EDA 1.3: Horror of Glam Rock

[Anthony Williams]

With the server problems from earlier this week, this thread disappeared. So, let's try again... moving on on our Eighth Doctor adventures listenening binge, we move onto Paul "Mad" Magrs' wonderful Horror of Glam Rock

So, denizens of Planet Skaro, we want to know what you make of this play, with it's fantastic cast including the iconic Bernard Cribbins, the wonderful Una Stubbs and the late Stephen Gately (RIP)

I will be back either later today or some point tomorrow with my review

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I like this one. Definitely a candidate for imminent relisten. Great fun and also sowed some interesting seeds of things to come in subsequent Eighth Doctor and Lucie seasons.

At some point I must dig out a link to the retrospective podcast they did about this one which includes a rather poignant interview with Stephen Gateley and in which series producer Barnaby Edwards laments the fact they would have loved to have worked with him again on a future production and instead had to make do with two former members of Blue (OK so I made that up. They wanted to use Duncan James as he's a mate of Sheridan's but not so sure about Anthony Costa )

[Junkyard]

Although this one isn't my favourite of the EDAs, it's entertaining enough. Most of the performances are good, particularly Cribbens and Stubbs and the relationship between the Doctor and Lucie is developing nicely.

However....aliens invading via a stylaphone!!?? This just seems so absurd to me that I get the giggles each time someone in the cast mentions it. Apart from this it's a good script.

[Anthony Williams]

I loved this. I've said so many times elsewhere that I find Paul Magrs' work can be very much hit and miss. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason behind this - it's not length nor format that does it. However, this was a massive HIT!

So, what was so wonderful about this one? Well, firstly, it's a different take on a very standard Who idea - the repeated Troughton-era base-under-siege. Part of me wondered whether or not Magrs' had read Kim Newman's Time and Relative and poached the idea of the snow monsters, which work extremely well on audio.

Of course, there was a few wonderfully mad spins on this very traditional type of Who story. Firstly, the whole glam rock thing - including the song - it could have been terrible, but they really do it justice. I really loved the glam rock version of the theme at the end, too! Likewise, the whole thing with Lucie's Auntie Pat being thrown into the frame, and Lucie being totally unphased by this.

Naturally, something must be said about the cast. Big Finish put together an absolutely stellar cast here (if you'll excuse the pun), with the likes of Bernard Cribbins (before Wilf, but still fantastic!), Una Stubbs, the late Stephen Gately, Claire Buckfield... they were all wonderful. They really bring this play to life, and I can't imagine it being quite as good with anyone else.

While this play seemed a nice irrelevant frivolity at the time (in the grand scheme of things), there's so much in this that contributes to Lucie's character arc. I LOVE it! This is definitely one of my favourites in the first season of Eighth Doc & Lucie stories.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I loved this. I've said so many times elsewhere that I find Paul Magrs' work can be very much hit and miss. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason behind this - it's not length nor format that does it. However, this was a massive HIT!

So, what was so wonderful about this one? Well, firstly, it's a different take on a very standard Who idea - the repeated Troughton-era base-under-siege. Part of me wondered whether or not Magrs' had read Kim Newman's Time and Relative and poached the idea of the snow monsters, which work extremely well on audio.

Of course, there was a few wonderfully mad spins on this very traditional type of Who story. Firstly, the whole glam rock thing - including the song - it could have been terrible, but they really do it justice. I really loved the glam rock version of the theme at the end, too! Likewise, the whole thing with Lucie's Auntie Pat being thrown into the frame, and Lucie being totally unphased by this.

Naturally, something must be said about the cast. Big Finish put together an absolutely stellar cast here (if you'll excuse the pun), with the likes of Bernard Cribbins (before Wilf, but still fantastic!), Una Stubbs, the late Stephen Gately, Claire Buckfield... they were all wonderful. They really bring this play to life, and I can't imagine it being quite as good with anyone else.

While this play seemed a nice irrelevant frivolity at the time (in the grand scheme of things), there's so much in this that contributes to Lucie's character arc. I LOVE it! This is definitely one of my favourites in the first season of Eighth Doc & Lucie stories.

Clare Buckfield has been great in loads of Big Finish plays especially the early entries in the 2000AD series and of course Sally in The One Doctor. Her screen brother from Two point Four children John Pickard has more recently appeared as recurring character Thomas Brewster opposite the 5th and 6th Doctors.
Anthony I'd forgotten how far you'd actually got with listening to subsequent seasons of 8th and Lucie so I didn't like to say too much about the Aunty Pat arc which reaches its apex in the wonderfully bleak 2009 Christmas Special "Death in Blackpool" (even bleaker than The End of Time Part One!)

[Junkyard]

Clare Buckfield has been great in loads of Big Finish plays especially the early entries in the 2000AD series and of course Sally in The One Doctor. Her screen brother from Two point Four children John Pickard has more recently appeared as recurring character Thomas Brewster opposite the 5th and 6th Doctors.
Anthony I'd forgotten how far you'd actually got with listening to subsequent seasons of 8th and Lucie so I didn't like to say too much about the Aunty Pat arc which reaches its apex in the wonderfully bleak 2009 Christmas Special "Death in Blackpool" (even bleaker than The End of Time Part One!)

No, please don't say anything about 'Death in Blackpool', I'm only as far as 'The Scapegoat'!

[Anthony Williams]

I've only got as far as the end of the second season, I'm afraid!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Mum's the word. Nothing I've said has any impact on season three at all thankfully. Oh and I liked the Scapegoat but that's a discussion for another thread.

I do like that Big Finish came up with the idea of bringing back Bernard Cribbins before BBC Wales did.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I'm listening to this at the moment. Una Stubbs just said "You're those Tomorrow people!" Brilliant stuff.

[Si Hunt]

Have you ever heard it before? A good one, with an amazing cast.

Si.

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

I haven't heard any of series 1 since they were on Radio 7 back in early 2007.
This one is a LOT better than I remember. I think maybe it just caught me on a bad day plus I suspect my memories of the series as a whole were coloured by the later releases not being as good as the opening three (this and Blood of the Daleks).

Just listened to the CD extras. How sad to hear Stephen Gately say he wanted to be in the TV series.

[Stuart Wallis]

Least said the better, I think... Overly camp, juvenile humour, dull story, Bernard Cribbins auditioning for Fagin, and Stephen Gateley's acing - well...!