Tag Archives: John Banks

Jago and Litefoot, The Bloodless Soldier. Series One. Big Finish Audio Drama.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Trevor Baxter, Christopher Benjamin, Lisa Bowerman, Robin Bowerman, Alex Lowe, John Banks, Conrad Asquith, Toby Longworth, Alex Mallinson.

There have been many notable characters in the world of Doctor Who. Aside from the Doctor himself and his ever changing roster of travelling companions, there have been very few that have touched the fan base as Henry Gordon Jago and Professor George Litefoot did. First introduced in the Tom Baker era, Jago and Litefoot live again in the first series box set of which The Bloodless Soldier is a colourful re-introduction of two of the larger than life characters that call Victorian London their home.

Jago and Litefoot, The Bloodless Soldier. Series One. Big Finish Audio Drama. full post

(566 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

Sherlock Holmes: Holmes And The Ripper. Audio Drama, Big Finish.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Nicholas Briggs, Richard Earl, India Fisher, Sheryl Gannaway, Lex Shrapnel, Samuel Clemens, Matt Addis, Ian Brooker, Beth Chalmers, David Peart, John Banks,

The now familiar sound of a mournful violin playing draws in the listener to the story Holmes and The Ripper, what keeps them there is the unvarnished excellence that audio drama company Big Finish and writer Brian Clemens bring to one of the darkest periods of East End London and how they imagine Sherlock Holmes, portrayed by one of the main men at Big Finish in Nicholas Briggs, would have been coaxed into solving the murder.

Sherlock Holmes: Holmes And The Ripper. Audio Drama, Big Finish. full post

(613 words, estimated 2:27 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Seeds Of War. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish, 171.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford, Ray Fearon, Ony Uhiara, Stuart Organ, Lucy Russell, John Banks, Beth Chalmers, Barnaby Edwards, David Sibley.

In the best traditions of Doctor Who there is a new terrifying enemy for the fans to get to grips with but as with timey-wimey approach to the Doctor’s life, this isn’t the first time he has met The Eminence or his Infinite Warriors as he battles against them in The Seeds of War.

Doctor Who, The Seeds Of War. Audio Drama Review, Big Finish, 171. full post

(531 words, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Spaceport Fear. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 170.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford, Ronald Pickup, Isabel Fay, Gwilym Lee, Beth Chalmers, Adrian MacKinder, John Banks, Barnaby Edwards.

The close confinement and stark corridors are the magical ingredients that gleam through some of the best Doctor Who stories in its 50 years thrilling and scaring viewers and listeners alike. Add in a monster that’s unseen for the best part of the tale, mix in the unfamiliar sound of the alien chasing down the human population and a charismatic leader hell bent on trying to keep two sets people apart with him controlling them and you have the makings of a tantalising story by William Gallager called Spaceport Fear.

Doctor Who, Spaceport Fear. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 170. full post

(522 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Dark Eyes. Big Finish Audio. Audio Release Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Paul McGann, Ruth Bradley, Peter Egan, Toby Jones, Tim Treloar, Laura Molyneaux, Natalie Burt, Ian Cullen, Jonathan Forbes, Alex Mallinson, Beth Chalmers, John Banks, Nicholas Briggs.

The eighth incarnation of the Doctor is grieving, perhaps hurting more than he has ever done, or depending on what the makers of the television programme do over the next few months to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary, perhaps ever will. Paul McGann’s Doctor has stepped out the canon once more as the makers of the Doctor Who audios, Big Finish, give him another stand-alone series of four one hour productions entitled Dark Eyes.

Doctor Who, Dark Eyes. Big Finish Audio. Audio Release Review. full post

(612 words, estimated 2:27 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Wrong Doctors. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 169

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Bonnie Langford, Tony Gardner, James Joyce, Patricia Leventon, Beth Chalmers, John Banks.

Although The Trail of a Timelord, shown on the B.B.C. in 1986 introduced the future companion Melanie Bush, portrayed by Bonnie Langford, to Colin Baker’s incarnation of the Doctor, there really has never been any reconciliation to answer how they first met. For viewers of the new series, which now strides confidently towards its 50th anniversary, it would be like trying to explain how Rose ended up travelling on the Tardis without ever showing the moment she stepped on board. It is a tricky and puzzling conundrum that has never been revealed…until now and the long sighted people at Big Finish and the new audiobook release of The Wrong Doctors.

Doctor Who, The Wrong Doctors. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 169 full post

(521 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Shadow Heart. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 167.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * *

Cast: Sylvester McCoy, James Wilby, Kirsty Besterman, Chase Masterton, Eve Karpf, Alex Mallinson, John Banks, Jaimi Barbakoff.

“God, I live a complicated life.” muses the seventh Doctor as the effect of time travel and his position within a story that has criss-crossed a hundred years and three of the classic doctors comes under the scrutiny of a 100 year vengance . The Shadow Heart sees the culmination of a story that started in The Burning Prince with Peter Davison, continued with the superb The Acheron Pulse with Colin Baker and now sees the weirdest but ultimately intriguing part with Sylvester McCoy.

Doctor Who, The Shadow Heart. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 167. full post

(599 words, 1 image, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Acheron Pulse. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 166.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, James Wilby, Kirsty Besterman, Joseph Kloska, Jane Slavin, Chris Porter, John Banks, Chook Sibtain, Carol Noakes.

The Acheron Pulse is the second of the latest three part mini-series from Big Finish and it seems that the Doctor is fashionably late but as ever when there is trouble to be found he is there when you most need him most and even though he just doesn’t exactly get there with no severe consequences having had taken place.

Doctor Who, The Acheron Pulse. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish 166. full post

(544 words, 1 image, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Black And White. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish Audio 163.

Picture from Big Finish.com

Originally published by L.S. Media. September 1st 2012.

L.S.Media Rating ****

Cast: Sylvester McCoy, Sophie Aldred, Philip Olivier, Maggie O’Neil, Amy Pemberton, Stuart Milligan, Michael Rouse, Richard Bremmer, John Banks, James Hayward.

It is a story as old and as dear to lovers of the English language as any…and it also contains the power of Beowulf thrown in for good measure.

Matt Fitton’s Doctor Who audio play for Big Finish, Black and White, combines cleverly the power of Sylvester McCoy’s incarnation of the Doctor and the sheer majesty of the oldest tale translated and written down in the English language and somewhere in between a tale of the future and that of the past merge and blur into legendry Doctor Who status.

Doctor Who, Black And White. Audio Drama Review. Big Finish Audio 163. full post

(485 words, 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Trail Of The White Worm. Big Finish Audio Play Play 1.05.

Originally published by L.S. Media. May 26th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Geoffrey Beevers, Michael Cochrane, Rachael Stirling, John Banks, Becci Gemmell, Mark Field.

For a generation of Doctor Who fans who have grown up with idea of John Simm’s and Derek Jacobi portraying one of the most formidable foes of the Doctor, they would no doubt place the two extremely talented actors’ portrayals of the insane Timelord as the very best.

Doctor Who, Trail Of The White Worm. Big Finish Audio Play Play 1.05. full post

(626 words, 1 image, estimated 2:30 mins reading time)