Myah. It’s not a word is it? But I’m feeling sort of ‘myah’ about The Fires of Pompeii. I liked it. It was definitely good. I’m just feeling a little underwhelmed and uninspired by it.
Continue reading “Review: Doctor Who – 4×2 – The Fires of Pompeii”
I’m quite a fan of David Quantick. He’s written for just about every comedy programme going. He’s collaborated with Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris. He is, to put it bluntly, a talented man.
How, then, to react to the idea of a David Quantick comedy play, particularly one written for the seventh Doctor?
Is it going to be of the science fiction/Doctor Who milieu or is it going to be some random piece of comedy that takes the piss?Is it going to be of the terminally rubbish (but beloved by Big Finish) comedic season 24, or is it going to be of the darker season 25/26 style? Is Quantick going to know the characters and the back story, particularly of new companion Hex, played by Philip "Brookside/The Games/Naked calendars" Olivier? Is it, in short, going to be rubbish, or is it going to be worth listening to?
On balance, I’d say, if it weren’t for the slight hindrances of Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, it would actually be all right.
Some of the forthcoming titles in the Eighth Doctor range of Big Finish plays, which haven’t been desperately impressive this season, have had name changes. Kidnapped has been renamed Sisters of the Flame and Vengeance is now Vengeance of Morbius. They sound a bit more interesting, don’t they? There’s a trailer available for Sisters of the Flame from the ever-"quirky" Big Finish web site.
Incidentally, the Eighth Doctor range is now available for download at £8.99 per story (down from £10.99 for a CD).
Thank Christ for that.
For quite some time, I’ve been wondering if there was ever going to be another, truly decent Eighth Doctor and Lucie story. Certainly, this season’s have all been a bit on the wrong side of completely terrible.
But finally, we have a good ‘un. Yey.
Might I, at this point, just say: “Heads and tails, heads and tails, heads and tails. Heads and tails, heads and tails, heads and tails?”
Yes, the rumours are true. The living legend Derek Griffiths is in this one. All hail Derek Griffiths.
‘Ang on. Something’s a bit fishy here. Big Finish, despite flagging audience figures, is bringing back Sapphire and Steel for a third season of audio plays. Thing is, the first one doesn’t star either David Warner or Susannah Harker. Instead, it stars Blair McDonough as Steel and Anna Skellern as Sapphire. And they’re Australian – you can tell from the trailer.
No doubt it’s an attempt to do something clever, in light of the fact Sapphire and Steel sort of get killed off at the end of the last story. Have Sapphire and Steel been recast to appeal to the overseas market (Australia being more or less the only country that ever showed Sapphire and Steel except the UK)? Do I care, given I never especially liked David Warner or Susannah Harker in the roles?
Trouble is, the Big Finish site sort of ruins the illusion the recasting might be permanent:
And the next story lists DW and SH as S&S, as do the others. Of course, that could be the elaborate double bluff.
Still, it’s nice to see Big Finish being experimental, taking chances, playing with formats, etc.
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