McCoy - April to June 2009

[Rob McCow]

Monsieur Big le Finish, with these three McCoy stories in a row you are really spoiling us.

The Magic Mousetrap

by Matthew Sweet

Switzerland, 1926: the Doctor finds himself halfway up an Alpine mountainside, on his way to an exclusive sanatorium for the rich and famous run by the Viennese alienist Ludovic ‘Ludo’ Comfort. In between bouts of electric shock therapy, Ludo’s patients – including faded music hall turn Harry Randall, chess grandmaster Swapnil Khan and Lola Luna, darling of the Weimar cabaret scene – fill their time with endless rounds of Snap!, among other diversions.

But the Doctor soon suspects that someone’s playing an altogether more sinister game. Someone with a score to settle…

Please, please, please, let The Magic Mousetrap be an upbeat comedy story. It sounds like something PS Audios might do, with Vera in the lead role.

BUT WAIT! What's this? A BONUS EPISODE?!?!??!

BONUS EPISODE! THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE THREE COMPANIONS
Polly's Story by Marc Platt: The present day. Polly Wright, former companion of the Second Doctor, tracks down Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart via the Internet As they chat online, they realise that they have a shared experience - and one that began on a world far away.

Enemy of the Daleks

Bliss used to be a paradise planet. The Galapagos Islands of space. But when the TARDIS brings the Doctor, Ace and Hex to Bliss, it’s been over-run with ironweed plants, and the air is heavy with the stench of burnt silk and static electricity.

Worse, the Daleks are coming, on the trail of a lost patrol of starship troopers. Holed up in the Roarke 279 research facility, Lieutenant Beth Stokes is preparing her last stand against the invaders.

But there’s a secret on Bliss, a secret guarded by the obsessive Professor Shimura…

This time, could it be the Daleks need saving?

Yes, could the Daleks need saving from yet another BF Dalek Story Misfire?

But wait! Joy of JOYS There's MORE!!!

BONUS EPISODE! THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE THREE COMPANIONS
In Memoriam by Marc Platt: The Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie are trapped on a doomed world that is scheduled for cremation. But what are the coffin-loaders and why does Lethbridge-Stewart remember them too?

Three words I've come to dread. By... Marc... Platt...

The Angel of Scutari

by Paul Sutton

October 1854: As the British Army charges into catastrophe in the Crimea, the Minister for War sends Miss Florence Nightingale to take charge of the field hospital at Scutari.

But there's already an angel of mercy working with the sounded at Scutari. A first-rate felow who's turned up out of the blue. Goes by the name of Schofield; Thomas Hector Schofield...

With the Doctor and Ace lost in the siege of Sebastopol, Hex has rediscovered his calling. But there's cannon to the left of him, cannon to the right of him - and a deranged spycatcher-in-chief on his case.

Is it No Man's Land again? Or Colditz? I can't understand.

Surely not... yes it is! A BONUS EPISODE!!!! I think I've just exploded with PLEASURE at the PROSPECT.

BONUS EPISODE! THE COMPANION CHRONICLES: THE THREE COMPANIONS
The Gathernaut by Marc Platt: On a planet scheduled for cremation in 35 minutes, the Doctor, Polly, Ben and Jamie meet an unlikely ally.

Well, that's going to be a cracking three months. {/Cyncial}

[SiHart]

The Magic Mousetrap is going to be a Toymaker story, isn't it?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I have to be honest and say the trailer for "The Magic Mousetrap" didn't fill me with longing for next month - lots of amusing 1920's banter, some surreal characters... it sounds like that awful Colin Baker one with the pig all over again.

At least if we have to have Marc Platt, he's spread over three months. It would be funny if she found Lethbridge-Stewart one night when browsing through a "hot old men" porn site. But I fear no such high-jinks.

Si.

[Dirk Gently]

The Magic Mousetrap

by Matthew Sweet

Switzerland, 1926: the Doctor finds himself halfway up an Alpine mountainside, on his way to an exclusive sanatorium for the rich and famous...

Did anyone else think that the Doctor might meet his 5th self, Winter for the Adept anyone?

[SiHart]

it sounds like that awful Colin Baker one with the pig all over again.

Well it is by the same author...

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

Is it? Oh dear! He should try something new!

Si.

[Mr BHT]

Now I loved Year of the Pig - bit slower than the standard audio or TV story, but it had good characters and top notch performances. It was nice to have scenes of the Doctor and co having long conversations about all sorts of stuff. It wouldn't be good every month, but a story like that makes a change from the norm in my opinion.

Looking forward to The Magic Mousetrap a lot, as well as the other McCoy stories. I feel he is somewhat under represented by Big Finish compared to the other three Doctors.

[Rob McCow]

Ah Mr BHT, so you're not drrrrrreading 3 months of McCoy then?

I quite liked Year of The Pig, so Magic Mousetrap sounds OK - but the rest don't excite me at all!

[Mr BHT]

Well, Enemy of the Daleks is yet another Dalek story so fair enough, but I'm looking forward to Angel of Scutari most because it doesn't feature a returning enemy which seems to be bogging down Big Finish these days.

[Rob McCow]

We can only hope!

If you go in with low expectations, then you can be more delighted when a good one turns up. I enjoyed the first two parts of the KEY 'TWO' TIME season and I'm looking forward to getting round to the third part.

[Dirk Gently]

I listened to The Magic Mousetrap last Friday. Oh dear...really...oh dear.
If you like being completely lost you'll love it, if you like Ace & Hex being other people (but not surprisingly so) then you'll love it, if you like a predictable twist then you'll love it, otherwise you might not listen to this again for some time. And the resolution was meh!

3/10 being honest. I might like it more if I listen to it again, but I'm not keen to try right now.

[Lissa]

"Enemy of the Daleks" is a very, very ordinary story. I defy you to listen to it any - even for a moment - not think you've heard it before. Every bit of it is the same as a bit from another story. One or two parts - the throwbacks to Genesis of the Daleks - are fine because they used them in a vaguely interesting way. But most of it is cut and paste.

And even I know Kiseibyan are a band not a race of monsters. Aren't they?

[Si Hunt]

Mine's still sealed.

As are two McGann's, and quite honestly if I'm going to brave an audio, it's going to be one of them. Thus I did Part 1 of "Wirrn Dawn" today while I made my cake.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

I thought with a title as dull as "Enemy of The Daleks" it would be bold, outrageous and camp to make up for it.

On the strength of these stories, would you renew the BF subscription to 2011?