Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: Storm Warning (Big Finish Audio Drama)

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Big finish had quite a few Doctor Who Adventures before this one, however Storm Warning crosses two important lines:

1. It is the first adventure since the Doctor Who movie of the 90's that featured Paul McGain who stared as the doctor.

2. Unlike other big finish episodes the 8th doctor episodes do not have to be shoehorned into the existing Doctor Who TV episodes.

If the episode was poor or the story lacking it wouldn't have made much of a difference but Paul McGain and India Fisher are first rate as is the supporting cast, the story is classy and fits very well in the Doctor Who mythos.

Paul McGain really dives into the role and shows that it was a great loss to Dr. Who fans when the decision to not pick up the series was given. His doctor has the charm, the wit and the energy that makes the series the success it is. It doesn't surprise me that the BBC is broadcasting two "seasons" of the 8th doctor on radio even better as it is voice acting we can expect years more of high quality adventures from Mr. McGain.

India Fisher has made the Character of "Charlie" her own. This episode has confirmed my desire to get the rest of her past stories and purchase the new ones. This is my 4th episode with Charlie that I've heard, but the first in the chronology. Her performance and the well written character that she plays is just simply wonderful.

Bottom line , Buy it!

This is the 16th installment of Big Finish's monthly Doctor Who audio dramas, however it is the first to feature Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. The audio dramas seem to exist in a parallel universe to the Eighth Doctor Adventure books published by BBC books, however I'm sure some very smart people have figured out how both can exist, somehow. This audio drama is set in 1930 and introduces a new Companion, Charley Pollard, voiced by India Fisher. Charley only exists in the audio dramas.

The voice actors are excellent, however since I read several years worth of Eighth Doctor Adventures before I heard this audio drama, it took me awhile to wrap my head around the idea that all I had read previously didn't exist.

The TARDIS materialises on the R101 as the air ship embarks on his maiden voyage. On board the Doctor discovers a mysterious passenger in Cabin 43 and Charlotte "Charley" Pollard, a stowaway Edwardian adventuress.

The Eighth Doctor made his debut in the 1995 Fox TV movie. Although that project was ill-conceived, Paul McGann was rather likable in the role. Storm Warming is a great reintroduction of the character and, in my book, an instant classic.

Alan Barnes' script is epic in scope and the cast rises to the challenge, delivering excellent performances. McGann's Doctor is positively animated, a mix of curiosity, energy and unbridled enthusiasm. India Fisher is outstanding as Charley, one of the best developed companions of all time. She and McGann have real chemistry and make an appealing duo. Gareth Thomas (Blake's 7) is also memorable as Lord Tamworth.

This is one of my all-time favourite Big Finish audios.

One of the tag lines used for the 1996 Doctor Who TV movie proclaimed "He's back and it's about time!" Sadly the TV movie didn't lead to a new TV series and for some time it appeared that Paul McGann's time as the Doctor would be limited to his single appearance in the TV movie. Then in 2001 Big Finish, who had by that point been doing Doctor Who audios with three of McGann's preceding Doctors, released Storm Warning. With its release, McGann not only triumphantly returned to the role of the eighth Doctor but got a fantastic new starting off point as well.

If Storm Warning proves nothing else it proves that McGann had the potential to be a fantastic Doctor. Beginning with the story's opening couple of minutes, in which McGann is by himself plus sound effects, McGann takes back on the role and really makes it his own. It's hard to imagine another one of the audio Doctors being able to successfully do the opening scene for example which gives McGann an opportunity to show off his acting skills in the audio medium quite well. If one ever needed a single moment for proof that McGann is a fine Doctor look no farther then the speech he gives to Charley and Frayling early in Part Three. In that one speech alone lies one of the finest performance moments you're ever going to find in Doctor Who, regardless of the medium. McGann also shares some wonderful chemistry with his fellow cast members as well especially India Fisher as Charley. McGann's potential as the Doctor is put to full use here and it makes for a fantastic new beginning for the eighth Doctor.

Storm Warning is also blessed with a fine supporting cast as well. First off there's India Fisher as Charley Pollard, a young "Edwardian adventuress" who will soon become companion to the eighth Doctor. Fisher plays Charley as a young woman full of a sense of adventure who finds herself caught up in an adventure bigger then she could ever imagine and it that, coupled with Fisher's incredible chemistry with McGann, that makes Charley a fantastic companion. Also joining the supporting cast is actor Gareth Thomas (better known to science fiction fans as the title character in the BBC's Blake's 7) as Lord Tamworth, Britain's Minister of the Air and he comes across as a believable, if too much of his time, man who is trying to do the right thing for his King and country. The cast is rounded off by nice performances from some of Big Finish's repertory company including Nicholas Pegg, Barnaby Edwards, Hylton Collins and Helen Goldwyn as the alien Triskelies. All round it's a nice supporting cast giving fine performances especially from Fisher and Thomas.

Storm Warning also has some nice post-production work going in its favor as well. The sound design by Alistair Lock is a fantastic piece of work and helps to give the story an epic feeling. Of special mention is is Lock's score which has a really strong orchestral feel like the score to a major Hollywood movie. There is also the version of the Doctor Who theme arranged by noted film composer David Arnold which, while perhaps not the best arrangement of the theme ever done, is still an interesting take on a classic theme. While the story has fine performances, it is the sound design that really sells the story and this stands as a fine achievement for Alistair Lock.

Then there's the script by Alan Barnes. Barnes, who after all had supervised the first eighth Doctor comic stories for Doctor Who Magazine, proved to be a fine choice for scripting the first audio adventure of the eighth Doctor. Barnes script takes of Doctor Who's traditions for using historical events as a jumping off point for a story and uses it to great effect. By basing the story almost entirely on the famed airship the R101 and infuses that tragic tale with a nice science fiction twist. By framing the story around the R101 the story has a ticking clock as well as the hour to the airship's eventual fate gets closer and closer the listener is left to wonder just how things will end. The story also acts as the set-up to a major arc that would throughout many of the eighth Doctor audio stories starting with from the story's finale onwards. Barnes script gives the audio adventures a fantastic start both as a one off adventure story and setting up a major story arc as well.

Storm Warning proves to be a fine new beginning for the adventures of the eighth Doctor. With things like Paul McGann's triumphant return to the role of the Doctor, the introduction of India Fisher's Charley, fine performances from the supporting cast, fine post-production work from Alistair Lock and a fine script by Alan Barnes it is hard not to enjoy this story not only a fine Doctor Who adventure but as the return of a Doctor who was thought to be just a one time performance. To quote the TV movie tag line "he's back and it's about time". And this time he was here to stay.

Great story! only the second audio who story I have listened to, if you have not had this experience the audio stories are great and I intend to buy more! Being a US citizen this was only the second time I got to experience the eight doctor and was not disappointed Paul McGann did a great job the story and the sound effects felt like I was right there with him a real pleasure way to go Big Finish Audio!!! highly recommended!!!

The 8th Doctor's first romp into the realm of Big Finnish audio plays didn't grab my attention right away. However after the story really settles in and you get a feel for the characters in it I warmed up to it rather quickly and really started to enjoy it.
I think the first problem was my unfamiliarity with the R101 airship disaster, however after completeing the audio play and getting into a lot of the characters like Freyling and Lord Tamworth I immediately hit up the world wide web for a quick history lesson.
After that and a second listen threw I really must say that this is an excellent story. I always enjoy the pseudo-historicals in Doctor Who and I'd rank this up with the 10th Doctor Story The Unicorn and the Wasp.
Paul McGann as always is an excellent Doctor and I'm once again reminded as to what a shame it is that he did not get a better chance at playing him on screen. He comes off with a lot of manic glee and a excitement for the unknown that only a Timelord who usually knows whats going on can muster.
New Companion Charley Pollard is also an interesting character where this marks the first time up to this point that a companion is set up to have a really integral part in the ongoing story arc (though certainly not the last).

Here begins the legacy of Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, the very one he was initially denied 15 years ago after appearing in the 1996 Fox television movie.

In "Storm Warning," he finds himself freshly landed aboard the British airship R101 in October of 1930. The dirigible has set off on its maiden voyage to Karachi, thereby ushering in a new age of air travel and carrying with it the hopes and dreams of a breathless nation. But there's trouble afoot in the guise of a ruthless spy and a band of Gallifreyan vortisaurs scavenging across the stern. Add to that mix the flighty Edwardian stowaway, Charlotte Pollard who, by story's end, becomes the Doctor's enthusiastic companion and you have the makings of a classic adventure on an epic scale!

Despite what you may be thinking, don't worry. I haven't given way the entire story. The professionally executed script by Alan Barnes contains additional surprises that you'll simply have to experience for yourself. Big Finish Productions have always specialized in adding exquisite cinematic quality to their releases. That's mainly what's kept me such an avid fan of theirs for so many years. When you listen to this specific story and all the many others Paul McGann has contributed to in years since, it seriously makes you question why he never received the televised run he so clearly deserved.

I can't honestly imagine any Doctor Who fans who haven't yet heard about these audio adventures. But if you happen to be one, I'd strongly recommend this specific story to get you started. It really is worth the time.

The Doctor lands on another vessel and meets a more interesting companion than we've seen him with in a long time. The production is quality as is the acting in this audio adventure. It's a wonderful beginning to the series.