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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable and sometimes creepy adventure..., 5 Sep 2009
I've just finished listening to The Stuff of Nightmares and was surprised to find myself having enjoyed it! I say I was surprised because of the amount of negativity this story has been receiving both here and elsewhere on the internet. I'd actually like to address this first.
There seems to be a huge backlash against this at the moment. Firstly, the BBC seem to have made a bit of a mistake in the publicity by indicating that this was going to be a full cast audio drama which people assumed would be in the same vein as Big Finish (who produce licensed Doctor Who audioplays with Doctors 5 through 8). It's not. It's closer to an Audiobook with several actors and some dramatised sections. Judging from other reviews you might think this format doesn't work. The thing is, it does. In fact I think it works very well, particularly for this story. Looking at the other reviews I believe a lot of the negative feeling is coming from people who wanted a full cast audio play and are lashing out because the BBC publicity machine made a mistake.
Secondly, this is a release that has had a ridiculous level of anticipation. Tom Baker is usually cited as the most popular Doctor. Big Finish were never able to persuade him to do something with them and most people assumed that Tom Baker would never reassume the role on audio. When news of this project came along people were understandably excited. And high expectations often lead to disappointment. Yes, he doesn't sound the same as he did in the 70's and 80's, and yes some of his dialogue is a little on the stiff side (particularly during his scenes with Mike), but not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story and surely he can be forgiven for taking a little while to warm up to a character he hasn't played in such a long time?
The basic framework of the story is that the Doctor has invited Mike Yates to his cottage. Here he tells Mike of his most recent adventure. As mentioned above, Baker does sometimes seem a little stiff, but when he really gets his teeth into the part he shines. Richard Franklin and the other cast members also do excellent jobs.
The story itself is intriguing. Some fantastic ideas are included and some very visual elements are handled extremely well in the audio medium (the Doctors description of a "paper brain" for example). There were some genuinely creepy moments in this too and I recommend listening to it with the lights out. The sound effects when used are also very good (the hornets in particular). However, I felt the sound design occasionally could have been better. A discussion between the Doctor and Mr Noggins in a natural history museum cafeteria didn't work for me as there was a distinct lack of background effects, a murmur of voices and the chinking of crockery would have been very effective.
I can't say I was one of the people desperate to see Tom Baker return to the role. He was my favourite Doctor for a very long time when I was younger and I still love him in the role today. But I was happy with Doctors 5 to 8 via Big Finish. Now he has returned to Doctor Who I'm relieved to find that the negative comments about this play are, in my opinion, largely unfounded. I had cancelled my pre-orders of the rest of the series due to comments being made, but today I'm going to pre-order them again.
As long as you're aware of the format of this adventure and realise that Tom Baker is older and is just getting back into his stride I suggest you give this a whirl. At this price how can you not?
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Baker Returns In An Atmospheric Tale, 7 Sep 2009
The most notable thing about 'Hornet's Nest: The Stuff of Nightmares' is that it marks Tom Baker's first return to the role of the Doctor (a cameo in 1993 charity skit 'Dimensions in Time' notwithstanding) for nearly 30 years - so not surprisingly, the release of this series of five linked new adventures is being treated as something of an 'event' by BBC Audiobooks. This, combined with the obvious anticipation from fans eager for Tom Baker to return to the fold, means that 'The Stuff of Nightmares' could only end up as something of a disappointment.
This is not to say it's not good. It's a very entertaining tale which sees the Doctor engaged in a battle against sinister stuffed animals which have mysteriously come back to life with murderous intent, and recruiting his old UNIT colleague Mike Yates to help him at his temporary home - a cottage in the English countryside which the Time Lord shares with surly housekeeper Mrs Wibsy, and his faithful dog Captain. The TARDIS is nowhere to be seen, its whereabouts unknown, but it's clear all is not well. The format for this series is largely that of an audiobook, commencing with Mike's account of how he came to be reunited with the Doctor, before the Doctor takes over and relates to Mike how these strange circumstances have arisen - this is then interspersed with dramatised sections, with support from Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibsy and Daniel Hill as Percy Noggins, a professional taxidermist harbouring a dark secret. Writer Paul Magrs is well known for his skilful blending of the surreal and the macabre in previous works, and this is no different, being both funny and horrific in equal measure at times. It's a joy to hear Tom Baker back in action, and whilst he doesn't quite recapture the Doctor as he played him in the 1970s, there are moments where that original brilliance shines through - I'd certainly refute any of the claims from other reviewers that his performance is 'lazy' in any way. Richard Franklin is surprisingly effective as Mike Yates - now older and wiser than the misguided idealist of the 1970s.
Despite all this, there's something not quite right - probably because it's a hopeless task trying to faithfully recapture 'Doctor Who' in Tom Baker's heyday, and this completely avoids going down that route. Baker himself professed little interest in returning to the role unless there was the potential to do something a little different, and this is undoubtedly different to the kind of nostalgia-fest some listeners may have been looking for. Despite bringing back probably the best-loved of the past Doctors, this is 'Doctor Who' pushing in a new and unusual direction, and there's plenty of room for that in this day and age, where the market is saturated with spin-off adventures for Doctors old and new. If you're looking for a straightforward radio drama which recaptures the spirit of past 'Doctor Who', I'd recommend Big Finish Productions' excellent range of audio adventures. But if you're game for something a little more experimental, I can recommend this.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's not THAT bad!, 1 Oct 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Like others I wasn't too sure what to expect with this new Doctor Who adventure starring my favourite Doctor, Tom Baker.
Yes, the cast is small and the length is fairly short at only 70 minutes, but what we do get is pretty high quality as you'd expect from a BBC production.
The story is fairly entertaining and the aforementioned small cast keeps the interest alive right to the end. My advice to would-be purchases is don't be put off by the negatives, give it a go, you'll enjoy it!
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