This week we're back with the 10th Doctor as we explore the first two stories in the third volume of the 10th Doctor box set. How do the 10th Doctor and Donna work in a haunted house story? Does Wilf, brought so vividly to life by Bernard Cribbens, work as well here as he did on TV? Are the Judoon a success on audio? Is that old magic there between Tennant and Tate? So many questions - step back into the Davies era with us as we find out! www.jgmcquarrie.scot
Jun 25, 2019•58 min
This week we're back with Captain Jack in the final two stories from the first Lives Of Captain Jack box set. How will Alonso Frame fare after his big set-up with Jack at the end of, um, "The End Of Time"? And just what DID happen to Jack during those mysterious two years of memories that he's missing? And will John Barrowman be able to nail Captain Jack (pun very much intended) in audio as well as he did on screen? Plus there's time to dip into the mail bag to discuss a couple of previous episo...
Jun 18, 2019•56 min
This week we step in to a new range of box sets and cover the first two episodes in The Lives Of Captain Jack Vol1. How does Jack translate to the audio environment when he is front and centre of his own series? Do Torchwood comparisons get us anywhere? And just what happens when two of the horniest characters in Doctor Who meet up? www.jgmcquarrie.scot
Jun 11, 2019•53 min
We're back! After our short break we return with two great things - The Council Of Nicea as our episode, and a returning guest star in the form of Anthony Strand. How will the 5th Doctor cope in a pure historical? Will Peri be able to cope in a time much closer to Erimem's than her own? And how will the play deal with such a conflicting character like Constantine (no, not the Hellblazer one, though that would be interesting...). Come join our discussion as we return for Talking Who To You's thir...
Jun 04, 2019•52 min
We're time out of joint this week - this discussion was recorded (and announced) a couple of weeks ago but we set it aside to come bang up to date with Missy and The Eighth of March. However, we'd never forget the 4th Doctor, so stepping out of the space/time vortex we this week cover two stories from Tom Baker's third Big Finish Season. With the Eminance becoming a recurring villain will their sort-of debut live up to their repeated returns? And how surreal will things get as we encounter The A...
May 02, 2019•45 min
This week we plunge ourselves into a dark tale of Gothic horror, isolation and time travel with the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex as we take a nap and experience Night Thoughts. What terrors lurk on a remote Scottish island? What's been lurking at the heart of the experiments here? And will the Doctor be able to make the ultimate necessary sacrifice and kill in cold blood? We discuss all this and more in an astonishingly good play... which will also be our last for a little while, as we announce a...
Apr 30, 2019•55 min
This week we're joining the Fifth Doctor and Turlough - unusual pairing, that - as they venture into Moscow, and to the very ends of the universe itself, in Singularity. How much can be made of the unusual Moscow setting? What other end-of-the-universe story does this remind everyone of now, even though this came first? And given how unusual the pairing is, how do the Fifth Doctor and Turlough fare? Dig out a big wooly hat, brace for temporal paradox and let's find out!
Apr 23, 2019•51 min
This week we get two companions for the price of one as we meet this Sixth Doctor and Mel and Evelyn all wrapped up in one story. How does this fare as a sequel to Thicker Than Water? How's Evelyn been doing since she stopped travelling with the Doctor? And just what happens when Evelyn and Mel meet? www.jgmcquarrie.scot
Apr 16, 2019•45 min
We finally get to return to the normal universe this week with the Eighth Doctor, C'rizz and Charley as they pop back into normal space... and immediately encounter Davros and the Daleks. What are the chances of THAT happening? Anyway, Earth has been invaded and Davros is out for... what? How will the only encounter between the Eighth Doctor and Davros in Big Finish history go? Wil C'rizz work any better as a character in this universe than he did in the Divergent Universe? And what is Davros's ...
Apr 09, 2019•1 hr 4 min
For the 8th March 2019 - International Womens Day - Big Finish released a special box set celebrating the women of the Doctor Who universe, written by four (mostly) new writers and that's what we're covering this week. And we have a special guest star to debate the episodes with us in the form of Abby Denton, returning to the podcast after her last visit. Will the strikingly unusual character pairing of River and Leela work out together? Does the conceit of the box set work with four very differ...
Mar 26, 2019•1 hr 11 min
This week we come bang up to date with the world of Big Finish and cover all four episode of the Missy Box Set. There's some sharply divided opinions this week, and we kick of with a discussion around the Master/Missy in general before getting stuck in. How will Missy move from screen to audio? Will Michelle Gomez be able to recapture Missy's crackerjack (CRACKERJACK!) energy in the audio medium? And does the box set do enough to justify its own existence? Grab a brolly, hum a jaunty tune and le...
Mar 19, 2019•1 hr 2 min
It's a return trip to the newly-recasted First Doctor crew as Kev and JG cover the second story in the third box set, The Tick Tock World. With a sideways-in-time premise rather different from last week's pure historical will this story prove to be a bit more lively and interesting? Who is Carol-Ann Ford playing this time out and how does her performance line up with the new crew? And how does a lesbian romance line up with a 60's approach to Doctor Who? Plus there's time for an overview of the ...
Mar 12, 2019•46 min
We return to the First Doctor this week with the third volume starring David Bradley as Kev and JG cover the pure historical The Phoenicians by old hand Marc Platt. Does this manage to improve on the problems of the last pure historical? How will the setting influence the characters? And what influence will the time travellers have on history this time? Plus we have time to visit the mailbag with some more thoughts on The Juggernauts and how Mel's character develops in Big Finish.
Mar 05, 2019•56 min
Welcome back listeners, and what a lovely day it is today as you join us in a discussion of Live 34. The debate will be between regulars Kev and JG as they get to grips with a structurally unique piece of Big Finish! That debate coming up soon - how does the structure work, how do these characters fit in, and do the politics land? All this and more, coming up right up after these messages!
Feb 26, 2019•59 min
We're heading back to the 18th century this week as JG and Kev get trapped in Catch-1782 with the Sixth Doctor and Mel. How will the time travel paradox at the heart of the episode hold up to scrutiny? Will there be any consequences? And just how will the Doctor get Mel back to the 21st Century. Also: Why the 21st Century since that isn't when Mel comes from? At least some of these questions might well be answered this week!
Feb 19, 2019•45 min
This week we have a sharp division between Kev and JG as we cover The Game - one of our intrepid reviewers absolutely hates this one, but who will it be? Can a story of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa caught up in uber-violent sport work out? And with old-timer William Russell stepping into a role that isn't Ian, how does he fare? Plus there's time to visit the mailbag with some more discussions of what the Divergent Universe is, how the stories might have worked in a different order and some Big Fin...
Feb 12, 2019•50 min
We have a returning guest this week in the shape of Tony Whitt from the Doctor Who Target Book Club podcast, and he's here to discuss The Juggernauts with JG and Kev. How will the return of the Mechanoids work out? How do they get along with Davros? And is Mel able to carry so much of the emotional content of this play? Plus there's time to dip into the mailbox as the three discuss the always controversial subject of recasting roles when an actor has passed away.
Feb 05, 2019•1 hr 1 min
After what feels like a long haul, Kev and JG finally reach the way out of the Divergent Universe arc with the final play in the sequence, The Next Life. Will this provide a satisfactory resolution to the previous seven stories? Can one play manage to drag together all the disparate elements which have been introduced? And just how many endings can one play possibly have? Plus there's a dip into the mailbox to discuss a few more elements of The Harvest.
Jan 29, 2019•1 hr 1 min
It's nearly over! Yes, we reach the second-last story of the Divergent Universe arc this week with Caerdroia. With the Doctor split into three parts, how will the conceit of a three-doctor one-doctor work? Does the surrealism land? And will it be Kev or JG that ends up being Tigger? Plus there's a heartfelt cry for Lloyd Rose to return to Doctor Who and writing, so put on your best Alice In Wonderland shoes and step into Caerdroia!
Jan 22, 2019•45 min
After last week's epic episode we return to the Divergent Universe (don't worry, we're nearly through it!) with The Last, re-uniting us with the Eighth Doctor, Charlie and C'Rizz. This time we're in a post-nuclear apocalypse and trying to figure out the secret of the planet Bortresoye. What's going on deep in the survival bunker? What dark secret does Excelsior harbour? Is there anyone left that still cares about the Divergent Universe? These and other questions shall be answered! Plus we dip ba...
Jan 15, 2019•52 min
Welcome to this week's bumper-length episode! For this edition Kev and JG cover the Unbound range for the first time, and dive into the alternative 3rd Doctor with Sympathy For The Devil. Is David Warner up to carrying the mantle of Jon Pertwee? How is continuity used? And does the Brigadier work in this setting? And for the rest of the podcast there's an in-depth (read: long and rambling) discussion on Season 11 now that the New Year's Special has aired. JG and Kevin give their thoughts on the ...
Jan 08, 2019•1 hr 29 min
New Year! New Episode! Returning guest star! Welcome in 2019 with Kevin, JG and returning guest Anthony Strand as they pick over another entry in the Divergent Universe arc, this time covering Faith Stealer. Is this a story that has anything to say about religion? How is the old Divergent Universe concept holding up? Will Anthony's warm memories from the first time he listened to this story hold up on a re-listen? Start the new year as you mean to go on - exploring the worlds of Big Finish with ...
Jan 01, 2019•47 min
It's the second half of the second River box set this week! That means Kevin and JG contemplate World Enough and Time before getting stuck in The Eye Of The Storm. How will River manage alongside Colin Baker's bombastic Sixth Doctor? How will she deal with the manipulative Seventh? And does any of this story come together? Plus we dip into the mailbag to cover more parts of Arrangements For War and there's a humble apology from JG for variable EDITing!
Dec 25, 2018•58 min
We're putting the Doctor to one side this week - kind of - and instead returning to flip through the pages of The Diary of River Song as JG and Kevin cover the first two episodes of the second box set. How will River manage when she comes up against the great master-manipulator that is the Seventh Doctor? Will the high-stakes space opera of The Unknown prove to be more or less effective than the small family drama of 5-29? And will JG and Kevin ever manage to stop praising Alex Kingston? Dig out...
Dec 18, 2018•53 min
Guest star time! This week Kev and JG are joined by Abby Denton to discuss the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn adventure Medicinal Purposes. Travelling back to JG's home city of Edinburgh, how will they get tangled up in the Burke and Hare murders? How will Abby find this pairing as she drops in for the first time on the podcast? And how will, let's be polite, "veteran" guest star Leslie Phillips square up in a Doctor Who story? Put down those knives, stop listening through that stethoscope and let's fi...
Dec 11, 2018•59 min
It's the Seventh Doctor and Ace who are in the spotlight this week as JG and Kev visit a spooky hospital in London to cover The Harvest. And we also have the introduction of a new Big Finish companion in the shape of Hex. How will Ace and Hex get along? Will he prove to be a useful addition to the TARDIS team? And what's going on in this near-future hospital anyway? Strap yourself to a gurney and prepare for the sharp knife of criticism to slice through the body of the script! (analogy possibly ...
Dec 04, 2018•47 min
It's time to, um, arrange some war in this week's episode Arrangements For War! Following on from the events of Project Lazarus, how has the Doctor and Evelyn's relationship been altered? Can there ever be an understanding between these two deeply wounded characters again? And with a month to spare before a big invasion, what and how (and who!) is Evelyn going to do with her time while she recovers? It's time to see what happens before the dog-monsters invade and how it affects the characters we...
Nov 27, 2018•59 min
We risk out very sanity this week as we find ourselves plunged into the chaotic world of The Jester when the Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem come up against The Axis of Insanity. It's been a long time since we covered a Peter Davison story, so how does it feel to return to the Fifth Doctor and this TARDIS crew? Can Big Finish manage to land the surreal aspects of this story? And is there any reason to hope the Axis might return? And, prompted by a listener eMail, we spend the last third of the epi...
Nov 20, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Failing to return to the Main Range after last week's Companions Special thanks to a faulty solenoid on the console we instead dive into another two stores from the Fourth Doctor. Covering two stories from the third season this week, Kevin and JG discover the threat posed by a super-sized Sontaran and drop in on the latest doubtless-sensible plan from the Master. Will super-sizing a Sontaran make them even more of a threat? Will the Master manage to do anything even remotely logical? Plus there'...
Nov 13, 2018•58 min
This week JG and Kev take a break from reviewing the regular releases and instead turn their gaze on to one of the most cruical aspects of Doctor Who - the companions. In a wide-ranging discussion they cover both the Big Finish original companions and the TV companions who have made it over to audio (yes, that's basically all of them). Plus there's time to give JG and Kev's top five companions! Who will they be? What medium will the come from? And is anyone going to pick Adric? The only way to f...
Nov 06, 2018•1 hr 8 min
