Doctor Who Mega Review - Big Finish's August Releases

Whateverhappenedtoiriscoversmall Image LargeIRIS WILDTHYME €“ Series Four Box Set

rating: 3

Katy Manning and David Benson are back as Iris Wildthyme and Panda in three unique audio adventures in Time, Space and the little bits in between. Whatever Happened to Iris Wildthyme? Written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright Iris is living the life she always dreamt of, swanning from one party to the next. From the swinging Sixties to the roaring Twenties to Freddie Mercury's 40th birthday bash via Ancient Rome, Iris has become the ultimate party girl. What more could she want? But who are those sinister ticking figures hiding in the mist? Why are partygoers snapping out of existence? And who is this Panda she keeps talking about? Iris at the Oche Written by Mark Wright Super, smashing, great! It's the annual Pondside World Darts Championship. As down-at-heel pub darts player Ted Taylor steps up to the oche, Iris realises that the fate of the entire universe depends on the result of this one game of arrows. What are the calculations streaming through Ted's mind, why are the bullish Hankians determined to drag a Kent Country Club into a temporal rift and will Panda ever get to enjoy his chicken-in-a-basket in peace? Game on! A Lift In Time Written by David Bryher Ever get a tune stuck in your head? Annoying, isn't it? Especially when it transforms you into a mindless, murderous zombie. After years of righting wrongs and wronging rights, is the fat lady about to sing for Iris Wildthyme? As Panda becomes the next big thing and the bus is stolen by an insane artificial intelligence, Iris's future finally catches up with her. Ding ding, going down...
STARRING: Katy Manning (Iris Wildthyme), David Benson (Panda), David Ames (Alex), Ayesha Antoine (Amanda), Bernard Holley (Ted Taylor), Sophie Aldred (Lady Bow'n), Simon Fisher-Becker The Iris stories are not everyone's pint of gin. Some find them a little too twee, or not nearly as clever they want to be, or derivative or whatever. While I can understand this criticism, I find them generally entertaining as heck, and look forward to a new Iris story with great enthusiasm. So I am sad to say that I am not quite as enthusiastic about this set as I'd like to be. The stories aren't great; they're merely ok. There's also a bit too much darkness and seriousness, particularly at the end. Let's go over each of the stories. "Whatever Happened to Iris Wildthyme?" €“ This story was just plain weird. There was a bit too much timey-wimey stuff, and it took way too long for things to get to "normal", where Iris and Panda were together doing stuff. When they finally were together, and Manning and Benson got their chances to bounce off each other, it was good stuff, but getting there took too long and there was just too much darkness over everything. "Iris at the Oche" €“ So in this story we have a darts tournament. Apparently darts are a big thing in the UK, which I have a feeling is like saying soccer is a big thing in Italy. This is the best of the stories, though it gets a bit bogged down and confusing toward the end. I will say that the start is quite good, and that Aldred does a wonderful job cowing her enemies. "A Lift in Time" €“ Slightly insufferable, this one. For you see, the antagonist in this story is a psychotic elevator who is determined to get revenge for wrongs done to the composer of elevator music. Had the script been tweaked just a bit, we could have had some real fun here, especially given the whole "Genuine People Personalities" thing the story had going on. But instead what we got was a bit dull, and the ending...look, I'm just not used to bleak and unpleasant endings to Iris stories. I really hope that when the season 5 set comes along, we get a cheerful resolution. Overall, if you're a fan of Iris, get this set. If, however, you are looking for a story or two to start with, I recommend the season 3 box set over this one.
Contributor

Chris Swanson is a freelance writer and blogger based in Phoenix, Arizona, where winter happens to other people. His blog is at wilybadger.wordpress.com