Doctor Who: Big Finish Mega-Review - October's Releases

"The Light at the End"

rating: 5

November 23rd 1963 proves to be a significant day in the lives of all eight Doctors... It's the day that Bob Dovie's life is ripped apart... It's also a day that sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events which forces the first eight incarnations of the Doctor to fight for their very existence. As a mysterious, insidious chaos unfolds within the TARDIS, the barriers of time break apart... From suburban England through war-torn alien landscapes and into a deadly, artificial dimension, all these Doctors and their companions must struggle against the power of an unfathomable, alien technology. From the very beginning, it is clear that the Master is somehow involved. By the end, for the Doctors, there may only be darkness.

Well, here we are. You've waded through the previous reviews to get to this one. This is the review of Big Finish's 50th anniversary special, and against all expectations, it was released in October, not November. It also crashed the Big Finish website, which wasn't completely unexpected by anyone who remembered what happened with "Dark Eyes". So who all is in this? Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Louise Jameson, Sarah Sutton, Nicola Bryant, Sophie Aldred, India Fisher, Geoffery Beevers, William Russell, Carole Anne Ford, Maureen O'Brien, Peter Purves, Jean Marsh, Anneke Wills, Frazier Hines, Katy Manning, Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson and, surprisingly, others. Yes, this is the multi-Doctor story that fulfills the dreams of many Who fans. You get the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors all together, along with at least one companion for each, plus you get the Master, and a number of little surprises. I am pleased to say that this is a multi-Doctor story that, unlike so many others, doesn't disappoint. Each Doctor, and all of the major companions, are all given something to do, and they're split up into interesting teams. You get the Fourth and Eighth Doctors together, plus Sixie and Seven working with one another. Five gets his own thing, where he gets to see just how truly evil the Master can be. I am truly staggered by how well Big Finish managed to pull this off, and I'm especially pleased by how good the actors all are together, especially Tom Baker (in his first multi-Doctor story), and Paul McGann, who really play well off one another. To say much more would be to give away way too many spoilers. Suffice to say that if you are any kind of old series fan, you really do owe it to yourself to get this audio. It's not very expensive, and it is very amazing. Next month: The first adventure for the Doctor and Susan when they leave Gallifrey, the conclusion to the Destiny line, the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe meet the Ice Warriors, the Seventh Doctor and Ace reunite with the Counter-Measures squad, and the return of Bernice!