Lost Stories 3.1: The Elite

[Anthony Williams]

Like The Silver Turk and The Many Deaths of Jo Grant, this is now apparently available to download from the Big Finish website, and physical CDs will be sent out soon.

So, please rate and discuss this lost story from the Peter Davison era, now realised on audio for our listening pleasure!

[Si Hunt]

We've still got half the last season of Lost Stories to do, so it'll be a while before we get onto this one...

Si.

[Lissa]

Much as I love Big Finish I think this is where I give up on the Lost Stories. I've not actually enjoyed a single one of them if I think about it. The 60s readings are interesting but Macedon was a bit dull and Prison in Space was a terrible story. The Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy seasons were hugely inferior to the stuff Big Finish creates from scratch and, with the exception of Masters of Luxor which I will get, I don't think I'll bother any more. It's a nice idea but these stories were rejected for a reason and I'm afraid it's because they weren't very good.

[Rob McCow]

It's a shame - these stories were quite intriguing, but doing them up as Audio Adventures doesn't seem to have worked.

Perhaps it would have been better to release one big glossy book with synopses of all the stories.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Some of them have definitely worked better than others. I loved Farewell Great Macedon for example (although I could take or leave Fragile Yellow Arc of Fragrance on the same boxset).

That said the trilogy of Season 20A stories starting with the Elite do actually sound quite interesting so I'll hopefully catch up with these next year. (I'll probably wait till the whole third "season" has been released next Summer).

[Si Hunt]

I'm enjoying this one, I have to say. It's nothing earth shattering at all - there is a strange religion, a ruthless civilisation in a Dome, a mysterious creature at the heart of the web, and the music sounds like "Arc of Infinity". But it's all very comforting in a way, like this really IS a middling Season 20 story and all the better for it.

There's a great funny first scene where the Doctor explains how he's been off having solo adventures while Nyssa looked round Amsterdam, and then how he's "lost" all Tegan's belongings because he put them in storage then forgot where he put them while having all those 5th Doctor/Nyssa Big Finish adventures.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I gather something happens in this story which BFP have been a great pains to keep secret so can I beg you not to even post it in spoiler brackets as I probably won't get this one for another six months or so. Thanks.

[Si Hunt]

That's partly why I'm listening to it now, as it's bound to get spoiled. But don't worry, I won't even hint. I can't stand it when people wink and suggest things. "I won't reveal the twist, BUT ALL I WILL SAY IS...". Can't stand a winker.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Hope I've not done that recently.

Thanks. I forked out for the earlybird deal on Tom seasons 1 & 2 plus Fourth Doctor Lost stories set so can't justify getting these as well

[Si Hunt]

No, you're fine! I have too, I've gone slightly BF mad at the moment. But I do love having the CD's on my shelf and I'm lucky enough not to be too poor at this current time!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

Sadly, this story got worse as it went on. It was a bizarre decision to kill the High Priest off in Episode 3, as this effectively left a whole episode full of Rebels and other people shouting and firing at each other.

Can it be a Doctor Who Law that no character should ever go completely mad? We have at least half an episode here of Ryan Sampson laughing manically and shouting the most awful, overblown dialogue imaginable. I wish I'd written it down as it's all gone from my head now, but it was dreadful!

Right at the end we get a great Tegan line; "I've tried to kill the Doctor three times... and only two of them were while I was possessed!" and it reminds you of the lost potential. This began as a great, authentic adventure but there were too few new ideas and it just ends with lots of explosions and people yelling at each other. I don't know if I want to hear it again for a good many years.

Si.

[SiHart]

It does seem with most of the Lost Stories that you can understand why they weren't made for TV in the first place.

[Si Hunt]

One vote. Am I the only one to have reached the end?

Si.

[Lissa]

You may be the only one to have even started it and based on what you've said I'm not sure anyone will be joining you.

[Si Hunt]

Mr Rayner has started it! But he didn't sound like he was too keen to finish.

Si.

[Rob McCow]

You're like an Audio Canary - if you drop dead, we know it's a stinker.

[Si Hunt]

Si.

[Simon R]

I finished it but it did not hold my attention. I liked bits of it but it's very blah.

The much trumpeted twist is a bit predictable and might have been less obvious if they hadn't said there was one as you'd not be looking for clues. I also doubt very much that it would have been in the original outline.

[Rob McCow]

OK - I haven't tackled this issue yet, because it's a bit sensitive and it might just be in my mind.

But that thing on the cover looks like a gigantic mutant poo.

When you factor in the facial expressions (Davison smiling, the other two looking horrified) it all seems a bit crude.

[SiHart]

The first three episodes were excellent. Very intrigung set up, a WTF episode 2 cliffhanger that really surprised me and then it all fell apart. It's shame because the last part is on the whole very well acted, but it's just terribly dull. The farty synths are like the worst excesses of Roger Limb (sadly, rather than good radiophonics) and were just annoying. Maybe some would argue that was in keeping with Season 20 perhaps.

So good, but not great. 3/5

[Junkyard]

The first three episodes were excellent. Very intrigung set up, a WTF episode 2 cliffhanger that really surprised me and then it all fell apart. It's shame because the last part is on the whole very well acted, but it's just terribly dull. The farty synths are like the worst excesses of Roger Limb (sadly, rather than good radiophonics) and were just annoying. Maybe some would argue that was in keeping with Season 20 perhaps.

So good, but not great. 3/5

I'd agree with this. The first two episodes are great, the third good but episode 4 is very predictable. Peter Davison and Janet Fielding give excellent performances which does make it worth a listen.