seen a ghost and more importantly, the ghost of her mother. The shock on Tosh’s face, shows her mother had possibly died sometime in the past, as she has blood running down her forehead. Her mother claims only “It’s coming, out of the darkness.” A series arc that has followed through with people who have died seeing some thing which is too scared to describe. But what is it? What are they afraid of? Not only does Tosh have this ‘vision’ but Gwen also stumbles across Bilis Manger sitting in the cell of the police station. Gwen appearing to be hypnotised, stares at Bilis as he telepathically says “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Is this a coincidence that he appears at the same time as Tosh’s mum? It all seems to be a tangled spiders web and Bilis is in the centre, a spider waiting for his prey.

What raises even more questions, is while Ianto is in the cell block of Torchwood, Lisa appears in front of him. No cyber conversation, just as she was before the battle of Canary Wharf. She proclaims opening the rift will save the lives of everyone on Earth.

This scene hits home quite hard at the moment with what’s going on in 2020. Owen arguing with Jack, as he says they need to be more prepared for the eventualities of a new virus or plague coming through the rift, as Jack wants Owen to fix it. Jack appears to be taking a step back from the role of leader, to force Owen to come up with a solution as he was the one to cause all these problems. Owen feeling guilty wants Jack to take control, but Jack proclaims “this was never meant to happen.” He has no resolution to his problem and it’s at that moment we see Jack being vulnerable for the first time. At this moment he may have turned to the Doctor for help, however he needs to be that leader, delivering guidance. The situation quickly escalates as Jack fires Owen. The Torchwood team stand motionless as they can’t believe what they’re hearing, as their leader isn’t who they thought he was. Owen questions Jack, as they found out his secret past from the World War. How can anyone trust a leader who lies? Owen staggers away as he knows he’ll be RetConned in 24 hours and can’t face the fact he won’t remember Torchwood or being able to fix the devastation of the rift.

The Torchwood team need to find what Bilis is up to and quickly. They track him down to an antique clock repair shop in Cardiff. Bilis explains how he can walk through time, however it comes at a price. He claims to see the past, as well as the future and suggests to Jack and Gwen the only way to save the world is to open the rift. Jack errs on the side of suspicion but Gwen looks on slightly convinced by Bilis’s words. Bilis in what he portrays as an accident, shows Gwen a vision of Rhys, horribly murdered in their flat. ‘Cue Murray Gold running music’

Gwen reaches the flat, but all seems well. Rhys is cleaning the oven without a care in the world. Gwen in a state of panic tells Rhys to come along before tasering him to the floor. I do feel sorry for Rhys, first drugged, now tasered, Gwen has really changed her attitude to dealing with her home life / Torchwood situation.

After everything that has happened to Owen, he is now face to face with his vision of a love, long lost - Diane. She claims she is lost within the rift and begs Owen to open it. Now you’d hope by this point all the Torchwood team would have spoken to one another about seeing these visions and being highly coincidental, but the team are now too broken to fix any of their problems. 

Just as the team think they have some kind of control by keeping Rhys locked in a cell, a security breach opens the door and lets him out. Rhys spots Bilis and asks what’s going on, before Bilis brutally stabs him, killing him. Eve Myles plays Rhy’s death brilliantly. You can feel the pain of grief and guilt from Gwen as she knows she’s failed him. It’s a heart breaking scene that makes me cry every time I watch it.

Bilis’s plan all seems to be falling into place as Owen comes back to open the rift, no matter how much Jack convinces the team their visions of their loved ones are too strong for everyone to think clearly. In a last attempt to stop the team, Jack becomes almost the villain as he plays on their weaknesses. Jack takes it one step too far when he attacks Gwen “You’re so in love with Rhys you spend half your time in Owen’s bed.”Gwen in a fit of rage at losing her loved one, punches Jack in the face as Owen takes the gun from him. It’s a dramatic scene with fast cuts and close up on the team members and it really becomes claustrophobic. Jack ,in one last attempt to stop them is shot down by Owen to the horror of the team.  

There’s no turning back.

The Torchwood team open the rift with Captain with Jack reviving just as the rift opens to the shock of the team. Their whole world is turned upside down as the Torchwood hub is blown to pieces. It’s a brilliant build up as as Bilis Manger is waiting for them to unleash the evil onto the world that has been living under the rift. Abaddon. Now I know this is 2006 GFX and need to take this into consideration, however I believe there is too much happening right now. Bilis should have been the central villain or Abaddon. Abaddon does feel like the cousin of the demon in Doctor Who, The Satan Pit For me, seeing less of the monster, creates more of a sense of threat, as what you imagine can be more powerful than what is shown on screen. The shadow cascading over Cardiff killing everyone, is a brilliant and terrifying scene, as you don’t see what the beast looks like.

In the final battle between Jack and Abaddon, I take my hat off to John Barrowman for playing the role so well. He really makes the final sacrifice of his life so convincing and emotional, that you can feel the love he has for his team and the duty he shows in protecting them. It’s a powerful scene as Jack appears to have finally used up his remaining life force given to him by Rose.

Gwen doesn’t give up on Jack as he doesn’t revive as quickly as before. As the Torchwood team give up, Gwen accepts that Jack is not coming back. She kisses him on the cheek before only taking a few steps before Jack’s very weak voice says “Thank you.” It’s a complete fist bump in the air moment, which gives hope for the team and the audience. 

The final scene is very much silent. Tosh runs over to hug Jack.  Ianto in a comedic light goes to shake Jack’s hand before they kiss,  which makes for a sweet final moment between them. There’s one last resolution to fix as Owen steps in front of Jack. When Jack says “I forgive you,” you can feel all the pain and guilt just wash away, ready for the Torchwood team to come back stronger than ever.

Jack goes on one last trip with the Doctor, as we faintly hear the TARDIS landing in the distance. We as the audience know what happens, but for the Torchwood team… well they’ll just have to wait and see.

There’s a lot of things that need tying up in End of Days but I applaud the ambition of what it achieved with the limitations of both the budget and 2006 effects. With its flaws, it's a well paced story and filled with brilliant character development and emotion. It has to be said it’s a great conclusion for the first series.

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]

Manufacturer: Big Finish Productions

Written By: Helen Goldwyn

RRP: £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download)

Release Date: March 2020

Reviewed by: Nick Mellish for Doctor Who Online

"London, 1945. Winston Churchill campaigns for re-election. His new strategic adviser assures him that Britain has a bright future under his continued leadership. It’s a vote he can’t possibly lose. But the Doctor knows that he must.

The Monk is meddling, altering history for his own selfish ends. With spies and aliens in the mix, Winston realises victory may not be so simple. But at least he can trust his old friend... can’t he?"

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers. You have been warned!

Big Finish: We Love Stories.  ‘And Vardans and Churchill’ could be the postscript to their tagline, and so it is that the former Prime Minister has crossed over to the monthly range at last in this play by Helen Goldwyn. He’s not come alone though, as the Monk is there for good measure, too, in his Rufus Hound incarnation.

The year is 1945, Churchill is campaigning for the election (an election he is going to lose, or so history states), and the Monk is up to his usual shenanigans, trying to stop this being the case for reasons that are never really stated.  He just likes stirring the pot. The Doctor, meanwhile, is on hand to try and stop this happening, knowing that in doing so he is risking his friendship with Churchill.  Plus, there are other aliens afoot.

There is a lot going on in Subterfuge and it’s to Goldwyn’s credit that it never feels cluttered or weighed down by its baggage. There is some genuine mystery and tension in her script, and she really shows the darker side to the Monk. For all his jokes and humour, there is a sadistic and nasty aspect to the character; a man willing to sacrifice many just to see what happens. That side is briefly glimpsed here and it’s all the better for it, making the Monk seem more of a threat than has arguably ever been the case before.

It’s perhaps trickier territory with Churchill. He is what is nowadays termed a ‘problematic figure’, which is shorthand for “had good bits and awful bits”, like so many people. (I’m aware I’m over-simplifying things here.) It has made some fans very uneasy about the Doctor’s relationship with him though, with even Steven Moffat stepping in to defend it in a recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine. That slight unease is not going to vanish here, and the Doctor refusing to come down firmly on one side of the fence with his politics and Churchill at that time is bound to wind up fans across the political spectrum: which probably shows that Goldwyn has done a good job of balancing things as best she can. Some will wish she had come down harder on one side though, and I must admit having the Doctor not outright praise and defend the welfare state felt a bit uncomfortable: surely he’d be in favour? But I think Goldwyn is smarter than I by purposely not saying a word, and perhaps that’s more my political leanings showing.

Eggshell treading aside, it’s a strong script bolstered by strong performances. Hound feels increasingly at home in the role of the Monk, and I especially liked Mimi Ndiweni as Alicia, feeling she captured that sense of slight distance at all going on around her that the character needs. At first it may seem a little too distant and perhaps wooden, but that’s not the case at all as later scenes show. It’s a very carefully chosen and curated performance.

Goldwyn is on a roll at the moment, with this and the rather wonderful Mother Tongue in the third Gallifrey: Time War box set. A lesser writer would have made an absolute mess of all the elements in this play: bring back the Monk, bring back Churchill, throw in aliens, set it in a pivotal political moment in Earth’s history. That Subterfuge is anything but is a triumph in itself.

+ Subterfuge is OUT NOW, priced £14.99 (CD) / £12.99 (Download).

+ ORDER this title on Amazon!

TARDISMonkey's Torchwood Diary - watching Torchwood an episode a week from the start...

1.12: Captain Jack Harkness

After all this time, we finally take a glimpse into the life of Captain Jack.

The story starts with Jack and Tosh entering an old abandoned building to check out reports of music coming from inside the building. (Any eagled eyed viewer will spot the Vote Saxon posters and the Bad Wolf graffiti in the building). Jack is very much enchanted by the music of the past, as both Tosh and Jack think they’re seeing ghosts of the past. It’s been done before with the ghost machine, however this time feels different, more real. It doesn’t take long before the distressed room is filled with a grand party for the airforce, ready to take on WW2. This is when Tosh and Jack realise they haven’t just seen ghosts, they’ve time travelled.

The transition of the scene is done very fluidly as the camera pans around the room. Of course the Torchwood team get into a tight spot straight away, even when trying to blend in, however who should be the person helping out the fight, but the original Captain Jack Harkness (Matt Rippy). Jack finally gives the explanation about his name to Tosh and his past history of being a conman, something we all know from “The Empty Child”. However, when Tosh confronts Jack about who he was before becoming Captain Jack, he doesn’t reply. And so the mystery still lives on.

The Torchwood team are very much split up for this entire story, as we have Jack and Tosh stuck in the past, Owen and Ianto wanting to tear the rift apart to take them back to the future and Gwen who uses her police initiative to explore the old building. Owen’s obsession with losing Diane never seems to leave him, as he’s desperate to solve the equation of opening the rift from Tosh’s partial equations.

Tosh has to get her laptop data to the future. This is where the manager, Bilis Manger (Murray Melvin) comes into play. This oddly dapper, yet sinister looking gentleman strangely enough has a type of polaroid camera. You don’t have to be a Time Lord to know the technology is way advanced of anything that should be around in World War 2. What are the Manager’s motives as he sneakily takes out a folder labelled ‘Torchwood’ from his desk?

The plot involves a lot of going to the past and you suddenly have the Caretaker, Bilis Manager appear again, without having aged a day. Gwen uses a cover story about Torchwood exploring the building with her mates, to enable them to have a look around. But we all know Bilis Manager knows exactly what’s going on. Its that forward knowledge that makes you want to scream at the TV, Gwen get out of there!

Ianto suddenly realises where and to what time Captain Jack and Tosh have travelled, as he finds the polaroid photo from the dance. Owen in a blind panic, realises that Jack and Tosh are in the Cardiff Blitz and will do everything to get them out of there, or is this just to prove a theory of time travelling to see Diane again? They make it their duty to find the key to the equation to using the Rift Machine.

In complete juxtaposition, Jack seems so relaxed and at home with his memories of the past. He’s having a good few drinks with the real Captain. There’s a huge sense of guilt in this moment, as the real Captain kisses his girlfriend with a lack of passion on the cheek as a goodbye. Our Jack, knowing this will be the last time he sees her, pleads with the Captain to give her a proper goodbye. It’s the fact that Jack and the Captain have only just met which shows how much trust and love there is between them; something straight out of Disney, is what Owen might say, aye?

Jack and the Captain share a heart to heart as they confront their fears of the conflict they’ve seen during the war. Jack mentions about his friend getting tortured and killed however, was this during WW2 or was this a fight that took place many years in the future? We never find out, but it’s the conflict connection which brings both Jack and the Captain even closer. Indeed, Murray Gold’s music strikes again in my heart for this scene.

As the bombs fall in the past, the team in the present day are desperately trying to find the missing piece to fix the rift machine. Owen turning Mangers’ office upside down, suddenly realises this is a mystery of time. It was quite apt for Manger to hide the missing piece in a clock. Gwen also manages to find the rest of Tosh’s equation written in Tosh’s blood, however Bilis has got there first and scribbled out the last few numbers. Why didn’t he destroy the whole thing? Is this a trick the Torchwood team are not seeing? The heart breaking message from Tosh, “Tell my family I love them,” makes the team even more determined to get them back. 

Jack tells the Captain to spend one last night with his girlfriend but this doesn’t last long, as the Captain returns to face his true self. The moment they sit together and hold each others hands is the moment of acceptance between both of them. This is the last night they’re both going to have together and Jack wants the Captain to be true to who he is.

In contrast we have Ianto and Owen beating each other up in a desperate show of loyalty, love and anger to try and get Jack and Tosh back from 1941. The conflict between Ianto and Owen becomes very clear as Ianto raises his gun. Their friendship is truly tested as hateful words are thrown about their past mistakes. Owen goes to open the rift but in a moment of loyalty to Jack, Ianto takes the shot. The close up shows the desperation in Owen’s and Ianto’s eyes, as Owen finally uses the key to open the rift. 

Now the moment that makes my heart flutter. The Captain finally accepting who he is, grabs Jack’s hand and takes him on the dance floor. The 1940’s music blends in with Murray Gold’s masterpiece, a unity between the past and the present. The rift opens for Tosh and Jack to escape, but just as Tosh calls, Jack in a moment of love runs towards the Captain for his true goodbye kiss. In a moment, the Captain fades away in one last salute, before he fights his last battle.

Jack and Tosh make it back to the present day. In a true send off, they both have a glass of scotch and toast his name. Tosh said the Captain would have been proud of him for taking his name, something I believe is a consolation to Jack after all these years.

However, what happened to Bilis?

Ellie (TARDISMonkey) 

 

+ Follow @Tardis_Monkey on Twitter!
+ Follow @DrWhoOnline on Twitter!

[Source: DWO]