The BF Time Warp 045: Project: Lazarus

[Anthony Williams]

It's that time again!

"I'll survive Doctor. I always do."

Unfinished business.

A frightened girl is stalked in a land of eternal night.

A hunter longs for recognition and power.

A traveller in time returns to correct the mistakes of the past and faces a danger that could rob him of his future. Unless his future intervenes.

And in the shadows stands Nimrod. Waiting...

Welcome to the Forge.

The Sixth Doctor and Evelyn return to the Forge. Then the Seventh Doctor visits it for the first time to find something rather... unexpected. We're deep into Big Finish's 40th Anniversary celebratory stories this time in the Big Finish Time Warp, and we want to know what YOU thought of this story!

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

Of course the key thing about this release is it's actually 2 stories in one which is IIRC the first time Big Finish had attempted this and unlike some of the later efforts (particularly the rather hit and miss three part and one part combinations of the early Briggs era) it comes off pretty well.
The first CD telling the story of Sixie and Evelyn being reunited with Cassie Schofield and having a rematch with Nimrod is amongst my favourite Big Finish stories of all time. The events take on a greater significance with the subsequent reveal in the 2005 release "Thicker Than Water" of a connection between these events and the Seventh Doctor's new companion Hex who was introduced in 2004.
The second CD is an enjoyable story in which the pre-TVM Seventh Doctor travelling alone finds himself having to take terrible actions to stop the Forge's activities in Dartmoor for good after making a shocking discovery as to who their latest star employee is. Whilst the resolution is predictable it does result is a good performance from Sylv as the Doctor is clearly at his most pragmatic. I was going to comment on a perceived continuity error but actually the Seventh Doctor's throwaway comment that Evelyn never forgave him could have been a deliberate lie.

[Junkyard]

I enjoyed this one. As usual with these plays I tend to focus on the performances rather than the plot. And Colin Baker, Maggie Stables and Sylvester McCoy are all in good form, as is Stephen Chance as Nimrod (wonderfully ruthless!). It's a shame they won't be using Nimrod and the Forge in the TV series (or could they?). Opinions anyone?