In Review: Big Finish: Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 05

Tim Treloar and Katy Manning reprise their roles as the Third Doctor and Jo Grant in Volume Five. And this time they are joining forces with three more iconic characters from 1970s Doctor Who!
by May 9, 2019
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Synopsis: Tim Treloar and Katy Manning reprise their roles as the Third Doctor and Jo Grant in Volume Five. And this time they are joining forces with three more iconic characters from 1970s Doctor Who!

Review: In The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 05, John Dorney and Guy Adams give listeners follow-up on an old friend. They also provide more depth for some old foes.

“Primord” by John Dorney is a sequel to the classic Doctor Who story “Inferno.” Dorney finally names the Primords within the narrative. He also constructs a tale that allows Jo Grant to meet Liz Shaw. In the process, each woman’s strengths are highlighted. I also appreciated the meta-commentary on the original decision to abruptly shift from Liz Shaw to Jo Grant in the first place. Finally, I liked how Dorney used The Primords thematically. His choices were both consistent with the Pertwee era and timely nods to the modern era.

“The Scream of Ghosts” by Guy Adams is a story about sound written for the medium of sound. Adams provides creepy layers to a classic villain that I can’t name without giving the whole story away. I can say that Jo gets another great showcase. Also, listeners get even more meta-commentary on the Doctor Who soundscape, including the best segue into the theme tune Big Finish has done yet.

As for the cast, Tim Treloar, Katy Manning, Daisy Ashford, and John Levene are marvelous. That said, Jon Culshaw gives next level performances as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in both tales. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Nicholas Courtney recorded his part on a parallel Earth.

Cast

Tim Treloar (The Doctor), Katy Manning (Jo Grant), Jon Culshaw (Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart), Daisy Ashford (Liz Shaw), John Levene (Sergeant Benton), Guy Adams (Bob Ellis / The Vardans), Bethan Dixon Bate (Lady Madeleine Rose), David Dobson (Armitage), Joe Jameson (Private Callahan), Rosalyn Landor (Caldicott), Michael Troughton (General Sharp), Andrew Wincott (Captain Hall), Dominic Wood (Warren)

Production Credits

Cover Artist Tom Webster

Director Nicholas Briggs

Executive Producer Nicholas Briggs, Jason Haigh-Ellery

Music Nicholas Briggs

Producer David Richardson

Script Editor John Dorney Guy Adams

Sound Design Lee Adams, Joe Meiners

Written by John Dorney, Guy Adams

9.5
Big Finish: Doctor Who: The Third Doctor Adventures Volume 05
  • Story
    8.5
  • Performances
    10
  • Audio Production
    10
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by Ian Cullen - May 9, 2019

by Patrick Hayes - May 10, 2019

Raissa Devereux became a life-long genre fan at the age of four when she first saw The Wizard of Oz at a screening at Arizona State University. Years later, she graduated from A.S.U. as an English major, History minor, Whovian, and Trekkie. Now a Florida transplant, she loves the opportunity Sci-Fi Pulse has given her to further explore space travel, time travel, masked heroes, gothic castles, and good yarns.
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